BACKGROUND:High resistant starch (RS) rice with a low glycemic index (GI) is digested more slowly, resulting in a slow increase in the postprandial blood glucose level. People with milled rice as a staple diet, and with sedentary lifestyles, are more prone to acquire type 2 diabetes in the long term. With an increasing population of diabetics worldwide, one possible solution is the development of rice-based, low-GI foods with high RS content rice. In addition to amylose content (AC), linear chains of amylopectin also affect the rate of starch digestibility. RESULTS:The values of GI (52.49-63.0), RS (0.64% to 2.28%), and AC (3.82% to 24.52%) were found to vary widely in 110 rice genotypes. Genotypes IG 23 and IG 40, with contrasting AC (15.65% and 24.52%, respectively), revealed that amylose alone did not affect digestion rate. Starch morphology, bioaccessibility, and pasting properties differed noticeably among genotypes. A starch debranching enzyme pullulanase assay indicated the role of the linear amylopectin chain in crystallized RS formation within the grains of lower AC genotype IG 23. CONCLUSION:Enhanced activity of the starch-debranching enzyme pullulanase produced linearized amylopectin resulted into reduced starch digestibility in low-amylose rice. This is probably the first report on the natural presence of high RS (crystallized) in rice with lower AC (IG 23). Development of rice-based food with low GI and high RS could be a promising strategy for lowering the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

SummarySurge in diabetes cases and its expensive management cost are major constraints leading to reduced rice consumption. Therefore, screening of low glycaemic index (GI) rice along with better cooking quality is a cost‐effective approach for diabetes management. In 103 diverse rice germplasms analysed for starch digestibility parameters, GI was observed between 52.72 (EC 966576) and 73.46 (IC 200559), whereas resistant starch (RS) and amylose content (AC) were found in the range of 0.31–2.26% and 3.52–22.31%, respectively. On the other hand, water uptake (WU), gel consistency (GC) and alkali spreading value (ASV) were estimated to check possible linkage between these cooking quality parameters and starch digestibility. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.84, r = 0.95) was found between GI and ASV, WU. However, GC showed a significant negative correlation (r = −0.90) with GI. These cooking quality parameters can be used as an alternative approach to identify low‐starch digestibility rice.

BACKGROUND:Rice is considered a high estimated glycemic index (eGI) food because of its higher starch digestibility, which leads to type II diabetes and obesity as a result of a sedentary life style. Furthermore, the incresaing diabetes cases in rice-consuming populations worldwide need alternative methods to reduce the glycemic impact of rice, with dietary prescriptions based on the eGI value of food being an attractive and practical concept. Rice is often paired with vegetables, pulses, tubers and roots, a staple food group in Africa, Latin America and Asia, which are rich in fibre and health-promoting compounds. RESULTS:Rice from four categories (high protein, scented, general and pigmented) was analyzed for eGI and resistant starch (RS) content. Among the genotypes, Improved Lalat had the lowest eGI (53.12) with a relatively higher RS content (2.17%), whereas Hue showed the lowest RS (0.19%) with the highest eGI (76.3) value. The addition of tuber crops to rice caused a significant lowering of eGI where the maximum beneficial effect was shown by elephant foot yam (49.37) followed by yam bean (53.07) and taro (54.43). CONCLUSION:The present study suggests that combining rice with suitable tuber crops can significantly reduce its eGI value, potentially reducing the burden of diet-associated lifestyle diseases particularly diabetics. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Rice grain quality is the most important factor for evaluation of a variety as well as millers, consumers and farmer's point of view. It includes physico-chemical, nutritional and sensory qualities. The consumers of India and other south east Asian countries prefer medium to high amylose content (AC) rice due to their non-stickiness properties of boiled rice but in many Asian countries, waxy rice (having low AC) mainly preferred. The colour of rice grain may be white, purple, red and black; which are mainly associated with pericarp or bran layers of the whole grain. The bran contains most of the phytochemicals like oils, antioxidants, minerals, proteins, vitamins and crude fibers in higher concentration than white endosperm. Pigmented rice is generally rich in nutritional compounds as compared to white one but those are unpopular among the farmers because of many undesirable physiological and agronomic characteristics. Sensory qualities like colour, texture, pasting properties, aroma are essential for consumers as per their preference and acceptance. As rice grain is mainly composed by starch, hydrolyzed by digestive enzymes and converted into glucose which is the major energy source for various metabolic functions. After fulfilling the body energy requirement, extra calories from starch are stored as fats or glycogen for later use. Therefore, overeating food containing rice with sedentary lifestyle potentially leads to some health issues, such as type-II diabetes, obesity and colon diseases in long term particularly in Asian countries. Various biochemical factors affect the starch digestibility and Glycemic index (GI) of a food or its products. These factors are resistant starch, AC and phytic acid which lowers the starch digestibility by various ways and have been negatively correlated with GI value. Now-a-days quality assessment of rice grain in terms of its nutritional as well as physico-chemical parameters is gaining prime importance gradually.

