Sagar Raj Kandel   

An understanding of feeding ecology is crucial for guiding the conservation of the sympatric carnivores, tiger Panthera tigris and leopard Panthera pardus. Scat samples from tigers and leopards were obtained non-invasively from the core and Buffer Zone (BZ) regions of Banke National Park (BaNP) and the Kamdi forest corridor between January and April 2019. These were analysed, based on the cuticle and medullary structure of hairs within the scat samples, to determine the prey species of both species. A total of N=50 samples of tiger scats were collected from the core and BZ areas of BaNP. No tiger scats were found in the Kamdi forest corridor. About 60 samples of leopard scats were collected from the core and BZ areas of BaNP and from the Kamdi forest corridor. Nine prey species were identified from tiger scat samples, and additional seven prey species were found in leopard scats' diet, with Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus and Buffalo Bubalus bubalis being absent while other rodents and bird species were found. Based on the prey categorisation for both felids, medium-sized prey species contributed 66.92% and 63.38% of biomass consumption in tiger and leopard diets respectively, which signifies dietary overlap. Biomass contribution was 90.30% and 76.61% from wild ungulates in tiger and leopard diets respectively. Domestic livestock support 9.50% and 15.18% of biomass in tigers and leopards, with an absence of small prey species like goats, sheep, and dogs in tigers' diet.

Anit Annamma Mathew   and M. Ampili   

Veneridae, the heterodont bivalve family, comprises commercially valuable species. The economic significance of the family members has rendered them a subject of dispute among researchers. Relative to other bivalve families, the chromosomal features of Veneridae are poorly understood, with the predominant chromosome number being 2n = 38. This paper reviews studies on bivalve chromosomes to consolidate existing data and highlight recent advancements in the field, focusing on chromosome number, karyotypes, morphology, characteristics, ribosomal gene locations, histone genes, microsatellites, and telomeric sequences in Veneridae and briefly explains the fluorescence in situ hybridisation studies and chromosome manipulations. According to the data obtained for the current investigation, less than twenty species have karyological information available. 5S rDNA and 45S rDNA loci were delineated in ten species. Histone genes were delineated in eleven species. Telomeric sequences from eight vertebrate species were discovered. Microsatellites were identified in six species. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) techniques were employed in over thirteen species. The restriction enzyme banding approach and polyploidization gained prominence. Chromosomal traits facilitate evolutionary research. Future studies must address chromosome morphology, sexual dimorphism in chromosomes, the organisation of histone genes (core histones and linker histone), satellite DNA, karyotype evolution, venerid chromosome anomalies, and cost-effective methods to ascertain ploidy levels.

Keny J. New Port   

Elephants (Elephas maximus) are keystone species in forest ecosystems and hold cultural significance in Kerala. This study aims to compare the behavioural patterns of 20 wild and 10 domesticated elephants in the Palakkad district, focusing on foraging behaviour, food preferences, stress levels, and overall activity budgets. Data were collected over six months using focal sampling and scan sampling techniques. Stress levels were assessed through behavioural indicators such as stereotypic movements, aggression, and social interactions. Results revealed significant behavioural differences. Wild elephants allocated approximately 65% of their active time to foraging, while domesticated elephants spent only 30%, relying primarily on human-provided food. Wild elephants exhibited a diverse diet comprising over 40 plant species, whereas domesticated elephants had a restricted diet of cultivated fodder, supplemented with fruits and rice. Stress-related behaviours, including head-bobbing, swaying, and vocal distress calls, were observed in 70% of domesticated elephants but were absent in wild individuals. Social interactions were more dynamic among wild elephants, with frequent bonding behaviours such as trunk intertwining and cooperative foraging. In contrast, domesticated elephants displayed limited social engagement due to isolation or controlled interactions. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences (p < 0.05) in foraging time, social behaviour, and stress levels between the groups. These findings underscore the profound impact of captivity on elephant behaviour, emphasizing the need for improved management strategies, enriched environments, and social opportunities for domesticated elephants. Conservation efforts should prioritize habitat protection to sustain the natural behaviours of wild populations. Further research incorporating physiological stress markers and larger sample sizes is recommended to deepen our understanding of domestication's long-term effects on elephant well-being.

Chettimada Vasantha Devika   and Naguvanahalli Somashekar Bhavana   

This study documents the ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants used by the Girijana community in the Thithimathi forest region, Kodagu district, Karnataka. A survey was conducted from January to July 2024, employing semi-structured interviews with local informants, including traditional healers, to gather data on medicinal plant usage. A total of 32 plant species from 21 families were identified and collected, with Fabaceae and Solanaceae being the most dominant families (13% each). The plants were categorized based on their growth form, with shrubs representing 34.37% of the total species, followed by trees and climbers (25% each), and herbs (15.62%). Ethnobotanical analysis revealed that Artemisia vulgaris, Capsicum annuum, Murraya koenigii, and Ruta graveolens had the highest frequency of citation (FC = 1) and relative frequency of citation (RFC = 0.1), indicating their widespread use in treating various ailments. Cyclea peltata exhibited the highest use value (UV = 2.6), reflecting its cultural importance and diverse applications in traditional medicine. In contrast, Pterocarpus marsupium and Tabernaemontana alternifolia showed the lowest FC (0.1) and RFC (0.01), suggesting restricted usage. This study provides the first documentation of medicinal plant use by the Girijana community in the Thithimathi forest region and identifies Raphiodophora pertusa as a previously unreported ethnomedicinal species. Additionally, it applies quantitative ethnobotanical indices (FC, RFC, UV) to assess plant significance, highlighting the rich biodiversity and traditional knowledge present in the region, emphasizing the importance of preserving these ethnomedicinal practices for future generations.

Mahbuba Khan   Nusrat Jahan Nipu   Mohooa Yasmin   Mobashsera Iffath   Masuma Zannat Nasrin   Aparna Rudra   Mohashweta Roy   Abul Kashem   Ahsanur Rahman   and Shameema Nasreen   

This study followed the rising occurrence of Bombax ceiba leaf spot disease across forests alongside gardens and plantations because the disease seriously endangers tree health. The existing control measures proved ineffective while Bombax ceiba leaf spot disease exclusively impacts farmers who use these trees to support their livelihoods. The Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) performed a field study to confirm the leaf spot disease causative agent and assess copper fungicide effectiveness in disease control. The research found that Colletotrichum gloeosporioides functions as the main cause of the disease. This research evaluated disease severity through studies of pH levels, temperatures (T), humidity (H) and together with media effects. The pathogen showed its highest growth rate on potato dextrose agar (PDA), pH 7, 15℃ temperatures and 90% humidity requirements. Carbendazim provided the most effective treatment by completely eliminating fungal spores from the environment thus minimizing disease occurrences. This study showed Trichoderma spp. worked successfully as a biological control agent which proved highly effective at lowering disease intensity while providing environmentally responsible methods for disease control.

Chiedozie Joel Uka   Odira Johnson Oledibe   and Onyinyechukwu Agatha Nwanedo   

Moringa oleifera, Lam., a perennial deciduous tropical plant belonging to the Moringaceae family, is a plant rich in many bioactive compounds. M. oleifera, is a plant known for its high nutritional and medicinal value. Preservation of the bioactive metabolites is dependent on the sample preparation and drying methods as well as extraction solvents used. Thus, the present study was carried out to investigate the effect of different drying methods and extraction temperatures and solvent types on the total phenolics and flavonoid contents of M. oleifera leaves. The leaves of M. oleifera were dried using different drying methods and extracted using ethanol, and aqueous solvents at different concentrations. The results showed that the yield of M. oleifera leaf extracts ranged from 11.05% – 36.50%. The aqueous extract had a higher yield than that of ethanol and ethanol is a better solvent for extracting flavonoids thus the higher average yield. Air drying and concentrating at 50℃ proved to be the best method of extracting flavonoids irrespective of the solvent used. The present findings suggest that variability in drying methods and solvents for extraction plays a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency of extraction of the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the leaves of M. oleifera.

Anushka Sengupta   and Salil Kumar Gupta   

The present paper includes the results of the study conducted from March, 2023 to February, 2024 on the seasonal occurrence of mites on mushroom fruit bodies as well as their bed and the influence of temperature, moisture content and relative humidity on the seasonal occurrence of mites on two types of mushrooms viz: White Milky mushroom (Calocybe indica) and Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). The maximum population was found during June, 2023 on White Milky mushroom fruit body as well as on its bed and in the case of Oyster mushroom, the maximum value was found in February'24 and November'23. The correlation coefficient (r value) in the case of mites on White Milky mushroom was negative with temperature (r=-0.334 and r=-0.167 on mushroom fruit body and bed respectively) but it was positive with relative humidity (RH) (r= 0.638 and r=0.718 on mushroom fruit body and bed respectively) and moisture contents (r=0.805 and r=0.850 on mushroom fruit body and bed respectively). In the case of Oyster mushroom, all abiotic factors were negatively correlated with the number of mites collected. The values of various indices (Relative abundance, Species richness, Species diversity, Species dominance and Species evenness) have also been included in this paper.

Roli Ojha Mishra   and Chetna Rahangdale   

Background of the Research: This study examines the water quality and aquatic insect biodiversity of Bhelwa Pond in Nehru Nagar, Bhilai, which serves as a vital home for several species. Assessing the ecological integrity of this freshwater environment is crucial, particularly in light of any human-induced effects. Purpose: The objective of the research is to evaluate several physicochemical elements that affect the water quality index (WQI) in addition to identifying and analyzing the aquatic insect fauna. Methodologies: Sampling occurred weekly from June 15 to September 30, 2023, yielding 14 samples in monsoon season. Using a mix of nets, strainers, and cameras, 48 species from 18 orders including Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and Odonata were identified. To assess the pond's water quality, important physicochemical parameters were evaluated, including pH, hardness, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and alkalinity. The variability of data was assessed using z-score values shown via box-and-whisker plots. Principal Results: The findings revealed a substantial variety of aquatic insects, underscoring their sensitivity to certain water quality metrics. Notably, the most important elements influencing Bhelwa Pond's WQI were found to be potassium, alkalinity, and chlorine. The research demonstrated differing degrees of habitat appropriateness for aquatic creatures. Major Conclusions: The study emphasizes the need of tracking biodiversity and the health of water. The results underscore the need for specific measures to enhance water quality according to the indicated important criteria. Contributions to the Field: This study lays the groundwork for future conservation and management plans in freshwater ecosystems by providing insightful information on the connection between physicochemical characteristics and aquatic bio-diversity. Research Limitations/Implications: The research, albeit confined to one season, underscores the need for continuous monitoring to account for seasonal fluctuation and guide ecological management. Practical Implications: The consequences include actionable strategies for local authorities, promoting sustainable practices that enhance community involvement in safeguarding this essential environment.

Partha Ganguly   Swapan Kumar Ghosh   and Koutilya Bhattacharjee   

Anurans being a very major yet very threatened group, has never been enumerated. These vertebrates undergo a huge deal of pressure on the ecological scale, the most part of which are due to anthropogenic activities and the rest of part is contributed by Naturals phenomenon (Mainly diseases). The listing down of the contributing factors for the estimating and eventually planning a better and appropriate protection plan for the animal is the call of the hour, in and around West Bengal, India & India. This study is an amalgam of site specific field survey and literature survey of the previous and contemporary works related to the issue, for mitigating the problems of this group for their better sustainability. The anthropogenic and natural factors are the key players of this issue and listing them down systematically gave us an all-round view of the problems and its various aspects which need to be met for the Anuran survivability in India. Anthropogenic factors are the only ones which can be reduced with certain steps and measures. The reduction in pressure in the Anthropogenic section would probably benefit the animals and might even help the animals mitigate the natural factors on their own.

Meenakshi Sharma   Trisha   and Surbhi   

Globally, tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are becoming a bigger threat to both human and animal health. To lower the risk of TBDs, a number of strategies have been used, such as the use of compounds with repellent and parasiticidal activity, habitat management, genetic selection of hosts with increased resistance to ticks, and vaccines. A survey was conducted in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh to collect data on tick management methods at varying altitudes. The questionnaire-based study involved 160 participants from four high altitude and three low altitude livestock owners, and the impact of tick infestation on livestock health and productivity was studied. Various tick control methods such as injection, biological agents, dipping, spraying, and ecological approaches were reported with injections being the most favoured due to affordability. Traditional practices like using fresh ash, mustard seeds, and reetha were also reported. Respondents associated tick infestation with climatic conditions, indicating that temperature and humidity significantly influenced tick populations and their effect on livestock. The survey also highlighted the diverse methods and beliefs regarding tick management across different altitudes and among different stakeholders in the area. The current survey provides comprehensive insights into the practices, perceptions, and challenges related to the tick management in the Kangra district, catering to both scientific and traditional approaches to mitigating tick infestation among livestock.

Christopher Uche Okolie   Chidozie Azubuike Anukwuorji   Onyinye Ann Mbaukwu   Uche Patrick Nwaogaranya   Chukwu Nkumah Okereke   and Adaugo Ozioma Nwakuche   

This study investigated the ecological characteristics, abundance and distribution of Senna occidentalis (L.) and the associated species in the sampled sites around Awka in Anambra State, Nigeria. The aim of the study was to determine the ecological status of this important plant in order to proffer appropriate conservation measures to forestall its extermination in the study area (if need be). Abundance measures such as relative density, relative frequency, relative abundance, and importance value indexs were estimated for the plant and its associated species in the study sites. The Shannon-Weiner index of diversity was adopted to determine the species diversity of the sampled sites. The relative abundance values for S. occidentalis in the study sites (Iffite Awka and Agu-Awka) where it was found were 1.41 and 1.60, respectively, and the importance value indexs for the plant in the same sites where it existed were 15.42 and 17.05, respectively. Those values were lower than those of some of the associated plant species in those sites. The plant was neither sighted nor recorded in Okpuno and Amansea study sites. The results showed that S. occidentalis is neither abundant nor dominant in the study area. The Shannon-Weiner index of diversity of the four sampled sites was 3.131, 3.273, 2.392, and 2.857, respectively. The sites where the plant existed had more species richness than the sites where it was not found. The calculated equitability of distribution of the plant and the associated plant species in the sampled sites for sites Iffite, Agu-Awka, Okpuno and Amansea, were 0.86, 0.91, 0.81, and 0.88, respectively. This implies that the plant species were largely evenly distributed in all the sites. Since S. occidentalis was not abundant in the study area, there is an urgent need for conservation measures to be implemented for the plant.

Salisu Gombe Haruna   Samuel Ayodele Adebitan   Abubakar Umar Gurama   and Ahmadu Tijjani   

Fusarium wilt of tomato is a soil-borne disease threatening tomato production in the Savannah ecological zone of Nigeria. Management of the disease using conventional strategies such as the use of resistant cultivars, crop rotation and synthetic fungicides has not always been effective. These necessitate the search for novel alternatives such as the use of vermicompost as organic amendment to control the disease. This work was designed to evaluate the efficacy of vermicompost-amended soil as eco-friendly way of managing Fusarium wilts in tomatoes. The field experiment was 2 x 5 factorial, laid out in a split-plot design with Roma-VF (a resistant variety) and UC 82B (a susceptible variety) allocated to the main plots. The sub-plots contained five treatments: Bio-enriched vermicomposted poultry manure (BIVPO), cowdung-based bio-enriched vermicompost (BIVCO) and Bio-enriched vermicomposted rice bran (BIVRI); CAMAZEB^® as a check and un-amended soil (control). All treatments were replicated three times. The results showed that the incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt were significantly lower on Roma VF than on UC 82B. Application of BIVPO significantly reduced the incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt comparable to the synthetic fungicide CAMAZEB^® at the early stage of the disease development and better than the fungicide at the latter stage. Fusarium wilt incidence and severity were higher in 2015 than in 2016 because of the low pathogen inoculum mitigated by the application of bio-enriched vermicomposts in the preceding year. Use of Roma-VF and BIVPO recorded lower disease incidence (38.7%) and severity (20.4%), and had higher disease reduction (30.8%) and lower stem vascular discolouration (2.5) than the other treatments. This is comparable to growing Roma-VF on BIVCO-amended soil which also recorded statistically similar results. The effectiveness of Roma-VF on BIVPO or BIVCO-amended soil is attributable to low phytotoxicity, abundant soil nutrients and the presence of bio-control agents which improved tomato growth and protection against Fusarium wilt. Roma VF could be recommended to be grown on soil amended with 25 tonnes ha^-1 of BIVPO or BIVCO as an eco-friendly integrated method for the management of tomato wilts caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici.

Priyam Nath   

The catfish Ompok pabda is a small indigenous freshwater fish commonly found in natural water bodies of Northeast India. Over the past years, the species has undergone significant decline due to over exploitation and hence placed in Near Threatened category by IUCN (version 2021-3). Therefore, need arises for providing proper growth condition for this fish species. For conservation purpose, this fish species was reared in Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) in three individual tanks and its length weight relationships were derived for assessing its growth conditions. RAS technology is based on the principle of rearing fish at high densities, in indoor tanks with a "controlled" environment by filtering and cleaning the water for recycling it back through fish culture tanks. The value of 'b' recorded in the fish species using RAS technology ranged from 2.78 (r²=0.822) to 2.91 (r²=0.90) respectively which was higher than that of the fish species reared in pond ranging from b=2.49 (r²=0.8335) to b=2.61 (r²=0.84). Zero mortality was observed during the entire study. The current study has provided the evidence of improved growth condition and hence improved growth using RAS technology in comparison to pond culture which recorded slow growth rate. Therefore if such a system like RAS can be provided for rearing this fish species without any observed mortality, then this Near Threatened fish species can be easily captivated.

Jubayer Ahmed   Firoz Mahmud   and Sharmin Sultana   

Kenaf is a fast-growing plant of the Malvaceae family. It is also known for its bast fiber. An experiment was conducted with twenty-five kenaf genotypes with geographic origins at the central jute agricultural experiment station of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI), Jagir, Manikganj using randomized complete block design with three replications to assess the genetic diversity of various morphological characters. Multivariate analyses were performed for this purpose. Twenty-five kenaf genotypes were grouped into five clusters while cluster II comprises maximum 7 genotypes followed by 5 genotypes in clusters III, IV, and cluster V. The first principal axis, plant height (m), accounted for the majority of the variation among genotypes, accounting for 74.07% of the total variation. The highest fiber weight was recorded by cluster V (19.00) while cluster I (10.33) showed the least fiber weight. The maximum and minimum inter-cluster distances were observed between clusters I and V (13.566) and I and III (2.602), respectively. Cluster I had the greatest intra-cluster distance (0.518), while Cluster V had the smallest (0.092). The inter-cluster distances were larger than the intra-cluster distances. Green bark thickness contributed maximum towards total divergence. The genotypes of clusters I (G5, G11, G12) and V (G1, G2, G22, G24, G25) were more diverse as they could be used as parents for future breeding programs. Recombination is enabled by genetic diversity, which is required for varietal development. Considering cluster distance, inter-genotypic distances G22 and G25 might be suggested for future breeding programs.

Naveen Kumar C.   and Sangamesh N. Talawar   

Medicinal plants are of utmost importance in the lives of rural and tribal population in Karnataka. These populations still depend on medicinal plants for primary healthcare and also for their livestock. The ethnobotanical knowledge has been passed on from their ancestors, other family members, and their own experiences and practices. Through this knowledge, they have been cultivating medicinal plants in their backyards in the name of "51��Ƶ gardens". 51��Ƶ gardens are the "Islands of rural biodiversity". Medicinal and socio-economic aspects are the main reasons for conserving home gardens in rural areas. The increasing demand for medicinal plants mainly depends on the current market requirements. To fulfill these demands, medicinal plants from the wild have been illegally exploited over a period of time. To overcome this, various conservation strategies come in handy to protect the medicinal plants for future generations. Cultivation of these medicinal plants by using In-situ and Ex-situ methods is the best method of conserving a viable population. This review article helps to a good extent in understanding conservation strategy, ethnobotanical knowledge, indigenous home gardens and trade status with respect to medicinal plants in Karnataka State, India.

Pujadebi Bera   Tapas Kumar Ghosh   and Hiranmoy Dhara   

Increasing global population is a main reason for elevated demand of fish as an animal protein source nowadays. The present experiment was carried out to increase fish production in a sustainable way and to make salt tolerant aquaculture candidate species by providing fortified feed without harming the natural environment. Methionine and selenium were used as feed supplementation for 90 -day feeding trial in four groups: C (control with normal feed), T₁ (feed with Methionine), T₂ (feed with Selenium) and T₃ (feed with both Methionine and Selenium). Then salinity tolerance test was carried out by adding sea salt in all groups with fresh water. Both Methionine and Selenium (T₃) showed the best result with the FCR of 1.24 ±0.003 followed by T₁ (1.31 ±0.009), T₂ (1.62 ±0.004) and C (1.89 ±0.001). Conjointly they also improved growth performance, proximate composition, haematological parameters and enzymatic activity in rohu. During the second phase, though experimental fishes were affected showing reduced growth performance and physiological activity, the hinderances were lesser in test groups than in the control group. In control, rohu showed less than 50% mortality in 6 ppt whereas T₃ showed the same at 10 ppt salinity. Thus, these two ingredients: methionine and selenium can be used to culture rohu in salt affected area with a greater possibility for improving production.

Arya M. S.   Biju A.   Anu G Saji   and Dani Benchamin   

The present investigation was aimed at examining the effects of environmental variables on two bivalve species Villorita cyprinoides and Magallana bilineata in the five stations of Munroe Island, Kerala, India during the pre-monsoon period of 2022. The impacts of various anthropogenic activities were noted. Spatial abundance and distribution of these two species were recorded. Moreover, 12 hydrographical parameters were analyzed during the study period. Spatial dynamics of these two species showed that Villorita cyprinoides ranged from 140.25 ind/m² (S1) to 185.45 ind/m² (S3) and the abundance Magallana bilineata was between 139.12 ind/m² (S1) and 175.21 ind/m² (S3). Environmental variables like temperature, TDS, EC, salinity, hardness, alkalinity and pH were highest at S3 whereas the BOD and COD were highest at S4. The dissolved oxygen and nutrient parameters were highest at S1. The results of water quality analysis specified the moderate levels of anthropogenic activities in Munroe Island. To ascertain the association between bivalve species and water quality variables, the observed variables were measured through the multivariate statistical tools. The response of bivalves still reflected the moderate pollution status of Munroe Island and also revealed that the bivalves can tolerate adverse environmental conditions. The distribution pattern of bivalves in the present investigation also signified the same. Moreover the influences of both the Ashtamudi estuary and the Kallada River were clearly reflected in the hydrographical and biological variations.

Zainab Khatoon   Nooreen Fatima   Sunil P. Trivedi   and Vivek Kumar   

One of the key ingredients in oral contraceptives and the most extensively researched endocrine disruptor globally is 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), a synthetic estrogen. The primary way it gets into the environment is via wastewater discharges. In this work, Channa punctatus, a freshwater vertebrate model fish, was used to examine the potential effects of ecologically relevant concentrations of EE2 on behaviour and brain histology. Fish that had been laboratory acclimated and were in good condition were split into three groups and given medium treatment exposure to one treatment at each concentration (5, 10, and 20 ng/L of EE2) for 28 days along with the controls in order to study the potential biological pathways. When the concentration of EE2 was raised after 28 days of exposure, there was an increase in structural damage to the brain. The degradation of brain cells with cytoplasmic vacuolization, alterations in the quantity of grey and white matter, and neuronal necrosis were also noted. The Group 4 (20 ng/L) group showed the worst damage to the brain tissues of both males and females. Male brains have the highest levels of necrosis (22.23±0.54) and vacuolization (16.37±0.44), while female brains exhibit lower levels of necrosis (13.73±0.24) and vacuolization (6.3±0.24), respectively. When exposed to 17α-ethinylestradiol, the test fish displayed various unusual behaviours, including restlessness, asymmetrical swimming movements, loss of balance, motionlessness, and sluggish movement. When exposed to 17α-ethynylestradiol, Channa punctatus internal brain structure had severe histopathological abnormalities, and its behaviour responded differently from that of control fish, demonstrating the severity of synthetic hormones.

Abhilash H. R.   Samson S   Dharma Guru Prasad M. P.   and Mahadevaswamy M   

The present study encompasses the use of aquatic insects as bio-indicators for monitoring the health of two freshwater lakes- Varuna Lake and Dalvoy Lake in Mysore district, Karnataka, India. Monthly sampling from six sampling sites in both lakes was conducted for a period of six months (April 2019–September 2019) between 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. local time. A total of 34 species of aquatic insects were recorded, 28 species from Varuna Lake and 22 species from Dalvoy Lake. The insect orders Coleoptera and Hemiptera accounted for the highest number of species from both lakes. The diversity indices such as the Shannon index (2.86), Evenness (0.62), and Margalef’s index (4.64) were higher in Varuna Lake as compared to Dalvoy Lake. Family-level biotic indices and scores further revealed that Varuna Lake was the least polluted and had higher species richness than Dalvoy Lake. Physicochemical factors like electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, calcium, and hardness were elevated in Dalvoy Lake, suggesting perturbation of the water. The results of our study suggest that biotic indices, in conjunction with physicochemical studies, are useful for determining the overall health status of a particular water body.

Santhosh Kumar Rajamani   and Radha Srinivasan Iyer   

The subspecies or variety classification of Cryptocoryne spiralis is of great difficulty, caused by large variability in leaf and flower morphology. There is evidence in the literature on Cryptocoryne spiralis species that the extant description of the species is an amalgamation of two (or even more) different ecotypes, which is strengthened by reports of Allopolyploidy, and varying number of Chromosomes as reported by different cytologists, a rare phenomenon in the family Araceae. After extensive study of this species in its natural habitats of western India and cultivation, based on ecotypes, we propose to bifurcate this Species into two, Plaudis and Aquatica ecotypes based on observed significant differences in characteristics. Plaudis, Ephemeral, lacustrine and wetland ecotype which cannot thrive in Aquarium, does not grow well in any artificial conditions, has spurt growth pattern in torrential Konkan rain and becomes dormant in hot summers. Aquatica is riverine, rheophyte, perennial, aquatic ecotype, grows well in Aquarium, frequently flowering and fruiting, rapid germination of seeds and no observable dormancy period. These differences in traits are statistically significant at a p value of 0.05 (95% confidence interval). This study is morphological observations only and not on chromosome and DNA studies.

Byju H   Raveendran N   S. Ravichandran   Kishore R   and Reshmi Vijayan   

This is the first record of an avifaunal checklist of birds reported from the Sikkal tank in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted from January 2022 to February 2023. The present study documented 86 bird species from 16 orders and 41 families. Among the families, Ardeidae (7 species) was dominant, followed by Accipitridae (5 species), Cuculidae, Columbidae, Rallidae, Cisticolidae, and Threskiornithidae (4 species each), and Anatidae, and Alaudidae (3 species each) that represented the bird species of the tank. Among the waterbirds, we recorded four globally Near Threatened species - Blackheaded Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, and Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, according to the IUCN Red List category. Sixty-five (75.6%) bird species were common during the study; fifteen (17.4%) uncommon and six rare. 83% (n = 68) were residents, 5% (n = 4) were resident/not breeding, 3% (n = 3) were local migrants, 8% (n = 7) were winter visitors, and one species was a passage migrant (Rosy Starling Pastor roseus). This baseline valuable information from the Sikkal tank could serve as data for avian conservation strategies and emphasize the need for the protection of new wetland areas by elevating the protection status in the ever-increasing developmental pressure of the society.

Chinelo Anthonia Ezeabara   Chiwetalu Chiemelie Okafor   Regina Oluchukwu Anona   and Wisdom Chibuzo Anyanele   

Isoberlinia doka Craib & Stapf is an evergreen perennial hardwood tree with glabrous shining foliage. The plant is predominant in northern Nigerian guinea savanna vegetation. The present study performed both qualitative and quantitative phytochemical and proximate analyses of I. doka leaf, stem bark and root bark on dry matter bases. The plant samples were dried, ground into a powder and extracted using cold maceration technique. The standard laboratory procedures were then used for the analyses. The level of significance was measured using the least significant difference (LSD) post hoc test and the data were presented as the mean of three duplicates. High concentrations of alkaloids at 39.00%, saponins at 5.96%, phenols at 5.86%, steroids at 5.20% and terpenes at 4.30% were detected in the leaf. In addition, alkaloids, anthraquinone glycosides, flavonoids and steroids were only present in the leaf. Cardiac glycosides and tannins were not detected in all the plant parts investigated. Moreover, considerable levels of nutrients were found in the plant parts. The ash contents were relatively high. The percentages of crude fibre and carbohydrate of the leaf at 38.50 and 38.00 respectively were also high. The findings demonstrated that I. doka leaf extracts possess both considerable high pharmacological and nutritional properties; making the leaf the most important part of the plant, ethnobotanically. Hence, the use of the leaf as a vegetable as well as a base for novel drug formulation is suggested.

Mahesh Lingakari   M. Madhavi   K. Vanaja   S. Guruswamy   A. Shanthri   and B. Srikanth   

The efficacy of Pongamia pinnata seed oil as an antifeedant against the late instars of the Lemon butterfly, Papilio demoleus L., was evaluated in the present study conducted at the Department of Zoology of Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The study period was from June 2022 to November 2022. In the non-choice method used for the antifeedant bioassays, citrus leaf discs measuring 30 sq. cm were dipped for 1 minute in different concentrations of P. pinnata seed oil emulsions, including 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2%. Distilled water and an emulsifier were used as the control solution. The dipped leaf discs were dried at room temperature. A single pre-starved larva was placed on each leaf disc to feed on it. After 24 and 48 hours of introducing the larvae on leaf discs, the leaf area consumed by the larvae was measured using the graph sheet method. The antifeedant activity of the test concentrations exhibited dose-dependent results, with the 2% oil emulsion demonstrating the highest antifeedant activity of 84.65% and 70.30% after 24 and 48 hours of treatment, respectively. P. pinnata seed oil was found to possess the potential to be utilized as an antifeedant against P. demoleus larvae.

Jagrati Tiwari   Amita Arjariya   Ravindra Singh   Pooja Agrawal   and Roshni Khare   

Monuments can be defined as a building or structure that is an important part of history and culture, related to religion. The superfine architecture of the Indian monuments is their main concern for preservation. It is noticeable that these monuments were constructed for a long period but nowadays the adverse effects of the environment and various living factors like microorganisms and lower plants will not allow them to be preserved for a long time. The corrosion of rocks and newly formed uncovered stone monuments is a combined phenomenon of physical and chemical reactions, which are the main reasons for the decay process. This normally begins with the rotation mechanism of the seasonal variation of rain, wind, sunlight and freezing or thawing process. Conductive environment and the availability of energy resources with nutrients that are organic and inorganic in nature, permit the biological adaptation of a bare surface of monuments. This investigation provides presence of various microorganisms and lower plant species on the temple surface. The investigation was carried out at the Khajuraho group of temples (western group of temples, Khajuraho) where 6 bacterial genera, 12 fungal species, 7 algal species and 3 lichens were observed during study period. The presence of these microstructures on temple surface is associated with the decay and degradation of temple surface also known as biodeterioration. The study site Khajuraho is an international tourist place known for its cultural monuments. The chief concern of this study is to explore the presence of microorganisms and lower plant species on temple surface through their isolation and identification, which would be valuable for future investigation and research.

Dhawane Pragati   Upadhye Shanti   Dhotre Sumit   and Digaskar Rutuja   

The study area of Bhopar Gaon Wetlands is situated in Kalyan Tehsil of Thane district in Maharashtra. The avifaunal diversity of the area was investigated using the point count method from the first week of February to the last week of April. In total, 56 species from 25 families were spotted during the study, including resident birds, migrant birds as well as birds belonging to vulnerable and near threatened categories of the IUCN Red list. A checklist of observations has been compiled. Construction activities and deforestation pose a threat to the bird diversity. There is increasing awareness about bird diversity and its significance nowadays. A checklist of the said area does not exist and will be very helpful in getting a complete picture of the biodiversity status of the state. Ornithological data is also a useful indicator of effects of environmental changes on an area, and the impact on bird migration, nesting and breeding can all be assessed with this data. Avifaunal cataloging plays a significant role in understanding the complex ecological and evolutionary patterns of the biodiversity of an area. The present study represents a modest step in that direction.

Vaithiyanathan Selvi   Subramanian Arivoli   and Samuel Tennyson   

Seaweed species have been reported for their toxic effects on mosquito larvae. In the present study, the petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone and methanol extracts of two green seaweeds, Caulerpa racemosa and Ulva fasciata were tested for toxicity against the second and third instar of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus as per the guidelines of World Health Organization at concentrations of 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 mg/L for 24 hours. Caulerpa racemosa extracts recorded 100% mortality at the highest concentration on the second and third instar of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus, and maximum larvicidal activity was exhibited by the chloroform extract, and their respective LC₅₀ values were 140.49 and 144.554 mg/L, and 153.704 and 158.313 mg/L. In the case of Ulva fasciata, the chloroform extract exhibited 100% mortality at the highest concentration on the second and third instar of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus, and also the maximum larvicidal activity with LC₅₀ values of 158.358 and 166.025 mg/L; and 154.156 and 187.435 mg/L against the second and third instar larvae, respectively. Overall results indicated that amongst the two green seaweeds tested, Caulerpa racemosa exhibited more activity when compared to Ulva fasciata, and with reference to solvent extracts, the chloroform extract exhibited maximum activity against the larval instars of the vector mosquito species tested. With regard to the vector mosquito species tested, Aedes aegypti was more susceptible than Culex quinquefasciatus, and in the case of instars, second instar larvae were more susceptible than the third instar. In conclusion, the bioassay result of the present study indicated the larvicidal property of the chloroform extract of both the green seaweeds against the larval instars of vector mosquitoes, which encourages further investigation on its bioactive compounds that might own virtuous larvicidal properties when isolated in pure form.

N. R. Salve   and D. N. Mishra   

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. The metabolites of plant sources have been revealing great promise to treat cancers, too. The anticancer potentials of several medicinal plants are now being studied, although ancient medical systems treated patients of such kind. New directions in cancer research are now possible due to modern developments in biological sciences. In view of various recognised therapeutic properties of Cocculus, the plant is utilised in the indigenous systems of medicines to treat a wide variety of diseases. Many important secondary metabolites from Cocculus hirsutus (L.) W. Theob. plant have been reported by earlier workers. The previous studies and findings on anticancer activity of crude extract of this plant, encourage to further investigate the Phyto/bio-compounds of the extracts with Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS) technique and by using in-silico tool to make rational correlations of the properties. By LC-MS technique, phytocompounds were identified from the crude methanolic extract of Cocculus hirsutus. Chemoinformatics tools were employed to screen the phytocompounds and predict the potential anticancer activities of these compounds. Through modern tool like in-silico virtual screening software, the potentials of such phytocompounds as drugs and as leads against cancer disease were investigated. The comparative analysis was made between the known activities of the highly used/ approved/standard anticancer plant-derived drugs and the predicted activities of the fifteen compounds identified from the extract that were under investigation. In terms of activity, these compounds closely resemble to the approved/standard/recognised plant-derived anticancer drugs. The compounds like the 2,3-Dihydrogossypetin, Trilostane, Nonanoic acid, Irinotecan, Euphornin, Salannin and Gnididilatin are predicted to have drug-likeness. These findings would help reaching the desired target-based medicines for the dreaded disease like cancer. Irinotecan, the semi-synthetic Camptothecin alkaloid, an approved/standard anti-cancer agent (having Topoisomerase I inhibitor activity), is reported for the first time from natural source, like Cocculus hirsutus plant. This plant is in the list of ethnomedicines too and can be considered as a potential source of a drug candidate for the treatment of various types of cancers.

Nagesh Baliram Birajdar   and Madhav Pralhad Bhilave   

Paraquat Dichloride, a broad-spectrum herbicide, used for the killing of aquatic weeds in aquaculture ponds and reservoirs was tested on extensively cultured Indian Major Carp (IMC) Cirrhinus mrigala Ham.. For this purpose, fingerlings of this economically important fish were exposed to the sub-lethal concentrations (LC_1/20th and LC_1/10th) of paraquat continuously for 30 days by using the static renewal bioassay method. Post Exposure, the lipid peroxidation activity in 4 vital organs of the fish viz. gill, muscle, liver, and brain were estimated by E. D. Wills's method to rectify paraquat's toxicity. Annotated findings specified, a highly significant (p<0.001) chronological increase in lipid peroxidation activity (LPO) of gill, muscle, and liver tissues respectively in the LC_1/10th concentration group, while a moderately significant (p<0.01) increase in LPO activity of brain tissue in the same group. While the gill and the brain tissue of the LC_1/20th group showed moderately significant (p<0.01) and significant (p<0.05) increases in the LPO activity respectively. All changes showed their dependency on the time and concentration factor of the toxicant. Concluding the study, it was stated that, chronic paraquat sub-lethal exposure significantly increased the LPO activity in the vital tissues of Cirrhinus mrigala Ham. thus supporting its highly toxic nature and an immediate need to restrict its use as much as possible.

P. Thirunavukkarasu   P. Shamsudeen   G. Raj Manohar   N. Murali   and D. Anandha Prakash Singh   

The reproduction parameters of the Native chicken variety were maintained at College of Poultry Production and Management (CPPM), Hosur and were studied at Poultry Farm Complex (PFC), Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal during the period between April 2020 and April 2021. The reproduction parameters like Hen day egg production (HDEP), Hen housed egg production (HHEP), Hen housed hatching egg production (HHHEP), Fertility and Hatchability were studied. The Native chicken variety attained sexual maturity (149 days) much earlier than other native chicken in India. The results of hen housed egg production (No.) were 40.0±0.45 and 66.6±0.60 up to 40^th and 52^nd week, respectively. Fertility (per cent) of the Native chicken variety ranged between 93.1±0.21 and 95.9±0.32 with an average of 94.68 per cent. The recorded hatchability (TES) up to 52 weeks had ranged between 82.8±0.55 and 88.1±0.07 with an average hatchability of 85.70 per cent. The reproduction traits were higher than many other indigenous chicken with mean hatchability of 85.0 per cent, fertility of 94.8 per cent and production of 45.6 chicks per hen during the production period of 52 weeks.

