فهرست مطالب

Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Volume:18 Issue: 2, Mar 2016

  • تاریخ انتشار: 1395/01/14
  • تعداد عناوین: 24
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  • M. P. Poudel*, S. E. Chen, W. C. Huang Pages 291-302
    The adverse effect of climate change on agriculture has increased the importance of weather index insurance, particularly in developing countries. By using several econometric models, this study estimated the price and evaluated its effectiveness in rainfall index insurance for rice and wheat in Nepal. Crop yields associated with seasonal rainfall in three crop reporting districts were applied for actuarial estimation. The primary findings suggest that well designed weather index insurance is helpful to reduce the yield risk and stabilize farm income for rice, but results vary across crops and districts. The study results imply that rainfall index insurance is a promising insurance product, particularly for rice. Implementation of rainfall index insurance could increase the investment in cereal production in Nepal.
    Keywords: Certainty equivalent revenues, Crop yields, Farm income, Premium rate, Risk reduction
  • S. Akin * Pages 303-314
    Correction of wrong practices or thoughts by the producer or the adoption of a new production technique shows the success of rural development studies. This study was conducted to assess the effect of Integrated Dairy Farming Project on the Çakmak and Ekinciler villages before and after implementing the European funded “Integrated Dairy Cattle Project” carried out by the Diyarbakır Commercial Exchange in southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey, in 2006. Project villages have enough arable lands and dry farming is performed. The number of cattle is increasing compared to the other villages in the province. In order to make a comparison between the years, three surveys were conducted in 2006, 2007, and 2009 by using questionnaires. The findings of the research show that a considerable portion of the respondents (37%) stated that they did not trust the analysis of this kind of project that had not taken into consideration the rural needs. While 54.4% of the farmers wanted to sell their milk to cooperatives in 2007, the same farmers in 2009 stated that they would not sell to cooperatives. In addition, 47.8% of the farmers trusted and benefitted from Europe (EU) project training programmes in 2007, while selling rate decreased to 35.6% in 2009. Furthermore, 30% of the participants mentioned that they could not trust the project staff since the project duration was short. Because of the reasons mentioned, participation in the project was realized at low level.
    Keywords: Dairy farming, European funded projects, Project participation, Rural development, Rural sociology
  • G. Ciurescu *, M. Ropota, I. Toncea, M. Habeanu Pages 315-326
    The study was carried out to investigate the effects of Camelia (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) variety (CS) oil or seeds on performance, meat quality, immunity and plasma metabolic profile in broiler chickens. The broilers (n= 2,080, Cobb 500) were randomly allocated (sex ratio 1:1) for 32-day experimental periods (from 11d to 42 d) to 4 experimental groups: Control (corn-soybean meal-full fat soy based diet), Group I (with CS oil added at 2.5%), Group II (5% CS seeds), and Group III (10% CS seeds, respectively) of 520 birds each, and received the diets ad libitum. Gas chromatography method was used to determine the fatty acid profile of the ingredients and breast muscle. At slaughter (42 day), a simplified analysis of the carcasses was conducted. The thymus, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius were aseptically removed and weighed. Results indicated that the adding of 2.5% CS oil and 5% CS seed did not have a negative effect on performance and carcass characteristics (i.e. carcass yield, legs, and breast proportions). Chickens fed the diet containing 10% CS seed had significantly decreased (P
    Keywords: Blood parameters, Carcass characteristics, Chickens, Immunity, Meat quality
  • H. Sharideh, M. Zhandi *, M. Zaghari, A. Akhlaghi Pages 327-336
