Abstract: The wood degrading fungi Ganodermalucidum (Leys) Karst causing Basal Stem Rot (BSR) in coconut plantation is the most destructive disease in Southern India. The control of this soil borne pathogen is particularly complex due to their occurrence in dynamic environment at the interface of the root with the soil. Hence, combinations of biocontrol agents differing in their mode of action especially with endophyte have been explored. The endophytic bacteria Bacillus subtilis EPC 5 from healthy coconut palm root showed high inhibition activity among fifty five isolated strains. Further, talc-based formulation incorporating Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf1 and Trichoderma viride Tv1 were developed and used individually, in combination to manage highly virulent, laccase producing soil borne pathogen. The result indicated that soil application of above mentioned antagonist in combination @ 100 g each enriched with organic substrate for four times per year, significantly reduced the disease severity with high nut yield at two different locations of disease endemic areas.
C. Madhumathi, V. Bhargav, D. Srinivasa Reddy, P. Lalitha Kameshwari, D. Sreedhar and T. Naga Lakshmi
College of Horticulture, Anantharajupeta, Dr. Y.S.R. Horticultural University, Y.S.R. Kadapa District, A.P. Citrus Research Station, Tirupati, A.P. ARS, Floriculture, Hyderabad, Telangana.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2018.v20i03.37
Key words: Chrysanthemum, genotype, morphological traits, cluster analysis and PCA
Abstract: Fifty nine chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) genotypes were evaluated for their performance under southern zone of Andhra Pradesh at HRS Farm, Anantharajupeta, Y.S.R. Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. Significant differences were observed among the genotypes for all vegetative, flowering and yield traits studied. Genotype Selection-5 (56.50 cm) recorded maximum plant height, and plant spread was maximum in two genotypes Chandini and Violet (51.83 cm). Genotypes Sugandha Yellow and Sugandha White produced maximum (11.67) number of primary branches/plant while least in Yellow Cherub (2.33). Earliest bud appearance was observed in genotype Violet (61.67 days), whereas genotype Meera (113.52 days) was late. The highest number of flowers/spray and spray length was produced by genotype Yellow Star and Selection-2 (41.67 and 44.87 cm), respectively. Flower diameter was maximum in Firtation (10.06 cm), however, number of flowers/plant was highest in HYDC- 7 (287). The weight of single flower and 100 flower weight was maximum in Mother Teresa (4.96 g and 495.50 g). Keeping in view of these characters, genotypes Mother Teresa, Firtation and Chrysanthemum Yellow were found to be highly suitable to grow under Rayalaseema conditions of Andhra Pradesh for loose flower production. Based on hierarchical cluster of the morphological traits, the genotypes were grouped into three. Results of principal component Analysis (PCA) were also in conformity with the results of cluster analysis.
M.K. Mishra, M. Mishra, S. Kumari, P. Shirke, A. Srivastava and S. Saxena
Crop Improvement and Biotechnology, ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Rehmankhera, Lucknow- 226 101, India. Division of Plant Physiology, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow- 226 001, India. Department of Botany, University of Lucknow, Lucknow- 226 007, India. College of Bio Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow- 226 025, India.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2018.v20i03.38
Key words: EDS, PaLCuV, papaya, SEM, viral disease..
Abstract: Papaya leaf curl virus (PaLCuV) of geminiviridae family is a major threat to papaya plants in the world. The major visual characteristics of PaLCuV infected plants are downward and inward rolling and curling of leaves in the form of an inverted cup and thickening of veins. Microscopic observation showed that in the healthy papaya leaf, stomata guard cell size was 19-20 µm. However, it increased significantly in infected plant leaves up to 29-30 µm. This observation suggested that stomatal density and guard cell size were changed due to puckered anatomy of leaf. SEM analysis revealed that subsidiary or accessory cells of guard cells were less turgid and the arrangement of starch grains was disturbed as compared to healthy plant leaves. Light microscopic, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses of symptomatic leaves showed the puckering leaf lamina due to presence of loosened cells in its tissues and hyper-accumulation of Ca2+ ions. High accumulation of Ca2+ in PaLCuV infected leaves as compared to healthy leaves which might be the cause of hypertrophy and thickening of veins of infected papaya leaves. Uniform trichomes/hairs/nodular structures were present in midrib of healthy leaf but were missing in infected leaf. The infected midrib showed scantly distributed floret-like structures instead of a smooth trichomes/hairs/nodular structures in midrib of the healthy leaf.
