Incorporation of engineered nanoparticles of biochar and fly ash against bacterial leaf spot of pepper.

In agriculture, the search for higher net profit is the main challenge in the economy of the producers and nano biochar attracts increasing interest in recent years due to its unique environmental behavior and increasing the productivity of plants by inducing resistance against phytopathogens. The effect of rice straw biochar and fly ash nanoparticles (RSBNPs and FNPs, respectively) in combination with compost soil on bacterial leaf spot of pepper caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. The application of nanoparticles as soil amendment significantly improved the chili pepper plant growth. However, RSBNPs were more effective in enhancing the above and belowground plant biomass production. Moreover, both RSBNPs and FNPs, significantly reduced (30.5 and 22.5%, respectively), while RSBNPs had shown in vitro growth inhibition of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria by more than 50%. The X-ray diffractometry of RSBNPs and FNPs highlighted the unique composition of nano forms which possibly contributed in enhancing the plant defence against invading X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. Based on our findings, it is suggested that biochar and fly ash nanoparticles can be used for reclaiming the problem soil and enhance crop productivity depending upon the nature of the soil and the pathosystem under investigation.

Influence of Plant Growth Regulators on In Vitro Shoot Multiplication and Plantlet Formation in Cassia angustifolia Vahl

ABSTRACTAn effective and improved plant regeneration system was successfully developed using shoot tip explants taken from a two years old mature plant of Cassia angustifolia. The effect of different cytokinins, [6-benzyladenine (BA), Kinetin (Kin) and thidiazuron (TDZ)] at different concentrations (0.5-10 µM) were evaluated as augmented with Murashige and Skoog (MS 1962) medium. Among all the cytokinins tested, TDZ (5.0 µM) was optimum in inducing multiple shoots as compared to BA and Kin. The rate of shoot multiplication was increased when optimal concentration (5.0 µM) of BA and Kin was tested with different concentration (0.1-1.0 µM) of Indole-3- acetic acid (IAA). Among all the combinations tested, the maximum rate of shoot multiplication was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 5.0 µM BA and 0.5 µM IAA. The number of the shoots and shoot length developed in TDZ was increased when transferred to MS medium devoid of TDZ. After every subculture, rate of the shoot multiplication and shoot length showed increment and continued even after fifth subculture without any decline rate. In vitro rooting in regenerated shoots were best obtained in half-strength MS medium supplemented with 2.0 µM indole-3- butyric acid (IBA). Plantlets with well-developed shoot and roots were successfully hardened off in earthen pots containing garden soil and grown in greenhouse with 80% survival rate.

Stereoselective synthesis of beta-substituted phenylalanine-beta-phenylisoserine-derived tripeptides using N-cinnamoyl-L-proline as template: synthesis of structural analogues of HIV protease inhibitors.

N-Cinnamoyl-L-proline can be used as a template on which beta-substituted phenylalanine and beta-phenylisoserine residues can be synthesized leading to tripeptide derivatives as structural analogues of HIV protease inhibitors.