    The effects of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and E. Coli-derived 6-phytase supplemented-diet on the reproductive performance in aged broiler breeder hens and on immune responses of their progeny chicks were studied. In a 2×4 factorial arrangement, 2 inclusion levels (0 or 300 U kg-1 diet) of E. coli-derived phytase and 4 inclusion levels (30, 60, 90, and 120 mg kg-1 diet) of ZnO were provided from 62 throughout 72 weeks of age. A total of 128 hens were randomly assigned into 8 dietary treatments with 4 replicates of 4 hens each. During 66 to 71 weeks of age, egg production and egg weights were daily recorded. Results showed that ZnO and ZnO×phytase interaction affected the egg weight and fertility rate (P
    Keywords: Aging, Dietary supplementation, Hatchability, Late production, Reproduction
  • M. Kordi *, A. A. Naserian, R. Valizadeh, A. M. Tahmasbi, M. Safarian Pages 337-345
    Limited data exist about the production of extruded linseed as a feed ingredient in farm animal nutrition. The objective of this study was to produce and evaluate extruded linseed mixed with alfalfa hay, pistachio by-products, and sugar beet pulp or corn grain in different proportions of linseed: alfalfa hay: pistachio by-products at ratios of 70:15:15, 70:20:10, 70:10:20, and 80:10:10 for quality parameters and in situ rumen Dry Matter (DM) degradability. Using a completely randomized design, the treatment containing alfalfa hay had higher Extrusion Effectiveness (EE), Water Holding Capacity (WHC), and Angle of Repose (AR), but lower Oil Loss (OL) and Bulk Density (BD) than other treatments (P 0.05). The treatment with an 80:10:10 ratio had the highest OL among all treatments and the treatment with a 70:15:15 ratio had lower BD than the others (P
    Keywords: Alfalfa, Fat absorption capacity, Pistachio by, products
  • M. Kamely, M. A. Karimi Torshizi*, H. Khosravinia Pages 347-359
    The aim of this study was to develop a diet suitable for obtaining quail eggs enriched with omega-3 fatty acids with minimum disadvantages on egg quality. This 12 weeks study was performed to investigate the effects of Fish Oil (FO) and Savory (Satureja khuzestanica) Essential Oil (EO) supplementation in diets of laying quails at different ages, on their performance, egg quality, fatty acid composition, and oxidation of egg yolk. One hundred and ninety-two Japanese quails were allocated to 8 groups (24 birds in each) with four replicates (having 6 birds in each) in a factorial arrangement with 3 variables: Age (31 and 12 weeks), FO (0 and 15 g kg-1), and EO (0 and 500 mg kg-1). The results showed that FO supplementation partially improved feed conversion ratio, hen-day egg production, egg weight and egg mass. There were no significant differences in albumen and shell weight percentage, but yolk percentage was significantly lower in FO groups. Savory essential oil significantly decreased shell thickness (P
    Keywords: Dietary administration, Herbal antioxidant, Quail n, 3 enriched eggs, Performance, Yolk oxidative stability
  • M. Ziaee *, M. Atapour, A. Marouf Pages 361-370
    Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is a dust composed of fossilized bodies of unicellular algae used as an insecticide. In this study, the insecticidal potential of four Iranian DE deposits was assessed in adults of Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.). Three of DE deposits were collected from Maragheh, Mamaghan, and Khorasan Jonoobi mines and Sayan® formulation was obtained from Kimia Sabz Avar Company. The insect adults were exposed on wheat, peeled barley, and rice treated with 300, 600, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 ppm of the DE deposits. Experiments were conducted at 27±1°C and 55±5% RH in continuous darkness. Mortality of the exposed individuals was counted after 2, 5, 10, and 14 days of exposure on the treated substrate. Mortality increased with increasing exposure intervals and concentration level. Satisfactory level of protection was observed on wheat grain; as 100% mortality was recorded on wheat treated with 600 ppm of all tested DE deposits after a 10-day exposure. However, for rice, even after 10 days of exposure to 2000 ppm mortality didn’t reach 100%. The lowest LC50 value (39 ppm) was obtained in wheat treated with Khorasan DE sample and the highest one (908 ppm) was achieved in rice treated with Sayan®. The present study suggests that Iranian DEs may be used as potential grain protectants in stored-product pest management programs.