Soja. S   and T. Sunilkumar   

Canthium angustifolium Roxb. is used for the preparation of various traditional medicines. Leaf extracts of Canthium angustifolium were taken in petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and water and screened for phytochemicals. For the identification of different phytoconstituents, both qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis were done with standard procedures. Antioxidants are substances which scavenge free radicals from the body cell and prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation. Active principles such as Alkaloids, Glycosides, Flavonoids, Terpenoids, Phenol, Fatty acids, Quinones, Saponins, Steroids and Tannins were found as a result of qualitative analysis. Total phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins and steroids were quantitatively estimated. Antioxidant property of different extract of Canthium angustifolium was examined using DPPH and FRAP assay. From the result of the assays, it was clear that water and methanolic extracts show significant inhibitory properties and those combinations can be used as promising antioxidant drug. A higher amount of saponin, tannin and phenol is the reason behind the antioxidant activity. The study reveals the medicinal importance of Canthium angustifolium as it contains valuable phytochemicals.

Girish Kumar Vyas   Hariom Sharma   and Bhupendra Vyas   

Background of the research: Eucalyptus is a genus and a member of Myrtaceae family. More than 700 various species are available for this genus. In ancient time, it was widely used for treatment of diseases caused by microbes and bacteria. As it has a good ability to suppress and kill microorganisms, it is widely used in formulation of cosmetics. It was proved by many researchers that its oil contains 1,8-cineole which is used in pulmonary infection treatments. Eucalyptus also showed activities such as antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, herbicidal, insecticidal, anthelmintics. Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to confirm the antimicrobial activity of various concentrations of eucalyptus oil and its extracts in different solvent systems according to the polarity of solvents. As activity against of microbes depends on the presence of antioxidants and less studies were present on antimicrobial effects for selected microbes. Methodologies: Eucalyptus leaves were collected, dried under shades for 48 hours then eucalyptus oil was extracted with Clevenger apparatus by fixing with condenser. The process of extraction was completed with soxhlation process with multiple solvents according to polarity. Then phytochemical evaluation is done for confirmation of antioxidants. Free Radical Scavenging Activity DPPH Test, ABTS Radical-Scavenging Assay, Tannin, Flavonoids, and total Anthocyanin content were determined for good activity. Antimicrobial activity was determined by Disc-Diffusion Assay after calculating the MIC with agar dilution method. Results: The results of using the extract on microbes were found as expected. Eucalyptus oil and extract both were found enriched with antimicrobial properties. These showed good effects against positive, negative bacteria as well as for Fungi. As high antioxidant activity was detected in ethanol extract. Antimicrobial activity results showed that K. pneumoniae seems to be the most sensitive bacteria among both grams (positive and negative bacteria's). The MIC in gram-positive bacteria for S. aureus found 2.85 mg/ml, best in gram negative is K. pneumoniae that is 2.05 mg/ml and for Fungi best MIC is 3.10 mg/ml. Conclusion: These research findings lead us to conclude that eucalyptus essential oil and various extracts, mainly the ethanolic extract could be considered as a potential alternative for synthetic bactericides. It can be used in the pharmaceutical industry for the prevention of pathogenesis caused by microorganisms and free radicals.

Jahangirr Ahmad Magray   and D. P. Sharma   

Salinity is the key problem for crop cultivation in several regions of India. To study the plant growth and photosynthetic pigments of alfalfa under salinity stress, an experiment was conducted in a factorial design wherein alfalfa seeds were grown in polythene bags in triplicate, containing 3.5 kg sandy-loam soil, poor in NPK amended with 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% (w/w) Farmyard manure (FYM). NaCl doses of 0, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500mM were given for one month after the plants attained enough strength. Lower salinity doses of 10, 20 and 50mM with FYM proved to be the growth promoter for the plant. Peaks of shoot height (103.00cm), root depth (24.00cm), shoot dry biomass (8.97g/plant), root dry biomass (2.33g/plant) and leaf area (2467.17cm²/plant) were recorded in plants grown on soil amended with 15% FYM and treated with 50mM NaCl. Plant growth started to decrease at 100mM NaCl and afterwards. Comparatively, better performance of the plant and overall growth recorded in plants raised on soil amended with 15% FYM. Similarly, the highest chlorophyll a (0.71mg/g), chlorophyll b (0.86mg/g), carotenoids (0.48mg/g), chlorophyll a+b (1.57mg/g) were found in plants raised with 20% FYM at 50mM salt stress. Plants failed to survive at 500mM NaCl. The outcomes suggest that the interaction of fertilizer and lower salinity doses prove to be instrumental for the growth of alfalfa.

Anit Annamma Mathew   and M. Ampili   

Veneridae is the morphologically diverse and commercially important heterodont bivalve family. Morphological parallelism, shell polymorphism and the study based on conchological characters create problems in the phylogeny of venus clams. Over several decades, the study based on external morphology became a matter of debate. Controversies existed in the taxonomic status of many members of the family Veneridae. To overcome these problems, mitochondrial genome study or the use of mitochondrial markers is widely adopted. Mitochondrial large ribosomal subunits 16S, 12S and mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I are the most powerful tools currently used in phylogenetic analyses. The results were obtained through maximum-parsimony (MP), neighbor-joining (NJ), minimum evolution (ME) analyses and Bayesian method. The complete mitochondrial genome of more than 30 venerid species was already analyzed. Current article peruses the studies that give the accurate taxonomic position of the members, the relatedness between species, genetically distant species and sequence divergence among different taxa. The mitogenomics method has become the most advanced technique to draw accurate conclusions in evolutionary relationship, population genetics and helps in species identification. Nowadays, a combined morphological and molecular methods were used to resolve the phylogenetic relationship. Recently, ITS2 and cytogenetic studies have gained much attention and they help to interpret many facts which create a breakthrough in the bivalve studies. This short review attempts to summarize the recent studies on the molecular phylogenetics of members of the family Veneridae on the basis of mitochondrial genome analyses.

Shampa Bag   

Murshidabad District in the Gangetic Plain of West Bengal is well known for its rich avifaunal diversity. A large number of migratory birds gather at different locations in the district especially around the wetland areas during the winter which is yet to be documented till date. Sheeal Lake is about a 6.5sq km shallow lake in the remote rural area of the district under Nadia-Murshidabad Forest Division, West Bengal, and is chiefly dominated by agroecosystems and sparsely populated human settlements. The objective of the study is to prepare a checklist of the avifaunal diversity in and around Sheeal Lake. The avifaunal diversity using standard method and photographic documentation was done. 614 individuals of 55 avian species belonging to 27 families and 14 orders were documented. Anatidae is the most dominant family with the most number of individuals. Passeriformes represented by 12 families, were the most diverse. 10 habitat strata and 9 feeding guilds were identified. The bird community is dominated by omnivore (39%) followed by insectivore (21%), carnivore (17%), nectarivore (5%), granivore and piscivore (5% each), frugivore (4%), herbivore (2%), and scavenger (1%). Biodiversity indices (Berger-Parker=0.385 & Shannon=2.93) show moderate dominance, fair evenness and richness of bird species during winter. Spread of the human settlement around the pristine ecosystem results in conflicts and occasional hunting which are the threats identified.

Namita Goyat   Arvind Malik   Sukhmeet Singh   and Joginder Singh Duhan   

A potent method for quickly analysing species relationships, species composition, and, in conjunction with trait databases, functional elements of community biodiversity, is DNA metabarcoding. Traditional approaches to assessing species richness and abundance are constrained by taxonomic identification, may harm or destroy habitat, and may rely on techniques that make it difficult to find small or elusive species, making estimations for entire communities unattainable. By using highthroughput sequencing (HTS) technology, this technique can sequence and extract data related to DNA barcodes collected from environment and community samples. An evolving technology called metabarcoding makes use of huge libraries of DNA barcode sequences and the improving throughput of DNA sequencing technologies. Analysis of vertebrate diets was one of DNA metabarcoding's earliest applications, and this technique is still effective for comprehending plant-pollinator relationships. The scope of DNA research is constrained by environmental DNA degradation since, especially in warm, tropical areas, only very little remnants of genetic material are frequently present. DNA metabarcoding is a novel technique that is still under development. As technology develops and protocols become more standardised, it is expected that this method will stay in flux for some time. Metabarcoding, however, is anticipated to become a crucial tool for monitoring ecology and global conservation research as it is improved and used more frequently.

Bhagya U.   and S. Basavarajappa   

The systematic field survey was conducted at managed agro-climatic habitats in Mysore city during 2022 by employing various standard methods to record the butterfly species composition and diversity. Total 89 butterfly species which belong to 44 genera in five families namely: Hesperiidae (8 species), Lycaenidae (22 species), Nymphalidae (35 species), Papilionidae (11 species) and Pieridae (13 species) were recorded with per cent occurrence 12.9, 24.2, 35.5, 11.3 and 16.1 respectively. Of all, Nymphalidae family members were more predominant compared to other families. Interestingly, commonly occurring butterfly species were 90.6 and 100% respectively in urban and rural human-modified habitats. The uncommonly occurring butterfly species were found only 9.4% in urban habitat. The diversity indices such as dominance, Shannon, Simpson(1-D), Equitability, Evenness, Berger Parker, Fisher alpha, Margalef and Menhinick indices revealed quite interesting values and indicated habitat specificity of butterfly species midst urban and rural habitats of Mysore district. Surprisingly, the biodiversity profile indicated the unique distribution and species composition in human modified habitats in urban and rural environment. Thus, present study revealed that butterfly species composition is habitat specific and offer congenial, undisturbed habitats with good flora even midst urban and rural agro-climatic conditions for the normal survival. Monitoring of locally available butterfly species and their diversity midst urban and rural environment is need of the day. Investigations are initiated and results of such part of simple investigations are presented in this communication to encourage biodiversity management and the importance of butterflies in the present context. Further, inventorying and monitoring the locally existing butterfly fauna could help reveal the ecological patterns and process that occur midst fast growing urban centers. It is need of the hour in contemporary times and to be attended for development of urban biodiversity and to frame conservation strategies.

Byju H   S Balachandran   and S. Ravichandran   

Declining shorebirds happen globally due to changes in habitat and anthropogenic pressures. The shortest flyway (Central Asian Flyway-CAF) hosts significant shorebirds that winter in the Indian subcontinent lacks long-term studies on population size and trends. This paper is based on three-decade population monitoring of migratory shorebird species carried out on the uninhabited coral island of Manoli in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park (IBA) located along the southeast coast of India. The site is of importance due to its proximity to Sri Lankan Important Bird Areas (IBA). Direct observation and total counts were done during 2017-2019 and compared with earlier data from 1985-1988 and 2005-2007. Species diversity, Pielou's evenness and dominance index were also estimated. The similarity between shorebird species abundance was approached by cluster analysis and non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling ordination (NMDS) considering the study period as pre-2000 and post-2000 for analysis. The Shannon Diversity Index (H) indicated highest value (2.413) during 1985-1986 and lowest value (1.265) during 2018-2019. The Pieolu's species evenness (J) varied between 0.438 and 0.812 with highest value during 1985-1986 and lowest value during 2018-2019, indicating that species diversity and their distribution have considerably been reduced in the Manoli Island over three decades. The decline of the most dominant species, Lesser Sand Plover Chadadrius mongolus was moderate while several others species declined dramatically. The absence of several species over time from the uninhabited island is a conservation concern. This study is the first of its kind done on an island in India for three decades that emphasises the importance of long-term monitoring of various wintering sites of CAF that will help in assessing the changes in the global population of these long-migratory shorebirds and guide to future conservation actions.

D. Felix Irudhyaraj   V. Negasta Smila   and S. Janani   

Medicinal plants have many bioactive components that hold numerous activities against diseases and beneficial effects on human metabolism. The knowledge of these Phytochemical constituents had not yet been explored for many plants which are traditionally used in household treatments. Crotalaria paniculata Willd. is one such medicinal plant that belongs to the family Fabaceae used for skincare diseases by tribal people. The present research work is undertaken to identify the phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of methanol leaf extract of C. paniculate Willd. The ion chromatogram of GC – MS analyses showed that the plant accounts for 20 bioactive compounds and among these compounds Cyclohexasiloxane, dodecamethyl contribute 21.98% and 14-Acetyl-13-methoxypodocarpa-8,11,13-Triene with 15.63 % area percentage. Most of the identified compounds are medicinally important that are used in skincare ointments. The antioxidant assay by DPPH, H₂O₂ and Ion Chelating assay showed a higher percentage of free radical scavenging activity with IC₅₀ value of 39.28 µg/ml (DPPH assay); 72.68 µg/ml (H₂O₂ assay) and 54.74 µg /ml (Ion Chelating Assay). On compared with the standard Ascorbic acid the result indicates that the plant compounds have potential as antioxidants and further can be investigated for medicinal application.

Jogesh Laishram   

The present investigation was carried out in five selected Loktak's lakeshore villages using household questionnaire survey to make a comparative study between the quantity of bioresources collected from the Loktak lake per collection. Information on the quantity of bioresources collected by the residents of the periphery of the lake in the present and in the past (20 to 30 years ago) was acquired for this study. For fishes overall highest present collection of all the villages was 76.26% in the range of 1-5 kg as compared to 53.18% in the range of 6-10 kg which was maximum in the past. The present investigation also recorded the past and present quantities and their corresponding percentages of the bioresources collected such as the prawns, molluca, mussels, vegetable items, fodders, fuelwood, thatch grasses, medicinal plants and handicraft materials of all the villages. The study found that the people were dependent on the Loktak lake for various bioresources for livelihood and income generation. The quantity of bioresources collected at present from the Loktak lake per collection has been found to decrease as compared with the past. Conservation and sustainable management of the lake and its bioresources is necessary to improve the livelihood and income generation of the people.

Aroma Lyngdoh   Dalari Lyngdoh   Dipshikha Rakhunde   Ruby Bhullar Garcha   K Prabhavathi   Sweta Mishra   Sakti Kanta Rath   and Sanjeet Kumar   

Secondary metabolites act as an agent of defense against herbivores, pathogens, and abiotic stress in plants. They play as communicating agents to other living organisms for the symbiotic establishment and this led to the insinuation of their importance as the pharmacological potential to human beings. In the floral wealth, the parasitic plants are an unexplored source of secondary metabolites which have the strongest potential to synthesize as they developed excellent defense mechanisms due to the evolutionary transition from autotropism to heterotropism. They are traditionally used against viral & bacterial infections by indigenous communities. Major reported secondary metabolites like eriodictyl, naringenin (Balanophora involucrate Hook. f. & Thomson), and quercetin present in Cuscuta chinensis Roxb; Scurrula parasitica L. and Viscum orientale Willd have the potential to inhibit the growth of pathogens and might be the agent to improve the immune system in human beings. Keeping the importance on its potential, lack of scientific documentation and development of new pathogens like COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Ebola virus, Zika, Dengu, H1N1 influenza, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, MDR-TB, M/XRR-TB, etc. in last decade, an attempt has been made to gather information on parasitic plants of Odisha, India traditional therapeutic values against viral & bacterial infections due to the presence of diverse secondary metabolites on them. They could be a good source of novel formulations against contemporary & future viral-bacterial infections like COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, H1N1 Influenza, and M/XRR-TB.

Deepshikha Moran   and Uma Dutta   

Marketed tobacco products, both smoking as well as non-smoking, contain pro-carcinogenic component 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in high quantities. NNK when ingested, gets activated by action of Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme present inside living system. In presence of CYP450 enzyme, NNK forms active metabolites NNAL and NNAL-glucs. These metabolites are responsible for adduct formation with DNA and proteins, in turn causing mutation and cancer induction. This study aims at teratogenic effects of tobacco carcinogen NNK on offspring of pregnant Swiss albino mice when exposed to it during gestational period. In this study we have injected a single dose of 100mg/Kg B.wt./ml normal saline of NNK in 6 pregnant dams on 14th day of gestation to find out the embryotoxic and teratogenic effects induced by it. Body weight as well as deformities of the litters produced were recorded. The dams delivered stillbirths with various malformations viz. ascites, ring haemorrhage on tail base, cleft palate, exophthalmia etc. The survived pups developed external tumours on different parts of the body. This indicates that NNK can cross the transplacental barrier between mother and the foetus to induce toxic stress in foetal tissue. It disturbs the smooth progression of the period of organogenesis, as a result initiating various organ deformities. Further extensive studies are required to understand how NNK plays a role in producing teratogenic effects in offspring of mothers exposed to it either active or passive way.

Ipsita Chanda   

Birds are important ecological indicators of an area and provide significant ecosystem service. Natural habitats of birds are destroyed by urbanization, resulting in reduction and alteration of avifaunal diversity. Green coverages of the city have an important impact on urban avifauna diversity, facilitating urban climate, nesting, breeding and migration of birds. Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary (CKBS) spreads over 17.19 acres of land, located at Narendrapur, near Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The plantation type, texture, and resources attract various avifauna, residents as well as migratory to this site. Thus CKBS acts as an attractive survey site for the study of avifauna diversity in urban microhabitat. The survey period of one year (April, 2019 to March, 2020) was categorized into winter, summer and rainy seasons. The inspection was conducted primarily by line transect method and bird census report was prepared for analysis of seasonal fluctuations. The study recorded a total of 618 birds that were categorized into 9 orders, 20 families and 31 species. Among these, birds of order Passeriformes were the most predominant. Birds with omnivorous food habit and resident status were also very common. Winter migrants were more prevalent than the summer one. The richness, abundance and diversity of birds were maximum in winter season compared to other seasons, while bird evenness was high in all seasons. This primary survey at CKBS is an attempt to make people aware of the local avifauna diversity and motivate urban planners to emphasize green cover to conserve the avifauna diversity in urban areas.

Aveek Samanta   Tilak Raj Maity   Shatarupa Dey   Suvroma Gupta   and Siraj Datta   

In an attempt to correlate polyploidy in grass pea and tumorigenicity, the effects of pro-oxidant, antioxidant and anti-cancerous drugs are evaluated. An increase in H₂O₂ content and lipid peroxidase (LPx) activity is associated with the stress along with the hike in the antioxidant enzyme levels in colchicine-induced polyploidy. However, ascorbic acid (AA) and methotrexate (MTX) cure oxidative damage owing to their free radical scavenging role and cell division arresting functionality and restoring the cells from polyploidy. This restoration is marked by a fall in the antioxidant enzyme activity namely catalase (CAT), LPx and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Although polyploidy has been controlled, normal growth is compromised as implied the change in radicle lengths of grass peas in various combinations of AA and MTX treatments. Soaking of seed with H₂O₂ aggravates stress and transforms polyploid cells into necrotic in the higher dose. This preliminary observation seems to be interesting to extrapolate the potentiality of antioxidants as well as anti-cancer drugs for retrieving cells from induced polyploidy.

Vrushali Kiran Jadhav   and Sushama Sunil Pawar   

Anethum graveolens L. (Dill) is an essential curative herb having a lot of therapeutic values. It is an annual herb of family Apiaceae having a distinctive smell. Anethum graveolens L. is traditionally used as an antioxidant, anticancer, antihyperlipidemic, antifungal, cardioprotective. Anethum graveolens L. leaves are used to reduce the level of cholesterolaemia and risk of cancer. Present study deals with physicochemical, phytochemical screening by using standard methods and estimation of total phenolic and flavonoid contents in various extracts like aqueous, acetone, ethanol, methanol hydroalcoholic and dichloromethane of Anethum graveolens L. leaves by using the spectrophotometric method. In aqueous, acetone, ethanol, methanol, hydroalcoholic and dichloromethane extracts of Anethum graveolens L. leaves tannins, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates were observed. The estimated total phenolic contents were 11.21 to 23.31 mg gallic acid equivalent per gm of extract. Flavonoid contents were 4.38 to 47.81 mg quercetin equivalent per gm of extract. In acetone, hydroalcoholic and dichloromethane extracts of Anethum graveolens L. leaves total phenolic and flavonoid constituents were highly significant (P<0.0001). The solvent gives an idea about the nature of phytochemical constituents present in Anethum graveolens L. material. These constituents are relevant to bioactive compounds as it may be important for therapeutic effects of Anethum graveolens L.

Sadia Tabassum Tanni   Md. Nazrul Islam   Sharmin Sultana   Md. Harun-Ur-Rashid   and Md. Abdur Rahim   

Flowering Chinese cabbage also called ‘Caixin' or "Choy sum" is an annual leafy vegetable of the ‘Brassicaceae' family. An experiment was conducted with eight flowering Chinese cabbage genotypes using RCBD with three replications at ‘Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University' (SAU) to characterize the various yield contributing traits, evaluate genetic variability and interrelationship between various traits. A significant difference was found for different characters among the flowering Chinese cabbage genotypes. Days to maturity, fresh yield per plant, plant height, no. of siliqua per plant and seeds per siliqua displayed higher genotypic variance suggesting the existence of great variability for these traits. High heritability plus high genetic advance in per cent of mean was detected for fresh vegetative yield, no. of silique per plant indicating additive genetic effect. Fresh yield of flowering Chinese cabbage exhibited a significant and positive relationship with length of leaf and plant height while with days to 50% flowering, leaf breadth and no. of siliqua per plant at phenotypic level only. Our results indicate that selection based on these characters could be rewarding. Besides, this is the first report for cultivation of flowering Chinese cabbage in Bangladesh and further improvement can be performed for this crop.

Midhila Baby   and Mathews T. Thelly   

In the present investigation, an attempt was made to determine the therapeutic potential of ethnomedicinal plant Ziziphus rugosa Lam. leaf extract (ZLE) as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drug. Analytically, it was noticed that, the lyophilized powder has a significant quantity of total phenols (122 mg/g ZLE powder), flavonoids 157.19 mg/g ZLE powder), and flavonol (214.93 mg/g ZLE powder) contents. The antioxidant assays revealed a remarkable capacity to scavenge free radicals. For 100 µg of ZLE powder, the assay value showed a scavenging potency at levels of 73.01% for DPPH(1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and 43.80% for NO_x (Nitric Oxide), assays respectively. The ability of the ZLE for H₂O₂ scavenging was assessed using peroxidase assay. 100µg of ZLE powder inhibited albumin denaturation at a level of 27.64% and proteinases by 39.47%. The inhibition by standard drug aspirin (100µg) on albumin denaturation and proteinases was 84.70% and 51.71% respectively. ZLE lyophilized powder was tested for its ability to inhibit the growth of three common wound infecting bacteria- Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. The inhibition zones formed were compared to the inhibition zones formed by the standard drug cefotaxime (30 mcg/disc) and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values of ZLE against test organisms were determined.

Medisetti Narendar   Md Mustafa   Pendli Sreenu   Koppula Thirupathi   and Kusuma Shailaja   

Corynandra felina (L.f.) Cochrane & Iltis, an endemic medicinal herb in peninsular India, belongs to the family Cleomaceae. It is used in traditional medicine for epistaxis, astringent, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory therapies. This study was carried out to screen the preliminary phytochemicals in methanolic extracts of stem, leaf, root and leaf callus through chemical methods and reveal the presence of alkaloids, phenols, tannins, saponins, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids and anthraquinones. The methanolic extracts of stem, leaf, root and leaf callus show antibacterial activity against bacterial strains viz. Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli. Zone of inhibition values was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity. Maximum zone of inhibition 20.0 ± 0.2 mm was found in stem extract against Klebsiella pneumonia, 15.2± 0.2 mm was found in leaf extract against Klebsiella pneumonia and no activity was observed in root and leaf callus extracts. Our study revealed that the phytochemicals of C. felina are showing antimicrobial activity and there is a possibility to develop drugs against pathogenic bacterial strains.

Aruna R.   and Shrinitha T. M.   

This ethnoveterinary study deals with the ethnoveterinary plants used to treat livestock diseases in and around Madurai District. About 65 ethnoveterinary medicinal plants belonging to 31 families and 59 genera that can treat different livestock diseases were documented in this study with the help of livestock owners and herbalists/Vaidyas of the study area. The recorded data revealed that the majority of ethnoveterinary medicinal plants' habit belonged to Leguminosae and most of their habit was herbs. The most used plant part for ethnoveterinary drug preparation was leaves. Drug preparations were mostly prepared fresh in the form of paste and administered orally. The formulations were mainly prepared for diseases of cows and were prepared using single medicinal plants. Some plants documented during the current study are used in other parts of India and the world to treat the same/similar livestock diseases. These include Allium cepa L. (foot and mouth diseases), Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schard (skin diseases), Cuminum cyminum L. (gastrointestinal disorders) and Vitex negundo L. (hen lice repellent). This study has documented the various treatments given by the healers to treat the livestock ailments prevalent in their region along with the botanical names of the plants, vernacular names of the plants, family, habit, name and condition of plant parts used, mode of preparation, route of administration of drugs, animals treated and drug formulations.

Dipmala Gajjar   Arun Kumar Roy Mahato   and Kalpesh Sorathia   

Climbers are a unique form of vegetation that needs the support of other host species or support for their growth and development. The composition and distribution of climbers are varying among various types of ecosystems and habitats within a larger landscape and climatic region. Kachchh is an arid climatic region of India, while due to its geographical position, topography of the land, large coastline and climatic condition, the distribution and composition of climbers are thought to vary among ecosystems and habitats of the district. Hence, the study was made to assess the phytosociology and distribution of climber species in the major habitat of dryland Kachchh. Systematic field surveys were conducted using line transects in represented ecosystems of the district. A total of 86 species of climber under 55 genera and 19 families were recorded from the district, in which the highest number of species was recorded from the tropical thorn forests (69 species) and agro-ecosystem (68 species), while only 11 species were recorded from Inland wetlands of the district. Among the recorded species, Coccinia grandis, Cocculus hirsutus, Cucumis callosus, Pergularia daemia and Rhynchosia minima were most abundant and recorded in all the major ecosystems of Kachchh. The species include, Coccinia grandis, Rhynchosia minima, Pergularia daemia and Cocculus hirsutus which were frequently distributed. Densely distributed species include, Coccinia grandis, Rhynchosia minima, Pergularia daemia, Distimake aegyptius, Cucumis callosus, Cocculus hirsutus and Dalechampia sp. While, Passiflora edulis was the highly abundant climber of the study area. The study highlighted that Important Value Index (IVI) of some species, namely Coccinia grandis, Rhynchosia minima, Pergularia daemia, Distimake aegyptius and Cucumis callosus was the highest among the recorded climber species. Further, about 30% of the climber species have restricted distribution and are found in either tropical thorn forests or in agro-ecosystem due to the presence of host species in both ecosystems.

Utpal Singha Roy   

The diversity and abundance of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) from two different study sites (Durgapur Barrage and Ambuja Wetland) of the Durgapur industrial region of Paschim Bardhaman District of West Bengal, India were investigated from January 2016 to December 2016. Seventeen different physicochemical factors along with Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) were recorded during the present study for a better understanding of the influence of habitat quality on odonate density and diversity. A combination of direct search and opportunistic sighting methods was applied to record 41 different Odonata species. Among the dragonflies, the most diverse family was Libellulidae while among damselflies Coenagrionidae was the most diverse family. Monsoon and post–monsoon seasons were recorded as the months with the highest odonate diversity and density while the winter season was recorded to support the lowest odonate diversity and density. Significant positive correlations were noted between water temperature and odonate diversity. However, negative correlations were noted between water pH, TSS, BOD, COD, and odonate density as well as diversity. The diversity of odonates for the Durgapur Barrage was found to be significantly higher (p< 0.05, ANOVA with Tukey's comparisons) in comparison to the Ambuja Wetland almost throughout the year. The present study clearly indicated a negative influence of habitat alteration and disturbance on odonate density and diversity. These are early warnings of the deterioration of odonates and hence other biota thriving in the present study location.

Mohamed Meeran   Vellaichamy Iswarya   Syedali Fathima   Subramanian Arivoli   and Samuel Tennyson   

The insect diversity in sugarcane fields of Kuchanur, Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India, was studied. This study documented diversity indexes, abundance, dominance, richness, and evenness of insects, as well as information on their ecological function, and seasonal incidence. Various methods were employed for insect collection, and the collected specimens up to the species level for each family of each order with the aid of taxonomic dichotomous keys were done. A total of 569 insects, and forty different species were identified belonging to seven orders: Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Isoptera, Lepidoptera, Odonata, and Orthoptera. Lepidoptera (22.5%) was the most diverse order with nine species, and Odonata (33.56%), was the most abundant with 191 individuals. The majority of the species recorded (62.5%) were found to be pests, followed by predators (27.5%) and pollinators (10%). Lepidoptera had high species richness according to Hill, Margalef, and Menhinick indexes. Coleoptera had high Brillouin's and Shannon's species diversity indexes, whereas Odonata had high Hill's and Simpson's indexes. Shannon's diversity index was 1.406 as a whole. Coleoptera had high species evenness denoted by Heip and Sheldon indexes, while Isoptera had strong Alatalo, Pielou, and Shannon indexes. Odonata also scored highly on other indexes, such as Berger-Parker dominance and community dominance. Coleoptera had a high Hill's number abundance, and Lepidoptera had a high relative dominance and relative frequency. This study helped in obtaining and providing information to be recorded for future use, with regard to data on community structure, insect abundance and distribution, as well as insect biodiversity and taxonomy. To obtain more thorough information, a long-term seasonal study is required to examine the species' occurrence of insect diversity and their interactions with the environment.

Saumen Chakrabarti   

Research observation recorded five Keratella species viz., Keratella valga, Keratella quadrata, Keratella tropica, Keratella cochlearis and Keratella serrulata from a freshwater pond, Tripura. Important morphological features of five Keratella species were observed. Percentage composition of five Keratella species in different seasons of the year was also noted. Seasonal dynamics of the Keratella species showed that amongst five Keratella species, four Keratella species (K. valga, K. tropica, K. cochlearis and K. serrulata) exhibited their highest density in summer and least density during winter. However, Keratella quadrata exhibited maximum density during winter and minimum during summer. Variations of densities of different species of Keratella might be impact of water quality factors in the observed freshwater lentic ecosystem. Water quality parameters of the observed pond were also noted. To ascertain correlation between rotifer density and water quality factors, the observed variables were measured through Pearson's correlation coefficient. The density of Keratella showed significant positive interrelationship with water temperature (r = 0.853, P<0.01), pH(r = 0.627, P< 0.05) and dissolved oxygen (r = 0.571, P< 0.05). It is noteworthy to mention that due to the possession of different trophic niches in the pond, the recorded Keratella species harmoniously abode in the same pond. The study infers that the existence of two pollutant tolerant Keratella species (K. cochlearis and K. quadrata) in the observed pond is an indication that the pond is approaching towards eutrophic status.

Jayanta Gogoi   Madhubala Sharma   Chaman Lal Sharma   and Govinda Pangging   

The plants which are edible and grow in wild are known as wild edible plants. The present study was conducted on seasonal availability, cost-benefits analysis and market availability of wild edible plants in the local markets of Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh. The market survey of 3 daily and 3 weekly markets in all seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) was conducted from January 2019 to February 2022. Data were collected through questionnaire, interview and group discussion with 58 local market vendors. A total of 43 wild edible plant species were recorded to be sold in the markets of the Longding district. Based on the Importance Value Index, Piper betle L., Musa acuminata Colla, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, Zanthoxylum oxyphyllum Edgew. and Dendrocalamus hamiltonii Nees & Arn. ex Munro had high market demand than other wild edible plants throughout the year. The availability of wild edible plants in the market was maximum in the summer season (38 species) followed by spring (33 species), autumn (29 species) and minimum in winter (22 species). The present study showed that wild edible plants play a pivotal role in income generation for the people of the Longding district.

Ashwini R.   and Vijaya Kumara   

This is the first report on avian diversity at Turahalli Minor Forest, Bangalore, Karnataka. It is essential to understand the organization and diversity of Avifaunal association in its territorial environment for the protection of Avifauna. Birds are used as biological indicators mainly due to their sensitivity with changing environment. The present study was conducted from April 2020 to May 2022 to assess the diversity, status and conservation of Avifauna of Turahalli forest. The study concluded that the Turahalli forest comprises 139 species of birds with 54 families and 19 orders. Topmost dominant species were Muscicapidae and Accipitridae family about 10 species respectively and their relative diversity indices were the highest Relative Diversity index (RDi) 7.634. The data analysis disclosed the residential report that 68 bird species were residents, 34 species were winter visitors, 2 species were summer visitors, and 35 species were partial visitors. The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) revealed that 138 bird species were listed as Least Concerned and only 1 bird species as near threatened. Thus, Turahalli minor forest accommodates a good number of avian diversity. Hence appropriate management of this forest is not only useful for conservation of resident species but in addition brings about more and more migratory and vagrant bird species in the coming days.

Shreya Tripathi   and Sangeeta Sinha   

To understand the regulation and function of the heat shock response, Drosophila model system has been used for the past few decades. Drosophila heat shock protein is a family of proteins which show large changes in their expression pattern upon deviation from optimal temperature of organism in either direction, thereby preventing cells from potential damages. Small heat shock protein (sHsp) is a subfamily under this family and is known for its role in a wide variety of cellular functions (ageing, immunity, proteotoxicity, apoptosis, etc.) apart from maintaining homeostasis. In all domains of drosophila life cycle, ATP-independent stress proteins i.e. small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are found. The review highlights the various roles played by different members of sHsp in Drosophila melanogaster and their contribution to ageing and autophagy. Some members of the subfamily also show differential localization in different organelles and tissues, at different developmental stages as well as in adults owing to their functions. For understanding protein function, determination and localization of cellular proteins was studied. Determining the cellular localization of proteins is important for understanding protein functions. Some of the Hsps are up-regulated in organ and tissue-specific manner which help to understand life span and different biomarkers during the course of Drosophila life cycle. Some of the members of small heat shock protein in Drosophila melanogaster are orthologs of human sHsp and hence can serve as a good model for studying diseases in humans associated with members of this subfamily. Different parameters and tools can be used experimentally which will help in manipulating gene function and determining health span in Drosophila. This provides an unparalleled opportunity to further study the role of sHsps.

Anoop Appu   Ratheesh Sadanandan   and Samuthirapandian Ravichandran   

Marine algae have wide applications in food, feed, pharmacy, and industrial fields. They have a wide range of biological activities, such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral. Hypnea is a genus of red seaweed under class Florideophyceae, which exhibits seasonal abundance and is highly influenced by seasonal variations in light, temperature, and low tidal levels. The non-flowering, marine algae Hypnea indica is the richest source of kappa- carrageenan which has a wide range of applications from food to pharmaceutical uses. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the effect of the methanolic extract of HIE against microbes and to assess its antioxidant property. By using the well diffusion method, (HIE) was evaluated for its antibacterial and antifungal activities against clinical pathogens. HIE showed an anti-fungal effect against A. niger and considerable activity against V. cholera. The results were compared against antibiotics like Gentamycin and Clotrimazole. The 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay was used to evaluate the antioxidant properties of this extract using ascorbic acid as the reference. Up to 800 mg/mL, HIE did not show any antioxidant activity. The findings of this research demonstrated that HIE has antibacterial potential against infections and that it might be used as a natural alternative to synthetic antimicrobial agents.

Drashti Mandlik   Tanvi Desai   Binal Patel   Vijay Lambole   and Vipul Gajera   

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-lasting infection, which can distress many of the organs and tissues but mainly affect the joints. The occurrence of RA may relate to changes in various hormones, genetics as well as environmental features. The existing work was performed for the investigation of Anti-arthritic action of Methanolic extract of Syzygium samarangense leaves (MESL) as well as roots (MESR) in Freund's complete adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritis in rats. For this study, MESL & MESR were prepared and subjected to phytochemical analysis as well as tested against CFA injected RA in rats on two dosage levels of 100 as well as 200 mg/kg of weight of body. Various parameters such as body weight, paw volume, arthritis index, hematological, histopathological as well as antioxidant parameters were evaluated for anti- arthritic activity of extracts. MESL and MESR showed anti-arthritic activity in dose-related means, by decreasing the volume of paw along with increasing the weight, while comparing with control group. MESL (100 and 200mg/kg) and MESR (100 and 200mg/kg) exhibited significant anti-arthritic action through elevating the level of Hemoglobin, RBC as well as a declining number of Platelets, WBC, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, C-Reactive Protein along with Rheumatoid Factor. The higher and lower doses of both extracts showed decreases in oxidative stress in dose-related means compared to control group. The result of histopathological analysis showed that MESL (100 and 200mg/kg) and MESR (100 and 200mg/kg) reduce ankle joint destruction. Results of different parameters also showed that MESL has higher potency to decrease arthritis compared to MESR.

Mukundraj B. Patil   and Rohini U. Bhagyawant   

Present investigations were undertaken to study the effect of electric current on growth parameters, yield parameters and nutritional value of the wheat. (Triticum aestivum L.). During this study, effect of electric current has shown a good response to growth parameters, yield parameters and nutritional value of Wheat. Wheat cv. HD-2189 seeds were used with four treatments viz. Control (T₁ - without electric current) and 3V (T₂), 6V (T₃) and 9V (T₄) in three replications each. Field applied with 9V electric current has shown a significant effect to increase growth parameters like height of plant, length of root, number of leaves, number of florets, and length of spike. Yield parameters like the number of seeds per plant, seed weight and seed size were also increased due to the application of 9V electricity. The application of electricity has also shown significant effect to change the nutrient content of wheat. The total fiber, carbohydrate and protein content of the wheat were increased significantly due to the application of 9V electricity. There was no significant effect of electric current on the fat content of wheat. Present investigations clearly indicate that the application of electric current has a significant role to increase yield and nutritional value. This field of research is in the initial stage and more research should be carried out to ease the application of electricity and to explore the effect of electricity on different crop plants.

Jalpa L. Kotecha   and Vijaykumar R. Ram   

The Cocos nucifera L. (Coconut palm) of Arecaceae family is found mainly in coastal areas. The extraction and analysis of various parts of plants reveal its application in natural medicine. In the present investigation, the preliminary phyto-chemical screening of Cocos nucifera L. leaves of Veraval region was performed using n-hexane and methanol solvents, which showed the presence of secondary metabolites like, phenols, alkaloids, tannins, terpenoids, phenols, etc. GC-MS (Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry) analysis was done and Mass spectra of these compounds were matched with NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) library and were identified by comparing the peak area and retention time with literature and the interpretation was done. This shows presence of 11 bioactive compounds in n-hexane extract including mainly Squalene, Hexadecanoic acid, Moretenol, alpha-Tocopherol, Hexadecamethyl heptasiloxane, Eicosamethyl cyclodecasiloxane and others while the methanolic extract showed 9 bioconstituents like Squalene, Neophytadiene, Trans Phytol, A'-Neogammacer-22(29)-en-3-one and others. These bioconstituents show various biological activities like Antitumor, Antioxidant, Hypocholesterolmic, Immunostimulant, Antimycobacterial, Antiprotozoal, Anti-inflammatory, Antidepressant, Anti-inflammatory, Hypocholesterolemic, Nematicide, Pesticide, Lubricant, Neuroprotective activities and others. Thus further studies and isolation of these compounds may benefit in pharmaceutical and medicinal fields.

