DIAGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF MEASURING RETICULOCYTE MATURITY INDICES IN IRON DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic significance of reticulocyte maturity indices in iron deficiency anaemia. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Hematology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, from Sep 2019 to Jun 2020. Methodology: A total of 340 children, ages between 1 and 5 years of either gender, were divided into two groups based on haemoglobin and ferritin level. Group A comprised of 203 children with haemoglobin >11 g/dL andferritin level >7 ng/ mL. Group B comprised of 137 children with haemoglobin <11g/dL and ferritin <7 ng/mL. Red blood cell and reticulocyte parameters were compared. Results: Iron deficiency anaemia was found to be 37.6% in the study population. Comparison revealed that the children in groups B had significantly higher mean red cell distribution width (17.1 ± 1.3% vs. 13.3 ± 1.3%) and significantly lower hemoglobin (9.5 ± 1.0 g/dL vs. 12.7 ± 1.0 g/dL), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (21.8 ± 2.5 pg vs. 28.6 ± 2.3 pg), mean corpuscular volume (69.4 ± 3.5 fL vs. 80.4 ± 3.3 fL), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (31.5 ± 1.8 g/dL vs. 32.7 ± 1.6 g/dL) and serum ferritin level (4.5 ± 2.6 mg/mL vs. 55.9 ± 32.1 ng/mL). No significant differences in the mean total red blood cell count, hematocrit and reticulocytes between two groups were noted (p>0.05) and significant differences were noted in terms of low, medium & high fluorescence ratios in both groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that medium fluorescence ratio and high fluorescence ratio.......

Effects of maturity indices and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on shelf life and post-harvest quality of cherry tomato

The present experiment was carried out at the Laboratories of the Department of Horticulture and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from February to April 2019 to study the effect of maturity indices and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the extension of shelf life and quality retention of cherry tomato. The two-factor experiment consisted of three maturity indices viz. (i) Maturity index 1 (M1: Mature green color), (ii) Maturity index 2 (M2: Yellow color), and (iii) Maturity index 3 (M3: Red color) and five postharvest treatments viz. (i) Control (T0), (ii) Low density perforated poly ethylene, LDPPE (T1), (iii) Low density poly ethylene, LDPE (T2), (iv) Low density perforated plastic box, LDPPB (T3), and (v) Low density plastic box, LDPB (T4). The experiment was conducted in completely randomized design with 3 replications. The maximum weight loss (7.77%) was recorded in mature green color fruits (M2) treated with control (T0), while the minimum (3.22) was found in yellow color fruits (M2) treated with LDPPB (T3). The maximum color change was observed from yellow color fruits (M2) with LDPPB (T3) and the minimum was observed from mature green color fruits (M1) treated with control (T0). The maximum TSS content (7.20%) was recorded from yellow color fruits (M2) treated with LDPB (T4), while the minimum (5.67%) was found in mature green color fruits (M1) treated with LDPPB (T3). The highest disease incidence and severity (16.67% and 21.67%, respectively) were recorded in red color fruits (M3) treated with control whereas the lowest disease incidence (1.67%) and severity (2.33%) were found in yellow color fruits (M2) treated with LDPPB. The longest shelf life (25.00 days) was obtained in yellow color fruits (M2) treated with LDPPB (T3) and the shortest shelf life (7.00 days) was observed in red color fruits (M3) treated with control (T0). Thus, yellow color fruits (M2) treated with LDPPB (T3) could be used for the extension of shelf life and quality retention of cherry tomato. Progressive Agriculture 32 (1): 43-59, 2021

Effects of invasive japanese knotweed on diversity and structure of soil nematode communities

In this study we investigated the communities of soil nematodes in the forest habitats invaded and uninvaded by Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) Ronse Decr., in Tatra National Park, Slovakia. We found that invasion by F. japonica altered nematode communities and their structures. Total nematode abundance, species number and nematode biomass were significantly lower in invaded than uninvaded plots, but species diversity remained unaffected throughout the study. The overall abundance of all nematode trophic groups well represented the negative impact of F. japonica invasion on soil food webs, supported by low values of all maturity indices, a structural index and the Jaccard index of faunal similarity. A weighted faunal analysis similarly characterized the food webs of invaded plots as poorly developed or highly disturbed, with bacterial decomposition and a low C/N ratio. Our findings thus suggest that dense plots of knotweed simplify the structural complexity of the soil environment by reducing the richness of plant species, which may have contributed to the negative changes in the structures of the nematode communities.

