1 national genetics congress

1 National Genetics Congressst

onGenetics for Sustainable Food, Health and Nutrition Security

December 14-16, 2018

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research InstituteNew Delhi 110 012

Organized by

Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding (ISGPB)

A Block, F-2, First Floor, NASC Complex, D.P.S. Marg, IARI,

P.O. Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012

ii Abstracts of National Genetics Congress - 2018

National Genetics Congress - 2018

Published byThe Indian Society of Genetics and Plant BreedingNew Delhi 110 012

Printed atM/s. Kamala Print-N-PublishO 96 New Mahavir NagarNew Delhi 110 018

www.isgpb.org

Correct Citation: ISGPB (2018). Book of Abstracts, 1st National Genetics Congresson “Genetics for Sustainable Food, Health and Nutrition Security”, December 14-16, 2018, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012.

December 14-16, 2018, New Delhi, India iii


1st National Genetics Congress

on

“Genetics for Sustainable Food, Health and Nutrition Security”

December 14-16, 2018

at

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012

ABSTRACTSCompiled and Edited by

S M S Tomar

Akshay Talukdar

S K Chakrabarty

Gyan P Mishra

Gopala Krishnan S

Vignesh M

Shailendra K Jha

www.isgpb.org

Indian Society of Genetics and Plant BreedingA Block, F-2, First Floor, NASC Complex, D.P.S. Marg, IARI, Pusa Campus,

New Delhi 110 012

iv Abstracts of National Genetics Congress - 2018


EXECUTIVE COUNCIL of ISGPB (2018-19)President : T MohapatraVice-Presidents : HK Chaudhary and C Tara SatyavathiSecretary : Sanjay SinghEditor : SMS TomarTreasurer : RK SharmaCouncillors : Sharad Tiwari (Central Zone)

RN Sarma (Eastern Zone)DN Singh (Mid-Eastern Zone)Sanjay Kumar Singh (Northern Zone)TE Nagaraja (Southern Zone)MP Deshmukh (Western Zone)

NATIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Chief Patron : MS SwaminathanPatron(s) : VL Chopra, HK Jain, GS Khush, RS Paroda,

Mangala Rai, NK Bhan, K Vijay Raghavan,PL Gautam, Manju Sharma, M Mahadevappa,CD Mayee

Advisors : Akhilesh K. Tyagi, B. Sharma, BD Singh, BS Dhillon,Deepak Pental, EA Siddiq, G Kalloo, KM Bujarbaruah,KS Gill, KV Peter, KV Prabhu, ML Madan, MP Yadav,MV Gupta, PKGupta, Purvi Mehta-Bhatt, Raju Barwale,RNK Vamzai, RP Sharma, SA Patil, SameerBrahmchari, SC Lakhotia, SK Datta, SK Sharma,SK Vasal, SR Sree Rangasamy, Sudhir K Sopory,Sushil Kumar

Chairman : RB SinghCo-Chairman : HS GuptaOrganizing Secretary : NK SinghCo-Organizing Secretaries : Sanjay Singh, Akshay Talukdar

MEMBERS OF ORGANISING COMMITTEE

A Bandyopadhyay, AD Pathak, AK Joshi, AK Singh, Akshay K. Pradhan, Anand K Singh,Ashok K Singh, Bidyut K Sarmah, BM Prasanna, BN Singh, C Viswanathan, DK Agarwal,DK Yadava, DS Brar, Gaya Prasad, GP Singh, GS Nanda, Imran Siddiqui, JC Rana, JKJena, JS Chauhan, JS Sandhu, K Veluthambi, KK Narayanan, KML Pathak, KP Viswanatha,Kuldeep Lal, Kuldeep Singh, MC Kharkwal, MP Pandey, OP Yadav, P Raghav Reddy, PKRanjekar, PM Salimath, R Chandra Babu, Rajvir S Rathi, Ram K Singh, Ramesh V Sonti,Ravi P Singh, RK Singh, RK Varshney, RM Singh, RRB Singh, Sanjay Kumar, ShailajaHittalmani, SK Singh, SR Bhat, Sujay Rakshit, TR Sharma, Usha Vijayraghavan, VaniBrahmchari, WS Lakra, YS Nerkar

December 14-16, 2018, New Delhi, India v


P R E F A C E

The Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, the oldest and most prestigious registeredsociety of practicing Geneticists and Plant Breeders from public and private institutions andthe students pursuing Genetics and Plant Breeding disciplines, has vital role to play infostering the progress of science of Genetics and Plant Breeding in the country. The Societywas founded 77 years ago in January, 1941 at the Indian Congress Session at BHU, Varanasiby a group of Indian geneticists and plant breeders of that time led by Late Dr. B.P. Pal, theFirst Secretary and also the First Editor of the Society’s official publication, The IndianJournal of Genetics & Plant Breeding. The Society has now more than 2000 memberscomprising 1800 life members, 200 honorary members and 42 foreign members.

Genetics has witnessed an era of innovations and discoveries during the last twodecadeswhich has created new tools offering immense opportunities to improve crops,livestock, fishes and microbes, and to manage hitherto intractable plant, human and animalailments. The application of artificial intelligence to analyze the vast amount of genomicsand phenomics data is providing rare insights into the genetic basis of complex traits. Thesuccess of genetically improved organisms in enhancing farm productivity has explicitlyunderlined the impact of the science of Genetics. The science of Genetics will remainrelevant to address the emerging challenges of food, health and nutritional security in thewake of the burgeoning world population projected to be 9.7 billion by 2050. For sustainingand continuing the legacy of success, renewed emphasis is needed in the science of Geneticsand allied fields to utilize the power of new technologies.

In view of the above, the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding (ISGPB)has organized the 1stNational Genetics Congress (NGC) with the theme “Genetics forSustainable Food, Health and Nutrition Security” during December 14-16, 2018 at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. The NGC is offering a common platformfor the Indian geneticists working with different living systems including microbes, plants,animals, fishes and human beings to review the recent advances in various spheres ofGenetics and to develop a roadmap for addressing future National challenges. Further, theCongress is providing an opportunity for the young scientists, researchers, students toparticipate and present their works and ideas. The importance and implications of sharingand use of genetic resources, genetic profiling, genomic data etc. will also be discussed,which may help in formulating guidelines for our national policies in these areas. The Book ofAbstracts contains about 475 abstracts of scientific papers which have been arranged asper Technical Sessions of the Congress. The abstracts have been classified into two maingroups: Invited and contributed papers for floor presentation (coded IC) and papers for Posterpresentation (coded PS). PS papers have been again grouped into VII sessions as sessionVIII does not contain any poster presentation. The abstracts were edited wherever needed,however onus of originality and validity of data and opinion given on the abstract rests withauthors. We hope that the Book of Abstracts will act as handy reference to the students,teachers, researchers and scholars.

Editors

vi Abstracts of National Genetics Congress - 2018


The Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, gratefully acknowledges the followingorganisations/institutions for supporting the 1st National Genetics Congress on “Genetics forSustainable Food, Health and Nutrition Security”.

Sponsors

Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi 110 014

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Head Office Plot C-24, 'G' BlockBandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East) Mumbai 400 051

Mahyco, Seed Company Ltd., Resham Bhavan, 4th Floor, 78, Veer Nariman Road, Mumbai400 020 and Delhi Office : 4E/15 Ashoka Centre, 3rd Floor, Jhandewalan Extn., New Delhi110 055

Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority, Govt. of India, Ministry ofAgriculture & Farmers Welfare, Department of Agriculture, Co-operation & Farmers Welfare,NASC Complex, DPS Marg, Opp. Todapur Village, New Delhi 110 012

National Biodiversity Authority, 5th Floor, TICEL Bio Park, CSIR, Road, Taramani, Chennai600 113

Monsanto India Ltd., F Block, 2nd Floor, International Trade Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi110 019

Co-sponsors

XV Genetics Congress Trust, A Block, F-2, First Floor, NASC Complex, D.P.S. Marg, IARI,P.O. Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012

Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri 413722, Maharashtra

Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli 415712, Maharashtra

Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, Maharashtra

Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani 431402, Maharashtra

Saveer Biotech Limited, 1442, Ch. Hardhyan Singh Marg, New Delhi 110 003

Bio-Engineering India Ltd., Maharashtra

December 14-16, 2018, New Delhi, India vii


C O N T E N T S

Preface ... v

Invited and Contributory Papers ... 1-40

POSTER PRESENTATION

SESSION I - Genetic Resource Management and Use Day 1 ... 41-167

SESSION II - Genetics and Breeding for Climate Day 2 ... 169-270Resilience

SESSION III - Breeding for Input Use Efficiency and Day 1Nutritional Enhancement ... 271-316

SESSION IV - Advanced Genetic Tools for Enhancing Day 2Breeding Efficiency ... 317-380

SESSION V - Application of Bioinformatics and Statistical Day 2Tools in Genetics ... 383

SESSION VI - Genetic Engineering Day 2 ... 384

SESSION VII - Ethics, IPR and Regulations for use of Day 2 ... 385-388Genes/Genetic Resources

SESSION VIII - Genetics Educaiton ... ...

