Standardized agronomic practices for mechanical harvesting of the single-harvest garden pea in India.

The field investigations were conducted at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of vegetable Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana with the objective to standarize the agronomic practices for mechical harvesting of garden pea. Therefore, effect of different agronomic traits including time of sowing, spacing and sowing method on yield and its attributing traits were studied on single-harvest garden pea. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with 30 treatments comprising five dates of sowing in main plots and 2 different planting methods (flat and bed) sown at three different spacing in subplots and replicated three times. The bed size was standardized according to front-loading width of the pea combine. Significant interactions were observed between the date of sowing and spacing for a number of pods per plant, green seeds per pod, green pod yield per plant, green pod yield per plot; date of sowing and sowing method for pod length; spacing and sowing method for plant height. However, for all the traits, there was non-significant 3-way interaction. The late sown (20th December) crop resulted in the least number of pods per plant, green seeds per pod, green pod yield per plant and green pod yield per plot which was due to high temperature and low relative humidity conditions at pod development and filling stage. It is concluded that the garden pea cultivar Punjab-89 sown on 5th November at the spacing of 20 × 7.5 cm on beds (bed width of 1.0 m) resulted in significantly highest green pod yield of 12.75 kg/9 m2 in the single harvest. Therefore, the 3 beds of 1 m width can be harvested together with pea combine (because combine has working front width of 3.1 m) results into maximum yield when pea crops is sown on 5th November @ 20 × 7.5 cm spacing.

Genetic Mechanisms for Hybrid Breeding in Vegetable Crops.

To address the complex challenges faced by our planet such as rapidly changing climate patterns, food and nutritional insecurities, and the escalating world population, the development of hybrid vegetable crops is imperative. Vegetable hybrids could effectively mitigate the above-mentioned fundamental challenges in numerous countries. Utilizing genetic mechanisms to create hybrids not only reduces costs but also holds significant practical implications, particularly in streamlining hybrid seed production. These mechanisms encompass self-incompatibility (SI), male sterility, and gynoecism. The present comprehensive review is primarily focused on the elucidation of fundamental processes associated with floral characteristics, the genetic regulation of floral traits, pollen biology, and development. Specific attention is given to the mechanisms for masculinizing and feminizing cucurbits to facilitate hybrid seed production as well as the hybridization approaches used in the biofortification of vegetable crops. Furthermore, this review provides valuable insights into recent biotechnological advancements and their future utilization for developing the genetic systems of major vegetable crops.

Corrigendum: Genotypic variation in Na, K and their ratio in 45 commercial cultivars of Indian tropical onion: A pressing need to reduce hypertension among the population.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1098320.].

Genotypic variation in Na, K and their ratio in 45 commercial cultivars of Indian tropical onion: A pressing need to reduce hypertension among the population.

The intake of diets with higher sodium (Na) and lower potassium (K) has been considered a leading factor for the development of hypertension (HTN). Majority of junk, processed and packaged food have higher Na contents. To counter the effects of diet on HTN, the identification of high K/Na ratio plant-based food is needed. Among fruits and vegetables, onion could be the ideal option since it contains high K content. Keeping this in mind, 45 commercially well adapted short day Indian onion cultivars were evaluated for K and Na content and their ratio to isolate suitable cultivars to prevent HTN in the Indian population. The data suggested wide variation among the genotypes for K, Na, and K/Na ratio ranging from 490.2 ± 17.0 to 9160.0 ± 96.7 mg/kg on dry matter basis, 52.7 ± 3.0 to 458.2 ± 61.7 mg/kg on dry matter basis and 3.1 ± 0.7 to 109.5 ± 17.3, respectively. The K content was recorded as significantly highest in the yellow-coloured bulb variety "Arka Pitamber" (9160.1 ± 96.7) followed by Pusa Sona (7933.2 ± 292.8). On the other hand, minimal K was assessed in the white-coloured bulb variety "Agrifound White" (490.3 ± 17.0) followed by Udaipur Local (732.9 ± 93.4). Twelve cultivars exhibited > 7000 mg K content, while nine cultivars recorded < 1500 mg. On the contrary, Na was recorded as significantly highest in the dark-red-coloured bulbs and the lowest in white bulbs. Furthermore, it was determined that there was a more than 35-fold difference observed between the highest (109.5) and lowest (3.1) K/Na ratio in the bulbs of tested cultivars. Cluster analysis revealed three major groups comprising of 23, 13 and 9 genotypes. This information could form the base for public health, food and onion researchers to design suitable cultivars to prevent HTN as a population-wide approach. The next century is going to be food-based for the amelioration of human diseases in a sustainable way without any after-effects on the human body.

Antioxidant Potential of Glutathione and Crosstalk with Phytohormones in Enhancing Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants.

Glutathione (GSH) is an abundant tripeptide that can enhance plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. Its main role is to counter free radicals and detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in cells under unfavorable conditions. Moreover, along with other second messengers (such as ROS, calcium, nitric oxide, cyclic nucleotides, etc.), GSH also acts as a cellular signal involved in stress signal pathways in plants, directly or along with the glutaredoxin and thioredoxin systems. While associated biochemical activities and roles in cellular stress response have been widely presented, the relationship between phytohormones and GSH has received comparatively less attention. This review, after presenting glutathione as part of plants' feedback to main abiotic stress factors, focuses on the interaction between GSH and phytohormones, and their roles in the modulation of the acclimatation and tolerance to abiotic stress in crops plants.

Molecular marker-based characterization of cytoplasm and restorer of male sterility (Ms) locus in commercially grown onions in India.

BACKGROUND: The cytoplasmic-genic male-sterility system has been extensively employed for the production of onion hybrids. Molecular marker-assisted characterization of the cytotypes and genotyping at the restorer-of male-fertility (Ms) locus is important for the accelerated breeding of onion hybrids. Indian onion breeding has focussed more on open-pollinated varieties than hybrids. To accelerate the breeding efforts, marker-assisted selection (MAS) plays a pivotal role. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study aimed to characterize the Indian breeding lines, varieties, hybrids, and exotic accessions for cytotype and Ms locus. For cytoplasm, cytotype markers, accD, and MKFR and for Ms locus identification, PCR markers AcPMS1 and AcSKP1 were employed. Bulk strategy to identify cytoplasm and Ms locus was tested. Sequencing of PCR products amplified by accD was also tried. Both the accD and MKFR were synonymous in cytoplasm identification except in T821 where T cytoplasm was identified. AcPMS1 was more reliable than AcSKP1 for Ms locus identification. Sequencing proved that N and T cytoplasm are identical. Bulking strategy can be used for cytotype identification but not for Ms locus. CONCLUSIONS: Indian onions have a predominance of normal (N) cytoplasm and homozygous recessive (msms) locus. This might be beneficial for hybrid development. S cytoplasm was identified in exotic varieties. For the first time, T cytoplasm has been reported from India. These findings will assist Indian onion breeders to develop MAS strategies for accelerating hybrid development programs. And for the release of onion hybrids with high productivity and uniformity.