Ishwari Bisht - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Ishwari Bisht
Journal of Non Timber Forest Products, 2016
Uttarakhand is a store house of plant genetic resources of several crop groups including ornament... more Uttarakhand is a store house of plant genetic resources of several crop groups including ornamentals and seasonal flowering plant species. A wide range of seasonal flowering plants are being grown in the region because of its various and favourable agro-geo climatic zones. Ornamental plant enhances aesthetic value of our environment. There are 8 developmental blocks and 1082 villages in district Nainital of Uttarakhand. Nainital district, is a part of Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. It lies between 29?0.1' to 29?36' 21'' N latitude and 78?50' 53'' to 80?06' E longitude. More than 7.62 lakh population reside in 4064 km2 of geographical area of district Nainital. The district falls under sub-tropical to temperate zones. During the course of field survey (2013-2015), we came across wide range of seasonal flowering plants mostly belong to exotic origin being grown in the home gardens of natives of the region situated in different agro-ecological niches. The...
Journal of Non Timber Forest Products, 2016
Sweet basil is an incredible herb, used both as a classic culinary and ornamental herb of Home Ga... more Sweet basil is an incredible herb, used both as a classic culinary and ornamental herb of Home Gardens. The genus Ocimum contains approximately 65 species of herbs and shrubs originated in tropical Asia. It has a strong medicinal use and it is very high in vitamins and minerals. The present study holds 6 varieties of Ocimum basilicum L. consisting of 29 accessions were procured from National Gene Bank, New Delhi. These accessions were grown in the Kharif seasons of 2014-15 at ICAR-NBPGR Regional Station, Bhowali, Nainital Uttarakhand for analysing of their quantitative and qualitative or phenotypic characters for identification of superior genotypes. The comparative study of Ocimum spp. was examined to assess the variability of qualitative and quantitative morphological characters using standardized description present among 30 accessions of 6 varieties of Ocimum basilicum L. (Sweet Basil).
American Journal of Food and Nutrition, 2020
The modern industrial agriculture is in crisis. People are questioning the quality, safety and su... more The modern industrial agriculture is in crisis. People are questioning the quality, safety and sustainability of our industrial food system. People are also questioning the wisdom of scientific agriculture as science has eventually succeeded in taking the sacred out of farming. However, the crisis brings with it opportunities for decisive, positive change. Based on our recent studies on agri-food system dynamics of traditional small-scale hill farming in Uttarakhand state of north-western India, we could document some community LEK-based innovations that can bring sustainability in food and farming systems. The lessons learned are presented here in this communication that are expected to help create a regenerative farming system mainly by reclaiming the spiritual roots of farming and food systems.
Sustainability, 2020
Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of a... more Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity, the key objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the projects supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Environment Facility (GEF). Mainstreaming integrates biodiversity in existing or new programs and policies, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific. The conventional model of agricultural production with limited diversity in production systems and use of high chemical input has taught us a valuable lesson as it is adversely impacting the environment, the essential ecosystem services, the soil health and the long term sustainability of our food systems. Using a qualitative participant observation approach, our study investigated four distinct traditional Indian production landscapes to gage (i) the farming communities’ response to institutional policies, programs and agricultural biodiversity-related activities in t...
Legume Research - An International Journal, 2015
A total of 51 accessions of different Lens spp. viz., Lens culinaris (cultivated) and L. culinari... more A total of 51 accessions of different Lens spp. viz., Lens culinaris (cultivated) and L. culinaris subsp. odemensis, L. culinaris subsp. orientalis, L. orientalis, L. nigricans, L. lamottei and L. ervoides (wild species) were screened for their reaction to Callosobruchus chinensis under no-choice artificial infestation conditions to find the sources of resistance. Significant differences among the accessions in terms of number of eggs laid, development period, adult emergence, number of emergence holes of C. chinensis loss in seed weight on different Lens spp. were observed. Of the seven species tested, L. culinaris was the most preferred one for egg laying while L. ervoides was the least preferred. Based on Growth Index (GI), accessions were categorised as highly resistant (15 accessions, GI = 0.00), resistant (14, GI=0.00 to 1.00), moderately resistant (16, GI=1.01 to 2.00) moderately susceptible (3, GI 2.01 to 3.00) susceptible (3, >3.01) to C. chinensis and the species have b...