Nematode diversity indices application to determine the soil health status of Lembo Agroecosystem in West Kutai, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

Suyadi, Sila S, Samuel J. 2021. Nematode diversity indices application to determine the soil health status of Lembo agroecosystem in West Kutai, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 2861-2869. Lembo is a typical agroecosystem developed by the people of East Kalimantan, especially in the West Kutai District. Lembo agroecosystems (LA) are generally built on the former of sifting cultivation rice fields. The fertile condition of tropical rainforest land in East Kalimantan, if converted to a rice field agroecosystem, its fertility decreases drastically. However, Lembo is an agroecosystem similar to the forest, and its soil health status in this study was determined by using nematode diversity indices as the indicator. Nematode diversity indices are very useful as indicators because nematodes occupy all positions of the micro food web in the rhizosphere. They can support the increase in soil fertility or pose risks as a pest. This study was aimed to determine the health status of LA soil by using evaluation indicators: (i) nematode absolute abundance, (ii) nematode diversity indices [Shannon-Wiener index (H'), genera richness index (GR), and dominance index (?)], and (iii) nematode maturity indices (?MI, MI, MI2-5, PPI, and the PPI/MI-ratio), and using the oil palm plantation (OPP) as the comparison agroecosystem. Based on nematode maturity indices, LA soil health status was categorized as good with MI value > 2.6, the community abundance of nematode genera in the colonizers' group (c-p2) ? 50%, and community abundance of nematode genera in the persisters group (c-p4) > 10%. Then based on the nematode diversity indices (H', GR, and ?), the LA soil health status was higher than the OPP soil health status, in LA the values of H', GR, and ? were 30%-43%, 60%-91%, and 12%-88%, respectively higher than OPP. The pest status of plant-parasitic nematodes in both agroecosystems is relatively light because their presence is counterbalanced by predatory, carnivore, and omnivore nematodes.

Assessment of Maturity over Seasons using Various Indices in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Background: Groundnut is a crop with puzzling nature of maturity. The ability to determine the correct data of harvest in groundnut is strongly affecting factor of the economic return from the crop. Among the different methodologies suggested for calculating the maturity index in groundnut, those which could be used at field level and with ease includes: shell out method, seed hull ratio maturity index, hull scrape method and maturity profile board (MPB) method. The present study was taken up to evaluate the efficiency of these methods in determining the maturity duration.Methods: The maturity indices were calculated in the varieties CO 7, ICGV 07222, VRI 6, VRI 8, GPBD 4, VRI 3, Chico, Gangapuri, ICGV 91114 and ICGV 93468 cultivated during 2018-19, at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Result: In shell out and hull scrape method maturity indices ranging from 70-80% and in Seed hull ratio maturity index the range 2.9-3.6 revealed the highest number of matured pods with maximum weight. The correlation study results showed highest efficacy of hull scrape method in predicting the correct date of harvest in groundnut. The method establishes that the colour of mesocarp exactly reveals maturity status of groundnut pods. Thus, maturity index in groundnut is more reliable when calculated by hull scrape method. In case when the maturity index is below 70% the pods could be arranged on a maturity profile board (MPB) to determine the days until digging.

Fruit Ripening, Antioxidants and Oil Composition in Koroneiki Olives (Olea europea L.) at Different Maturity Indices

Harvest timing of oil olives is important for oil quality. Concerning the specific features of each cultivar, physiological and quality characteristics during ripening of Koroneiki olives were investigated in two successive years, A and B, from trees on full production. In A, olives were harvested at maturity indices (MIs) 0.9, 1.4, 2.1 and 4, while in B at MIs 1.1, 3.8 and 6.9. MIs ~1, ~4 and ~7 corresponded to green, red and dark purple peel in olives, respectively. Peel color parameters (L*, h° and C*), respiration and ethylene production rates were evaluated along with phenolic compounds and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in olives of both crop years. Additionally, oil composition and a-tocopherol content were examined in olives harvested in years A and B, respectively. During fruit development, respiration and ethylene productions rates, hydroxytyrosol concentration and linoleic acid increased, while TAC, oleuropein, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, linolenic acid and α-tocopherol values decreased. Positive correlations were found among the attributes determined in both crop years that had a similar course of change during ripening, and vice versa, which could be also related to harvest timing and to quality traits of olive products. At MI ~4, at least all determined variables corresponded to oil of high quality. Practically, an early harvest might result in an olive fruit rich in antioxidants and therefore in oil production of high quality, high stability during storage and long self-life.