T. Arivukkarasi   and T. Selva Mohan   

Even though studied in various phyla of oceanic invertebrates, the natural diversity of host-associated microbiota has little been studied in Echinodermata members such as starfish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. In the present investigation, a considerable amount of the population of amylase, cellulose, lipase, and protease-producing bacteria were detected in the gut of starfish collected from the Manapad estuary. The examination was carried out by standard microbiological methods with proper selective nutrient media. The present study reveals that the amylase-producing population was high (12 x 10⁴ CFU/ml) in February and the cellulase-producing bacterial population was high (7 x 10⁴ CFU/ml) in February and August. Lipase producing bacterial population was high (4.33 x 10⁴ CFU/ml) in September and August (4 x 10⁴ CFU/ml) and the proteolytic bacterial population was found to be the maximum in February (12.66 x 10⁴ CFU/ml). In the present study, two isolates AK3 and AK8 which produces predominant enzymes are screened and on the nucleotide homology and phylogenetic analysis, the enzyme-producing bacterial strain AK3 was recognized and allotted as Enterococcus faecalis strain TKA2 (GenBank Accession Number: MZ823619). The strain AK8 was identified and assigned as Proteus sp. strain TKA1 (GenBank Accession Number: MZ823617). The attained result delivers scope for applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Chumi Khanikar   Sorokhaibam S. Singh   and S. I. Bhuyan   

The present study was conducted to investigate the soil physical and chemical properties in the rhizosphere regions of four medicinal plants Asparagus racemosus, Tinospora sinensis, Vitex negundo and Clerodendrum colebrookianum naturally occurring in the upper flood plains of Lakhimpur district in Assam and one medicinal plant, Coptis teeta from the high altitude regions of the Lower Dibang Valley district in Arunachal Pradesh. Representative soil samples, a total of 27 (9x3) random soil samples were collected from different sampling sites and laboratory experiments were conducted with standard methodologies. Sand content was highest (86%) in the rhizosphere soil of C. teeta followed by V. negundo (76%) and T. sinensis (75%). Organic carbon (SOC) in the rhizosphere of selected medicinal plants ranges from 1.0% to 6.3%. Total nitrogen (TN) in the rhizospheric soil of selected medicinal plants ranges from 0.01 to 0.34%. Comparatively, P was higher in summer seasons in all the rhizospheric soils as compared to the winter seasons in the present study. Compared to the other selected plants, the soil of C. teeta possesses lower Ca and Mg. Overall, the study reveals that the soil of the rhizosphere of selected medicinal plants is rich in nutrients and differs between the study sites.

Byju H   Raveendran N   and S. Ravichandran   

An updated checklist of birds was documented from the Melselvanoor-Keelselvanoor bird sanctuary (MKBS) in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. The study was done in MKBS from January 2016 to December 2019. The current study documented 115 bird species from 19 orders and 51 families. Among the families, Ardeidae (11 species) was dominant, followed by Accipitridae (7 species), Anatidae (5 species), and Alcedinidae, Cuculidae, Columbidae, Rallidae, Scolopacidae, Threskiornithidae, and Cesticolidae (4 species each) dominated the avifauna of the region. The study recorded four globally Near Threatened species -Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Blackheaded Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, and Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, and One Vulnerable species Indian Spotted eagle Clanga hastala according to the IUCN Redlist category. The observed frequency of the bird species varies as follows: n=58 (50.43%) was common; n=47 (40.86%) was uncommon and n=10 (8.69%) was rare. Categorization based on the residential status of birds revealed that 83% (n=96) were resident, 16% (n=18) were winter, and one species was a passage migrant (Rosy Starling Pastor roseus). This study shows the value of the MKBS for bird conservation and offers baseline data for long-term protection of the wetland avifauna in the bird sanctuary.

Pulak Das   and Santosh Joshi   

The paper presents classification of lichen regions from temperate (Loharkhet) to alpine zones (Pindari Glacier) using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of growth forms and habitat preferences of lichens in Himalayas. The study is based on published literature, preserved lichen specimens at lichen herbarium in National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India, and lichen collections from the valley. Varied growth forms of lichens are observed such as foliose, crustose, fruticose, squamulose, and leprose. Habitat preferences of lichens are corticolous, saxicolous, terricolous, and muscicolous. Some lichens exhibit a range of habitat preferences like corticolous-saxicolous-terricolous-muscicolous,corticolous-terricolous-muscicolous, corticolous-saxicolous-terricolous, saxicolous-terricolous, corticolous-terricolous, corticolous-saxicolous, terricolous-muscicolous, and terricolous-lignicolous. These two different features, growth form and habitat preferences are used to run PCA to see their role in distribution of lichens across different altitudinal variations and whether it can be used to categorize the region into different types. As the region is under continuous anthropogenic pressure and lichens are highly sensitive to changes in environmental conditions where they exist, this classification can be of help in conservation of the region on the basis of priority areas.

Kaliyath Salasmi   and Azhimala Bhaskaranpillai Remashree   

Background: Dendrophthoe falcata (L.f.) Ettingsh is a hemiparasitic medicinal plant of the family Loranthaceae. It is the most common mistletoe occurring throughout India, with a wide host range. The ethanol extracts of whole plant of D. falcata growing on Anacardium occidentale (DFA), Lagerstroemia speciosa (DFL), Mangifera indica (DFM) and Strychnos nux-vomica (DFS) were selected for the present investigation to evaluate the variation in antioxidant potential and quantitative determination of total phenolic and flavonoid content, which has significant role in biological activities. Materials and Methods: The four samples were subjected to assess antioxidant potential by DPPH and FRAP assays (in vitro) and chemical profiling using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) analysis. Folin-Ciocallteau reagent method and Aluminium chloride colorimetric assay were employed to determine total phenolic and flavonoid content respectively. HPTLC analysis is carried out using Gallic acid as the marker compound. Results: DFM and DFA exhibited potential antioxidant activity on DPPH and FRAP assays. The antioxidant potential of the extracts follows the order as DFM > DFA > DFS > DFL in both assays. In HPTLC analysis, specific band of Gallic acid was observed at R_f 0.30. Gallic acid is present only in two samples of D. falcata (DFA and DFM), which also showed quantitative variations as estimated from the peak area developed in the chromatogram. Phenolic content was high in DFM and DFL, while flavonoid content was high in DFM and DFA. Conclusion: The four samples exhibited a varying range of antioxidant activities. The study helped identify and establish chemotypes with respect to selected host plants. So host specificity is an important factor to consider while using D. falcata for therapeutic purposes.

Meenu Mathew   and Abraham Mathew   

The aim of the study was to serially extract phytochemicals from Pterobryopsis pilifolia and to determine the antibacterial effect of the methanolic extract. Identification of volatile compounds from the methanolic extract was performed to study the possible compounds that offer antibacterial activity. Pterobryopsis pilifolia collected from Idukki district, Kerala, India was used in the present study. Serial extraction of phytochemicals from the bryophyte was done using Soxhlet apparatus with petroleum ether, followed by ethyl acetate and then methanol as solvent. The methanolic extract was used in the present study. The extract was filtered and concentrated using rotary evaporator. Antibacterial activity was tested against ten standard strains of bacteria. Methanolic extract inhibited all the ten tested strains that include both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The highest zone of inhibition noted was against Xanthomonas campestris with an inhibition zone of 27 mm ± 1 mm. GC-MS analysis of the extract revealed the presence of several volatile compounds including fatty acids and other bioactive compounds. Pterobryopsis pilifolia is usually seen intact without any signs of disease, insects or animals feeding on them. The presence of these compounds might be the reason for the resistance of the taxa against diseases or pests. Studies on these compounds thus can pay the way for elucidating mechanism for pest and disease resistance in plants. The compounds can be used as antifeedant spray that can be applied to crop plants, thereby reducing the effect of harmful chemical pesticides.

Khushboo Bhati   Abhishek Gupta   Prabhat Jatav   and Pooja Kumari   

As a magician in India, Andrographis paniculata is called Crete or the King of Bitters because of its bitter taste. It is known for ethnic medicine to treat diseases, inflammation, cold, fever, snake bite, diarrhea, dysentery, jaundice, kidney disease and antioxidant. This study was done by preparing the solution in ethanol for the whole plant. Phytochemical analysis was performed due to the presence of important drugs as well as phenols, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, steroids, terpenoids and alkaloids. It has been reported that these secondary metabolites have many biological and therapeutic properties, so it is expected that this species has many medicinal applications. It is rich in phenols, flavonoids and alkaloids and exhibits antioxidant and antimicrobial properties (including antibacterial and antifungal). This study was conducted using the agar disc diffusion method, in which the extract shows antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans, and may be the ingredients used in the method. The source of the antibiotic depends on the concentration. In addition, by several free-flow studies, the antioxidant capacity of paniculata plants has been confirmed. Therefore, they are also effective antioxidants and have anti-cancer properties.

Jyotirmoy Thakuria   and Manalisha Deka   

Malaria is one of the world's leading killer infectious diseases accounting for about 241 million cases of infection and 627000 deaths all around the globe in the year of 2021. In the present study, a polyherbal formulation used by traditional drug practitioners to cure malarial infection in some rural areas of Barpeta district of Assam, India was tested in vitro for its antiplasmodial and antioxidant properties. Two plant species namely Aristolochia indica L. and Piper nigrum L. were used for the herbal formulation. Water extract along with other organic solvent extracts viz. Chloroform, 2-propanol, methanol and n-hexane was tested in the experiment. Methanol and 2-propanol extracts in high concentration (50µg/ml) showed promising antiplasmodial effect in 3D7 strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Water extract showed promising antioxidant properties along with methanolic extract. This preliminary study conclusively established the antiplasmodial and antioxidant properties of the traditionally used polyherbal formulation. Further studies are required for the exploration of bioactive compounds from this formulation. Scientific validation of such traditional practices is important not only because there is an urgent need for alternative medication against diseases like malaria, but it is also important from the conservation point of view. These traditional herbal remedies lack proper documentation in scientific literature and the need of the hour is to explore their potential and proper documentation.

Diksha Sati   Veni Pande   and Mukesh Samant   

Agricultural productivity is under serious threat as a result of the increased severity of droughts brought on by human activity and global warming. Hence, to ensure the security of the world's food supply, this has increased the demand for environmentally friendly alternatives. Numerous studies have associated the rhizobacteria that promote plant growth with the plants' adaptations to fluctuating environments. The present study was conducted over a period of 6 months, during which the drought tolerance potential of native bacteria from the Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rhizosphere was evaluated. A total of 10 different bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of flowering-stage wheat plants growing in the departmental garden of SSJ University, Almora, Uttarakhand by serial dilution technique. After a biochemical analysis, their drought tolerance potential was investigated and growth was monitored. Out of a total of ten isolates, only three were able to grow at 25% PEG. The ideal temperature range for the growth of these 3 rhizobacterial isolates was found to be 28-37℃. The present study highlights the role of rhizospheric bacteria in augmenting plant growth by providing drought tolerance.

Priyadarshini Pillai   

In the present era, the rapid growth of industrial science and technology has improved the human lifestyle as a part of developing countries. On the other hand, we are gradually facing immense trouble in terms of pollution. Now more than ever, the timing is right to take the required action to combat air pollution. Although to varying degrees, plants provide significant coverage for the absorption, impingement, and air pollutants accumulation to lower pollutants. The "Air Pollution Tolerance Index" is a green technology-based tool used for analysing air pollution in one specific area which leads to developing an idea about air quality. The inherent ability of trees to reduce pollution is known as APTI, and urban communities are now quite concerned about this issue. While trees with a lower APTI are used to determine the level of pollution in the air, those with a high tolerance index can cope with pollutants in the air and can be utilised as a source to reduce pollution. The objective of the study is to determine the inherent quality of plants to tolerate air pollution and identify the plant species for pollution mitigation. The APTI is based on an examination of four biochemical characteristics that are directly impacted by air pollution: total chlorophyll, pH of the leaf extract, relative water content, and levels of ascorbic acid, were measured. Because of urbanisation, which has increased a variety of human activities and resulted in a reduction in green space and constant population growth, Bengaluru's air quality has worsened. The results indicate that, all the biochemical parameters show the deterioration with the increase of intensity of pollution. Tolerant plant species serve as suitable sinks to survive the air pollution and the sensitive plant species may be used as a bio-indicator of air quality.

Pournami P.   Neethu G.   and Lekshmi L.   

The present study has been carried out in Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam in Kerala. It is considered as a biodiversity hotspot. Wetlands are the major sites for maintaining various natural cycles and enhancing a wide range of biodiversity. The birds mainly depend on the wetland for shelter, food and also for reproduction. In the present research, avifaunal diversity of the Ashtamudi Lake was studied from three sites, such as Ashramam (S1), Prakkulam (S2) and Kandachira (S3) for the period of March to August 2019. The species diversity, evenness, richness, Sorenson's coefficient, habitat status, migratory status, ICUN status and feeding nature were analyzed. A total number of 855 birds of 33 species, under 10 orders and 18 families were recorded. From the 33 species, about 22 species belonged to wetland birds and 11 species belonged to the terrestrial habitat. Among the birds spotted, 25 species were residents (76%), 5 species were locally migrant (15%) and 3 species were migrants (9%). The species abundance was highest during March and lowest in June. During the study, species such as carnivorous, omnivorous, insectivorous, frugivorous and mixed guild were reported. Two of the recorded species such as Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) and Black- headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalos) came under near threatened (NT) category of the IUCN list. The present study indicates the need for the conservation of Ashtamudi wetland and its bird species.

Anuradha Kapoor   and Shabad Preet   

The present study aims at preparing nanoemulsions of plant essential oil Cinnamomum camphora as acaricidal agent against cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus larvae. In the initial step, the phytochemical screening of oil was done through gas chromatography and mass spectrometry depicting major compounds as α-pinene (53.99%) and camphor (20.89%) in C. camphora oil. Different ratios of Cinnamomum camphora oil and surfactant Tween 80 (oil:surfactant- 1:0.25, 1:0.5, 1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2 and 1:2.5) were used for preparing stable nanoemulsion through ultrasonication approach. Thermodynamic stability analysis exhibited that CA3 ratio (1:1) to be the most stable which was further characterized using Dynamic light scattering study through Nano zeta sizer indicating droplet size of 101.60 nm, polydispersity index as 0.50 and zeta potential value measured as -8.59 mV. Spectral analysis through Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry for functional group interaction and Transmission electron microscopy for morphology of nanoemulsion droplets was also done for CA3 nanoemulsion. Acaricidal activity of stable nanoemulsion was evaluated against R. microplus larvae using larval packet assay and repellency rod test with concentration ranging from 500 ppm to 20000 ppm and 500 ppm to 25000 ppm respectively. Highest concentration (20000 ppm) showed 77% mean mortality with LC₅₀ (3364.46 ppm) after 24 hour. CA3 showed promising repellent activity that ranged from 27% to 87% at various concentrations at different time intervals. These findings proved that Cinnamomum camphor essential oil nanoemulsion could be developed and used against R. microplus larvae as a safer, greener and nanoacaricide product.

Sreeshma P. S.   and Joby Paul   

Ethnic communities are traditionally using wild plants in their day to day life for nutrition and medicinal requirements. Baccaurea courtallensis (Moottipazham Mal., family Phyllanthaceae) is one such wild plants used by tribals from different parts of westenghat region. It is a medium-sized endemic tree found in semi- evergreen and evergreen forests of Western Ghats, India. All parts of the B. courtallensis are documented to possess varied medicinal properties and used to treat stomach and mouth ulcer, diarrhoea, piles and dysentery by traditional healers. In the recent years, this tree has been analysed scientifically for supporting its traditional claims. The present review is an effort to revisit to scientific information on botanical characteristics, anatomy, ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of B. courtallensis based on research papers from portals including Web of Science, Google scholar and Scopus. People belonging to Paniya, Kani and Kurichya tribal groups of different forest regions are the important payees of the plant. Both primary and secondary metabolites are present in leaves and roots of the plant. Various bioassays conducted in the leaves of B. courtallensis show that the plant has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-hyperlipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity. The fruit of the plant shows significant antioxidant properties. This data compilation supports the basic perceptive of B. courtallensis and opens up new horizon for future research.

Narendra Namdev   Gayatri Rai   and Payal Mahobiya   

Cypermethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide used worldwide for domestic as well as agriculture purposes. The current research is designed to investigate the protective role of ashwagandha and quercetin on cypermethrin-induced hematological alteration via declined thyroid function. Swiss albino male mice weighing around 25–30 g were divided into four groups of six animals each at random. Group I served as a control with normal food and water; Group II cypermethrin treated 15 mg/kg body weight; Group III ashwagandha co-treated 200 mg/kg body weight, and Group IV quercetin co-treated 150 mg/kg body weight. Doses were applied orally for 28 days. Blood was drawn, and hematological parameters and a serum thyroid hormone calculation were performed on it. Increased body weight and decreased thyroid weight were observed in the cypermethrin exposure group. The decreased T3 and T4 and increased TSH hormone levels were observed in the cypermethrin-treated group as compared to the control signified hypothyroidism. A significant decrease in erythrocyte count, hemoglobin percentage, and platelet counts was observed in the cypermethrin exposure group. Total leukocyte counts, neutrophil%, and lymphocyte% were increased significantly in the cypermethrin exposure group as compared to the control. A significantly decreased platelet count was observed in the cypermethrin exposure group. The antioxidant co-administered animals showed significant prevention as compared to cypermethrin-exposed animals.

Boda Vijayalaxmi   Venkanna Bhanothu   V. Vanita Das   Raju Padiya   and Banoth Venkateswarlu   

Although crop damage due to nematodes in Telangana, Sorghum bicolor crops has been suspected and sampled occasionally and no study on Meloidogyne species (root-knot nematodes) associated with different climatic conditions of the soil has yet to be reported. In the present study, we report the Meloidogyne species associated with different climatic conditions (seasonal variations) and edaphic factors like soil moisture, soil pH, organic matter, sand, silt, clay, and soil types of the Sorghum bicolor crop production sites, which could be useful to get more knowledge and develop appropriate management strategies. A total of 60 rhizosphere soil samples along with roots were collected from 60 fields of 4 villages to provide comprehensive coverage of the S. bicolor production sites in four agro-climatic districts of Telangana. An aliquot from each of the 60 composite soil samples was processed for estimation of the soil conditions like moisture, organic content, pH, sand, silt, and clay. Subsequently, nematodes were isolated by Baermann funnel and Cobb's method, identified by root dissection, and verified using a microscope. Out of 60 soil samples, 21.2% of Meloidogyne-like species were observed at 5.0-7.5% of soil moisture, 27.3% at 17.5-20% of soil organic matter, 30.3% at pH between 7.0 and 7.5, 51.5% at 15-20% of silt, 36.4% at 20 to 25% of the rhizosphere clay and 45.5% of Meloidogyne-like species at 50-55% of rhizosphere sand. The distributions of other root-knot nematode species between different soil types were statistically significant (p-value = 0.039). The distributions of Meloidogyne-like species between different soils were statistically insignificant (p-value = 0.212). However, the infested roots were often carved in the shape of a hook, horseshoe, or a complete spiral without excessive proliferation of secondary roots which was common in Meloidogyne-like species. The results of this study can be used as an advisory to the farmers who intend to take only a particular variety of crops in their field but were unaware of the damage that was happening underground due to biotic and abiotic factors.

Mohammad Ismail Ansari   

Houseflies and cockroaches are adapted to live in close association with human habitations. They carry lots of medically important parasites and pathogens to humans and animals. The study was carried out in Malegaon city of District Nashik (M.S., India). The objective of the present work was to investigate the presence of human intestinal parasites transmitted mechanically by these insects and to evaluate prevalence of diarrhea in the present study area. Houseflies and cockroaches were collected for a period of four months (July to October, 2020) from different areas like kitchen, restaurants, canteen, garbage piles, grocery stores, and fish and meat shops. Microscopic examination of intestinal parasites was conducted by using standard procedure. A total of 265 flies (166 Musca domestica, 49 Chrysomya megacephala, 31 Musca autumnalis, 19 Musca sorbens) and 230 cockroaches (137 Periplaneta americana, 54 Blatella germanica, 39 Blattella orientalis) were collected and examined for possible human intestinal parasites. Of the total examined flies and cockroaches, 181 (68.3%) flies and 163 (70.9%) cockroaches were found to be carriers of various parasites. A total of four protozoan and three helminth parasites were isolated from these insects. The most common protozoan and helminth parasites were Balantidium coli and Ascaris lumbricoides. There were also higher numbers of cockroaches positive for Balantidium coli and Entamoeba coli than houseflies. Similarly, females of both the insects were found to be more vectorial than males. Significant correlation (r=0.95197) was found between the incidence of diarrhea and number of positive flies. These data suggest that both the insects should be considered potential mechanical vectors of human intestinal parasites in the present study area.

Resmi L.   and Anju J. V.   

In Ayurveda, polyherbal preparations appear to be an unavoidable medicinal approach. Many polyherbal medicines are prepared by local medical practitioners from rural regions of Thiruvananthapuram district, who follow their ethnic customs. The current study was an investigation of their medical system in order to determine the types of plants and plant parts that are used as main components in medicinal compositions. In this study, fifty plants from 34 distinct families were found to be used in the preparation of various Ayurvedic medicines. Solanaceae, Fabaceae, Zingiberaceae, and Piperaceae were the most important among the 34 families studied in terms of the number of herbal medications produced. The most prevalent constituent in 66 percent of currently investigated formulations is Zingiber officinale, followed by Piper longum and Aegle marmelos. The root was found to be the most commonly used plant portion, and harvesting the entire plant could lead to the natural depletion of supply materials. Many of the plants are also becoming threatened. This leads to drug adulteration, necessitating the development of procedures for detecting contaminated products.

Renu Bala   Kamalpreet Kaur   Amandeep Kaur   and Harsimran Kaur   

Avian diversity is a strong indication of the stability and integrity of structure and processes in an ecosystem. Though birds are adapted to almost every habitat and breed on almost all the continents of the earth, the majority of birds are linked to the agro-ecosystem to survive as agriculture offers an extremely predictable and concentrated food source; and birds also play a role in nutrient cycling, soil formation, and energy transfer in the ecosystems. Therefore, from the perspective of environmental monitoring, the assessment of bird assemblages in various ecosystems is prioritized. Due to the intensification of agriculture, Punjab's agro-ecosystem has undergone tremendous changes. The present study on avian diversity in the rural agricultural landscape (RurekeKalan, Sekha, Sanghera, and Cheema) of district Barnala, Punjab has been conducted from March 2022 to May 2022 using a Digital SLR camera (Canon 1300 D) binoculars (Nikon A211 16X50) to observe the birds. Thirty species of birds belonging to twelve orders have been recorded, order Passeriformes being the most dominant one. Common Myna and Blue Rock Pigeon were found to be the most prevalent as compared to other bird species. Omnivory was found to be dominant as compared to other feeding habits. Although the present work is in no way conclusive, it serves to give an approximate understanding of the fauna in the study site and also reveals that agricultural intensification is a major concern for avian diversity conservation. The present study provides baseline data to understand the precise functions that different species of birds play in agro-ecosystems and for future study regarding conservation, habitat preferences, seasonal variations, nest ecology, breeding biology, etc. of the avian species that have been observed in the study region.

Anita Mehra   Lalit Mohan Tewari   and Ranbeer S. Rawal   

Present study deals with qualitative and quantitative assessment of vegetation in four most dominated forest types of western Himalaya, Sal (Shorea robusta) forest, Chir-Pine (Pinus roxburghii) forest, Banj-oak (Quercus leucotrichophora), and Deodar forest (Cedrus deodara) between 600 to 2100 m asl elevation. These forests serve the lifeline for local communities for their daily sustenance. A total of 336 species belonging to 277 genera and 98 families were recoded from study area. Total basal cover (TBC) ranged between 24.05 to 35.15 m² ha^-1, Tree density ranged from 472 to 1068, shrub’s density varied between 1930 to 4080 whereas herbs ranged from 53600 to 80008 individual per hectare. Maximum tree density was recorded (1068 ind. ha^-1) at the oak stand and minimum (472 ind. ha^-1) recorded at the Sal forest. Species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index and TBC increase from Sal to oak forest. It was observed that temperate oak forests in study area comprised higher diversity and species richness at tree, shrub and herb layer, Sal forest depicted higher regeneration. Major invasive species in study area were Lantana camara, Ageratina adenophora, Ageratum conyzoides and Parthenium hysterophorous. In present study, Ageratina adenophora recorded an elevation of about 2100m asl, which is the alarming sign for local biodiversity and may cause a serious threat to Himalayan biodiversity.

Aireen Sultana   Md. Maniruzzaman Sikder   and Nuhu Alam   

Post-harvest spoilage of Amla fruits is one of the major problems which reduces the economic quality of the fruits. The goal of the present study was to identify the post-harvest fungal pathogens associated with Amla fruits based on morphological and molecular characteristics, growth characteristics of the fungi, and their eco-friendly control measures. The fungi were identified as Penicillium rolfsii Thom., Penicillium herquei Bainier & Sartory, Aspergillus aculeatus Iizuka, Aspergillus terreus Thom., and Mucor sp. Frasen. Penicillium rolfsii and Aspergillus aculeatus were preferred to grow on Richard Agar medium; Penicillium herquei grew the maximum on Potato Sucrose Agar medium; Aspergillus terreus was found to grow irrespective of culture media and Mucor sp. grew on all the tested media except Richard Agar medium. The optimum temperatures were recorded at 25 to 35℃ for all of the fungi except Mucor sp., which preferred to grow at 15℃. Aspergillus aculeatus was able to grow on a broad range of pH (5 to 9); Penicillium rolfsii, Penicillium herquei, and Aspergillus terreus were grown better at neutral to slightly alkaline pH, while Mucor sp. on slightly acidic conditions. Aqueous crude extracts of garlic and black cumin were found to show inhibitory activity against all the fungi. Food preservative sodium benzoate was found to be the most efficient against fungal pathogens. Based on our findings, it is suggested that garlic extract and sodium benzoate could be used to manage the fungal growth associated with post-harvest Amla fruit diseases.

S. Geetha   S. Hilda   S. Ayyappan   F. Newgilin Florence   and G. Chandrasehar   

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of dose prepared from two different stocks in an acute contact toxicity test to honeybees, Apis mellifera L under laboratory condition. Dimethoate 30% EC contains an active ingredient of 90.18 % w/w which was used as the test substance. The test was conducted as per OECD Guideline 214 (1998). The test stock solution 69.92 ppm (Stock I) and 4.3ppm (Stock II) were prepared in deionized water. The toxicity was evaluated against honeybees at the doses viz., 0.045, 0.068, 0.101, 0.152 and 0.228 µg a.i./bee prepared from both stock solutions. Bees treated with Dimethoate 30% EC dissolved in deionized water were dosed by topical application on the dorsal side of thorax of each bee. The control (Deionized water) was maintained for comparison. Assessments of mortality and abnormal behavioural effects were carried out at 4, 24 and 48 hours after dosing. Dimethoate 30% EC (Stock I) at the highest tested nominal dose of 0.228 µg a.i./bee recorded the highest mortality of 70% and the lowest dose 0.045 µg a.i./bee recorded 0% mortality at 48 hours after dosing. Whereas dimethoate 30% EC (Stock II) at the highest tested nominal dose of 0.228 µg a.i./bee recorded the highest mortality of 23.33% and the lowest dose 0.045 µg a.i./bee recorded 0% mortality at 48 hours after dosing. The 48-hour Contact LD₅₀ (Stock I) was 0.160 µg (95% Confidence limits: 0.135 - 0.201) dimethoate/bee at 48 hours after dosing. The 48-hour Contact LD₅₀ (Stock II) was 0.319 µg (95% Confidence limits: 0.135 - 0.201) dimethoate/bee at 48 hours after dosing. All the control groups (Deionized water) recorded 0.0% mortality during the assessment made up to 48 hours after dosing. Observations of sublethal (abnormal behavioural) effects included moribund, knockdown and apathy at 24 hours after dosing the test substance. No sub lethal effects were observed at 4 and 48 hours after dosing. The test met all the validity criteria as described in OECD 214.

Debkanta Ghosh   and Samir Kumar Saha   

The contamination of heavy metals in water is a worldwide issue which is increasing day by day due to the different types of anthropogenic activities. These heavy metals pose a serious health risk on aquatic organisms. One such heavy metal is chromium. The present study is about to determine 24h, 48h, 72h and 96 hours LC₅₀ value of hexavalent chromium for the Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. In the present study, 24h, 48h, 72h and 96h of exposure of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to potassium dichromate (K₂Cr₂O₇) was able to measure the hexavalent chromium lethal concentration 50 (LC₅₀) in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A kind of computational and graphical technique can be applied to obtain an LC₅₀ (median lethal concentration) from the response of concentration-mortality data produced by an acute mortality experiment. No process should be applied that does not evaluate both LC₅₀ and its 95% confidence limits. The data were statistically analyzed by the application of SPSS software based on Finney's Probit Analysis Method and a 24h, 48h, 72h, and 96 h LC₅₀ values for Oreochromis niloticus were found to be 121.06mg/l, 108.30mg/l, 99.31mg/l, and 93.49mg/l respectively. With the increase of the concentration of metal, the response of the fish mortality increased gradually. The mortality of the fish is directly proportional to the concentration of the exposed metals. The results indicate that hexavalent chromium revealed acute toxicity to fish when exposed for 96 hours and this could release the fact that exposure to hexavalent chromium may outcome in deleterious toxic effects to fish that influences the health of the aquatic environment.

Yogendra Kumar   and Arvind Kumar Singh   

The present ethnomedicinal exploration study presents the indigenous use of certain medicinal plants by the local people of the Saharanpur district in the Uttar Pradesh state of India. The survey was conducted during 2020-2022 in order to access information about traditional knowledge on medicinal plants of the study area and their conservation. Saharanpur is situated in the foothills of Shiwalik that constitute the outer Himalaya. This region forms the northern most part of Ganga-Yamuna Doab. The climate of the area is tropical due to the proximity of the Himalayan region. This area represents a great diversity of medicinal plants and contains deep indigenous traditional knowledge. The objective of the study was to record and document this traditional knowledge of medicinal plants for the welfare of future generations. The methods employed for ethnomedicinal data collection included semi-structured interviews, field observation, preference ranking and direct-matrix ranking. For the collection of ethnomedicinal information, the knowledgeable persons, plant collectors and ayurvedic medical practitioners of the study area were interacted. The conventional medicines obtained from these medicinal plants has been proved highly beneficial in maintaining good health and accordingly ethnic community still depends upon their indigenous knowledge to a greater extent to heal their ailments. A total of 82 plant species were collected, of which 66 plants of medicinal importance were documented with their botanical name, local name, family, habit and parts used. These 66 plant species belong to 59 genera and 35 families. The most dominant families recorded were Amaranthaceae followed by Asteraceae, Malvaceae, Lamiaceae and Moraceae. Herbs were the most common growth form followed by trees, shrubs and climbers. Among the different plant parts, the leaves were most commonly used to treat various diseases followed by root, seed, whole plant, fruit, stem, bark, flower and wood. It was observed that these plants are widely used for the treatment of various ailments such as asthma, kidney stone, rheumatism, fever, urinary infections, syphilis, leucorrhoea, tuberculosis, eye infections, leprosy and skin disorders by the local inhabitants of the study area. This investigation will be of great importance to conserve the heritable knowledge in the field of herbal treatment.

N. Thavapudalvi   S. Vasantha   V. Ambikapathy   A. Panneerselvam   A. Subramanian   P. Prakash   A. Kanmani   and D. Rathna   

This investigation suggested that the qualitative phytochemical compounds based on leaves, flowers and seeds of Anisomeles malabarica with different solvents such as aqueous, benzene, chloroform and methanol were used. Aqueous extract of seeds including substances like alkaloids, carbohydrate, coumarin, flavonoid, phenol, protein, saponin, steroid, tannin and terpenoid had the highest concentration of qualitative phytochemicals compared to another solvents. Leaves and flowers were also identified, respectively. Obviously, the quantitative phytochemicals such as alkaloid, carbohydrate, coumarin, flavonoid, phenol, protein, saponin, steroid, tannin and terpenoid were profound of extracted in seeds of A. malabarica when compared to leaves and flowers with other solvents. However, each of the solvents also contained moderate phytochemicals, which were observed in the respective plant parts. Anisomeles malabarica is a tropical indigenous herbal plant. It is a member of the Lamiaceae family and has a strong scent (Labiatae). Both qualitative and quantitative research was performed on the main phytochemicals present in the seeds of the pharmaceutically important plant Anisomeles malabarica.

Shakti Pada Mahato   Kishore Kumar Gupta   and Avinash Kumar Soni   

Jharkhand is a naive Indian state in terms of study related to Drosophila species distribution, despite of being rich in varied ecological resources. The present study was carried out to assess the species absolute abundance (A), relative abundance (R), constancy (C) evenness (Jʹ), species richness and diversity indices like Shannon –Weaver index (Hʹ), which is based on the survey done during 2016 - 2018 in the seven representative districts of North Chotanagpur division of Jharkhand. Our intensive field surveys in the wild areas of the seven districts of North Chotanagpur have recognized 20 different species distributed within 4 genera, 6 subgenra in a total of 2909 flies collected by using three traditional methods. Our major results indicated that 90.5 % of abundance was in species of genus Drosophila and 0.1% of Amiota species. Moreover, D. malerkotliana (R= 0.189) and D. melanogaster (R = 0.176) are more or less equally abundant as accessory species, while A. shillongensis (R = 0.00068) is accidental species. Species richness showed Hazaribag having more species richness (D_Mg = 2.78) in comparison to Ramgarh and Giridih (D_Mg = 1.92 & 1.96) respectively. Species evenness pattern is more or less similar in three districts while Hazaribag has less evenly distribution due to unequal occurrence of some species. It concludes that Hazaribag has more species diversity and species richness as compared to other districts due to specific niche preferences.

Shwetha Sarikar   and Katepaga Vijaykumar   

Aquatic insects are the utmost generally employed macroinvertebrates in freshwater monitoring and assessment worldwide. However, aquatic insects have received far less attention for the objectives of health and water quality bioassessment, particularly in Kalaburagi, Karnataka. This study examined the abundance of aquatic insects in the Bhosga reservoir and their relationship to physicochemical factors. Water ecosystem health had been assessed using the BMWP, ASPT, and FBI scoring systems from October 2020 to September 2021. Samples were collected monthly by using the sweep net and dip net methods. There were 5964 aquatic insects recorded and divided into 23 families and 6 orders. Hemiptera (53%) was the most dominated aquatic insect family, followed by Coleoptera (16%), Diptera (15%), Odonata (8%), Ephemeroptera (6%), and Trichoptera (2%). Water quality falls under the class 2 category attributing "Good" water quality based on biotic indices. According to the PTI index, moderately sensitive to pollution group was abundant (74.11%) followed by sensitive to pollution (16.88%), and insensitive to pollution represented (9.00%) of the total abundance of aquatic insects. The compile of indices results indicated that the presence of moderately pollution sensitive families was higher than the insensitive to pollution families indicating that the aquatic habitat has not been significantly altered, nor is it very clean. The current study lays the groundwork for appropriate water management by using aquatic insects as bioindicators for assessing the water quality of the Bhosga reservoir.

Swati Chaurasia   

Macrophytes are large aquatic plants belonging to taxonomically diverse groups. They are adapted morphologically, anatomically and physiologically to grow in aquatic habitats of fresh water, brackish water or sea water. This review is based on the rigorous study of literature and papers based on work done on wetlands and macrophytes. Surveys show that macrophytes form an important component in the structure and functioning of an aquatic ecosystem. They play a vital role in the sustenance of life by providing habitat, food, fodder, fiber, green manure, medicines and other useful products. They act as a bioindicator, influence water quality, perform nutrient cycling and reduce shore erosion. The work concluded that knowledge of floral diversity in any aquatic habitat is essential as each and every plant has its role in food chain and they must be documented and conserved before they become extinct without being acknowledged. Researches must be undertaken to scientifically study and extract the important constituents from unknown flora by identifying them with the help of indigenous people so that it can be further flourished for the welfare of mankind. The aim of this paper is to review the diverse roles of macrophytes and to focus on the conservation of aquatic resources and the biodiversity within them, as they not only provide various ecosystem services but are important for the livelihood and ecological balance.

Raveshwar S Rana   Isha Slathia   and Ravinder S Rana   

Artificial insemination with frozen – thawed spermatozoa was introduced in most of the developing countries more than three decades ago, yet it has not been successfully applied in large scale. More than 50% spermatozoa are usually injured during the cryopreservation process. Injuries caused by cryopreservation are more likely due to increasing solute concentration and the formation of intracellular and extracellular ice crystals during cryopreservation [54] leading to significant decline in semen quality and alterations in sperm morphometrix. Therefore, the present study was designed to study cryopreservation of buffalo semen and the effect of semen cryopreservation on determinant like semen fertility viz. physico-morphologic. Forty eight semen samples collected from eight Murrah buffalo bulls maintained at Central semen station, Bhopal were included in the study for the study of physico-morphological characters of neat and cryopreserved semen. The overall average of the eight bulls for neat semen volume mass activity, progressive motility, live %, sperm concentration, head, midpiece, tail, and total sperm abnormalities was 2.89±0.14, 3.64±0.07, 71.56±0.37, 86.22±0.66, 963.92±38.51, 5.58±0.28, 2.18±0.32, 2.09±0.21 and 9.85±0.23 %, respectively. There was significant (P<0.05) between bulls and ejaculate variation in semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm midpiece and tail abnormalities. No significant differences between bulls as, however, recorded in sperm mass activity, progressive sperm motility, live sperm percent, sperm head and total sperm abnormalities.

Sujatha Ilangovan   and Thomas Mary T.   

