Ramesh N Pudake | Amity University, Noida (original) (raw)

Papers by Ramesh N Pudake

Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 2012

Grain protein content (GPC) in durum wheat is a crucial determinant of pasta quality and as such ... more Grain protein content (GPC) in durum wheat is a crucial determinant of pasta quality and as such is an important economic factor. This study was carried out to determine the microsatellite markers (SSRs) as associated with GPC in durum wheat grown under normal and moisture stress conditions. F 3 and F 4 population derived from 151 F 2 individuals developed from a cross between Oste-Gata (drought tolerant) and Massara-1 (drought susceptible) genotypes, were used. The population was evaluated under four environmental conditions (two irrigation regimes in two growing seasons). The results of single marker regression analysis (SMA) revealed that 2, 4 and 10 markers to be associated with GPC, test weight (TW) and 1000 grain weight (TGW), respectively. These markers explained between 4.4 and 21.8% of the phenotypic variation in either environmental condition. The most significant marker observed for GPC was located on 5B chromosome near Xgwm408 under normal conditions and the other marker was observed on 1A, explaining about 15% of phenotypic variance. However, it was not recognized any marker related to GPC under drought stress conditions. Xgwm408 marker was coincident with the markers identified for TW, TGW and components of grain yield under drought stress conditions. In spite of 5B, the other chromosomes such as 2B and 3B were related to quantitative traits like TW and TGW. Composite interval mapping (CIM) identified 4 and 5 putative minor and major QTL for TW and TGW, respectively. Two QTL near Xbarc101 and Xbarc124 markers on 3B and 2B chromosome, explained up to 45.2 and 6% of phenotypic variations of TGW and TW, respectively.

Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Jun 1, 2023

International journal of current research and review, 2014

Acta Agronomica Sinica, Jul 7, 2009

Fungal diseases cause serious yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Numerous ge... more Fungal diseases cause serious yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Numerous genes involved in the wheat-pathogen interactions have been identified, which include pathogenesis related (PR) genes and antifungal hydrolases, such as glucanase and chitinase genes. Recently, there has been increasing evidence of the potential involvement of 1,3-glucanase in defense against fungal infection. In this study, a cDNA encoding a 1,3-glucanase, designated TaGlc2, was identified from a wheat cDNA library. The deduced peptide sequence of TaGlc2 is similar to a glycoside hydrolase family 17. Using real-time PCR, the expression pattern of TaGlc2 in wheat seedlings inoculated with powdery mildew pathogen (Erysiphe graminis) was determined. The results showed that TaGlc2 is inducible in response to fungal infection. The 5' genomic region of TaGlc2 was isolated. This gene contains some cis-elements that are reported to be involved in pathogenesis response.

Springer eBooks, 2019

During the last decades, agriculture sector faces many difficulties due to worldwide loss by pest... more During the last decades, agriculture sector faces many difficulties due to worldwide loss by pests estimated by 30% from food production. Within this, weed caused about 13% loss, besides the ill effects of synthetic herbicides on human and the environmental health. The present chapter reviews the use of nanotools in weed management, in which many trials are being conducted to facilitate this technology for future weed management, by minimizing the costs and the environmental effects of the use of chemical herbicides. Nanoherbicides provide a good opportunity for farmers to control annual, perennial, and parasitic weeds by blending with the soil or sprayed on weed plants without the use of excessive amounts chemicals to leaving any toxic residues and environmental problems. Nanoformulations are being used in weed control, especially polymer formulation (control release or nanocapsulation) or nano-emulsions for natural product extracts, essential oils, and active ingredient (AI) of synthetic herbicides. Conventional application of herbicide is causing serious hazard for human health through water pollution. The use of nanoparticle for degradation of polluting herbicides from water sources’ aspect is also covered in this chapter. Biological synthesis is an efficient method for nanoparticles and has been used in various applications. Many researchers are focusing on using weed to find an environment-friendly technique for producing well-characterized nanoparticles which has been reviewed in this chapter.

