Isolation and chemical characterization of lignocellulosic fiber from Pueraria montana using Box-Behnken design for weed management.

The huge demand for natural fibers necessitates the search for non-traditional bioresources including invasive species which are deteriorating the ecosystem and biodiversity. The study aims to utilize Pueraria montana weed for the extraction of lignocellulosic fiber using both traditional (water retting) and chemical extraction methods to determine the better extraction method. Chemically extracted fiber showed 17.09 g/tex bundle strength whereas water-extracted fiber showed 11.7 g/tex bundle strength. Therefore, chemical extraction method was chosen for fiber isolation by optimization of reaction conditions using Box Behnken Design. Based on the design, optimal conditions obtained were 1 % w/v NaOH, 0.75 % v/v H2O2, and 3 days retting time. Solid-state NMR illustrated the breakdown of hemicellulose linkages at 25.89 ppm. FTIR revealed the disappearance of C=O groups of hemicellulose at 1742 cm-1. TGA demonstrated thermal stability of chemically treated fiber up to 220 °C and activation energy of 60.122 KJ/mol. XRD evidenced that chemically extracted fiber has a crystallinity index of 71.1 % and a crystal size of 2 nm. Thus P. montana weed holds potential for the isolation of natural fiber as its chemical composition and properties are comparable to commercial lignocellulosic fibers. The study exemplifies the transformation of weed to a bioresource of natural fibers.

First record of Cladosporium oxysporum as a potential novel fungal hyperparasite of Melampsora medusae f. sp. deltoidae and screening of Populus deltoides clones against leaf rust.

Melampsora medusae f. sp. deltoidae is causing serious foliar rust disease on Populus deltoides clones in India. In the present study, a novel fungal hyperparasite on M. medusae has been reported. The hyperparasitic fungus was isolated from the uredeniospores of the rust fungi and identified as Cladosporium oxysporum by morphological characterization and DNA barcode technique based on the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of nrDNA and beta-tubulin (TUB) gene region. Hyperparasitism was further confirmed through leaf assay and cavity slide methods. Leaf assay method showed no adverse effect of C. oxysporum on poplar leaves. However, the mean germination percentage of urediniospores was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the cavity slide method when a conidial suspension (1.5 × 107 conidia per ml) of C. oxysporum was applied in different deposition sequences. Scanning and light microscopic observations were made to explore the mode of action of the hyperparasitism. The antagonistic fungus vividly showed three different types of antagonism mechanisms, including enzymatic, direct, and contact parasitism. Alternatively, by screening 25 high-yielding clones of P. deltoides, five clones (FRI-FS-83, FRI-FS-92, FRI-FS-140, FRI-AM-111, and D-121) were enlisted under highly resistant category. Present study revealed an antagonistic relationship between C. oxysporum and M. medusae, which could be an effective method of biocontrol in field plantations of poplar. Combining this biocontrol approach with the use of resistant host germplasm could be an environment friendly strategy for preventing foliar rust and increasing poplar productivity in northern India. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03623-x.

Seasonal variation in biochemical responses of bamboo clones in the sub-tropical climate of Indian Himalayan foothills.

Seasonal variations affect the rate of biomass accumulation in plants which is internally governed by biochemical metabolites. Studying the impact of atmospheric seasonal changes on biochemical parameters can improve our understanding of various plant species' physiological plasticity. Bamboos are a fast-growing group of woody grass species, widely distributed across tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, and are an important species of the Indian subcontinent. Nevertheless, limited information is available on the seasonal response of biochemical's in bamboo species growing in ambient atmospheric circumstances. Therefore, we investigated the seasonal biochemical responses of Dendrocalamus strictus clones viz. Pantnagar (PNT) and Dhampur (DHM) to seasonal ambient atmospheric conditions. The concentrations of chlorophyll, protein, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium in bamboo leaves were increased significantly (p < 0.025) in monsoon compared to summer and winter seasons. Carotenoid, total sugar and ascorbic acid contents were highest during winters and reduced significantly during monsoon. Proline content was highest in summer and reduced by 97% during monsoon, indicating effective adaptation to both clones' water-limited conditions. It was inferred that seasonal variation in atmospheric conditions significantly influenced the biochemical constituents of plants. This study provides a biochemical approach for screening potential bamboo species with adaptive nature for plantation purposes intended to mitigate climate change.

Synthesis of quaternised guar gum using Taguchi L(16) orthogonal array.

Quaternised polysaccharides have diverse applications due to introduction of quaternary ammonium groups in the biopolymer. In the present study, quaternization of guar gum was carried out by adopting the Taguchi's approach of robust design of experiments for optimizing the levels of the factors to obtain quaternized guar gum with higher DS. The methodology employed far less number of experiments than the classical method which necessitates higher number of chemical reactions to achieve the required derivatisation. The application of Taguchi's L16 (45) orthogonal array resulted in DS of 0.49. The optimized experimental levels were 3.24 mol/AGU of NaOH and 2.04 mol/AGU of CHPTAC for 2 h at 30 °C keeping the gum: liquor ratio 1:20. The study established that Taguchi methodology provided a statistically sound and green approach for optimization of reaction conditions. The modified products were characterised by FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, DEPT-135, HSQC and HMBC spectroscopic methods.