In the current era of deforestation, well supported by gradual extinction of medicinally and economically important flora, traditional knowledge holds a valuable option in order to keep a balancing role towards biodiversity conservation leading to sustainability, hence needs to be focused and disseminated generation wise. Every crop has its own benefits to serve mankind. Green leafy vegetables are important group of nutrient dense commodity regarded as natures’ anti-aging wonders, inexpensive food resource and a future herbal medicine owing to its concentrated and overloaded source of nutrients and phytochemicals. Unfortunately, some of them are still confined to local habitat and not explore commercially, accompanied by rare consumption. As leafy vegetables serve an important and diverse component in regular diet of rural and tribal communities satisfying nutritional need and contribute to livelihood as a food and medicine, hence can be considered as a potential tool to obtain sustainable agriculture, safeguarding the nature thus can incorporated with other commercial crops leading to minimizing the scarcity of traditional food availability and danger of extinction. The current paper enlists the baseline information about medicinal properties, Nutritional quality and health benefits of some non-cultivated leafy vegetables from various regions of Odisha. Leafy vegetables, the commodity of nutritional significance is important horticultural produce and form integral part of the rural and tribal household.

Rice grain yield is drastically reduced under low light especially in kharif (wet) season due to cloudy weather during most part of crop growth. Therefore, 50-60% of yield penalty was observed. To overcome this problem, identification of low light tolerant rice genotypes with a high buffering capacity trait such as photosynthetic rate has to be developed. Sedoheptulose-1,7 bisphosphatase, a light-regulated enzyme, plays pivotal role in the Calvin cycle by regenerating the substrate (RuBP) for RuBisCo and therefore, indirectly regulates the influx of CO2 for this crucial process. We found a potential role of SBPase expression and activity in low light tolerant and susceptible rice genotypes by analyzing its influence on net photosynthetic rate and biomass. We observed a significant relationship of yield with photosynthesis, SBPase expression and activity especially under low light conditions. Two tolerant and two susceptible rice genotypes were used for the present study. Tolerant genotypes exhibited significant but least reduction compared to susceptible genotypes in the expression and activity of SBPase, which was also manifested in its photosynthetic rate and finally in the grain yield under low light. However, susceptible genotypes showed significant reduction in SBPase activity along with photosynthesis and grain yield suggesting that tracking the expression and activity of SBPase could form a simple and reliable method to identify the low light tolerant rice cultivars. The data were analyzed using the Indostat 7.5, Tukey-Kramer method through Microsoft Excel 2019 and PAST4.0 software. The significant association of SBPase activity with the grain yield, net assimilation rate, electron transfer rate, biomass and grain weight were observed under low light stress. These traits should be considered while selecting and breeding for low light tolerant cultivars. Thus, SBPase plays a major role in the low light tolerance mechanism in rice.

Low light (LL) intensity is a major abiotic constraint for grain yield in rice during wet season. Phytochromes principally perceive and respond to the red (R) and far-red (FR) region of light and regulate several aspects of photomorphogenesis. Most phytochromes are responsive under R-light and de-activated under FR-light, but phytochrome A (phyA) is biologically functional under both light conditions and plays an important role in the entire life cycle of the plant. Field experiment was conducted on the effect of LL intensity and subsequent exposure to natural light on japonica rice cultivar Akitokomachi (WT) and its phytochrome A mutant (phyA) to understand the role of phyA in the regulation of sink capacity, starch biosynthesis, grain quality, grain yield and related traits during wet season of 2018. Leaf soluble protein, photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate, leaf non-structural carbohydrate content, sink capacity, grain quality traits such as hulling percentage, milling percentage, head rice recovery, water uptake, volume expansion, alkali spreading value, gel consistency, grain breadth, grain starch content, amylose content and yield attributes such as grain yield, panicle fertility, 1000-grain weight, panicle per plant, spikelets per panicle and grains per panicle along with the expression of starch biosynthesizing enzymes such as such as ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), starch synthase III (SSIII) and granule bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) were reduced significantly in phyA than WT plants. However, % of grain chalkiness, length and amylopectin content increased in the phyA than WT plants. This study indicates the possible role of phyA in the regulation of source-sink communication, starch biosynthesis and grain quality in rice. Presumably, by participating in the control of several starch synthesizing pathways in the grains, phyA play a crucial role in the regulation of grain quality of rice which depends on the availability of the light intensity during grain-filling stage.