Author Index ... 389

viii Abstracts of National Genetics Congress - 2018


December 14-16, 2018, New Delhi, India 1


Invited and

Contributory

Papers

2 Abstracts of National Genetics Congress - 2018




IC I - 1

Genetics of tooth agenesis in light of recent advances in mapping,

identification and characterization of human disease genes

Tanmoy Sarkar3, Rajesh Bansal1, Smitha Kanathur2 and Parimal Das*

Centre for Genetic Disorders, Institute of Science; 1Faculty of Dental Sciences, Institute of

Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, UP; 2Department of

Periodontology, Government Dental College and Research Institute, Victoria Hospital,

Kalasipalayam, Bengaluru 560 002; Karnataka; 3Hematopoiesis and Stem Cell Biology Section,

Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health (NCI-NIH),

1050 Boyles Street, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA

Email: [email protected]

Mammalian tooth development is a complex & well orchestrated process regulated by a

diverse group of genes expressed in dental epithelium & mesenchyme leading to several

cross talks between and among those tissues which ultimately establish the structure of

tooth organ. Several studies have been carried out using mice, rat, common shrew (Sorexaraneus) as a model to decipher the codes regulating the critical stages of tooth development

which subsequently leads to the identification of around 300 genes involved in mouse tooth

development. These studies immensely enhanced the identification of genetic factors

associated with a common developmental anomaly in human called congenital tooth agenesis

i.e. failure of tooth eruption in oral cavity due to disturbances in the well balanced pathway of

tooth development. This leads to immature termination of tooth development resulting reduction

in number of teeth than normal [for human 32 permanent teeth and 20 deciduous teeth]. In

human congenital tooth agenesis (CTA) is classified in three major forms. Hypodontia:

Congenital absence of six or few teeth, excluding third molar; Oligodontia: Congenital absence

more than six teeth, excluding third molar, and Anodontia: Congenital absence of all primary

and/or permanent teeth. Five major candidate genes are known to be associated with CTA in

human. These are PAX9, MSX1, AXIN2, EDA and WNT10A. It has been demonstrated that

Msx1 null mice have cleft palate along with missing teeth which show phenotypic similarity

with cleft palate in oligodontia patients with mutation in MSX1 gene. Since the discovery

(Nature Genetics, 2000) of the association of PAX9 with human disease Oligodontia for the

first time by our group at Baylor College of Medicine, USA, several other studies in different

population across the world established PAX9 as the strongest candidate gene associated

with non-syndromic congenital tooth agenesis in Human. Interestingly while Pax9 null mice

have abnormalities in other organs formation, human have only non-syndromic tooth agenesis

associated with PAX9 mutation. This suggests that MSX1 is associated with tooth and palate

development in both human and mice where as function of PAX9 is more restricted to tooth

development in human which may be a good example of evolutionary precision of gene

function. While PAX9, MSX1 and WNT10A are mostly associated with tooth development,

AXIN2 and EDA have more generalized association such as colorectal cancer and ectodermal



organ formation respectively. During last two decades DNA sequence technology has made

tremendous advancement enabling fast, reliable and cost effective sequencing of a single

gene to the whole genome of an individual that pave the way for identification of novel gene,

novel variation and novel pathogenic mutation impacting human health research and inspiring

practicing personalized medicine. We identified novel pathogenic mutation at EDA1 C956G>T

(p.Ser319Ile) in a familial case of congenital tooth agenesis using high throughput Illumina

2500 platform of Next Generation Sequencing facility of Banaras Hindu University. In addition,

a number of other non-synonymous variations were also identified, those are unique to that

particular family or to the population and are absent in currently available public databases

(viz. NCBI-db SNP or ClinVar). Essentially, this is making it more challenging to translate the

impact of those variations in a more meaning full way without having closely matched reference

genome sequence derived from the same Indian population. Addressing this concern we

have being performing the whole genome sequencing of matched controls for mapping,

identification and characterization of human disease genes for Congenital Tooth Agenesis

(CTA), Parkinson Disease (PD) and Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD).

Consequent upon identification of the disease causing gene/DNA sequence variant/Mutation

and predicting the effect of those variants using varieties of In silico analysis tools like

PolyPhen, Shift, Mutation Taster, its obvious to cross validate the predicted impact by

functional study. Hence, we took a few steps further to decipher the functional activity of

some of the novel variations that we have identified. In an Indian family (DEN11) affected

with congenital oligodontia, we have identified novel c.3G>A transition at the initiation codon

and exon-intron boundary of PAX9. Further, in vitro functional analysis creating PAX9 minigene

construct with or without this splice site variation did apparently show no affect on the splice-

site migration. In another Indian family (DEN14) having congenital oligodontia, we have identified

novel c.336C>G variation in exon 3 of PAX9 leading to substitution of evolutionary conserved

Cys to Trp at 112 amino acid position located at the conserved DNA binding paired domain

region. Subsequent functional analysis revealed that p.Cys112Trp mutation did not prevent

the nuclear localization although mutant protein had higher cytoplasmic retention. EMSA

using e5 probe reveled that mutant protein was unable to bind with the paired-domain binding

site. GST pull-down assay revealed lower binding activity of the mutant protein with its known

interactor MSX1. Further RNA-sequencing using Illumina 2500 Next Generation Sequencing

platform of PAX9 over-expressed HEK293, identified two potential novel targets, WNT4 and

WNT7b those are up-regulated by wild-type PAX9 but not by mutant. These observations

altogether suggest that c.336C>G (p.Cys112Trp) variation leads to loss-of-function of PAX9

leading to CTA in this family. In conclusion, it is clearly evident that with the advancement of

high throughput DNA or RNA sequencing technology we can now sequence entire human

genome or transcriptome within a week. However, one of the toughest parts of the job is to

interpret the ever increasing genomic variations especially with a population like India that

has high genetic diversity but low reference genome sequence, which need to be addressed

with top priority. Its worth mentioning in the mean while that the development of other molecular

interventions namely iPSCs, CRISPR-CAS9 and the gold standard transgenic and humanized

mouse modeling it is now indispensable to test the variation using appropriate model system.



IC I - 2

Plant genetic resources management and pre-breeding in genomics

era

Kuldeep Singh and Kavita Gupta

ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012


The genetic material of plant origin of actual or potential value in the form of seed, vegetative

propagule, tissue, cell, pollen, DNA molecule, etc. containing the functional unit of heredity

that can be utilized in crop improvement. Plant genetic resources (PGR) are the foundation of

agriculture as well as food and nutritional security. The ICAR-NBPGR is the nodal institution

at national level for management of PGR in India under the umbrella of Indian Council of

Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. India being one of the gene-rich countries faces a

unique challenge of protecting its natural heritage while evolving mutually beneficial strategies

for germplasm exchange with other countries. The Bureaus activities include PGR exploration,

collection, exchange, characterization, evaluation, conservation documentation and distribution.

It also has the responsibility to carry out quarantine of all imported PGR including transgenics

meant for research purposes. The multifarious activities are carried out from ICAR-NBPGR

headquarters and its 10 regional stations located in different agro-climatic zones of India. It

has linkages with international organizations of the Consultative Group on International

Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and national crop-based institutes to accomplish its mandated

activities. NBPGR collects and acquires germplasm from various sources, conserves it in

the Genebank, characterizes and evaluates it for different traits and provides ready material

for breeders to develop varieties for farmers and has collection of 438922 seed samples.

NBPGR works in service-mode for effective utilization of PGR in crop improvement programmes

which depends mainly on its systematic characterization and evaluation, and identification of

potentially useful germplasm. NBPGR is responsible for identifying trait-specific pre-adapted

climate resilient germplasm, promising material with disease resistance and quality traits

which the breeders use for various crop improvement programmes. The system has contributed

immensely towards safeguarding the indigenous and introducing useful exotic PGR for

enhancing the agricultural production. Presently, our focus is on collection of crop wild relatives;

characterization of ex situ conserved germplasm and detailed evaluation of prioritized crops

for enhanced utilization; assessment of impact of on-farm conservation practices on genetic

diversity; genome-wide association mapping for identification of novel genes and alleles for

enhanced utilization of PGR; identification and deployment of germplasm/ landraces using

climate analog data; validation of trait-specific introduced germplasm for enhanced utilization.

Gene banks have often, through necessity, focused mainly on the immediate but long-term

conservation of plant genetic resource activities. There is currently a major gulf between the

operations of PGR collections and modern plant breeding. The conservation of genetic resources

must be linked to their increased and sustainable use if they are to play a key role in climate



change adaptation. This could be achieved through active engagement with all stakeholders

in order to assure the functionality of the entire “Genetic resource-chain”. The recent progress

in genomics has opened up enormous possibilities, both for introgression of specific traits

and for base broadening in pre-breeding. Development of molecular markers since 1980s has

seen a striding development from RFLPs to SNPs because of progress in high throughput

genomics at very low costs. A few case studies involving use of genomics tools for rapid

introgression of desirable variability from un-adapted germplasm to high yielding varieties and

their commercialization will be presented.