    Keywords: Barley storage, Pest management, Rice storage, Stored grain protectant, Wheat storage
  • A. Dogan, F. Erler *, M. Erkan, A. Ozgur Ates, H. Sule Sabanci, E. Polat Pages 371-386
    A fundamental shift to a total system approach for crop management in greenhouses is urgently needed to resolve escalating economic and environmental consequences of longlasting undesired effects of synthetic pesticides used in combating agricultural pests. The aim of this study was to examine a potential new approach i.e. Microbial-based Production System (MPS) for greenhouse-grown peppers. For this purpose, a two-year experiment in greenhouse was carried out in southwestern Turkey (Antalya) in 2011 and 2012, and only microbial-based products were used to suppress and control invertebrate pests (insects, mites, nematodes, gastropods, etc.) and diseases. In addition, biostimulants, inoculants, and bioyield enhancers were used for plant growth, being supported with three macro elements (NPK: Nitrogen– Phosphorus–Potassium) that are considered to be essential elements for plant growth and development. A conventional plot, largely based on the use of synthetic chemical inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides, was included as the control. The efficacy of the MPS was evaluated by monitoring the population development of the key arthropod pests, such as the cotton whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) etc. and their natural enemies compared with that in a Conventional Production System (CPS). The results showed significantly lower numbers of the key pests, but higher numbers of natural enemies were seen in the MPS of greenhouse-grown peppers compared with the CPS throughout the study. Total yield was relatively higher in the CPS than the MPS in both experimental years.
    Keywords: Arthropod pests, Biostimulants, Conventional production system, Microbial products
  • S. Zhao *, Q. Wang, Y. Yao, S. Du, C. Zhang, J. Li, J. Zhao Pages 387-398
    Water content plays an important role in the process of plant photosynthesis and biomass accumulation. Many methods have been developed to retrieve canopy leaf water content from remote sensing data. However, the validity of these methods has not been verified, which limits their applications. This study estimates the Leaf Water Content (LWC) of winter wheat with three most widely used indexes: Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Simple Ratio (SR), and Shortwave Infrared Perpendicular Water Stress Index (SPSI), as well as MODIS short wave and near infrared data, and then compares remote sensing estimates of vegetation water content with field-measured values measured in concurrent dates. The results indicate that the three indexes are significantly correlated with the LWC of winter wheat at the 0.01 significance level. They all have good accuracy with higher than 90%. The indexes derived from MODIS bands 6 and 2 were better than those from bands 7 and 2 for measuring wheat leaf water content, and the correlations of the former two (NDWI and SR) were stronger than that of SPSI.
    Keywords: Near infrared band, Remote sensing, Short wave infrared band. Spectral characteristic index, Validation
  • S. L. Zheng, H. Cheng, P. H. Li, J. C. Yuan * Pages 399-410
    In the present study, the root vigor and kinetic characteristics of nitrogen absorption in potato cultivars was investigated through sand cultivation and pot tests with nutrient solution. Four cultivars of potatoes, namely, Feiwuruita, Yunshu301, Liangshu97, and Chuanyu56 were grown in nutrient solution matrix cultures. The result showed that: (1) Nitrogen uptake rates differed significantly among cultivars with different nitrogen efficiencies; (2) cultivars with High nitrogen-utilization-rate showed significantly higher root vigor, the average root vigor values of cultivars with the high nitrogen-utilization were 115% at seeding stage, 53% at tuber-bulking stage, and 18% at mature stage, respectively, higher than those of cultivars with the low nitrogen-utilization; and (3) Root vigor varied according to growth stage and nitrogen supply i.e. cultivars with high nitrogen-utilization-rate showed enhanced root vigor at the seedling stage under lownitrogen conditions, while cultivars with low nitrogen-utilization rate showed reduced root vigor at the tuber-bulking and mature stages under high-nitrogen conditions. The kinetic characteristics of nitrogen uptake differed significantly among cultivars: (1) In comparison with cultivars with the low, high nitrogen-utilization showed lower Km and higher Vmax values; (2) The Km value for nitrate nitrogen uptake was higher than that for ammonium nitrogen uptake, especially in cultivars with low nitrogen-utilization, ,, ,than those of ammonium nitrogen; (3) In cultivars with low nitrogen-utilization, the Vmax value for nitrate nitrogen was lower than that for ammonium nitrogen; and (4) In cultivars with high nitrogen-utilization, the Vmax value for nitrate nitrogen was the opposite. The study provides a basis for breeding high nitrogen-utilization cultivars, thereby improving the efficiency of nitrogen fertilization.
