Interspecific hybrid between Gossypium hirsutum (AADD) cv. F 1861 and G. armourianum (DD) Acc. PAU 1 was generated and characterized along with parents at morphological and molecular levels. Female parent (F 1861) had erect growth habit, cream petals, palmate leaves, green stem, cream anthers, hairy stem and leaves; whereas male parent (PAU 1) had spreading growth habit, yellow petals, cordate leaves, reddish green stem, yellow anthers and glabrous plant body. The growth habit, petal colour, leaf shape and size of interspecific F1 hybrid were intermediate. Plant stem colour and hairiness, leaf pubescence and anther colour of G. armourianum Acc. PAU 1 were observed to be dominant as hybrid fully resembled Acc. PAU 1 for these characters. Petal spot was absent in F 1861 and present in PAU 1as well as hybrid. Variable expression of petal spot, anther colour and filament colour was observed in F1. The interspecific F1 hybrid was male-sterile. Significant differences were observed between the pollen size of parents as well as parents and their hybrid. Of the 33 SSR markers polymorphic between the parents, 8 markers unambiguously confirmed the hybrid status of interspecific hybrid. This hybrid may serve as a useful genetic resource for the transfer of cotton leaf curl disease resistance to American cotton.

PH20 hyaluronidase proteins are members of Zona pellucida binding protein family. PH20 hyaluronidase is reportedly bifunctional i.e. have hyaluronidase and sperm-zona binding activities. In this study, we performed insilico characterization of novel PH20 protein using partial nucleotide sequences, obtained from SNP genotyping of Bubalus bubalis bulls, by Sanger's dideoxy sequencingmethod. These gene sequences are novel and first time reported in B. bubalis. Possible glycosylation and mannosylation patterns were also predicted in both the PH20 hyaluronidase sequences which appear responsible for its hyaluronidaseactivity. Further, the potential tertiary structure of PH20 was deduced using Swiss-Model server. The tertiary structure models of PH20 were validated by ProSA server and Ramachandran plots. The tertiary structure models of PH20 were further refined using KoBaMIN server and validated by PROCHECK, ProSA and Ramachandran plots. These structural models were assigned PMDB identifiers PM0080458 and PM0080459. Physico-chemical characterization revealed that B. bubalis PH20 hyaluronidase are more thermostable and more hydrophobic than that of cattle PH20 hyaluro-nidase. The functional annotations were further inferred using Gene Ontolgy based predictions. Present work on elucidated structure of PH20 predicts a reference model for functional genomics studies related to multifunctionality of PH20 hyaluronidase proteins with respect to genetic variants within the species or trans-species. The current work is the first preliminary insilico study on novel bubaline PH20 hyaluronidases.

The present study was carried out at Horticultural Farm, Division of Fruit Science, SKUAST, Shalimar, Srinagar (Kashmir) during 2012–13 to evaluate various walnut pollinizers in improving the productivity and nut quality. Pollen germination and its viability, pollen production rate, anther and pollen morphology of ‘SKAU-W-0020’ and ‘SKUA-W-0022’ and influence of pollination method i.e. open and cross on nut and kernel characteristics was studied. Highest pollen viability (91.4%) was observed in selection ‘SKAU-W-0020’. Maximum pollen germination (51.5%) was observed in ‘SKAU-W-0020’ on medium containing agar agar powder (1%) + sucrose (15%) + boric acid (100 ppm) + CaCl2 (1 mM). Pollen production varied significantly within genotypes with maximum (1, 43, 75000) in ‘SKAU-W-0020’ and minimum (1, 20, 60000) in ‘SKAU-W0022’. Maximum anther length (2457 μm) and width (1228 μm) was in ‘SKAU-W-0020’; however, maximum pollen length (35 μm) and width (39.6 μm) was in ‘SKAU-W-0022’. Nut weight, diameter, length and kernel length, weight and kernel percentage in ‘SKAU-W-0025’ and ‘SKAU-W0015’ increased through cross pollination, however in ‘SKAU-W-0024’ and ‘SKAU-W-0008’ reverse trend was observed.

