Exploring the nutritional potential of underutilized legumes such as Dolichos bean (Lablab purpureus L.) is of great significance, particularly, in view of accomplishing the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal number two, which emphasizes on improving food and nutrition security by 2030. A thorough understanding of genetic variability is crucial for developing biofortified cultivars of Dolichos bean. In this study, the Dolichos bean genotypes represented by pole and bush types (28 bush and 19 pole types) were assessed for genetic variability for Cu, Mn, Fe and Zn contents. Pole type genotypes had higher average contents for all micronutrients except manganese. Among micronutrients, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn, content ranged from 10.10-19.95, 77.13-331.93, 22.78-46.40 and 42.03-102.85 mg kg-1 in pole type, and 8.2-18.5, 50.8-99.3, 25.65-53.25 and 37.15-63.25 mg kg-1 in bush type beans, respectively. Strong positive correlations between Cu, Fe and Zn concentrations occurred, which indicates the possibility of simultaneous improvement of these nutrients. Pod pigmentation was positively correlated with contents of Fe and Zn. There was an association of micronutrients with yield. The pole genotypes VRSEM-1000, VRDB-01 and VRSEM 109 and bush type genotypes VRBSEM-3, VRBSEM-35 and VRBSEM- 200 are good source of microelements and high yielders. Gene sources with enhanced nutrients may be used as cultivated forms or as input material for breeding nutritionally rich biofortified varieties of bean.

Diamondback moth (DBM) and cabbage butterfly (CB) are serious cabbage yield limiting factors in India. Considering insecticide resistance development in these pests, a study was conducted to find out the effective chemical molecule for managing these pests. Several novel insecticides were evaluated against Diamon back moth (DBM) and CB during spring season of 2019 and 2020. Efficacy of insecticides was determined by comparing larval densities of each insect species, immature and adult of natural enemies, crop damage ratings and marketable yield in insecticide treated versus untreated control plots. Spinetoram 45 and 60 g a.i. per ha recorded significantly higher larval population reduction (>80%) with least crop damage ratings (< 2) for both the insect pest population. Spinosad, emamectin benzoate, indoxacarb and chlorantraniliprole were also the found best treatments in controlling DBM and CB. No phytotoxic symptoms were observed in any treatment after spray application. Chlorpyriphos, deltamethrin, lambdacyhalothrin and flubendiamide were found adverse to natural enemies. Thus, spinetoram, spinosad, emamectin benzoate, indoxacarb and chlorantraniliprole are recommended to manage DBM and CB on rotational basis in the cabbage ecosystem.

The pathogenesis of gallbladder stones that can initiate gallbladder cancer is not well-known and requires an accurate determination of their composition. The literature reviews show that photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) are promising candidates for the compositional analysis of gallbladder stones. LIBS is a technique for elemental identification based on the spectral line measurement obtained from laser-induced plasma while PAS is a molecular spectroscopic technique that utilizes the principle of nonradiative transition for signal generation. Thus, PAS combined with LIBS is a suitable technique to categorize different gallstones. In the present work, LIBS and PA spectra of four different gallstones (Gb1, Gb2, Gb3, and Gb4) have been recorded for a comparative study of their chemical composition. PA spectra exhibit distinct molecular bands which have been assigned in the light of their solution-phase optical spectra. The LIBS spectra exhibit atomic lines of several elements as well as molecular bands of CN, C2, and CaO.

The nonlocal theory of elasticity is applied to formulate the governing equations of nonlocal micropolar piezoelectric material in a rotating frame. The governing equations are specialized for a plane and solved to show the existence of three coupled plane waves. Reflection of a coupled longitudinal displacement wave is considered at a stress-free surface of half-space containing the micropolar piezoelectric material. For the incidence of coupled longitudinal displacement waves, the expressions of reflection coefficients and energy ratios for reflected waves are derived. A quantitative example is set up to illustrate the effects of rotation and nonlocal parameters on the reflection coefficients and energy ratios in a given range of the angle of incidence.

