Biochemical changes in Conocarpus species under saline soils of Lal Suhanra National Park, Bahawalpur

In Pakistan, arid and semi-arid areas are more prone to limited rainfall, extensive evapo-transpiration and higher temperatures. For better understandings of current situation, a field experiment was carried out to study the morphological characteristics, biochemical responses and ionic composition of Conocarpus species (Conocarpus erectus and Conocarpus lancifolius) under saline soil conditions in Lal Suhanra National Park, Bahawalpur during 2019-21. Three sites one at normal soil (S.I) and two at different salinity levels (Medium and High Salinity) were observed in order to assess their effect on plant growth and other parameters. The data regarding physiological and biochemical parameters were recorded. Conocarpus lancifolius and Conocarpus erectus has maximum (233) mmol m-2sec-1 and (162) mmol m-2sec-1 stomatal conductance respectively. Maximum transpiration rate (4.57 MMOL M-2S-1) was observed at site-I in case of C. lancifolius, while maximum transpiration rate in case of C. erectus was (2.94 MMOL M-2S-1) at site-I. At control level, maximum photosynthetic rate was measured as (8.76 µmol m-2sec-1) in C. lancifolius and (5.59 µmol m-2sec-1) in case of C. erectus. Conocarpus species; Conocarpus lancifolius and Conocarpus erectus has maximum SOD (13.29 and 19.62) and CAT (16.48 and 42.05), and POD (14.81 and 8.81 U/mg protein) respectively. Maximum values of Na+K+ ratio in leaves (3.08), shoots (5.98) and roots (9.84) were detected at site-I in C. lancifolius. Based on statistically analyzed data, it is revealed that Conocarpus lancifolius can tolerate better salt stress as compared to Conocarpus erectus. Both species of Conocarpus can tolerate salinity up to 40 dSm-1 but growth of Conocarpus erectus is affected more as compared to Conocarpus lancifolius.

Accumulation of cadmium and zinc in barley regenerants on a provocative soil background with cadmium

Background. An effective way to obtain barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes stress-tolerant to cadmium, with a low level of toxic ion accumulation in grain, is the selection of cells in selective in vitro systems, based on somaclonal variability, which promotes the formation of specific and nonspecific adaptive mechanisms.Materials and methods. The object of the study was cv. ‘999-93’, developed by selection from a hybrid combination of spring barley (Luly × Conrad) × 2867-80, and its regenerated forms in seed reproductions of the 3–5th generation, induced in the process of cell selection on media with cadmium, aluminum and polyethylene glycol. The plants were grown under normal soil conditions and against a provocative background for cadmium.Results. The contribution of the environment-forming activity in the roots of the studied genotypes to inactivation of toxic ions appeared insignificant. The total removal of cadmium by plants against a provocative background increased 22.5 times, reaching 5.8–10.3 mg/kg of dry phytomass when distributed among organs: roots (91.9–93.4%) > stems (5.9–7.8%) > grain (0.5–0.8%). The amount of toxic metal in grain increased 11 times in the original form and 2.8–6.8 times in regenerants. The negative effect of excess cadmium in the soil on the accumulation of zinc in barley was shown. There was no gradation in the importance of organs for zinc accumulation or any presence of functional barriers preventing this. Regenerants induced on selective media with cadmium had the greatest adaptive advantages to stress: pronounced barrier functions of roots, minimal accumulation of toxic ions in aerial organs, and high seed productivity (they exceeded the original genotype by 35.5%). Adaptive reactions associated with the limitation of cadmium accumulation in plant tissues of regenerants, obtained by in vitro selections with aluminum and an osmotic, were shown to be weak.

PSVI-24 Effects of early-life exposure to topsoil on the muscle fiber characteristics and gene expression of weaned piglets

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the influence of early exposure to topsoil on the muscle fiber characteristics and transcription-related myogenesis, intramuscular fat metabolism, muscle fiber types, and mTOR signaling pathway of weaned pigs. A Total of 180 piglets were separately assigned to the No soil, Antibacterial soil, and Normal soil group (each group, n = 60), and were fed ad libitum with common antibiotic-free corn-soybean meal diets until day-31. Ten pigs from each group with similar body weight were selected to be slaughtered, and the Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle samples were collected for histological analysis and measurements of genes and protein expression levels. In the present study, the muscle fiber diameter and the area of the Normal soil and Antibacterial soil group were significantly higher than the No soil group (P < 0.05). The Normal soil significantly upregulated the gene expression of MyoG compared to No soil and Antibacterial soil groups (P < 0.05). The gene expression of CD36 and CPT-1 of the Normal soil group was significantly lower than the No soil group (P < 0.05), while HSL expression of the Normal soil group was significantly higher than the Antibacterial and No soil groups (P < 0.05). The MyHC I of the Normal soil group was significantly higher than the No soil group (P < 0.05), but the expression MyHC IIa was lower than the No soil group (P < 0.05). The protein expression expressed a similar result with gene expression. In addition, the Normal soil significantly increased the AMPK and mTOR phosphorylation compared to No soil and Antibacterial soil groups (P < 0.05). These data suggest that early exposure to topsoil regulates muscle fiber growth, modulates the expression pattern related to myogenesis, muscle fiber type, intramuscular fat metabolism, and increases the phosphorylation of mTOR and AMPK pathways.

