Distillery effluent as a liquid fertilizer: a win-win option for sustainable agriculture.

A promising approach to recycle the residual distillery waste as a potential liquid fertilizer has been discussed in this paper. Field studies were conducted on Brassica compestris to assess the potential of the diluted post- methanated distillery effluent. The results indicated that there was not much variation in pH, conductivity and nitrate of soil, whereas total dissolved solids, conductivity, nitrate and chemical oxygen demand of the well water increased slightly but well within the permissible limit. However, there was a significant increase in the plant biomass, diameter of the shoot and root, area of leaf, as well as number and length of pods and root hairs. The hydrophilic colloids of the seed increased significantly (p < .01) and the yield of mustard seeds was increased by 30% as compared to the conventional fertilizer. The carbohydrate, chlorophyll and ascorbic acid content of the leaf, stem and root were also analysed and its morpho- physiological significance is also presented in this paper.

A comparative study on adult mortality of Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Adult mortality (15-49 years) is one of the major public health issues which remains neglected in many developing counties like Nepal. Only limited data are available which is insufficient to identify the cause and level of mortality among adults. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to explore and compare the adult mortality rate of Nepal between 1996, 2001 and 2006 surveys. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is comparative study conducted by using secondary data extracted from Nepal Family Health Survey (NFHS, 1996), National Census Report 2001 and Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS, 2006). Statistical analysis was done using Microsoft excel soft ware. The adjusted mortality rates were computed using 2001 census population as standard population. RESULT: This studied showed there was statistical evidence of declining age specific mortality rate between 1996 and 2006 survey for both men and women respectively (p<0.05). Annually adult men mortality rate and adult women mortality rate was found to be declining by 1% and 3. 2% respectively. Women mortality rate declined by 2.26 times as compared to men mortality rate over ten year's period. CONCLUSION: There is a need of in-depth analysis of adult mortality in the developing countries like Nepal.

Pre-harvest accumulation of deoxynivalenol in sweet corn ears inoculated with Fusarium graminearum.

Three types of commercial sweet corn hybrids [surgary (su1), shrunken or 'supersweet' (sh2) and surgary enhancer (se1)] were silk channel inoculated in 1996 and 1997 with a macroconidial suspension of Fusarium graminearum to determine how early the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol accumulates in kernels. Disease symptoms rapidly developed on all hybrids and were apparent 4 days after inoculation. Symptoms stabilized by 28 days after inoculation. Toxin levels were greater than 1 microgram/g in kernels as early as 2 weeks after silk emergence and rapidly increased to extremely high levels. Susceptibility in all hybrids decreased as the silk dried out. Deoxynivalenol concentrations were correlated to disease severity. There was some indication that the sh2 genotype was more susceptible than the su1 or se1 genotypes. These results suggest that improvement needs to be made in sweet corn with respect to resistance to gibberella ear rot.

Analysis of Fusarium toxins in maize and wheat using thin layer chromatography.

Thin layer chromatography (TLC) methods for identifying and quantifying deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B1 (FB1) and zearalenone in grain samples were compared to immunoassay (ELISA) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods to determine the reliability of the less expensive TLC. There was a very good agreement between levels of DON measured by TLC and competitive-direct ELISA, and between levels of fumonisin B1 measured by TLC and HPLC, over a wide range of concentrations. Correlation coefficients (Pearson's) were 0.978, 0.914 and 0.953 for DON in maize, DON in wheat and FB1 in maize respectively. A lower correlation coefficient (r = 0.672) was obtained when zearalenone was quantified by TLC and HPLC. Possible reasons for this are discussed. A cost comparison of the various methods revealed that TLC was the least expensive for sample analysis. It is recommended that researchers choose which analytical method to use based upon individual considerations of cost and precision.

Replication and encapsidation of the viroid-like satellite RNA of lucerne transient streak virus are supported in divergent hosts by cocksfoot mottle virus and turnip rosette virus.

