Agro-Morphological Characterization of Lentil Germplasm of Indian National Genebank and Development of a Core Set for Efficient Utilization in Lentil Improvement Programs.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is one of the major cool-season pulse crops worldwide. Its increasing demand as a staple pulse has led to the unlocking of diverse germplasm collections conserved in the genebanks to develop its superior varieties. The Indian National Genebank, housed at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India, currently has 2,324 accessions comprising 1,796 indigenous and 528 exotic collections. This study was conducted to unveil the potential of lentil germplasm by assessing its agro-morphological characteristics and diversity, identifying trait-specific germplasm, and developing a core set. The complete germplasm set was characterized for two years, i.e., 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, and data were recorded on 26 agro-morphological traits. High phenotypic variability was observed for nine quantitative and 17 qualitative traits. A core set comprising 170 accessions (137 Indian and 33 exotic) was derived based on the characterization data as well as geographical origin using a heuristic method and PowerCore software. This core set was found to be sufficiently diverse and representative of the entire collection based on the comparison made using Shannon-Weaver diversity indices and χ2 test. These results were further validated by summary statistics. The core set displayed high genetic diversity as evident from a higher coefficient of variance in comparison to the entire set for individual traits and overall Shannon-Weaver diversity indices (entire: 1.054; core: 1.361). In addition, the total variation explained by the first three principal components was higher in the core set (70.69%) than in the entire collection (68.03%). Further, the conservation of pairwise correlation values among descriptors in the entire and core set reflected the maintenance of the structure of the whole set. Based on the results, this core set is believed to represent the entire collection, completely. Therefore, it constitutes a potential set of germplasm that can be used in the genetic enhancement of lentils.

The Prehistoric Indian Ayurvedic Rice Shashtika Is an Extant Early Domesticate With a Distinct Selection History.

Fully domesticated rice is considered to have emerged in India at approximately 2000 B.C., although its origin in India remains a contentious issue. The fast-growing 60-days rice strain described in the Vedic literature (1900-500 B.C.) and termed Shashtika (Sanskrit) or Njavara (Dravidian etymology) in Ayurveda texts including the seminal texts Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita (circa 660-1000 B.C.) is a reliable extant strain among the numerous strains described in the Ayurveda literature. We here report the results of the phylogenetic analysis of Njavara accessions in relation to the cultivars belonging to the known ancestral sub-groups indica, japonica, aromatic, and aus in rice gene pool and the populations of the progenitor species Oryza rufipogon using genetic and gene genealogical methods. Based on neutral microsatellite markers, Njavara produced a major clade, which comprised of minor clades corresponding to the genotypic classes reported in Njavara germplasm, and was distinct from that were produced by the ancestral sub-groups. Further we performed a phylogenetic analysis using the combined sequence of 19 unlinked EST-based sequence tagged site (STS) loci with proven potential in inferring rice phylogeny. In the phylogenetic tree also the Njavara genotypic classes were clearly separated from the ancestral sub-groups. For most loci the genealogical analysis produced a high frequency central haplotype shared among most of the rice samples analyzed in the study including Njavara and a set of O. rufipogon accessions. The haplotypes sharing pattern with the progenitor O. rufipogon suggests a Central India-Southeast Asia origin for Njavara. Results signify that Njavara is genetically distinct in relation to the known ancestral sub-groups in rice. Further, from the phylogenetic features together with the reported morphological characteristics, it is likely that Njavara is an extant early domesticate in Indian rice gene pool, preserved in pure form over millennia by the traditional prudence in on-farm selection using 60-days maturity, because of its medicinal applications.

Diversity in protein profiling, pasting, empirical and dynamic dough rheological properties of meal from different durum wheat accessions.

The particle size distribution, protein profile, pasting and dough rheological properties of meal from forty-two Indian durum wheat accessions were evaluated. Meal from accessions with higher grain hardness index (GHI) showed a high proportion of large size particles with higher protein content and lower paste viscosities. Elastic and viscous modulii (G' and G″) of dough were negatively correlated with paste viscosities, which was associated with the presence/absence of LMW-GS and HMW-GS. Wheat accessions with allelic combinations of (13 + 16) with 97 + 91 kDa polypeptides (PPs) had higher G' and G″. The accession with 35 kDa PP showed higher while those with 35 and 62 kDa PPs showed lower paste viscosity. Among all accessions, 25 accessions possess 7 + 8 (97 and 88 kDa) type HMW-GS allelic combination. Durum accessions with diverse GHI, particle size distribution, protein profile, paste and dough rheology indicates their variation in milling and processing behaviour.

Structural, thermal and rheological properties of starches isolated from Indian quinoa varieties.