Effects of early-life exposure to topsoil on the muscle fiber characteristics and gene expression of weaned piglets

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the influence of early exposure to topsoil on the muscle fiber characteristics and transcription related myogenesis, intramuscular fat metabolism, muscle fiber types, and mTOR signaling pathway of weaned pigs. A Total of 180 piglets were separately assigned to No soil, Antibacterial soil, and Normal soil group (each group, n=60), and were fed ad libitum with common antibiotic-free corn-soybean meal diets until day-31. Ten pigs from each group with similar body weight were selected to be slaughtered, and the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle samples were collected for histological analysis and measurements of genes and proteins expression levels. In the present study, the muscle fiber diameter and the area of Normal soil and Antibacterial soil group were significantly higher than No soil group (P < 0.05). The Normal soil significantly upregulated the gene expression of MyoG compared to No soil and Antibacterial soil groups (P < 0.05). The gene expression of CD36 and CPT-1 of Normal soil group was significantly lower than No soil group (P < 0.05), while HSL expression of Normal soil group was significantly higher than Antibacterial and No soil groups (P < 0.05). The MyHC I of Normal soil group was significantly higher than No soil group (P < 0.05), but the expression MyHC IIa was lower than No soil group (P < 0.05). The protein expression expressed the similar result with gene expression. In addition, the Normal soil significantly increased the AMPK and mTOR phosphorylation compared to No soil and Antibacterial soil groups (P < 0.05). These data suggest that early exposure to topsoil regulates the muscle fiber growth, modulates the expression pattern related to myogenesis, muscle fiber type, intramuscular fat metabolism, and increases the phosphorylation of mTOR and AMPK pathways.

Effects of Early-Life Exposure to Topsoil on the Muscle Fiber Characteristics and Gene Expression of Weaned Piglets

Background: The objective of this experiment was to investigate the influence of early exposure to topsoil on the muscle fiber characteristics and transcription related myogenesis, intramuscular fat metabolism, muscle fiber types, and mTOR signaling pathway of weaned pigs.Methods: A Total of 180 piglets were separately assigned to No soil, Antibacterial soil, and Normal soil group (each group, n=60), and were fed ad libitum with common antibiotic-free corn-soybean meal diets until day-31. Ten pigs from each group with similar body weight were selected to be slaughtered, and the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle samples were collected for histological analysis and measurements of genes and proteins expression levels.Result: In the present study, the muscle fiber diameter and the area of Normal soil and Antibacterial soil group were significantly higher than No soil group (P < 0.05). The Normal soil significantly upregulated the gene expression of MyoG compared to No soil and Antibacterial soil groups (P < 0.05). The gene expression of CD36 and CPT-1 of Normal soil group was significantly lower than No soil group (P < 0.05), while HSL expression of Normal soil group was significantly higher than Antibacterial and No soil groups (P < 0.05). The MyHC I of Normal soil group was significantly higher than No soil group (P < 0.05), but the expression MyHC IIa was lower than No soil group (P < 0.05). The protein expression expressed the similar result with gene expression. In addition, the Normal soil significantly increased the AMPK and mTOR phosphorylation compared to No soil and Antibacterial soil groups (P < 0.05).Conclusion: These data suggest that early exposure to topsoil regulates the muscle fiber growth, modulates the expression pattern related to myogenesis, muscle fiber type, intramuscular fat metabolism, and increases the phosphorylation of mTOR and AMPK pathways.

Flash drought in Australia: deriving a long-term climatology from drought metrics based on precipitation, evapotranspiration, and evaporative demand.

