Guggulsterone - a potent bioactive phytosteroid: synthesis, structural modification, and its improved bioactivities.

Guggulsterone is a phytosteroid derived from the oleo-gum resin of the critically endangered plant Commiphora wightii. This molecule has attracted increasing attention due to its excellent biochemistry potential and the compound has consequently been evaluated in clinical trials. With a low concentration in natural resources but wide medicinal and therapeutic value, chemists have developed several synthetic routes for guggulsterone starting from various steroid precursors. Moreover, numerous studies have attempted to modify its structure to improve the biological properties. Nowadays, green and sustainable chemistry has also attracted more attention for advanced chemical processes and reactions in steroid chemistry. The present review aimed to summarize the literature and provide an update about the improvements in the chemical synthesis and structural modification of guggulsterone from the view of green chemistry. Moreover, this review encompasses the improved activities of structurally modified guggulsterone derivatives. We expect that the information provided here will be useful to researchers working in this field and on this molecule.

Insights into Metabolic Engineering of Bioactive Molecules in Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels & Gilg: A Traditional Medicinal Herb.

Plants are a vital source of bioactive molecules for various drug development processes. Tetrastigma hemsleyanum is one of the endangered medicinal plant species well known to the world due to its wide range of therapeutic effects. Many bioactive molecules have been identified from this plant, including many classes of secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, etc. Due to its slow growth, it usually takes 3-5 years to meet commercial medicinal materials for this plant. Also, T. hemsleyanum contains low amounts of specific bioactive compounds, which are challenging to isolate easily. Currently, scientists are attempting to increase bioactive molecules' production from medicinal plants in different ways or to synthesize them chemically. The genomic tools helped to understand medicinal plants' genome organization and led to manipulating genes responsible for various biosynthesis pathways. Metabolic engineering has made it possible to enhance the production of secondary metabolites by introducing manipulated biosynthetic pathways to attain high levels of desirable bioactive molecules. Metabolic engineering is a promising approach for improving the production of secondary metabolites over a short time period. In this review, we have highlighted the scope of various biotechnological approaches for metabolic engineering to enhance the production of secondary metabolites for pharmaceutical applications in T. hemsleyanum. Also, we summarized the progress made in metabolic engineering for bioactive molecule enhancement in T. hemsleyanum. It may lead to reducing the destruction of the natural habitat of T. hemsleyanum and conserving them through the cost-effective production of bioactive molecules in the future.

Significance and genetic control of membrane transporters to improve phytoremediation and biofortification processes.

Humans frequently consume plant-based foods in their daily life. Contamination of agricultural soils by heavy metals (HMs) is a major food and nutritional security issue. The crop plants grown in HM-contaminated agricultural soil may accumulate more HMs in their edible part, further transferring into the food chain. Consumption of HM-rich crops can cause severe health issues in humans. On the other hand, the low content of the essential HM in the edible part of the crop also causes health problems. Therefore, researchers must try to reduce the non-essential HM in the edible part of the crop plants and improve the essential HMs. Phytoremediation and biofortification are the two strategies for resolving this problem. The genetic component helps to improve the efficiency of phytoremediation and biofortification processes in plants. They help eliminate HMs from soil and improve essential HM content in crop plants. The membrane transporter genes (genetic components) are critical in these two strategies. Therefore, engineering membrane transporter genes may help reduce the non-essential HM content in the edible part of crop plants. Targeted gene editing by genome editing tools like CRISPR could help plants achieve efficient phytoremediation and biofortification. This article covers gene editing's scope, application, and implication to improve the phytoremediation and biofortification processes in non-crop and crop plants.

The Role of Membrane Transporters in the Biofortification of Zinc and Iron in Plants.

Over three billion people suffer from various health issues due to the low supply of zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) in their food. Low supply of micronutrients is the main cause of malnutrition and biofortification could help to solve this issue. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of biofortification is challenging. The membrane transporters are involved in the uptake, transport, storage, and redistribution of Zn and Fe in plants. These transporters are also involved in biofortification and help to load the Zn and Fe into the endosperm of the seeds. Very little knowledge is available on the role and functions of membrane transporters involved in seed biofortification. Understanding the mechanism and role of membrane transporters could be helpful to improve biofortification. In this review, we provide the details on membrane transporters involved in the uptake, transport, storage, and redistribution of Zn and Fe. We also discuss available information on transporters involved in seed biofortification. This review will help plant breeders and molecular biologists understand the importance and implications of membrane transporters for seed biofortification.