IC I - 3

Strategies for characterization and conservation of domestic animals

Arjava Sharma

National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal (Haryana)

Email:

Animal husbandry is an integral component of Indian agriculture supporting livelihood of more

than two-thirds of the rural population. This sector plays a significant role in supplementing

family income and generating gainful employment in the rural sector, besides providing cheap

nutritional food to millions of people. Livestock provides milk, egg and meat as nutritious

food; draught power for agriculture; fibre; manure and domestic fuel; and hides & skin. This

sector has contributed 176 million tonnes of milk, 89 billion eggs, 43.6 million kg wool, and

8.0 million tonnes of meat during 2017-18. Large livestock and poultry biodiversity that exists

in India is responsible for this contribution. India has 512 million livestock population comprising

mainly of 191m cattle, 109m buffalo, 65m sheep, 135m goat and 10m pig; and 729 million

poultry population. India has traditionally been a mega biodiversity center and rearing of

domesticated animals of different species viz. cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, camel, horse,

donkey, yak and mithun by livestock keepers has been practiced since time immemorial.

Presently, there are 183 registered breeds of livestock and poultry in India which includes 42

for cattle, 15 for buffalo, 34 for goat, 43 for sheep, 7 for horses & ponies, 9 for camel, 8 for pig,

2 for donkey, 1 for yak, 1 for duck, 1 for geese and 19 for chicken, in addition to many more

not characterized and accredited so far. Our indigenous animal genetic resources are rich in

variability and endowed with many desirable attributes like disease resistance, tolerance to

hot and humid stresses, adaptability to different environment and production management

systems and ability to utilize coarse roughages and crop residues. However, this diversity is

being constantly threatened due to its under utilization by not realizing the true values of

native AnGR and improper implementation of breeding policies. Indigenous breeds are generally

low producers but contribute in many other ways to the livelihood and social security of their

keepers. Moreover, many of these breeds have the potential and their production performance

can be enhanced substantially by following intensive selection programmes. With the changes

in consumer demand, and the enormous challenges posed by climate change and emerging

diseases, we may need to rely back on the adaptability and potential of indigenous animal



genetic resources to face an uncertain future. The best way of conservation of the genetic

resources is to sustainably utilize them in their ecological niches so that these are continuously

evolved to produce while adapting in the changing environments. Long term breeding plans

need to be implemented for continuous genetic improvement of indigenous breeds of farm

animals. The important role of livestock keepers, pastoralists, and local communities in the

use and development of livestock resources need to be recognized. It also emphasizes the

need for the active involvement of indigenous communities and the role of local knowledge

and institutions in conservation. Economic worth of the indigenous breeds should be enhanced

through value addition by propagating environmentally important attributes of different animal

breeds and useful pharmaceutical and nutritional properties of their animal products.

IC I - 4

Strategies for conservation and characterization of domestic fishes

Kuldeep K. Lal

ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow 226 002, U.P.


At present, 90 per cent of global aquaculture production is the product of the intensification of

aquaculture, at the rate of 7 to 9% growth, since last two decades happening in Asia and the

global South, where the majority (80%) are small-scale rural farmers, growing fish and shellfish

for local consumption as well as export of high value species. However, future sustainability

of the intensification which is environment friendly, socially equitable and also technology

driven to produce from less inputs, is considered important and to be addressed scientifically.

The lack of knowledge of genetic characteristics of cultivable species and their wild relatives

is considered as a major bottleneck in achieving the future growth of aquaculture. In contrast

to crops and livestock, where all the consumption is from domesticated and improved varieties,

more than 50% of consumption demand of fish is still met from wild and near 10 percent only

contributed by improved varieties. Aquaculture still grows the majority of the species as wild

types and is described at the level of species. There is need for incorporating the characterized

and evaluated genetic diversity from the stocks distributed in the native distribution into the

process of domestication and at the same time conserve such diversity, on farm as well as

in habitat. This envisage the need to establish appropriate and standardized protocols for

evaluation and description. In this direction, ICAR-NBFGR has propagated the concept of

Live Germplasm Resource Centers, as National Network for conservation aquaculture and

establish the breeding populations of prioritized species or their identified genetic stocks.

This takes forward from the leads obtained from genetic diversity characterization carried out

on wild populations using molecular markers for utilization. The program harmonize

conservation of genetic diversity, as wild type in resource centers, evaluated and captive

bred. The generations of progeny make the way for aquaculture development, diversification

and genetic improvement including implementation of marker assisted technolgies. The



populations available in such centers become nucleus for propagating new species, ex situconservation and propagation assisted ranching of seed from wild type broodstock to enhance

natural populations. Under its various program, to field validate this concept, NBFGR has

established two such programs in Ratnagiri and Lakshadweep for ornamental fish species

and also involve rural beneficiaries in the process for their livelihood. The program is also

establishing breeding populations for 7 species in such centers at Lucknow, Nagarjunasagar

and Kochi. The concept plan and actions and the likely benefits to be accrued will be discussed

during this presentation.

IC I - 5

Development, evaluation and characterization of browning resistant

hybrids of white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)

Shwet Kamal*, Mamta Gupta, V. P. Sharma and Manjit Singh

ICAR-Directorate of Mushroom Research, Chambaghat, Solan 173 213, Himachal Pradesh


Browning, in white button mushroom after harvest, is a major limiting factor determining the

quality and marketability of mushrooms. In the present study, 361 hybrids using non-fertile

isolates from 11 strains were developed and evaluated for their bruise resistance by applying

double streak mechanical injury using a fork. In majority of the cases, the browning started

immediately after the injury whereas a few remained unchanged even after two hours. Forty-

one such browning tolerant hybrids were selected and evaluated for the yield. Five of these

were evaluated on large scale in commercial units and two have been finally selected as

these significantly out yielded the strains in use by the commercial units. The selected five

strains along with three controls were also screened for total phenols, proteins and enzymes

i.e. laccase, polyphenol oxidases, and tyrosinase. The hybrids were also molecularly

characterized for identification of markers and confirmation of hybridization using ISSR, SSR,

IRAP and ReMAP markers. Some markers are identified to confirm the hybrid status and will

hasten the breeding procedure in button mushroom.



IC I - 6

Effect of isogenic-alloplasmic cytoplasmic male sterility system on grain

yield traits in pearl millet

Mahesh Pujar1, M. Govindaraj*, S. Gangaprasad1 and A. Kanatti

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru,

Telangana 502 324; #Present address: University of Agricultural Sciences, Shivamogga,

Karnataka 577 225


Pearl millet is a nutri-cereal and is grown predominantly by subsistence farmers in semi-arid

regions of India and Africa. Considering highly cross pollination nature and availability of

cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), pearl millet hybrids are becoming a dominant cultivar type

in India. Present study aims to assess the effect of isonucleus-alloplasmic, A1, A4 and A5

cytoplasmic male sterility system on agronomic performance of pearl millet hybrids. Five

isogenic females each having 3 alloplasmic (A1, A4 and A5) cytoplasm were crossed with 6

male-parents to generate 120 hybrids and were evaluated in two contrasting season in split-

split-plot design (SSPD). The significant cytoplasm per se and restorer per se indicate the

both contribution to most of the traits, however, greater magnitude of contribution arises from

restorers (74% grain yield; 95% 1000-grain weight). The significant hybrids × environment

shows the mandatory of multi location testing for yield traits while non-significant of CMS ×

environment interactions reveals the greater stability of CMS. Further, no significant mean

yield differences exhibited in A1, A4 and A5 hybrids (2.53-2.81 t ha-1) indicates not any

adverse effect of cytoplasm on grain yield and associated traits. Also, diverse genetic

backgrounds used in this study exhibited significant contributions to grain yield and its

component traits. These results imply the prospects for utilization of potential alternative

cytoplasm (A4 and A5) to widen the cytoplasm base together with development of counterpart

restorers to produce future high-yielding hybrids.



IC II - 1

Genomics assisted backcross breeding for infusing climate resilience

in the high yielding varieties of rice

Nagendra Kumar Singh*, Aditi Bhandari, Neera Yadav Balwant Singh, Yashi Singh, Nisha

Singh, Renu Singh, Amitha Sevanthi, Vandna Rai, S. Verulkar1, P. V. Ramana Rao2, M.

Girija Rani2, T. Anuradha2, P. V. Satyanarayana2, S. L. Krishnamurthy3, P. C. Sharma3,

Deepika Singh4, P. K. Singh4, Nilanjay5, Rajesh Kumar5, Sanjay Chetia6, T. Ahmad6, Mayank

Rai7, Jawahar Katara8, B. Marandi8, Padmini Swain8, R. K. Sarkar8, D. P. Singh8, N. P.

