This paper compares and assesses various sweet sorghum genotypes in terms of their biological yield, juice yield and computed ethanol at four different sowing dates. Twenty-three genotypes and one hybrid were examined and the study reveals that RSSH-50 recorded higher values for plant height, stem girth, photosynthetically active radiation, juice yield, computed ethanol yield, fresh biomass yield and harvest index during the rainy season. In contrast, CSV-19SS showed significantly higher green cane yield and computed ethanol yield followed by RSSV-454, RSSV-446 and RSSV-545 during the summer. The variations in different seasons were due to the distinct weather and climatic conditions. Thus, crops that are sown in late rainy, timely summer and late summer take longer to attain physiological maturity and have reduced biological yield than crop sown in the timely rainy season. Among all genotypes, RSSV-260, SPV-2057, RSSV-540, CSV-19SS and hybrid RSSH-50 during the rainy season and CSV-19SS, RSSV-453 and RSSV-545 during the summer showed balanced performances in terms of ethanol and biomass yield.

An experiment was conducted, the hybrids and their parents were evaluated using thirty F1 hybrids of rabi sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) developed by crossing three lines and ten testers in line × tester fashion. for their combining ability and also to check the superiority of hybrids (heterosis) over parents with respect to quality traits, grain yield and its components. Among thirty hybrids, two potential hybrids M-35-2A x RSV 2388 and 104A x Phule Vasudha were found to be good specific combiners with highest standard heterosis and per se performance for grain yield over checks CSH 15R. AKMS-66-2A and 104A were the good general combiner with males viz. Phule Vasudha, RSV 2388, Phule Revati and RSV 1910. The estimates of general combing ability and specific combining ability revealed the presence of both additive and non-additive genetic components for most of the traits under study.

A small increase in cytosolic NADH can influence the nitrate reduction and thus appears to be critical for improving nitrogen use efficiency. The differential carbon monoxide (CO) sensitivity of high and low nitrogen use efficient wheat genotypes and relatively higher induction of CO response in low nitrogen use efficient wheat genotypes by prior infiltration with 2,4 dintro phenol before CO exposure suggest differences in redox state of cytochrome oxidase during in situ respiration. The process of oxidative phosphorylation appears to tightly coupled in mitochondria of nitrogen use inefficient wheat genotypes due to low NADH/ NAD+ ratio as evident from oxidized state of cytochrome oxidase which does not form complex with CO, whereas in high nitrogen use efficient wheat genotypes the non-energy conserving alternative dehydrogenases appears to be more active due high matrix reduction level with cytochrome oxidase in the more reduced form.

The present investigation was conducted at Sorghum Improvement Project and Department of Biochemistry, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra, India during rabi 2019–20 for assessment of rabi sorghum genotypes for shootfly through biochemical perspective. Sorghum is an important food and fodder crop of dry land agriculture. The experimental material consisted of 11 sorghum genotypes viz; RSV 1628, RSV 1023, RSV 1910, RSV 2371, RSV 1945, RSV 1838, RSV 2025, RSV 1918, RSV 1988, RSV 2391, RSV 1941, three varieties viz., Phule Vasudha, Phule Revati, M-35-1, three shootfly resistant checks viz., RSV 1188, IS 18551, RSE 3 and a susceptible check i.e. DJ 6514. The experiments were conducted under pot culture and field conditions at different stages. Resistance against shootfly in sorghum was governed by the physical and chemical genes. The morphological characters like trichome density, oviposition and dead heart percentage and biochemical attributes like polyphenol oxidase, peroxidise and chlorophyll content can be used as marker traits in shootfly resistance breeding programme to broaden the genetic base and increase the levels of resistance to sorghum. The sorghum genotype RSE 3, RSV 1945, RSV 1941, RSV 1188, and RSV 2371 recorded higher polyphenol oxidase activity at 28 DAE as compared to other genotypes. So, these sorghum genotypes are good source for shootfly resistance breeding. The genotype RSE 03, RSV 1941 and RSV 1188 exhibited positive results for shootfly resistance and can be used as donor for shootfly breeding programme.

Genetic diversity was assessed for 2 popular varieties and 5 promising lines of rabi sorghum by using11 SSR markers. The marker Xiabt312 reported 100% polymorphism rate followed by Xtxp15 (85.70%) and mSbCIR300 (85.71%). The sorghum varieties studied for this analysis showed the polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.25 to 0.87 with a mean of 0.67 indicates higher diversity within them. Clustering analysis based on the genetic dissimilarity grouped the 7 lines into 2 major and 4 sub clusters and grouping was in good agreement with pedigree. Cluster II was the largest cluster with 4 genotypes followed by cluster I with 3 genotypes. The rabi sorghum genotypes viz., M35-1, RSV-1876 and RSLG-2422 were placed in cluster I and Phule Anuradha, RSV-2371, RSV-1910 and RSV-1988 placed in cluster II. Clustering based on SSR molecular profile of the genotypes shows that there is a distinct variability among the genotypes under this study. The selected markers have great potential in DNA fingerprinting in sorghum which in future could be integrated with DUS data descriptors for effective cultivar identification and differentiation.