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 2017
The farmers and rural communities, world over, have contributed greatly in management of agrobiod... more The farmers and rural communities, world over, have contributed greatly in management of agrobiodiversity including plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). It is well accepted now that the efforts of farming communities in creation, conservation, exchange, and enhancement of PGR should be recognized and strengthened. Farmers' access and rights over seeds are considered an essential component of food sovereignty. In the present article, we discuss the aspects of farmers' rights, the community level seed systems, food sovereignty and the potential of farmer household production and dietary diversification in combating malnutrition and community health promotion with regard to farming communities of Uttarakhand hills in northwestern India. Salient findings of two case studies, on farmers' varieties documentation and registration, and the potential of local food systems in addressing community health and nutrition were used to particularly showcase the nutritional contribution of native foods in the context of sustainable food-based approaches to community health and nutrition. Further, the need of a proactive alliance was suggested between local communities and their key allies collaboratively creating a research and advocacy agenda in support of agrobiodiversity and the revival of local food systems and landscapes within the broader framework of food sovereignty.
The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 2004
Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii (Royle) Alef, a wild sympatric botanical variety of C. sativus L.... more Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii (Royle) Alef, a wild sympatric botanical variety of C. sativus L. var. sativus has long grown in the foothills of the western Himalayas and is believed to be either a progenitor or feral relative of the cultivated cucumber. It is a source of several valuable genes for the improvement of cultivated cucumber but is poorly represented in major genebanks world over. A detailed inventory of C. s. var. hardwickii from various parts of the country was therefore made for collecting the germplasm accessions, and assessing the genetic diversity in the assembled germplasm. The species is widely and abundantly distributed in the northwestern Himalayas, followed by fair distribution in the Western Ghats, and sporadic distribution in the Eastern Ghats, Chhota Nagpur plateau and the central Plateau region at elevations from 800 to 1700 m.a.s.l. Of the 41 accessions collected from these regions, a set of 29 representative accessions (including one cultivated landrace) were used for assessing the diversity for morphological and RAPD markers. Some of the populations were relatively more vigorous in growth, late maturing and had more laterals. High diversity for morphological as well as RAPD markers was observed, although the clustering of accessions with respect to the composition of specific groups was not identical. In each region, the presence of segregating populations of natural crosses between C. s. var. hardwickii ϫ C. s. var. sativus were observed, indicating the existence of free gene flow between these two taxa. This underlines the importance of collecting more populations of the weedy races (natural hybrids). The results indicate the presence of high genetic diversity for useful traits, hence C. s. var. hardwickii has high potential for the improvement of cultivated cucumber.
Legume Research - An International Journal, 2015
Genetic diversity was assessed in 50 accessions of seven <italic>Lens</italic> specie... more Genetic diversity was assessed in 50 accessions of seven <italic>Lens</italic> species using ISSR markers. The collection included accessions of the cultivated species <italic>L. culinaris</italic> and six wild species, <italic>viz</italic>., <italic>L. culinaris</italic> ssp. <italic>odemensis, L. culinaris</italic> ssp. <italic>orientalis</italic>, <italic>L.</italic> <italic>orientalis, L. nigricans, L. lamottei</italic> and <italic>L. ervoides.</italic> The 23 ISSR primers amplified a total of 368 bands with an average of 16 bands per primer. Maximum number of 20 bands was amplified using each of the primers ISSR-34 and ISSR-835. All the primers were found to be polymorphic. PIC values ranged from 0.02 to 0.80. The primers ISSR-807, ISSR- 809, ISSR- 827, ISSR- 847, ISSR-28 and ISSR- 37 were found to be very useful for analyzing the molecular diversity of the genus <ital...