Application of CRISPR/Cas system in cereal improvement for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Application of the recently developed CRISPR/Cas tools might help enhance cereals' growth and yield under biotic and abiotic stresses. Cereals are the most important food crops for human life and an essential source of nutrients for people in developed and developing countries. The growth and yield of all major cereals are affected by both biotic and abiotic stresses. To date, molecular breeding and functional genomic studies have contributed to the understanding and improving cereals' growth and yield under biotic and abiotic stresses. Clustered, regularly inter-spaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system has been predicted to play a major role in precision plant breeding and developing non-transgenic cereals that can tolerate adverse effects of climate change. Variants of next-generation CRISPR/Cas tools, such as prime editor, base editor, CRISPR activator and repressor, chromatin imager, Cas12a, and Cas12b, are currently used in various fields, including plant science. However, few studies have been reported on applying the CRISPR/Cas system to understand the mechanism of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in cereals. Rice is the only plant used frequently for such studies. Genes responsible for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance have not yet been studied by CRISPR/Cas system in other major cereals (sorghum, barley, maize and small millets). Examining the role of genes that respond to biotic and abiotic stresses using the CRISPR/Cas system may help enhance cereals' growth and yield under biotic and abiotic stresses. It will help to develop new and improved cultivars with biotic- and abiotic-tolerant traits for better yields to strengthen food security. This review provides information for cereal researchers on the current status of the CRISPR/Cas system for improving biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in cereals.

Chemical Profiling and In Vitro Antiurolithiatic Activity of Pleurolobus gangeticus (L.) J. St.- Hil. ex H. Ohashi & K. Ohashi Along with Its Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties.

Pleurolobus gangeticus (L.) J. St.- Hil. ex H. Ohashi & K. Ohashi (Fabaceae) is an important medicinal plant used to treat various ailments. In this study, we report the antiurolithiatic, antioxidant, and antibacterial potential of chloroform fraction (CF) from P. gangeticus roots. For the chemical profiling, HPTLC, FT-IR, and GC-MS techniques of the CF were carried out, and phytochemical investigation was revealed that stigmasterol (45.06%) is one of the major components present in the fraction. The nucleation and aggregation assays were used to evaluate the in vitro antiurolithiatic activity at various concentration (2-10 mg/mL) of the CF. The results showed that the chloroform fraction had dose-dependent effects on Calcium Oxalate (CaOx) crystal formation. In both the assays, the maximum concentration of 10 mg/mL has shown better results. This concentration resulted significant increase in CaOx crystal nucleation along with the reduction of crystal size and the inhibition of crystal aggregation. Further, the CF showed stronger antioxidant (DPPH, NO, SOD, TRC) potential with an IC50 values of 415.9327, 391.729, 275.971, and 419.14 µg/mL, respectively. The antibacterial evaluation displayed effective results in the Agar well diffusion assay against selective urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogens (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Staphylococcus aureus). A maximum zone of inhibition (ZOI) 12.33 ± 1.05 mm for K pneumonia and minimum ZOI of 8.46 ± 0.27 mm for S. aureus were obtained. Further, the ADME-PK property of the stigmasterol was investigated, and it was found to pass the Lipinski and Ghose rules, supporting the drug-likeliness. This is the first record of the antiurolithiatic potential of P. gangeticus along with antioxidant and antibacterial activities. These findings give an insight into the effective drug development and treatment for kidney stones in future.

Improvement of millets in the post-genomic era.

Millets are food and nutrient security crops in the semi-arid tropics of developing countries. Crop improvement using modern tools is one of the priority areas of research in millets. The whole-genome sequence (WGS) of millets provides new insight into understanding and studying the genes, genome organization and genomic-assisted improvement of millets. The WGS of millets helps to carry out genome-wide comparison and co-linearity studies among millets and other cereal crops. This approach might lead to the identification of genes underlying biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in millets. The available genome sequence of millets can be used for SNP identification, allele discovery, association and linkage mapping, identification of valuable candidate genes, and marker-assisted breeding (MAB) programs. Next generation sequencing (NGS) technology provides opportunities for genome-assisted breeding (GAB) through genomic selection (GS) and genome-wide association studies (GAWS) for crop improvement. Clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) genome editing (GE) system provides new opportunities for millet improvement. In this review, we discuss the details on the WGS available for millets and highlight the importance of utilizing such resources in the post-genomic era for millet improvement. We also draw inroads on the utilization of various approaches such as GS, GWAS, functional genomics, gene validation and GE for millet improvement. This review might be helpful for understanding the developments in the post-genomic era of millet improvement.