CRC Press eBooks, Jun 28, 2023

European Journal of Phycology, Feb 20, 2017

ABSTRACT Cyanobacteria are among the most abundant organisms present on earth and are considered ... more ABSTRACT Cyanobacteria are among the most abundant organisms present on earth and are considered to be one of the oldest known clades. Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and are well known as promising renewable sources of energy; therefore, it is important to understand aspects of their genomes in detail across species. Advances in sequencing technology and the availability of several cyanobacterial genomes have provided an excellent opportunity to understand the diversity and evolution of the cyanobacterial genome. Here, we compared the genomes of 62 different phototrophic cyanobacteria. Evaluation of genetic diversity of all the cyanobacteria species studied revealed that evolution from their common ancestors was polyphyletic. In addition, the genomes were very diverse and varied among species, and significant genomic diversity was observed at the species and strain level. Overall, we identified 56 different protein families of cyanobacteria species/strains and found that they varied significantly among strains of a species. The circadian clock proteins KaiA, KaiB and KaiC (KaiABC complex proteins) of cyanobacteria were found to be present and consistent in the majority of cyanobacterial species while absent in a few others. Evolutionary analysis of the KaiABC protein complex showed that the KaiA protein has a high frequency of polymorphism, and multiple alleles were found to be present at high frequency. These results demonstrated that evolution of phosphorylation events occurred via KaiA in the KaiABC complex. Furthermore, multiple sequence alignment showed that KaiA, KaiB and KaiC proteins are highly conserved in nature. Our results provide direct information regarding the presence of different protein or protein families in cyanobacteria. The information presented here will serve as a starting point to explore the genetic diversity of cyanobacteria with the potential to play important roles in biotechnological applications.

Agricultural Science Digest – A Research Journal, Jun 20, 2019

Sterilization procedure, media composition, explants selection and control of physical environmen... more Sterilization procedure, media composition, explants selection and control of physical environment are critical for successful cultures and callus induction with surface sterilization being very challenging in most plants. Five different sterilization methods were evaluated to come up with the best for subsequent use to establish an in vitro regeneration method for the induction of callus in Curcuma caesia using excised leaf and rhizome explants. Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with various concentration of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D)/Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (0.5-5.0 mg/L), singly or in combination with benzyl aminopurine (BAP)/kinetin (KIN) (0.1-5.0 mg/L), 0.3% sucrose and 0.08% agar were used. The result of the sterilization procedures showed 15% NaHClO 3 (5 min)+ 70% ethanol (30 sec) + 0.1% HgCl 2 (5 min) to be the most effective in controlling contamination in C. caesia among all the treatments tested. The response to callus induction was found to depend on the type of explants used and growth regulators combination. Leaf explants gave the highest percentage of callus induction. Highest percentage of callus induction (66.70%) was obtained in the growth regulator combination of 2, 4-D (0.5 mg/L) + BAP (0.1 mg/L) and least (14.29%) in IAA (2.0 mg/L) + BAP (0.5 mg/L). An equal and higher concentration of 2, 4-D + BAP of 5.0 mg/L each also provided a better result (40.00%). No callus was obtained in all the single concentration of 2, 4-D used.

Omics of Climate Resilient Small Millets

Biochemical and Cellular Archives, 2017

Springer eBooks, 2017

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is one of the most delicious fruits fetching high values in the m... more Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is one of the most delicious fruits fetching high values in the market, and the area under its cultivation has increased manyfolds. It is generally multiplied by vegetative propagation method, and breeding is being done by conventional and molecular marker-assisted methods to achieve the quality improvement. There are various hybrids and cultivars developed conventionally by plant breeders in litchi. But due to laborious process, linkage drag, low fertility, longer flowering and fruiting time and high levels of heterozygosity, these conventional methods haven’t used to its potential in litchi. Plant genetic transformation can be a great tool in the modern molecular breeding of crops. It helps in transfer genes between unrelated plants resulting in genetically modified crop species with better agronomical traits, better nutritional values, disease resistance, insect tolerance and other desirable characteristics. Genetic transformation in plants is synergistic to conventional plant breeding technologies. By using this, the breeders can introduce novel genes irrespective of species barrier and can create phenotypes with desired characters. Over the last decade, some remarkable achievements have been made in the field of development of efficient transformation methods in field crops. Also in litchi genetic engineering technique can be used to introduce new traits in to popular genotypes, which can result into new cultivars with desirable traits. In this chapter we review the transformation methods which are being used or can be used for genetic improvement in litchi.