Plant Breeding, 2015
Identification of a small core germplasm set representing the available genetic diversity is esse... more Identification of a small core germplasm set representing the available genetic diversity is essential for its proper evaluation and subsequent utilization in rice improvement programmes. For constituting a small diverse mini-core panel of Indian rice germplasm, a representative set of 6912 accessions drawn based on their geographic origin from the whole rice germplasm collection available in the National Gene Bank was genotyped using 36 microsatellite markers. Automated fragment analysis of amplicons yielded a total of 435 alleles, with an average 12.4 and range of 3-29 alleles per locus. Polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.08 (RGNMS190) to 0.86 (RM552) with an average of 0.528. Based on genotyping data, a mini-core consisting of 98 genotypes was identified. Ninety-four per cent of the alleles present in the core set were present in the mini-core. The identified small but diverse panel will be useful for further intensive trait-specific evaluation and utilization in allele mining.
A total of 28 accessions naked barley landraces mainly from north-western Indian Himalaya compris... more A total of 28 accessions naked barley landraces mainly from north-western Indian Himalaya comprising three main administrative regions, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states together with five exotic accessions, four from Ethiopia and one from Nepal, were characterized using AFLP and STMS markers. The AFLP markers resolved inter-population diversity better particularly discriminating accessions from Uttarakhand Himalaya with specific adaptations. STMS markers used for studying population genetic parameters revealed that accessions from Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh were more diverse than accessions from Uttarakhand and the exotic accessions. The group-wise F-statistics revealed that on average 68% of variation was apportioned among populations and 32% within populations. Understanding the population genetic parameters for in situ (on-farm) management of farmers' landraces and use of landraces representing locally common alleles for specific adaptations in crop improvement is suggested.
An indigenous cost effective innovation developed and used for bird scare by the Gond tribal comm... more An indigenous cost effective innovation developed and used for bird scare by the Gond tribal community living in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh, is described. The objective of the study is to record innovative traditional practices related to agriculture prevailing among the tribal communities in the Adilabad district, Andhra Pradesh.
Seven STMS primers were used to analyse 20 individuals each of 15 populations of Northwestern Ind... more Seven STMS primers were used to analyse 20 individuals each of 15 populations of Northwestern Indian Himalayan hull-less barley landraces. A total of 96 alleles were detected of which 40 were common and 56 were rare. Administrative regionwise, highest allelic richness was revealed by populations from Himachal Pradesh (10.71 alleles/locus) followed by Jammu & Kashmir (8.86 alleles/locus) and Uttarakhand (8.43 alleles/locus). Greater heterozygosity measures for populations from Himachal Pradesh followed by Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand were also revealed. Population differentiation, based on F ST measures, was moderate to high for Uttarakhand accessions (0.43) followed by Himachal Pradesh (0.35) and Jammu & Kashmir (0.20). A total of 24 unique alleles were present in 15 barley landrace populations. A maximum of 10 unique alleles were present in populations from Himachal Pradesh followed by 8 in populations from Jammu & Kashmir and the least 6 in populations from Uttarakhand. Of the common localized alleles representing certain specific adaptations, a maximum of 5 alleles were present in populations from Jammu and Kashmir followed by 4 in populations from Himachal Pradesh and 2 in populations from Uttarakhand. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed maximum percentage of variation (56.38%) within populations followed by 42.36% among populations within group and a marginal 1.26% among groups. The UPGMA dendrogram revealed that 5 landraces from Jammu and Kashmir formed 1 tight and geographically distinct group at sub-cluster level whereas no such association was found for populations from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Journal of Genetics, 2014
PloS one, 2014
Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are invaluable gene sources for various traits of interest, yet these ... more Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are invaluable gene sources for various traits of interest, yet these potential resources are themselves increasingly threatened by the impact of climate change as well as other anthropogenic and socio-economic factors. The prime goal of our research was to cover all aspects of wild Lens genetic resource management like species characterization, agro-morphological evaluation, diversity assessment, and development of representative sets for its enhanced utilization in lentil base broadening and yield improvement initiatives. We characterized and evaluated extensively, the global wild annual Lens taxa, originating from twenty seven counties under two agro-climatic conditions of India consecutively for three cropping seasons. Results on various qualitative and quantitative characters including two foliar diseases showed wide variations for almost all yield attributing traits including multiple disease resistance in the wild species, L. nigricans and L. ervoid...