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of urea, potassium silicate, vermicompost and a combination of all three on seven growth parameters in the common lady's finger plant- Abelmoschus esculentus. Uniform sized and healthy 8 days old saplings of A. esculentus, raised from seeds were planted in pots containing about 2 kg of red soil each. These pots were grouped into 4 experimental groups namely E1, E2, E3, E4 and a control E0 comprising of six plants per group. On day 10, 1% urea (E1), 1% potassium silicate (E2), 1% vermicompost (E3), 1% a combination of all three (urea, potassium silicate and vermicompost as E4) were added to the respective pots in each group E1, E2, E3 and E4. In the control E0 only red soil was used. The 5 groups of plants were watered and maintained till day 50. The various growth parameters namely, number of leaves, leaf length, leaf width, shoot height, shoot circumference, number of flower buds and number of fruits in each of the 5 groups were assessed on day 50. The results were statistically analysed by one-way ANOVA. Potassium silicate was found to be most effective and produced maximum impact on all the seven parameters studied, followed by vermicompost, a combination of all three fertilizers and urea. The plants used in the experimental groups for this study were resistant and did not show any mealy bug infestation, while the infestation was observed in the control group. The study recommends potassium silicate and vermicompost as amendments that facilitate better plant growth comparatively.

Babu. K   and S. Ravichandran   

The aim of the present investigation was to study the effect of parasite infestation of the crustacean isopod, Norileca indica in the fish, Liza parsia (Goldspot Mullet). The crustacean parasitic isopods affect the economically important fishes. Due to the infection, the host loses its weight, growth, and physiological inactivity, which eventually leads to death. Important biochemical parameters such as aminoacid profile, elements, and minerals were estimated. Arginine, isoleucine, methionine, leucine, and valine were found to be reduced by 0.5, 0.8, 0.6, and 0.7% in the parasitized fish. Significant reductions in lysine and phenylalanine by 1.2 and 1.6% respectively were noticed in the parasitized fish. No change in the tryptophan level was noticed. The aspartic acid and glutamine were also significantly reduced by 1.4 and 2.3 Wt/% respectively. The minerals like phosphorous and iron have increased significantly by 7.27 and 0.03 mg/100 gm respectively in parasitized fishes, whereas the minerals such as calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium levels were found to be reduced in the parasitized fishes. No significant difference in manganese was observed. The amino acid and mineral content alterations observed in the infested fishes are reflecting, anaemia, tissue damage and disturbances in physiological homeostasis of fish physiology and biochemistry. Parasite infestation leads to the poor quality and flavour of the fish.

Poonam Devi   Rachna Gulati   Khushbu   Deepak Verma   Seema   and Deshdip Arya   

Suidasia nesbitti Hughes (Acari: Suidasiidae) is a pest of stored grains and products which is responsible for causing quantitative, qualitative damage to grains and allergic reactions in human beings. As the mite feeds on the germinal portion of the grain, the qualitative damages are higher than quantitative losses. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the S. nesbitti infestation on seed germination in Bengal gram, the third most important pulse crop worldwide. For this purpose, under in vitro conditions, twenty mites of S. nesbitti were released in per g of Desi and Kabuli channa grains and were allowed to feed for 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days. At each duration, grains were drawn from each replicate and subjected to germination tests. When observation periods were compared, significantly higher radicle and plumule length was found at 0 day which declined at 30, 60 and 90 days, respectively. In the present study, no seeds germinated after 120, 150 and 180 days of infestation. Germinated seeds of Desi channa at 0 day were statistically higher (84.61%) as compared to 72.72, 62.50 and 25 percent germinated seeds at 30, 60 and 90 days of infestation, respectively. Maximum per cent germination in Kabuli channa (90.90%) was recorded at 0 day which significantly decreased to 87.50, 75 and 37.50 percent at 30, 60 and 90 days. The varietal susceptibility was also evaluated in terms of changes in plumule and radicle length, seed germination of seeds due to S. nesbitti infestation. It was observed that plumule, radicle length and germination were significantly lower in Desi channa (6.45, 7.67 cm) than in Kabuli channa (8.10, 8.64 cm). The studies reflect the damage potential of S. nesbitti infestation in Bengal gram.

Mohd Adil Deva   Jahangirr Ahmad Magray   Sameer Ahmad Thoker   and Sushil Manderia   

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is still a challenge for the world, most particularly for developing countries. The ethno-veterinary science is considered as a viable practice for curing animal disorders in whole world. There is no particular allopathic treatment for foot and mouth disease (FMD) and disadvantages in the use of some prescribed medicines have diverted focus of researchers towards ethno-veterinary sciences. In this study, various locally accessible herbs were chosen for their therapeutic potential to treat sheep foot and mouth illness in Pampore town. Two sheep farms were examined out of which the members of one farm i.e. farm A were fed with plants like Salix alba, Salix babylonica, Convolvulus arvensis and Brassica oleraceae, var. Gongylodes while the members of farm B as usual were fed with wheat bran and local herbs. Extractions and preparations of these plants were used with a main aim to boost the immune system and to stimulate antiviral functions in animals. The results showed the members of farm A recovered quickly from the disease and had less mortality and abortion rate in comparison to farm B. The observed results documented from this study could be used to manage efficiently viral diseases in future and to improve the lives animals. Evidence from the study revealed the significance of said plants against FMD especially in Kashmir.

Yana Wenceslas   Dzokou Victor Joly   Mveyo Ndankeu Yves Patrick   Mbinkar Kpuntir Lesley   Siekalie Carole   and Tamesse Joseph Lebel   

Psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) are sap-sucking insects inducing serious damages to their host plants. Among the plants attacked by the psyllids in Cameroon, there is Prunus africana (Rosaceae), an important medicinal plant which is associated with two non-described psyllid species belonging to Cacopsylla genus. The two species induce necrosis of the leaves and stunt the growth of shoots of the host plant principally when it is in nursery. The aim of this survey is to describe and identify the two species of psyllids associated to P. africana. The specimens were captured with a sweep net of 0.5 mm mesh size and mouth aspirator. The fifth instar immatures and adults were described from the illustrated diagrams made with the aid of microscope as well as the morphological comparison with previously described species. The morphological examination shows that the two species share the nymph circumanal shape, but the abdomen distal margin bears different types of setae. In adult, the two species also share the head, forewing, and distal portion of aedeagus shape. They differ morphologically from the structure of paramere and female genitalia. When the two species of Cacopsylla described in this survey are compared to other species described elsewhere, they are morphologically different, notably the structure of paramere and female genitalia, the host plant species are also different. Then they are new species named Cacopsylla bamendae sp. nov. and C. messii sp. nov.

Chandrakar M. R.   Kalwade P. S.   and Pachlore G. S.   

Moths belong to the order Lepidoptera of phylum Arthropoda. Contrary to their cousins Butterfly, the moths usually remain ignored and unnoticed most of the time. Many of the moths also parasitize the crops and hence their presence is not welcomed. Despite all the anthropological pressure, the moths have manged to diversify themselves. The present study deals with the biodiversity of moths in nearby region of Hinganghat city of district Wardha. The location of the study area includes Pimpalgaon farm, Sultanpur farm and Hinganghat city too. The specimen data was acquired by light and photography method. This study was carried out from July 2020 to October 2020, which is the monsoon season in the region. The sampling and survey were conducted throughout the day and night and at convenient time. The diversity of moth fauna has yet not been described from Hinganghat taluka of district Wardha located in Maharashtra. In the present study, 184 moth specimens were photographed, out of which 163 were identified. 45 species were identified at species level and another two at genus level that belong to 10 families. During the study, it was found that the highest species were recorded from family Erebidae. When we see a richness of specimens, the highest number of specimens was shown by Crambidae. This study could help to understand the biodiversity of moths from the region and could also help to form any conservation strategy.

Aleya Siddiquee   and Sarfaraz Ahmad   

In today's scenario, environment and lifestyle caused innumerable changes in human health. These changes are mostly negative in nature and have almost become irreversible; Diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis and chronic inflammatory disorders have become very common. Taking into consideration the side effects and high cost of chemically synthesized agents, researchers are now turning towards traditional remedies and treatment. They turn out to be better medications with minimal side effects and less costs too. Therefore, some invasive alien species were selected which are common in Bihar region. These invading species have high biochemical activities, which help them spread and dominate in any regions. The purpose was to explore these biochemical activities of IAS (invasive alien species) to find better anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and antioxidant compounds from them. Five selected species were Ageratum conyzoides (L.) L, Eupatorium adenophorum Hort. Berol. ex Kunth, Galinsoga parviflora Cav. Mikania micrantha (L.) Willd. and Parthenium hysterophorus L. The extracts of the whole plant were tested on Cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and antioxidant activities. Eupatorium adenophorum Hort extract and Parthenium hysterophorus L. extract exhibit significant inhibitory action against Colon cell line (HT-29). Mikania micrantha (L.) extract was found to have highest antioxidant and anti-arthritic property with lowest IC50 of 32.23 µg/ml and 97.53 μg/ml respectively.

Sadiq Bukhari. A   Dinesh Raja. J   Jainul Yasmin   Melba Priyadharshini A   and Athif R   

The present study has been done in the southern part of Western Ghats of Palani Hills in Tamilnadu. It was conferred as a global biodiversity hotspot that includes Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary is to be proposed. We have studied the Diversity, Dominance and Evenness of butterflies in different habitats (forest area, crop area and river bank) during the period of December 2018 to March 2019. A total number of 92 species, from 65 genera and 5 families were recorded. The diversity of species and abundance have recorded maximum in March-May and dropped it to the minimum in December 2018-January 2019. Forest area habitats had greater species diversity, while the river bank habitat had a greater number of butterflies; crop area had the least diversity of individuals and abundance present in the studied habitats. We have also recorded the endemism and the flight period of some of the butterflies and their distribution range within the habitats with their nectar source plants. Analyses were also done to emphasize the importance of butterfly individuals and their need for conservation.

Kumar P   and Makesh Kumar B   

This study was conducted to prepare a baseline inventory, seasonal population trends and status of butterfly inhabiting the campus of G. Venkataswamy Naidu College, Kovilpatti, Tuticorin. The survey yielded 309 individuals of 48 butterfly species, belonging to the families Nymphalidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, Papilionidae and Hesperiidae. Nymphalidae were found to be the dominant family during all seasons. Species abundance was highest during the northeast monsoon and winter periods. The maximum number of 163 individuals was sampled during the NE monsoons followed by winter 109 individuals and SW Monsoon showed 23 individuals. The summer showed least skewed 15 individuals were recorded. The butterfly species composition and relative abundance belonged to the families Namphalidae (17 Species; 35.42%), Pieridae (11 species; 25.00%), Lycaenidae (7 Species; 14.58%), Papilionidae (8 Species; 16.67%) and Hisperiidae (4 Species; 8.33%). The maximum number of butterfly species and maximum number of individuals were sampled during the monsoons, indicating that, the southern plains area of India butterflies prefer cool seasons for breeding and emergence. Three endemic species like Cepora nerissa, Troides minos and Atrophaneura hector and seven protected species like Euploea core, Cepora nerissa, Appias albino, Castalius rosimon, Euchrysops cnejus, Troides minos and Atrophaneura hector were listed under the Wildlife Protection Act 19720. These species highlighted greater importance of conservation in college campus. A checklist of butterfly species is also provided. The observation will support the detailed study of ecologically important local butterfly fauna of the college campus in Kovilpatti which provide a valuable resource to nature.

Supriya Dixit   and R. K. Gupta   

Fertilizers are widely used by farmers in agricultural practices in form of chemical fertilizer, organic fertilizer and biofertilizer, supplying plants with nutrients for their optimal growth and production. In the beginning, farmers were delighted to get improved yield in agriculture, but gradually, chemical fertilizers began to show their ill impacts such as polluting water basins and leaching out, killing microorganisms and helpful insects, and also decreasing soil fertility. Biofertilizers, on the other hand, refer to articles containing live or latent microbes which help boost fertility of soil by either solubilizing phosphorus, fixing atmospheric nitrogen, decomposing organic waste or stimulating growth of plant through the synthesis of growth-promoting substances. A study was carried out to examine the impact of fertilizers (PSB and DAP) application on growth components of Vigna radiata and V. mungo. As a result, overall maximum value of experimental parameters such as seed germination percentage, root length, shoot length, fresh and dry weight of stem, chlorophyll content, phosphorus content, potassium content, nitrogen content as well as crude protein content were found with combined application of both fertilizers as compared to the control in both Vigna crops. Therefore, it was concluded that the application of biofertilizer with chemical fertilizer showed higher value for experimental parameters as compared to the control and also their single fertilizer treatments in both Vigna crops. The main purpose of the study was to look for the best fertilizer level either single or in combination of chemical fertilizer and biofertilizer, which could be applied to the experimental crops to obtain their enhanced growth components in addition to keeping sustainable and safe environment due to the reduction or minimize the use of chemical fertilizers.

Mahendra Dahiwale   and N S Suryawanshi   

Grey mould of grapes (Vitis vinifera L var. red globe) caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex. Fr. is recorded as an economically serious pathogen found in stored and imported grapes in India and which may cause heavy loss in all grape producing countries. Therefore the management of grey mould is equally important. In conventional agriculture the application of fungicides to grapes after harvest to reduce decay has been increasingly, curtailed by the development of pathogen resistance, the lack of knowledge of fungicide, negative public approach regarding the safety of pesticides and consequent restrictions on fungicide use. The study of alternative methods to control of grey mould decay has developed over several decades. Twenty five isolates of B.cinerea were isolated from infected samples of grape collected from various localities of Maharashtra. Out of which isolate Bc-19 was highly sensitive (290.8 mg/ml) while isolate Bc-11 was resistant (1095.1 mg/ml). Sensitivity of B. cinerea was tested using thiophanate methyl by food poisoning methods. Experiments were performed in Research Laboratory, KVP to find out the natural and safe alternative method to control of resistant Bc-11. Six fungicides viz. dithane M-45, thiram, zineb, benomyl, carbendazim and captafol were used individually and in mixture with thiophanate methyl. Benomyl gave a significant PCE individual at 50 µg/ml (70.01) and at 100 µg/ml PCE value (83.12) when compared with thiophanate methyl at 100 µg/ml (58.12), Captafal 50 µg/ml and 100 µg/ml (64.18), zineb 50 µg/ml (62.13) and 100 µg/ml (75.15) PCE values, thiram at 50 µg/ml (54.12) and 100 µg/ml (PCE- 65.10) and dithane M-45 at 50 µg/ml PCE (38.02) and 100 µg/ml (48.15) PCE values. Dithane and thiram was less effective. Trichoderma viride was found to be the most effective in reducing the colony diameter of B. cinerea (69.89 - 68.12). Thus T. viride proves better and safe for the management of B. cinerea of grape as a biocontrol agent.

Sanjay W. Patil   and Rajesh R. Dahegaonkar   

The present paper deals with the description of a new species of petrified capsular fruit. The fruit is dicotyledonous, capsular formed from pentacarpellary, syncarpous ovary with parietal placentation. The fruit measures 0.12 mm in length and 0.11mm in width. It is circular, pentalocular with two fertile locules having single seed in each locules and three sterile locules. The three sterile locules contain circular parenchymatous cells which act as reserve food materials or provide buoyancy for floating mechanism. The fruit wall or pericarp measures about 4.46-5.42 µm in width and is differentiated into epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp. Outer layer epicarp is multilayered having hexagonal sclerenchymatous cell and measures about 1.10 µm in thickness. Middle layer mesocarp is multilayered having hexagonal sclerenchymatous cell and measures about 1.23 µm in thickness and inner layer endocarp is measures about 2.13 µm in thickness. The fruit is baccate type, different from any existing living family or recorded fossil fruit from the Deccan Intertrappean beds. Therefore, it is named as Baccatocarpon patanii sp. nov. The generic name is being after the baccate nature of the fruit and the specific name indicates the locality from where it was collected.

Vivek R. Narkhedkar   and Jaykiran A. Tidke   

Anther culture has emerged as an alternative for traditional plant breeding practices for homozygosity development, which in the case of medical plants resulting in increased yield of phytoconstituents. The response of anthers during culture is governed by the various constituents of the nutrient media. The carbohydrate in the nutrient media plays a pivotal role as it acts as a source of carbon skeleton and maintains the osmoticum. In the present research, anthers of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. at early to late uninucleate stage of development were selected for the experiment. The anthers were cultured to evaluate the androgenic potential under the influence of different types and concentrations of carbohydrates viz. sucrose, glucose, maltose, and galactose. It was found that out of four carbohydrates except maltose, all performed best at 30 gm/l. The maximum rate of androgenic callus induction was noted in sucrose at 30 gm/l (69.66±1.52%). All the carbohydrates showed the least rate of calli induction at high concentration i.e. 70 gm/l. The embryo like structures were able to develop on the media supplemented with the combination of 1 mg/l BAP, 0.5 mg/l Kinetin and 0.5 mg/l NAA (13.33±5.77%). The ploidy analysis of randomly selected 30 calli and 10 leaves revealed that Catharanthus roseus has haploid regeneration tendencies and also possesses a tendency for spontaneous double haploid formation.

Iqram Ul Haq   Bilal A. Bhat   and Khursheed Ahmad   

Feeding behaviour of Ibisbill was studied in the Kashmir Himalayan River Sindh. Observations on the foraging behaviour were made at six selected sites. The food items consumed by the bird during the study period include aquatic invertebrates, insects, and fishes of smaller size. In a novel finding, the bird was found to feed on a vole (n=2). The main technique used for obtaining prey items was probing, however, pecking was also employed for feeding the larger prey items. A total of 820 observations revealed that the foraging accounted for about 44% of activity time budget in summer while as in winter the foraging was found to contribute to about 62%. Diurnal behavioral rhythms of foraging showed a peak during morning hours (8:00 to 10:00) in summer and in winter the peak was observed during the afternoon (12:00 to 15:00). The probing rate was higher (19.23±0.70) in winter and lower (17.39±0.67) in summer, whereas an inverse trend was observed for capture rate which was higher in summer (8.61±0.46) and lower (5.86±0.27) in winter. The Sindh river was also found to witness anthropogenic activities such as extensive mining (extraction of sand, silt and boulders) and tourism related activities, having a negative impact on the habitat of the bird. From the conservation viewpoint, these habitat impacting activities in this river shall be controlled, to ensure better feeding conditions for Ibisbill and other waterbirds.

Seema. G. Kadu   

The sublethal effects of methanolic leaf extracts of some indigenous plant, Azadirachta indica (Neem), Ipomoea carnea (Beshram), Vitex negundo (Nirgudi), Tridax procumbens (Kambarmodi) and Pongamia glabra (Karanj) studied to determine the biochemical and histopathological assay of midgut of household insect pest the carpenter ant, Camponotus compressus F. The methanolic leaf extract of Ipomoea carnea and other plants induced sublethal cyto-morphological changes disturbing the biochemical composition of the midgut of the carpenter ant. During the treatment of formulations, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% methanolic leaf extracts against the group of carpenter ants demonstrate maximum percentage mortality. After the interval of 24, 48 and 72 hours of the treatment the biochemical constituents such as total proteins, carbohydrates and lipids were significantly reduced in concentrations. The biochemical studies and ultra structural changes in the midgut were observed significant variation in biochemical composition with greatly elongated, vacuolated columnar cells and reduce diameter of nucleus. The study on application of the 20% methanolic leaf extracts of Ipomoea carnea followed by other plants suggested the significant sub-lethal effects on the digestion, absorption and bimolecular metabolism in the midgut due to the action of toxicant present in the leaf extracts. The present study evaluates the physiological and biochemical changes induced by the application of natural organic herbal formulations prepared from some easily available indigenous plants to control household insect pests.

Dasgupta R   and Dongarwar NM   

An attempt for study of two terrestrial orchids i.e. Eulophia nuda (Lindl.) and Geodorum densiflorum (Lam.) Schltr. were carried out. Main focus was on the corms of both the orchids due to its huge medicinal properties like anticancerous, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, phytotoxic, etc. This is one of the prime reasons behind their threatened status along with endemic habitat. The parameters which were analysed during the study include macro- and micro-morphology, preliminary phytochemistry, and antioxidant activity (DPPH activity). In macro-morphology of both the orchids, slight difference was reported and, thus sometimes Geodorum densiflorum is being used as an adulterant in place of Eulophia nuda. During micro-morphological analysis, the oxalate crystals, raphides, mucilage ducts, starch grains, and oil granules were observed from cortical region of corm and in the mesophyll tissue of leaves in both the orchids. Stomatal Index of leaf surface was calculated along with the type of stomata, i.e. Cyclic II type. Preliminary analysis of phytochemical constituents in both the orchids was performed with three different solvent systems. A comparative antioxidant activity between leaves extract of both the orchids was carried out.

Sutapa Sanyal   and Arnab Chatterjee   

The purpose of this research was to assess native Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) for antimicrobial activities in relation to fish preservation. LAB were isolated from intestine of Oreochromis sp. Listeria monocytogenes, being a big microbial hazard of fresh as well as preserved fish food, was chosen against LAB antimicrobials. In the present study sixteen LAB like isolates from fish intestine were judged for their anti-listeria activities by agar well diffusion assay. Thirteen of them were antagonized Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 657) by creating inhibition zone in nutrient agar plate. Antagonistic activities with inhibitory zones but not with growth circles clearly marked that inhibition was due to antimicrobials but not for competitive exclusion. LAB like bacteria in different forms like live cells, cell-free supernatant, alkaline cell- free supernatant and heated cell-free supernatant conferred antibacterial activities. No acid and hydrogen peroxide inhibition was reported. Except few, most of the alkaline and catalase treated culture supernatant when being heated to 90ºC exhibited strong antagonism against the pathogenic strain. Susceptibility of Listeria monocytogenes to LAB antimicrobials seemed to be caused by both thermostable and thermolabile compounds and could be practiced in fisheries industry for food hygiene and also as biopreservatives.

Rahul B. Kamble   Sandeep G. Hate   and Alka Chaturvedi   

Gorewada reservoir and adjacent area (1885 Ha) now converted into International Biopark abodes a variety of plant community to its credit. A study has been carried out to elucidate the aquatic flora with diverse plant wealth, indicator plants and their ecological status in wetlands of Gorewada catchment area.114 plants species with 33 families have been identified from the Gorewada wet land area. 67 species belong to dicotyledons and 47 are monocotyledons.

Pravin U. Dulare   Rahul B. Kamble   N. R. Ugemuge   and Alka Chaturvedi   

Order Fabales is one of the largest orders of flowering plants. This order is distributed worldwide and exhibits the greatest diversity of morphological types in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Order Fabales comprises the major families such as Caesalpiniaceae, Mimosaceae and Fabaceae. To explore the diversity of this order in Nagpur City, regular field visits were made. Present study enumerated the order Fabales with total 59 genera, 126 species, 4 sub-species and 4 varieties of which Family Mimosaceae with 11 genera, 24 species and 2 sub-species. Family Caesalpiniaceae observed with 8 genera, 27 species while the largest family Fabaceae covered most of the diversity in this order with 40 genera, 75 species, 2 sub-species and 4 varieties. The study was documented with flowering and fruiting seasons and distribution in the Nagpur localities.

Pooja Sahu   Pradnya Anasane   and Alka Chaturvedi   

In vitro, germination is the most commonly used technique in pollen physiology. This provides a simple experiment method to study the pollen germination and pollen tube growth, in the endogenous as well as exogenous conditions. In vivo conditions (endogenous) can also apply to the study of pollen system. In the present investigation, the pollen germination of Spathodia companulata P. Beauv was studied in the different parts of the carpel viz., style, stigma, ovary, style-stigma, style-ovary and whole gynoecium. Spathodia companulata P. Beauv is planted for reforestation schemes, for soil conservation. In India, it is seen that there is a rare formation of fruit and seeds in this plant. Thus for the study of the growth of the plant for cultivation purposes, the growth of the pollen tube was studied which could be one of the reason for the less fruit and seed formation. Pollen tubes were found to be stimulated by those components present in the different selected parts of the carpel.

Rajasamarsen Modi   R S Kallurmath   C. Haleshi   Shivakumar K   and Somanathareddy C. Patil   

Understanding the diversity of vegetation is a useful tool in plant ecology and forestry to compare the composition of different species. Kalyana Karnataka region is one of the largest arid regions in India. The natural vegetation can be seen mostly in the valleys and hill locks only. The forest vegetation generally falls under Southern tropical dry deciduous forest and Southern tropical thorn forests. Dry deciduous forests are found in small blocks almost throughout the area but the mere composition is at Chincholi in Kaluburagi district, Khanapur and Changler in Bidar District and Sandur and Sogi in Bellary. Trees of this region are generally drought resistant with wide distribution and have great adaptability (Anogeissus latifolia, Soymida febrifuga etc.). The occurrence of teak (Tectona grandis) in low to fair amount characterizes this type. Yadgir, Raichur and Koppal district comprising predominant thorny and hardwood species, main components are Acacia chundra, A. leucophloea, Albizia amara, Ixora arborea, Cassis fistula etc.; this can be classified as thorn forests. Associated and encountered shrubs and herbs in the region were also recorded. Interestingly, few insectivorous plants viz., Drosera indica, D. Burmanii, Utricularia species are found. Pteridophytes like Isoetes coramandaliana, Selaginella bryopteris, Pteris jeranifolia, Adiantum incisum etc. are creating botanical interest about the forest vegetation of Yadgiri and Raichur district.

Chittaranjan Naskar   and Satadip Sarkar   

The present study is a firsthand attempt to decipher the pollen pictures of honey samples from two north- eastern states of India for their botanical origin and geographical source through Melissopalynology. The samples for this study were collected from Sairang Village, Mizoram and Wokha Village, Nagaland respectively maintaining an aseptic condition to avoid any contamination. The study revealed the nature of honey samples, unifloral or multifloral type and their frequencies in each sample. Upon analyses, the samples were also categorized based on the frequencies of the different morphotypes present in the samples which in turn indicated the partial vegetational picture of that area. The botanical origin has been indicated as far as possible of the samples, but it could not be possible to identify the geographical source of origin because of complete absence of any detailed published work on vegetational pictures of these states. The aim of this study is to characterisation and categorisation of honey samples for labelling their quality and quantity of the pollen content in honey samples along with their possible origin could be efficiently utilized for upliftment of financial status of the rural inhabitants of states.

JyotirmoyThakuria   ManalishaDeka   and BijitaPodder   

Plants and plant products have been used in traditional medication system to treat several human diseases since long back. The North-eastern region of India is a part of foot hills of Himalayas and Indo-Burma biodiversity hot spot and it was proved to be a home for a large number of ethnoboanically important plant species by several researchers. The present study was carried out during July, 2018 to June, 2019 for a period of one year at Barpeta district of Assam, North-East India to prepare a database on traditional knowledge of indigenous people regarding the uses of different plants to cure various Gastro-Intestinal (GI) disorders. The district is situated at a global position between 26°45′-26°50 N′ latitude and 90°30′-91°51′0″E longitude. Extensive field studies were conducted in the study area to obtain firsthand information on uses of ethnobotanically important plants. Sample specimens were collected and preserved during the study period. This report has documented 55 number of plant species belonging to 38 families used by the local people and especially by the traditional drug practitioners of the study area against various GI anomalies. In spite of the availability and accessibility of the modern system of medication, most of the people of the study area still depend on herbal medication system provided by traditional drug practitioners to treat a range of GI anomalies. This documentation will help to harness this traditional knowledge and to preserve this knowledge for the betterment of future mankind.

Krishnan Anitha   and Mysore Siddaiah Krishna   

The quality and quantity of nutrients present in the food consumed by organisms have a strong influence on reproductive fitness. The diet of individuals is apparently a key factor in reproduction with effects on their sexual performance and progeny production. Variation in reproductive success of individuals in a population depends on the quality and quantity of nutrients available and also consumed by the individuals. The investigations on the effects of diet on life events in insects include mate choice, mating incidence, activity levels, the quantity of seminal fluid and /or accessory gland proteins produced and sperm production. Here we investigate the effect of male nutrition on the accessory gland and quantity of sperms transferred to the mated female during copulation to understand its effect of male reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster. We raised larvae on either the protein-rich diet or carbohydrate-rich diet. We found that flies consuming protein-rich diet had numerous small main cells in their accessory gland and formed a larger amount of accessory gland protein, whereas males fed on the carbohydrate-rich diet had fewer large main cells in their accessory gland and produced a significantly small amount of accessory gland proteins. Further males reared on the protein-rich diet had copulated longer and transferred a larger amount of accessory gland protein and sperms to mated females than those males which fed with wheat cream agar media or male fed on the carbohydrate-rich diet.

Pradeepkumar, K.V   Arunadevi. P.S   and Myvizhi. P   

The present investigation deals with efficiency of the formulated microbial consortium on poultry excreta to enhance the macronutrient levels. In this context we have purchased selective strains of microbes from MTCC which effectively treat and enhance the nutrients level in manure. Usage of specific microbes could prove potential means of degrading some such complex environmental pollutants converts into available macronutrients through treatment. The poultry excreta were treated as such in the bare layer shed after shifted birds from the cages. The first shed was called control. There will be no treatment only sprayed chlorine free water to maintain the proper moisture level (30-35%). In the second shed was treated with formulated microbial consortium, first week alone sprayed the consortium then weekly once sprayed chlorine free water to maintain proper moisture, in the third shed was treated with formulated microbial consortium together with biofertilizer microbes, first week sprayed formulated microbial consortium after fifteen days biofertilizer microbes had been sprayed and the rest of the weeks chlorine free water was sprayed to maintain the proper moisture level. After treatment physico chemical parameters had been analysed to evaluate the performance of the microbial consortium. The physico chemical analysis proved that the nutrients level was increased in the third poultry shed. Meanwhile, the composting time considerably decreased which increased the hope to treat poultry excreta effectively. The results showed significant (p<0.05) differences within the amount of major total and available NPK levels.

Prakash Ghodeswar   Nilesh Gorghate   and Suresh Masram   

The olfactory organ of Channa punctata (Bloch) has been studied under light microscope and transmission electron microscope. The olfactory apparatus of C. punctata comprises of olfactory rosette, olfactory nerve, and olfactory bulb. Paired, oval shaped olfactory rosette present in the olfactory chamber on fish rostrum. Olfactory chamber opens externally via an anterior inlet and a posterior nostril outlet. Olfactory epithelium comprises of sensory and non-sensory regions. Sensory region is at basal part and non-sensory region is at proximal area of olfactory lamellae. In olfactory lamellae, sensory epithelium consists of olfactory receptor cells, supporting cells, basal cells, goblet cells, mucous cell and white cell. Olfactory receptor cells are of two types microvillous and ciliated. In C. punctata, olfactory bulb is sessile and is attached to the telencephalon. Cells of olfactory bulb are organized in four concentric layers. Outer layer is olfactory nerve layer formed by axons of olfactory receptor cells. Inner to it is glomerular layer where axons of olfactory receptor cells synapse with dendrites of mitral cells. Next towards deeper part is mitral cell layer which comprises larger multipolar mitral cells. Central core is formed by granular cell layer with small granular cells.

Amandeep Kaur   Abhishek Kumar   Meenu Patil   Pardeep Kumar   and A. N. Singh   

Plant functional traits integrate the ecological and evolutionary history of a species, and can potentially be used to predict its response as well as its influence on ecosystem functioning. Understanding its mechanistic role for community assembly can provide evidence to understand weed-crop interactions, and in particular, how weeds impact on crop production. In this article, we tried to explain the various traits specifically leaf functional traits (LFTs) used to know the level of competition between crop and weeds under the agro-ecosystem. To accomplish this, we synthesized the available information by carrying out a literature survey and standardized protocols from available databases showing the variation in the respective traits of crop and weeds. And, it is found that there are certain specific LFTs such as leaf area, leaf size and specific leaf area are helpful to calculate the level of competition under weed crop interactions. So, these traits proved to be a good tool to screen out species for productivity and ecological performance in the species interactions. This confirms with previous findings that knowledge to measure the LFTs can improve the yield in response to weed competition and can be implemented by the farmers in the field. Also, this array of traits can help to minimize the use of different chemicals (weedicides, herbicides and pesticides) in weeds management under agro-ecosystems which affect the biotic factors such as soil biota. However, more studies are required to explore the utility of these traits under weed-crop interactions in the agro-ecosystems.

Sameer Ahmad Thoker   and Sapan Patel   

Since last three decades, the increased use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture undoubtedly increased the food grain production and helped the country in achieving self-sufficiency in food grains. However, it also produced many harmful effects like water supply contaminations, shortage of quality of agricultural products and decrease in the amount of soil fertility. The study was performed to evaluate whether Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) improved Growth and Nutrient status in some important annual leguminous crops using Cow pea (Vigna unguiculate L) as a study material. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important soil organisms belonging to phylum Glomeromycota and form symbiotic association with the roots of 70-90 % plant species. A pot experiment was conducted at Botanical Garden, School of Studies in Botany Jiwaji University Gwalior during the year 2019 to study the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi viz Glomus hoi and Acaulospora kentinensis on seed germination, growth and biochemical contents of cow pea Vigna unguiculata L. The Plants were raised in triplicates through the pot culture. The seeds were surface sterilized by hypochlorite solution before sowing. Pots were placed at a sunny place after the seed sowing. And after the seed germination, plants were irrigated when required. After germination the inoculated plants along with their controls was sampled. The results showed that Glomus hoi and Acaulospora kentinensis significantly increased growth parameters like root and shoot length, total leaf area, fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots in Vigna unguiculata L. Inoculation of Glomus hoi and Acaulospora kentinensis significantly increases the biochemical constituents like chlorophyll- a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll, protein, carbohydrate, reducing sugar, non reducing sugar and total phenol. The present study pertains that AMF colonization improved positively the overall growth and development of cow Pea plant.

Dnyaneshwar Shinde   D. M. Mahajan   Ashwini Pawar   Madhuri Kale   and Sanjay Chakane   

The excessive application of fertilizers and of polluted irrigation water increases the trace metal level in an agricultural ecosystem. This study aimed to assess the concentrations of trace metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn) in irrigation water, field soil and crop plants. The contents of metals were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. The range and hierarchy of trace metals concentration (µg/ml) in irrigation water are as follows, Fe (2.16 - 1. 53) > Zn (0.30 - 0.17) > Cu (0.18 - 0.11) > Mn (0.11-0.09). The concentration (µg/g) range in field soil showed in an order as Fe (9000- 6961.5) > Mn (984.6-408.9) > Cu (698.5-26.3) > Zn (145.3- 22.9). Moreover, crop plant parts showed maximum concentration (µg/g.dry weight) range for metal Fe (516.3 - 126.7) followed by Mn (169.7-0.4), Zn (78.8- 50) and least for metal Cu (70.5- 4.1). It was noticed that the Fe concentration in irrigation water is higher than the water quality standards proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Furthermore, the field soil exhibited more Cu, and crops have accumulated excess Fe and Cu than the Indian and European Union guidelines. Further, we reported that among the all plant part, leaves are more prone to accumulate trace metals. The value of the transfer factor indicates that plant has low bioaccumulation potential for studied trace metals. Whereas the accumulation index shows that there is a significant Cu contamination in the field soil. So we suggest that farmers should avoid the application of copper-rich fertilizers.

Utpal Dongre   Tanay Meshram   Swarali Dighe   Ketaki Narnawre   Bhuvaneshwari Mehere   and Subhash R. Somkuwar   

Cancer is an epidemic worldwide. As per the report of the National Centre for Health Statistics in 2019, approximately 606,880 patients were died due to cancer and 1,762,450 new cases were detected. To overcome this scenario, worldwide research is going on to combat this disease. Among these, treatment of cancer through plant phytochemical has attended much prominence in the last few decades. Phytochemicals are produced by plants for their defense mechanism. However, these can also be used to treat many deadly diseases, among them cancer is most common. In the present study, we selected three Ethno-medicinal plants namely Careya arborea (leaf), Ficus religiosa (leaf) and Amorphophallus campanulatus (tuber) to evaluate their efficacy against A549 human lung cancer cells. MTT assay is widely used to assess cell viability. Human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines were purchased from NCCS, Pune and maintained in the laboratory under all standard conditions. Cells were grown, using ready to use media containing 4.5 grams of glucose, L-glutamine and sodium pyruvate. Growth factors were made available to the cells through the fetal bovine serum. We treated the cells with different concentrations of methanol and distilled water extracts of the selected plants and investigate the cell viability using a statistical test. We found varied significant differences between control cells and the cells treated with plant extracts.

Anirban Paul   and Nirmalya Banerjee   

Total amount of soluble seed protein along with its protein profile of nine species of Solanum was investigated through SDS-PAGE. S. nigrum and S. macranthum contain maximum and minimum amount of total soluble seed protein per gm of tissue respectively. A dendrogram based on Jaccard's similarity index and also on the basis of presence and absence of peptide bands revealed two major clusters- upper cluster (UC) and lower cluster (LC). Both the clusters are again sub-divided in two sub-clusters like UC1, UC2 and LC1, LC2. S. nigrum being evolutionary more closely (91%) related to S. villosum than S. americanum, has been placed in UC1 while S. americanum along with S. sisymbriifolium, S. macranthum and S. torvum are placed within UC2. S. indicum and S. erianthum showed close resemblance and are placed in LC1 while LC2 contains only S. xanthocarpum, which shows least similarity with other studied species of Solanum and thus occupies a distinct place on the dendrogram. Based on these results, the genus Solanum can be divided into two sub genera and the distribution pattern of these species in the two sub genera does not corroborate with the conventional classification. The present study thus provides useful information for the identification of the taxa, their relationship and delimitation of their taxonomic status. So, this omega taxonomical approach may be very much beneficial for future proteomics study.