Insights to improve the plant nutrient transport by CRISPR/Cas system.

We need to improve food production to feed the ever growing world population especially in a changing climate. Nutrient deficiency in soils is one of the primary bottlenecks affecting the crop production both in developed and developing countries. Farmers are forced to apply synthetic fertilizers to improve the crop production to meet the demand. Understanding the mechanism of nutrient transport is helpful to improve the nutrient-use efficiency of crops and promote the sustainable agriculture. Many transporters involved in the acquisition, export and redistribution of nutrients in plants are characterized. In these studies, heterologous systems like yeast and Xenopus were most frequently used to study the transport function of plant nutrient transporters. CRIPSR/Cas system introduced recently has taken central stage for efficient genome editing in diverse organisms including plants. In this review, we discuss the key nutrient transporters involved in the acquisition and redistribution of nutrients from soil. We draw insights on the possible application CRISPR/Cas system for improving the nutrient transport in plants by engineering key residues of nutrient transporters, transcriptional regulation of nutrient transport signals, engineering motifs in promoters and transcription factors. CRISPR-based engineering of plant nutrient transport not only helps to study the process in native plants with conserved regulatory system but also aid to develop non-transgenic crops with better nutrient use-efficiency. This will reduce the application of synthetic fertilizers and promote the sustainable agriculture strengthening the food and nutrient security.

Bakuchiol - a natural meroterpenoid: structure, isolation, synthesis and functionalization approaches.

Bakuchiol is an emblematic meroterpene class of natural product extracted from Psoralea corylifolia. It has been reported to possess a broad range of biological and pharmacological properties and is considered as a leading biomolecule. It is highly desirable to devise an efficient approach to access bakuchiol and its chemical biology applications. In this review we provided structural features, isolation methods, various chemical routes and late-stage functionalization (LSF) approaches for bakuchiol and its derivatives. Moreover, this review encompasses the structure-activity relationships (SAR), value-added contributions and future perspectives of bakuchiol.

Correction: Bakuchiol - a natural meroterpenoid: structure, isolation, synthesis and functionalization approaches.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D1RA08771A.].

Pharmaco-chemical profiling of Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC. with special reference to soil chemistry.

BACKGROUND: Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC. (Fabaceae) (DG) is a perennial non-climbing herb or shrub and folklore medicine, widely shows a large number of medicinal properties, as well as contains divergent bioactive compounds. Many of the herbal formulations contain this medicinal plant, which is considered as master of medicinal plant in Ayurveda. This study is an attempt to establish this plant material based on its pharmaco-chemical profiles with special reference to soil chemistry. The pharmaco-chemical features such as organoleptic, DNA sequence, physicochemical, proximate, phytochemical, UV, and FTIR profiling were carried out using standard techniques. Moreover, the ADME-PK properties of the selected molecules were established. RESULTS: The pharmaco-chemical features like organoleptic, DNA sequence, physicochemical, proximate, phytochemical, UV, and FTIR profiling, ADME-PK properties, and soil chemistry of D. gangeticum revealed its unique and diagnostic peculiarities. DNA barcoding showed that the sequence was 99.77% similar to D. gangeticum (KP094638) having 100% query coverage. The soil analysis revealed the presence of moderately high content of NPK and sufficient amount of all essential macro- and micronutrients (S, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and B). The phytochemical profiling showed that the ethanolic extract of the aerial part contained glycoside, amino acid, phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, and coumarins, while the ethanolic root extract of the plant revealed the presence of glycoside, amino acid, phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins, and triterpenoids. FTIR results indicated that the plant extracts are mainly rich in phenolic derivatives. ADME-PK properties of pterocarpan such as gangetin (1a), gangetinin (1b), desmocarpin (1c), and desmodin (1d) were found to pass the Lipinski, Ghose, Veber, and Egan rules, supporting the drug-likeliness. CONCLUSION: This is the first record of pharmaco-chemical profiling of D. gangeticum along with soil chemistry, and this information helps in the proper identification and future studies on this species.