D.S. Manikanta, A. Poleshi Chaitra and Sarvamangala Cholin
University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India.
Abstract: Carrot is a sexully propagating, biennial root crop. Flowering related characters and germination parameters have a significant role on the root quality and productivity in the succeeding generations. Larger genetic variation exists in nature for seed and umbel characters due its out crossing behavior. In order to study, the nature of genetic variability, heritability and the association pattern, 48 open pollinated varieties were evaluated in tropical region of Karnataka, India during 2015 for 27 characters including seed, umbel and germination parameters. Both qualitative and quantitative characters were used for the study. The data was subjected to statistical analysis for genetic variability components such as genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), heritability in broad sense (h2) genetic advance (GA) and Genetic advance as percent mean (GAM) and Pearson’s correlation. Genetic variability and heritability coupled with genetic advance as percent mean (GAM) were high for number of umbellates per umbel, bolting tendency and umbel weight. Many other characters showed low to moderate genetic variability coupled with moderate heritability and GAM. From the correlation coefficient analysis few characters viz., density of flowers in umbels, number of umbellates/ umbel, umbel shape, bolting tendency showed positive association with seed and umbel yield. Seed length and size of spines on the seeds affects the germination % negatively. Since, the present study involves maximum characters and good number of cultivars with wider genetic background; hence, detailed understanding of the genetic variability and association pattern for these characters in the reproductive phase of carrot would provide useful information for breeders as well as seed scientists.
Abera Tilahun, Begashaw Manahlie, Getachew Abebe and Genet Negash
Department of Dryland Forestry, Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resource, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia. P.O.Box 128, Shashemene, Ethiopia. Hawassa University, College of Natural and Computational Science, P.O.Box 05, Ethiopia.
Abstract: This study was carried out to determine the effects of cutting position (tip, middle and basal) and different concentrations of IBA (IBA) (0, 5, 7.5 and 11g/L) on the rooting and shooting performance of Araucaria heterophylla. Two factorial experiments were conducted. Number of leaf, number of adventitious root and root length produced by cutting materials and the survival rates were measured. These parameters were significantly influenced by the interactive effect of cutting position and hormonal concentration. The interaction between tip cuttings and 11 g/L IBA concentration had higher root number, leaf number and root length as compared other interactions had not rooting and shooting performance on the cutting materials. Vegetative propagation of A. heterophylla through cuttings can be appropriately achieved by treating cuttings with IBA.
D.A. Animasaun, S. Oyedeji, R.S. Ingalhalli and R. Krishnamurthy
Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Ilorin, P. M. B. 1515, Ilorin -240003, Kwara State, Nigeria. C.G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University, Bardoli, Surat -394 350, Gujarat India.
Abstract: This study assessed the genetic diversity of six ornamental ferns in parks and gardens in Nigeria using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Genomic DNA were extracted from the samples and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed using seven ISSR markers. The elcetrophoregram showed amplicon size ranged from 100bp-1Kb among the ferns. A total of 87 bands were generated with 71.26 % polymorphism and 28.73 % monomorphic bands. The average number of band per primer was 12.4 and polymorphism range was between 31.23-100 %, the highest polymorphism was obtained with ISSR2. The mean Nei’s genetic diversity was 29 % while the Shannon’s index was 43.5 %. The pair of Adiatum capilus-veneris and Pteris acanthoneura had maximum genetic distance of 0.6592 while A. capilus-veneris and A. furcans are the closest species. At genetic similarity of 78 %, the cluster analysis revealed two major groups. Group-1 comprised of four species, where P. acanthoneura is a distant member, the other three species in the group are closely related. Group-2 on the other hand had two closely related Adiantum species. The study concludes that ISSR markers are effective in the genetic study of the ferns and the genetic diversity information provided could be utilized for selection, improvement and conservation of the ornamental plants.
Aparna Veluru, M. Neema, Krishna Prakash, Ajay Arora, P. Naveen Kumar and M.C. Singh
Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala 621124. Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012. ICAR-Directorate of Floricultural Research, Pune 411005. CPCT unit, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012.