Mandal8, J. N. Reddy8, Jyothi Badri9, Padmawathi9, T. Ram9, K. Paramsivam10, S. Nadarajan10

and S. Thirumeni10

ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi; 1Indira Gandhi Krishi

Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (Chhatisgarh); 2A.N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Maruteru (AP);3ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana); 4Banaras Hindu University,

Varanasi (UP); 5Dr. RajendraPrasad Central Agricultural University, Samastipur (Bihar); 6Assam

Agricultural University, Jorhat (Assam); 7Central Agricultural University, Umiam (Meghalaya);8ICAR-Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack (Odisha); 9ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice

Research, Hyderabad (Telangana); 10Pandit JawaharLal Nehru college of Agriculture, Karikal

(Puducherry)


Rice is the most important food crop both in value and volume and is staple diet for Asian

population. Frequent drought, flood and salinity stresses exacerbated by global climate change

adversely affect rice production in more than fifty percent of the rice area. High yielding green

revolution varieties carrying sd1 gene for reduced plant height have almostfully replaced the

traditional climate resilient landraces and varieties of rice. Buttheseare sensitive to adverse

climatic conditions because theywere bred primarily for yield under high input conditions.

Hence, there is urgent need to combine the high productivity with climate resilience. Knowledge

of reference genome of rice and physical positions of genes/QTLs for tolerance to different

abiotic stresses provide opportunities for breeders to transfer favorable alleles into widely

grown varieties of rice through DNA marker-assisted backcross breeding. Seven consistent

QTLs for grain yield under drought; namely qDTY1.1, qDTY2.1, qDTY2.2, qDTY3.1, qDTY3.2,

qDTY9.1 and qDTY12.1 have been transferred into flood tolerant mega varietiesof rice, namely

Swarna-Sub1, Samba Mahsuri-Sub1 and IR 64-Sub1. To address the problem of flash flooding

in eastern India, Sub1 gene has now been transferred into tenregionally adapted popular rice

varieties, ADT 39, ADT 46, Bahadur, Ranjit, HUR 105, Sarjoo 52, Pooja, Pratikshya MTU

1075and Rajendra Mahsuri. Further, QTL Saltol1 for seedling stage salinity tolerance and

qSSISFH8.1 for reproductive stage salinity tolerance are being transferred into six locally

adapted popular rice varieties, ADT 45, Gayatri, MTU 1010, PR 114, Pusa 44 and Sarjoo 52.

Specific foreground selection markers for the presence of desired donor alleles and recombinant

selection markers for reduction of linkage drag were used. Genotypic background selection



was done after BC3F2 stage using a 50K genome wide SNP chipon a set of twenty lines for

each combination, identified by field phenotypic selection for closeness to the recipient parent.

Near-isogenic lines with more than 95% similarity to the recipient parent have been released

and notified for commercial cultivation and are gaining fast popularity. These climate smart

rice varieties will provide production stability in the adverse ecologies and contribute to farmer’s

income and livelihood.

IC II - 2

Induction and suppression of rice innate immunity during bacterial

infection

Ramesh V. Sonti

National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi 110 012

Email:

Xanthomonasoryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes bacterial blight, a serious rice disease. As part

of its virulence repertoire, Xoo secretes a battery of cell wall degrading enzymes. Purified

preparations of several of these cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) can individually induce

plant defense responses. Xoo suppresses these immune responses using proteins that it

secretes into rice using a Type 3 secretion system (T3SS). In transient transfer assays, we

show that 4/16 different T3SS effectors that were tested can individually suppress CWDE

induced rice immune responses. A quadruple mutant that is defective in all four of these

T3SS effectors, but not the single, double or treble mutants is an inducer of rice innate

immune responses indicating that these four proteins function redundantly in suppression of

rice innate immunity. Three of these four T3SS effectors have one or more 14-3-3 binding

motifs. Each of these T3SS effectors interacts with different rice 14-3-3 proteins and this

interaction is necessary for the ability of the protein to suppress rice innate immunity. Two of

these rice 14-3-3 proteins are positive regulators of innate immunity. Besides the above, we

have identified a predicted rice helix loop helix transcription factor and a wall associated

receptor kinase like protein that appear to be key players in elaboration of cell wall damage

induced innate immune responses. These results provide interesting insights into rice and

bacterial functions that are involved in induction and suppression of innate immune responses

during infection.



IC II - 3

Scope of genetic improvement in animals for climate resilience

Satish Kumar

School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Haryana, Jant-Pali, Mahendergargh 123

031, Haryana


There is a dynamic relationship between climate and genetics of livestock species. Along

with several other factors that have been driving climate change, livestock production

continuously contributes to modulation of climate where these livestock species are raised

and are required to perform. Livestock scientists will have to work in close collaboration with

climatologists to understand and predict the likely future climatic conditions under which

livestock species will be expected to be utilised. On one hand, we need to understand the

available genetic variability i.e., breeds of livestock vis-a-vis evaluation of their performance

under various climates and genotype-environment interactions in order to conserve and

safeguard the existing genetic resources as an insurance against the vagaries of climate in

future. Selection programme will have to be envisaged and put in place aimed at enhancing

the productivity in view of the future climatic challenges. On the other hand we need to select

and breed livestock having minimum adverse impact on climate.

IC II - 4

A decade long journey of molecular breeding for improvement of rice:

Plant breeders’ tryst with genomic tools

A. K. Singh*, S. Gopala Krishnan, P. K. Bhowmick, R. K. Ellur, B. Haritha, M. Nagarajan and

K. K. Vinod

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012

E-mail: [email protected]

Basmati rice is popular across the world for its unique, exemplary grain and cooking quality

characteristics along with the pleasant aroma. Genetic improvement of Basmati rice at ICAR-

IARI, New Delhi has led to the development of varieties with high yield and exceptional

cooking quality traits, which has revolutionized the livelihood of the farmers and increased

the annual forex earnings to the tune of ~US $ 5 billion through export of Basmati rice.

However, conventionally bred Basmati rice varieties were prone to different emerging stresses

attributed to climate change, such as susceptibility to various biotic stresses such as bacterial

blight (BB), blast, sheath blight (ShB), brown plant hopper (BPH) and abiotic stresses such

as drought and salinity.In order to improve the ability of Basmatirice to resist/ tolerate biotic/

abiotic stresses, molecular breeding was adopted which led to the development of India’s

first rice variety, developed through marker assisted incorporation of two genes xa13 and

Xa21governing resistance to BB, ImprovedPusa Basmati 1 in 2008. Consequently, MAS has



been successfully utilized leading to development of series of MAS derived rice varieties

such as Pusa 1592,Pusa Basmati 1718 and Pusa Basmati 1728 with resistance to BB;Pusa

6 (Pusa1612), Pusa Basmati 1609, Pusa Basmati 1884, Pusa 1850 and Pusa Basmati 1637

with blast resistance.Further, several monogenic and pyramided NILs with resistance to BB

(xa13, Xa21, Xa33, Xa38), blast (Pi54, Piz5, Pi9, Pi1, Pita, Pib, Pi5), sheath blight (qSBR11-1), BPH (Bph18, Bph20 and Bph21), Bakanae (qBK1), salinitystress (Saltol)and herbicide

tolerance in the genetic background of popular Basmati rice varieties such as Pusa Basmati

1, Pusa Basmati 1121, Pusa Basmati 6, Pusa Basmati 1509 and medium slender grain rice

variety ‘BPT5204’ have been developed. QTLs for drought tolerance such as qDTY1.1,qDTY2.1, qDTY2.2 and qDTY3.1have been incorporated into the genetic background of Pusa

Basmati 1 and Pusa 44. Further, several monogenic and pyramided NILs with diverse gene(s)/

QTLs governing resistance/ tolerance to these stresses and herbicide tolerance have been

developed in the genetic background of popular Basmati and non-Basmati rice varieties.

Thus, judicious use of genomic tools have helped in discovering novel QTLs/ genes for yield

and yield related traits, grain and cooking quality traits but also in developing climate smart

rice varieties through pyramiding of genes/ QTLs governing resistance/ tolerance to various

biotic/abiotic stresses as well as yield and grain quality through marker assisted selection.

IC II - 5

Diverse sources of resistance to Spodoptera litura (F.) in groundnut

M. A. Saleem, G. K. Naidu*, H. L. Nadaf and P. S. Tippannavar

University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, AICRP on Safflower, ARS, Annigeri 582 201,

Karnataka


Groundnut is one of the Worlds important oilseed crops. Spodoptera litura, is an important

insect pest causing yield loss up to 71% in India and is one of the insect pests to develop

resistance to insecticides. Under these circumstances, genetic resistance is the most desirable,

economic and eco-friendly strategy to manage Spodoptera litura. Present study is aimed to

identify diverse sources of resistance to Spodoptera litura from groundnut mini core (184),

recombinant inbred lines (318) and elite genotypes (44) under hot spot location of Dharwad

during rainy season of 2017. Heritable component of variation for resistance to Spodopteraexisted in groundnut mini core, recombinant inbred lines and elite genotypes indicting scope

for selection of Spodoptera resistant genotypes. In the 184 genotypes of the mini core, only

29 (15 %) genotypes showed resistance to Spodoptera litura. Among these, 27 genotypes

belong to hypogaea and one each to fastigiata and hirsuta botanical varieties. Among 318

recombinant inbred lines, 15 transgressive segregant lines had less (< 10 %) Spodopteralitura damage compared to its resistant parent (ICGV 86031-14.1%). In case of elite genotypes,

one released cultivar (DSG 1) under Virginia runner group and two advanced breeding lines

(ICGV 93468, Dh 216) from Virginia bunch and Spanish bunch groups, respectively had

resistance to Spodoptera litura with less than 10 per cent leaf damage. These genotypes

under diverse genetic background could serve as potential donors in the Spodoptera resistance

breeding program in groundnut.



