K. N. Singh

Genotypic Variation in Root Anatomy, Starch Accumulation, and Protein Induction in Upland Rice (Oryza sativa) Varieties Under Water Stress

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) roots play important role in the absorption of water, nutrients, and also in stress tolerance such as desiccation, salt and drought stress. The root’s anatomical and histological features showed large xylem vessels and reduced aerenchyma formation in resistant genotypes under water stress. Correlation of anatomical changes in parenchymatous cortex region, starch accumulation in the cortex, and outer unicellular layer of epiblema was also found in rice var. Nagina 22, the most acclaimed drought-resistant variety in Asia. Additionally, electrophoresis of proteins extracted from the roots after water stress showed putative induction of 4–5 proteins putatively induced in var. Nagina 22. These findings suggest that a complex network of regulatory pathways of large xylem vessels with lesser aerenchyma formation and higher starch content in tolerant rice varieties are required for the maintenance of water potential and energy storage under water stress.

Understanding the Diversity of Aspergillus by Next-Generation Sequencing

Abstract Aspergillus sp. has great importance in the present scenario in human and plants by producing immunosuppressive secondary metabolites, aflatoxins, carcinogenic, and teratogenic. The diversity of Aspergillus in the present scenario remains poorly understood. The assessment of true biodiversity of Aspergillus and other fungi in nature is essential for the understanding of their biology. There are several methods available for the detection of biodiversity, such as morphological character, biochemical molecules, and molecular molecules. Recent technological advancements have allowed significant progress in documenting fungal diversity. The use of DNA-based techniques, mainly DNA sequencing, for detecting fungi in the environment revolutionized our view of how and where fungi live. The most widely used genomic region for delimiting fungal species is the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), a short DNA segment with enough intraspecific variation that is suitable for diagnosing different species. Because of the high speed, low cost, and significant technical advantages, next-generation sequencing techniques (NGSTs) have been extensively used in fungal diversity in the past decade. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has enormous potential to further our understanding of microbial biodiversity. In addition, NGSTs eliminate the need for cloning DNA, thus reducing the bias often associated with this step. There are some initial improvements in the Aspergillus diversity assessments by NGSTs, which speedup the sequencing and also save time.

Molecular Tools and Techniques for Detection and Diagnosis of Plant Pathogens

Plant pathogens infect a wide range of plant species and cause great yield and quality loss of agricultural crops. Detection and accurate identification of harmful plant pathogens is very essential to improve the strategies for controlling plant diseases. The early detection and identification of plant pathogens provides the basis for understanding their biology and appropriate strategies to control that particular pathogen. For the identification of plant pathogen, traditional procedures, i.e., isolation, in vitro culturing and microscopy of the extracellular pathogens, are in common routine. However, traditional methods may take days or weeks for particular pathogens to produce diagnostic spores. Indexing for many intracellular pathogens is also very complex because they are obligate biotrophs in nature. The development in the recent tools in molecular biology has enhanced and accelerated the detection and diagnostics through the automatic purification of nucleic acids and specific proteins from pathogens.

Biosafety for Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract Agricultural biotechnology has the potential to advance crop productivity production enhancement and improve food security at global level. There is a growing alarm about the genetically engineered crops and its environment effects on food chain. Though, acceptance of such technologies has consequences, there is need for creating biosafety regulatory systems to decrease and eradicate possible potential risks arising from agricultural biotechnology on flora and fauna. India, as a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity and Cartagena Protocol, has acquired the responsibility of strengthening her biosafety structure very sincerely. The present chapter points a relative lesson of the accessible national and international biosafety frameworks in place in India, with the UNEPGEF Framework implemented across 126 countries. The intention of this chapter is to categorize confrontations within the system and possibilities how to minimize the risk of genetically modified organisms to the society.