Study of excitation transfer in organic dyes is important for enhancing the efficiency and the bandwidth (spectral range) of the dye lasers. Both the properties of dye lasers are very useful in spectroscopic measurements. The mechanisms of excitation transfer processes are presented along with the excitation transfer in different systems. To better understand the excitation transfer processes in a dye mixture, photoacoustic spectral characteristics of Rh6G and RhB dye in a mixed solution are investigated. Photoacoustic spectroscopy of dyes adsorbed on Al2O3 surfaces provides information about the relaxation process of excited dye molecules in contact with the surfaces. An enhancement in the photoacoustic signal is observed for dye mixtures between 480 and 530 nm. Spectral bandwidth of the mixture of dyes is enlarged as compared with that of the individual dyes. This has been explained in terms of the dominance of the resonance excitation transfer from Rh6G to RhB in comparison with the collisional transfer process. The spectra of mixtures also exhibit a blueshift due to dimmer formation in Rh6G. The spectra of dyes adsorbed on Al2O3 surfaces show a redshift due to photobleaching. The photoacoustic signal also increases for the entire spectral range of RhB dye solution after bubbling O2 gas. This has been explained as due to the increased intersystem crossing rate in the solution after bubbling the O2 gas.

Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) of liquid samples is challenging with applications in diverse fields of research and analysis. The study of photoacoustic (PA) signal generation in the liquid sample has been presented along with the experimental setups having appropriate design of sample cuvette and the detection device. PA techniques useful in measuring the optical as well as the thermal properties of liquid samples are described. PAS allows the monitoring of dye concentration over a wide concentration range without any dilution or other sample preparations. The use of a flow cell makes the PA measurements possible in a continuous fashion, where the signal is not affected by the flow velocity. The development of an open-cell PA spectrometer for liquid samples is also discussed for remote sensing, which demonstrates the viability of the pulsed indirect photoacoustic spectroscopy method for detection and identification of liquids at ranges up to several tens of meters. Some of the recent advances in PAS of liquid include the measurement of flow speed and the liquid viscosity. These measurements are important in medical diagnostics and research. PA technique can be an efficient and convenient method for measurement and daily monitoring of blood viscosity with only a small amount of sample. These results indicate a bright future prospect for PAS of liquid samples.

It has been challenging for agricultural scientists to develop a quick, reliable, nondestructive, and cost-effective analytical technique for early detection/diagnosis of diseases in plants and plant products. It reduces the time to release the plant varieties resistant to different diseases. Also, it helps faster protection from diseases by using corrective measures immediately after detecting the infections/diseases. A proper diagnosis of diseases in plants or plant products requires precise identification, which needs an accurate and easy method or technique. This statement seems to be in a synonymic connection with the implementation of photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) to diagnose diseases in plants in agricultural science. PAS has several advantages in comparison with other spectroscopic/optical techniques. Unlike conventional spectroscopy, it needs little sample preparation, and scattering does not pose any problems as scattering and reflection losses do not produce PA signals. This aspect is desirable for studying plant samples, which generally correspond to scattering media. PAS technique is based on nonradiative transitions, which are the major pathway of energy transfer in the plants after absorption of electromagnetic radiation. PAS can be used for in vivo and in situ studies of an intact leaf. In this chapter, PAS is presented as a valuable optional technique for identifying and diagnosing various plant diseases. The chapter begins with the basic principles of PAS for beginners, which may be helpful to research-level agricultural scientists. The studies on healthy leaves and those infected by fungal and viral diseases were carried out systematically. The presence of various biomolecules was detected in varying proportions in dry spores of several pathogens. The healthy and infected wheat leaves by brown rust in different geometries were investigated, and the nutritional deficiency in cotton plants was also carried out. A detailed review of the work related to PAS done in our group and other groups is presented in this chapter.