Improving abiotic stress tolerance in sorghum: focus on the nutrient transporters and marker-assisted breeding.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Identification of molecular markers and characterization of nutrient transporters could help to improve the tolerance under abiotic and low nutrient stresses in sorghum ensuring higher yield to conserve food security Sorghum is an important cereal crop delivering food and energy security in the semi-arid tropics of the world. Adverse climatic conditions induced by global warming and low input agriculture system in developing countries demand for the improvement of sorghum to tolerate various abiotic stresses. In this review, we discuss the application of marker-assisted breeding and nutrient transporter characterization studies targeted towards improving the tolerance of sorghum under drought, salinity, cold, low phosphate and nitrogen stresses. Family members of some nutrient transporters such as nitrate transporter (NRT), phosphate transporter (PHT) and sulphate transporter (SULTR) were identified and characterized for improving the low nutrient stress tolerance in sorghum. Several quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified for drought, salinity and cold stresses with an intention to enhance the tolerance of sorghum under these stresses. A very few QTL and nutrient transporters have been identified and validated under low nitrogen and phosphorus stresses compared to those under drought, salinity and cold stresses. Marker-assisted breeding and nutrient transporter characterization have not yet been attempted in sorghum under other macro- and micro-nutrient stresses. We hope this review will raise awareness among plant breeders, scientists and biotechnologists about the importance of sorghum and need to conduct the studies on marker-assisted breeding and nutrient transporter under low nutrient stresses to improve the sorghum production.

Expression of PHT1 family transporter genes contributes for low phosphate stress tolerance in foxtail millet (Setaria italica) genotypes.

MAIN CONCLUSION: This is a first comprehensive study to analyze the 12 PHT1 family phosphate transporter genes in 20 foxtail millet genotypes for the improvement of millets and other crops for phosphate use efficiency. Phosphorus (P), absorbed from soil solutions as inorganic phosphate (Pi), is a limiting nutrient for plant growth and yield. Twenty genotypes of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) with contrasting degree of growth and Pi uptake responses under low Pi (LP) and high Pi (HP) supply were chosen based on a previous study. To gain molecular insights, expression dynamics of 12 PHosphate Transporter 1 (PHT1) family (SiPHT1;1 to 1;12) genes were analyzed in these 20 genotypes and compared with their Pi and total P (TP) contents. SiPHT1;1, 1;2, 1;3 and 1;8 genes were expressed in shoot tissues of three (ISe 1209, ISe 1305 and Co-6) of the LP best performing genotypes (LPBG); however, they were expressed in only one of the LP worst performing genotype (LPWG) (ISe 748). More importantly, this is correlating with higher shoot Pi and TP contents of the LPBG compared to LPWG. Apart from this condition, expression of SiPHT1 genes and their Pi and TP contents do not correlate directly for many genotypes in other conditions; genotypes with low Pi and TP contents induced more SiPHT1 genes and vice versa. Promoter analysis revealed that genotype ISe 1888 with a high level of SiPHT1;8 expression possesses two additional root box motifs compared to other genotypes. The PHT1 family genes seem to play a key role for LP stress tolerance in foxtail millet and further studies will help to improve the P-use efficiency in foxtail millet and other cereals.

Structure, Function, Regulation and Phylogenetic Relationship of ZIP Family Transporters of Plants.

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for plants and humans. Nearly 50% of the agriculture soils of world are Zn-deficient. The low availability of Zn reduces the yield and quality of the crops. The zinc-regulated, iron-regulated transporter-like proteins (ZIP) family and iron-regulated transporters (IRTs) are involved in cellular uptake of Zn, its intracellular trafficking and detoxification in plants. In addition to Zn, ZIP family transporters also transport other divalent metal cations (such as Cd2+, Fe2+, and Cu2+). ZIP transporters play a crucial role in biofortification of grains with Zn. Only a very limited information is available on structural features and mechanism of Zn transport of plant ZIP family transporters. In this article, we present a detailed account on structure, function, regulations and phylogenetic relationships of plant ZIP transporters. We give an insight to structure of plant ZIPs through homology modeling and multiple sequence alignment with Bordetella bronchiseptica ZIP (BbZIP) protein whose crystal structure has been solved recently. We also provide details on ZIP transporter genes identified and characterized in rice and other plants till date. Functional characterization of plant ZIP transporters will help for the better crop yield and human health in future.

