H. R. Khan

Evaluation of physiological traits for improving drought tolerance in faba bean (Vicia faba L.)

Among grain legumes, faba bean is becoming increasingly popular in European agriculture due to recent economic and environmental interests. Faba bean can be a highly productive crop, but it is sensitive to drought stress and yields can vary considerably from season to season. Understanding the physiological basis of drought tolerance would indicate traits that can be used as indirect selection criteria for the development of cultivars adapted to drought conditions. To assess genotypic variation in physiological traits associated with drought tolerance in faba bean and to determine relationships among these attributes, two pot experiments were established in a growth chamber using genetic materials that had previously been screened for drought response in the field. Nine inbred lines of diverse genetic backgrounds were tested under adequate water supply and limited water conditions. The genotypes showed substantial variation in shoot dry matter, water use, stomatal conductance, leaf temperature, transpiration efficiency, carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C), relative water content (RWC) and osmotic potential, determined at pre-flowering vegetative stage. Moisture deficits decreased water usage and consequently shoot dry matter production. RWC, osmotic potential, stomatal conductance and Δ13C were lower, whereas leaf temperature and transpiration efficiency were higher in stressed plants, probably due to restricted transpirational cooling induced by stomatal closure. Furthermore, differences in stomatal conductance, leaf temperature, Δ13C and transpiration efficiency characterized genotypes that were physiologically more adapted to water deficit conditions. Correlation analysis also showed relatively strong relationships among these variables under well watered conditions. The drought tolerant genotypes, ILB-938/2 and Melodie showed lower stomatal conductance associated with warmer leaves, whereas higher stomatal conductance and cooler leaves were observed in sensitive lines (332/2/91/015/1 and Aurora/1). The lower value of Δ13C coupled with higher transpiration efficiency in ILB-938/2, relative to sensitive lines (Aurora/1 and Condor/3), is indeed a desirable characteristic for water-limited environments. Finally, the results showed that stomatal conductance, leaf temperature and Δ13C are promising physiological indicators for drought tolerance in faba bean. These variables could be measured in pot-grown plants at adequate water supply and may serve as indirect selection criteria to pre-screen genotypes.

Chickpea genotypes differ in their sensitivity to Zn deficiency

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is common in most of the chickpea growing areas of the world and growing Zn-efficient genotypes on Zn-deficient soil is a benign approach of universal interest. Response of 13 chickpea genotypes (10 desi and 3 kabuli) to Zn nutrition was studied in a pot experiment under glasshouse conditions. Plants were grown in a Zn-deficient siliceous sand for 6 weeks and fertilized with 0 (Zn−) and 2.5 mg Zn per kg soil (Zn+). When grown with no added Zn, Zn deficiency symptoms (chlorosis of younger leaves and stipules followed by necrosis of leaf margins) appeared 3–4 weeks after planting and were more apparent in cultivars Tyson, Amethyst and Dooen than Kaniva and T-1587. Zn deficiency reduced shoot growth, but it was less affected in breeding lines T-1587 and CTS 11308 than cultivars Tyson, Dooen, Amethyst and Barwon. Among all genotypes, Tyson produced the lowest root dry weight in Zn– treatment. Zinc efficiency based on shoot dry weight showed marked differences among genotypes; breeding lines CTS-60543, CTS-11308 and T-1587 were 2-fold more Zn-efficient than cultivars Tyson and Dooen. A higher Zn accumulation per plant and higher Zn uptake per g. of root dry weight were recorded in T-1587 and CTS-11308 when compared with Tyson. Root:shoot ratio was increased and proportionally more Zn was transported to the shoot when the soil was deficient. Cultivars that were very sensitive to Zn deficiency tended to have their root:shoot ratio increased by Zn deficiency more than less sensitive cultivars. The insensitive lines T-1587 and CTS-11308 transported more than 70% of the total absorbed Zn to the shoot. It is concluded that chickpea genotypes vary in their sensitivity to Zn deficiency. Advanced breeding lines T-1587 and CTS-11308 are relatively more Zn-efficient compared with Australian chickpea cultivar Tyson. Zn efficiency in chickpea genotypes is probably related to an efficient Zn absorption coupled with a better root to shoot transport.