Rheological and NMR spectral data sets of quaternary ammonium derivative of Cassia tora Linn. seed gum.

The present study has been carried out to investigate the rheological and spectral data of galactomannan and its quaternary ammonium derivative obtained from the endosperm of Cassia tora Linn. seed. The characterization of native and quaternized Cassia tora gum (CTG) was done by employing 2D NMR spectroscopy including HSQC and HMBC spectra. The data was analysed to identify the quaternary ammonium moiety introduced onto the galactomannan chain. The correlation signal of carbon and hydrogen of quaternary ammonium groups introduced onto the galactomannan chain was observed at 56 and 2.7 ppm respectively in HSQC spectrum. Further, the rheological data of CTG and derivatized product has been discussed. The data is related to the research article "Synthesis and characterization of quaternized Cassia tora gum using Taguchi's L'16 approach" [1].

Synthesis and characterization of quaternized Cassia tora gum using Taguchi L'16 approach.

Galactomannans are branched natural biopolymers possessing good biocompatibility, biodegradability and sustainability leading to diverse industrial applications. In the present study, quaternization of galactomannan derived from Cassia tora gum was investigated by adopting Taguchi's approach of robust design of experiments using 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride under alkaline heterogeneous conditions. The effect of reaction time, temperature, amount of NaOH and CHPTAC on DS of the derivatised products were investigated using Taguchi L16 (45) orthogonal array. The optimised conditions for preparation of the quaternized galactomannan with DS 0.114 were: reaction temperature 30 °C, reaction time 2 h, amount of sodium hydroxide, 0.0125 mol, amount of CHPTAC, 0.00319 mol and Gum-liquor ratio 1:15. The study demonstrated that Taguchi's approach is statistically sound for optimization of reaction conditions to achieve quaternization of Cassia tora gum. The structure of quaternised derivatives was characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR spectroscopy, FESEM, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and thermal analysis.

Pollution tolerance assessment of temperate woody vegetation growing along the National Highway-5 in Himachal Pradesh, India.

Industrialization and globalization have resulted in pollution of all the three ecosystems, including soil, water, and air. Among these, air pollution has generated much interest, since it has a major influence on the transboundary dispersion of pollutants globally. Air pollution tolerance index (APTI) value represents tolerance level of plants which help in selecting the most suitable plant species for plantation in/around affected areas. This parameter in conjunction with Anticipated Performance Index (API) can provide a logical solution for green belt development by considering biological and socio-economic aspect of the species and help in reducing the levels of pollutants. The present study was conducted in Himachal Pradesh, constituting a very vital part of the Indian Himalayan Region. In the present study, APTI and API values of six commonly growing temperate and sub-temperate plant species viz., Quercus leucotrichophora, Rubus ellipticus, Debregeasia saeneb, Hypericum oblongifolium, Punica granatum, and Grevillea robusta, were evaluated along the National Highway-5 in Himachal Pradesh. The highest value of APTI was observed for Grevillea robusta (12.89), followed by Punica granatum (10.87), Debregeasia saeneb (10.50), Hypericum oblongifolium (10.43), Rubus ellipticus (10.18), and Quercus leucotrichophora (9.68). Upon assessment of API, it was observed that Grevillea robusta (62.50%) was the highest scoring plant species in trees, while Rubus ellipticus and Debregeasia saeneb were the highest scoring shrub species (56.25% each) and thus can be recommended for green belt development and attenuation of air pollution in the region. Punica granatum can be suggested for plantation among the native species.

Adaptive physiological response, carbon partitioning, and biomass production of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal grown under elevated CO2 regimes.

Winter cherry or Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an important medicinal plant used in traditional and herbal medicine system. Yet, there is no information available on response of this plant to changing climatic conditions particularly elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Therefore, we conducted an experiment to examine the effect of elevated CO2 concentrations (ECs) on Withania somnifera. The variations in traits of physiological adaptation, net primary productivity, carbon partitioning, morphology, and biomass in response to elevated CO2 concentrations (ambient, 600 and 800 µmol mol-1) during one growth cycle were investigated within the open top chamber (OTC) facility in the foothill of the Himalayas, Dehardun, India. ECs significantly increased photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, soil respiration, net primary productivity and the carbon content of plant tissues (leaf, stem, and root), and soil carbon. Furthermore, ECs significantly enhanced biomass production (root and shoot), although declined night leaf respiration. Overall, it was summarized that photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, leaf, and soil carbon and biomass increased under ECs rendering the physiological adaptation to the plant. Increased net primary productivity might facilitate mitigation effects by sequestering elevated levels of carbon dioxide. We advocate further studies to investigate the effects of ECs on the accumulation of secondary metabolites and health-promoting substances of this as well as other medicinal plants.