A. S. Lubaina   P. R. Renjith   and A. S Roshni   

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is an important analytical method applied for the separation and quantification of phenolic constituents. The present study concerned with the characterization of polyphenols from petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, ethanol and water extracts of pineapple peel by HPLC analysis. Due to poor waste management practices, pineapple processing industries produced huge amount of peel usually thrown away as waste creates pollution. Pineapple peel could be a potential source for the extraction of beneficial bioactive phenolic compounds used widely in pharmaceutical industries. The results of this study revealed the presence of 13 different polyphenols in pineapple peel. Among the four extracts evaluated ethyl acetate and ethanol showed maximum number of polyphenols. Apigenin, a natural flavone having significant anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties reported firstly from pineapple peel. The quantification of phenolic acids by HPLC analysis of the pineapple peel resulted polyphenol viz. myrecetin (20.31192 µg/mg) in highest amount followed by gallic acid (15.99272 µg/mg) and elagic acid (10.17904 µg/mg). Fractionation and quantification of phenolic constituents by HPLC analysis is a prerequisite for further studies and thereby utilizing this waste and established a waste management program. Further studies are warranted to isolate and purify the lead phenolic constituent from this waste, evaluate the biological potentialities and its application in pharmaceutical industries.

Kamal Jaiswal   Suman Mishra   and Anjum Bee   

Poultry industry occupies an important position in the provision of animal protein and plays a vital role in the national economy. Helminthiasis caused by helminth parasites is one of the most common infections affecting health of poultry and indirectly leading to great economic loss among small livestock holders. The prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites in Gallus gallus domesticus was studied from January 2017 to December 2019 in the parasitology laboratory of Zoology Department, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India. In this study, a total of 557 domestic fowls were examined to identify the different types of gastrointestinal helminth infections. During regular examination of helminth parasites, the highest prevalence was observed for Ascaridia galli (41.7%), followed by Cotugnia diagnopora (17.6%), Raillietina tetragona (11%), Heterakis gallinarum (7.4%) and Raillietina cesticillus (6.64%). In the monsoon season, prevalence was found to be higher than the summer and winter. Females were found to be more infected than the males. There was no trematode infection detected during the study period. The gross pathological lesions were observed in case of Heterakis gallinarum infection. The results of this study suggest that both nematodes and cestodes are prevalent in domestic fowls in the studied area.

Pradeepkumar K. V   Arunadevi P. S.   and Myvizhi. P   

This study focuses on application of formulated microbial consortium for the treatment of domestic solid wastes and makes it as manure for agriculture. In that context treatment by Formulated Microbial Consortium, along with Bio Fertilizer Microorganisms has been tried for treatment of municipality solid waste. Basically, this technology is using natively available microorganisms. The cultured microbial solution was used for treatment of municipal solid wastes. In the first heap, there was no treatment had been done which was called control. The second heap was treated with formulated microbial consortium containing nine microbes which were focused on decomposition and treatment of municipal solid waste. The third heap was treated with Formulated Microbial Consortium along with Bio Fertilizer Microorganism which was mainly focused on enrichment of nutrients. After treatment parameter has been analysed to evaluate the performance of the microbial consortium. After the investigation, the nutrients level was increased in the third heap and the composting time considerably decreased which increased the hope to treat municipal solid wastes effectively. The results showed significant (p<0.05) differences in the amount of available and total NPK levels.

Karanjkar D. M.   and V. Y. Deshpande   

The present study aims to investigate the histopathological changes in gill, liver, and kidney of fresh water fish Gonoproktopterus kolus (Sykes). The fingerlings of fish were exposed to Zinc (Zinc sulphate) in acute toxicity experiment (96 hrs.). The LC₀ and LC₅₀ concentrations were 2.430 ppm and 4.860 ppm respectively. After acute exposure, fish were sacrificed and tissues were obtained separately from control and LC₀ and LC₅₀ groups. These tissues were fixed in Bouin's fluid and standard protocol was followed to study histopathological alterations in gill, liver and kidney of experimental fish. In gills, fusion and degenerative changes were observed in secondary gill lamellae. In liver, hepatocytes showed hypertrophy due to degenerative changes in cellular structure. Empty hepatocytes showed shifting of nucleus. Kidney showed degenerative nuclei in the epithelial lining of the tubule. Haemopoetic tissue showed hypertrophy and disarray. Distended glomerulus was observed. Renal tubules showed disarrangement as compared to control. Thus, in present investigation, it was observed that heavy metal zinc is affecting the fishes at tissue level, which may interfere in physiological processes.

Shafiqul I. Bhuyan   and Imrana Laskar   

Deforestation affects the soil quality and health by means of various clearing operations, more intense exposure of the soil to weather influences, change in quality and quantity of organic matter input. Present study was undertaken to investigate the changes in soil physical properties due to deforestation, various lands clearing and subsequent land use practices in and around the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, Meghalaya. The sanctuary lies between 25°45' - 26°00' N latitude and 91°45' 92°00' E longitude. Soils from two depth (0 -15 cm, 15- 30 cm) were collected during 2018-19 from 15 selected places of three sites (Site 1 was un-disturbed, Site 2 semi-disturbed and Site 3 disturbed). Samples were analyzed with standard methodologies. Texture of the soil is dominant by the sand content and contained more than 50% of the soil as revealed by the particle size analysis. The sand percentage was found to be lowest in the deep forest 84.76% followed by semi disturbed area 86.1%, then highest in deforested area 86.26%. Soil particle density in the deep forest in both the depths (0-15 cm and 15-30cm) were found to be highest as compared to the other two sites, viz., semi-disturbed site or deforested area. The soil bulk density of deep forest was found to be the lowest among the three and the deforested or the disturbed area was found to be the highest. As deforestation increased Soil moisture has reduced, bulk density increased, soil particle density decreased clay decreased and sand percentage increased. Simple correlations among soil physical properties indicate the possible reasons for changes in these properties following soil removal and subsequent deforestation.

Debashri Mondal   

"Mirik Lake" of Darjeeling Himalaya is an artificial reservoir of Mirik, the famous hill resort in the Kurseang subdivision of Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India at an altitude of 1767 meters above mean sea level. The Mirik Lake which was constructed in 1979 primarily for the facilitation of commercial tourism in Darjeeling is fed by both perennial streams and rain water. The Lake is used extensively for different recreational activities as well as supplies drinking water to local people of the Mirik Town. To investigate the seasonal variation of fecal coliform, total coliform and heterotrophic bacterial density of the Mirik Lake, surface water samples from seven sampling points of the Lake were collected on a monthly basis for two years. Seasonally, the highest MPN values of fecal coliform (29000/100 mL), total coliform (88667/100 mL) and heterotrophic bacteria (116667/mL) were recorded from Site 1 during monsoon season of the second year of the study period and the lowest values were recorded during winter season. The fecal coliform density of Site 1 and Site 2 were always higher than other sites might be due to the fecal contamination in these two sites where drains from houses and hotels directly discharge waste water into the lake. Both the total coliform and heterotrophic bacterial density exhibited positive and significant correlation with fecal coliform at all the sites. It was observed that fecal coliform, total coliform and heterotrophic bacteria were substantially high and much beyond the permissible limit of ISI and WHO. Result suggests that sampling station S-1, S-2 and S-6 found to be more disturbed than the others and special attention is needed to avoid health hazards. For the improvement of the quality of Lake water, the sewage must be treated before disposal into the lake.

Muhammad Imrana Arzika   and Bala Aminu Yabo   

Epidemiological study was conducted to determine the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis and intestinal helminth co-infection among primary school pupils in Wamakko Local Government, Sokoto State, Nigeria. Urine and stool samples were collected from 400 pupils and analyzed using filtration and formol-ether concentration techniques respectively. Out of 400 samples, 63(32.8%) were co-infected with Schistosoma haematobium and one or more intestinal helminths. The co-infection of S. haematobium with Ascaris lumbricoides was most prevalent (74.6%), while S. haematobium with A. lumbricoides, hookworm, and S. haematobium with A. lumbricoides and S. mansoni had the least prevalence (1.6% each). Being male, 10-12 years of age and not washing hands before and after meals were the major risk factors for the spread of urinary schistosomiasis and intestinal helminths co-infection in the study area. An integrated strategy that involves the provision of health education to the communities, regular treatments, provision of safe water supply and sanitation facilities is highly recommended.

Vinitha S Babu   Anice Kurian M   and PM Radhamany   

Medicinal and aromatic plants have the ability to transmit volatile allelochemicals and affect their surrounding organisms. In this regard, their interaction should also be considered. Allelopathy can be widely used in agricultural practices considering their profound role in seed germination. The study presented in this work was designed to evaluate the allelopathic effects of Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) DC. on the growth of a monocot plant Triticum aestivum (L.) and a dicot plant Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek. This is the first report of a study on allelopathy in Glycosmis pentaphylla. Aqueous leaf extracts were used for the study. Parameters like germination percentage, plumule length, radical length, vigour index and percentage phytotoxicity of the seedlings were determined in a paper test. Concentration of the extract ranging from 2-10 ml along with a control was made to germinate the seedlings. The results were statistically tested by one-way ANOVA. The results revealed that, except for percentage phytotoxicity, all the parameters were indirectly proportional to the concentration of the extract applied. On the other hand, the percentage phytotoxicity was directly proportional to the concentration of the extract. The germination percentage (101.0±0.70), plumule length (8.51±0.005), vigour index (851.2±0.58) and percentage phytotoxicity (65.52±0.005) were found maximum for Vigna radiata than Triticum aestivum. On the other hand, T. aestivum showed the highest value for radicle length which was 3.20± 0.06. Hence, it can be gleaned from the results that, the dicot plant showed maximum growth due to the allelochemicals obtained from G. pentaphylla. As the study plants belong to the family Rutaceae, which is highly rich in aromatic oils, this might be a probable reason for the growth of test plants. The present study also indicates that, the allelochemicals released from G. pentaphylla were also responsible for the induction of variation in the germination of seedlings.

Kavita Chahal   and Megha Jha   

In several diseased conditions like asthma, allergy, ageing, arthritis, cancer etc., there is a production of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species, as well as our immune system also gets harmed. In order to stop or quench these harmful free radicals, antioxidants, which are the first line of defense, are used. And the immune system can be modulated to work properly by using natural agents like medicinal plants, having antioxidant property. In this context, the present study was undertaken to investigate the immunomodulatory activity and free radical quenching ability of the Boswellia serrata Roxb. (Bs) in murine model. This herb is known to afford protection to human physiological system against diverse stressors. It was tested at three dose levels of 50mg /kg of mice body weight, 100mg /kg of mice body weight, and 150 mg /kg of mice body weight for five consecutive days. Alpha tocopherol (25 mg/ kg, of mice body weight) and Di-methyl Sulphoxide (35mg /kg of mice body weight) were used as the reference standards. The extent of protection against immunosuppression was evaluated after 9 days of respective drug administration, by measuring macrophage phagocytic activity. A statistically significant antioxidant and immunomodulatory activity were shown by the extract of Boswellia serrata as evident by its effect on the activity of non-enzyme antioxidant reduced glutathione (GSH), antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx), the degree of lipid peroxidation, and increase in the number of peritoneal macrophages.

Divyangi Patel   and Nikunj Bhatt   

The ant species of genus Oecophylla shows unexpected social behavior (eusociality). Our present study reveals the development of nests, protective behavior and foraging behavior by O. smaragdina. According to the studies, a single nest has different types of castes that help to build a nest. We studied several nests during summer (>42℃). The castes: workers, drones and queens constitute the nest. The queen during their nuptial flight, mate with the male and comes back to the nest for laying eggs. The worker ants squeeze the fluid (lac/silk) from unfertilized eggs of drone larva at the periphery for sealing the leaves. In our study, we have also focused on possessiveness of ants towards their colony mates. It has been observed that once their colony is disturbed they begin to migrate to other places of same or different tree to prepare a new shelter for them. The queens in the colony feed up on insects captured by workers. Ants obtain their food with the help of other nest mates by a specialized activity known as "foraging". It is well adapted by ants and it is achieved by special group called foragers. Together with food, they generally march towards their own nest rather than moving to others nest conforming nest specificity. In this study, we have considered O.smaragdina. From the study, we have concluded that O.smaragdina show eusociality for nest building, protecting and foraging behavior.

Avni I. Parmar   and Alkesh I. Shah   

Haematological and histopathological parameters have been recognized as valuable tools for monitoring fish health. This study was conducted to evaluate the chronic toxicity of Acid Red 97 textile dyes on haematological and histopathological alterations using Catla catla as animal model. Fish were exposed to two Sublethal concentrations (1/100^th and 1/50^th of LC₅₀ = 85mg/l) 0.85 mg/l and 1.7 mg/l of AR 97 for a period of (10, 20 and 30) days. Haematological parameters were observed that with increase of exposure time, total erythrocyte (RBC), haemoglobin (Hb), and packed cell volume (PCV) values decreased but leucocytes (WBC), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) values increased. It is believed that observed depression in packed cell volume and haemoglobin values coupled with decreased and deformed erythrocytes are obvious signs of anemia. Resulted changes in erythrocytes and leukocytes after exposing to AR 97 are due to malfunction in hemopoiesis and decrease in non-specific immune system. Histopathological changes observed in the gills of Catla catla were swelling, aneurysm, fusion of lamellae, oedema in primary lamellae, shortened and severe erosions of secondary lamella and lifting epithelial layer and high mucus secretion. Hence, it was concluded that azo dye AR 97 has potential to cause toxicity in fish.

Godhuli Sit   Arun Jana   and Angsuman Chanda   

The main objective of the present study is the investigation of small indigenous freshwater ornamental fish diversity of Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram districts of West Bengal, India and emphasis has been given to their ornamental value and local abundance. Present study is restricted only on the fish species belonging to the genus Puntius. During the study, small freshwater fish species has been surveyed covering all blocks of the three districts under study. Specimens have been collected from different freshwater ecosystems like rivers, ponds, beels etc. and are preserved and identified. It has been observed that the study area represents the existence of nine species of indigenous freshwater small fishes under genus Puntius. Among the recorded nine species, two species, namely Puntius guganio (Hamilton-Buchanan, 1822) and Puntius gelius (Hamilton-Buchanan, 1822) are being found for the first time from the study site. All the nine species are potential to be regarded as ornamental fish. A detail distributional data has been provided for all the species of the genus from the study area. Therefore, present study will highlight the local macro-faunal diversity of the freshwater fish species under genus Puntius as well as ability to become ornamental fish for aquarium keeping. Record of two small fish species from the freshwater ecosystem of the study area is the new addition to the local fish faunal diversity.

Subhash R. Somkuwar   

Byttneria herbacea is a threatened and endemic species to Indian Peninsular region. It was earlier placed in Sterculiaceae and then a separate family Byttneriaceae. As per APG classification, it is now treated in family Malvaceae. Endemic taxa are usually more vulnerable to anthropogenic threats, natural and climate changes, and therefore hold a higher extinction risk. Taxonomic study on endemic taxa improves a basic understanding for correct identification and description. Habitat and distribution study are essential to get specific information and interpretation on current status and population dynamics of the taxon including niche requirements. It mainly contributes to several branches of applied biology. Frequent botanical exploration work was undertaken to collect the Byttneria herbacea in the forests of Peninsular India and it was identified with help of various Floras. The present study provides the information to Byttneria herbacea, which includes a detailed morphological description with data on its relevant taxonomic notes, illustration, current distribution patterns with distribution map, habitats, ecological note, population size, conservation status and threats to the selected species. The present study is the first-ever attempt at studying the taxonomic and habitat distribution aspects of Byttneria herbacea in the Indian Peninsular region. This study helps for long-term conservation and management plan of Byttneria herbacea for foresters and researchers.

Debanjana Sengupta   Siddhartha Chakraborty   Sudeshna Shyam Choudhury   Sayak Ganguli   and Arup Kumar Mitra   

Arsenic infiltration via bio-geological and anthropogenic mean's has been a global concern in the developing countries due to the severe toxic effects of the compound which leaches to the ecological niche. Herein, we report one such arsenotolerant bacteria isolated from a contaminated soil collected from a district in West Bengal (India), where an arsenic concentration of the soil sample was found to be 0.51 mg/kg. In the present study, several bacteria were isolated from the soil sample, out of which LD₅₀ value of arsenic for the novel tolerant bacteria was found to be 500 mg./l which was also determined by INT assay. The efficacy of arsenate uptake by this bacterium was 52.20% from its respective LD₅₀ concentration. After 16S rDNA sequencing, the bacteria showed 99% similarity with Exiguobacterium indicum based on nucleotide homology and meta-phylogenetic analysis. LCMS FAME revealed that the unique fatty acids were monosaturated C:10:03 OH (0.53%), C12:1 (0.16%), C11:03 OH (0.38%), terminally branched Anteiso C14:0 (0.74%), monosaturatedC15:1w5C, monosaturatedC16:0 N Alcohol, Anteiso 16:0 (0.36%), Iso- C16:0 3OH (0.33%), Iso- C18:1 H (0.25%), C18:3w6C (6,9,12) (0.53%), C18:1 2OH (0.52%), which lead us to conclude that the bacteria was a new and unique bacterial strain. So, on the basis of FAME analysis, the unique bacteria were named as Exiguobacterium indicum Strain DSAM62, which can be used as a potential bio accumulator in agricultural fields for bioremediation of arsenic. The fully annotated sequence of the genome and the plasmid of the novel strain revealing key regulatory genes were also investigated and results can be correlated with this tolerant behavior. The annotated sequence was submitted to NCBI genome database which currently having an accession number of PRJNA555453.

K. U. Ekwealor   C. F. Iroka   K. C. Okeakpu   H. N. Eze   and W. C. Anyanele   

The survey of soil seed bank in two secondary forests in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka was conducted through random collection of soil samples on the study areas at different depths, taking records of the time of germination and number of sprouts on the soil and carrying out taxonomic identification of the species of plants that sprout on the soil samples. The result revealed that for the botanical garden study site, 13 species were identified at soil depth of 0-5cm, 9 species were identified at soil depth of 6-10cm while 2 species were identified at soil depth of 11- 15cm. For the law faculty forest site, 12 species were identified at soil depth of 0-5cm, 9 species were identified at 6-10cm while 4 species were identified at soil depth of 11-15 cm. Specifically, 18 species were identified in botanical garden forest while 15 species were identified in law faculty forest sites with seeds of species like Ageratum conyzoides, Sorghum halepense, Phyllantus niruri found at both sites. About half the species identified were found at soil depth of 0-5 cm while slightly above one-third of species identified were found at soil depth of 6-10cm. The Pearson Momentum Correlation of abundance and diversity measures of the study sites revealed that species diversity was significantly and positively correlated with soil depth while the number of species was significantly and negatively correlated with soil dept. Soil seed bank plays an important role in the vegetation restoration process. This study suggested that the soil seed bank would be adequate to enable a functional cover of indigenous vegetation to re-establish after clearing.

Raveshwar S Rana   Isha Slathia   and Ravinder S Rana   

Artificial insemination with frozen – thawed spermatozoa was introduced in most of the developing countries more than three decades ago, yet it has not been successfully applied in large scale (Anzar et al., 2003). More than 50% spermatozoa are usually injured by the cryopreservation process (Watson, 1995) injuries due to cryopreservation and more likely due to the increased solute concentration and the formation of intracellular and extracellular ice crystals during cryopreservation (Mazur, 1984) leading to a significant decline in semen quality and alterations in sperm morphometrix. Therefore, the present study was designed to study cryopreservation of buffalo semen and the effect of semen cryopreservation on determinant like semen fertility viz. sperm morphometry. Forty-eight semen samples collected from eight Murrah buffalo bulls maintained at Central semen station, Bhopal were included for the study of physic-morphological characters of neat and cryopreserved semen. Various measurements of the sperm head (length, width, base, ellipticity, elongation, head shape and area) and sperm tail (length of Midpiece and length of tail) were recorded in neat and cryopreserved semen. The average sperm measurements recorded were 7.24 ± 0.06, 4.26 ± 0.05, 2.65 ± 0.79, 11.92 ± 1.53, 43.12 ± 2.79, 61.97 ± 0.50, 25 ± 0.07, 19.13 ± 2.58, 0.59 ± 0.01, and 59.07 ± 0.94, respectively. There was a significant (P<0.05) decline of sperm head length, head width, midpiece length, tail length, total length and head area during the process of cryopreservation. However, no significant difference between width at base, ellipticity, head shape and elongation of the spermatozoa in neat and cryopreserved semen was recorded.

Meenu Patil   Abhishek Kumar   Pardeep Kumar   and A. N. Singh   

Litter decomposition is a key process that releases nutrients back to the ecosystem and therefore maintains the structure and functioning of the tropical forest ecosystems. The variations in the rate of litter decomposition among different ecosystems may be controlled by several factors including climate, litter quality and soil biota. However, the rapid change in the environmental conditions is expected to alter the rate of litter decomposition resulting in modified nutrient cycling. This modified cycling of the nutrient may disrupt the ecosystem structure and functions followed by the compromised quality of ecosystem services and functions. Thus, an improved understanding is needed about the factors affecting the decomposition rates to sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services in a changing environment. In this article, we tried to explain the various physical, chemical and biological factors that affect the litter decomposition and nutrient cycling in the forest ecosystem. To accomplish this, we synthesized the available information by carrying out a literature survey from available databases. We found that there is a shifting paradigm from climatic control to species traits control of litter decomposition rate and recently even moving beyond it considering the effects of soil biota and habitat effects too. Further, the rate of decomposition rate is linked with the cycling of nutrients and climatic effects are expected to cascade into ecosystem functions and their services. In order to get a clear picture, however, intensive studies are required to explore the coupling effects of climatic variation on the structure and functioning behaviour of the forest ecosystems to maintain biodiversity and their services in a changing environment.

Manikandan G.   and Ramasubbu R.   

The genus Memecylon L. consists of more than 300 taxa, distributed mainly in the Old World. In Peninsular India, the genus Memecylon includes 34 species and nearly 18 species are endemic to the Western Ghats. Memecylon heyneayanum is an endemic and endangered tree species of Southern Western Ghats belonging to the family Melastomataceae, which is locally known as Kannavu, Kaya and Kanalai. It is a small tree growing in evergreen forests between the altitudes of 1500-2300 m asl. Being a medicinally promising species, the leaves of this evergreen tree are used to cure various ailments like diabetes, cough, leucorrhoea and menorrhagia. The powdered leaf was successively extracted with various solvents, Hexane, Petroleum ether, Chloroform, Acetone and Methanol through soxhlet apparatus. The extracts were tested for the antimicrobial activities against Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Micrococcus mucilaginosus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella terrigena, E. coli, Candida glabrata, Candida albicans and Candida sp. by agar well diffusion method at various concentrations (100µg, 150µg and 200µg) of extracts. All the extracts were effectively tested against microorganisms and also compared with standard antibiotic (Ampicilin; 100mg/ml). The maximum antimicrobial activities were obtained with maximum zone of inhibition in methanol (200µg) extract followed by Acetone, Chloroform, Petroleum ether and Hexane. The current results indicated that the potentiality of methanolic leaf extract and this can be utilized as natural drug for the treatment of several infectious diseases by microorganisms.

P. Subavathy   

Over the past few decades, biologists from many disciplines have turned to phylogenetic analyses to interpret variation in biological systems. Phylogenetic relationships with a high potential in the absence of sufficient morphological characters can be resolved by molecular phylogenetic techniques according to coded characters. A number of mtDNA genes have been targeted in marine gastropods for phylogenetic purpose; these include the ribosomal RNA genes 28S, 18S, 16S and 12S, Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cyt-b). In the present study, SSU rRNA in Turbo brunneus, 18S rRNA in Cypraea annulus and COI gene in Babylonia spirata were successfully amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic tree of the three species were constructed by using neighbor-joining tree. The optimal tree with the sum of branch length = 1.47445020 was observed. Turbo brunneus was phylogenetically closer to the clade of Cypraea annulus than that of Babylonia spirata. The mitochondrial genomes are informative for mollusc phylogeny, which give a proper phylogenetic approach.

Ashwathy G.   Haritha Gopi   Ashmitha Ranjan   Aswathy K. M.   and Krishnakumar K   

Cissus quadrangularis L. belongs to the family Vitaceae, commonly called bone setter plant. There are three morphovariants that exist for the species. They show many differences in their morphological appearances. Hence, the present study was carried out to delineate two morphovariants (variant I and III) of C. quadrangularis L. based on their morphological, anatomical and biochemical characters. As variant II is very rare, only two variants were taken for the present study. The two variants of C. quadrangularis L. showed differences in their morphological features like shape of the stem as well as that of leaves. The leaf, stem and aerial root anatomy also showed considerable differences. Biochemical studies like fluorescence analysis and nanoparticle assay were also carried out. The fluorescence study revealed that the two variants when treated with nitric acid showed significant differences in fluorescence. Nanoparticle assay of both the variants were carried out and showed considerable differences in their properties such as size and shape. Anatomical characters, nanoparticle properties as well as fluorescence properties can be used to delineate the two morphovariants. However molecular studies like DNA barcoding using different marker genes like ITS2, trnH-psbA, matK etc. could be carried out to precisely delineate the morphovariants. Further pharmacological evaluations are required to distinguish the medicinal properties of the two morphovariants.

M. Udayakumar   A. Selvam   and T. Sekar   

A quantitative floristic study was conducted in Chennai metropolitan city (CMC), Tamil Nadu, India to estimate density and population structure of trees categorized as vulnerable and endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) red-list. A total of one hundred 1–ha (100 m × 100 m) square plots were randomly laid to estimate density and species richness of threatened trees in study area. All trees ≥ 10 cm girth at breast height (gbh) were recorded, and identified up to species level on the field with the aid of regional floras and checklists. Six different land uses were recognised. In total, 10426 trees belonging to 99 species, 36 families and 86 genera were recorded. Of six land use categories, riverbanks had highest tree density (150.08 ± 21.02 trees ha^-1) followed by parks (138.86 ± 29.08 trees ha^-1) and institutional areas (98.77 ± 4.48 trees ha^-1). In total, 1272 IUCN red-listed trees belonged to six families and eight genera were enumerated. Among land uses, educational institutions had largest number of threatened trees (374 individuals) followed by parks (327 individuals) and residential areas (228 individuals). We find Chennai's urban forests as home for seven vulnerable and three endangered tree species. This study reveals density and population structure of threatened trees growing in CMC, India.

Shinde H. P.   

The present study deals with an aeromycological sampling, monitoring and analysis of fungal spore incidence over selected guava orchard in Nasik city. It involved monitoring on occurrence of some important air borne fungal spores, and their changing composition due to fluctuating weather conditions. The study was conducted by using volumetric Tilak air sampler during a period of January 2018 to December 2018; on Guava (Psidium guajava Linn.) fruit plant to trace pathogenic fungal mycoflora associated with the changing climatic conditions; responsible for different diseases. The meteorological parameters like temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and precipitation, in that order of importance, significantly influence the composition of airborne fungal spores. Variations and daily fluctuations in these weather conditions may provide a stimulus to the sporadic outbreaks of certain pathogenic airborne fungal spores that further cause a plant disease. An attempt was made to assess airborne fungal spore distribution patterns in relation to meteorological variables during the period of study. Also, it was observed that, the occurrence of fungal spores was in correlation with the weather changes, field operation, plant growth and disease incidence on the crop. The major diseases caused due to an outbreak of fungal spores on guava orchard were found to be stimulated by moderate precipitation and rapid fluctuations associated with high percentage of humidity.

Shafiqul I. Bhuyan   and Imrana Laskar   

Meghalaya a state in North Eastern Region of India is a rich source of biodiversity which includes high potential of naturally occurring medicinal plants. The study was conducted in and around the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary located in the Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya to investigate the uses of medicinal plants and their conservation. The Nongkhyllem wildlife sanctuary was carved out of Nongkhyllem reserve forest in the year 1981 for adequate protection of the floral and faunal species of the area and covers an area of 29 sq. km on steep hill slopes (20° to > 65°). Participation rural appraisal (PRA) methods and tools were used for interacting with them. Information was extracted through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Plants specimen were collected and identified and preserved as voucher specimens following standard herbarium techniques. The study comprises 71 species of ethnomedicinal plants belonging to 42 families. The most dominant family recorded as a whole is Malvaceae followed by Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Rutaceae, Solanaceae. Herbs were found to be the most used plants in preparing traditional medicines. Among the different plant parts, the leaves were most frequently used for the treatment of diseases followed by fruit, root, flower, bark, whole plant, seed, stem, rhizome and tuber. People collect plants from their surrounding plant communities in wild, semi-wild and some are cultivated as well. However, cultivation of medicinal plants in surroundings, home-gardens, agro-forestry systems is a very new and important from conservation point of view in north east India.

Kailash S. Lokhande   

The study area is inhabited by Gond tribes. Tribals and most of forest dwellers mainly depend on plants and plant product for their food. This study reveals that the ethnic people and forest dwellers have considerable traditional knowledge of wild edible plants and their utilization. This paper report is based on survey, interview and field work studies on wild edible plants used by tribals and rural people of Arjuni/Mor Taluka, Gondia District, Maharashtra State, India during March 2016 - March 2018. A total of 71 plant species belonging to 63 genera and 39 families have been recorded as wild edibles in the study areas, of which trees are ranked first with 36 species, followed by herbs, climbers and shrubs with 22, 7 and 6 species respectively. Among the 71 species, 43.2% contribute as vegetables by their fruit, 22.22 % by leaf, 12.34% by seed or grain, 8.64% by root or tuber, 6.17% by stem, bark or sap, 6.17% by flower and 1.23% by whole plant. It is evident from the survey that most of the species of wild edibles are used as vegetable/chutney(49.33%), followed by raw/ripe fruits(45.33%), pickles(4%), roasted seeds(1.33%).

Soorya Sukumaran   and Rajan Maheswaran   

Mosquitoes are on focus worldwide because of its role as vectors for devastating parasites and pathogens causing a threat to millions of people worldwide. Vector-borne diseases in mosquitoes are transmitted by females. However, ineffectiveness of insecticides increases the resistance in mosquitoes. The administration of new vector control strategies against the mosquitoes needs the implementation of microbial insecticides. In this study was commenced to determine the mortality of larvae using gut bacteria as of Eyprepocnemis alacris alacris (Serville, 1838) conflict to larvae laboratory conditions to identify an effective bacteria. The results indicated the existence of larvicidal activity in 106 isolates and were found to appear strongly effective activity in three isolates against Cx. quinquefasciatus. Cent per cent mortality was observed from each of the secondary metabolites. The recorded values of LC₅₀ were 6.66, 7.13 and 7.64ppm and LC₉₀ has been 115.90, 205.73 and 242.59 ppm respectively. The sequencing and phylogenetic analysis confirmed that these 3 isolates were identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter xiangfangensis and Ochrobactrum intermedium respectively. Our results showed high larvicidal potential effect against to these bacteria. Outcome of these work highlight the alternative use of synthetic chemical pesticides to control mosquitoes.

Souraditya Chakraborty   and Priyanka Halder Mallick   

Zooplankton are microscopic, non-motile, aquatic animals having multifaceted functionalities in aquatic system including trophic dynamics, pollution surveillance, amelioration etc. Systematic enumeration of plankton is of great biological relevance. Geographically, south-western part of West Bengal, including the districts of Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bankura, Puruliya, Purba Bardhaman and Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur, is characterised by a red, lateritic soil form and is frequently referred to as the "Rarh belt" or "Rarh Bengal". Due to this unique edaphic factor the biodiversity herein is of special significance. Despite this fact, study on the diversity, abundance and distribution of zooplankton, emphasizing "Cladocera" as a group, in the water bodies of this area, is much unorganized, fragmentary and meagre till date. This review is an attempt to highlight the relevance of Cladocera as an important zooplankton group and provide a systematic catalogue of the Cladocera species recorded in this area till date. As many as 63 species of Cladocera, belonging to 6 families and 24 genera have been recorded from this lateritic red soil Rarh belt. However, it is suspected, the actual species richness of Cladocera in recent times may vary from the number recorded. Thus, there is a need of updation, revalidation and exploration of Cladoceran taxa in this region using modern techniques and current literature.

Anju   Girima Nagda   and D. K. Chauhan   

The current study was designed to evaluate the effect of cadmium on the haematological profile of Kuroiler chicks. Kuroiler chick is a diseases resistance hybrid variety developed in India and is more promising than broilers etc., in terms of both the protein content of the meat and the benefits it has on the poultry industry. 10 days old Kuroiler chickens were exposed to a single sub lethal dose (7 mg/kg body weight) of cadmium acetate and different blood parameters were evaluated after 20 and 40 days of exposure. The different parameters were analyzed and calculated using standard methods and formula. It was noted that cadmium has an effect on all the blood parameters. Treated groups revealed significant suppression of total erythrocyte count, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration and neutrophils. The total leucocyte count, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, lymphocytes, eosinophils, monocytes and basophils were found to be increased in treated groups. The drastic alterations in studied parameters indicated that cadmium has long term effect on the blood profile of chicken and thus ultimately affect the health status of the chick, the quality of meat and also hampers the poultry industry.

Iram Khan Tahir   and Azra Shaheen   

The goal of this paper is to demonstrate in vitro techniques of culturing Entomopathogenic nematode and the diet on which EPN survive and flourish. The in vitro production of nematodes is essential for the commercial use of EPN. The competence of a range of media to promote growth and development of the nematodes has been evaluated. The diet consists of a base diet plus a nutritive supplement. Nematode yield is a crucial factor for successful large-scale viable production of entomopathogenic nematode. Few attempts at in vitro culture of EPNs have been undertaken. The various methods used to commence cultures are described. The diet named Kabuli gram medium constitute Nutrient broth (0.88g), yeast extract (0.32g), Kabuli gram (16g), soybean oil (10.40ml), and distilled water (60ml) proved effective, very nutritious and appropriate for nematode culture, with this diet EPN flourish in good quantity. In vitro culturing requires more attention, nominal temperature. A small negligence will destroy the colonies of EPN in no time. However, quality and quantity of in vitro produced Entomopathogenic nematode vary considerably, depending on diet and temperature. The EPN cultured, were used for the biocontrol of Helicoverpa armigera in further study on the crops of Pisum sativum and Cicer arietenum. The production and culture of EPN had help in the biocontrol. EPN used in present and further study were Steinernema masoodi and Oscheius nadarajni.

Ajaz Rasool   Tariq Ahmad   Bashir Ahmad Ganai   and Shaziya Gull   

Cheiropachus quadrum Fabricius, 1787 (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae) is a Pteromalid parasitoid wasp infesting wood boring beetles predominantly family Scolytidae. Owing to their profound diversity and small size, their identification is bit tricky. The present study involves molecular analysis and morphological identification including new host record, distribution and key identification characters of species. Morphologically, Cheiropachus quadrum is easily characterised by its large propleura, maculate forewings and enlarged fore-femur. Cytochrome Oxidase gene 1 was used as marker gene for DNA barcoding purposes. Sequences edited and trimmed in BioEdit were submitted to GenBank for accession number generation. BLAST and MEGA tools were used for molecular analysis to confirm the corresponding taxonomy. Generated sequence was found to have no perfect identity matches and hence was morphologically confirmed and submitted as novel sequence to the database. Molecular characterisation involving phylogenetic analysis was performed with top hits from blast database using Neighbour Joining and Maximum Likelihood tree construction methods. It was found that the mean A+T content is 74.19% and estimated Transition/Transversion bias (R) is 0.71. Among the COI sequences, we found no overlap between the maximum K2P distance within species (0.02%) and minimum distance between species (3.6%). Phylogenetic analysis concluded DNA barcoding is helpful for identification of parasitoid species and complements morphological taxonomy for easy identification purposes.

Sonu Goyal   Mohammad Rafiq Wani   Rafiul Amin Laskar   Aamir Raina   and Samiullah Khan   

Induced mutagenesis creates new allelic combination of genes without disturbing the basic genomic structure of the plant. Effectiveness relates mutagen dose to mutational events, while mutagenic efficiency shows the proportion of mutations in relation to biological damage in M1 generation. Present investigation was undertaken to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of different individual and combination treatments of gamma rays and EMS in M2 generation of black gram. Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency were calculated in relation to biological damage in M1 and chlorophyll mutations in M2 generation. The order of mutagenic effectiveness based upon the percent of mutated plant progenies was EMS > gamma rays+EMS > gamma rays. Combination treatments of gamma rays+EMS were found to be the most efficient followed by the individual treatments of EMS and gamma rays in both the varieties. Moderate doses of gamma rays and EMS alone as well as in combination proved more effective and efficient in inducing mutations. Among the varieties, variety Pant U-30 proved more responsive towards mutagenic treatments than the variety T-9. These results not only provide valuable information about mutagenic treatments and germplasm resources of black gram, but also provide guidance for generating black gram mutants through mutation breeding.

Neha Jamwal   Sanjay Bhatia   and Kritika Raina   

A native species of Mexico and tropical America, Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a perennial, multipurpose and drought resistant species, which is gaining importance commercially as a bio-diesel plant and is being intensively advocated for development of wastelands and dry lands throughout India. Contrary to the popular belief that toxicity of Jatropha curcas is sufficient deterrent for insects, several insect groups have overcome this barrier. Studies undertaken in Jammu revealed that Scutellera nobilis (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Scutellaridae) causes extensive damage to Jatropha plantations. Various aspects of biology, life cycle and ecology of Scutellera nobilis were studied at Jammu, which revealed that the pest population remains abundant from April till November in the study area and the total life cycle of the pest lasts for about 30 - 36 days. This data can be used to keep the pest population in check, thereby, preventing the loss to plantation and to the economy on the whole. Being sap suckers, they feed upon all plant parts likely, but growing shoots and developing fruit are preferred resulting in the production of malformed and hollowed seeds. The feeding also leads to necrosis of the leaves and premature leaf fall. The present paper records first ever report on the biology and life cycle of Scutellera nobilis from Jammu region, which is an aim to design preventive measures against this pest to save the Jatropha plantations from being degraded.

Jeyaraj S   and S Suhara Beevy   

A comprehensive knowledge on reproductive traits of a species is a prerequisite in utilizing the existing germplasm efficiently for crop improvement and to develop superior plants for grower acceptance and market profitability. Studies on floral biology and reproductive behaviour of the wild and cultivated species of Sesamum viz, S. radiatum and S. indicum from Kerala were carried out in the present investigation. Analysis of floral morphology revealed flowers were bisexual, zygomorphic and hypogynous with characteristic pink coloured flowers in S. radiatum and white in S. indicum. The study on phenoevents of the species showed earlier blooming and anther dehiscence in S. indicum compared to S. radiatum. Pollen fertility was found to be high in both species. Field observations on floral visitors showed that the flowers were regularly foraged by various insects such as ants, bees and beetles, of these the most frequent one was a species of Xylocopa. Hybridization studies revealed high percentage of crossability in the cross S. radiatum x S. indicum, while the reciprocal cross failed to set fruit, that may be due to the reproductive barriers existing between the species.