Plant Breeding, 2013
ABSTRACT Wild Lens taxa are invaluable sources of useful traits for broadening genetic base of cu... more ABSTRACT Wild Lens taxa are invaluable sources of useful traits for broadening genetic base of cultivated lentil. Nine inter-sub-specific and interspecific crosses were made successfully between cultivated (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris) and wild lentils (L. culinaris ssp. orientalis, odemensis, lamottei and ervoides). The effect of species groups, day length and temperature on crossability in lentils was evident under normal winter sowing in New Delhi and in summer Himalayan nursery at Sangla in Himachal Pradesh, India, although pollen fertility assessed in all the cross-combinations showed no significant variation. True hybridity of nine inter-sub-specific and interspecific crosses was confirmed through morphological and molecular (ISSR) markers, in which three of 120 primers could confirm the hybridity of all the crosses. All cross-combinations were also studied for important quantitative traits related to yield. The range, mean and coefficient of variation were estimated in parental lines, F1 and F2 generations to determine the extent of variability generated in cultivated lentils through the introgression of genes from wild L. taxa. A high level of heterosis was observed in F1 crosses for important traits studied. Substantially higher variations for seed yield and its attributing traits were exhibited in F2 generations indicating transgressive segregation. The results of the present investigation revealed that wild L. taxa can be successfully exploited for lentil improvement programmes, and the variations generated could be easily utilized for broadening the genetic base of cultivated lentil gene pool for improving the yield as well as wider adaptation.
Journal of Non Timber Forest Products, 2016
Uttarakhand is a store house of plant genetic resources of several crop groups including ornament... more Uttarakhand is a store house of plant genetic resources of several crop groups including ornamentals and seasonal flowering plant species. A wide range of seasonal flowering plants are being grown in the region because of its various and favourable agro-geo climatic zones. Ornamental plant enhances aesthetic value of our environment. There are 8 developmental blocks and 1082 villages in district Nainital of Uttarakhand. Nainital district, is a part of Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. It lies between 29?0.1' to 29?36' 21'' N latitude and 78?50' 53'' to 80?06' E longitude. More than 7.62 lakh population reside in 4064 km2 of geographical area of district Nainital. The district falls under sub-tropical to temperate zones. During the course of field survey (2013-2015), we came across wide range of seasonal flowering plants mostly belong to exotic origin being grown in the home gardens of natives of the region situated in different agro-ecological niches. The...
Journal of Non Timber Forest Products, 2016
Sweet basil is an incredible herb, used both as a classic culinary and ornamental herb of Home Ga... more Sweet basil is an incredible herb, used both as a classic culinary and ornamental herb of Home Gardens. The genus Ocimum contains approximately 65 species of herbs and shrubs originated in tropical Asia. It has a strong medicinal use and it is very high in vitamins and minerals. The present study holds 6 varieties of Ocimum basilicum L. consisting of 29 accessions were procured from National Gene Bank, New Delhi. These accessions were grown in the Kharif seasons of 2014-15 at ICAR-NBPGR Regional Station, Bhowali, Nainital Uttarakhand for analysing of their quantitative and qualitative or phenotypic characters for identification of superior genotypes. The comparative study of Ocimum spp. was examined to assess the variability of qualitative and quantitative morphological characters using standardized description present among 30 accessions of 6 varieties of Ocimum basilicum L. (Sweet Basil).
