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Abstract: Ornithogalum saundersiae Baker, commonly known as Giant Chincherinchee, is an interesting bulbous plant with horticultural and medicinal potential. For increasing production of O. saundersiae planting material can be used rapid propagation by twin scaling. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of parent bulb circumference, twin scale cutting weight and the type of biopolymer coating on the yield ofO. saundersiae bulblets. Propagules were encapsulated in three polymer mixtures: 1% gellan and 0.5% chitosan; 1% iota-carrageenan and 0.5% chitosan; 1% xanthan and 0.5% chitosan. Chitosan had a molecular weight (Mw) of 48 000 g·mol-1 and degree of deacetylation (DD) 85%. The twin scale cuttings were mixed with perlite and peat 1:1 (v/v) and stored for 100 days at 22-24˚C and relative humidity of 70-80%. The highest number of bulblets was produced by the parent bulbs 22-24 cm in circumference. The bulblets derived from the twin scale cuttings weighing 2.1-4.1 g were characterized by greater fresh weight, the greatest circumference and they produced the highest number of adventitious roots. Encapsulation of twin scale cuttings in gellan and chitosan or in iota-carrageenan and chitosan, resulted in the bulblets with more roots and greater weight and circumference, as compared to the control ones and the bulblets obtained from scales treated with xanthan and chitosan. Keywords: Bulblets,carrageenan, chitosan, Giant Chincherinchee, gellan. Download Full Article |
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Abstract: The mature larvae of Pectonophora gossypiella (Saunders) obtained from the laboratory culture maintained on casein wheat germ diet were irradiated at 35, 45, 55 and 65 Gy doses at a dose rate of 30.8 Gy/min. in a Cs-137 gamma irradiator. The pupation was delayed as the radiation dose increased. Furthermore, larval survival to pupal and adult stages were also susceptible to gamma radiation doses were increased. Females were more susceptible to gamma radiation than males. The effect of gamma radiation on reproduction in P1 moths following irridation of mature larvae was dose dependent. As the dose of mature larvae increased, average egg production, hatch percentage and adult longevity reduced. Egg production, was reduced more drastically in the crosses Untreated Male x Treated Female (UTM x TF) and Treated male x Treated Female (TM X TF) than the crosses Treated Male x Untreated Female (TM x UTF). Complete sterility was recorded when treated males were paired with treated females at 45 Gy and higher doses of gamma radiation. The results on the egg production, hatch percentage and adult longevity of F1 progeny of male parents following irridation of mature larvae showed that egg production was reduced significantly in crosses UTM x F1 Female at 35 Gy and complete sterility was recorded at higher doses. In crosses F1 Male x F1 Female, complete sterility was recorded at all the test doses of gamma radiation. The radiation doses higher than 35 Gy were more lethal either in F1 Male x F1 Female. The adult longevity was unreliable in all the crosses. However, moths were short-lived in both F1 Male x F1 Female and UTM x F1 Female progeny of treated pink bollworm females crossed with untreated males following irradiation of mature larvae indicated similar results as recorded in the case of male treated parents. However, complete sterility was recorded in F1 Male x F1 Female and UTM x F1 Female crosses and a few eggs were laid in F1 Male x F1 Female crosses at 35 Gy dose with 14.76 percent egg hatch. Keywords: Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), irradiation, Cs-137 gamma irradiator.Download Full Article |
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Abstract:This study aimed at investigating the ameliorative effects of probiotic and/or dandelion aqueous extract to reducing the risk of arsenic (As) intoxication on male rats. Fifty rats were randomly allotted into five groups, group 1(C-) given regular diet and water daily for 56 days, group 2 (C+) given sodium arsenate in drinking water, group 3 (PRO) given sodium arsenate in addition to probiotic, group 4 (PRE) given dandelion aqueous extract plus sodium arsenate (prebiotic) and group 5 (SYN) given sodium arsenate plus probiotic/dandelion extract (synbiotic). At the experiment conclusion rats were sacrificed and blood and testes were collected and taken for analysis and histopathological study, respectively. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST), Alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) and Aspartate aminotransaminase (AST) activities and creatinine, triglycerides (TG) and testosterone(T) concentration were determined and testes histopathology was studied. Creatinine, AST and TG were lower (P<0.01) in PRO, PRE and SYN compared with C+ rats. Arsenic ingestion didn't change rats body weight, but tended to increase testes weight. Also, there found decreases (P<0.05) in testesterone in C+, PRE and SYN-rats, however coadministration of PRO to C+ rats alleviated the toxic effects resulting in a comparable testosterone level to C- rats. Histopathological sections of C+ testes showed dislocation of germinal cells, losing normal architecture, filling seminiferous tubules lumens with cellular debris, slight congestion of blood vessels and thickening of the interstitial tissue. Moreover, in PRE animals, testis showed spermatogenic cells losing their normal architecture with vaculations and increased Leydig cells size. In PRO animals, the testes showed normality of most seminiferous tubules and normal spermatogonia, close to the C- rats. Testes of SYN rats showed little changes in spermatogenic cells structure. In conclusions, the protection of testicular toxicity and liver and kidney functions in arsenic-exposed rats is possible with probiotic or combined coadministration of dandelion-containing probiotic, but not with dandelion extract itself. Keywords: Traxacum officinalis, arsenic toxicity, rats, probiotics, testis histopathology. |
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Abstract: In vitro flowering is considered to be a complex process regulated by a vast of environmental and genetic factors. The present study describes the influence of sugar, ammonium nitrate and plant growth regulators on in vitro flowering from nodal explants of Celosia argentea var. cristata cultured for 6 weeks on basal MS medium under aseptic and light conditions. The addition to MS medium different concentrations of sucrose or ammonium nitrate did not influence on morphogenesis of Celosia plants. Among the plant growth regulators tested, supplementation with 1.0 mg/l KIN induced maximum number of new shoots (2.52). Flowering occurred on 100% of in vitro shoots cultured on modify MS medium supplemented with 16.50 and 8.25 g/l of NH4NO3 after 40 days. Keywords: Ammonium nitrate, inflorescence, morphogenesis, plant growth regulators, sucrose. Download Full Article |