A field experiment was conducted during rabi season of 2017–19 at the All India Coordinated Sorghum Improvement Project, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth Rahuri to assess the effect of temperature and rainfall regimes on growth phases and biological yield components in rabi sorghum genotypes. The experiment consisted of thirteen genotypes evaluated in three rabi season. In the rabi season 2017 and 2018 there is there is sufficient rainfall at the time of sowing. Also maximum and minimum temperature ranges between 24 to 33 0C. At the time of flowering maximum and minimum temperature ranges between 15 to 28 0C. Genotypes come to flowering in between 71 to 89 days after sowing. Phule Anuradha shows very early flowering in rabi 2017 and 2018 season. In rabi 2019 due to change in rainfall and temperature there is significantly reduction in days to days to maturity. Phule Anuradha matures very early (107 days). BJV 362 gave higher biological yield (217 gm) in 2017 and RSV 2541give higher biological yield per plant (215 gm) in 2018. The biological yield reduces significantly in 2019.

The excess use of nitrogen fertilizers causes various problems, including higher costs of crop production, lower nitrogen use efficiency, and environmental damage. Crop breeding for low nitrogen tolerance has become the major focus in solving these issues. Genotypic variation for NUE traits has been reported in cereal crops which include N accumulation, N remobilization and high yield under low N. However, identification of genetic and metabolic control linked to phenotypes NUE is difficult looking to the complexity of N metabolism. The present work with thirteen wheat genotypes was undertaken to understand the basic difference in uptake, assimilation, remobilization of nitrate and other physiological limiting factors with limiting nitrogen (N) supply. The higher leaf nitrate content in limited nitrogen supply in nitrogen-efficient wheat genotypes GW-322, MACS 6222, NIAW-301, NIAW-34, NIAW-3170, NIAW-1994 and HD 281 appears to be low-nitrate tolerant probably indicating that both low and high affinity nitrate transporter are actively operating. Chlorophyll content, leaf nitrate content, in vivo NR, in vitro NR, GS, Fd-GOGAT, NADH-GOGAT and total grain protein were significantly higher in the N-efficient wheat genotypes, even at low dose of applied nitrogen both at pre and post-anthesis stages. The significantly higher in vitro NR activity compared to in vivo NR activity at saturating nitrate concentration (+KNO3) signifies that beside nitrate, NADH appears to be a limiting factor. Glutamine synthetase, Fd-GOGAT and NADH-GOGAT activities were higher at post anthesis stage signifies its importance in remobilization of photorespiratory ammonia. In pre-anthesis, the Nefficient genotypes had higher relative levels of GS2 protein than the N-inefficient genotypes; it was found that GS2 is important in the vegetative growth stage and carbon-nitrogen metabolic balance. In the post-anthesis stage, there were increased relative amounts of the GS1 protein under limiting N condition. The results revealed that the N-efficient genotypes have increased assimilation ability in the pre-anthesis stage and remobilisation ability in the post-anthesis stage. The relative contents of the GS1 and GS2 proteins at pre and post-anthesis could be used as a marker for breeding varieties with high NUE. Study of the activities of nitrate assimilatory enzymes in N-efficient and N-inefficient wheat genotypes showed that nitrate uptake (in vivo) nitrate reductase activity, glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GOGAT) play important role in N assimilation and remobilization under low-nitrogen conditions.

The experiment was undertaken on Line x Tester analysis for ancillary data of grain yield and its component traits in crosses of A line and R line of rabi sorghum at All India Co-ordinated Sorghum Improvement Project, M.P.K.V., Rahuri, during the year 2017-18 with objectives to study the general and specific combining ability of parents and hybrids. Combining ability studies for grain yield and its component traits was studied using four male sterile lines and ten testers at Sorghum Improvement Project, MPKV, Rahuri, Maharashtra. Observation recorded on Days to 50% flowering, Days to physiological maturity, Seedling height at 14 (DAE), Plant height, Grains per panicle, Panicle weight, 1000 grain weight, Dry fodder weight, Dry matter content, Grain yield per plant and Harvest index. The mean squares due to lines, testers and lines x tester were highly significant indicating the presence of variability for most of the characters. Estimates of general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) variances indicated the predominance of non-additive gene action for most of the characters. The line Parents, line RMS-2010-10A and testers, RSV-2015, RSV-2124, RSV-2138 and RSV-1850 were observed good general combiner for grain yield and yield contributing characters. The hybrid viz., RMS-2010-16A x RSV-2124 (12.55), RMS-2010-24A x RSV-2015 (9.65), CMS-185A x RSV-1850 (8.25) and RMS-2010-10A x CSV-26 (6.94) etc. exhibited highly significant and positive SCA effects for grain yield which could be exploited for development of hybrids.