American Journal of Food and Nutrition, 2020
The modern industrial agriculture is in crisis. People are questioning the quality, safety and su... more The modern industrial agriculture is in crisis. People are questioning the quality, safety and sustainability of our industrial food system. People are also questioning the wisdom of scientific agriculture as science has eventually succeeded in taking the sacred out of farming. However, the crisis brings with it opportunities for decisive, positive change. Based on our recent studies on agri-food system dynamics of traditional small-scale hill farming in Uttarakhand state of north-western India, we could document some community LEK-based innovations that can bring sustainability in food and farming systems. The lessons learned are presented here in this communication that are expected to help create a regenerative farming system mainly by reclaiming the spiritual roots of farming and food systems.
Sustainability, 2020
Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of a... more Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity, the key objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the projects supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Environment Facility (GEF). Mainstreaming integrates biodiversity in existing or new programs and policies, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific. The conventional model of agricultural production with limited diversity in production systems and use of high chemical input has taught us a valuable lesson as it is adversely impacting the environment, the essential ecosystem services, the soil health and the long term sustainability of our food systems. Using a qualitative participant observation approach, our study investigated four distinct traditional Indian production landscapes to gage (i) the farming communities’ response to institutional policies, programs and agricultural biodiversity-related activities in t...
Legume Research - An International Journal, 2015
A total of 51 accessions of different Lens spp. viz., Lens culinaris (cultivated) and L. culinari... more A total of 51 accessions of different Lens spp. viz., Lens culinaris (cultivated) and L. culinaris subsp. odemensis, L. culinaris subsp. orientalis, L. orientalis, L. nigricans, L. lamottei and L. ervoides (wild species) were screened for their reaction to Callosobruchus chinensis under no-choice artificial infestation conditions to find the sources of resistance. Significant differences among the accessions in terms of number of eggs laid, development period, adult emergence, number of emergence holes of C. chinensis loss in seed weight on different Lens spp. were observed. Of the seven species tested, L. culinaris was the most preferred one for egg laying while L. ervoides was the least preferred. Based on Growth Index (GI), accessions were categorised as highly resistant (15 accessions, GI = 0.00), resistant (14, GI=0.00 to 1.00), moderately resistant (16, GI=1.01 to 2.00) moderately susceptible (3, GI 2.01 to 3.00) susceptible (3, >3.01) to C. chinensis and the species have b...
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 2017
The farmers and rural communities, world over, have contributed greatly in management of agrobiod... more The farmers and rural communities, world over, have contributed greatly in management of agrobiodiversity including plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). It is well accepted now that the efforts of farming communities in creation, conservation, exchange, and enhancement of PGR should be recognized and strengthened. Farmers' access and rights over seeds are considered an essential component of food sovereignty. In the present article, we discuss the aspects of farmers' rights, the community level seed systems, food sovereignty and the potential of farmer household production and dietary diversification in combating malnutrition and community health promotion with regard to farming communities of Uttarakhand hills in northwestern India. Salient findings of two case studies, on farmers' varieties documentation and registration, and the potential of local food systems in addressing community health and nutrition were used to particularly showcase the nutritional contribution of native foods in the context of sustainable food-based approaches to community health and nutrition. Further, the need of a proactive alliance was suggested between local communities and their key allies collaboratively creating a research and advocacy agenda in support of agrobiodiversity and the revival of local food systems and landscapes within the broader framework of food sovereignty.
