Biological parameters of a silurid catfish Ompok bimaculatus (Bloch, 1794) from River Ghaghara, India.

The present study examined a total of 446 samples of Ompok bimaculatus and describes the condition factor, gonadosomatic index, length-length relationships, sex ratio, size at first maturity. The regression parameter 'b' ranged from 3.06 to 3.76 (r2 > 0.90). During the pre-monsoon, the allometric coefficient 'b' of the LWR was close to isometric value (b = 3.06) while that of overall was positive allometric (b = 3.31) although it suggested positive allometric growth in monsoon (b = 3.21), and post-monsoon (b = 3.76), periods. The values of condition factor ranged from 0.524 to 0.573. In the study, sex ratio ranged from 1:1.03 to 1:1.3. Males ranged from 14.0-26.6 cm while females varied from 11.2-29.0 cm in length. A significant difference in length at 50% maturity (p < 0.05) was found between both the sexes. First maturity stages in males and females were 22.3 cm and 23.2 cm, respectively. The smallest mature female was 22.0 cm L; the largest immature female was 26.8 cm L. The smallest mature male was 20.0 cm L; the largest immature male was 24.5 cm L. The results of the study could be useful to help in sustainable fisheries management in the Ghaghara River.

Length weight relationship and condition factor of selected freshwater fish species found in river Ganga, Gomti and Rapti, India.

This study is based on the length-weight relationships (LWRs) of 2148 fishes, belonging to 8 families, 12 genera and 15 freshwater fish species (Wallago attu, Rite rita, Sperato seenghala, Sperota aor, Mostacembalus armatus, Macrognathus puncolus, Gudusia chopra, Clupisoma garua, Puntius sophore, Puntius ticto, Rasbora daniconius, Amblypharyngodon mole, Chanda noma, Colisa fociatus and Colisa sota) captured from river Ganga, Gomti and Rapti during May 2011 to March 2012. The growth coefficient (b) values varied between 1.30 and 3.07, with the mean b = 2.03 at p< 0.001. The condition factor (K) varied considerably from 0.76 and 2.95, with a mean K = 1.43 which may be attributed to different environmental conditions of the river basin. The objective was to evaluate the pattern of LWRs and condition factors of the freshwater fish species of the main Ganga and tributaries which serves as baseline for other tropical Indian rivers and tributaries.

Relative expression of CsZCD gene and apocarotenoid biosynthesis during stigma development in Crocus sativus L.

Crocus sativus is a triploid sterile plant characterized by its red stigmas, which produce significant quantities of carotenoid derivatives formed from the oxidative cleavage of ß-carotene and zeaxanthin. The accumulation of three major carotenoid derivatives- crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal- is responsible for the color, bitter taste, and aroma of saffron, which is obtained from the dried stigma of Crocus. Maximum apocarotenoid accumulation occurs during fully developed scarlet stage of stigma development. Zeaxanthin is the precursor for biosynthesis of apocarotenoids. Crocus zeaxanthin 7, 8 (7, 8)-cleavage dioxygenase gene (CsZCD) encodes a chromoplast enzyme that initiates the biogenesis of these apocarotenoids by cleaving zeaxanthin. The Reverse Transcription-PCR analysis revealed that CsZCD gene expression followed different patterns during stigma development. Highest levels of CsZCD gene expression was observed in fully developed scarlet stage of stigma. Real Time PCR analysis showed that there is a sharp increase in gene expression from yellow to orange and orange to scarlet stages of stigma development. Increase in CsZCD gene expression parallels with the apocarotenoid content during the development of stigma, suggesting its regulatory role for apocarotenoid biosynthesis and stigma development in saffron.

SSR and RAPD analysis of genetic diversity in walnut (Juglans regia L.) genotypes from Jammu and Kashmir, India.

In this study, the genetic relatedness of 82 walnut genotypes adapted to the North Western Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir, India was analyzed by combination of 13 SSR and 20 RAPD primers. A high level of genetic diversity was observed within populations with the number of alleles per locus ranging from one to five in case of SSR primers and two to six in case of RAPD primers, the proportion of polymorphic loci was 100 %, and similarity ranged from 12 % to 79 % with an average of 49 %. Dendrogram showed that all the accessions formed four main clusters with various degree of sub-clustering within the clusters. These results have implications for walnut breeding and conservation.