Oxidative radical coupling of hydroquinones and thiols using chromic acid: one-pot synthesis of quinonyl alkyl/aryl thioethers.

An efficient, simple and practical protocol for one-pot sequential oxidative radical C-H/S-H cross-coupling of thiols with hydroquinones (HQs) and oxidation leading to the formation of quinonyl alkyl/aryl thioethers using H2CrO4 was developed. This cross-coupling of thiyl and aryl radicals offers mono thioethers in good to moderate yield and works well with a wide variety of thiols. Similarly, this method works well for coupling of 2-amino thiophenol and HQs to form phenothiazine-3-ones 5a-c. C-S bond formation via thioether synthesis was observed using a chromium reagent for the first time. Theoretical studies on the pharmacokinetic properties of compounds 5a-c revealed that due to drug-like properties, compound 5b strongly binds with Alzheimer's disease (AD) associated AChE target sites.

Hepatoprotective effect of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid tiliamosine from Tiliacora racemosa in high-fat diet/diethylnitrosamine-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the aggressive forms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is a potential risk factor of HCC. This study reports the curative effect of tiliamosine on NASH. Tiliamosine was isolated from Tiliacora racemosa Colebr. (Menispermaceae) and its structure was confirmed by studying the physical and spectroscopic data. The effects of tiliamsoine on lipid accumulation and lipotoxicity were evaluated using palmitate-oleate induced steatosis in HepG2 cells. The in vivo efficacy of tiliamosine was evaluated using HFD fed, DEN induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis Wistar rats. In HepG2 cells, tiliamosine did not affect the cell viability up to 100 µM concentration and showed GI25 value of 264.28 µM. The treatment with tiliamsoine significantly lowered the ORO concentration by 44.17% and triglyceride accumulation by 69.32% at 50 µM concentration (P < 0.005). It also reduced the leakage of LDH and transaminases in PO-BSA induced HepG2 cells. The treatment with tiliamsoine significantly decreased the plasma levels of transaminases, phosphatase and LDH (P < 0.05) in HFD-DEN induced steatohepatitis. The histology and the immunohistochemistry of the hepatic sections were in accordance with the biochemical findings. Preliminary molecular analysis indicated that the hepatic FXR expression was upregulated and TNFα expression was downregulated by the treatment with tiliamsoine. This study provided preliminary evidence on the use of tiliamosine for the treatment of NASH.

Curative effect of arjunolic acid from Terminalia arjuna in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease models.

The prevalence of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is increasing globally. Terminalia arjuna W. & Arn. (Combretaceae) is an endemic tree found in India and Sri Lanka and used traditionally for its cardioprotective and hepatoprotective effects. Arjunolic acid (AA) is an oleanane triterpenoid found mainly in the heartwood of T. arjuna. This study was aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of AA using cellular and rodent models of NAFLD. AA was isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the heartwood of T. arjuna. The structure of AA was confirmed by physical and spectroscopic data. Steatosis was induced in HepG2 cells using palmitate-oleate mixture and the effects of AA on triglyceride accumulation and lipotoxicity were assessed. In vivo effect of AA on NAFLD was assessed using HFD fed rats. The treatment with AA did not affect the cell viability upto 100 µM and showed GI25 value of 379.9 µM in HepG2 cells. The treatment with AA significantly lowered the ORO concentration by 35.98% and triglyceride accumulation by 66.36% at 50 µM concentration (P < 0.005) compared to the vehicle treated group. The treatment with AA also reduced the leakage of ALT and AST by 61.11 and 48.29% in a significant manner (P < 0.005). The in vivo findings clearly demonstrated that the animals treated with AA at 25 and 50 mg/kg concentrations showed a significant decrease in the levels of transaminases, phosphatase and GGT (P < 0.005). In the liver, the expression of PPARα and FXRα expressions were upregulated, while PPARγ expression was downregulated by the treatment with AA. The liver histology of the animals showed reduction in steatosis and MNC infiltration. These preliminary evidences suggested that AA might be a promising lead to treat NAFLD. Future robust scientific studies on AA will lead to tailoring it for the treatment of NAFLD.