Mosaic disease of sponge gourd caused by begomovirus becomes a major constraint for its cultivation by farmers with limited resources in India. From field collected symptomatic leaf sample of sponge gourd, full-length DNA-A and DNA-B components were characterized by sequencing of products obtained by RCA. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of a bipartite begomovirus, tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV), with two distinct DNA-A molecules having 89.1% identity among themselves, and one DNA-B molecule sharing identity of 96% with earlier reported ToLCNDV isolates from India. Besides, the association of tomato leaf curl New Delhi alphasatellite and tobacco leaf curl Patna betasatellite were also detected. Additionally, presence of ToLCNDV was ascertained through PCR assay in different parts of the fruit viz., pericarp, mesocarp and immature seed. Further, presence of virus in matured seed and seedlings shown through serological assay confirmed its seed borne nature. To our knowledge, this is the first report of seed transmissible nature of ToLCNDV causing mosaic disease on sponge gourd. Moreover, we identified two moderately resistant entries of advanced breeding lines against the mosaic disease through field screening.

Reorientation of life style becomes necessary for staying healthy, especially during the challenging times as it is prevailing at present. Consumption of ample plant-based foods like vegetables could be an important step towards it. However, certain vegetables hold more significance as they boost immunity. Daily intake of vegetables with immunomodulation properties (modification of the immune response or the functioning of the immune system) seems promising. The immunomodulatory properties of these vegetables are attributed to the presence of certain phytoconstituents like polysachharides (e.g. RG-I in bell pepper; CMDP-4b in pumpkin; MOP-3 in drumstick), lectins (ASA I & ASA II in garlic; BOL in cauliflower), isothiocynates (Sulforaphane in broccoli), unsaturated fatty acids (pumpkin seeds), bryonolic acid (acorn squash), ribosomes inactivating protein (Lagenin in bottle gourd), glycoprotein (Luffaculin in ridge gourd), trypsin inhibitor (MoFTI in drumsticks) etc. The aim of this review is to highlight results of work done on immunomodulatory activity of vegetables. The roles of various vegetables and their phytoconstituents, which are accountable for immunomodulation and reduction in the risk of infectious as well as non-communicable diseases, have been discussed. Such information may be encouraging for researchers to carry out further advanced research on vegetables with potential immunomodulatory properties.

Eggplant is a valuable commercial vegetable widely consumed due to its unique meaty taste and nutritional and functional properties. The present investigation was done with the aim to assess the bioactive properties and enzymatic activities in twenty three different long and round type eggplant genotypes to ascertain their amenability for processable traits. The eggplants were harvested at commercial maturity stage and assessed for total phenolics content, total flavonoids, antioxidant capacity and browning related enzymatic activities (polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase). The results indicated that there were significant dissimilarities among all genotypes with regard to their functional compounds content and browning enzyme activities. The biochemical screening showed maximum phenolics content in Kashi Taru (81.1 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g fresh weight) which was about 4.0-fold higher than IVBL-23 (19.3 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g fresh weight). Additionally, total flavonoids content varied from 1.86 (IVBHL-UT-6 and IVBHR-18) to 5.83 mg rutin equivalent/100 g fresh weight (IVBHL-UT-1). The total antioxidant capacity among different eggplant cultivars varied by about 1.3-fold. These findings are useful for pre-breeding parental selection and assorting genotypes for higher antioxidant capacity and processable traits. About 3.5-fold variation in browning enzymatic activity clearly indicates the scope for selecting cultivars with lesser flesh browning and thus, higher suitability for processing particularly for development of products like eggplant extract, dips or dried flakes.

NAC transcription factors regulate stress-defence pathways and developmental processes in crop plants. However, their detailed functional characterization in tomatoes needs to be investigated comprehensively. In the present study, tomato hybrids subjected to 60 and 80 days of drought stress conditions showed a significant increase in membrane damage and reduced relative water, chlorophyll and proline content. However, hybrids viz., VRTH-16-3 and VRTH-17-68 showed superior growth under drought stress, as they were marked with low electrolytic leakage, enhanced relative water content, proline content and an enhanced activity of enzymatic antioxidants, along with the upregulation of NAC and other stress-defence pathway genes. Candidate gene(s) exhibiting maximum expression in all the hybrids under drought stress were subjected to detailed in silico characterization to provide significant insight into its structural and functional classification. The homology modelling and superimposition analysis of predicted tomato NAC protein showed that similar amino acid residues were involved in forming the conserved WKAT domain. DNA docking discovered that the SlNAC1 protein becomes activated and exerts a stress-defence response after the possible interaction of conserved DNA elements using Pro72, Asn73, Trp81, Lys82, Ala83, Thr84, Gly85, Thr86 and Asp87 residues. A protein–protein interaction analysis identified ten functional partners involved in the induction of stress-defence tolerance.