Abstract: Vase-life is a key factor for evaluating the post-harvest quality of cut flowers that determines their marketability. Chrysanthemum is one of the top most cut flowers sold in international flower markets. In the present study, trials were conducted to improve the post-harvest life of chrysanthemum cut flowers using preservative solutions such as 5-sulfosalicylic acid (5-SSA) and aluminium sulphate (Al2(SO4)3) alone or in combination with 1.5 % sucrose. Treatments using 5-SSA (100 ppm and 150 ppm) or 200 ppm Al2(SO4)3 along with 1.5 % sucrose showed a significant increase in vase-life, fresh weight of the cut stems, vase solution uptake, membrane stability index of the petals and leaf chlorophyll as compared to other treatments. Among different vase solutions evaluated, T10 (200 ppm Al2(SO4)3 +1.5 % sucrose) gave maximum vase life of22.3 days, followed by T8 (5-SSA 150 ppm + 1.5 % sucrose) and T6 (100 ppm 5-SSA+ 1.5 % sucrose) treatments with 20.85 and 19.85 days respectively as compared to 17.84 days in control. High concentrations of both the chemicals (5-SSA and Al2(SO4)3) without sucrose showed toxicity symptoms.
Mohammad Ali Khalaj and Mehran Kanani
Department of Soil Sciences, the National Institute of Ornamental Plants (NIOP), HSIR, AREEO, Iran. +989188664220. Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil 56199-11367, Iran.
Abstract: Nutrition is the cornerstone of plant production. Here, efforts have been made to study the effect of different nutrient solutions from the Netherlands floriculture companies (S1; Schreurs, S2: Florist, and S3: Research Station for Floriculture and Greenhouse Vegetables(RSFGV) on two gerbera cultivars (‘Stanza’ and ‘Double Dutch’). Total chlorophyll index (SPAD), flower harvest per plant, flower stem height, disk diameter, total carbohydrate, lignin, and cell membrane stability were significantly affected by treatments. The highest number of cut flowers was harvested in RSFGV solution which was about 24% and 50% more than Florist and Schreurs solutions, respectively. Schreurs’s solution showed the best impact on cell membrane stability, total carbohydrate, and lignin production. Flowers stem height, disk diameter, and hemi-cellulose content were significantly increased by RSFGV solution. The cultivar ‘Double Dutch’ showed the highest cell membrane stability, total carbohydrate, hemi-cellulose, lignin, and vase life. Flower stem height was highest in the cultivar ‘Stanza’. The interaction of nutrient solution and cultivar affected the studied parameters significantly, and the highest vase life was obtained in the cultivar ‘Double Dutch’ fertigated with Schreurs solution (11.4 d). Results indicated that Schreurs and RSFGV solutions could be the proper solutions for producing high-quality cut gerberas commercially.
Urmi Chauhan, Anil Kumar Singh, Divyesh Godani, Satish Handa, Praveen S. Gupta, Shivani Patel and Preetam Joshi
Department of Biotechnology, Shree M and N Virani Science College, Rajkot (India) 360005.
Abstract: Effect of various plant extracts during in vitro culture of rose (Rosa hybrida L. cv. bush rose), with the objective of replacing synthetic Plant Growth regulators (PGRs) to reduce the production cost, was studied. Test extracts included sweet lime juice, orange juice, sweet corn extract, tomato fruit extract and coconut water. Significant increase in shoot multiplication (15.41±1.12 shoots/explant), shoot length (3.66±0.08 cm), fresh weight (7.48±0.71 g) and dry weight (1.68±0.075 g) was observed when coconut water (@10 % v/v) was used in the standard MS medium. Addition of tomato fruit extract in the MS medium did not show any noteworthy effect on growth in rose micropropagules. Total chlorophyll and other biomolecules varied with the change in the type and concentration of plant extract. Highest accumulation of biomolecules was recorded on coconut water (@ 10 % v/v) supplemented MS medium followed by sweet corn extract and orange juice. Although tomato fruit extract (@10 % v/v) enhanced the total chlorophyll biosynthesis but at the same time depressed the accumulation of other biomolecules. Treatment of plant extract was given in two different ways; a) incorporation in the medium prior to autoclaving (PrA) and b) post-autoclaving addition of filter sterilized extract (PoA). No significant changes were noted in growth when mode of application was changed. To know the physiological pandemonium in the cells, peroxidase and IAA-oxidase activity was noted. No abnormal changes in the activity of these enzymes were recorded in the propagules grown on different plant extracts. The total cost of synthetic 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) can be reduced upto 98 % by replacing it with natural plant extract.