    Keywords: High nitrogen utilization, Kinetics of absorption, Nitrogen form
  • A. Monsefi *, A. R. Sharma, N. Rang Zan Pages 411-421
    The effect of tillage (conventional and zero tillage), crop establishment (raised-bed and flat-bed), and weed management practices (herbicide alone and integrated approach) was studied on productivity, profitability, nutrient uptake and physico-chemical properties of soil in soybean–wheat cropping system, at New Delhi during 2010–2012. Sixteen treatment combinations consisting of four tillage and crop establishment practices, viz. Conventional Tillage–raised-bed (CT–bed), CT–flat-bed, Zero Tillage–raised-bed (ZT– bed) and ZT–flat-bed; and four weed management practices, viz. unweeded control, herbicideᶩ Weeding (HW), herbicide combination, and crop residue herbicide were laid out in a split-plot design. Soybean produced higher seed yield (.6%) under raised-bed and wheat under flat-bed (.2%), but the system productivity was highest under CT–flat-bed. Pre-emergence application of pendimethalin followed by HW gave higher yield of soybean, while all weed control treatments were found equally good for wheat. Conventional tillage resulted in higher uptake by soybean of N (.0%), P (.4%) and K (.1%) than ZT, particularly under raised-bed conditions. In wheat, CT and ZT resulted in almost similar nutrient uptake under flat-bed. Total nutrient uptake of the system was similar for N and P under all tillage and crop establishment practices, while herbicide gave 4.9–7.2% higher uptake than herbicide combination or crop residue藪�좝. Net benefit: cost ratio of the system was the highest (> 2.0) under ZT– flat-bed and herbicide combination. There was beneficial effect on physico-chemical properties of soil under ZT and residue application, but it is necessary to run the experiment in long-term to see the cumulative effect over time.
    Keywords: Benefit, Cost ratio, Profitability, Raised, bed, Zero tillage
  • M. A. Sheikh Beig Goharrizi, A. Dejahang, M. Tohidfar, A. Izadi Darbandi, N. Carillo, M. R. Hajirezaei, K. Vahdati * Pages 423-435
    Somatic embryos of Persian walnut were transformed with two strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens i.e. LBA4404 and C58, and two plasmids, namely, pBI121 with nptII and gus genes for improving the transformation protocol, and p6u-ubi-FVTI plasmid containing the hpt and fld genes. The transformation frequency was 10%. PCR and RT-PCR analysis proved the presence and expression of the genes. The transgenic and non-transgenic somatic embryos of Persian walnut were exposed to four salinity levels (0, 50, 100, and 200 mM NaCl) and four osmotic stress (0, 1.5, 5, and 10% PEG) levels. After 20 days, the number of survived, secondary and cotyledonary somatic embryos, as well as fresh and dry weights of embryos were evaluated. In addition, the transgenic and non-transgenic regenerated plantlets with 3 leaves and 2.5 cm length were subjected to 200 mM NaCl. In both experiments, the main effects of fld-transformation and stress treatments on evaluated parameters were significant. Transgenic somatic embryos showed no significant differences at 0 and 200 mM NaCl and 0 and 1.5% PEG. Significant differences of transgenic vs. non-transgenic somatic embryos were observed at 50 and 100 mM NaCl and 5 and 10% PEG. Non-transgenic plantlets on medium containing 200 mM NaCl showed complete necrosis and died after 10 days, while transgenic lines continued growth until 45 days. Our results clearly showed that expression of fld gene increased stress tolerance in fld transformant lines of walnut, and also revealed that expression of this specific cyanobacterial protein may provide a powerful tool to improve tolerance to environmental stresses.