Low light (LL) stress is an important abiotic stress of wet season which adversely affects starch biosynthesis and results in drastic reduction in rice grain yield. In general, the grain yield decreases together with reduction in the amylose (AC) and resistant starch (RS) contents while the glycemic index (GI) values increased in plants exposed to LL stress. This is the first report of the effect of LL stress on RS and GI values. In the present investigation, 14 rice genotypes are studied for the effect of LL stress on AC, RS, and GI of the grains. Rice genotypes, Purnendu and Shashi differ in exhibiting relatively much lower reduction in AC and RS and hence little change in their GI values under LL stress, while wide variation is observed for the rest of the genotypes. The grain yields of Purnendu and Shashi are also not much affected by the LL stress. There is a dramatic increase in the expression levels of the gbssI in the middle stage of grain development in the two genotypes (Purnendu and Mahisugandha with contrasting RS, AC, and GI). Maximum expression of the gene was observed in Purnendu at middle stage showing a positive correlation between RS and gbssI expression. As rice is grown mainly in wet season, the identification of rice genotypes which do not permit much change in RS value when grown under LL and hence no significant increase in the GI value, would help to develop better rice varieties for consumption by diabetics.

Low light resulting from overcast skies during wet season is one of the important constraints in achieving high crop productivity. Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of low light stress on photosynthesis, chlorophyll accumulation, grain yield and yield components of rice. Five rice genotypes, Nirajo, Purnendu, Malliksalli, Megha Rice-1 and ASD-14 along with tolerant check, Swarnaprabha and susceptible check, IR-8 were grown under 100% and 75% of full sunlight intensity. Plants exposed to depleted radiation during reproductive stage were found to accumulate more of total chlorophyll but reduced Chl a/b ratio in the flag leaf and lesser net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and rate of transpiration, which contributed to reduction in grain yield in all the genotypes Purnendu and Nirajo exhibited highest reduction in Chl a/b ratio and lesser reduction in starch accumulation in grains compared to others. Though there was significant reduction in grain yield of all genotypes, Purnendu and Nirajo exhibited relatively less grain yield loss which suggests there genetic competence to adapt to low light stress by retaining a reduced Chl a/b ratio and permitting insignificant curtailment in photosynthetic rate during reproductive stage under the subjected stress condition. Thus, they can be recommended for cultivation in regions prone to low light stress.

Low light intensity is a great limitation for grain yield and quality in rice. However, yield is not significantly reduced in low light tolerant rice varieties. The work therefore planned for comparative transcriptome profiling under low light stress to decipher the genes involved and molecular mechanism of low light tolerance in rice. At active tillering stage, 50% low light exposure for 1 day, 3 days and 5 days were given to Swarnaprabha (low light tolerant) and IR8 (low light sensitive) rice varieties. Illumina (HiSeq) platform was used for transcriptome sequencing. A total of 6,652 and 12,042 genes were differentially expressed due to low light intensity in Swarnaprabha and IR8, respectively as compared to control. CAB, LRP, SBPase, MT15, TF PCL1 and Photosystem I & II complex related gene expressions were mostly increased in Swarnaprabha upon longer duration of low light exposure which was not found in IR8 as compared to control. Their expressions were validated by qRT-PCR. Overall study suggested that the maintenance of grain yield in the tolerant variety under low light might be results of accelerated expression of the genes which enable the plant to keep the photosynthetic processes moving at the same pace even under low light.

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of micronutrients on the performances of onion (allium cepa L. var. Arka Kalyan) with respect to quality attributes of bulbs during 2014-15 at College of Horticulture (OUAT), Sambalpur, Odisha under All India Network Research Project on Onion and Garlic India. The experiment was laid out in RBD having four replication with following treatments: T1 (recommended 150:50:80:30 NPK kg ha-1 + FYM @ 20 t ha-1 + soil application of Zinc Sulphate @ 10.0 kg ha-1), T2 (recommended 150:50:80:30 NPK kg ha-1 + FYM @ 20 t ha-1 + foliar application of Zinc Sulphate @ 0.5% at 30 & 45 days after planting (DAP)), T3 (recommended 150:50:80:30 NPK kg ha-1 + FYM @ 20 t ha-1 + soil application of Borax @ 10.0 kg ha-1), T4 (recommended 150:50:80:30 NPK kg ha-1 + FYM @ 20 t ha-1 + foliar application of Borax @ 0.25% at 30 & 45 DAP), T5 (recommended 150:50:80:30 NPK kg ha-1 + FYM @ 20 t ha-1 + Foliar application of Micronutrient Mixture i.e. iron-2.5%,boron-0.5%,zinc -3%,copper -1%and manganese-1% @ 0.5% at 30 & 45 DAP) and T6 (control). The result revealed significantly better bulb quality in terms of TSS (12.40-13.0Brix), ascorbic acid (11.58-12.03 mg100g-1), protein (10.63-12.53%) and total sugar (4.34-6.12%), was recorded in T5 followed by T4. Hence, it may be concluded foliar application of micronutrient mixture @ 0.25% followed by borax @ 0.5% at 30 and 45 DAP not only increase the quality attributing parameters but also enhance the consumer preference.