IC III - 1

Plant organelle proteomics: Translation of knowledge into application

Niranjan Chakraborty

National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Jawaharlal Nehru University Campus, Aruna

Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067


Plants respond to environmental cues by dynamic alteration of protein expression profiles.

Stress response signaling orchestrates this reprogramming of proteome landscape to maintain

ionic and water homeostasis, and cellular stability. Therefore, understanding the stress-induced

signaling and responses hold the key for improving stress tolerance in crops to achieve

agricultural sustainability and food security. In-depth proteomics analysis of subcellular

organelles could generate detailed information about the intrinsic relationship between the

protein abundance and stress tolerance. To better understand stress adaptation in plants, we

applied organelle proteomics approach. The primary aim was to examine the stress-responsive

cell wall proteome. We systematically screened the cell wall proteome of a grain legume,

chickpea and identified an array of stress-responsive proteins that include iron storage protein

ferritin, designated CaFer1. Notably, phytoferritins are involved in iron uptake and storage,

but their role in stress tolerance remains largely elusive. We used both CaFer1-overexpressed

plants and ferritin loss-of-function mutants to establish its role in stress adaptation. The

second major challenge was decoding the signalling networks of membrane proteins. The

differential membrane proteome led to the identification of a non-canonical SUN domain protein,

designated CaSUN1 (Sad1/UNC-84). CaSUN1 predominantly localized to the nuclear

membrane and endoplasmic reticulum. These results indicated that the function of CaSUN1

in stress response might be regulated via UPR signaling. Functional complementation of

yeast mutant, slp1, by CaSUN1 could rescue the growth defects. Additionally, overexpression

of CaSUN1, in Arabidopsis, conferred stress tolerance. Also, we examined the stress-

responsive nuclear proteome of rice which led to the identification of an Alba-family protein,

OsAlba1, distantly related to the archaeal DNA/RNA-binding Alba family proteins. Integration

of OsAlba1 in the yeast mutant Pop6 established that OsAlba1 functions in oxidative stress

tolerance. The preferential expression of OsAlba1 in the flag leaves implied its role in grain

filling. Altogether, these results provide new insights into the underlying mechanism of action

of stress-responsive proteins, which may facilitate targeted genetic manipulation of crop

plants for better adaptation to environmental challenges.



IC III - 2

Breeding poultry for improved input use efficiency and nutrient quality

of products

R. N. Chatterjee, T. K. Bhattacharya and S. S. Paul

ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Poultry egg and meat are the two cheapest sources of animal proteins for non-vegetarians

across the globe. The improvement of poultry production needs to be efficiently carried out

for which various tools are to be adopted. Simple breeding theory inculcates mating among

the superiors, which is being practiced since long before. Poultry improvement has gained

momentum to augment the performance of birds not only in terms of production but also

sustainability. Chickens are mainly classified as egg-type chicken and meat-types chickens.

Along with the major production traits, other functional traits such as feed efficiency and

nutrient quality of poultry produce are being given due emphasis to achieve the major target.

Many conventional selection and breeding approaches have been adopted by the Animal

breeders to improve these traits. Due to the inherent nature of population and selection criteria,

the rate of genetic progress became relatively slow and ultimately, the variability of pure line

populations has been gradually shrunken. The nutritional approach maximizes the net profit

of the poultry rearing by providing suitable niche to express the desired economic traits in

optimum capacity. Recently, genomic selection and biotechnological approaches are showing

high potential to enhance the productivity of birds at faster rate.

IC III - 3

Breeding animals for improved nutritional quality

Soumen Naskar

ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi

Correspondence: [email protected]

Breeding of agriculturally important animals has increasingly been responsive to productivity,

input use efficiency, environment and quality of produce in addition to central focus on

production, globally. Redesigning animal breeding programmes for quality traits has been

consumer-driven and market-centric. In general, deep emphasize on (genetic) improvement

in production traits has compromised reproductive fitness and adaptability, and may have

influenced quality. Changes in raw milk are predominantly related to genetic, physiological,

nutritional, and environmental conditions. Milk yield is positively correlated to yield of protein

and fat; however, it is negatively correlated to protein and fat percent. For long years, selection



of sires for high milk yield has resulted in very slow increase in fat and protein percentages.

Selective breeding has been proposed as a means of changing the fatty acid composition of

milk to improve nutritional quality. However, effect on other economically important traits is

required to be thoroughly investigated before implementing such breeding objective.

Intramuscular fat content and composition, muscle fibre composition, in addition to high

quality protein, (trace) minerals and vitamins are important determinants of nutrititive value of

meat. Fat content of meat has decreased substantially over the past decades through advances

in genetics, nutrition and management, and significantly through changes in processing

techniques. Evidence of association of human non-communicable diseases with diet has

driven an interest in developing animal production systems for lowering total SFA and trans-

fatty acid (TFA) content, and enrichment of n-3 PUFA concentrations in meat and meat

products. Generally, poultry and pork contain higher PUFA and lower TFA concentrations

than lamb and beef. Breed, nutritional regime, slaughter age, coupled with rumen microbiome,

are the main factors influencing tissue lipid content and relative proportions of SFA, MUFA

and PUFA. Altering the fatty acid profile of (cara) beef and lamb is determined to a large

extent by plant and microbial lipolysis and subsequent microbial biohydrogenation of dietary

lipids in the rumen. Egg quality traits like yolk relative weight and height, albumen relative

weight and height, specific gravity, etc. are commonly looked at along with dry matter, protein,

and lipid profiles. From human health perspective, positive correlations between cholesterol

content in yolk and cholesterol content in the edible part of egg and negative correlations

between yolk cholesterol content and egg weight, yolk weight and weight of the edible part of

egg is reported. Genetic parameters for traits affecting nutritional quality that are essential for

selection decisions and genetic evaluation vary widely, and further these estimates are

population-speciûc. In general, lactose and protein content in milk have high heritabilities,

whereas moderate values are obtained for fat percentage and saturated fatty acids in milk.

Low to moderate genetic correlations are obtained between milk yield and composition traits

under tropical conditions. Crossbreeding has been shown to be an effective method to improve

inter alia nutritional quality. Modern selection methods including selection index is employed

using appropriate weightage for nutritional quality traits for genetic improvement. Existing

molecular marker information are also added to the index. In many cases, a careful trade-off

is required among production and quality traits for optimum genetic gain. Genomic selection

has opened up a new vista in animal breeding employing thousands of markers. Increased

emphasize on nutrigenomic approaches for quality improvement is expected in near future.

To meet producers, processors and consumers demand, phenotyping novel traits will prove

crucial to further improve milk, meat and egg quality.



IC III - 4

Breeding rice for nitrogen use efficiency

C. N. Neeraja*, S. R. Voleti, D. Subrahmanyam, K. Surekha and P. Raghuveer Rao

ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030


Development of nitrogen use efficient rice varieties is inevitable for sustainability of

environmental friendly and economical agricultural practices. While several management

practices are being studied for increasing efficiency of spatial and temporal inputs of N, at

IIRR, attempts being made to to develop NUE rice varieties with multidisciplinary approach.

Genetic variation in NUE in rice has been reported and NUE including N uptake, translocation,

assimilation, and remobilization is inherently complex, which is governed by multiple interacting

genetic and environmental factors. Around 800 rice genotypes were characterized under low

and recommended nitrogen dose in IIRR farm for two consecutive seasons and the genotypes

were shortlisted to 150. These were further evaluated for three years and consistent NUE rice

genotypes were identified, which have been used as source for developing breeding lines with

NUE and identification of genes/genomic regions.Donors were identified for higher N uptake,

N translocation into grains and grain yield under low N. Using the donors identified for NUE,

several populations were developed for mapping. A set of 291recombinant inbred lines between

PTB1 (NUE variety) and BPT5204 (popular variety) were screened under low and recommended

nitrogen for two seasons. Polymorphism survey and selective genotyping showed five genomic

regions associated with yield (RM1, RM7075, RM9, RM13021, RM13197) under low nitrogen.