Cocksfoot mottle sobemovirus supports replication and encapsidation of the viroid-like satellite RNA (sat-RNA) of lucerne transient streak virus (LTSV) in two monocotyledonous species, Triticum aestivum and Dactylis glomerata. Additionally, LTSV sat-RNA replicates effectively in the presence of turnip rosette sobemovirus in Brassica rapa, Raphanus raphanistrum and Sinapsis arvensis, but not in Thlaspi arvense or Nicotiana bigelovii, indicating that host species markedly influence this interaction. Previous reports of the association between LTSV sat-RNA and helper sobemoviruses were limited to dicotyledonous hosts. Our results demonstrate that the biological interaction between these two entities spans divergent dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous species.

Sequence of the 3'-terminal region of turnip mosaic virus RNA and the capsid protein gene.

A sequence of 1801 nucleotides originating from the 3' end region of turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) RNA was cloned using the polymerase chain reaction and found to contain one long open reading frame (ORF). The amino acid sequence of three different regions of the isolated TuMV capsid protein (including the NH2 terminus) was determined and these partial sequences were found in the translation product predicted to be encoded by the large ORF. The data suggested that the TuMV capsid protein was a product arising from the maturation of a larger polyprotein, as observed for other potyviruses. Furthermore, the putative cleavage site corresponded to a glutamine-alanine dipeptide, a site commonly used in plant virus polyprotein processing. The capsid protein cistron was composed of 864 nucleotides and corresponded to a region encoding 288 amino acids with a calculated Mr of 33,186; the adjacent 3' non-coding region was 667 nucleotides long. The deduced amino acid sequence of the TuMV capsid protein is closely related to other potyvirus capsid proteins, with most of the variation being found within the NH2-terminal region.

Variation of ascorbic acid content in the different tissues of the frog Rana tigrina as a function of season.

Ascorbic acid concentrations of the liver, thigh, and cardiac muscles, ventral and dorsal skin, as well as muscles of the frog Rana tigrina were higher during summer and lower in winter. Ascorbate concentration also showed another high peak in February. The cardiac ascorbate showed minimal seasonal fluctuations.

Seasonal changes in energy reserves in the common frog, Rana tigrina.

Liver glycogen and lipid, ovarian glycogen, and lipid index were used as criteria to elucidate energy changes associated with reproduction and biphasic pattern of dormancy (summer and winter) in the female forg, Rana tigrina. Liver glycogen showed 2 peaks; the ovarian glycogen showed reciprocal relationship with that of liver. The liver lipid and glycogen showed parallel trend.

Enzymatic activities in cell fractions of mycoplasmalike organisms purified from aster yellows-infected plants.

Mycoplasmalike organisms (MLOs), purified from aster yellows-infected plants were osmotically lysed, and the membranes were separated from the cytoplasmic fraction through differential centrifugation. Electron microscopic examinations of sections of the purified MLOs and the isolated membranes showed pleomorphic bodies and unit membranous empty vesicles, respectively. Cell fractions were tested for NADH oxidase, NADPH oxidase, ATPase, RNase, DNase, and p-nitrophenyl phosphatase activity. NADH oxidase and ATPase were confined to the membrane fraction and NADPH oxidase to the cytoplasmic fraction of the MLOs. para-Nitrophenyl phosphatase, RNase, and DNase activities were detected in both membrane and cytoplasmic fractions, but p-nitrophenyl phosphatase and RNase appeared to be associated with membranes and DNase with the cytoplasmic fraction. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was found in the cytoplasmic fraction of the MLO cells. Our findings on the distribution of enzymes in MLO cells and cell fractions are the first basic documentation on nonhelical, nonculturable microbes parasitic to plants.

Application of immunodiffusion to the identification of Rhizobium meliloti strains competing for nodulation on Medicago sativa.

The immunodiffusion technique was successfully used to unambiguously recognize four strains of Rhizobium meliloti in a study of competition for nodulation with Medicago sativa cv. Apollo inoculated with two-, three- and four-strain mixtures. The serological reactions of all R. meliloti strains revealed no significant changes following plant passage indicating that the antigens involved in immunodiffusion were stable. R. meliloti 102F70 formed 50% or more of the nodules on M. sativa inoculated with two-, three- and four-strain mixtures. The remaining three strains were less competitive and produced similar proportions of nodules (14-20%) on plants inoculated with three- and four-strain mixtures. Cases of mixed-strain occupancy of nodules involving either two of three strains were detected in a sub-sample of nodules. The data also indicated considerable variation in the proportions of strains in the nodules of individual plants.