    Keywords: Flavodoxin, Salinity stress tolerance, Walnut transformation
  • L. Wang, Y. Yang, Y. Zhao, S. Yang, S. Udikeri, T. Liu* Pages 437-452
    Paris polyphylla Smith var. yunnanensis (Liliaceae) is an important traditional medicinal plant of the Yunnan Province in China. However, the genomic information regarding this plant is limited. To further understand its molecular background, we conducted Illumina HiSeq 2000 second-generation sequencing of this plant species. Approximately 30,198,679 reads with an average length of 202 bases were obtained from its root cells. These reads were assembled into 56,095 unique sequences and approximately 49.7% of the unique sequences were annotated by Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) similarity searches against public sequence databases. Most of these unigenes were mapped to carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, and secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways. Additionally, 3,853 EST-SSRs were identified as potential molecular markers in our unigenes. Of these, 9 nuclear SSR markers were employed to assess genetic diversity and structure of 11 geographically disjunct populations. The present study revealed a moderate genetic diversity (He= 0.527) and low genetic differentiation (Fst= 0.103), which may be ascribed to an earlier period of more pronounced gene flow when the species had a more continuous distribution. The 11 studied populations were divided into two clusters based on the UPGMA dendrogram, which were not congruent with their geographical distributions. Overall, the root transcriptome sequences generated in this study reveal novel gene expression profiles and offer important clues for further study of the molecular mechanism of Paris’ root secondary metabolite synthesis and population genetics. The EST-SSR markers identified will also facilitate marker-assisted selection in Paris breeding.
    Keywords: HiSeq second, generation sequence, Saponin, Simple sequence repeat
  • M. Manzari Tavakkoli, H. R. Roosta *, M. Hamidpour Pages 453-466
    In order to determine the best growing media for Gerbera jamesonii under alkaline conditions, a factorial experiment was conducted with two factors, namely: (i) Growing medium, and (ii) Concentrations of bicarbonate (NaHCO3) in nutrient solution. Results showed that increasing the concentration of NaHCO3 from 0 to 40 mM in nutrient solution significantly decreased plant growth, maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), photosynthesis Performance Index (PI), Glutamine Synthetase (GS) activity, Leaf Relative Water Content (LRWC), Chlorophylls (Chl a, b and total Chl) and carotenoids. Under alkalinity stress, reduction in vegetative growth, Fv/Fm, PI, LRWC, GS activity and photosynthesis pigments content was the lowest in Coconut Fiber (CF) substrate compared to the other substrates. Furthermore, plants grown in CF substrate had higher soluble sugars and proline content than those in other substrates. On the other hand, plants grown on Perlite (P) substrate had the highest reduction in growth and physiological characteristic in alkaline conditions. The alleviation of alkalinityinduced growth inhibition of plants by CF substrate may be related to improvement of photosynthesis, enhancement of GS enzyme activity and osmotic regulation. It is concluded that the use of CF substrate could provide a useful tool to improve alkalinity tolerance of gerbera plants under NaHCO3 stress.