With the saturation of the identified genomic regions with more RM markers, a total of 397

marker trait associations under LN level were identified using single marker analysis. Using

minimum marker set of 50 rice SSR markers, 12 genomic regions were identified for yield and

yield associated traits under low nitrogen. A set of 155 shortlisted genotypes from the germplasm

was surveyed with 17 candidate gene based primers. Association analysis for the candidate

genes and trait (P<0.01) showed that 52 alleles of nine genes to be significantly associated

with for yield, yield related components and N content. Transcriptome sequencing of two

efficient (Basmati 370 and ThururBhog) and two poor genotypes (Kola Joha and Suraksha) at

recommended and low nitrogen at panicle developing stage using the 454 Roche and

IlluminaHiSeq 2000 platforms. In the efficient genotypes, the number of down-regulated

transcripts were higher in number than up-regulated and vice-versa was recorded in poor

genotypes. Several recombinants of yield and NUE were identified from evaluation under low

N. These breeding lines were evaluated under multi-locations and stable performers were

identified under AICRIP Trial - Evaluation of Radiation and Nitrogen use efficient promising

rice genotypes -Plant Physiology during Kharif2016, 2017 and 2018, As nitrogen is the building

block of biomass, an optimum N is required for realizing the yield. So, the strategy should be

maximum uptake, maximum utilization and maximum remobilization of the optimum N inputs

to give maximum possible yield.



IC III - 5

Breeding vegetable crops for higher nutrients and nutraceuticals

T. K. Behera

Division of Vegetable Science, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110

012


Diet rich in vegetables provide better nutrition and health promoting nutraceuticals that help in

better health and prevents from various diseases. Vegetables can be effectively played as

major role in combating malnutrition which is affecting nearly 194.6 million people of India and

estimated economic cost of 0.8-2.4% of India’s GDP. Vegetables also provide health benefiting

compounds such as minerals, vitamins, carotenoids, phenolics, alkaloids, etc. These

secondary metabolites have role as antioxidants in human body. They are adequately

investigated for their beneficial effect on human health by neutralizing electrolytic balance in

body, reducing synthesis and squeezing of synthesized reactive free radicals in one or other

biochemical ways. Most vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories while none have

cholesterol. India is blessed to have diverse agro-climatic regions starting from tropical to

temperate which makes feasible to grow different kind of vegetables and available throughout

the year. Besides, there is plenty of diversity in different vegetable crops which can be

exploited for development of special trait varieties. Through conventional breeding, it is possible

to develop new vegetable varieties or integrate the favourable genes for nutraceuticals and

edible colour into cultivated varieties. Advances in molecular biology and recombinant

technology have paved the way for enhancing the pace of special trait variety development

using marker assisted breeding and designing new vegetable crop plants following transgenic

approach. Consumer interest in whole foods with enhanced nutritional qualities is at an all-

time high, and more consumers are choos-ing foods on the basis of their health characteristics

that describe health benefits. This can be achieved through development of nutrient and

nutraceutical rich vegetable varieties and hybrids.



IC IV - 1

Translational genomics and molecular breeding for enhancing precision

and efficiency in crop improvement programs: Some examples in

legumes

Rajeev K. Varshney

Center of Excellence in Genomics and Systems Biology, RP-Genetic Gains, International

Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad


Legume crops such as chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut contribute to livelihood as well as

human nutrition as a rich source of protein and are mostly grown in semi-arid and tropical

regions of many Asian and African countries. Exposure of these crops to different biotic and

abiotic stresses in marginal environments results in low crop productivity in developing

countries. Until recently, very limited genomic resources were available in these crops and

these crops used to be called “orphan crops”. Traditional breeding approaches, however, do

not seem be much effective for enhancing crop productivity to feed the growing global population

that too under limited resources and changing climate scenario. Recent advances in

sequencing, automation/robotics and computational biology have started an era of –omics

sciences in legumes. A number of –omics approaches have been deployed to understand the

genome architecture, complexity of trait and apply genome diversity in breeding. For instance,

various genomic resources including high-density genetic maps, reference genomes have

been developed in these legume crops. In each legume crop, 300-500 lines including reference

set, elite lines, and parents of several mapping populations have been re-sequenced to identify

millions of sequence variants. Modern trait mapping approaches such as genotyping-by-

sequencing, QTL-Seq have been used to map a number of agronomic traits. RNA-seq approach

has been used to develop gene expression atlas and identify differentially expressed genes

for several traits. Efforts are underway to develop ‘proteome map’ and ‘metabolome map’ in

each of these legume crops. Molecular markers and genes identified through various` –omics

approaches have been moved to fields through molecular breeding.A number of legume lines

with improved traits related to production constraints as well nutrition developed through

molecular breeding are in advanced stage of field trials under ICAR-AICRPs. In summary,

translational genomics interventions in breeding together with faster varietal replacement and

better agronomy are expected to deliver higher genetics gains in farmers’ fields.



IC IV - 2

Targeted genome editing of tomato for improved traits

Narasimha Rao Nizampatnam, Kapil Sharma, Yellamaraju Sreelakshmi and Rameshwar

Sharma

Repository of Tomato Genomics Resources, Dept. of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad,

Hyderabad


Mutagenesis is a key tool in hands of breeders to induce novel and desired variability in the

crop plants. The process of mutagenesis in principle involves extensive damage to DNA

either by radiations or by chemicals. Traditionally mutation detection has been done using

phenotypic analysis of the plants and introgressing the useful mutations in elitecrop cultivars,

a process that is excruciatingly slow. Moreover, the induction of mutations in the genome

remains a random process. The above randomness of mutagenesis makes the process of

targeted mutation at a specific site in a gene extremely slow, expensive and matter of a

chance. The recently developed tools of genome editing overcome above limitations of induced

mutagenesis and allow direct mutagenesis of the targeted gene at a desired site. In tomato,

we have carried out targeted mutagenesis in selected genes using CRISPR/Cas9 system.

We are aiming to slow the process of ripening to improve the shelf life. In parallel, we are also

attempting to enhance the content of carotenoids in tomato that is precursor for Vitamin A

andessential for human health. We used the type II CRISPR/Cas9, which is a robust DNA-

encoded RNA-mediated sequence-specific nuclease system. To establish CRISPR/Cas9

system, we targeted the ORF of tomato RIN locus, which encodes a MADS-box transcription

factor, which is essential for induction of ripening of tomato fruits. Using Agrobacterium-

mediated transformation; several independent transformed plants were obtained. The Sanger

sequencing of edited RIN locus analysis revealed In/Dels ranging from 1-12 bp. No significant

off-target editing was found. The CRISPR induced mutants displayed delayed on-vine fruit

ripening and prolonged on-vine shelf life. The fruits harvested at different stages of ripening

showed reduced ethylene emission and large-scale metabolic alterations. In following

generations, we selected vector free plants, that retained the In/Dels and trait alterations. We

show that genome editing can be used for trait enhancement in tomato with high efficiency,

rare/no off-target mutations, and stable heredity.



IC IV - 3

Genetic tools and techniques for enhancing the reproductive efficiency

in livestock

M. S. Chauhan

ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Goats, Makhdoom, Mathura


Selective breeding is a slow process and brings with it problems: as most characteristics

selected are controlled by many genes, whose number and action are unknown, after many

generations of selection deleterious secondary effects can appear. Through the genetic

modification technology many genes of unknown action are changed, whereas with genetic

modification or alteration both the gene and often its primary function are known, giving at

least some indication of its effects on physiology and development. Conventional animal

breeding for desired production traits has in many cases resulted in animal populations with

unique disease susceptibilities. Genetic modification technology could provide a means of

producing animals resistant to many of these diseases, which would be of direct benefit to

those animals. Selective breeding contrasts with genetic modification technology using modern

tools such as ovum pick up (OPU) coupled with in vitro embryo production, stem cell production,

animal cloning and transgenic technology can improve the genetic potential of animal at the

faster rate. Under the reproductive technology, eggs, taken from genetically superior cow

through OPU and sperm from genetically superior bulls as frozen semen, are fertilized in the

lab, and the resulting embryos are grown in culture before being implanted in surrogate cows.

Since, the oocytes retrieved from abbatoir-derived ovaries generally have little genetic value

than those retrieved from superior live cow through OPU, primarily due to poor quality animals

meant for slaughter as well as unknown donor origin. The embryonic stem (ES) cells generated

in vitro from blastocysts stage embryo can be used for development of desired genetically

superior animal when coupled with cloning. Besides this, ES cells play a central role in the

understanding of molecular mechanisms regulating tissue development and regeneration in

normal and pathological conditions and open large possibilities for the discovery of innovative

pharmaceuticals to treat the most devastating diseases of our time. ES cell as a donor cells

have the advantage of greater cloning efficiency in terms of reprogramming, reduced animal

production costs and fewer animal welfare issues, thereby increasing commercial and ethical

acceptance of the technology. At the NDRI, Karnal five ES cell lines have been generated

from buffalo and a normal cloned buffalo has been produced. This cloned buffalo is produced

many normal calves. Cloning is to create genetically superior organism from a singer parent

without sexual reproduction. With the birth of World’s first cloned buffalo calf using hand-

made cloning technology, we have entered into an era of simplified method of cloning buffaloes,

which will enhance our capabilities for faster multiplication of elite buffaloes of desired gender.