Saima Akhter   and Onkar Singh Brraich   

By means of providing food and habitat for aquatic organisms including the threatened as well as endangered species, wetlands serve as earth's most important fresh water resource. As a good wetland is determined by its water quality, it is exigent to maintain the proper water quality of a wetland as the water quality of the fresh water resources is deteriorating at an alarming rate. Due to the contaminated water quality, human population also gets affected as they suffer from many waterborn diseases due to its usage, some of which may prove fatal. Therefore, it has become imperative to check the quality of water bodies at regular intervals for their sustainable management. In order to access the water quality, various physio-chemical parameters were carried out from October 2015 to September 2017 at four representative sites (S1, S2, S3 and S4). During the present study, it was found that various physico-chemical parameters greatly influence the water quality of the under study wetland. The average results of these parameters were compared with ISI, ICMR and WHO standards for drinking water quality. It could be inferred that water quality at Ropar wetland is "Poor" at S2 site and S4 site and "Very Poor" at S1 site and S3 site. DO and Free CO₂ showed significant negative correlation with all other physico-chemical parameters at all the above mentioned sites.

Suganthi A   Venkatraman C   Bharath B   and Perinbam K   

Physico-chemical parameters of freshwater are most important factor for diversity and density of phytoplankton community. Hence, the present study was intended to evaluate the seasonal variation on physico-chemical parameters such as rainfall, temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and their relationship with phytoplankton community of Muthupet estuary. The seasonal variation of nutrients like nitrate, phosphate and silicate was recorded to determine the utilization of nutrients by phytoplanktons in aquatic environment. The results exposed that physico-chemical parameters showed significant difference among the seasons. The nutrient dynamic of Muthupet estuary exhibits considerable seasonal variation due to the rainfall and nutrient utilization of autotrophs. There are totally 14 species of phytoplankton under three different groups namely Bacillariophyceae, Dinophyceae and Cyanophyceae was recorded. The highest phytoplankton density was recorded during summer season (18541.67b ± 3934.52/m³), while lower in monsoon seasons. The statistical analysis of physico-chemical parameters showed significant variation among seasons and the diversity indices of phytoplankton were high during post monsoon for both Simpson and Shannon indices and also on Evenness. The correlation analysis exposed that physico-chemical parameters and nutrients are effective dynamics to control the seasonal variations on phytoplankton diversity. Therefore, the present study reveals that Muthupet estuary has rich in phytoplankton community due to presence of high nutrient content and consisting of appropriate environmental factors.

Umate S K   V R Marathe   and P V Pawar   

Siddha system of medicine is practiced in regions of South India. The eighteen Siddhars were the men who achieved supreme knowledge in the field of medicine, yoga and tap, since then this system of medicine developed. Acalypha indica is an important medicinal plant mentioned in Siddha literature. In the present study, Charu prepared from raw powder of leaves of this plant were evaluated by using different techniques like Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy analysis for determination of associated functional group, Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) for the quantification of trace and heavy elements and antifungal activity of Charu were tested. FTIR analysis showed the broad peaks for numerous functional groups like alkanes, alkynes, alkyl halide, aromatics, alkaloid etc. Elemental analysis from this plant shows good results for most of trace as well as heavy elements which have great significance in diet. Plant product Charu shows good antifungal activity against four different pathogenic skin disease causing fungi and hence the formulation can be used to treat dermal infections.

Vinitha S Babu   and P M Radhamany   

The present study was undertaken with an objective to investigate the phytochemical composition and in vitro anti-inflammatory potential in the leaves of Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) DC, an ethno-medicinally important medicinal plant belonging to the Rutaceae family. Determination of secondary metabolites in any plant material is necessary as it helps to know about the major constituents present in them. Extractants like hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol and distilled water were selected based on the polarity of the solvents used and was further evaluated for phytochemicals through qualitative and quantitative analysis based on standard procedures. Inflammation is a part of body's immune response and it is necessary to heal the tissue damage through an inflammatory response. As modern non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can cause severe side effects like depression, gastric problems and so on, it is advisable to use plant derived products to treat inflammation. In this context, the potential of Glycosmis pentaphylla as an anti-inflammatory agent has been critically evaluated using in vitro cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitory assays. The results revealed that major secondary metabolites evaluated were present in the ethanolic extract, indicating that ethanol can dissolve most of the phytoconstituents. Also, on quantification, it was found that the leaf ethanolic extract possessed alkaloids as a major constituent. As secondary metabolites can possess several pharmacological activities like anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-tumour and so on, the potential of Glycosmis pentaphylla in elucidating anti-inflammatory effects was checked through in vitro anti-inflammatory assays. It was observed that, the leaf extract showed promising cycloxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibition indicating that, the extract can be used as an effective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. From the phytochemical composition, it can be gleaned that, the anti-inflammatory activity might be due to the presence of alkaloids. Hence, this research work can aid the pharmaceuticals to isolate herbal anti-inflammatory drugs rich in alkaloids from Glycosmis pentaphylla.

Joyjit Ghosh   Goutam Kumar Saha   Devanshu Gupta   and Kailash Chandra   

Scarab beetles are a group of insects under the family Scarabaeidae belonging to superfamily Scarabaeoidea of Order Coleoptera. The family includes 33,504 species globally, out of which about 2,211 species are reported from India. The state Nagaland, situated in the Northeast biogeographic zone of India, has been less explored and less information is published for scarab beetles. The specimens for the study were collected using light trap and from dungs, waste matter, and carrion. The study revealed a total of 62 species belonging to 34 genera and 5 subfamilies of family Scarabaeidae from Nagaland state, India. Five species: Catharsius molossus (Linnaeus, 1758), Paracopris punctulatus (Wiedemann, 1823), Liatongus mergacerus (Hope, 1831), Liatongus vertagus (Fabricius, 1798) [Scarabaeinae], and Anomala varicolor (Gyllenthal, 1817) [Rutelinae] are reported for the first time from the state. Scarabaeinae (16 species) was the dominant subfamily followed by Melolonthinae, Rutelinae, Cetoniinae, and Dynastinae. Maladera is the dominant genus with 8 species. This study documented the present status and diversity of scarab beetles in Nagaland that will help in the proper conversation of scarab beetle diversity in future. The species from Intanki National Park were studied for the first time. The forests, vegetation, and wildlife of Nagaland state should be appropriately conserved. Otherwise the diversity and abundance of faunal and floral diversity may be affected.

Manikandan G.   Saranya M.   and Gayathri S.   

Melaleuca citrina (Curtis) Dum. Cours. commonly known as ‘red bottle brush', is one of those medicinal plants with great medicinal importance. It is a beautiful evergreen tree belonging to the family Myrtaceae. It is indigenous to Queensland and New South Wales and cultivated throughout India in gardens. The plant is known in folk medicine for its anticough, antibronchitis, insecticidal effects and its volatile oil has been used as antimicrobial and antifungal agents. Moreover, aerial parts of Melaleuca citrina are practiced traditionally in ethnic tribal communities and very little are known about its importance on scientific grounds. The present study conducted to explore the Phyto-Constituents of the essential oil from the leaves of Melaleuca citrina. In the present analysis, the phyto-constituents of the leaves of essential oil of Melaleuca citrina by GC-MS analysis clearly showed the presence of 19 compounds. The results revealed that Eucalyptol (55.14%), Octadien-3-ol, 3,7-dimethyl- (11.48%), 1,5-Dimethyl-1-vinyl-4-hexenyl butyrate (11.48%), L-.alpha.-Terpineol (16.25%) and .alpha.-Terpineol (16.25%) were reported as 5 major components in the essential oil leaves of the Melaleuca citrina. Eucalyptol is an ingredient in many brands of mouthwash and cough suppressant. Eucalyptol is an effective treatment for nonpurulent rhinosinusitis. Eucalyptol reduces inflammation and pain when applied topically. It kills leukaemia cells. The essential oils from leaves of Melaleuca citrina may serve as potent natural anti-cancer compounds with important roles in human health.

Sunidhi Mishra   and Bharti Goel   

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is one of the oldest medicinal plants, which has been used from ancient times. Turmeric derived from the Zingiberaceae family and curcumin is the bioactive component in the turmeric. Extensive researches have proven that most of the turmeric activities are due to curcumin. The purpose of this review was to provide a brief summary of the medicinal and nutritional value of curcumin. Turmeric is good source of macro and micronutrients such as protein, energy, vitamin and minerals, and it is known for various medicinal properties with antioxidant activities and is useful in conditions such as inflammation, ulcer and cancer. It has also antifungal, antimicrobial, renal and hepatoprotective activities. Turmeric is being used since past era to modern era; the major application of turmeric is due to antifungal and anti-bacterial property in skin and hair. The recently published papers in international cite as PubMed/ Medline, Science Citation Index and Google Scholar about turmeric were searched. Therefore, turmeric is widely used in treatment of various diseases such as diabetes, osteoarthritis etc. The nutrient content present in the curumin longa is in significant amount, so it can be helpful in combating the nutrients deficiency. Turmeric is also used for Ayurvedic and various cosmetic purposes like blood purification and different types of skin products.

S. Ananda Kumaran   and P. S. ArunaDevi   

In the present study, Aerva javanica (in Powder form) was used to evaluate its effects on Hematological, Biochemical and Immunological Parameters of Labeo rohita fingerlings (fresh water fish). A total of 50 Labeo rohita were randomly distributed in five treatments including a control group and four experimental groups. Aerva javanica powder at the rate of 0.5 g, 1.0 g, 1.5 g, and 2.0 g were added to the feed. The fish were fed for 60 days in fiber water tanks. After 60 days, end of cultured the Hematological, Biochemical and Immunological studies were done in fish samples (control, Exp-1, 2, 3 and 4 groups). The results showed significant (p<0.05) differences in the amount of hemoglobin, Rbc, Wbc, neutrophil, lymphocyte, eosinophil, hct, mcv, mch, mchc, total protein, albumin, globulin, blood glucose, lysozyme, phagocyte, Nbt, Sod, and catalase, in the treatments compared to the control group at the end of the cultured. The results showed that Aerva javanica powder has the effect of an immune system booster and using the powder form in Particular at the level of 1.5g, 2.0g as an immune stimulant in the diet of Labeo rohita can be effective in preventing disease in this species.

Arpita Swarnakar   

Arsenic toxicity has gained at present an alarming global importance. Pulse crop is very sensitive to arsenic contaminated groundwater. In order to determine the phytotoxicity, effects of Sodium arsenite (NaAsO₂) on seed germination and early development of Mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek cv. B-105) seedlings were investigated. Sodium arsenite had a toxic effect and posed a stress over germination parameters and early growth of mungbean seedlings. Considerable reduction in seed germination percentage and seedling vigour index was recorded due to arsenite. Sodium arsenite inhibited growth at very small concentrations such as 0.5µM. With the increase in concentration of sodium arsenite (0.5µM, 1µM, 2µM), significant decrease in seedling length i.e., shoot length and root length was observed. Arsenite was found to be more toxic for root growth than for shoot growth. Decrease in primary leaf area was also observed with increase in concentration of sodium arsenite. Number of stomata decreased and hence, reduction in stomatal density and stomatal index was also observed. Fresh weight and dry weight also reduced appreciably in the arsenite stressed seedlings. Treatment with 2µM concentration proved to be the most sensitive concentration for arsenite application by giving least values for seedling length and seedling vigour index.

Nwadike Comfort Chidiogo   Ilozumba Philip C. O.   and Chukwudi Gaius James   

A survey was carried out to determine the prevalence of ectoparasitic arthropods in free range domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus) in Amansea and Ifite communities. A total of 112 G. domesticus comprising of 42 adult males, 30 adult females and 40 juveniles with plumage of different colours were examined during a house to house survey for ectoparasitic arthropods. The study was carried out between June and September, 2014. Out of the 12 G. domesticus having white plumage, (58.33%) were infested with lice. Fleas were absent on white plumage birds. The 19 G. domesticus having black plumage, (47.37%) were infested by lice. Fleas were also absent on black plumage birds. Out of 34 brown coloured G. Domesticus examined, lice, fleas and mites were recorded to have the same number of infestation (17.65%) each, while (29.41%) were infested by ticks. Out of 47 G. domesticus having mixed colour plumage, (40.42%) were infested by lice. Chi-squared test showed that there was no significant difference between ectoparasites loads on the host and the different plumage colours (P > 0.05). Because of the high prevalence of ectoparasitic arthropods revealed in this study, it is recommended that some control measures should be put in place to improve chicken productivity and enhance the livelihood of these domestic fowls in the areas investigated.

Valarmathi S   K. Raju   and Arul Kumar Murugesan   

Medicinal plants have rich source of secondary metabolites, which can be screened either qualitatively or quantitatively. It is an important procedure for qualifying the plant drug and their potentialities. The active phytomoleucles present in a plant reflect the therapeutic values of medicinal species. In order to discover a new bioactive compounds from plant resources which could become new leads or new drugs, plant extracts should be simultaneously evaluated by appropriate screening methods by either biological or pharmacological targets. For the extraction procedures, solvent extraction is commonly employed for extraction of most active principles from the plants. Entada sp. showed more than 27 different components of phytochemicals with a rich source of polysaccharides whereas polysaccharides only have major drug potential which was carried out by GC-MS analysis. In the recent studies, the bioactive components of seed of Entada pursaetha using GC-MS were investigated using Perkin-Elmer Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, while the Mass spectra of the compounds found in the extract was matched with previous literature.

Yogeshwari C   

Tiliacora racemosa is a climbing shrub belonging to the family Menispermaceae and is used in traditional medicine for treating different ailments such as snakebites, cuts and wounds, strangury and also used as a diuretic. The morphoanatomical studies help to identify diagnostic features for the identification and standardization of the medicinal plant. The plant material was fixed, sectioned using rotary microtome and stained with toluidine blue. The leaf consists of very thick midrib with small lateral veins both being plano-convex. The midrib consists of three top or egg shaped collateral vascular bundles which are surrounded by a common sclerenchymatous bundle sheath and the lamina is dorsiventral. The adaxial epidermis is apostomatic and the abaxial epidermis is stomatiferous which is of cyclocytic type. The stem is circular in sectional view and consists of about 19 discrete wedge shaped vascular bundles. The narrow and wide fibres, vessel elements were seen in powder microscopy. Wide fibres, vessel elements were seen in powder microscopy.

Ali Hatami Dehnow   and Mysore Siddaiah Krishna   

In the present study of gut microbial diversity in control and experimental treated D. melanogaster flies showed that there were two species belong to Acetobacter species group namely Acetobacter pomorum and Acetobacter tropicalis and three species belong to Lactobacillus species namely Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus fructivorans and Lactobacillus plantarum. Further analysis revealed that the relative abundance of each of the above microbial species varies in control and experimental flies. The density of lactobacillus species such as L. brevis, L. fructivorans and L. plantarum were found to be lowest in control and creatine supplemented flies. While these species were highest in rotenone induced and transgenically created PD flies. Further A. pomorum and A. tropicalis were found to be lowest abundance in control and creatine treated flies whereas they were found to be greater abundance in rotenone induced and transgenically created PD flies of D. melanogaster. Thus, these studies suggest that significant influence of host diet related changes in gut microbial density in Drosophila.

Dnyaneshwar Shinde   Pramod Kamble   D. M. Mahajan   Vikas Devkar   and Sanjay Chakane   

The heavy metal contamination is creating devastating effects on ecosystem and environment and eventually hazardous to human health. Ujjani is one of the largest reservoir in Maharashtra state. It receives water from different metropolitan cities harboring numerous industries. Moreover, anthropogenic activities pollute water and fish fauna of the reservoir. In the present study, the concentrations of heavy metals such as Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), and Manganese (Mn) were analyzed from various tissues namely muscles, liver, gill, and fin of Chillapi fish. The variation in level of metals was found with respect to tissue types and body weight groups. The concentrations of Fe were ranged between 15.94 to 91.56µg/g, Cu concentration was between 1.88 to 48.88µg/g, Zn concentration was between 25.72 to 84.2µg/g and Mn was recorded between 2.12 to 28.48µg/g in Chillapi fish. Fe and Cu have recorded highest in the liver, whereas peak of Zn and Mn was detected in fins. Furthermore, the minimal metal concentrations were observed in muscle samples of all different weight groups. It shows that Fe, Zn, Cu concentration in all four tissues was within the limit, whereas the Mn level was found to be exceeding the permissible limit as prescribed FAO/WHO, 1989. The presence of heavy metals higher than normal level in fish bodies is a clear indicator of biomagnifications. Furthermore, THQ and HI values were within limit for all studied metals in fish but if consumed in excess amount may cause toxicity in humans. Therefore, daily intake of fish should be strictly monitored to avoid excess intake of these heavy metals. Our study signifies the importance of addressing the heavy metal contamination issue to avoid health related problems.

Brij Bala   Avneet Pal Singh   and Gurpaul Singh Dhingra   

Five species of the pileate polypore fungi, Ganoderma ungulatum (Polyporales, Ganodermataceae), Gloeophyllum odoratum (Gloeophyllales, Gloeophyllaceae) Heterobasidion abietinum (Russulales, Bondarzewiaceae), Osmoporus mexicanus (Gloeophyllales, Gloeophyllaceae) and Oxyporus ravidus (Hymenochaetales, Schizoporaceae) are described and illustrated on the basis of basidiocarps collected during the rainy season of years 2015-2017 from different parts of Doda district (Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India). Of these, the first four species are being described and illustrated for the first time from India, whereas Oxyporus ravidus is a new record for Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Being the key wood decayers, these fungi grow in association with both broad-leaved as well as conifer tree species. Of the species described, the basidiocarps of Ganoderma ungulatum were collected from Quercus sp., whereas rest of the four species were growing in association with gymnospermous wood. Among the five species described presently, Heterobasidion abietinum is a host specific polypore that grows only in association with wood of Abies spp. These polypores are responsible for different types of rot and play a significant role in the recycling of different types of material. Of the described species, Ganoderma ungulatum Heterobasidion abietinum and Oxyporus ravidus are reported to cause white rot whereas Gloeophyllum odoratum and Osmoporus mexicanus are responsible for brown rot.

Lakshmi Mohan N.   SadheeshnaKumari S.   and Geetha S. Pillai   

The morphological parameters have been widely used in the evaluation of various crops. Quantitative and qualitative characters of 18 phenotypes of Ipomoea mauritiana Jacq, collected from various locations of Kerala were studied and data were recorded. Various qualitative data collected were grouped using PAUP software and dendrogram was constructed using UPMGA. The morphological characters like vine color, plant type, root formation, root color, root shape were the same and notable variations were seen in leaf lobe number, leaf color, leaf length and breadth, petiole length, petiole color. The morphology of tubers was studied after one year of planting and the data were scored and tabulated. The phenotypic variations provide an easy way to assess the accessions and for further evaluations. The variations were most expressed in the leaf colour, vine color, petiole colour, leaf length, leaf breadth, tuber fresh weight, tuber dry weight, tuber dry recovery percentage, number of roots formed per plant. From dendogram IM-6 showed much significant morphological variation from others. Furthermore studies have to be done to confirm existence of any genetic variations amongst them by carrying out experiments using molecular techniques.

Devina Aggarwal   Aarti Sharma   and Sarita Kumar   

Aedes aegypti L. is the major vector accountable for the spread of several diseases of medical importance. The control strategies primarily relying on chemical insecticides have caused negative impact on our environment and human health. Thus, current study employed Citrus limetta peel extracts (CLPE) against larvae of Ae. aegypti. Silver nanocomposites (AgNCs) from CLPE were synthesised and the process of synthesis was optimized by varying temperature; volume and concentration of silver nitrate solution; and the volume of catalyst. A conspicuous change in colour of the reaction mixture was noticed from pale yellow to dark brown. This indicated the synthesis of AgNCs which was traced by UV-Visible spectroscopy. The optimum synthesis of CLPE-AgNCs was obtained with the mixture of 4 mL AgNO₃ (3mM) and 3 mL CLPE. The larvicidal assay with these nanoparticles against Ae. aegypti resulted in LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values of 26.82 μg/mL and 99.32 μg/mL after 24 h of exposure; which respectively decreased to 19.51 μg/mL and 71.99 μg/mL after 48 h of exposure. The results elucidate 1.3-fold higher larvicidal efficacy of nanoparticles with increased duration of larval exposure. We suggest that synthesis of AgNCs by utilizing peel extract of C. limetta is a cost-effective and eco-safe alternative to conventional insecticides; and can be utilized as the potent mosquito larvicide.

Amol Chandrakant Vikhe   and Janardhan Namdeo Nehul   

Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek is an important legume crop in India for Food as well as Fodder Purpose, enriched with good Proteins, Carbohydrates, Vitamins and Minerals. The demand of Vigna radiata is high in market today, so there is a need to enhance the productivity and area under cultivation. The Mutation Plant Breeding is the most popular, widely used and globally accepted method to improve the cultivars for high yield, early maturity, drought, salinity, heat, insect, disease tolerant/resistant, high nutritional and low antinutritional factors. Mutagens like; Ethyl Methane Sulphonate, Sodium Azide, Gamma Irradiation are used in Mutation Breeding to create variability. The present study has been carried out on the Vigna radiata, Cultivar-Naval. The first stage in the research was the determination of LD₅₀ Value of the Cultivar Naval. It was carried out with different concentrations and time of intervals with mutagens like; EMS, SA and GR with including control as nil (without treatment). The parameters were studied in accordance with the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) rules. The results showed variation in the studied parameters as compared to control.

Nimisha Ajayan   Shahanamol K. P   Arun A. U.   and Shalu Soman   

A comparative analysis of calcium carbonate content in the egg shells of eight selected chicken species (Naadankozhi ,Karinkozhi, Giriraja, White leghorn, Black silky, Porukozhi, Naked neck hen and White silkie) and six species of ducks (Vigova, Chara, Chembelli, Plain duck, Nadan Tharavu and Patha Tharavu) were conducted. It was noted that even though higher level of calcium was present in all variety of egg shells, in chicken variety the highest calcium carbonate was noticed in Aseel (Porukozhi) eggshell and it was 92.90% of CaCO₃ and the lowest was in Silky's chicken egg shell and it was 86.75% of CaCO₃. In duck the highest calcium carbonate was noticed in Plain duck and it was 91% whereas the minimum noted was in Patha Tharavu and its egg shell containing 75% of CaCO₃. Amount of calcium carbonate always associated with the hardness and strength of the egg shell. Hence Porukozhi's egg shell has highest hardness and White silkie species has lowest. In ducks plain duck showed high hardness and patha tharavu with minimum.

Supriya Ray   

Gonadosomatic index is a less expensive and alternative method than histological observation for the determination of spawning season in fish species. Mastacembelus armatus, an indigenous fish species of southern Asia, also resides in Indian subcontinent. This fish species is facing an alarming declining in their number in the last decade. Due to its moderate cost, It is mainly taken by the lower income group of people of the society. Reproductive care, by artificial breeding, has been taken for those fish species having a high cost in the market or becoming less in number in nature for business purposes or preserving the biodiversity, respectively. The present study was undertaken to understand the spawning season of the fish Mastacembelus armatus by calculating the gonadosomatic index, so in recent future artificial breeding can be done in this fish species. The mean GSI value for testes is 0.95 ± 0.06, 1.42 ± 0.22, 2.10 ± 0.38 and 0.72 ± 0.08 in growth, maturation, spawning and resting phase respectively. The mean GSI value for ovary is 1.38 ± 0.4, 2.86 ± 0.84, 12.50 ± 1.70 and 1.80 ± 0.15 in growth, maturation, spawning and resting phase respectively. In this study it was found that spawning season include one peak in a year and mainly it falls in the months of June to August in both the sexes.

Bandita Kumari Dalasingh   Sagarika Parida   Dipankar Bhattacharyay   and Gyanranjan Mahalik   

Hydrophytes are water loving plants that regulate the aquatic ecosystem. Variety and variability of hydrophytic plants have a great role in balanced aquatic ecosystem. The study revealed that a total 60 species of hydrophytes belonging to 39 genera and 25 families were identified. Among these, Cyperaceae was the dominant family comprising 17 species, out of which, monocots represented by 33 species belonging to 19 genera and 9 families; dicots represented by 24 species belonging to 17 genera and 14 families; pteridophyta represented by 3 species belonging to 3 genera and 2 families. The monocotyledon was found to be the dominant class. In the documented species, 55 herbs, 2 shrubs and 3 ferns were recorded with a variable habitat viz. 35 marshy, 8 amphibious, 6 submerged, 6 free floating and 5 fixed floating species. Documented plants were preserved as herbarium with their botanical names, family, local names and habitat. Two RET (Rare, Endanger and Threatened) category plant species viz. Wolffia arrhiza (L.) Horkel ex Wimm. and Lindernia anagallis (Burm.f.) Pennell belonging to Araceae and Scrophulariaceae family respectively were documented from Gadakharad village during the study which is the unexplored area and no documentation was done previously. Therefore, these species should be conserved by taking proper care of the water body otherwise the day will come and these two plants will be in verge of extinction. The present work exhibited the database of hydrophytes in Puri district of Odisha which will help in future work for its conversation and to maintain the local biodiversity.

Bharti Goel   and Neelesh Kumar Maurya   

Sexual Maturation and pubertal development is the period of adolescence from childhood to adult life. Adolescence is a transition from girl to motherhood that is accompanied by various changes in Cognition, Pubertal development, changes in Hormones, Physical development, Psychological and physiological changes occur simultaneously. Hence, "menarche is the onset of puberty in adolescent girl characterized by excessive bleeding, irregular menstruation, face problems such as acne and dysmenorrhoea". So, to identify Relevant Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), Cochrane Menstrual Disorders, Scopus, Dysmenorrhoea Group Register of controlled trials, PubMed, Google Scholar and Medline were some of the electronic searches. Therefore, to treat primary dysmenorrhoea or to prevent herbal medicine can be used alone or with other therapies (pharmaceutical, nutritional, and hydrotherapy).

N. R. Salve   and D. N. Mishra   

A search of ethno-botanical literature revealed that 62 plant species belonging to 32 families are used as ethnomedicines under various preparations in the treatment of fever by ethnic groups residing in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, India. A coordinated field study however recorded 71 plant species from 35 families that were explained to deal with fever by the countryside dwellers. Out of these two lists, 23 plant species belonging to 17 families are found common. The total identified families containing all plant species (n=109) are arranged as per the latest edition of Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) Classification System (APG IV, 2016) with indications of newly recorded ones for a future interests.

Balaji Sundaramahalingam   and Solomon Stepenraj   

Asian elephant, Elephas maximus is placed in Schedule I and Part I of Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) conferring it the highest level of protection. In higher mammals like elephants, reproductive success exclusively depends on odour produced from female during oestrus phase and response made by the male before mating. The odours released by the females qualitatively vary with the reproductive state namely during pre-oestrous, oestrous and post-oestrus periods. The present study aimed to identify and compare the volatile profiles of urine samples of male and female Asiatic elephants in captivity. From our assay it was found that peculiar pheromonal carrying compounds namely p-Cresol, 9-Octadecenal, 9-Hexadecenal, 13-Octadecenal and 6-Octadecenoic acid were present only in female urine sample when compared with the male urine sample. In SDS-PAGE analysis, it was confirmed that the protein with low molecular weight protein below 20 kilo daltons has been found and it depict that these are the compounds which act as pheromone carrying lipoproteins.

Saran Ishika Maiti   and Surjya Kumar Saikia   

The p-value has been treated as a benchmark of reliability for an experimental output in biology. In biological research, results with p≤0.05 are conventionally regarded as statistically significant. However, a criticism is currently being emerged claiming that statistical significance in biology has now become very fragile. Simultaneously, proposals for review of statistical inference based on p-value<0.05 are surfacing as alternate strategy of statistical significance. The present review discusses emerging issues related to p-value<0.05 in biological research and some possible ways to address such issues.

Dipti Thakuria   and Jatin Kalita   

Calicnemia miles (Laidlaw, 1917) is a bright red blood colored, damselfly specialized to waterfalls. Apart from the limited knowledge on the flight season, no prior reports on the breeding biology of the species are available. The present study attempts to describe the seasonality, habitat and behavioral aspects of oviposition in C. miles recorded from Assam. The population of C. miles was recorded during late premonsoon (April-May) and early monsoon season (June-July); peak of flight and copulation was observed in the month of June. The species occupies shady areas near waterfalls and was found to prefer roots of trees, moss carpet and damp seepage of streamlets surrounded by vegetation for mating and oviposition. The female deposits eggs into the plant tissue endophytically. Daily oviposition activity lasts from 80-120 minutes during which the males guards their females in tandem till the entire episode of oviposition.

Md. Maniruzzaman Sikder   Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Mallik   and Nuhu Alam   

Entomopathogenic fungus-Aschersonia sp. was found in the potted plants in the experimental sites of the Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. Using tissue planting technique, fungus colony was recovered on PDA. Morphology characterization based on mycelium, conidia, colony features as well as sequencing of rDNA of isolated fungus resulted as Aschersonia sp. Vegetative growth of the fungus on different fungal culture media, temperature, pH, and the light were conducted. The optimum temperature, pH and light regimes for mycelial growth were recorded at 20℃, pH 7, alternate light and dark condition. The suitable mycelial growth of the fungus was obtained on potato sucrose agar, Richard agar, carrot agar media over ten different culture media studied. To the best of our knowledge, the occurrence of Aschersonia sp. in Bangladesh is a new record.

Md Abdur Rauf   and Md Abdur Rahim   

Mustard (Brassica napus) belongs to the Brassiacaceae family and is the major edible oil producing crop of Bangladesh. The country spent a huge amount of foreign currency to import edible oil, which could be minimized through enhancing and improving the existing germplasms. To do this, the genetic variability and diversity of the existing germplasm should be evaluated. Thirty-five genotypes of mustard were evaluated based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The genotypes were found significantly variable for most of the characters. Comparatively phenotypic variances were higher than the genotypic variances for most of the characters studied. The high GCV value was observed for number of seed yield per plant. Seed yield per plant exhibited the highest value of heritability followed by number of siliquae per plant while plant height exhibited the lowest value of heritability. The significant positive correlation with seed yield per plant were found in number of primary branches, siliquae length, number of seed per plant, number of seed per siliquae and thousand seed weight. Path co-efficient analysis revealed that days to maturity, plant height, number of primary branch, siliquae length, number of siliqua per plant, number of seed per siliqua, and thousand seed weight, had direct positive effect on yield per plant. Whereas, days to 50% flowering, length of main raceme and number of secondary branch, had direct negative effect on yield per plant. The genotypes were classified in four clusters. The genotypes of cluster IV showed better mean performance while cluster III showed lower mean performance for important component traits including yield per plant. Considering distance and agronomic performance genotypes G23, G5, G22 and G24 might be recommended for future hybridization program.

Syed Wasim Abbas   Muhammad Naveed Ali   Ghulam Abbas   Hafiz Muhammad Safwan   Muhammad Sajid   and Memoona Mehmood   

The present research was conducted to check the clinical effects of ketamine, diazepam and a ketamine and a combination of diazepam in the general anaesthesia of doves. 32 doves of both sexes with body weights ranging from 280 gm to 300 gm were divided randomly to 4 groups having 8 birds each. Group A received a 0.5 mL mixture of diazepam (0.2 mg/kg) and normal saline, group B a 0.5 mL mixture of ketamine 5% (30 mg/kg) and normal saline, group C a 0.5 mL mixture of ketamine 5% (10 mg/kg), diazepam (0.2 mg/kg) and normal saline, while group D (control) received 0.5 mL of normal saline only. Each mixture was administered intramuscularly. Under standard operating room conditions, general anaesthesia was not observed in group D (normal saline alone). In group A, sedation and muscle relaxation without complete loss of consciousness was observed. Induction time of anaesthesia in group C (doves treated with ketamine and diazepam combination was significantly quicker than group B (p < 0.05) that were treated with ketamine alone. Duration of anaesthesia in group C was significantly longer than group B (p < 0.05). Recovery took longer in group C in comparison with group K, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The birds in group C were calm and sedated, with good muscle relaxation, whilst in group B the birds were excited and showed a drop in body temperature. According to the results of this study, the combination of low dose ketamine hydrochloride (HCL) and diazepam overcame the adverse effects of ketamine alone. This combination produced a more rapid induction of anaesthesia, as well as an increase in anaesthesia duration, with good muscle relaxation and a smooth and slow recovery. Use of a combination of ketamine HCL given at 10 mg/kg and diazepam given at 0.2 mg/kg for anaesthesia in doves is therefore recommended.

Ajab Khan   Ghulam Abbas   Najeeb Ullah   and Syed Wsim Abbas   

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne disease caused by the arbovirus (a spherical enveloped RNA virus having diameter about 100nm). The virus belongs to Nairovirus genus of Bunyaviridae family. CCHF is a tick-borne viral disease of zoonotic importance prevalent in about 30 countries worldwide. Most susceptible species of virus are humans, livestock, mall vertebrates and ostriches. CCHF is also known as Congo fever, Central Asian hemorrhagic fever, Congo virus disease, Hungribta (blood taking), Crimean hemorrhagic fever, Khunymuny (nose bleeding), Karakhalak (black death), and viral tick-borne hemorrhagic fever disease. CCHF virus transmits to humans through tick biting (genus Hyalomma) and/or exposure to blood and/or tissues of infected livestock or direct contact with body fluids and/ or blood of viraemic persons. CCHF has been found fatal in humans but does not show clinical signs in Small vertebrates (excluding birds) and livestock. Most often mortality remains around 30%, however it may range up to 5% to 80%. Viremic person shows dramatic progression characterized by hemorrhages, chilling, sudden onset of high fever, headache, dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms, severe back, and abdominal pain and myalgia, after 3–7 days of incubation. Other symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, cardiovascular, and neuropsychiatric changes. However, in severe infection, hemorrhages ranging from petechiae to large areas of ecchymosis may develop. Early diagnosis using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoassay) and molecular tools such as RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) is helpful for prevention and therapeutic measures. Although, currently there is no antiviral drug available for CCHF, however, Immunotherapy and Ribavirin have been found to be effective during sporadic outbreaks of disease. Further sound scientific research about basic biology of CCHFV may lead to the better treatment plan in the future.

Ghulam Abbas   Muhammad Asif Iqbal   Maham Riaz   Muhammad Sajid   Osama Zahid   Syed Wasim Abbas   Hira Saeed   Ali Imran Raza   and Malik Zohaib Ali   

The intent of the present study was to evaluate the effect of five different levels (0, 25, 50, 75 or 100 gm/ton) of probiotic (Protexin) supplemented in feed (Finisher) on blood profile of broiler chicken. Three hundred seventy five broilers (four weeks old) were randomly divided into 15 replicates having 25 birds in each replicate. These replicates were assigned to five dietary Treatments (0, 25, 50, 75 or 100 gm/ton protexin supplemented in feed) having three replicate in each treatment group. Each diet was offered to three pens of 25 broilers each. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from 15 birds per treatment group. There was no mortality recorded at higher levels of probiotic in both strains. Results revealed that hematological values, serum urea, serum creatinine, serum triglycerides, serum high-density lipoprotein level, serum cholesterol level and serum low-density lipoprotein concentrations among all the groups were not affected (P>0.05) by treatments. However, blood hemoglobin concentration, serum glucose level and serum total protein concentration were increased significantly (P<0.05) in blood of birds feeding finisher ration supplemented with protexin. It was concluded that different levels of protexin in finisher ration of broiler may improve some of the blood parameters.

Zeynep Akkutay-Yoldar   and Seda Tezcan-Ülger   

The West Nile Virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne Flavivirus is a common infection identified in the Middle East, Europe, West Asia, Africa, Australia and the United States. The virus can cause severe illnesses and death in horses. The current study aimed to screen West Nile virus neutralizing antibodies in Arabian horse populations from breeding farms located in Central, Eastern Anatolia and Marmara by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). We sampled 165 Arabian racehorses, during March-December, 2010, in three different provinces (Eskişehir, Malatya, and Bursa) in Turkey. Screening of serum samples showed that 6.6% were positive for West Nile (WN) virus-neutralizing antibodies. The obtained data demonstrate WNV is circulating in mentioned regions among racehorses and the need to carry out a surveillance program includes WNV-focused screening tests in Turkey.

Syed Wasim Abbas   Hamid Akbar   Muhammad Arif Khan   Muhammad NaveedAli   Ghulam Abbas   and Muhammad Asif   

In the present study Hemostatic effects of Surgicel Snow and Surgicel Fibrillar in 12 cases in dogs were observed. The dogs were divided into three groups via group A, B and C with four dogs in each group. All three groups were anesthetized by the combination of xylazine (1.1mg/kg) and ketamine (5.5mg/kg) administered intravenous. Group A received Surgical Gauze, Surgicel Snow was employed in Group B and Surgicel Fibrillar was used in Group C. Hemostasis time, Liver function test (LFT), Complete blood count (CBC), Temperature, Pulse rate and Respiratory rate (TPR), Ultrasonography were evaluated. Hemostasis time was significantly less in animals who had received a Surgicel Snow compared to Surgicel Fibrillar and Surgical Gauze. LFT values were significantly different among all three groups. CBC values also differ among all groups. In TPR there were no significant differences in all groups. All groups showed no changes during Ultrasonography of liver. Surgicel Snow is better hemostat than Surgicel Fibrillar with minimum blood loss and least effects on liver function.

Farah Ijaz   Shehla Gull Bukhari   Muhammad Faiz Qamar   Iahtasham Khan   M. Bilal Haider   Muhammad Asif   Ghulam Abbas   Muhammad Arshad Javed   Hira Anjum   Hafiz Kashif Shezad   and Aun Muhammad   

Bone fracture is termed as any discontinuity in the integrity of bone structure. Basic principal of treatment of fracture include reduction and retention. Modern age has developed number of methods to treat fracture; one of them is usage of Compression plate that are held in place with the help of screws. Limited Contact Dynamic Compression Plate (LC-DCP) is the new version of Dynamic Compression Plate (DCP) and is better than DCP in terms of providing aid in early healing, playing its role as providing low degree of plate-bone contact and decreased incidence of porosity and better vascularization, which reduces healing time and optimizes callus formation, leading to early healing and return of limb function.