&lt;p&gt;Until the scientific community coalesces around a consensus definition of flash drought, we might usefully distinguish them from &amp;#8220;ordinary&amp;#8221; droughts by applying a criterion of a rapid intensification from near-normal soil moisture to drought conditions over a period of a few weeks. Here, we use such a definition to generate the first spatially distributed, long-term climatology of flash droughts across Australia, which we derive using a suite of indices that capture both the supply and the demand perspectives of drought: evaporative demand describes the atmospheric demand for moisture from the surface; precipitation, the supply of moisture from the atmosphere to the surface; and evaporative stress, the supply of moisture from the surface relative to evaporative demand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of metric-based definition, flash droughts are observed across all seasons. They can terminate as rapidly as they start, but in some cases can eventuate in a seasonal-scale drought. We show that flash-drought variability and its prevalence can be related to ENSO phases, which suggests an opportunity for enhanced seasonal-scale prediction. We examine a case study in the Wimmera Region of southeast Australia (around the South Australia / Victoria border), we show that monitoring precipitation is less useful for capturing the onset of flash drought. Instead, indices that capture the demand perspective of drought--such as the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) and Evaporative Stress Index (ESI)--are more useful for monitoring flash-drought development.&lt;/p&gt;

THE COMPARISON OF GC-MS DATA OF LEAVES OF ALOE VERA (A. BARBADENSIS MILL) PLANT GROWN IN DIFFERENT SOIL COMBINATIONS WITH CHEMICAL LAB WASTES

Purpose of the study: The main purpose of this study is to do the comparison of the chemical constituents present in the leaves of Aloe Vera (A. barbadensis Mill) plant grown in different soil combinations using Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) data analysis. Plants were grown in two different combinations of soil, one in normal soil and the other in the combination of normal soil and solid chemical waste obtained from the chemistry laboratory of an educational institute. Methodology: One Aloe Vera (A. barbadensis Mill) plant was grown in normal soil without adding any compost or any fertilizer to the soil. The other plant was grown in soil, which was combined with the solid chemical waste collected from the chemistry laboratory. After observing the morphological characters of the plants, plants were studied for the chemical constituents present in them by using GC-MS data analysis technique. Main Findings: Growth of plants depends on the soil composition, physical characters and the surrounding environment. How the variation in chemical composition of soil affects the chemical constituents of plant leaves, has been discussed in this paper. According to morphological characters the Aloe Vera (A. barbadensis Mill) plant grown with soil combined with solid chemical waste has shown better results compared with the one grown in normal soil. GC-MS results also indicated variation in the chemical constitution of plant leaves taken for the research experiment. Applications of this study: This study has helped to understand that the soil environment and soil nutrients are largely responsible for the changes in chemical constituents of plants. This study can be applied to the other plants as well. Novelty/Originality of this study: In place of fertilizers, solid chemical waste from the laboratory was used for the research purpose. The method is useful and if implemented on a large scale, will help to curb pollution caused by educational institutes to some extent. This kind of research is not done previously by any other researcher.

Impact of mine waste on the quality of surrounding agricultural soils in Toussit and Sidi Boubker, Morocco: a case study

The Oriental region, in Morocco, is surrounded by the Algerian border to the East, the Atlas to the West, the Mediterranean to the North and the desert to the south. This region has benefited from the intense mining activity that has played an important role in the national economy. The intensification of mining activity in the Touissit and Sidi-Boubker mines has left behind the closure of tons of waste in the shelter without a plan of conservation. These mine waste storage sites still contain very high levels of metallic elements such as Iron (Fe), which, after a decade of shutdowns, are likely to pollute vulnerable receiving environments, posing a threat to wildlife ecosystems, flora, and to public health. The objective of this study was to assess Fe concentrations at several locations around these mine waste heaps. The results of physicochemical analyses of soils collected over two different periods (wet and dry seasons) showed maximum Fe element concentrations of 10596 mg/kg, with an average concentration of 8913 mg/kg. These Iron contents are found at concentrations exceeding tolerance standards for normal soil.

Marker assisted improvement of low soil phosphorus tolerance in the bacterial blight resistant, fine-grain type rice variety, Improved Samba Mahsuri

Improved-Samba-Mahsuri (ISM), a high-yielding, popular bacterial blight resistant (possessing Xa21, xa13, and xa5), fine-grain type, low glycemic index rice variety is highly sensitive to low soil phosphorus (P). We have deployed marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB) approach for targeted transfer of Pup1, a major QTL associated with low soil P tolerance, using Swarna as a donor. A new co-dominant marker, K20-1-1, which is specific for Pup1 was designed and used for foreground selection along with functional markers specific for the bacterial blight resistance genes, Xa21, xa13, and xa5. A set of 66 polymorphic SSR marker were used for the background selection along with a pair of flanking markers for the recombination selection in backcross derived progenies and in BC2F2 generation, 12 plants, which are homozygous for Pup1, all the three bacterial blight resistance genes and possessing agro-morphological traits equivalent to or better than ISM were selected and selfed to produce BC2F3s. They were evaluated in plots with low soil P and normal soil P at ICAR-IIRR, Hyderabad for their low soil P tolerance, and bacterial blight resistance and superior lines were advanced to BC2F6. One of the lines, when tested at multiple locations in India was found promising under both normal as well as low soil P conditions.