    Keywords: Alkalinity, Glutamine synthetase activity, Growing media, Osmotic adjustment, Photosynthetic pigments
  • E. Chamani *, S. K. Tahami Pages 467-482
    The present study reports an efficient protocol for isolation and regeneration of protoplasts from callus of Fritillaria imperialis L. There is no published method recommended for protoplast isolation and regeneration from Fritillaria imperialis L. A range of factors, which influence the success of isolation and regeneration of F. imperialis protoplasts, were investigated. From the results obtained, callus Fresh Weight (FW) of 0.4 g produced the highest number of viable protoplasts, which was 1.12×105 protoplasts g-1 FW. The highest amount of viable protoplasts (1.01×105 protoplasts g-1 FW) was obtained when the mannitol concentration was maintained at 9% (w/v). The best treatment for isolation of F. imperialis protoplast (1.37×105 protoplasts g-1 FW) was treatment with 2% cellulase and 0.1% pectinase with 9% mannitol for 8 h. For enhancement of the protoplasts division and the percentage of colony formation, different concentrations from Casein Hydrolysate (CH), 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and BenzylAdenine (BA) were used. The results revealed that cell wall and colony formation were better in liquid medium than those on semi-solid medium. The highest plating efficiency (1.26×106 per g FW) and highest callus formation were obtained using the medium containing 0.5 mg L–1 2,4-D, 1 mg L–1 BA, and 200 mg L–1 CH. Micro-calli were formed after one month of culture. Many plantlets were formed on the calli after transfer of the proliferated calli to regeneration medium. The highest plantlet regeneration (100%) was obtained using the medium containing 0.5 mg L–1 (Naphthalene Acetic Acid) NAA and 1.5 mg L–1 BA.
    Keywords: Callus formation, Medium, Protoplast culture, Viability
  • S. Vri *, L. Kocsis, B. Pulko Pages 483-490
    The present study was carried out in order to test the effect of grapevine rootstocks root growth on biomass and leaf nutrition status in extreme soil conditions. Own rooted cuttings of rootstocks Fercal, Teleki Kober 5BB, Georgikon 28 and four new rootstock hybrids from the breeding program of Georgikon Faculty, Hungary (FB01, JB01, Zamor 17 and SZF10) were grown 3 months in pots. The 5 L pots were filled with a layer of gravel, high lime content Rendzina soil (pH 8.54) topped with a layer of peat-soil mixture (pH 4.94). The biomass production, shoot, leaf and root development largely depended on the rootstocks genotype. The differences among studied rootstocks were significant under low pH. Correlation was found between the root dry weight and the aboveground parts. The ratio between them was strongly influenced by rootstocks genotype. Rootstocks had strong influence on leaf nutrient status.
    Keywords: Root pot experiment, Soil pH, Vine rootstock
  • D. Soloman George, Z. Razali, C. Somasundram * Pages 491-503
    The physical and physiological characteristics of Sarawak pineapple were studied at five different stages of growth from one to five months after anthesis. Changes in fruit length, diameter, pulp color, pulp firmness, pH, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid content and antioxidant activity were monitored. The Sarawak pineapple exhibited a sigmoid growth pattern during fruit development. The pulp firmness decreased while the total soluble solids increased as the fruit developed, thus improving its edibility and acceptability to the consumers. A reduction in pH and an increase in titratable acidity contributed to the distinct flavor and taste of the Sarawak pineapple. While ascorbic acid content reduced throughout growth and development, the overall antioxidant activity increased in the fruit suggesting a later period of harvesting as the most appropriate. The changes that occurred extrinsically as well as intrinsically suggest that the best time for harvesting the Sarawak pineapple is five months after anthesis.
    Keywords: Anthesis, Antioxidant activity, Fruit growth, Harvesting maturity, Sarawak pineapple
  • A. Miceli *, C. Romano, A. Moncada, G. Piazza, L. Torta, F. Danna, F. Vetrano Pages 505-516
    Grafting and mycorrhizal fungi have gained interest for the positive effects they can have on vegetable crops. The aim of this work was to study the combined effect of grafting with Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) inoculation on fruit yield and quality of mini-watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (thumb.) Matsum and Nakai]. Ungrafted plants or grafted onto rootstock RS 841 (Cucurbita maxima×C. moschata) were transplanted to the field. During cultivation, half of the plants were inoculated with a suspension of AMF. Plant growth and fruit yield and quality were evaluated. The inoculation of AMF resulted in a significant increase of root colonization both for grafted and ungrafted plants. The grafted inoculated plants had a greater vigour and productivity than ungrafted uninoculated plants. Grafting and AMF inoculation caused significant increases in yield and fruit weight. Qualitative characteristics of watermelon fruits were significantly affected mainly by grafting. The combined use of grafting with mycorrhizal inoculation may increase the yield of mini-watermelon fruit, maintaining good quality characteristics.