Ghulam Abbas   Osama Zahid   Muhammad Shahzad Ahmad Khan   Muhammad Sajid   and Hira Saeed   

Ostrich farming is a new emergent in avian production throughout the globe from the last few years which can open new vistas for development for its delicious meat, feathers and the hide. Pakistan being independent in cheap labor and cheap feed can easily set up ostrich farms of high production potential in the country. Ostrich is gaining popularity in Pakistan and there are many farmers who are rearing ostrich at small scale in various parts of the country. Demand for meat (healthy meat), fat/oil, hide, eggs, feathers and other products is increasing day by day in Pakistan. However, ostrich producers are only meeting 10% of the customers demand. Therefore, it is high time to capture our share in the local and international market. Major clients for meat are Super Stores, Meat Markets, Restaurants and hotels. Academia [Riphah College of Veterinary Sciences (RCVetS), university of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore (UVAS), Pir mehar Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR)] and Livestock and Dairy Development Department (L&DD) are playing their considerable efforts to promote ostrich farming in the country and very soon Pakistan can be the world leader in ostrich farming. To promote ostrich farming on large commercial scale research is needed for different welfare considerations of ostriches in climatic conditions in Pakistan.

Shahbaz Talib Sahi   Muhammad Atiq   Talfoor-ul-Hassan   Muhammad Shafiq   Yasir Ali   Shafqat Ali   Tanvir Ahmad   Ahmad Subhani   Aiman Zulfiqar   and Komal Mazhar   

Effect of different inoculums levels (10³, 5x10³, 10⁴, 5x10⁴ spores/ml) of A. lentis was studied on growth and yield parameters of four lines of lentil. Results showed that among these lines one (ILL-358) showed microsperma resistant, one (ILL-4605) macrosperma resistant, one (ILL-5580) microsperma susceptible and the remaining one (ILL-6002) macrosperma susceptible response over control. Plant height was the minimum in case of all the four lentil lines are at 5spores/ml. Similarly no. of leaflets, no. of pods/ plant, no. of grains/pod and 100 grain weight were reduced with increased level of spores concentration from 10³ spore/ml to 5x10⁴ spore/ml. Size and frequency of lesions/pods showed positive correlation with increasing spore concentrations.

Khaleeq-ur-Rehman   Yasir Iftikhar   Yasir Ali   Owais Yasin   Usman Arshad   Waqas Ahmed Khan   Arslan Hafeez   Muhammad Jafir   and Shafqat Ali   

Urdbean or mashbean is one of the most valuable leguminous crops all over the world. It is under the attack of numerous diseases caused by different pathogens. Among these urdbean leaf crinkle virus (ULCV) is one of the most devastating and widely distributed. It is naturally transmitted through whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). To combat this problem, eight urdbean genotypes (Arooj, 6065-3, 6036-21, 4em-716, ES-I, M-95, ARRIM-08 and ARRIM-16) were screened out against urdbean leaf crinkle virus and correlated with epidemiological factors (temperature, relative humidity). The overall results revealed that, among all these lines, one genotype (M-95) was susceptible, three genotypes (6065-3, 4em-716, ES-I) were moderately susceptible, three genotypes (6036-21, ARRIM-08, ARRIM-16) moderately resistant and only one genotype showed resistance response to urdbean crinkle virus. A positive correlation was observed between disease prevalence and all environmental factors.

Muhammad Makky Javaid   Muhammad Zulkiffal   Yasir Ali   Arshad Mehmood   Javed Ahmed   Muhammad Hussain   Faqir Muhammad   Waseem Sabir   Muhammad Hammad Tanveer   and Owais Yasin   

The rust fungi especially emergence of new rust races has serious threat to global wheat production. This is mainly due to the widespread use of race-specific seedling resistance genes and evolution of new virulence races like Yr9, Yr27, and Sr31. Several quantitative disease resistance (QDR) or durable resistance genes i.e. Lr34/Yr18/Pm38/Sr57, Lr46/Yr29/Pm39/Sr58, Lr67/Yr46, Lr68 providing resistance to rust diseases at either high or low temperatures have been identified. But, changing climatic conditions affect the level of resistance in cultivars, as at high temperature Lr34/Yr18 genes which confer durable resistance in wheat become less effective and at low temperature it provides high resistance. While in contrast, yellow rust resistance genes; Yr36 and Yr39 confer resistance at high temperature and later growth stages. This review provides a detailed discussion on, the different aspects of climate change that how it affect host resistance and pathogenic variability and its sustainable control by developing cultivars with high level durable resistance.

Waqas Ahmed Khan   Muhammad Atiq   Shahbaz Talib Sahi   Awais Ahmed Khan   Shafqat Ali   Muhammad Younas   Yasir Ali   Muhammad Rizwan Bashir   and Muhammad Sajid   

The objective of present study was to evaluate the effect of copper hydroxide and flare at three concentrations (0.1, 0.2 and 1%) and naphthalene acetic acid, salicylic acid, copper hydroxide alone and in combination (Flare + salicylic acid) at 0.75, 1 and 1.5% concentration against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri in lab and greenhouse conditions respectively. Results showed that in lab condition maximum inhibition of bacterial growth was expressed by combination of flare and copper hydroxide, followed by Flare, copper hydroxide over control while in case of greenhouse experiment minimum disease incidence was expressed by combination of Flare + salicylic acid after 5, 10 and 15 days interval followed by flare, salicylic acid, naphthalene acetic acid and Cu(OH)₂ as compared to control.

Hafeez Ur Rehman   Sultan Mahmood   Fawwad Ahmad   Mirza Muhammad Aslam   Ghulam Abbas   Aisha Mahmood   and Muhammad Sajid   

The present research was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacing canola meal with Moringa oleifera leaf meal on hemato-chemical properties in broilers. For this purpose, one hundred fifty, chicks were randomly distributed into five equal groups of 30 chicks each. These chicks were further sub-divided into three replicates in such a way that each replicate contained ten chicks. These chicks were randomly allotted to five treatment rations. Five isoproteinious (CP 21%) and isocaloric (2900 Kcal/Kg) rations (A, B, C, D, and E) were formulated. Ration A contained 8% canola meal but without Moringa oleifera leaf meal and served as a control, whereas in rations B, C, D and E the canola meal was replaced by Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) @ 25, 50, 75 and 100% (w/w) of its total concentration (8%). These rations were fed ad libitum from 8 to 42 days of age. At the end of trial, blood samples (5ml each) from 3 birds/replicate were collected in sterilized disposable syringes. The serum was analyzed for the determination of blood glucose, cholesterol and liver function tests i.e. AST, ALT and ALP. The data collected were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) technique under Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Results revealed that the values of blood glucose, total cholesterol, ALT, AST and ALP were lowest in group E while these values were the highest in control group A. However, all these values were found within the normal range. It was concluded that replacement of canola meal with MOLM in broiler ration exhibited a significant (P<0.05) effect on hemato-chemical properties in broiler.

Yasir Ali   Ghulam Abbas   Muhammad Sajid   and Muhammad Imran   

The intent of the present study was to investigate the effect of citrus slow decline causing nematode (T. semipenetrans) against different cultivars (kinnow, musambi, shakri, feutrel early and red blood) of citrus in earthen pots (kinnow, musambi, shakri, feutrel and red blood) were filled with formalin sterilized soil. The sterilization of sandy loam soil (72% sand, 17% silt and 8% clay) was accomplished by applying formalin. Diluted formalin (1:320) was poured on the small heap of soil and covered with polythene sheet to stop the fumes completely. Soil treated with water was kept as control. Each treatment was replicated 3 times. Varieties (kinnow, musambi, shakri, feutrel and red blood) were transplanted into these pots. The pots were completely randomized, kept in the glass house and watering was done to avoid drying of soil. After fifteen days, 2000 ± 25 freshly hatched juveniles in 15ml of water were added around the stem of plant of each pot by making holes and then filled with soil to prevent drying. Then they were watered carefully. Over irrigation of the pots was avoided. Experiment was harvested after ninety days. Experiment was repeated twice to confirm the results. The association of inoculated pathogens was confirmed by re-isolation. Survey results showed that maximum T. semipenetrans occurrence was in tehsil Sargodha (90%), Kot Momin (80%), Bhalwal (60%) and minimum prevalence was in sillan wali (50%).

Muhammad Hussain   Muhammad Aslam Khan   Yasir Ali   Muhammad Makky Javaid   Babar Iqbal   Muhammad Nasir   Waseem Sabir   and Faqir Muhammad   

Epidemics of leaf, stripe and stem rusts on wheat have induced significant losses in the past during the early nineteenth century and have destroying role in reducing product yield bringing about socio-economic variability worldwide. The old tall varieties with qualitative resistance couldn't continue for longer period because of the advancement of new virulent pathogen races. But varieties like Yaqui-50, Lyalpur-73, and Lerma Rojo-64 were released during early period of green revolution, still linked with durable resistance to stripe, leaf and stem rust. Advancement of new rust races like virulence's Yr27 and Yr9 followed by the appearance of Ug99 and its mutants lead the breeders to review their breeding plan. Breeders are presently relying upon to gather minor genes and their use in grouping with major genes to develop rust resistance in wheat varieties. The minor genes, Lr46/Yr29, Lr34/Yr18, Sr2/Yr30, are being broken in wheat breeding at CIMMYT and different region. The germplasm with this kind of resistance have shown existence stability over space and time. At Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Faisalabad the home of green revolution in Pakistan, this approach has been established since1994-95. The durable resistance assortments were crossed in a top cross/back cross technique and the segregating populations were improved by adopting mass strategy, which brought about the advancement of material having preferred yield and rust resistance over the pre-exiting assortments (e.g., Inqlab-91, MH-97). Five varieties, Shafaq-06, Lasani-08, AARI-11, Millat-11 and Galaxy-13 from these crosses have been approved for general cultivation. Essentially, the material developed and circulated by CIMMYT, Mexico having this sort of resistance is being worldwide adopted. The simple sequence repeat markers (SSR) for above mentioned durable genes are accessible and can be used in early selection of superior varieties.

R.N. Oladosu-Ajayi   H.E. Dienye   C.T. Ajayi   and O.D. Erinle   

The study on Phytochemical screening of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum and Vernonia amygdalina was carried out to determine the compounds present. The result revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroid, tannins, and carotenoid. The best solvent of extraction for both plants recorded was the hot water followed by the cold water even though they were unable to liberate flavonoids from bitter leaf extracts. The washed bitter leaf extracts contained more alkaloids than the extracts made from the unwashed leaf though the differences were not significant (washed bitter leaf- 7.32% from hot water and 6.83% from cold water, unwashed bitter leaf- 6.12% from hot water and 5.32% from cold water). The ethanolic extracts of bitter leaf liberated the flavonoids while the hot water was also able to liberate it from the scent leaf. Carotenoids were liberated from the extracts of both plants though the quantities were not significantly different. The study showed that bitter leaf and scent leaf contain similar antimicrobial compounds but former contains more quantity. It can be concluded that the different solvents of extraction have varying abilities to liberate these compounds and the quantities that each liberated has been ascertained.

Muhammad Asif   Muhammad Arif Khan   Shehla Gul Bokhari   Ghulam Abbas   Muhammad Sajid   Muhammad Ijaz   and Aisha Mahmood   

Z-plasty is a plastic surgery technique which is used to improve the functional and cosmetic appearance of a scar by redirecting it into better alignment and allowing the closure of a large wound by increasing circumference of its orifices. This experimental study was executed to evaluate the extent of relaxation of contracted scar, cosmetic appearance and tip necrosis in dogs by using Z-plasty technique at different angles, i.e. 45°, 60° and 75°, respectively. 18 mongrel dogs were randomly selected and divided in three groups (A, B and C) comprising six dogs each; after induction of scar tissue, Z-plasty was applied at 45° in Group A, 60° in Group B and 75° in Group C, respectively. % Gain in length was superior for the 60° group (P<0.05), as compared with the 45° and 75° Z-plasty, respectively. Tip Necrosis Status and cosmetic appearance for the 60° group were also found superior (P<0.05) than at 45° and 75°, respectively. The results of the experimental trial showed that the parameters of extent of relaxation of the contracted scar, cosmetic appearance and tip necrosis, were mainly governed by two factors, (1) length of contracted scar and (2) angle of Z-plasty technique. Conclusively, 60° Z-plasty serves a better option for correction of burn scar contractures since it provides average gain in length, good cosmetic appearance and causes no tip necrosis.

Muhammad Atiq   Nazir Javed   Sidra Urooj   Aftab Ali Bukhari   Yasir Ali   Ahmad Zeeshan   Amna Shahid   Shafqat Ali   Abdul Jabbar   and Wasi-ud-Din   

Leaf rust (Puccinia triticina f. sp. tritici) is universal threat for wheat production. In present study, effect of sowing dates (30^th Oct; 10^th, 20^th and 30^th Nov) and NPK levels (N1-80Kg, N2- 100Kg, N3-60Kg, P₁-58 Kg, P₂-70Kg, P₃-50Kg, K₁-63Kg, K₂-75, K₃-55Kg) against leaf rust and their impact on 1000 grain were evaluated under Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) at Plant Pathology research area in University of Agriculture Faisalabad during 2009. Results showed that among 3 fertilizers, K exhibited significant result as compared to N, P and control for management of leaf rust and produced maximum 1000 grain weight. Among sowing dates, rust severity was minimum in early sown (30^th Oct) and maximum in late sown (30^th Nov). Thus early sowing with different levels of NPK has paramount importance to combat leaf rust severity effectively.

Ghulam Abbas   Sultan Mahmood   Muhammad Sajid   and Yasir Ali   

Ostriches are the biggest ratite in the world. Their wild changing behaviour helps us to consider them as domestic birds. Ostriches can reach adult height 6-10 feet tall in between 1.5 to 2 years of age and their head may reach 1.8-2.75m above the ground due to large legs. These largest vertebrate only run in case of any danger and can run at a speed of 65-70 kilometer per hour. Presently there are four subspecies of ostriches which are limited to Africa. Ostriches can be reared on short grass plains and semi-arid desert areas. Meat of ostriches is very healthy for humans' consumption. Ostrich birds produce red meat that is similar to deer meat or beef and the hide makes fine leather products. Frequency of mating may be low in confined environment. Mostly breeders are kept in group of trio (1:2); one male for two females. Ostriches can live on any cattle fodder; however during early six months of life they need special feeds for better growth. Ostriches may gain 1Kg body weight with only 3Kg food, unlike cattle which gain 1Kg body mass with 20kg fodder. Ostrich may reach sexual maturity at about two to three years of age and lay 100eggs per season. Ostrich farming is now being done in the globe. Ostrich in Pakistan are now announced as a farm bird of commercial interest which is new turn in poultry industry of Pakistan.

Dot Eaton   and Martin Hicks   

In 1981 the lead author wished to instigate a breeding programme for an indigenous and endangered British mammal species that was known to have suffered a significant decline in numbers. Captive breeding to provide individuals for potential re-introductions was considered the most appropriate approach to helping the re-establishment of wild populations from where they had previously been lost or declined. The selected species needed to be harmless to the environment and small so that expensive techniques were not required. The intention was to generate a sufficiently large and genetically diverse captive population which would supply a formal re-introduction programme into appropriate sites. Having addressed the reasons for previous declines of local extinction, released dormice would provide the basis for new populations. Given the resources available, the Common or Hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius was considered to be a suitable species for this programme. Successful captive breeding had not been achieved previously. The Mammal Society Dormouse Survey 1975–79 demonstrated it had been lost from seven counties in the UK during the previous 100 years [1]. A nocturnal and secretive species little was known about the detailed dietary requirements or behaviour of the common dormouse. The establishment and development of the breeding colony enabled observations of their nocturnal activity in captivity. This was observed at very close quarters and behaviour related to feeding, mating, juvenile development and other seasonal changes in activity was noted. Initially there were numerous juvenile deaths within the colony, usually in spring and autumn but with changes to the temperature regime immediately prior to and post hibernation, this mortality reduced. By 1992 the numbers in the captive breeding colony grew to 33 individuals, sufficient for the first trial re-introduction of 11 individuals to take place in Hertfordshire following the IUCN guidelines [4]. Following further breeding and survival success, further re-introductions were supported and by 1995 the colony had risen to 97 individuals. In that year the Common Dormouse Captive Breeders Group was formed and currently six dormouse breeders in the group donate individuals each year to re-introduction projects, supervised by The People's Trust for Endangered Species.

Ailam Lim   and Steven Bolin   

Relative quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays serve as important tools for validating differential gene expression data. A reference gene that is stably expressed across sample types and experimental treatments is crucial for accuracy in interpretation of relative qPCR data. Twelve previously validated reference genes were evaluated in this study to identify a most suitable reference gene that can be used for gene expression study of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) infected and bTB test-false positive cattle, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after a 4 hour or after an overnight stimulation with bovine tuberculin antigen. Stability of the candidate reference genes were evaluated using the BestKeeper, geNorm and NormFinder programs. The SDHA was found to be the most stably expressed reference gene, regardless of infection status and varying length (4 hours or overnight) of antigen stimulation, while expression of many widely used reference genes are not stable under the studied experimental conditions. We also confirmed that the geNorm and NormFinder programs yielded similar findings in determining the stability of reference genes, which differ largely from the BestKeeper program. This finding stresses the importance of validating the reference gene(s) chosen for each experimental study, and the need for using multiple programs for the evaluation.

Yasir Ali   Shahid Iqbal   Zafar Iqbal   Ghulam Abbas   Salman Ahmad   Muhammad Sajid   and Waseem Sabir   

Wheat leaf rust (Puccinia recondite f. sp. tritici) is amongst major wheat diseases occurring in all wheat growing areas of Pakistan. Losses due to the infection by P. recondite f. sp. Tritici have lowered the wheat production potentially in previous years in Pakistan. This problem can be avoided by incorporating resistance against disease in wheat. In the present study eight genotypes/lines were screened and correlated with epidemiological factors i.e. temperature, relative humidity, rainfall and wind speed. The overall results revealed that among all these lines, four genotypes/lines i.e. A-24, A-20, K-11 and A-25 were susceptible to leaf rust of wheat, while the rest of four lines/genotypes i.e. A-09, A-17, A-08 and A-29 were moderately susceptible to this disease. No line/genotype showed resistant, moderately resistant or immune response to leaf rust of wheat. Correlation showed clear response of disease development to environmental factors. Maximum temperature of the disease severity was 23.8-27.15℃. Similarly, the range of minimum temperature at which disease severity recorded maximum was 16-18℃. The ranges of relative humidity, rainfall and wind speed on which disease severity was maximum were 60-64%, 8-22.50 mm and 11.8-12.98 Km/h, respectively. The study showed that environmental conditions of Sargodha significantly affected disease development of leaf rust of wheat.

Aziagba Bibian O.   Okeke C.U.   Ilodibia Chinyere V.   Ezeabara Chinelo A.   Izundu Alexander I.   and Uka Chiedozie J.   

A study was carried out on the leaf epidermal of seven varieties of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp, family Fabaceae cultivated in Awka, Anambra State Nigeria. Leaves of the plants were assessed for their phylogenetic relatedness through diagnostic epidermal studying of the cell shapes, anticlinal wall types and stomatal characteristics at the abaxial and adaxial surfaces. The cell shapes, anticlinal wall types and the stomatal characteristics revealed some correlations among the studied taxa. All the seven varieties possess stomata on both the abaxial and adaxial surfaces signifying amphiostomatic. The distribution of the stomata varies and no variations were observed in the cell wall, contours and thickness. Stomata distribution was more on the abaxial layer than the adaxial layer and was mainly paracytic. Features of the quantitative morphology as the stomatal index (SI) were detailed in this study. Result of the epidermal features of the studied taxa revealed their intraspecific relationship and some diagnostic characteristics that could be used for taxonomic decision.

Ghulam Fareed   Muhammad Atiq   Manzar Abbas   Muhammad Usman   Ghulam Abbas   Zulnoon Haidar   and Sajid Hussain Qamar   

Twelve cucumber varieties/lines (Cuc-30, Cuc-05, Local, Rocky, Hcu-163A, Hashim, Guard HC1, Qasim, Durga, Shaheen, Happy and Green cucumber) were cultivated to find out their genetic potential against Fusarium wilt disease of cucumber in research area of the Department of Plant Pathology University of Agriculture Faisalabad under randomized complete block design (RCBD). None of them was immune and resistant against fusarium wilt of cucumber. Among twelve varieties nine varieties (Green cucumber, Hashim, Rocky, Cu-05, Happy, Durga, Guard HC-1, Cu-30 and Qasim) exhibited moderately susceptible response with 38.0%, 37.78%, 36.0%, 34.0%, 31.12%, 28.0%, 26.0%, 26.0% and 44.45% disease incidence respectively. Shaheen (20.0%) and Hcu-163A (22.50%) expressed moderately resistant response while only one variety (Local) gave highly susceptible reaction with a disease incidence of 55.0%.

Stefan Ineichen   

The lampyrids (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) belong to the few insects that have been named and observed accurately for thousands of years. The most common names in European languages are formed as diminutives of light and related terms or they are composed of a term like light, fire and glow in combination with bug, fly or worm. There is a huge variety of idiomatic names - in Italian dialects e.g. about 500 different expressions denominating species like Lampyris noctiluca or Luciola italica are reported. Beyond that, lampyrids are interpreted as signs or used as metaphors in a wide range of the semantic field. Thus, the notion of lampyrids leads to a vast network of associations including such distinct and even contradictory significances as childhood, crop, doom, elves, fear, habitat change, idyll, love, luck, mortality, prostitution, solstice, stars and fleetingness of words and cognition. All these connotations are evoked by six features of the observed lampyrids: light in the darkness, season of appearance, mating, direction of flying in the case of species like Lamprohiza splendidula and Luciola sp., flashing (of Luciola-fireflies) and finally disappearance of lampyrids in landscape and perception. The examples of the presence of lampyrids in literature, visual arts, music and evidence in traditional popular culture collected in past years show that the accent of the connotations is shifted by the change of cultural context: in early times the seasonal indication was relevant for the agricultural calendar, the romantic connotations had their golden age during Belle Époque while in recent decades the associations circle around the disappearance of glowworms and fireflies. Although, the observer is not normally aware of the full richness of significances, the extraordinary complexity of connotations is an important factor for the fascination produced by lightning bugs during summer nights.

Nuka Møller Lund   

Caribous in Greenland have been hunted ever since the ancient hunters were hunting with bow and arrow and still today the caribou is one of the most important animals being hunted in Greenland for both professional hunters and leisure-hunters. Today the hunting-pressure is much higher than back in those ancient days and the weapons and boats are much more effective, so therefore Caribou management based on the principle of sustainability and conservation of the caribou is essential. Hunting-periods and quotas for professional hunters and leisure-hunters are decided in the Ministry of Fisheries and Hunting on a yearly basis while hunting-periods for trophy-hunting on muskoxen and caribou are decided every three years. Biological advice based on surveys and minimum-counts have been basis for the decisions for many years, but in recent years decisions have been made to a certain degree on the precautionary principle due to the lack of new surveys.

Ponnirul Ponmanickam   Samuthirapandi Muniasamy   Thangavel Rajagopal   Rengasamy Lakshminarayanan Rengarajan   and Govindaraju Archunan   

Preputial gland is one of the prime sources of pheromones in rats. The study on pheromone identification in preputial gland is well established in laboratory rat, house rat and voles. But the study was lacking in the preputial gland of bandicoot rats. Hence, the present investigation was aimed to identify the volatile and protein profiles of preputial gland of male bandicoot rat. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiles revealed the presence of 47 volatile compounds in the preputial gland. More specifically, the farnesol was found to be a major compound in the preputial gland which is consistent with previous reports in the preputial gland of few other rodents. The histoarchitecture results showed that the preputial gland of male exhibited more acini cells. The protein profiles of preputial gland showed 12 prominent bands in coomassie brilliant blue stained gel. The low molecular mass protein, 19 kDa has been identified as gamma-amino butyric acid type B receptor subunit I (GABA_β receptor) by MALDI-ToF analysis. Further, to the best our knowledge, this is the first time we explored the absence of alpha 2u globulin in the 19 kDa band of preputial gland of bandicoot rat. This is in contrast to the presence of alpha 2u globulin in the preputial gland of laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus) as well as house rat (Rattus rattus). The present study concludes that among the volatiles and protein analysis performed in the preputial gland, farnesol appears to be a prominent compound and the GABA_β receptor protein was identified in 19 kDa band in bandicoot rats.

S. Sharma   and S. Tiwari   

Eight different varieties like QPM, Rampur Composite, RML, Mankamana-4, Arun-2, Across, Deuti and Manakamana-3 were used for varietal screening against maize weevil damage. The research was done in free-choice and no-choice conditions. Deuti variety of maize was the most susceptible variety and grain damage was recorded up to 40% whereas in long term storage condition, Across (44.81%) was the most suitable variety for weevils. The RML variety of maize was the least damaged variety and loss recorded about 18.12% in 60 days of observations. But while calculating the weight loss of the weevil, the loss 7.66% recorded in 60 days of observation in Across Variety, 6.26% in 40 days of observation in QPM and 5.06% were recorded in Deuti, whereas the lowest percent weight loss was recorded in Manakamana-4 that was 1.80% and 1.00 % in 40 days and 60 days respectively. Maximum number of F1 progenies were observed in across (74.00) and lowest were emerged in Rampur composite (32.33) and RML (32.67). The lowest germination loss was recorded in QPM (8.00%), followed by Rampur Composite (10.00%) and RML (12.67%) respectively.

Manpreet Kaur   Neeraj Kumar Aggarwal   Anita Yadav   and Ranjan Gupta   

In the present investigation five pathogenic fungal isolates such as Alternaria alternata, Alternaria sp. PMK1, Alternaria sp. PMK2, Alternaria macrospora MKP2 and Alternaria macrospora MKP4 were isolated from diseased leaves of parthenium plant and found to be pathogenic to this weed. Isolated pathogens were screened qualitatively and quantitatively for ligninolytic activity. All the fungal pathogens were preliminary screened by qualitative assay and showed positive results by zone formation on respective agar plates. In quantitative assay, all the isolates of Alternaria showed the production of one or the other ligninolytic enzymes. Enzymes of the pathogenic fungi are degraders of the polysaccharides available in the host plants and the strong enzymatic activities indicating the importance of the cell wall degrading enzymes in pathogenesis and potential of these pathogenic fungi to be used as a biocontrol agent against parthenium weed.

Onuorah Samuel   Elesia Rosemary   and Odibo Frederick   

Samples collected from hand-dug shallow water wells in Awka metropolis during the dry and wet seasons were subjected to mycological analysis to determine their safety for use. The fungal counts during the dry and wet seasons were 3.5x10³cfu/ml-8.2x10³cfu/ml and 5.1x10³cfu/ml-10.6x10³cfu/ml respectively. The fungi isolated during the dry and wet seasons respectively were Candida albicans (42.0% and 44.8%), Cryptococcus neoformans (9.6% and 10.2%), Rhodotorula Harrison (11.5% and 12.6%), Microsporium canis (0.0% and 0.2%), Penicillium chrysogenum (28.0% and 29.3%), Alternaria alternata (0.0% and 0.3%), Mucor mucedo (8.9% and 9.2%) and Sepedonium chrysospermum (0.0% and 0.2%). Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Rhodotorula harrison, Penicillium chrysogenum and Mucor mucedo were isolated from 46.7%, 6.7%, 20.0%, 26.7% and 6.7% of the samples respectively during the dry season while 60.0%, 20.0%, 26.7%, 6.7%, 40.0%, 13.3%, 20.0% and 6.7% of the samples respectively had Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Rhodotorula harrison, Microsporium canis, Penicillium chrysogenum, Alternaria alternata, Mucor mucedo and Sepedonium chrysospermum. These fungi are human pathogens which are known to cause diseases of animals and humans which if untreated may lead to fatal consequences, therefore adequate treatment of the water will safeguard the health of the users.

Benthotage Chamara Jayasankha De Silva   and Dona Hemali Nandana Munasinghe   

Edible crabs are among the known and valuable economic sea foods exported, as well as the consumed locally in southern Sri Lanka. However, genetic identification and taxonomic status of available crab species are less studied. This study identified ten selected varieties of edible crab species using information of barcoding gene region. Acquired consensus sequences of partially amplified mitochondrial COI gene region (710bp) were processed in BLAST option of NCBI database. Results identified six different species fallen within three genera, namely Scylla serrata, Scylla olivacea, Portunus pelagicus, Portunus sanguinolentus, Charybdis japonica and Charybdis natator which were confirmed with morphological keys. Identified sequences were analyzed with sequences from other geographical regions and Minimum Evolution Tree, sequence divergence levels among sequences were also estimated. Phylogenetic tree produced three separated clades with basal clade of Genus Portunus. Two P. pelagicus sequences have been linked with Australia and Russia independently, while two P. sanguinolentus sequences behaved as haplotypes, diverged slightly from South Korea, India and China. Scylla serrata sequences were promising a strong genetic uniformity with India and Thailand. However, in Scylla olivacea, two sequences related to India and Thailand separately. Sequence of Charybdis natator showed a greater similarity to Japanese sequence while samples collected as Charybdis japonica seems to be controversial and need further studies. As the first genetic study conducted to estimate taxonomic status of edible crabs in Sri Lanka, results are important for use in conservation strategies, as well as further research and prospective culturing programs.

Ghulam Abbas   Muhammad Zia Ur Rehman   Asghar Ali   Muhammad Fiaz   and Ashar Mahfooz   

This research was conducted to describe the therapeutic effect of ivermectin and piperazine citrate on blood profile in commercial layer birds and rural poultry. Two experiments named 1 and 2 were performed representing commercial layer birds and rural poultry respectively. Each experiment was consisted of 4 groups of 15 birds each named A, B, C, D, (Experiment No 1) and W, X, Y and Z (Experiment No 2). To make the birds parasitic free, Albendazole @14mg /Kg were administered in all birds. In subgroups A, B, C, W, X and Y Ascaridia galli infection was inoculated orally @ dose rate of 2500 embryonated eggs per bird using crop tube. To confirm infestation 5 birds were euthanized from each treatment group at day 28^th of post infection. Ivermectin @ dose rate of 200µg/kg was given in birds of treatment groups A and W, and Piperazine citrate @ dose rate of 32 mg/100 kg in birds of treatment groups C and Z. At day 10^th (post treatment) six birds from each group were blood sampled to check blood profile. Blood analysis showed same (P > 0.05) effect of both anthelmintics on serum cholesterol, serum T3, serum creatinine, serum cortisol level, ESR and respiratory rate of infested birds whilst Piperazine citrate administration showed higher (P < 0.05) serum T4 level, and lower (P < 0.05) serum urea level in infested birds.

Richard J. Kline   Daryl C. Parkyn   and Debra J. Murie   

The effect of solid-body blocking in a large (257 l) Blazka-style respirometer was examined in gag Mycteroperca microlepis. Gag ranging from 376-690 mm total length were tested at velocities from 10 to 91 cm s^-1. The solid blocking effect (SBE) due to fish size, swimming speed, and water temperature was investigated by direct measurement of flow velocity at the area of the fish's maximum girth as compared to measurements at the rear (center) of the swimming chamber. Three models were compared as corrections for the SBE: the standard Bell and Terhune (BT), a novel modification of the Bell and Terhune (MBT) developed in this study, and the Bernoulli equation. Although the fit was good, the commonly used BT model consistently underestimated solid-blocking effect over the speeds tested (R² _adj = 0.980) whereas the MBT and Bernoulli models provided better fits (both with R² _adj = 0.993). The MBT model, with refined parameters for the fish body shape coefficient and fractional surface area exponent, yielded the best fit for observed data across all speeds for which gag were tested. This study also demonstrated that in Blazka-style respirometers, corrections were needed to account for SBE where fish occupied >10% of the cross-sectional area of the swimming chamber.

Mustafa OZ   and Suat Dikel   

In this study, the body composition and fatty acid profiles of Salmo trutta macrostigma living under natural conditions in Anatolia were analyzed. The total crude protein, lipid, ash, dry matter and fatty acid profile of fish meat were determined. Crude protein, lipid, ash and moisture of Salmo trutta macrostigma were 19.92%, 3.461%, 1.18% and 75.11% respectively. The predominant fatty acids found in Salmo trutta macrostigma muscle were myristic acid (C14:0, 2.23), palmitic acid (C16:0; 18.81%), palmitoleic acid (C16:1, 8.82%), stearic acid (C18:0; 4.11%), oleic acid (C18:1 n9; 11.93%), linoleic acid (C18:2n6, 3,72%), linolenic acid (C18:3n3, 9.27%), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5 n3; 7.48%) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n3; 7.69%).The Fatty acid composition analyses showed that wild Salmo trutta macrostigma consisted of 29.17% saturated (SFA), 21.58% monounsaturated (MUFAs) and, 31.21% polyunsaturated acids (PUFAs).

Özgür Karakaş   Hasan Çetin Özen   and Ahmet Onay   

Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra. is a valuable medicinal plant owing to source of many bioactive compounds. Hypericin is one of the significant components among these compounds. The aim of this study was to develope an efficient method allowing to improve hypericin production from calli and cell suspension cultures of Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra. Callus formation was obtained from axenic leaf explants grown in Murashige and Skoog (MS) salts supplemented with 1 mg l^-1 6-benzyl adenine (BA) and 2 mg l^-1 α-naphtaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 1 mg l^-1 (BA) + 0.4 mg l^-1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Growth medium of cell suspension culture was the same with callus medium but devoid of agar. The increase of biomass in cell suspension culture was obtained between 6.31-6.28 fold compared to the first day of culture, on the 20^th day. We assayed hypericin content in methanolic extracts of calli and cell suspension cultures of H. triquetrifolium Turra. Hypericin contents of the samples were measured at 589 nm by a UV-VIS spectrophotometer. Analysis of hypericin contents showed that levels found in callus were 0.0527 and 0.0485 mg g^-1, while in cell suspension cultures these rates were 0.0018 and 0.0016 mg g^-1, suggesting that the accumulation of this compound in cell suspension needs further modifications.

S M Mustafijur Rahman   Sikder Md. Maniruzzaman   Shohana Nusrat   and Abul Khair   

The experiment was carried out to survey for incidence and prevalence of purple blotch disease which ranged from 30.49 to 51.76 percent. Isolation, identification of pathogen and determination of pathogenicity were conducted as well; In-vitro evaluation of some botanical extracts, some commercial fungicides and some antagonistic microorganisms against Alternaria porri were performed. At 5 percent concentration of Adhatoda vasica extract showed the maximum of 91.11% inhibition of mycelial growth of A. porri followed by 60% and 55.33% of inhibition due to Azadirachta indica and Ocimum sanctum extract respectively. At 10 percent concentration showed similar patterns of mycelial inhibition.The antagonistic effects of four biocontrol agents viz., Trichoderma viride, T. koningii, T. harzianum, Bacillus sp. on mycelia growth of A. porri were studied and maximum reduction in colony growth of A. porri was observed due to T.viride. All the concentrations (0.1g/100 ml; 0.2g/100 ml; 0.3g/100 ml) of Bavistin DF and Companion applied fully inhibited the growth of A. porri.

Bilal Atta   Fatima Mustafa   Muhammad Adil   Muhammad Fahad Raza   and Muhammad Asif Farooq   

The current study was conducted to assess the performance of transgenic and conventional cotton cultivars in response to population dynamics of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in field under RCBD. Five transgenic cotton cultivars (FH-4243, FH-167, FH-113, FH-187 and FH-114) and five conventional cotton cultivars (FH-942, FH-1000, FH-207, FH-901 and FH-941) were used during this study. On the numerical basis, results revealed that transgenic cotton cultivars were more susceptible to whitefly infestation as compared to conventional cotton cultivars. The pooled comparison of whitefly/leaf on different tested cotton cultivars revealed highly significant variations. The results showed that maximum population of whitefly was observed on FH-113 (3.12 whitefly/leaf) while minimum whitefly population was observed on FH-941 (1.89 whitefly/leaf). When data was statistically analyzed, whitefly population on transgenic and conventional cotton cultivars revealed that transgenic cotton cultivars had higher level of whitefly (2.68 whitfly/leaf) compared to conventional cotton cultivars (2.36 whitefly/leaf).

Ghulam Fareed   Muhammad Atiq   Manzar Abbas   Muhammad Usman   Ghulam Abbas   and Khawar Hayat   

Various fungicidal chemicals were evaluated against the fusarium wilt of cucumber disease. Firstly chemicals were evaluated under lab conditions and the best resulted fungicides were applied in field conditions and significant disease incidence reduction had been recorded as compared to control. Five chemicals namely redomil, score, copper oxychloride, cabriotop, antracol and a control were applied in lab conditions in three concentrations 1%, 0.5% and 0.25% following randomized complete block design (RCBD). Maximum growth inhibition of fungus mycelia was expressed by redomil (1.53cm) followed by score (1.66cm), copper oxychloride (1.75cm), cabriotop (1.79cm), and antracol (1.90cm) as compared to control (3.49cm). Hence redomil (1.53cm) and score (1.66cm) gave maximum inhibition under lab conditions these were applied to highly susceptible Local variety in same concentrations and same design cultivated in Research Area of the Department of Plant Pathology University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Redomil (47.50%) expressed minimum disease incidence and score (49.72%) as compared to control in field (55.0%).

R. Henry L. Disney   

27 new species of Chonocephalus Wandolleck are described. C. tertius Schmitz is synonymised with C. secundus Schmitz. A key to males and a partial key to the females of the Australasian Regions species are provided.