The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 2004
Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii (Royle) Alef, a wild sympatric botanical variety of C. sativus L.... more Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii (Royle) Alef, a wild sympatric botanical variety of C. sativus L. var. sativus has long grown in the foothills of the western Himalayas and is believed to be either a progenitor or feral relative of the cultivated cucumber. It is a source of several valuable genes for the improvement of cultivated cucumber but is poorly represented in major genebanks world over. A detailed inventory of C. s. var. hardwickii from various parts of the country was therefore made for collecting the germplasm accessions, and assessing the genetic diversity in the assembled germplasm. The species is widely and abundantly distributed in the northwestern Himalayas, followed by fair distribution in the Western Ghats, and sporadic distribution in the Eastern Ghats, Chhota Nagpur plateau and the central Plateau region at elevations from 800 to 1700 m.a.s.l. Of the 41 accessions collected from these regions, a set of 29 representative accessions (including one cultivated landrace) were used for assessing the diversity for morphological and RAPD markers. Some of the populations were relatively more vigorous in growth, late maturing and had more laterals. High diversity for morphological as well as RAPD markers was observed, although the clustering of accessions with respect to the composition of specific groups was not identical. In each region, the presence of segregating populations of natural crosses between C. s. var. hardwickii ϫ C. s. var. sativus were observed, indicating the existence of free gene flow between these two taxa. This underlines the importance of collecting more populations of the weedy races (natural hybrids). The results indicate the presence of high genetic diversity for useful traits, hence C. s. var. hardwickii has high potential for the improvement of cultivated cucumber.
Legume Research - An International Journal, 2015
Genetic diversity was assessed in 50 accessions of seven <italic>Lens</italic> specie... more Genetic diversity was assessed in 50 accessions of seven <italic>Lens</italic> species using ISSR markers. The collection included accessions of the cultivated species <italic>L. culinaris</italic> and six wild species, <italic>viz</italic>., <italic>L. culinaris</italic> ssp. <italic>odemensis, L. culinaris</italic> ssp. <italic>orientalis</italic>, <italic>L.</italic> <italic>orientalis, L. nigricans, L. lamottei</italic> and <italic>L. ervoides.</italic> The 23 ISSR primers amplified a total of 368 bands with an average of 16 bands per primer. Maximum number of 20 bands was amplified using each of the primers ISSR-34 and ISSR-835. All the primers were found to be polymorphic. PIC values ranged from 0.02 to 0.80. The primers ISSR-807, ISSR- 809, ISSR- 827, ISSR- 847, ISSR-28 and ISSR- 37 were found to be very useful for analyzing the molecular diversity of the genus <ital...
Plant Breeding, 2015
Identification of a small core germplasm set representing the available genetic diversity is esse... more Identification of a small core germplasm set representing the available genetic diversity is essential for its proper evaluation and subsequent utilization in rice improvement programmes. For constituting a small diverse mini-core panel of Indian rice germplasm, a representative set of 6912 accessions drawn based on their geographic origin from the whole rice germplasm collection available in the National Gene Bank was genotyped using 36 microsatellite markers. Automated fragment analysis of amplicons yielded a total of 435 alleles, with an average 12.4 and range of 3-29 alleles per locus. Polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.08 (RGNMS190) to 0.86 (RM552) with an average of 0.528. Based on genotyping data, a mini-core consisting of 98 genotypes was identified. Ninety-four per cent of the alleles present in the core set were present in the mini-core. The identified small but diverse panel will be useful for further intensive trait-specific evaluation and utilization in allele mining.
A total of 28 accessions naked barley landraces mainly from north-western Indian Himalaya compris... more A total of 28 accessions naked barley landraces mainly from north-western Indian Himalaya comprising three main administrative regions, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states together with five exotic accessions, four from Ethiopia and one from Nepal, were characterized using AFLP and STMS markers. The AFLP markers resolved inter-population diversity better particularly discriminating accessions from Uttarakhand Himalaya with specific adaptations. STMS markers used for studying population genetic parameters revealed that accessions from Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh were more diverse than accessions from Uttarakhand and the exotic accessions. The group-wise F-statistics revealed that on average 68% of variation was apportioned among populations and 32% within populations. Understanding the population genetic parameters for in situ (on-farm) management of farmers' landraces and use of landraces representing locally common alleles for specific adaptations in crop improvement is suggested.
An indigenous cost effective innovation developed and used for bird scare by the Gond tribal comm... more An indigenous cost effective innovation developed and used for bird scare by the Gond tribal community living in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh, is described. The objective of the study is to record innovative traditional practices related to agriculture prevailing among the tribal communities in the Adilabad district, Andhra Pradesh.