Finger Millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] Improvement: Current Status and Future Interventions of Whole Genome Sequence.

The whole genome sequence (WGS) of the much awaited, nutrient rich and climate resilient crop, finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) has been released recently. While possessing superior mineral nutrients and excellent shelf life as compared to other major cereals, multiploidy nature of the genome and relatively small plantation acreage in less developed countries hampered the genome sequencing of finger millet, disposing it as one of the lastly sequenced genomes in cereals. The genomic information available for this crop is very little when compared to other major cereals like rice, maize and barley. As a result, only a limited number of genetic and genomic studies has been undertaken for the improvement of this crop. Finger millet is known especially for its superior calcium content, but the high-throughput studies are yet to be performed to understand the mechanisms behind calcium transport and grain filling. The WGS of finger millet is expected to help to understand this and other important molecular mechanisms in finger millet, which may be harnessed for the nutrient fortification of other cereals. In this review, we discuss various efforts made so far on the improvement of finger millet including genetic improvement, transcriptome analysis, mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for traits, etc. We also discuss the pitfalls of modern genetic studies and provide insights for accelerating the finger millet improvement with the interventions of WGS in near future. Advanced genetic and genomic studies aided by WGS may help to improve the finger millet, which will be helpful to strengthen the nutritional security in addition to food security in the developing countries of Asia and Africa.

Identification of putative QTLs for seedling stage phosphorus starvation response in finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.) by association mapping and cross species synteny analysis.

A germplasm assembly of 128 finger millet genotypes from 18 countries was evaluated for seedling-stage phosphorus (P) responses by growing them in P sufficient (Psuf) and P deficient (Pdef) treatments. Majority of the genotypes showed adaptive responses to low P condition. Based on phenotype behaviour using the best linear unbiased predictors for each trait, genotypes were classified into, P responsive, low P tolerant and P non-responsive types. Based on the overall phenotype performance under Pdef, 10 genotypes were identified as low P tolerants. The low P tolerant genotypes were characterised by increased shoot and root length and increased root hair induction with longer root hairs under Pdef, than under Psuf. Association mapping of P response traits using mixed linear models revealed four quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Two QTLs (qLRDW.1 and qLRDW.2) for low P response affecting root dry weight explained over 10% phenotypic variation. In silico synteny analysis across grass genomes for these QTLs identified putative candidate genes such as Ser-Thr kinase and transcription factors such as WRKY and basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH). The QTLs for response under Psuf were mapped for traits such as shoot dry weight (qHSDW.1) and root length (qHRL.1). Putative associations of these QTLs over the syntenous regions on the grass genomes revealed proximity to cytochrome P450, phosphate transporter and pectin methylesterase inhibitor (PMEI) genes. This is the first report of the extent of phenotypic variability for P response in finger millet genotypes during seedling-stage, along with the QTLs and putative candidate genes associated with P starvation tolerance.

Acaricidal activity of petroleum ether extract of leaves of Tetrastigma leucostaphylum (Dennst.) Alston against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus.

The acaricidal activity of the petroleum ether extract of leaves of Tetrastigma leucostaphylum (Dennst.) Alston (family: Vitaceae) against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus was assessed using adult immersion test (AIT). The per cent of adult mortality, inhibition of fecundity, and blocking of hatching of eggs were studied at different concentrations. The extract at 10% concentration showed 88.96% inhibition of fecundity, 58.32% of adult tick mortality, and 50% inhibition of hatching. Peak mortality rate was observed after day 5 of treatment. Mortality of engorged female ticks, inhibition of fecundity, and hatching of eggs were concentration dependent. The LC50 value of the extract against R. (B.) annulatus was 10.46%. The HPTLC profiling of the petroleum ether extract revealed the presence of at least seven polyvalent components. In the petroleum ether extract, nicotine was identified as one of the components up to a concentration of 5.4%. However, nicotine did not reveal any acaricidal activity up to 20000 ppm (2%). Coconut oil, used as diluent for dissolving the extract, did not reveal any acaricidal effects. The results are indicative of the involvement of synergistic or additive action of the bioactive components in the tick mortality and inhibition of the oviposition.