The aster yellows controversy: current status.

Evidence for and against the spiroplasmal etiology of aster yellows (AY) disease is examined. A spiroplasma, serologically identical to Spiroplasma citri, was cultivated by some workers from lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants claimed to be naturally infected with AY. The isolated spiroplasma was shown to be infectious by injecting Macrosteles fascifrons with the cultured organisms and then confining the injected leafhoppers on healthy plants. The reports claiming that a spiroplasma is the etiological agent of AY, however, exist only in astract form, and several essential questions still need to be answered to substantiate the claim. Evidence against the claim is based on significant differences that have been observed between the behavior of S. citri and the AY agent in the leafhoppers as well as in the plant. Also, helical organisms could not be found in AY-infected plants by either scanning or immunosorbent electron microscopy, and S. citri is serologically unrelated to the mycoplasma-like organisms found in AY-infected plants. These results strongly support the conclusion that the classical AY disease is not caused by a variant of S. citri.

Haematological studies on the prewintering and wintering frog, Rana esculenta.

1. A study of the haematology of the frog Rana esculenta including erythrocyte count (RBC), haemoglobin content (Hb), haematocrit (HCT), mean cell volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and erythrocyte size as a function of prewinter and winter was made. 2. The RBC count and Hb were significantly higher in contrast to MCV and MCH values during prewinter in both sexes. 3. The surface area to volume ratio was higher in prewinter whereas the length to width ratio (eccentricity) of the cytosome and nucleus was significantly higher during winter in both sexes. 4. Sexual differences in the erythrocyte count, Hb content and the surface area to volume ratio were also observed. 5. The physiological significance of these observations are reported for Rana esculenta.

Effect of starvation and refeeding on the scorpion, Buthus tamulus.

1. Scorpions were starved for 1, 4, 8, and 12 days and then subsequently refed until the sixteenth day. The concentrations of glycogen, amino acid, and protein in the liver were determined to evaluate the effect of starvation and refeeding on these biochemical constituents. 2. The concentration of glycogen decreased gradually but significantly with the progressive days of starvation. After refeeding, the concentration increased sharply and attained the normal condition after 4 days of refeeding. 3. The concentrations of amino acids and proteins increased during first few days of starvation and declined thereafter. After refeeding the concentrations of amino acids and proteins increased gradually and attained the normal conditions after 3 and 4 days respectively. 4. The water content of the liver did not show any significant variation with the progressive days of starvation or after refeeding.

Homologous serological analysis of Rhizobium meliloti strains by immunodiffusion.

The homologous titers of antisera prepared against 24 Rhizobium meliloti strains ranged from 8 to 64 in immunodiffusion tests when intact cells were used as test antigens. The antisera titers against a number of strains were higher when heated or ultrasonicated cell preparations were used as sources of antigens. The minimum concentration of intact cells required to produce a positive reaction varied between strains and the heat treatment of the cells of some strains increased the detectability of surface antigens. Titers of antigens in sonicated preparations of several strains were higher than those of either intact or heated cells. The minimum concentration of antigens detectable for different strains was independent of the antisera titers. Serological reactions of strains using intact cells were categorized in several groups based on the shape, position, and number of precipitin bands formed at different cell densities. The sonicated cell preparations produced additional bands and most strains contained both heat-stable and heat-labile antigens in such preparations. Some of these antigens were similar but not identical to the surface antigens whereas others appeared to be unrelated.

Certain biochemical changes in the ovary of a migratory bird, Calandrella acutirostris tibetana.

The changes in the ovarian cholesterol, glycogen and ascorbic acid of Bagheri, Calandrella acutirostris tibetana, during its non-breeding and breeding periods were studied. There was a significant increase in all the 3 biochemical constituents during the breeding period.