Seven STMS primers were used to analyse 20 individuals each of 15 populations of Northwestern Ind... more Seven STMS primers were used to analyse 20 individuals each of 15 populations of Northwestern Indian Himalayan hull-less barley landraces. A total of 96 alleles were detected of which 40 were common and 56 were rare. Administrative regionwise, highest allelic richness was revealed by populations from Himachal Pradesh (10.71 alleles/locus) followed by Jammu & Kashmir (8.86 alleles/locus) and Uttarakhand (8.43 alleles/locus). Greater heterozygosity measures for populations from Himachal Pradesh followed by Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand were also revealed. Population differentiation, based on F ST measures, was moderate to high for Uttarakhand accessions (0.43) followed by Himachal Pradesh (0.35) and Jammu & Kashmir (0.20). A total of 24 unique alleles were present in 15 barley landrace populations. A maximum of 10 unique alleles were present in populations from Himachal Pradesh followed by 8 in populations from Jammu & Kashmir and the least 6 in populations from Uttarakhand. Of the common localized alleles representing certain specific adaptations, a maximum of 5 alleles were present in populations from Jammu and Kashmir followed by 4 in populations from Himachal Pradesh and 2 in populations from Uttarakhand. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed maximum percentage of variation (56.38%) within populations followed by 42.36% among populations within group and a marginal 1.26% among groups. The UPGMA dendrogram revealed that 5 landraces from Jammu and Kashmir formed 1 tight and geographically distinct group at sub-cluster level whereas no such association was found for populations from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Journal of Genetics, 2014
PloS one, 2014
Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are invaluable gene sources for various traits of interest, yet these ... more Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are invaluable gene sources for various traits of interest, yet these potential resources are themselves increasingly threatened by the impact of climate change as well as other anthropogenic and socio-economic factors. The prime goal of our research was to cover all aspects of wild Lens genetic resource management like species characterization, agro-morphological evaluation, diversity assessment, and development of representative sets for its enhanced utilization in lentil base broadening and yield improvement initiatives. We characterized and evaluated extensively, the global wild annual Lens taxa, originating from twenty seven counties under two agro-climatic conditions of India consecutively for three cropping seasons. Results on various qualitative and quantitative characters including two foliar diseases showed wide variations for almost all yield attributing traits including multiple disease resistance in the wild species, L. nigricans and L. ervoid...
Plant Breeding, 2013
ABSTRACT Wild Lens taxa are invaluable sources of useful traits for broadening genetic base of cu... more ABSTRACT Wild Lens taxa are invaluable sources of useful traits for broadening genetic base of cultivated lentil. Nine inter-sub-specific and interspecific crosses were made successfully between cultivated (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris) and wild lentils (L. culinaris ssp. orientalis, odemensis, lamottei and ervoides). The effect of species groups, day length and temperature on crossability in lentils was evident under normal winter sowing in New Delhi and in summer Himalayan nursery at Sangla in Himachal Pradesh, India, although pollen fertility assessed in all the cross-combinations showed no significant variation. True hybridity of nine inter-sub-specific and interspecific crosses was confirmed through morphological and molecular (ISSR) markers, in which three of 120 primers could confirm the hybridity of all the crosses. All cross-combinations were also studied for important quantitative traits related to yield. The range, mean and coefficient of variation were estimated in parental lines, F1 and F2 generations to determine the extent of variability generated in cultivated lentils through the introgression of genes from wild L. taxa. A high level of heterosis was observed in F1 crosses for important traits studied. Substantially higher variations for seed yield and its attributing traits were exhibited in F2 generations indicating transgressive segregation. The results of the present investigation revealed that wild L. taxa can be successfully exploited for lentil improvement programmes, and the variations generated could be easily utilized for broadening the genetic base of cultivated lentil gene pool for improving the yield as well as wider adaptation.