Plant pathology journal (Suwon), Jun 1, 2021

False smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens is an important rice fungal disease that significantly... more False smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens is an important rice fungal disease that significantly decreases its production. In the recent past, conventional methods have been developed for its detection that is time-consuming and need high-cost equipments. The research and development in nanotechnology have made it possible to assemble efficient recognition interfaces in biosensors. In this study, we present a simple, sensitive, and selective oxidized graphene-based geno-biosensor for the detection of rice false smut. The biosensor has been developed using a probe DNA as a biological recognition element on paper electrodes, and oxidized graphene to enhance the limit of detection and sensitivity of the sensor. Probe single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and target ssDNA hybridization on the interface surface has been quantitatively measured with the electrochemical analysis tools namely, cyclic voltammetry, and linear sweep voltammetry. To confirm the selectivity of the device, probe hybridization with non-complementary ssDNA target has been studied. In our study, the developed sensor was able to detect up to 10 fM of target ssDNA. The paper electrodes were employed to produce an effective and cost-effective platform for the im-mobilization of the DNA and can be extended to design low-cost biosensors for the detection of the other plant pathogens.

Plant science today, Sep 30, 2021

Under abiotic stress conditions, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi help plants by improving nutri... more Under abiotic stress conditions, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi help plants by improving nutrient and water uptake. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is an arid crop having soils with poor water holding capacity. Therefore, it is difficult for the plants to obtain water and mineral nutrients from such soil to sustain life. To understand the role of mycorrhizal symbiosis in water and mineral uptake from the soil, we studied the role of Rhizophagus intraradices colonization and its beneficial role for drought stress tolerance in finger millet seedlings. Under severe drought stress condition, AM inoculation led to the significant increase in plant growth (7 %), phosphorus and chlorophyll content (29 %). Also, under drought stress the level of osmolytes such as proline and soluble sugars were found to be increased in AM inoculated seedlings. Under water stress, the lipid peroxidation in leaves of mycorrhized seedlings was reduced by 29 %. The flavonoid content of roots in AM colonized seedlings was found 16 % higher compared to the control, whereas the leaves were accumulated more phenol. Compared to the control, ascorbate level was found to be 25 % higher in leaf tissue of AM inoculated seedlings. Moreover, glutathione (GSH) level was also increased in mycorrhiza inoculated seedlings with a maximum increment of 182 % under severe stress. The results demonstrated that AM provided drought tolerance to the finger millet seedlings through a stronger root system, greater photosynthetic efficiency, a more efficient antioxidant system and improved osmoregulation.

Springer eBooks, 2017

Drought stress is the most threatening environmental effect which limits the growth and productiv... more Drought stress is the most threatening environmental effect which limits the growth and productivity of plants globally. It is considered to cause oxidative stress in plants which results in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between antioxidants and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to any environmental stress. The antioxidant defence machinery protects plants against oxidative stress damages. Plants possess very efficient enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; polyphenol oxidase; guaiacol peroxidase), non-enzymatic (ascorbic acid, ASH; glutathione, GSH; phenolic compounds), and osmolyte (proline and soluble sugars) antioxidant defence systems which work in concert to control the cascades of uncontrolled oxidation and protect plant cells from oxidative damage by scavenging of ROS. Various soil microorganisms such as arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi or plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are the obligate symbionts that can improve plant tolerance to drought stress by increasing both plant nutrition and antioxidant defence system against the oxidative stress produced by water scarcity. In a natural soil, rhizosphere competence needs to be considered for successful interactions between these microorganisms and plants to overcome the environmental stress problem. In this chapter, we centred the assay/protocols to evaluate this relationship of antioxidant machinery and rhizospheric microbes by various spectrophotometric biochemical assays.

Acta agronomica Sinica, May 1, 2009

Fungal diseases cause serious yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Numerous ge... more Fungal diseases cause serious yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Numerous genes involved in the wheat-pathogen interactions have been identified, which include pathogenesis related (PR) genes and antifungal hydrolases, such as glucanase and chitinase genes. Recently, there has been increasing evidence of the potential involvement of 1,3-glucanase in defense against fungal infection. In this study, a cDNA encoding a 1,3-glucanase, designated TaGlc2, was identified from a wheat cDNA library. The deduced peptide sequence of TaGlc2 is similar to a glycoside hydrolase family 17. Using real-time PCR, the expression pattern of TaGlc2 in wheat seedlings inoculated with powdery mildew pathogen (Erysiphe graminis) was determined. The results showed that TaGlc2 is inducible in response to fungal infection. The 5' genomic region of TaGlc2 was isolated. This gene contains some cis-elements that are reported to be involved in pathogenesis response.

Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 2012

Grain protein content (GPC) in durum wheat is a crucial determinant of pasta quality and as such ... more Grain protein content (GPC) in durum wheat is a crucial determinant of pasta quality and as such is an important economic factor. This study was carried out to determine the microsatellite markers (SSRs) as associated with GPC in durum wheat grown under normal and moisture stress conditions. F 3 and F 4 population derived from 151 F 2 individuals developed from a cross between Oste-Gata (drought tolerant) and Massara-1 (drought susceptible) genotypes, were used. The population was evaluated under four environmental conditions (two irrigation regimes in two growing seasons). The results of single marker regression analysis (SMA) revealed that 2, 4 and 10 markers to be associated with GPC, test weight (TW) and 1000 grain weight (TGW), respectively. These markers explained between 4.4 and 21.8% of the phenotypic variation in either environmental condition. The most significant marker observed for GPC was located on 5B chromosome near Xgwm408 under normal conditions and the other marker was observed on 1A, explaining about 15% of phenotypic variance. However, it was not recognized any marker related to GPC under drought stress conditions. Xgwm408 marker was coincident with the markers identified for TW, TGW and components of grain yield under drought stress conditions. In spite of 5B, the other chromosomes such as 2B and 3B were related to quantitative traits like TW and TGW. Composite interval mapping (CIM) identified 4 and 5 putative minor and major QTL for TW and TGW, respectively. Two QTL near Xbarc101 and Xbarc124 markers on 3B and 2B chromosome, explained up to 45.2 and 6% of phenotypic variations of TGW and TW, respectively.

Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Jun 1, 2023

International journal of current research and review, 2014

Acta Agronomica Sinica, Jul 7, 2009

Fungal diseases cause serious yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Numerous ge... more Fungal diseases cause serious yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Numerous genes involved in the wheat-pathogen interactions have been identified, which include pathogenesis related (PR) genes and antifungal hydrolases, such as glucanase and chitinase genes. Recently, there has been increasing evidence of the potential involvement of 1,3-glucanase in defense against fungal infection. In this study, a cDNA encoding a 1,3-glucanase, designated TaGlc2, was identified from a wheat cDNA library. The deduced peptide sequence of TaGlc2 is similar to a glycoside hydrolase family 17. Using real-time PCR, the expression pattern of TaGlc2 in wheat seedlings inoculated with powdery mildew pathogen (Erysiphe graminis) was determined. The results showed that TaGlc2 is inducible in response to fungal infection. The 5' genomic region of TaGlc2 was isolated. This gene contains some cis-elements that are reported to be involved in pathogenesis response.

Springer eBooks, 2019

During the last decades, agriculture sector faces many difficulties due to worldwide loss by pest... more During the last decades, agriculture sector faces many difficulties due to worldwide loss by pests estimated by 30% from food production. Within this, weed caused about 13% loss, besides the ill effects of synthetic herbicides on human and the environmental health. The present chapter reviews the use of nanotools in weed management, in which many trials are being conducted to facilitate this technology for future weed management, by minimizing the costs and the environmental effects of the use of chemical herbicides. Nanoherbicides provide a good opportunity for farmers to control annual, perennial, and parasitic weeds by blending with the soil or sprayed on weed plants without the use of excessive amounts chemicals to leaving any toxic residues and environmental problems. Nanoformulations are being used in weed control, especially polymer formulation (control release or nanocapsulation) or nano-emulsions for natural product extracts, essential oils, and active ingredient (AI) of synthetic herbicides. Conventional application of herbicide is causing serious hazard for human health through water pollution. The use of nanoparticle for degradation of polluting herbicides from water sources’ aspect is also covered in this chapter. Biological synthesis is an efficient method for nanoparticles and has been used in various applications. Many researchers are focusing on using weed to find an environment-friendly technique for producing well-characterized nanoparticles which has been reviewed in this chapter.