Md. Faruque Miah   Hafij Ali, Enaya Jannat   M. Niamul Naser   and Md. Kawser Ahmed   

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of different environments on rearing and production performance of freshwater mud eel, Monopterus cuchia. The study was conducted over a period of six months from June to November 2013. Different environments such as House tanks, Earthen ditches, Plastic tank and Back yard tanks were used. Except the earthen ditch-2 (control), all environments were fed by different biological food such as small live fish (Tilapia fry), earth worms, small dead fish, snails, small frogs and chicken viscera in different amounts. 40 fishes (approximately 1kg in weight) were stocked into each of the environment. At the end of the experiment, the highest mean of final length (32.89±2.65423) and final weight (109.69±2.92777) were obtained in earthen ditch-1. The weight gain in length 17.78 ± 0.24 and in weight 85.07 ± 0.15 with 92.5% survival and production (4.07kg) were also highest in earthen ditch-1. However, earthenditch-2 which was used as control has also shown satisfactory results in terms of weight gain in length and weight 14.1 ± 0.48 and 66.66 ± 0.82 respectively with 87.5% survival. On the other hand, the lowest mean growth considering final length (28.45±2.80092) and weight (67.24±3.79328) were recorded in house tank-2 while the weight gain in length (11.86 ± 0.26) and in weigh (41.84 ± 0.59) were also observed in house tank-2 with the production of 2.02kg by 75% survival. Based on Pearson Correlation coefficient there were no significant correlations between lengths and weights of fish in different culture regimes. Significant value (P=0.000) of each of the environments implies that M. cuchia can be reared significantly except back yard tank-1 (P=0.009). But, in case of earthen ditch-1 the highest value was found in both length and weight with 5% significance level due to supplied live feeds. On the basis of the better growth, survival and production, it is suggested that the earthen ditch is one of the suitable culture environments of M. cuchia. From this study, it was also found that the live feed are suitable for obtaining highest growth performance based on the findings of plastic tank, house tanks 1 and house tank 3.

E. Pushpalatha   

Acute toxicity tests were conducted to determine the biological effects of partially purified extract of two tropical plants Croton hirtus L'Her., Pogostemon quadrifolius (Benth.) F.Muell on the juveniles of Culex quinquefasciatus Say. Rearing of C. quinquefasciatus larvae in water at concentration less than the critical concentrations for inhibition of adult emergence in 50% of treated larvae (EC₅₀) of the ethyl acetate fraction of Croton hirtus and Pogostemon quadrifolius leaf extracts from hatching to emergence significantly decreased the fecundity of the C. quinquefasciatus and the hatchability of their eggs. At highest concentration of 50% EC₅₀ of the extracts the decrease in the fecundity over the control ranged between 72.4 and 85.4 %.

Sajid Hussain Qamar   Ahsan ul Haq   Fawwad Ahmad   Shahid ur Rehman   Pervez Akhtar   Naeem Asghar   and Ghulam Abbas   

The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of commercial herbal products on performance and immune response of broiler. One hundred twenty chicks were randomly divided into 12 experimental units (replicates) having ten chicks each. These experimental units were allotted to four treatment groups (T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄) such that each treatment has three replicates. Group T₁ was without supplementation of any commercial herbal product and served as control while the birds in group T₂, T₃ and T₄ were supplemented with commercial herbal products i.e. Livol, Livotal, and Hepato promoter @ 1 ml per 2 liter water, 1 ml per 4 liter water, 1 ml per 4 liter water respectively. Supplementation of different commercial herbal products by water during 2-5 weeks of age significantly (P<0.05), improved weight gain (6.36-12.37%), consumed less feed (2.62-3.09%) improved feed conversion ratio (9.53-14.29%) and lowest mortality rate (3.33%). Supplementation of different commercial herbal products exhibited non-significant effect on dressed weight, relative weight of heart, liver, spleen, gizzard, pancreas and intestine of broiler. However, ND and IBD antibody titer was improved significantly (p<0.05) (T₁). The birds using water supplemented with Hepatopromoter fetched the highest profit.

Prasher IB   and Chauhan R   

The effect of different basal media, temperature, pH, days of incubation, carbon and nitrogen sources was studied on growth, reproduction and ligninolytic enzymes production of Dictyoarthrinium synnematicum Somrith. The fungus reproduced by chlamydospores and produced maximum growth in Glucose-peptone medium. It produced chlamydospores only at 24℃ and pH range of 5-9. The optimum mycelial growth rate was observed at 24℃ and pH 5 after 16 days of incubation. It showed gradual increase in the production of Lignin peroxidase up to 30 days, Manganese peroxidase up to 18 days of incubation after which it decreased and Laccase up to 22 days. The optimum growth and laccase activity were attained in lactose supplemented medium whereas the highest Lignin peroxidase and Manganese peroxidase activity was observed with glucose. It produced chlamydospores with fructose, glucose, maltose, sucrose and xylose. Sodium nitrate is the best inorganic nitrogen source for growth. Resting spores were formed in inorganic and organic nitrogen sources used in basal medium. Ammonium phosphate and potassium nitrate supported highest activity of Lignin peroxidase whereas best Manganese peroxidase activity was exhibited with ammonium oxalate and laccase with sodium nitrate. The fungus did not express ligninolytic enzymes activity with any organic nitrogen source.

Sajid Hussain Qamar   Ahsan ul Haq   Naeem Asghar   Shahid ur Rehman   Pervez Akhtar   and Ghulam Abbas   

The experiment was conducted at Poultry Research center University of Agriculture Faisalabad to evaluate the Arsilvon super, Bedgen40 and Hepa-Cure herbal medicines on broiler performance, immunity and hematology. For this study one hundred eighty day old broiler chicks were purchased from local hatchery and were reared in a group for one week. After one week, one hundred twenty broiler chicks of middle weight range were picked up randomly and divided into 12 experimental units (10 chicks/each).These units were allotted to 4 groups A, B, C, and D such that A group served as control without any supplementation, group B was supplemented with Arsilvon super @1ml/L, group C was supplemented with Bedgen40 @ 0.5ml/4L, and D was supplemented with Hepa-cure @ 1ml/L in drinking water. Supplementation of herbal medicine exhibited significant (P<0.05) effects on weight gain, Feed Conversion Ratio and non-significant effect on feed consumption (P> 0.05). Supplementation of herbal medicines showed significant treatment effect against the Newcastle disease but non-significant effect against the Infectious bursal disease. Herbal medicines revealed significant effects on blood glucose and red blood cells, but showed non-significant effect on cholesterol, hemoglobin, white blood cells and packed cell volume. In conclusion, herbal medicine supplementations in broiler revealed positive effect on performance, immunity and hematological parameters.

Sultan Mahmood   Atif Rehman   Muhammad Yousaf   Pervez Akhtar   Ghulam Abbas   Khawar Hayat   Aisha Mahmood   and Muhammad Khurram Shahzad   

The study was planned to determine the comparative efficacy of leaf extract of Azadirachta indica, Cichorium intybus and Moringa oleifera, on haematology, intestinal histomorphology and nutrient digestibility in broilers. Day old broiler chicks (n=180) purchased from a commercial hatchery were reared in a group for one week (adaptation period). At day 8, these birds were individually weighed and 120 birds of middle weight range were randomly selected and distributed into 12 replicates (10 chicks/replicate). These replicates were further allotted to four treatment groups designated as A, B, C and D. Group A was offered water without any supplementation and served as a control. Whereas, group B, C and D were offered water supplemented with leaf extract of Azadirachta indica (4%), Cichorium intybus (2%) and Moringa oleifera (6%), @ 50 ml/l, @ 10 ml/l and @ 30 ml/l, respectively. Results of the study revealed that supplementation of Azadirachta indica leaf extract showed better nutrient digestibility of crude protein and ether extract as compared to that of control. However, digestibility of crude fiber due to the treatments remained unaffected. Stabilization of blood metabolites resulted in improved intestinal histo-morphology. The birds using Azadirachta indica fetched the highest profit as compare to the other treatment groups. Therefore, use of Azadirachta indica leaf extracts in broiler is recommended as inexpensive and efficient growth promoting agent without residual effects like antibiotic growth promoter.

Çağrı Bekircan   Mustafa Cüce   Tuba Bekircan   and Onur Tosun   

The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, 1824 (Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera), is a major problem for conventional potato production in all over the world. Bioactive molecules that originated from plants, have long been claimed as alternatives to synthetic chemicals for pest management Similarly, we investigated antifeedant effect of essential oils obtained from three different Lamiaceae species; Thymus transcaucasicus RONNIGER, Thymus pseudopulegioides KLOKOV and DES.-SHOST, Thymus leucotrichus HAL. against L. decemlineata Say, 1824 (Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera) larvae. T. leucotrichus showed the most powerful and weakest antifeedant effect of the three plant species in different doses (r = 0.409, P < 0.01). The highest AFI value (AFI = 65.548) was obtained on the third day at 2000 ppm (P < 0.05) and the lowest AFI value was measured on the second day at 1000 ppm (AFI = 0.560). According to these results, T. leucotrichus essential oil is the most effective phytochemical against L. decemlineata larvae.

Hafiz Muhammad Waheed   Safdar Ali   Muhammad Sajjad Khan   Muhammad Saif Ur Rehman   and Ghulam Abbas   

The present study was carried out on seven sheep breeds (Thalli, Lohi, Salt Range, Kajli, Sipli, Buchi and Hissradale) by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis using 21 random decamer primers. Blood samples were collected from different numbers of animals per breed, of both sexes. After DNA extraction PCR was carried out by using 25 µL reaction mixture containing 3 mM MgCl₂, 100 µM each of dATP, dCTP, dGTP, dTTP, 0.2 µM primer, 15 ng of genomic DNA, and 5 unit of Taq polymerase, through programmable thermal cycler (Crea Con, TCY, USA).Out of 21 decamer primers 16 primers yielded easily scorable bright DNA bands while other five yielded smeared and nonspecific fragments. The genetic similarities of seven sheep breeds were high, ranging from 74.42% to 94.29 %. Thalli and Latti had greatest similarity (94.29%). The lowest genetic similarity was between Lohi and Hissardale (74.42%). The unweighted pair group method of arithmetic means (UPGMA) dendrogram obtained from the cluster analysis revealed two clusters. The study confirms that the molecular genetic techniques such as RAPD-PCR can economically and efficiently be used to establish genetic distances and similarities among and within breeds as well as to find out breed specific genetic markers. The seven sheep breeds in the study could be identified by using one breed specific RAPD marker or a combination of two or more markers. Primer GLB-08 can identify Lohi breed and primer GLA-14 can identify Hissardale. Primer GLA-19 can identify both Kajli and Sipli breeds simultaneously.

Sultan Mahmood   Muhammad Furqan Saleem   Fawwad Ahmad   Ghulam Abbas   Aisha Mahmood   Sajid Hussain Qamar   and Muhammad Zia ur Rehman   

Antibiotics have been used in poultry to improve growth performance but due to their side effects European Union has banned use of antibiotic as growth promoters in animal feed in 2006. Such situations has resulted in search for natural and safe alternatives, therefore, this study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of commercial herbal growth promoter as dietary inclusion on performance, minor body parts weight and immune response in broiler. A total of 120 healthy day old Hubbard chicks of uniform body weight were divided into 12 experimental units of 10 chicks each. These experimental units were further allotted to 4 treatment groups (T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄) such that each treatment received 3 replicates. Group A was fed ration without supplementation of commercial herbal products i.e. control whereas group B, C and D were fed ration supplemented with commercial herbal products i.e. Bio-Mix, Respecine and A one Formula respectively each @ 100 g/ 50 kg of commercial feed. Each experimental unit of the chicks was reared in a separate pen. The birds were kept under similar managerial conditions. Feed intake, weight gain and FCR was better in group C fed respecine supplemented diet (P<0.05) whilst immune response against ND and IBD was higher in group B fed diet supplemented with Bio-mix (P<0.05) whereas dressing percentage, liver weight, heart weight, gizzard weight, spleen weight, pancrease weight and intestinal weight were not significantly affected by commercial herbal growth promotors (P>0.05). Use of various commercial herbal growth promoters in the ration exhibited an increase in the profit margin of broilers. Broilers reared on respecine fetched maximum profit as compared to other groups.

Athar Ali Makin   Md. Faruque Miah   Satish Kumar Yadav   Mitu Deb   and Zobada Kanak Khan   

In this study, ecological diversity and species richness of earthworms were examined in different habitats of Sylhet Metropolitan area of Bangladesh. A total of eight earthworm species such as Eisenia fetida, Amynthus aspergillum, Aporrectodea caliginosa, Aporrectodea longa, Lumbricus castaneus, Lumbricus terrestris, Lumbricus rubellus and Octolasion cyaneum were morphologically identified from this study. The diversity and distribution of earthworm species related to species abundance was also investigated. Highest earthworm abundance was recorded in Kazitula while it was the minimal in case of Baluchor locality. The species E. fetida dominated in all the habitats. The relative density and species diversity index showed the species inhabiting particular habitat. The entire observation clearly indicated that the richness of earthworm biodiversity in that study location was high.

Çağrı Bekircan   Mustafa Cüce   and Atalay Sökmen   

Phytochemicals have long been touted as alternatives to synthetic chemicals for pest control and especially interest has grown for the search of antifeedants effects over the last decades. Similarly, we tested antifeedant activity of essential oils obtained from four different Lamiaceae species; Thymus transcaucasicus RONNIGER, Thymus pseudopulegioides KLOKOV and DES.-SHOST, Thymus leucotrichus HAL. and Teucrium polium L., against Agelastica alni L., Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae larvae. Thymus leucotrichus showed the most powerful antifeedant effect of the four plant species during the three days (r = 0.481, P < 0.01) the highest AFI value (AFI = 41.055) was obtained on the second day at 2000 ppm (P < 0.05). At the same time, the first and third day's treatments showed strong positive correlation between dose and AFI indices [1th day; r = 0.890, P < 0.01 and 3th day; r = 0.918, P < 0.01]. According to these results, Thymus leucotrichus essential oil is the most effective phytochemical against A. alni larvae.

Zeliha Bahçecioğlu   

In this article, 74 microfungi species and their hosts recorded in Adıyaman province are identified. The research was carried out between 2010 and 2013. Approximately 700 vascular plant specimens infected and uninfected with microfungi were collected from the area. In total, 74 microfungi species were identified on the collected host specimens. These species belong to 7 families and 14 genera; 25 species belong to Ascomycota, 49 to Basidiomycota.

Anupama Gargya   S. N. Bahuguna   and M. K. Upadhyay   

The present study describes the development of excretory organ (kidney) in post flexion to fingerling stages of the Himalayan snowtrout Schizothorax plagiostomus (Heckel). In observation Schizothorax plagiostomus larvae having a pair of elongated kidney lies above the alimentary canal close to the vertebral column, which is divided into two parts i.e. head kidney and the trunk kidney. In post-flexion to fingerling larvae, the pronephric nephrons and tubules form immediately after the pronephric duct, which connect with the anterior most tips of pronephric duct. Pronephric tubules were convoluted in anterior side and there is a small amount of erythroid and lymphoid tissue associated with this region. At the same time caudal portion of the pronephric duct (near cloaca) starts to become broad in comparison to other parts in 2.0-4.0 cm larvae. On fingerling stage obvious tubules were found in kidney with large blast like cells (Columnar epithelial cells) between the nephric tubules.

Leonid V. Ksanfomality   

Presented in paper are the results of a study of hypothetical flora of Venus around the VENERA-14 lander. Because of the previous experience of searching for objects of hypothetical flora and fauna of Venus, successful processing of more complex panoramas of the VENERA-14 lander has been performed revealing multiple "stems" that should be added to the hypothetical flora of the planet. They are thin knotty vertical trunks that have a thickness of 0.3-3 cm and are 0.2 to 0.5 m or more in height. On color panoramas, they look black. On close objects, one can see that the "stem" at the top end is provided with a large bulge, a "burgeon" or “flower” that is 2-8 cm in diameter; and other have petals surrounding a bright center. At the base of the stems, there are features that resemble leaves in a quatrefoil. Although the "stems" are numerous in the panoramas on both sides of VENERA-14 (where there are approximately eight stalks rising from cracks on the rocky ground), in the VENERA-13 panoramas, the "stems" are rare. Perhaps an object of the "stem" type is apparent at the landing site of VENERA-9. Probably, the "stems" are widespread on the planet, because the landing distances between the three different VENERA missions were 900 and 4500 km. In general, hypothetical signs of flora on Venus go far beyond the direct results of the VENERA missions.

Saroj Rajvanshi   Nirupama Agrawal   and Manoj Kumar Upadhyay   

Thaparocleidus devraji [8, 12] from Ompok malabaricus [27] was established by Gusev [8]. However, its description was based only on the hard parts. On a careful examination of its live specimens from an additional host and a new locality i.e. river Gomti of Lucknow, structural details of the parasite were added, including its egg. Furthermore, phylogenetic relationship was also established with other Indian species of this genus using Urocleidus similis and Ancyrocephalus paradoxus included in an out group. Sequence analysis of partial 28S rDNA had been done using Minimum evolution (ME), Neighbour-joining (NJ) and UPGMA method of MEGA 5 (Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis-5, Tamura et al. [20]). Furthermore, secondary RNA structure, centroid structure, ss- count, energy dot plot and motif identification had been done, along with GC calculation (for conservedness). All the species of this genus under study had been found morphologically distinct (reproductive and haptoral armature). The morphological distinctions had been supported by genetical evidences. The results of phylogeny had shown that all the species (understudy) are genetically distinct and T.devraji had monophyletic origin.

Kvan Olga   Lebedev Svyatoslav   Bykov Artem   and Davydova Natasha   

Various live organisms have specific needs in different chemical elements, they selectively absorb and accumulate those elements in certain organs, tissues and cells, and then excrete them into environment. At the same time for the normal vital activity not only regular supply of macro- and microelements is extremely necessary, but also their right ratio. Two experimental groups in the period beginning from 21st till 33d week of living were getting a ration with the supplement of the following probiotics: 1st experimental group: bifidumbakterin, the dose was 10 ml/kg of forage; 2^nd experimental group – sporobacterinum the dose was 10.8 ml/kg of forage. The purpose of this research is the evaluation of the influence of probiotics using specific and nonspecific microflora on metabolism of vitally important and toxic elements such as Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb in the host. These facts clearly show the ambiguous influence of probiotics preparations on the allocation of elements in the host, which leads to the authentic loss of toxic elements and to the correction of essential elements in the hens’ bodies.

Tinamauni Puthal   and Gunanidhi Sahoo   

The fan-throated lizard, Sitana ponticeriana, is a medium-sized ground living agamid distributed throughout India, preferably in dry and more or less open country habitats. A total of each of 80 males and females were collected from Konark-Balukhand Wildlife Sanctuary area and subjected to various morphometric measurements to investigate the sexual size and shape dimorphism of the species. Sexually immature individuals were much less dimorphic than the adults. All body parts of males were larger than those of females. Both the sexes also differ in allometry of all head characters with body size, with males showing a disproportionate increase of head size and dimensions and head shape changed with increasing head size. Similarly, the foot (front and hind) of both sexes differs in length. The hind foot was double in length than that of the front. Males had larger hind foot (1.68cm) than females (1.56cm). A strong positive relatioship (r =0.8) was observed between SVL and HFL in females. Analysis of variance at p<0.05 level of significance was done foe several variables. The head was twice longer than width. The HL and HW showed positive allometry in males and females.

Matthew J. Sonnefeld   Ralph G. Turingan   and Tyler J. Sloan   

It is well known that the feeding mode of fish falls within a continuum of prey-capture techniques and behaviors; fish could use suction, ram, or manipulation styles to feed on a subset of a diverse prey-resource base. The main goal of ecomorphological research is to model the relationship between form and function, and in the case of fish feeding, one of the key questions is, “How does the functional design of the feeding mechanism constrain fish to a particular feeding mode?” This study initially addresses this question by conducting a multivariate analysis to determine which of the key functional components of the feeding mechanism predicts the feeding mode of teleost fishes along the Atlantic coast of Florida (USA). Sixteen feeding-relevant traits from each of 22 species were subjected to a Principal Component Analysis to generate a morphospace for the assemblage. The first two dimensions contributed 99% of the variation in functional morphology among members of this assemblage; the physiological cross-sectional area of the epaxialis muscle loaded heavily in these axes. A Discriminant Function Analysis revealed that the drivers that discriminate the assemblage among suction, ram, and manipulation feeding modes are Suction Index, mechanical advantage of the jaws, and mechanical advantage of neurocranial rotation. The model revealed that 91% of the species’ feeding modes were correctly predicted by properties of the feeding mechanism. Appropriately establishing the link between morphology and ecology remains a valuable tool in our continuing search for information that advances our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that drive the diversity and evolution of feeding systems.

Ahmad Nematollahi   Javad Ashrafi Helan   Habib Golezardy   Neda Zaboli   Maryam Nouruzi   and Mehdi Azari   

The first objective of the present study was to determine and quantify the diversity of ecto- and endo-parasites of hedgehogs as well as their pathologic lesions in Tabriz, Iran. A total of 42 hedgehogs were collected and examined. The hedgehogs harbored the adults of two ixodidae tick species belonging to two genera, namely Hyalomma excavatum and Rhipicephalus turanicus as well as two flea species of two genera, namely Ctenocephalides canis and Leptopsylla segnis. At necropsy, 173 helminthes were recovered from the internal organs. Phyasaloptera clausa (36.84%), Mullerius capillaries (25.18%) and Hymenolepis diminuta (3%) were recognized in this survey. Microscopically, severe parasitic bronchitis and bronchiolitis, chronic interstitial pneumonia, hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, furunculosis, and chronic fibrosing gastritis were observed. The results of this study represent that hedgehogs are suitable hosts for the above mentioned parasites. Their pathological tissue damages were assessed.

Abdul Kareem   Muhammad Aslam Khan   Shoaib-ur-Rehamn   and Irfan Afzal   

Vegetative reproductive and corm characteristics of Gladiolus grandiflorus as affected by different corm sizes, large sized corm (3 to 3.5 cm), medium (2 to 2.5 cm) and to small (1 to 1.5 cm) were evaluated under natural agro-climatic conditions of Faisalabad. The experiment was laid out in accordance with Complete Block Design with two factorial arrangements. Regarding vegetative parameters it was observed that sprouting percentage, plant height, number of leaves per plant and days required for 25% flowers, large sized corm perfume the best as compared to medium and small sized corms with maximum values (96.67%), (56.02 cm) and (7.720) in variety red majesty (150.0 days) in variety Early Yellow respectively. Similar results were observed with reproductive characters, similar number of spikes per plant in both varieties in all corm sizes maximum thickness (1.023 cm) of spike was observed in cvs. Early Yellow when large sized corms, spikes of maximum length in both cultivars being 47.55 cm and 47.50 cm in cv. Red Majesty and 45.56 and 43.11 cm in cvs. Early Yellow respectively, a significant difference was also in observed in number of florets per spike and intact flower life. In case of corm characters more number of cormels per plant was produced by plants raised by corms of large sized and corms size was increased with increase corm size

Kvan O.V.   Lebedev S.V.   Akimov S.S.   and Bykov A.V.   

The aim of the study was to analyze using non-parametric statistical method, a number of morphological and biochemical parameters of laboratory animals’ blood on a diet deficient in minerals, with additional introduction of probiotics (sporobakterin, bifidobakterin) and iron preporations with different physical and chemical properties. The studies were performed in the experimental-biological clinics (vivarium) Orenburg State University. The seventy female rats of Wistar strain at the age of 4-months, identical in weight, were in the period prior experience in a balanced diet (feed stuff) were selected. During the experiment, the animals were divided into seven groups (one control group and six experimental) based on probiotic added to the feed (sporobakterin, bifidobakterin) and iron preparations («Gemofer» (Poland), the iron oxide fine powder). All experimental animals for the experiment (28 days) were on a diet deficient minerals that achieved through the drinking water of the experimental animals with distilled water and prepared in a particular way feeding rice (polished rice cooking for 15 minutes, followed by removal of broth and washing with distilled water). In order to prevent vitamin deficiency states active in the diet was administered multivitamin complex containing vitamins A, D, E, B₁, B₂, B₃, B₄, B₅, B₆, B_c , B₁₂. Thus, the using of finely divided iron oxide powder as a mono-therapy, and also the using together with sporobacterin result to an increase of hemoglobin, the color index and serum iron in the blood of laboratory animals. In our opinion, this expectation may be attributed to the fact that the normal flora of the gastrointestinal tract does not feel the need for this preparation and does not compete with macro organism for iron.

Nagaraju Bantu   and Venkata Rathnamma Vakita   

Environmental protection has attracted the attention of the wide cross-section of people all over the world which has now become a global issue amongst scientists and researchers working in this area. The aim of the present study was to determine the acute toxicity of chlorantraniliprole insecticide to the fresh water fish Channa punctatus (Bloch). Experimental fish were exposed to different concentrations of chlorantraniliprole between range 0, 1, 2,3,4,5,6,8,10,12,13,14,15,16 and 17mg/L^-1) for 96 h in test container. The 96h LC₅₀ value of chlorantraniliprole on the fish was found to be 14.424mg/L^-1. The variation in the lethal concentration values is due to its dependence upon various factors viz., sensitivity to the toxicant, its concentration and duration of exposure. Further study needs the processes by which these chemicals affect physiology and pathological changes and of fish and their bio-concentration and bio-accumulation in fish tissues.

Saif-ur-Rehman   Jamil Shafi   Waseem Akram   Waqas Ahmad   Muhammad Atiq   Suhail Asad   and Muhammad Iqbal   

The present study was performed to evaluate the performance of Bt and Non-Bt cotton cultivars in response to population fluctuation of thrips in field under RCBD. On the numerical basis results revealed that transgenic cultivars were more susceptible to thrips infestation as compared to conventional genotypes. The pooled comparison of thrips/leaf on different tested cotton cultivars revealed highly significant variations. The results showed that the highest population was observed on IR-901 and FH-113 (3.11 and 3.14 thrips/leaf, respectively) followed by N-121 (2.79 thrips/leaf) and FH-154 (2.78 thrips/leaf). While low level of infestation was observed on CIM-496 and FH-941 (2.20 and 2.18 thrips/leaf, respectively) followed by FH-1000 (2.29 thrips/leaf), FH-207 (2.31 thrips/leaf) and FH-4243 (2.40 thrips/leaf). When data were statistically analyzed thrips population on Bt and non Bt cultivars revealed that Bt cotton cultivars had higher level of thrips population (3.8 thrips/leaf) compared to non Bt cultivars (2.7 thrips/leaf).

Md. Faruque Miah   Tawhida Khanom Tania   Najmun Nahar Begum   and Zobada Kanak Khan   

The toxic effects of formalin contaminated food (0% [control], 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% formalin) were evaluated on the reproductive cycle and lifespan of Drosophila malanogaster. The results showed a significant descendency in the number of progeny from F₁ to F₅ generation in case of 1% and from F₁ to F₄ in 0.5% formalin. The result was found significant decreasing of the percentage of survival up to reproduction in F₁ to F₃ with 0.25% formalin. The ingestion of formalin in diet reduces significantly the survival percentage population in F1 to F₅ generations. The toxic effects in survival percentage were directly related to the concentration of formalin added. Different stages of life cycle of D. malanogaster shows developmental time of life cycle was lengthened with increasing concentration of formalin in F₁ to F₅. Significant diminishing of the percentage of survival in different treatments may cause of male sterility and detrimental effects on development of D. malanogaster. Formalin has a significant impact on the longevity of D. melanogaster and the experiments showed definite correlation where more the concentration of formalin was increased, the quicker the flies died. Female showed slightly longer lifespan than male but the result was insignificant.

Sushma Mishra   and Dr. Aruna Jain   

The aims of this work were to evaluate the changes in soil properties with the application of bio fertilizers, chemical fertilizers, vermicompost and their combinations. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design (RBD) with 8 treatments i.e. T₁-NT, T₂- VC, T₃-BF, T₄-CF, T₅-BF+VC, T₆-BF+CF, T₇ - CF + VC, T₈ - BF+CF+VC. The increased value in N, P, K, OC, pH and EC was 281 kg/ha, 20.2 kg/ha, 296 kg/ha, 0.69%, 7.7 (T₇ plot), 0.21 dsm^-1 respectively, in T8 plot compared to non-treated soil. However, before sowing, soil N, P, K, OC, pH and EC was 260 kg/ha, 18.80 kg/ha, 281 kg/ha, 0.52 %, 6.8, 0.48 dsm^-1 which was far less than the nutrients obtained in the soil after harvest. After the analysis of nutrient status in post harvest soil it can be concluded that INM in soil by combined application of BF+CF+VC (T₈ plot) are best for soil fertility for longer periods. Based on the results of the current study, it is clear that by use of INM we can minimize the quantity of fertilizer and recycle the farm waste, thus make safe environment and sustainable soil fertility.

Ahmed Mustafa   Laura Randolph   and Shree Dhawale   

Dietary supplements phosphatidylcholine and β-carotene, a dimer of vitamin A have been shown have positive effects on a variety of physiological and immunological parameters in humans and other vertebrates. Previous studies have demonstrated that these neutraceuticals enhance growth of Nile tilapia reared under optimal temperature. However, in those studies specially formulated diets were used. Given that tilapia is a commercially important fish, unlike previous studies we wanted to examine the effects of adding these supplements directly to the commercially available basal diet. Since weight gain can be accompanied by poor health and overdose of vitamin A can be toxic we examined condition factor, which is an indicator of overall health. Effects of these neutraceuticals on stress parameters such as blood glucose levels and hematocrit as well as on immune function as measured by macrophage phagocytic activity were also examined. All experiments in our study were conducted on tilapia grown under optimal temperature (28±2℃). Our experiments showed that both phosphatidylcholine and β-carotene supplemented diets significantly enhanced fish growth compared to basal diet. However, there were no significant differences in condition factor and stress or immune parameters. Thus it was apparent that fish remain healthy and stress free. Furthermore, there was no negative effect on immune function. These data collectively suggest that addition of phosphatidylcholine and β-carotene to commercially available basal diet used in this study can be used in tilapia aquaculture to enhance fish growth. This information can also help producers of commercial feed in improving feed composition.

Sruthy.P.B   Anjana.J.C   J. Rathinamala   and S. Jayashree   

Earthworms are soil invertebrates which play a major role in recycling organic matter in soils. The unique microenvironment of the earthworm gut impacts on the catabolic activities of ingested soil microorganisms. The ingested microbial populations play an important role in earthworm nutrition by helping in the breakdown of organic matter. A study was carried out to find out the distribution of microorganisms in the gut of earthworm, Eudrilus eugeniae. The vermibeds were prepared with cow dung and pre-decomposed banyan leaf litter. The population of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes were determined in the gut regions (foregut, midgut and hindgut) of earthworm E. eugeniae. The predominant microorganisms found in the foregut, midgut and hindgut were bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi respectively. It was observed that there are variations in the population of microorganisms in the foregut, midgut and hindgut. This report shows the distribution of various microorganisms in the gut regions and how it favors the animal to have a healthy life in the environment.

Dana Havlanová and Ivana Gardiánová 

The ocelot Leopardus pardalis is one of the beautifully colored cats of family Felidae. Their successful reproduction undercaptive conditions are not very high. We studied the reproductive characteristics of ocelots from 1960 to 2010. The aim of study was to investigate the reproductive success of ocelots between continents. The following results were found: all continents: 139 captive females produced 576 litters with a total of 752 kittens of which 545 were successfully raised to adulthood. The number of successfully raised males was 295 compared to 250 females. Eighty-six were of unidentified sex. About 359 individuals were reared by the mother and 108 hand reared. Of the total births, 416 were single kittens, 146 were twins, 12 were triplets and two were quadruplets. Females had their first litter at a mean age of 4.2 years old and had a mean of four litters during her live. The mean number of kittens per female was 5.4 kittens, of which 3.9 were successfully reared. Comparison between continent – in America and Europe were born more than 350 kittens, in Asia 50. Reared were 278 kittens in America, 226 in Europe and 41 in Asia. Only some kittens were hand reared. Globally, the highest number of litters occurred during June and August, while the lowest number occurred during November and December. It was found that before 1990, most successful rearings were kittens raised by the mother but after 1990, the most successful rearings were hand reared kittens.

Ahmed Mustafa Sharif Abu Hayat and Parveen Quarrar 

Stress caused by the aquaculture environment hampers normal growth and immune response of fish and makes them susceptible to diseases. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), on the other hand, has been known to improve the immune response. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of the absence of vitamin C in fish dietgrown in stressed condition induced by crowding. Fish fingerlings were obtained from a local fish farm and were acclimated in the new environment for two weeks. After the acclimation period, fish were maintained in two different conditions: controlled and stressed (density > 50 g/l). Within each condition, fish were further divided into two diet groups, each with two replicates. The experimental groupwere fed vitamin C supplemented (1000 mg/kg) feed and the control group were fedvitamin C free feed for fifteen days. Six fish from each group were sampled to assess the physiological parameters: plasmacortisol, blood glucose, plasma protein, packed cell volume, spleen somatic index, and condition factor. Fish in the stressed conditions showed significantly higher level (p<0.05) of plasma cortisol, blood glucose indicating stress, both of which were reduced when fed vitamin C supplemented diet. Significantly higher (p<0.05) hematocrit concentration was observed in the vitamin C fed group indicating better physiological adaptation.

Pradnya Kedari and Nutan Malpathak 

Chonemorpha fragrans (C. fragrans), a liana belonging to family Apocynaceae, shows presence of widely used anticancer compound Camptothecin (CPT). CPT is a modified monoterpene indole alkaloid produced by very few species belonging to unrelated orders of angiosperms, especially plants belonging to the families Apocynaceae and Icacenaceae. In this work a sensitive high performance thin layer chromatography method (HPTLC) was used for detection and quantification of CPT. HPTLC analysis showed that highest amount of CPT was present in root methanolic extract (0.023% of dry weight) followed by stem bark methanolic extract (0.013% of dry weight). Also, the subcellular localization of an anticancer drug has been studied using autofluroscence property of CPT under Ultra violet (UV) light. Localization study revealed that out of all the organs studied roots accumulated highest levels of CPT followed by stem bark. Xylem tissues showed a major accumulation site for CPT. Presence of CPT in vitro culture is an important finding as in vitro systems can be used for further experiments to reduce overexploitation of natural population. This is the first report rearding subcellular localization and quantification of CPT in sequential extracts of different plant parts in C. fragrans.

Mohamed A. A. Mahdy Kamal E. H. Abdalla and Salma A. Mohamed 

The present study was carried out to investigate the structure of the sublingual caruncles of the goat. Specimens were studied by gross anatomy, morphometery, light and scanning electron microscopy. Results show that the sublingual floor of the oral cavity consisted of a rostral prefrenular part and two lateral sublingual recesses. The sublingual caruncles had a rostrolaterally directed serrated border, this border divided into three papillae differ in shape and direction. At higher magnification, the surface of sublingual caruncle showed two patterns of microplicae. This study provides a baseline data for clinical studies, this is the first study provide detailed structure of the sublingual caruncle of goat.

Leonid V. Ksanfomality 

Existing data on flora and fauna of other planets are based only on scientific hypotheses. Scanning cameras of the VENERA-9 landers were intended to produce a general notion about the planet’s surface and did not anticipate looking for possible inhabitants of Venus. The panorama of the planet’s solid surface was transmitted historically for the first time from the surface of Venus by the VENERA-9 lander in 1975 and repeated by the VENERA-13, -14 in 1982. Data on some results of the analysis of the content of re-processed panorama of the VENERA-9 and VENERA-13, -14 landers are presented. The low noise of the VENERA-9 data allowed allocating a relatively large object of an unusual regular structure. Its complex shape having terramorphic features and its structure suggest that the object may be a real habitant of the planet. It is not excluded that another similar object observed was damaged during the VENERA-9 landing. From the evidence of their very slow movement and position of some other similar objects it is concluded that the physical action of the Venusian fauna may be much slower than that of the Earth’ fauna. Another question arises is what liquid stuffs could be used by life in the conditions of the high temperature oxygenless atmosphere of the waterless planet.

Md. Faruque Miah Mitu Deb Hazrat Ali M. M. A. Quddus and Kawser Ahmed 

This study deals with the investigation of parasitic infection in Channa punctatus collected from open and closed water in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Skins, gills and intestine of the host were observed for finding parasites. In total 253 parasites were identified under 26 species from 40 experimental fish. 12 species of ectoparasites and 13 species of endoparasites were recorded with 1 more species of both ecto and endo parasitic activities in Channa punctatus. Different types of parasites such as protozoa, platyhelminth, nematoda, acanthocephala, arthropoda, gastrotricha and rotifer were found from experimental fish. The overall incidence of infection in Channa punctatus was higher (60.00%) of protozoan parasites. The highest incidence of infection of protozoan parasites was recorded as 60.00% in open water samples. On the other hand, the highest incidence of infection in closed water was recorded as 75% of platyhelminth parasites. Furthermore, the intensity of infection by protozoan species was recorded in open and closed water fish as 2.92 and 4.83 respectively while the intensity of infection by platyhelminthes species found was 1.00 and 1.87 in open and closed water respectively. Finally, two new species (Rotifer sp. and Chaetonotus sp.) were assumed to be new parasites in Channa punctatus.

Leonid Ksanfomality 

The planet Venus, with its dense and hot (735 K) oxygen-free atmosphere of CO₂ (mostly), having a high pressure of 9.2 MPa at the surface can be a natural laboratory for studies of extraterrestrial life different from that of the Earth. On October 22/25, 1975 and March 1/5, 1982, experiments in television photography instrumented by the landers Venera-9, -10, -13 and -14 [1], yielded in large number of panoramas of the Venus surface (or their fragments) at the landing site. Over the past 31 and 38 years, no similar missions have been sent to Venus. Discovery and characterizations of extra solar planets suppose that some of them possess physical conditions close to those of Venus. In connection with the interest in what kind of life is possible existing on some of the exoplanets, the VENERA panoramas that fit for analysis were reprocessed and reexamined. A few relatively large objects were found with size ranging from a decimeter to half meter, both terramorphic or with unusual morphology. The objects were observed in some images, but were absent in the other or altered their shape. Some of them were reviewed in Ksanfomality, 2012. One may suppose that the only source of energy for this hypothetic life is photosinthesis produced by plants. That's why important is a search of Venusian flora. The article presents some of the obtained results.

Anirudh R. Acharya Jhansi Lakshmi Magisetty and Vijayan V. A. 

The posterior-segment morphology of Culex quinquefasciatus fourth-instars of the three populations from Mysore city were observed for morphological variations. Two field populations, i.e., from Manasagangotri and Chamundi hill, and one laboratory population were considered. Eight morphological parameters regarding to siphon, saddle, and number of comb-scales and pecten-teeth of 115 larvae from each population were measured. MANOVA-ANOVA denoted that the three populations were significantly different from each other with regard to all the parameters (p < 0.005). Pair-wise comparison revealed that each population was distinct in one or the other parameter. The DA generated two canonical functions, both being highly significant; where the Function 1 explained 66.2%, and the Function 2 explained 33.8% variations within the data, and indicated that the siphon index and the siphon length and width were the most distinguishing parameters. Classification of groups results found that