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium udum is the most important disease of pigeonpea that adversely affect the yield and production. Development of cultivars resistant to fusarium wilt could be an effective strategy in decreasing the production costs, improving production quality and reducing the detrimental effect of chemical on ecosystem. Twenty four different genotypes and local germplasm of pigeonpea was field tested on wilt sick soil for percent wilt incidence and the percent wilt incidence were ranged between 6.98 and 24.44. The mean wilt incidence of resistant pigeonpea genotypes was 8.53 whereas that of susceptible genotypes was 24.15%.Only five pigeonpea genotypes (BDN-711, ICP-8863, PT-012-2,PT-012-1, PT-03-129-2) recorded field wilt incidence of less than 10% and categorized as resistant. The four genotypes (PT-04-111, PT-04-360-1, PT-03-104-1 and PT-012-12) were categorized as susceptible with wilt percent between 20.1 and 40.00 and remained genotypes were moderate resistant. The mean phenol and OD phenol content of leaf tissues of resistant genotypes under wilt sick conditions was significantly higher than susceptible genotypes. The mean activity of defense related enzymes viz., β1,3-glucanase, chitinase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase was 90.11 nmoles of glucose released/mg protein/min, 12.27 nmoles of N-acetyl glucosamine released/mg protein/min and 3.46 nmoles of transcinnamic acid formed/mg protein/min respectively, in resistant genotypes under wilt sick conditions. On the basis of wilt resistant and susceptible pigeonpea genotypes screened for different defense related enzymes out of twenty four genotypes PT-012–18, ICP-8863 and BDN 711 were found promising. A reported RAPD primer OPG 08 and SCAR1 marker showed 920 and 937 bp respectively, in pigeon pea wilt resistant genotypes.

The experiment was undertaken on Line x Tester analysis for, juice yield and its component traits in crosses of A and R lines of sweet sorghum at All India Co-ordinated Sorghum Improvement Project, M.P.K.V., Rahuri, during the year 2017-18 with objectives to study the heterosis of parents and hybrids. The CMS lines (females), ten testers (males) and their thirty F1’s hybrids were studied by using L x T design. Observations were recorded on fourteen characters viz., Days to 50% flowering, Days to physiological maturity, Internode / Plant, Plant height (cm), Stem girth (cm), Total biomass yield (t/ha), Cane weight (t/ha), Cane harvest index (%), Juice yield (lit/ha), Brix (%), Reducing sugar (%), Non-reducing sugar (%), Total sugar (%), Computed ethanol yield (lit/ha). Among the fourteen characters studied, majority of the characters exhibited mid-parents as well as better parent heterosis along with standard heterosis in desirable direction in most of the hybrids, indicating the predominant role of non- fixable inter-allelic interactions and over dominance in the expression of heterosis in respect of all these traits.

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is cultivated as a major food crop in several countries in South Asia, Africa and Central America. It is fifth important cereal of the world after wheat, maize, rice and barley (Dillon et al., 2007). Sorghum is believed to be originated in Africa and spread all over the world. Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] known as great millet and guinea corn in west Africa, kafir corn in South Africa, dura in Sudan, mtama in Eastern Africa, jowar in India and kaoliang in China (Purseglove, 1972).

The pulse beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) is an important limiting biotic factor in the storage of green gram. The present study was carried out to study the biochemical constituents imparting resistance/susceptibility to pulse beetle Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius in green gram varieties under ambient conditions. The 9 promising varieties of green gram obtained from Oilseed Research Station, Jalgaon and evaluated for biochemical and physical parameters under storage conditions at Seed Testing Research Unit, MPKV, Rahuri. After storage period the seed were evaluated for biochemical parameters in which results showed that the protein content in seeds of different green gram varieties ranged from 20.23 to 22.32 percent. The highest per cent protein content was found in Kopargoan (22.32%). The less per cent protein content was observed in PM-302-46 (20.23 %). The highest per cent carbohydrate content was found in Kopargoan (62.23 %), followed by PM-302-46 (61.82%). The less carbohydrate content was observed in BM-4 (56.34 %). The grain infestation on number and weight basis ranged between 12.33 – 21.40 and 78.36– 85.14 per cent, respectively. The minimum grain infestation on number and weight basis was noticed in the variety BM-2003-1 (12.33 %) and (79.18 %) which was found statistically at par with BM-4 (15.33%) and (79.88%) and BM-2002-1(16.00 %) and (78.36 %). Under correlation between biochemical parameters and grain infestation by pulse beetle, it was observed that protein, carbohydrate, fat and moisture content indicated positively and non significant correlation with orientation of C. maculatus adults towards seeds of green gram.