ABSTRACT Kresoxim-methyl residue in green chilli and soil was estimated using gas chromatography equipped with microelectron capture detector (µECD, 63Ni) and analytical method was validated. The method showed good linearity with the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of kresoxim-methyl were 0.005 and 0.01 mg kg−1 respectively. The % recoveries ranged from 87.00 to 95.33. Kresoxim-methyl used to control powdery mildew, fruit rot and twig blight in chilli. Its residues may remain in the crops causing the health hazard. Thus, analysis of kresoxim-methyl residue, its dissipation rate and safety evaluations in green chilli were studied using the validated method. The dissipation of kresoxim-methyl 44.3% SC @250 g a.i ha−1 for recommended dose (RD) and 500 g a.i ha−1 for double of the recommended dose (DD) were studied. Residues were extracted from green chilli fruit with ethyl acetate, and cleanup was given using primary secondary amine (PSA) and magnesium sulphate. This study revealed that the residues in green chilli were below the MRL (0.8 mg kg−1) after 2.33 days in the treatment of DD and in case of RD, pre-harvest intervals are not applicable as the residues at 0 days was below MRL. The half-life was 6.3 and 5.3 days for RD and DD, respectively. Dietary exposures of the residues were less than MPI of 6.4 mg person−1 day−1 on all the sampling days for both doses. Blanching could be used as the most potential decontamination process for kresoxim-methyl residue from green chilli. The terminal residue in soil was found below LOQ for both the doses.

Basella alba is an underutilized leafy vegetable native to the Indian subcontinent. The therapeutic function associated with the consumption of this vegetable is well known, such as androgenic, anti-diabetic, antiinflammatory and antioxidant activity. The plant's fruit and stem are blessed with natural betalain pigments. In the recent years, researchers have developed an increasing interest in the use of betalains as a natural food colorants. In this study, we report the natural variation between the B. alba genotypes for betalain pigmentation and examined its inheritance. To study its inheritance, a cross was made between two contrasting genotypes viz., 'VRB-48-10 (Basella alba var. alba) having green stem with snow-white flowers, and 'VRB-43-10 (Basella alba var. rubra) producing pigmented stem with red-violet flowers. The parental line 'VRB-48-10 had extremely low amounts of betalain pigments (4.26 mg/100 g FW) in the mature fruits, while the genotype 'VRB-43-10 had high betalain content (156.42 mg/100 g FW). Pigmented and non-pigmented (green) plants, obtained from crossing of these parental lines segregated in 3:1 in the F2 generation. Our results have shown that the single dominant gene governed purple pigmentation in B. alba. Further, we did not find any recombinant i.e. green plants with red-violet flower or pigmented plants with white flowers/ intermediate shades suggesting role of major gene in controlling this trait. This simple inheritance will help in incorporation of this trait in mainstream breeding programme along with green yield. It was also evident from the results that the basal level of the betalain pigment component is always synthesized in the plants, beginning from start of life cycle to maturity. This is the first report of betalain pigment inheritance in B. alba. (c) 2022 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