    Keywords: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Citrullus lanatus, Fruit quality characteristics, Glomus, Vegetable grafting
  • J. Ashraf, W. Malik *, M. Z. Iqbal, A. Ali Khan, A. Qayyum, E. Noor, M. A. Abid, H. M. Naseer Cheema, M. Q. Ahmad Pages 517-531
    Robust information of genetic diversity among Bt cotton genotypes is still lacking and availability of several marker systems has prompted us to compare their utility for the detection of genetic diversity. Here, we report the comparative efficiency of morphological and molecular markers (EST-SSRs and ISSRs) in determining the genetic diversity among 30 Pakistani Bt cotton genotypes. Three different dendrograms based on 20 ESTSSRs, 13 ISSRs and 20 morphological markers divided the 30 Bt cotton genotypes into five, six, and three clusters, respectively. EST-SSRs and ISSRs revealed 0.73-1.00 and 0.77-0.97 genetics similarity among Bt cotton genotypes which indicated low level of genetic diversity. Further population structure analysis showed extensive allelic admixture among Bt cotton cultivars and identified three (EST-SSRs) and six (ISSRs) subgroups. The MGHES-31 (EST-SSRs) and UBC-807 and UBC-815 (ISSRs) showed maximum values of Polymorphic Information Contents (PIC) and Dj and had low value of Cj. The comparison of two marker systems showed that EST-SSRs had high value of Expected heterozygosity (Hep) and low value of Marker Index (MI) as compared to ISSRs. In conclusion, high level of genetic similarity among Bt cotton genotypes compel the plant breeders for the introduction of divers/exotic genotypes in their breeding program and marker discriminating indices could be a potential tool for selection of particular marker system to unveil the genetic difference.
    Keywords: Confusion probability, Expected heterozygosity, Marker Index, Population structure analysis, Polymorphic information contents
  • Y. Meng, P. Ren, X. Ma, B. Li, Q. Bao, H. Zhang, J. Wang, J. Bai *, H. Wang Pages 533-543
    The yield performance of 23 barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes in sixteen test environments across a barley growing region of China was evaluated. The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replicates, in two cropping seasons (2010-2011, in the South; 2012-2013, in the North). The GGE biplot was applied to analyze the data obtained in the multi-environment trials. The results indicated that either the North or South test sites could be grouped into three possible megaenvironments, the best- performing and candidate genotypes for the North and South were G7 (Zhongsimai1), G5 (08B26), G17 (G231M004M), and G13 (Zhe3521), respectively. Among the sixteen test environments, E6 (Shihezi) and E12 (Yancheng) had the greatest discriminating ability, while E1 (Haerbing), E4 (Shang kuli), E8 (Wuhan), and E16 (Chengdu) could be dismissed from the future trials due to the similarity of their ability of discrimination and representation.
    Keywords: Discriminating ability, Genotype main effect, Multi, environment trial, Stability
  • B. S. Savitha, S. A. Desai*, S. S. Biradar, R. Naik, H. C. Lohithaswa Pages 545-552
    A study was conducted to identify SSR markers linked to leaf rust resistance genes Lr24 and Lr28 and to be used for Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) to transfer both genes to a widely cultivated wheat variety MP 3299 under rainfed condition. F2 individuals of the cross MP 3299×NIL PBW 343 were used for generating genotypic data employing closely linked SCAR markers S73719 and S421570 to Lr24 and Lr28, respectively, and further subjected to bulk segregant analysis. A total of 70 SSR markers that amplify sequences on long arm of chromosome 3D and long arm of chromosome 4A were used for polymorphism assay between the parents MP 3299 and NIL PBW 343. Eighteen SSRs were polymorphic between the parents, of which 10 were located on chromosome 3DL and eight on chromosome 4AL. Three SSR markers out of 18 polymorphic markers differentiated two contrasting bulks and further used for F2 genotyping. Finally, one SSR marker i.e. ‘barc 71’ linked to SCAR marker SCS73719 at a distance of 3.36 cM based on the per cent recombination frequency was identified. Thus, the newly identified SSR marker barc 71 linked to Lr24 can serve as a useful marker in gene pyramiding instead of SCAR marker SCS73719.