The present investigation was undertaken to study the genetic diversity in selected sweet sorghum genotypes at molecular level. The genomic DNA isolated from thirty sweet sorghum genotypes viz., CSV -313, RSSV-269, RSSV-260, RSSV-167, RSSV-350, RSSV-355, RSSV-453, RSSV-430, RSSV-417, RSSV-404, RSSV-397, RSSV-386, RSSV-494, RSSV-493, RSSV-483, RSSV-466, RSSV-454, RSSV508, RSSV-503, RSSV-502, RSSV-498, RSSV-499, RSSV-500, RSSV-513, CSV-1955, RSSV-512, SPV-2191, RSSV-509, RSSV-495 and SSV-84 was subjected to PCR amplification using 13 SSR primers. Out of these 13 SSR primers, 10 yielded amplification and showed polymorphism. Total of 45 loci were generated by amplification with 09 polymorphic primers, of which 43 loci were polymorphic i.e 90% polymorphism. The maximum number of bands were observed in RSSV-355, RSSV-498, RSSV499, SPV-2191(23 bands), whereas minimum number of bands were present in RSSV-500 (14 bands) and RSSV-313 (16 bands), CSV-19SS (17 bands). The Dice similarity coefficient values ranged from 0.10 to 0.95. Out of total 13 SSR primers used, 4 primers found to be more informative based on PIC values irrespective of per cent polymorphism. The Dice similarity coefficient values for SSR primers indicated that moderate diversity among sweet sorghum genotypes. The identical clustering pattern was observed by SSR primers. Unique loci produced by SSR primers may be the variety specific.

Chickpea parents with contrasting root characters and their direct and reciprocal crosses were evaluated under control and drought stress created by withholding irrigation using specially designed root boxes at 50 per cent flowering stage. The crosses involving Vijay and ICC 4958 having deep and prolific root system as a male parent exhibited higher accumulation of osmolytes (proline and glycine betaine) and with higher activities of antioxidative enzymes (SOD, APX, CAT and GPX) with less increase in lipid peroxidation rate and less decrease in nitrate reductase. Amongst the chickpea crosses, the cross of ICC 4958 x Vijay recorded higher increase in root length of 78.77 percent with less reduction in RLWC. The high estimates of broad sense heritability and genetic advance as percent mean was observed in F2 generations of direct and reciprocal crosses for long root length.

Laboratory and pot culture experiments were conducted to evaluate the levels of osmoprotectant such as proline, glycine betaine, activity of P5CS and soluble proteins in the leaves of five drought tolerant and five drought susceptible cultivars with segregating crosses of rabi sorghum by the imposed stress created by withholding irrigation as well as by osmotic stress created by PEG-6000. Imposition of osmotic stress was found to increase the mean proline accumulation in leaves from 42.24 to 156.04 μmoles g-1 fr. wt., an increase of 3.73 folds in tolerant types. Under similar conditions, the mean proline accumulation was found to range from 61.21 to 128.26μmoles g-1 fr. wt. an increase of 2.15 folds in susceptible types. The crosses involving drought tolerant parents viz CSV 216(DS)x RSV 458(DR) and SPV1502(DS) x RSV 458 (DT) led to increased proline accumulation as evident from higher fold increase. It thus appears that the exploitation of drought tolerant male parent in breeding for drought tolerance can further improve higher proline accumulation and thus endow the plant with improved drought tolerance performance. The mean P5CS activity was found to increase from 1.55 to 4.01 μmoles of γ -glutamyl hydroxamate formed g-1 tissue hr-1, an increase of 2.66 fold in tolerant type while it was found to increase from 1.67 to3.01 μ moles of γ- glutamyl hydroxamate formed g-1 tissue hr-1,an increase of 1.80 -fold in susceptible cultivars. Similarly, other osmolyte glycine betaine accumulation was found to be an increase of 3.50 -fold in tolerant cultivars and an increase of 1.84-fold in susceptible cultivars of sorghum under stress created by withholding irrigation.