As a vegetable crop, sponge gourd is widely consumed worldwide due to its health promoting and nutraceutical value. This study describes genetics of an aromatic genotype VRSG-7-17 and deciphers the genetic control and volatile compound composition of sponge gourd. To study the inheritance of this trait, a cross was made between aromatic light-green-fruited VRSG-7-17 and non-aromatic dark-green-fruited VRSG-194 genotypes. The F1s were found to be non-aromatic and have a green fruit colour. Chi-square (χ2) analysis of backcross and F2 population segregating for aroma suggested that the inheritance of aroma in VRSG-7-17 is governed by a single recessive gene in a simple Mendelian fashion. The SPME–GC/MS analysis of the volatile compounds suggested that the compounds responsible for Basmati rice-like aroma were mainly hexanal, 1-octen-3-ol, 3-octanone and limonene. The aroma persists in the cooked VRSG-7-17 fruits, that did not lose fragrance traits at high temperatures. The inheritance of fruit colour was found to be controlled by a single gene with incomplete dominance. The segregation analysis showed that the aroma and fruit colour were not linked, and they segregated independently. The findings will lead to understanding the inheritance of the aromatic compounds in the sponge gourd and may be utilised in the breeding programmes for developing improved aromatic varieties.

The present study deals with assessment of polyphenols content (anthocyanins, phenolics and flavonoids), total carotenoids and antioxidant capacity (FRAP, ABTS and CUPRAC activity) among tropical purple carrots (Daucus carota L. subsp. sativus var. atrorubens Alef.) developed at ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi, UP, India. Higher amounts of monomeric anthocyanins (218.0 mg 100g-1 FW), phenolic compounds (263.9 mg GAE 100g-1 FW) and total flavonoids (122.2 mg CE 100g-1 FW) have been estimated in black carrots which are correspondingly 13.6-, 6.8- and 8.7–times more than rainbow carrots. Moreover, the polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity were very strongly associated with each other having correlation coefficients between 0.932** to 0.997**. Further, higher correlation values of total phenolics over flavonoids with anthocyanins indicating that anthocyanins represent a large fraction of the phenolics which is related with better stability of anthocyanin pigment as food colorant. Overall, this work highlights that tropical black carrot and its cultivar Kashi Krishna is one of the richest sources of plant derived anthocyanins, phenolics and flavonoids; having better anthocyanin yield potential; and greater antioxidative capacity. Therefore, considering the health and nutritional benefits, multifarious uses and industrial importance of plant derived natural anthocyanins, black carrot could be potentially used as pigment crop.

Vegetable crops are key sources of essential micronutrients required for good health. They add fiber, flavor, taste, and nutritional quality to human diets. Increasing production and consumption of vegetables constitutes a direct and affordable way to deliver better health and overcome malnutrition. Vegetable production has the potential to generate more income and employment than any other segment of the agricultural economy. Vegetables can be grown on small areas of land, close to the consumers in urban and peri-urban settings, and they do not necessarily need advanced technologies to grow them. To realize those benefits, governments and donors need to give more weight and support to the ex situ, on-farm, and in situ conservation of genetic resources including farmers’ varieties, landraces, and wild related species of global, as well as traditional, vegetables.

Chilli leaf curl disease caused by whitefly transmitted begomoviruses is an important constraint to chilli (Capsicum anuum L.) cultivation in India. Tomato leaf curl Joydebpur virus (ToLCJoV) was characterized and identified as incitant of leaf curl disease through rolling circle amplification (RCA) and PCR assay from the symptomatic samples collected from Uttar Pradesh, India. Although PCR assay provides the gold standard in diagnostics, this method consumes more time and requires convenient portable instruments. Therefore, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for the detection of ToLCJoV by targeting the AC1 and AC2 region. Detection has been achieved through a laddered pattern of amplification in agarose gel electrophoresis. The assay has detected ToLCJoV in a total DNA concentration of 1 × 10−1 ng indicating 200-fold higher sensitivity than that of the PCR. Further, the replacement of total DNA with leaf extracts using the grinding buffer and GES buffer coupled with LAMP assay also detected the presence of ToLCJoV in the infected chilli samples. With this assay, ToLCJoV can be detected in less than 2 h without DNA extraction. Besides, this assay will be highly useful in discriminating the leaf curl disease etiology by ToLCJoV from other begomoviruses and insects (thrips and mites). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a LAMP assay for the detection of ToLCJoV.