In this study starches isolated from Indian quinoa varieties were examined for physicochemical, morphological, thermal and rheological properties. Among isolated starches V1 showed higher starch yield and lower purity (48.45% and 98.32%) than V2 (41.28 and 98.53%). The amylose content was higher for V1 (12.10%) than V2 (9.46%). Swelling powers and solubility of the starches increased with increasing temperature. Peak viscosity (386.4 RVU) was higher for V1. In contrast V2 showed higher pasting temperature (72.85°C). Low setback viscosity of the starches suggests that they can be profitably used in frozen and refrigerated foods. Starch granules from both varieties were irregular, angular and polygonal in shape. The starch granule size obtained by SEM was 1.23µm for V1 and 1.19µm for V2. Both starches showed a typical A-type diffractrometric pattern with varying crystallinity. Further V1 showed lower transition temperatures (To, Tp and Tc) than V2. FTIR spectroscopy showed higher intensity and broader shape of V2 at OH stretch which can be due to its higher crystallinity. Increased interest is shown in quinoa starch because of its unique microcrystalline granules. Higher yield and purity values suggest that both varieties can be exploited for commercial starch utilization.

Floristic diversity and distribution pattern of plant communities along altitudinal gradient in Sangla Valley, Northwest Himalaya.

Himalayas are globally important biodiversity hotspots and are facing rapid loss in floristic diversity and changing pattern of vegetation due to various biotic and abiotic factors. This has necessitated the qualitative and quantitative assessment of vegetation here. The present study was conducted in Sangla Valley of northwest Himalaya aiming to assess the structure of vegetation and its trend in the valley along the altitudinal gradient. In the forest and alpine zones of the valley, 15 communities were recorded. Study revealed 320 species belonging to 199 genera and 75 families. Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Apiaceae, and Ranunculaceae were dominant. Among genera, Artemisia followed by Polygonum, Saussurea, Berberis, and Thalictrum were dominant. Tree and shrub's density ranged from 205 to 600 and from 105 to 1030 individual per hectare, respectively, whereas herbs ranged from 22.08 to 78.95 individual/m(2). Nearly 182 species were native to the Himalaya. Maximum altitudinal distribution of few selected climate sensitive species was found to be highest in northeast and north aspects. This study gives an insight into the floristic diversity and community structure of the fragile Sangla Valley which was hitherto not available.

Molecular diversity in rice blast resistance gene Pi-ta makes it highly effective against dynamic population of Magnaporthe oryzae.

Rice blast is one of the important diseases of rice which can be effectively managed by the deployment of resistance genes. Pi-ta is one of the major blast resistant genes effective against pathogen populations in different parts of India. We analysed allelic variants of Pi-ta from 48 rice lines selected after phenotyping of 529 rice landraces across three eco-geographical blast hot spot regions. Besides, Pi-ta orthologue sequences of 220 rice accessions belonging to wild and cultivated species of rice were also included in the study for a better evo-devo perspective of the diversity present in the gene and the selection pressures acting on this locus. We obtained high nucleotide variations (SNPs and insertion-deletions) in the intronic region. We also identified 64 haplotypes based on nucleotide polymorphism in these alleles. Pi-ta orthologues of Indian landraces were scattered in eight major haplotypes indicating its heterogenous nature. We identified a total of 47 different Pi-ta protein variants on the basis of deduced amino acid residues amongst the orthologues. Five unique and novel Pi-ta variants were identified for the first time in rice landraces exhibiting different reaction types against the Magnaporthe oryzae population. A high value of Pi(non/syn) was observed only in the leucine-rich domain of the alleles cloned from Indian landraces, indicating strong selective forces acting on this region. The detailed molecular analysis of the Pi-ta orthologues provides insights to a high degree of inter- and intraspecific relationships amongst the Oryza species. We identified rice landraces possessing the effective alleles of this resistance gene which can be used in future blast resistance breeding programmes.

ß-Carotene and mineral content of different Chenopodium species and the effect of cooking on micronutrient retention.

In the present study, the ß-carotene, calcium, iron and zinc content in the leaves of 46 accessions of three Chenopodium species viz. Chenopodium album, C. album ssp. amaranticolor and Chenopodium quinoa was investigated. A wide range of variability, inter-specific as well as varietal, for the ß-carotene [0.19-5.91 mg 100 g(- 1) fresh weight (FW)], calcium (358.35-960.10 mg 100 g(- 1) FW), iron (0.56-7.90 mg 100 g(- 1) FW) and zinc content (0.07-4.26 mg 100 g(- 1) FW) was observed. The C. album ssp. amaranticolor accessions IC341710 and IC469275 had a high content of all the four nutrients and were ideal food to alleviate nutritional deficiencies in humans. Nutritionally rich IC341710 and IC469275 were further studied to estimate micronutrient retention in cooked leaves. Between the two methods used to cook leaves, stir-frying showed better retention of micronutrients than pressure cooking.