Zinc fertilization and water stress affects plant water relations, stomatal conductance and osmotic adjustment in chickpea (Cicer arientinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is an important dryland pulse crop in many parts of the world. Productivity is often limited by periods of water deficit and in a number of regions zinc deficiency occurs, but the interaction between zinc nutrition and water stress has not been studied extensively. This interaction was examined in two glasshouse experiments. Chickpea was grown under deficient (no applied Zn) or adequate (2.5 μg Zn/g soil) levels of zinc in pots for either 53 days (Experiment 1) or 40 days (Experiment 2) before being exposed to a single period of water stress that lasted for 12 days (Experiment 1) or 23 days (Experiment 2). In one experiment four genotypes (Tyson, ICC-4958, T-1587 and NIFA-88) differing in their sensitivity to zinc deficiency were compared during a single drying cycle, and in the second experiment a single cultivar (Tyson) was compared under well-watered and water stress conditions. Water stress was induced by allowing the soil to dry gradually and the responses in shoot biomass, water use, plant water relations and carbon isotope discrimination (Δ, ‰) were measured. Shoot biomass, water use and water use efficiency were reduced by zinc deficiency. Stomatal conductance was lower in zinc-deficient plants as well. Zinc deficiency reduced Δ by about 1‰ and there were significant differences in Δ between genotypes which were independent of the level of zinc nutrition. At an adequate level of zinc there was a significant negative correlation between Δ and shoot biomass and between Δ and water use efficiency among the four chickpea genotypes, but these correlations were not significant under zinc deficiency. Osmotic potential was lower and turgor higher in the leaves of zinc-deficient plants, but the ability to adjust osmotically was reduced by zinc deficiency as stress developed. In conclusion, zinc-deficiency reduced the efficiency with which the water was used for biomass production and compromised the plant’s capacity to respond to water stress by osmotic adjustment.

Assessment of the Zn status of chickpea by plant analysis

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is extensively grown in areas where soils are deficient in zinc (Zn). To determine the response of chickpea to Zn nutrition and to diagnose Zn status in plant tissue, two glasshouse experiments were conducted using Zn-deficient siliceous sandy soil. In Experiment 1, two genotypes of desi chickpea (Dooen and Tyson) were grown at five Zn levels (0, 0.04, 0.2, 1.0 and 5.0 mg kg-1 of soil). After 4 weeks, no difference in growth and no visible symptoms of Zn deficiency were detected. After 6–8 weeks of growth, chlorosis of younger leaves and stipules occured in the Zn0 treatment, with shoot dry weight being only 24% of that recorded at the highest Zn level. Root growth increased from 0.52 g/plant when no Zn was applied to 1.04 g/plant in the treatment with 0.2 mg Zn kg-1 of soil; no response to further increase of Zn fertilization occurred. Zinc concentration in the whole shoot increased significantly with increased in Zn application. The critical Zn concentration in the shoot tissue, associated with 90% of maximum growth, was 20 mg kg-1 for both genotypes at flowering stage.In the second experiment, two genotypes of desi chickpea (Tyson and T-1587) were grown at three Zn levels (0, 0.5 and 2.5 mg kg-1 of soil) under two moisture regimes (field capacity 12% w/w, and water stress 4% w/w). Shoot growth was influenced by both Zn supply and water stress. The effect of water stress was severe in the 0.5 and 2.5 mg Zn treatments where shoot dry matter was reduced 52 and 46%, respectively. T-1587 was less sensitive to Zn deficiency and produced higher shoot dry weight than Tyson in the Zn0 treatment. Zinc concentration in shoots increased from 5 mg kg-1 when no Zn was applied to 40 mg kg-1 at the highest Zn level. The critical Zn concentration in shoots was 21 mg kg-1.The results of the two experiments showed that the critical concentration for Zn did not differ amongst the three cultivars used and was not affected by soil moisture. Similar studies should be undertaken with a wider number of genotypes to discover if a critical concentration of 20–21 mg kg-1 in the shoot can be used to diagose the Zn status of chickpea genotypes.