CRC Press eBooks, Jun 28, 2023

European Journal of Phycology, Feb 20, 2017

ABSTRACT Cyanobacteria are among the most abundant organisms present on earth and are considered ... more ABSTRACT Cyanobacteria are among the most abundant organisms present on earth and are considered to be one of the oldest known clades. Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and are well known as promising renewable sources of energy; therefore, it is important to understand aspects of their genomes in detail across species. Advances in sequencing technology and the availability of several cyanobacterial genomes have provided an excellent opportunity to understand the diversity and evolution of the cyanobacterial genome. Here, we compared the genomes of 62 different phototrophic cyanobacteria. Evaluation of genetic diversity of all the cyanobacteria species studied revealed that evolution from their common ancestors was polyphyletic. In addition, the genomes were very diverse and varied among species, and significant genomic diversity was observed at the species and strain level. Overall, we identified 56 different protein families of cyanobacteria species/strains and found that they varied significantly among strains of a species. The circadian clock proteins KaiA, KaiB and KaiC (KaiABC complex proteins) of cyanobacteria were found to be present and consistent in the majority of cyanobacterial species while absent in a few others. Evolutionary analysis of the KaiABC protein complex showed that the KaiA protein has a high frequency of polymorphism, and multiple alleles were found to be present at high frequency. These results demonstrated that evolution of phosphorylation events occurred via KaiA in the KaiABC complex. Furthermore, multiple sequence alignment showed that KaiA, KaiB and KaiC proteins are highly conserved in nature. Our results provide direct information regarding the presence of different protein or protein families in cyanobacteria. The information presented here will serve as a starting point to explore the genetic diversity of cyanobacteria with the potential to play important roles in biotechnological applications.

Agricultural Science Digest – A Research Journal, Jun 20, 2019

Sterilization procedure, media composition, explants selection and control of physical environmen... more Sterilization procedure, media composition, explants selection and control of physical environment are critical for successful cultures and callus induction with surface sterilization being very challenging in most plants. Five different sterilization methods were evaluated to come up with the best for subsequent use to establish an in vitro regeneration method for the induction of callus in Curcuma caesia using excised leaf and rhizome explants. Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with various concentration of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D)/Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (0.5-5.0 mg/L), singly or in combination with benzyl aminopurine (BAP)/kinetin (KIN) (0.1-5.0 mg/L), 0.3% sucrose and 0.08% agar were used. The result of the sterilization procedures showed 15% NaHClO 3 (5 min)+ 70% ethanol (30 sec) + 0.1% HgCl 2 (5 min) to be the most effective in controlling contamination in C. caesia among all the treatments tested. The response to callus induction was found to depend on the type of explants used and growth regulators combination. Leaf explants gave the highest percentage of callus induction. Highest percentage of callus induction (66.70%) was obtained in the growth regulator combination of 2, 4-D (0.5 mg/L) + BAP (0.1 mg/L) and least (14.29%) in IAA (2.0 mg/L) + BAP (0.5 mg/L). An equal and higher concentration of 2, 4-D + BAP of 5.0 mg/L each also provided a better result (40.00%). No callus was obtained in all the single concentration of 2, 4-D used.

Omics of Climate Resilient Small Millets

Biochemical and Cellular Archives, 2017

Springer eBooks, 2017

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is one of the most delicious fruits fetching high values in the m... more Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is one of the most delicious fruits fetching high values in the market, and the area under its cultivation has increased manyfolds. It is generally multiplied by vegetative propagation method, and breeding is being done by conventional and molecular marker-assisted methods to achieve the quality improvement. There are various hybrids and cultivars developed conventionally by plant breeders in litchi. But due to laborious process, linkage drag, low fertility, longer flowering and fruiting time and high levels of heterozygosity, these conventional methods haven’t used to its potential in litchi. Plant genetic transformation can be a great tool in the modern molecular breeding of crops. It helps in transfer genes between unrelated plants resulting in genetically modified crop species with better agronomical traits, better nutritional values, disease resistance, insect tolerance and other desirable characteristics. Genetic transformation in plants is synergistic to conventional plant breeding technologies. By using this, the breeders can introduce novel genes irrespective of species barrier and can create phenotypes with desired characters. Over the last decade, some remarkable achievements have been made in the field of development of efficient transformation methods in field crops. Also in litchi genetic engineering technique can be used to introduce new traits in to popular genotypes, which can result into new cultivars with desirable traits. In this chapter we review the transformation methods which are being used or can be used for genetic improvement in litchi.