This study reports the cultivation of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), Glomus intraradices spores in Ri-TDNA transformed carrot (Daucus carota) roots using Agrobacterium rhizogenes MTCC culture 532. The germination and mass multiplication of surface sterilized AM spores was studied at different pH levels, sucrose concentrations and inoculums sources. The multiplication of AM spores were successfully established using dual culture technique in modified Strullu and Romands medium amended with 1.0% sucrose at pH 5.5 and incubation temperature of 27°C under dark condition. The influence of using different inoculum sources such as bunch of spores, infected root bits and spore gel/agar plug of G. intraradices in root organ culture were evaluated during successive generations under in vitro conditions. Among these, agar plug with high density of viable spores (initially 50) along with few mycorrhized root apexes guaranteed maximum multiplication of spores (9772±770 numbers) after 16 weeks.

The present study was aimed to detect Mycoplasma spp. associated with the female reproductive tract of cattle and buffaloes in Punjab (India). Out of 65 samples comprising of uterine discharges, vaginal mucus and foetal stomach contents, 21 were positive for Mycoplasma spp. by genus specific PCR using primers based on 16S rDNA of Mycoplasma spp. An amplification band of 270-bp was obtained in all the positive samples. The overall prevalence of Mycoplasma spp. in cattle and buffaloes was 32.3% whereas the prevalence was 24.61 and 7.69% in cattle and buffaloes, respectively. Maximum prevalence of 21.7% was seen in HF breed of cattle and 15.78% in Murrah breed of buffaloes. Cattle and buffaloes in age group 4–6 years and 6–8 years were found more positive for Mycoplasma spp.

Studies were conducted to explore the possibility of using Azolla (Azolla pinnata) as feed ingredient in cow and broiler ration. In 1st study, 60 crossbred cows in their 2nd to 4th lactation were randomly divided into 2 groups and fed with or without Azolla supplemented commercial feed (1:1:: Azolla: concentrate). Azolla-fed group showed a significant increase of 11.85% in milk production. In 2nd study, 220 one-day-old ‘Vencobb’ broiler chicks were divided into 2 groups and fed with commercial feed supplemented with or without dried Azolla meal [5% feed]. Result showed significant improvement in cumulative feed intake, body weight and FCR in broiler group fed with Azolla. The use of Azolla in cattle and broiler ration improved their production performance; so has a great potential as sustainable efficient feed supplement for cow and broiler (upto 5%).

The effect of feed moisture, screw speed and barrel temperature on colour coordinates of re-fabricated rice grains were investigated in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder using response surface methodology. The rice flour obtained from broken rice (< 1/8th was used in the study. The screw speed was set at five levels between 49 and 150 rpm, barrel temperature between 59 and 110°C and feed moisture between 31 and 45%. All colour coordinates of re-fabricated grains evaluated (total colour difference) and hue angle were significantly affected by the three process variables. Barrel temperature was the most significant variable with quadratic effect on a*. Response surface regression models were established to correlate the colour coordinates of refabricated rice grains to the process variables. The optimized extrusion conditions for preparation of re-fabricated grains were 38%, moisture content, 130 rpm screw speed and 89°C barrel temperature. A significant change was observed in maillard precursors i.e. sucrose, glucose, fructose and maltose levels of re-fabricated rice obtained at optimum extrusion

Present investigation was conducted on Sahiwal, HF crosses and Murrah bulls maintained at A.B. Complex, NDRI, Karnal (India) to identify the relative efficiency of various sterilization methods for the treatment of artificial vagina (AV) to be used for bovine semen processing. The glassware part of AV was sterilized by hot air oven at 160°C for 60 min. and microwave oven for 3 min. A total of 72 ejaculates were taken from 3 collections each from 4 bulls of each breed/species subjected to 2 types of treatments, then total plate count (TPC) of all these combinations was carried out using plate count agar media. Standardization of the best sterilizing method was done by selecting the method whose total bacterial count on the media was the least and the best semen quality (mass activity, initial motility, non-eosinophilic percent and abnormalities) was obtained. The microwave oven method of sterilization of glassware part of artificial vagina was found superior over hot air oven method.