Response of chickpea genotypes to zinc fertilization under field conditions in south Australia and Pakistan

Abstract Soils low in available zinc (Zn) occur in many areas of the world where chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is grown. Improving the ability to grow and produce high yield under limited supplies of Zn (often referred to as Zn efficiency) may increase productivity of chickpea in many of these regions. The effects of Zn on the growth, grain yield and tissue ZN concentration of a number of chickpea genotypes were compared in one field experiment in South Australia and two in Pakistan. The DPTA‐extractable Zn at the sites ranged from 0.24 to 0.30 mg kg−1. In each experiment 10 genotypes were grown with or without additional Zn. Except for Tyson, the genotypes differed between the two experiments in Pakistan and that in South Australia. Grain yield responses to applied Zn, which ranged from 7% to 19%, occurred at each site, but the largest responses occurred at the two sites in Pakistan. The rankings for Zn efficiency from the field experiments were significantly correlated with the rankings in previous pot trials, and there was a significant correlation in the performance of genotypes across sites in Pakistan. The high levels of zinc efficiency suggested that significant genetic gains in productivity under conditions of low Zn supply are possible. The ability of pot trials to predict performance under field conditions indicates that screening for zinc efficiency can be successfully conducted in the glasshouse.

Biodegradable PBAT/PLA Blend with Bioactive MCPA-PHBV Conjugate Suppresses Weed Growth

The herbicide 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) conjugated with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) was prepared via a melt transesterification route. The resultant bioactive oligomer was then mixed with a blend of polylactide (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) with different loadings to manufacture films to be used as a bioactive, biodegradable mulch to deliver the herbicide to target broadleaf weed species. The biological targeting of the MCPA-PHBV conjugate in the mulch film was investigated under glasshouse conditions using faba bean (Vicia faba) as a selective (nontarget) model crop species having broadleaf morphology. The presence of the MCPA-PHBV conjugate in the biodegradable PBTA/PLA blend was shown to completely suppress the growth of broadleaf weed species while displaying only a mild effect on the growth of the model crop. The degradation of the mulch film under glasshouse conditions was quite slow. The release of the MCPA-PHBV during this process was detected using NMR, GPC, EDS, and DSC analyses, indicating that the majority of the MCPA diffused out after MCPA-PHBV conjugate bond scission. These data provide a strong proof of concept and show that this biodegradable, bioactive film is a good candidate for future field applications and may be of wide agricultural applicability.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone suppression therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer: The role for a combined T3/T4 approach

In the management of differentiated thyroid carcinoma, surgery with or without postoperative radioiodine, and thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression is the standard of care in most patients. Levothyroxine is recommended for long‐term TSH suppression. For some patients, this may be difficult to tolerate due to adverse effects, such as impaired cognitive function.

Identification and multi-environment validation of resistance to rust (Uromyces viciae-fabae) in Vicia faba

Abstract. A germplasm collection of 484 accessions of Vicia faba was screened for resistance to rust (Uromyces viciae-fabae) under field conditions. Accessions varied in the levels of rust infection, although no complete resistance was identified. Stability of resistance of the 39 most-resistant accessions was tested in a multi-location experiment in Austria, Egypt, Tunisia, United Kingdom and Spain over three additional field seasons. Genotypeu2009×u2009environment interaction accounted for 43% of the sum of squares of the multi-environment evaluation, revealing instability of the phenotypic expression across environments. This might hamper the efficiency of selection suggesting the need for selection in different environments. Three possible mega-environments were discerned in the studied area, Mediterranean (Spain, Tunisia and Egypt), Oceanic (UK) and Continental (Austria). Córdoba (Spain) and Kafr El-Sheik (Egypt) showed as ideal environments for rust resistance screenings within Mediterranean environment. Several accessions (300, 303, 311, 313, 720, 1196 and 1271) were grouped as moderately to highly resistant in the three defined mega-environments. These accessions showed clear differences both in terms of reduced disease severity and high stability, which make them good candidates for international faba bean breeding programmes. Concerning each mega-environment, accessions 300 and 311 were the most resistant and stable ones across the Mediterranean one, followed by accessions 720, 1022, 1272, 1320 and BPL261. On the contrary other accessions (313, 452, 481 and 1196) were the most resistant in Oceanic and Continental environments. However, 452 and 481 were susceptible in the Mediterranean mega-environment. This contrasting performance across the environments was also supported by contradictory performance of the checks BPL261 and Baraca in Oceanic and Continental environments, suggesting differential virulence in rust populations, which deserves further attention.