Plant pathology journal (Suwon), Jun 1, 2021

False smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens is an important rice fungal disease that significantly... more False smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens is an important rice fungal disease that significantly decreases its production. In the recent past, conventional methods have been developed for its detection that is time-consuming and need high-cost equipments. The research and development in nanotechnology have made it possible to assemble efficient recognition interfaces in biosensors. In this study, we present a simple, sensitive, and selective oxidized graphene-based geno-biosensor for the detection of rice false smut. The biosensor has been developed using a probe DNA as a biological recognition element on paper electrodes, and oxidized graphene to enhance the limit of detection and sensitivity of the sensor. Probe single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and target ssDNA hybridization on the interface surface has been quantitatively measured with the electrochemical analysis tools namely, cyclic voltammetry, and linear sweep voltammetry. To confirm the selectivity of the device, probe hybridization with non-complementary ssDNA target has been studied. In our study, the developed sensor was able to detect up to 10 fM of target ssDNA. The paper electrodes were employed to produce an effective and cost-effective platform for the im-mobilization of the DNA and can be extended to design low-cost biosensors for the detection of the other plant pathogens.

Plant science today, Sep 30, 2021

Under abiotic stress conditions, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi help plants by improving nutri... more Under abiotic stress conditions, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi help plants by improving nutrient and water uptake. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is an arid crop having soils with poor water holding capacity. Therefore, it is difficult for the plants to obtain water and mineral nutrients from such soil to sustain life. To understand the role of mycorrhizal symbiosis in water and mineral uptake from the soil, we studied the role of Rhizophagus intraradices colonization and its beneficial role for drought stress tolerance in finger millet seedlings. Under severe drought stress condition, AM inoculation led to the significant increase in plant growth (7 %), phosphorus and chlorophyll content (29 %). Also, under drought stress the level of osmolytes such as proline and soluble sugars were found to be increased in AM inoculated seedlings. Under water stress, the lipid peroxidation in leaves of mycorrhized seedlings was reduced by 29 %. The flavonoid content of roots in AM colonized seedlings was found 16 % higher compared to the control, whereas the leaves were accumulated more phenol. Compared to the control, ascorbate level was found to be 25 % higher in leaf tissue of AM inoculated seedlings. Moreover, glutathione (GSH) level was also increased in mycorrhiza inoculated seedlings with a maximum increment of 182 % under severe stress. The results demonstrated that AM provided drought tolerance to the finger millet seedlings through a stronger root system, greater photosynthetic efficiency, a more efficient antioxidant system and improved osmoregulation.

Springer eBooks, 2017

Drought stress is the most threatening environmental effect which limits the growth and productiv... more Drought stress is the most threatening environmental effect which limits the growth and productivity of plants globally. It is considered to cause oxidative stress in plants which results in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between antioxidants and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to any environmental stress. The antioxidant defence machinery protects plants against oxidative stress damages. Plants possess very efficient enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; polyphenol oxidase; guaiacol peroxidase), non-enzymatic (ascorbic acid, ASH; glutathione, GSH; phenolic compounds), and osmolyte (proline and soluble sugars) antioxidant defence systems which work in concert to control the cascades of uncontrolled oxidation and protect plant cells from oxidative damage by scavenging of ROS. Various soil microorganisms such as arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi or plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are the obligate symbionts that can improve plant tolerance to drought stress by increasing both plant nutrition and antioxidant defence system against the oxidative stress produced by water scarcity. In a natural soil, rhizosphere competence needs to be considered for successful interactions between these microorganisms and plants to overcome the environmental stress problem. In this chapter, we centred the assay/protocols to evaluate this relationship of antioxidant machinery and rhizospheric microbes by various spectrophotometric biochemical assays.

Acta agronomica Sinica, May 1, 2009

Fungal diseases cause serious yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Numerous ge... more Fungal diseases cause serious yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Numerous genes involved in the wheat-pathogen interactions have been identified, which include pathogenesis related (PR) genes and antifungal hydrolases, such as glucanase and chitinase genes. Recently, there has been increasing evidence of the potential involvement of 1,3-glucanase in defense against fungal infection. In this study, a cDNA encoding a 1,3-glucanase, designated TaGlc2, was identified from a wheat cDNA library. The deduced peptide sequence of TaGlc2 is similar to a glycoside hydrolase family 17. Using real-time PCR, the expression pattern of TaGlc2 in wheat seedlings inoculated with powdery mildew pathogen (Erysiphe graminis) was determined. The results showed that TaGlc2 is inducible in response to fungal infection. The 5' genomic region of TaGlc2 was isolated. This gene contains some cis-elements that are reported to be involved in pathogenesis response.