    Keywords: Bulked segregant analysis, Major gene, Marker, assisted selection, Seedling resistance, Polymorphism
  • P. O. Kurt Polat *, E. A. Cifci, K. Yagdi Pages 553-560
    The primary aim of plant breeding is to improve stability in yield and to obtain varieties with good quality. For this reason, a study of wheat varieties was conducted in 2010, 2011, and 2012 at the Agricultural Application and Research Center fields of the Uludag University, Agricultural Faculty, in Bursa/Turkey. In the study, 22 advanced lines of bread wheat and Gonen, Pehlivan, and Flamura cultivars as controls were examined in a 3-year experiment. In each year, the experiment was conducted in randomized block design with three replications. The effects of cultivars, environment, and genotype×environment interactions were evaluated. Results of the study permitted us to distinguish three lines, namely, (Gx22-1)-4, (Gx22-1)-6, and (GxK) which were characterized by higher adaptation capabilities and stability than those of the other genotypes.
    Keywords: Adaptation, Breeding lines, Genotype×environment interactions
  • M. Behnia, M. Javan-Nikkhah*, H. Aminian, M. Razavi, A. Alizadeh Pages 561-573
    Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides s. l. is one of the most important diseases of citrus in northern Iran. To study the genetic structure of C. gloeosporioides s. l. from citrus spp., infected samples were collected from three citrus cultivating regions of northern Iran, during the summer of 2009. Fifty one monoconidial isolates were used as the objective of REP- and BOX-PCR fingerprintings. Eight fingerprinting groups were observed in the constructed phenogram. The largest proportion (94.37%) of total genetic diversity (Ht) was attributed to diversity within populations (Hs). Estimates of Nei’s genetic similarity and distances exhibited the high level of similarity among three populations. The value of gene flow, NM= 8.4, indicates that there is low limitation to gene flow among these geographically distant populations, which make these groups genetically homogenous. The results indicate that the three geographic populations are not developing independently and can be part of a Mega-population. Forty three isolates were divided into 19 groups in the phenogram constructed by combination of morphological characteristics data. Estimation of correlation between morphologic and rep-PCR matrixes indicated a weak and non-significant correlation between morphology and repPCR haplotypes (r= 0.2, P= 0.992). Fifty one isolates were examined to clarify their sexual behavior. Eight isolates were identified as homothallic and 14 successful outcrosses were observed among self-sterile isolates.
    Keywords: Anthracnose, Diversity, Gene flow, Perithecium
  • P. Ojha *. T. Bahadur Karki, R. Sitaula Pages 575-582
    The research focused to evaluate physical, chemical, and sensory properties of raw, blanched, and 2, 4, and 6% osmotically salt treated Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) peel powder. The yields of Mandarin Peel Powder (MPP) were found in the range of 29.1 to 30.4% (db) for different treatments, which were not significantly different. The bulk density and solubility were found in the range of 1,267-1,308 (kg m-3) and 17.4-28.4%, respectively, the highest value was for blanched peel powder. Blanched peel powder contained highest carotenoids (3245 µg g-1) and polyphenols (102.72 mg GAE g-1) whereas 6% salt treated peel powder contained the highest Tannin (0.19 mg of GA 100 g-1 FW), ascorbic acid (13.62 mg 100 g-1), and antioxidant activity (66.1% DPPH inhibition) among the other treatments. Blanched peel powder was found to be the best in terms of sensory evaluation.
    Keywords: Blanched peel powder, Carotenoids, Sensory evaluation, Tannin