Rahmat Budiarto, Roedhy Poerwanto, Edi Santosa and Darda Efendi
Graduate School of Agronomy and Horticulture, Bogor Agricultural University, Jl. Meranti, Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia. Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University, Jl. Meranti, Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia. Center for Tropical Horticulture Studies, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor 16144, Indonesia.
Abstract: Mechanical shoot manipulations through bending and defoliation were applied on mandarin citrus cv. Borneo Prima in order to stimulate flushing and flowering during the rainy season, Oct. 2016-July 2017 in the tropical lowland of Indonesia. Four-year-old citrus trees were treated with bending, defoliation and its combination; and were replicated ten times with single tree as an experimental unit. All manipulated shoots exhibited rapid flushing, particularly of those with defoliation. Unfortunately, no flower was produced on trees treated with defoliation or its combination. Bending stimulated a larger number of flowering and fruiting trees than control. Flower drop was lower in bending, resulted in higher number of fruitset and fruitlets than control. At the generative stage, mandarin showed high C/N ratio due to low nitrogen content, irrespective of treatment. The failure to produce flower on defoliation and its combination could be ascertained by steady C/N ratio. Overall, bending could be applied to improve flowering and support sustainable mandarin production in tropical condition, especially at lowland production fields in Indonesia.
R. Beck, M. Camp and K. Kamo
Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit, U.S. National Arboretum, U.S.D.A., Beltsville, MD 20705, U.S.A.. Statistics Group, U.S.D.A., Beltsville, MD 20705, U.S.A;
Abstract: Micropropagation and regeneration systems were established for the U.S. National Arboretum accession, Ulmus parvifolia ‘Pathfinder’. Experiments were done using two lines of U. parvifolia, P-6 and P-10, each derived from a different, open-pollinated seed. Because micropropagation of U. parvifolia required the addition of a cytokinin to the Driver and Kuniyuki Walnut (DKW) medium, BA, mT, and TDZ were compared. Stem cuttings cultured on DKW containing 2.4 mg L-1mT for line P-10 or 4.8 mg L-1 mT for both lines P-6 and P-10 produced a significantly higher number of axillary shoots than cuttings on DKW lacking phytohormones. Stem cuttings on TDZ (0.25, 0.50, or 1.0 mg L-1) produced a significantly lower number of axillary shoots. Axillary shoots of line P-6 formed roots at a low frequency (6 %) as compared to those of P-10 shoots (58 %) when cultured on DKW with either NAA (1.0 mg L-1) or IBA (1.0 mg L-1). Most of the shoots, 96 % of P-6 and 99 % of P-10, survived in soil in the greenhouse. Shoots were regenerated from leaves taken from in vitro-grown plants, and most of the regenerated shoots came from leaves of line P-10 and very few from line P-6. P-10 leaves cultured on DKW containing 7.2 mg L-1mT regenerated significantly more plants than leaves cultured on DKW lacking hormones. The frequency of regenerated shoots from leaves cultured on DKW with mT(2.4, 4.8, or 7.2 mg L-1) that formed roots in vitro was 47, and 98 % of the shoots survived in soil in the greenhouse. This study indicates the benefit of using mT for micro propagation and regeneration from leaves of U. parvifolia.
P. Karthickumar, V.R. Sinija, K. Alagusundaram and B.K. Yadav
College of Fisheries Engineering, TNJFU, Nagapattinam. Professor, Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur. Deputy Director General (Agrl., Engg., ), New Delhi, India.