Many superior cloned buffalo have been produced at NDRI, Karnal. Present technology

developed by us is a revised and simplified version of older technologies using either ES



cells or somatic cells. Besides this, the donor cells ES or somatic cells, especially when

coupled with recently developed molecular biology techniques, gene incorporation using

nucleofection technique, generate the transgenic animals. These technologies will have great

potential in order to rapidly disseminates the most recent genetic gains made in nucleus

breeding herds.

IC IV - 4

The mechanism of interaction between Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici and

its non-host rice

A. Kumar and Shree Prakash Pandey1

Indian Agricultural Research Institute, IARI, New Delhi; 1Indian Institute of Science Education

and Research, Kolkata


In natural ecosystem, most plants are resistant to a wide range of phytopathogens and pests.

This form of plant immunity against most pathogen species is, often, termed as Non-Host

Resistance (NHR). NHR is multifaceted, broad spectrum and presumed to be governed by

preformed as well as active recognition processes. Despite its high biological importance, the

biochemical and molecular architecture of NHR has remained largely unexplored. We used

rice (Oryza sativa) – black stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) non-host system to

understand the mechanisms of NHR. Rust susceptible wheat, Agra local was used for

comparison. Developmental behaviour of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici on rice/wheat

phyllosphere/endosphere and the consequent biochemical/molecular profiles of rice (non-

host), and wheat (host) was compared and elucidated. A total of 57 rice accessions including

seven cold tolerant verities were screened against non host pathogen, Puccinia graministritici 40A. It was observed that Puccinia graminis tritici 40A could ‘interact’ with rice genotypes

albeit without any pustule or rust formation whereas the wheat line showed profuse rusting as

expected. Not only had the Puccinia graminis tritici 40A germinated and recognized rice

plant, but entered the rice stomata and colonized intercellular spaces of several mesophyllic

cells with concomitant and spontaneous defense responses. No preformed structural or

biochemical barriers in rice have prevented the germination, germtube elongation, and eventual

entry of Puccinia graminis tritici 40A. Extensive epiphytic and endophytic intercellular mycelial

multiplication and ‘haustoria like structures’ could be observed in rice, as evident from

fluorescence and scanning electron microscopic images as well as qPCR based pathogen

quantitation assays. Interestingly, certain rice accessions (phenotypically) responded to

Puccinia graminis tritici 40A colonization by a strong defense or immune responses in the

form of strong hypersensitive reaction that never culminated in uredospore pustules. This

aborted attempt by the rust fungus for pustule formation was attributable to a deliberately

induced rice immune pathway. The Puccinia graminis tritici 40A interaction on rice (non-host)

had resulted in expression of several genes that may form a component of the putative NHR



pathway in rice. A total of 14 putative NHR genes such as NPR1-3, PR3, PR1-1, ICS1

[Salicylic Acid (SA) pathway]; PDF2-2, LOX2, MYC2, AOS2 [Jasmonic Acid (JA) pathway];

EDS1, PAD4, FMO1 [Enhanced Disease Susceptibility (EDS) pathway]; PAL1, PAL2, PAL3

[Phenylpropanoid (PP) pathway] and ACO4, ACS6 [Ethylene (ET) pathway] were not only

identified in rice genome but specific pathways were up-regulated upon Puccinia graministritici 40A invasion indicating their role in modulating rice’s immunity to rust. Clear contrast in

expression of these “putative defense related genes” between the non-host (rice) and host

(wheat) upon interaction with rust pathogen were established. Critical and comparative analyses

are needed using rust resistant wheat genotypes and rice genotypes to decipher the

fundamental differences, if any, between rice nonhost resistance and wheat host resistances.

IC IV - 5

Genetic tools and techniques for fish improvement

G. Gopikrishna

Genetics and Biotechnology Division, ICAR-CIBA, Chennai


Fisheries and aquaculture in our country contribute about 1.5 % to the GDP and 5.1 % to the

agriculture GDP. In addition to providing food and nutrition security to millions of people,

about 14 million people are directly or indirectly employed in this vibrant sector. Fish score

over plants and terrestrial farm animals in that the response to selection for body weight

which is an economic trait in aquaculture, is higher. The reasons for this is the existence of

high genetic variability as evidenced by the coefficient of variation for growth in fish and

shellfish being more than 20% compared to 7-10 % in farm animals. The fecundity is also

very high in fish/shellfish thereby allowing for a higher selection intensity. The Indian continent

is a rich source of marine, freshwater, brackishwater and cold water species of fishes and

more than 2900 species have been documented so far. We are blessed with a long coastline

of 8129 kms, inland water bodies like rivers and reservoirs, lakes etc. Progeny from one

family can be in thousands which gives the breeder a wider choice of selection. The most

important point in reproduction is that fertilization is external. This is indeed a great opportunity

for family production of our choice.Fisheries research especially related to genetics had been

initiated by the ICAR in a very systematic manner. Genetic characterization of candidate

species has also been undertaken in a major way by ICAR since 2008.Microsatellites and

mitochondrial genes ATPase 6/8, Cytochrome oxidase I, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA are also

being used for geneticcharacterization. Genetic improvement is possible only when the life

cycle of the fish/shellfish gets closed thereby enabling us to produce families of our choice.

Individual selection is still considered the best choice although family selection could also

play a vital role in retaining genetic variability. The importance of developing genetically

improved strains of freshwater fishes was realized way back in 1992 when the ICAR-Central

Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar alongwith the Norwegian Agency for



Development Cooperation (NORAD) initiated the selective breeding programme on the carp-

Labeo rohita. This is the first genetic improvement programme on fishes in our country and till

date is in vogue with substantial genetic gains in growth. In 2007, at the same institute,

genetic improvement programmes in the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergiiand recently on another carp Catla catlawere initiated. In 2004, at ICAR-Central Institute of

Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai and ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education,

Mumbaiin collaboration with the NORAD initiated a genetics project on the tiger shrimp Penaeusmonodon.From these studies, it is quite evident that growth has moderate to high heritability

and individual selection is the preferred choice for eliciting maximum response. Additive

genetic variance is present in some diseases whereas in White Spot Syndrome Virus disease

in shrimp, the additive genetic variance is negligible, thereby making selection ineffective.

The genetic tools and techniques in fish improvement in India are discussed in detail.

IC IV - 6

New frontiers in chromosome elimination-mediated doubled haploidy

breeding: Focus on speed breeding in bread and durum wheat

Harinder K. Chaudhary

Molecular Cytogenetics & Tissue Culture Lab., Deptt. of Crop Improvement, CSK HP

Agricultural University, Palampur 176 062


Chromosome elimination–a dynamic process occurring during wide hybridization in wheat

when crossed with various Gramineae genera, has opened new horizon in accelerating the

genetic upgradation endeavours in wheat with enhanced precision and efficiency. Since the

invention of bulbosum approach, some other potential systems leading to the chromosome

elimination viz., wheat x Zea mays and wheat x Imperata cylindrica have further enhanced

the opportunities to increase the doubled haploid production efficiency in wheat. Imperatacylindrical - mediated chromosome elimination approach- an innovation of this Lab has recorded

a striking success not only in bread wheat, but also succeeded in inducing haploids appreciably

in wheat x rye and triticale x wheat derivatives as well as in the durum wheat. GISH- a novel

tool of the molecular cytogenetic approach was used to identify, detect and track the elimination

of the I. cylindrica chromosomes in wheat x I. cylindrica hybrids at different stages of the

mitotic division which enunciated quick elimination of the chromosomes in the first division

and attributed to higher recovery of the haploid embryos.The first doubled haploid wheat

variety, (Him Pratham) of the country has been developed and released by our group by

utilizing the chromosome elimination approach of doubled haploidy breeding. This presentation

will remove the curtain from various innovative protocols which can actually enhance the DH

production efficiency manifolds in hexa and tetraploid wheats and open new horizon for

accelerated wheat improvement following the concept of speed breeding.



IC V - 1

Statistical challenges in genetic association studies: Caveats and

implications

Saurabh Ghosh

Human Genetics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata


With the advances in molecular technology facilitating the generation of highly polymorphic

DNA marker genotypes, the focus of genetic association analyses has moved from the

candidate gene approach to the Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). While this has

resulted in the identification of novel putative genes modulating complex phenotypes, it has

simultaneously precipitated various statistical challenges in the association analyses. These

include management of relatively large data, requirement of large sample sizes to identify

genes with moderate effects, adjustment for confounders, in particular inflated rates of false

positives due to genetic heterogeneity among subpopulations, dependence of association

tests due to linkage disequilibrium and most importantly, correction for multiple tests. In this

presentation, I shall discuss these issues, the existing solutions and their limitations. It is

also of importance to recognize that while Genome Wide Association Studies were expected

to revolutionize gene-mapping of diseases and quantitative phenotypes, they have only been

partially successful and have failed to explain a substantial proportion of the variance in the

underlying traits as estimated from heritability studies. I shall highlight a few plausible

explanations for this failure that have become the foci of current genomic research.