Jasmine, Jasminum sambac (L) Aiton belonging to family Oleaceae is an ornamental plant that produces white flowers with a very pleasant fragrance and is extensively used in perfumery and for religious purposes. Jasmine does not bear seeds hence the plant is propagated solely by cuttings and layering and these methods of propagation are dependent on the season. Layering involves more time and restricts the number of plants propagated from a bush. However long term cutting/layering causes varietal degeneration, resistance weakness and declining flower production. In recent years plant tissue culture technique has become a powerful tool for the propagation of many plant species. Vegetative parts like nodes, shoot apices, stems and leaves have been used as explants for in vitro propagation. The explants are usually collected from field grown mature plants and thereafter inoculated on variously supplemented Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium for multiple shoot proliferation and callus induction. Callus induction from leaf and meristem explants has been achieved using different concentrations of auxins and cytokinins. Maximum percentage of cultures showing callus proliferation from leaf explants was observed in the medium containing MS basal salts supplemented with 3.0 mg/l BAP and 2.0 mg/l IAA in leaf explants. White and friable callus was obtained in the medium containing MS basal salts supplemented with 2.0 mg/l BAP, 2.0 mg/l Kn and 2.0 mg/l IAA from meristem explants.

An endeavor was made during 2014–16 to evaluate and identify superior and most promising commercial variety in respect of important morphological and economic trait amongst 18 exotic cultivars of gerbera under naturally ventilated Poly house in Western Odisha. Variations in different growth parameters were prominent. Among vegetative parameters, ‘Dreamer’ recorded least mean value in terms of plant height, leaf area, number of leaves per plant, length and breadth of leaf, plant spread, number of lobes per leaf, fresh weight, vase life and yield per sq. m among quality parameters. Higher leaf area was found in ‘Shimmer’ follower by ‘Paradiso’ while ‘Dune’ has intermediate plant height and plant spread. ‘Power Play’ exhibited more number of leaves per plant with higher petiole length and more number of suckers per clump. With respect to flower and quality characters, the cultivar ‘Diablo’ found superior with respect to plant height, disc diameter and neck thickness and higher fresh weight. Minimum number of ray florets per flower with thicker petals were recorded in ‘Colt’, while ‘Artist’ have recorded highest number of ray florets with lesser petal thickness. ‘Prime rose’ had maximum flower diameter with minimum disc diameter and maximum length of ray floret. ‘Universal’ and ‘Pink Power’ recorded longest and shortest stalk length respectively. ‘Amulet’ had maximum stalk diameter and longer vase life (19.5 days).The cultivar ‘Jaffer’ recorded highest number of flowers per sq.m. Followed by ‘Yucador’ and ‘Blind Date’. ‘Shimmer’ took lesser days from flower bud formation to flowering however ‘Alex’ and ‘Colt’ recorded maximum shelf life.

The present investigation was carried out on Jasminum sambac (L) Aiton belonging to family Oleaceae. The different vegetative parts viz nodal explants, shoot apices, stems and leaves were used to standardize the protocol in vitro. The explants were excised from field grown mature plants and thereafter planted on variously supplemented Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium for multiple shoot proliferation and callus induction. Early bud break (25-26 days) and maximum percentage of bud break (83.7) was observed in J sambac when MS medium was supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg/l), Kn (1.0 mg/l) and Ads (50 mg/l). Maximum percentage of multiple shoots was observed on MS medium fortified with 2 mg/l BAP, 1.0 mg/l Kn and 50 mg/l Ads. Callus induction from leaf and meristem explants was achieved using different concentrations of auxins and cytokinins. Maximum percentage of cultures showing callus proliferation from leaf explants was observed in the medium containing MS basal salts supplemented with 3.0 mg/l BAP and 2.0 mg/l IAA in leaf explants. The percentage of cultures showing callus was similar in the medium containing MS basal salts supplemented with 5.0 mg/l BAP and 2.0 mg/l NAA in leaf explants. However white and friable callus was obtained in the medium containing MS basal salts supplemented with 2.0 mg/l BAP, 2.0 mg/l Kn and 2.0 mg/l IAA from meristem explants.