Improvement of bacterial blight resistance of the high yielding, fine-grain, rice variety, Gangavati sona through marker-assisted backcross breeding.

Gangavati sona (GS) is a high-yielding, fine-grain rice variety widely grown in the Tungabhadra command area in Karnataka, India; however, it is susceptible to bacterial blight (BB). Therefore, the present study was conducted to improve the GS variety for BB resistance. Three BB-resistant genes (xa5, xa13, and Xa21) were introgressed into the genetic background of susceptible cultivar GS through marker-assisted backcrossing (MABB) by using Improved samba Mahsuri (ISM), a popular, high-yielding, bacterial blight resistant rice variety as a donor parent. Foreground selection was carried out using gene-specific markers, viz., xa5FM (xa5), xa13prom (xa13), and pTA248 (Xa21), while background selection was carried out using well-distributed 64 polymorphic microsatellite markers. The true heterozygote F1 was used as the male parent for backcrossing with GS to obtain BC1F1. The process was repeated in BC1F1 generation, and a BC2F1 plant (IGS-5-11-5) possessing all three target genes along with maximum recurrent parent genome (RPG) recovery (86.7%) was selfed to obtain BC2F2s. At BC2F2, a single triple gene homozygote plant (IGS-5-11-5-33) with 92.6% RPG recovery was identified and advanced to BC2F5 by a pedigree method. At BC2F5, the seven best entries were selected, possessing all three resistance genes with high resistance levels against bacterial blight, yield level, and grain quality features equivalent to better than GS. The improved versions of GS will immensely benefit the farmers whose fields are endemic to BB.

Ultrasonic Studies on Molecular Interactions in Binary Mixtures of N-Methyl Aniline with Methyl Isobutylketone, +3-Pentanone, and +Cycloalkanones at 303.15 K.

Densities, ρ, viscosities, η, and ultrasonic sound velocities u of pure methyl isobutylketone, diethylketone, cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, 2-methyl cyclohexanone and those of their binary mixtures with N-methyl aniline were measured at 303.15 K over the entire composition range. These experimental data have been used to calculate the excess volume (VE), deviation in ultrasonic sound velocity (∆u), isentropic compressibility (κs ), intermolecular free length (Lf), excess intermolecular free length ([Formula: see text]), acoustic impedance (Z), excess isentropic compressibility ([Formula: see text]), deviation in viscosity (∆η) and excess Gibbs energy of activation of viscous flow (G*E). The viscosity data have been correlated using three equations proposed by Grunberg and Nissan, Katti and Chaudhri, and Hind et al. The excess/deviations have been fitted by Redlich-Kister equation and the results are discussed in terms of molecular interactions present in these mixtures.