Abstract: Four different stages of ripeness have been identified (immature, mature raw, semi-ripe and ripe) in commercial grading of muskmelon. Destructive measurement (by determining firmness, total soluble solids and titratable acidity) of muskmelon ripeness is time-consuming and labour-intensive. Further, conventional visual examination procedures demand expert graders. Hence, there is need for a suitable approach to evaluate the ripeness of muskmelon; a technique that can be scaled-up to on-line applications. The objective of this study was to develop an acoustic resonance based technique to evaluate the ripeness of muskmelon. The developed system consisted of a sample holding unit, impact device, sound acquisition system, signal analyser and computer. Acoustic response parameter, stiffness coefficient was correlated with various destructive parameters. During ripening, stiffness coefficient values decreased from 5.43 x 106 Hz2g2/3 to1.47 x 106 Hz2g2/3. The proposed methodology can be efficiently modified to determine the ripeness of various other horticultural products too.
Surjit Sen , Priyamedha Sengupta, Johiruddin Molla, Khushi Mukherjee and Krishnendu Acharya
Molecular and Applied Mycology and Plant Pathology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, India. Department of Botany, Fakir Chand College, Diamond Harbour, West Bengal - 743331, India.
Abstract: Common mandarin and Indian gooseberry are extremely important fruits and used in several countries for their medicinal properties. Bacillus licheniformis SR-14 strain was tested in vitro for their antagonistic properties against Penicillium digitatum, the causal agent of postharvest green mold decay in common mandarin and Indian gooseberry. In dual culture bioassay as circular and semicircular patterns, the isolate quantitatively inhibits the growth of the pathogen by more than 72 and 57 %, respectively. In vitro plate assay detected that the strain produces hydrolytic enzymes like protease, chitinase and volatile compound. Treatment with the antagonist also resulted in the induction of defense enzymes like, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, ?-1, 3-glucanase and higher phenol accumulation compared to control. In vivo application of the antagonist revealed that the maximum mean disease index reached to 1.16 and 1.41 in Indian gooseberry and mandarin, which showed around 65 and 63 % reduction in disease severity, respectively when compared to control. These experiments suggest that the strain could be considered as a promising mean for the control of mandarin and Indian gooseberry postharvest green mold decay and its use may be an effective method to improve the integrated disease management strategy.
J. DelPrince, L. Downey and E. Stafne
Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center, 1815 Popps Ferry Rd, Biloxi, Mississippi 39532. School of Human Sciences, Mississippi State University, Box 9745, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762. Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center, 810 Hwy. 26 West, Poplarville, Mississippi 39470.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2018.v20i02.24
Key words: Florist, floristry, American Institute of Floral Designers, studio, freelance
Abstract: Data was collected from florists who passed a rigorous examination in floral design ability and maintained certification through educational updates. The purpose was to identify the current profile and challenges of leading floral designers, members of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD). Survey responses indicated more than one-fourth of the participants identified as traditional retail florists, operating brick and mortar shops. Remaining respondents were either specialized, studio designers, freelance designers, teachers or other. A slight income increase was observed in those with years of experience. AIFD membership was not statistically significant in relation to income level, but those with more years of membership earned more income. Educational level was not significant for any of the variables. Age, years of membership and work experience were highly correlated.
A. Nikmatullah, I. Ramadhan and M. Sarjan
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mataram, Jalan Majapahit 62 Mataram, Mataram-83127, Indonesia.
Abstract: Growth and production of apical stem cuttings under various soil-less culture conditions for mass production of potato G1 seed tubers was investigated. Different cutting lengths,Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) concentration,and age of mother plants from which the cuttings were taken,were evaluated for survival and growth of the cuttings. In separate experiments,successful cuttings were planted at different spacings and fertilizer rates.The highest survival rate was obtained from apical cuttings with three nodes treated with 1 ppm IAA. The best cutting growth was obtained from cuttings derived from 2 to 3 week-old mother plants. Plant height and individual leaf areas were higher at low spacing (10 cm x 10 cm),and a higher dose of NPK fertilizer (40 g/plot). The number of tubers and tuber weight per plant were higher at a spacing of 20 x 20 cm and fertilizer dose of 40 g/plot. Although higher plant density resulted in smaller tuber size,the combination of close spacing and higher doses of fertilizer resulted in the highest yield per unit area. Importantly,stock plants showed no significant decrease in plant yield after cutting. The results indicate that apical cuttings can be used for the mass-propagation of G0 seed plants to speed up and increase the efficiency of production of G1 seed tubers.