IC V - 2

Bioinformatics tools for genome analysis and identification of novel

metabolic pathways

Debasisa Mohanty*

Bioinformatics Center, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110

067

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Availability of genome sequences of various organisms has opened up the opportunities for

identification of novel natural product biosynthetic pathways and deciphering the chemical

structures of genome encoded secondary metabolites by in silico analysis. Apart from

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) and nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) which

biosynthesize complex array of secondary metabolites, very large number of peptide natural

products are also biosynthesized using ribosomal machinery by Post Translational modification



(PTM) of genome encoded small proteins or peptides. In contrast to nonribosomal peptides,

these posttranslationally modified peptide natural products are called, RiPPs (Ribosomally

synthesized Posttranslationally modified Peptides). Recent experimental studies have also

revealed functional implications of microbiome derived PKs, NPRs and RiPPs. Genome

mining studies have revealed that, completely sequenced genomes of various microbial and

fungal organisms harbor biosynthetic gene clusters (BGC) which can potentially biosynthesize

polyketides/nonribosomal peptides as well as RiPPs (1, 2). During the last 10 to 15 years

enormous advances have taken place in development of powerful In silico methods, which

can link genomic space to chemical space and can predict chemical structures of polyketides,

nonribosomal peptides and RiPPs (3-5). Most of these tools like SBSPKS, RiPPMiner,

antiSMASH, PRISM etc essentially use a knowledge based approach which derive prediction

rules from analysis of genes to metabolite relationships in experimentally characterized PKS/

NRPS and RiPP gene clusters. Since a biosynthetic pathway would involve several enzymes,

these computational approaches typically involve identifying a set of enzymes associated

with these BGCs, precisely predicting the enzymatic reactions they would catalyze and their

substrates, deciphering the correct order in which various enzymatic reactions would be

catalyzed and finally predicting the complex cyclization or cross-link patterns of these

secondary metabolites. The talk would give an overview of bioinformatics methods

implemented in tools like SBSPKS, RiPPMiner, anti SMASH, PRISM and RODEO which are

used for genome mining of metabolic pathways for biosynthesis of novel polyketides,

nonribosomal peptides and RiPPs by genome mining (4-6). The talk would also describe few

examples of experimentally validated natural products which identified by in silico genome

mining.

IC V - 3

Computational tools and high-throughput data analyses for crop

genomics

Mukesh Jain

School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

110 067


The volume and complexity of genetic and genomic data are ever expanding and thus is the

increasing need of better and sophisticated computational tools for analysis, interpretation

and storage of these data. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies provide a high-

throughput revolutionary tool with numerous applications to characterize the genomic landscape

at single base resolution. It has accelerated the whole genome/transcriptome sequencing/

resequencing efforts for candidate gene/genetic variations discovery and understanding the

molecular basis of important agronomic traits via deployment of various genomics tools.

Although the cost of sequencing is decreasing rapidly, the bottleneck in genomics research



is analysis and interpretation of huge amount of data being generated using these sequencing

techniques. The rapidly evolving sequencing techniques require dedicated new tools for data

analysis. Although rapidly evolving computational processing power, innovative algorithms

and application of machine learning techniques are being utilized for fast and better analysis

of data originated from sequencing, the applicability of these computational tools for data

analysis for new/non-model organism is still a daunting task. Thus, computational tools with

better accuracy, lesser time requirements and broader applicability are required for proper

analysis and interpretation to decipher the biological relevance. I shall illustrate the use of

NGS technologies and computational tools in generation of genomic resources and connecting

genes and (epi)genomic variations to agronomic Iraits giving examples from crop plants,

which can provide blueprint for their genetic enhancement via biotechnoiogical and/or breeding

approaches. The results provide important insights into the molecular signatures and regulatory

mechanisms underlying agronomic traits and can facilitate research in various areas of

functional and translational genomics in crop plants.

IC V - 4

Leaping forward towards a blend of population genetics and modern-

day genomics

A. R. Rao

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012


The intellectual labour put together by the great trio Fisher, Haldane and Wright has led to a

major field of genetics called Population Genetics that deals with the study of how populations

get changed over time due to influence of systematic forces. Most of the times, population

genetics remained theoretical but with the start of molecular marker-based studies a paradigm

shift to population genomics occurred and the concepts of population genetics were rigorously

applied on big data of DNA to test and favour the neutrality theory of populations.It is a known

fact that most of the DNA base substitutions (SNPs) at genome level must remain neutral in

their effectsas per the neutrality theory, but this hypothesis need to be proved. On the other

hand, the effect of mutations is non-neutral showing an evidence of positive selection, which

is required for maintenance of genetic variability in the populations. Here, instead of talking

about the theoretical aspects of population genetics more emphasis will be given on its blend

with the genomics. To be more specific, a case study will be discussed involving DNA base

substitutions, spliceomics and comparative genomics to understand and test the neutrality

theory of substitutions in human populations. The donor and acceptor splice sites of five

organisms, viz., Arabidopsis thaliana, Caenorhabditis elegance, Drosophila melanogaster,Musmusculus and Homo sapiens were considered to study the di-nucleotide associations

present in the splice site regionsand the effects of SNPs present at donor splice sites were

assessed. For these SNPs, the population diversity information was mined from the dbSNP



of NCBI and studied for the Hardy-Weinberg Dis-equilibrium, inter-population changes in the

allele frequencies, heterozygous superiority etc. The results indicated selective pressure

against alleles of several SNPs and their corresponding genotypes. Also, selective pressure

was found to keep a low match to the consensus major or minor alleles in alternate splicing.

As such effect of SNPs on splicing may not be significant but wherever it is found significant

there exist compensatory mechanisms in genetic networks that might have neutralized the

effects of SNPs on splicing. Besides, we found that affected genes may not affect the fitness

of the populations. In addition to the said case study, the developments that took place in the

recent past on population genomics with reference to population structure, effective population

size, phylogenetic trees will be discussed.

IC V - 5

Expressed Rice Gene Homologues in Diverse Eukaryotic Species and

Development of a Eukaryotic Tree of Life Based on Conserved Genes

Pawan Jayaswal1, Vivek Dogra, Asheesh Shanker1 and Nagendra Singh*

1National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012; 1Banasthali

University, Rajasthan 304 022


Next generation DNA sequencing technologies have incorporated large datasets in the public

domain. Comparative genome analysis of diverse species illuminates aspects of mutational

changes and evolution of life on earth. Here we compared the genome sequence of 49 different

model organisms, including plants, vertebrates, invertebrates, fungi and Protista for the

presence of expressed rice gene homologues. A comprehensive analysis based on 66,338

predicted coding sequences(CDS) and 44,235 expressed sequence tags (EST) unigenesof

rice revealed that 36,002 of the predicted genes were expressed in rice while other genes

were not supported by the rice EST database. Among the 49 model organisms, Zea mays,

Rhizopusoryzae and Bos torus showed the highest number of genes matching with rice

among plants, fungi and animal groups. Comparative analysis of all the 49 model organisms

revealed 98 genes that were commonly expressed in all these species, while 9831 genes

were expressed uniquely in rice. A Maximum likelihood unrooted eukaryotic tree of life based

on these conserved genes was developed which showed banana as a connecting link between

monocots and dicots, whereas Salpingoe carosetta provided an link between fungi and animals,

indicating that the analysed protozoan species are evolutionarily related to fungi and animals.

Divergence time of each node was estimated from a Bayesian rooted tree using an archaea

bacterium Methanosarcinaacetivorans as outgroup, and calibrated with the earliest known

fossil of eukaryote. The tree of life developed here gives important insight into the evolution

of eukaryotes.



IC VI - 1

Transgenic crops in India: The way forward

Deepak Pental

Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi


The global population in 1900 was around 1.6 billion – today it is around 7.3 billion and

predicted to plateau out at 11 billion. Under-nutrition is still rampant in many parts of the world

including south Asia. There is over exploitation of natural resources for food production and

farmers with small holdings are struggling. We need low-input, high-output agriculture, low-

input both in terms of natural resources and economic costs. Fortunately, there are new

developments – genomics, molecular markers, transgenics (GE crops) to support plant

breeding. These new technologies coupled with better resource management can hopefully

meet the challenges of sustainability and food security. Unfortunately, use of the GE

technologies is under attack from ideologues of many hues. A few in the scientific community

have joined these negative forces. They have spread fear and tried to hijack the regulatory

system by wild accusations of conflict of interest and litigations. Given the enormous literature

on the safety of GE technologies released so far, we need to make a serious effort in our

country to reach out to the citizens and farming communities and explain to them the need for

GE technologies. The scientific community and the Government of India need to revisit the

biosafety protocols. Some of the biosafety tests are unnecessary and wastage of resources

which can be better utilised for more innovation. RCGM and GEAC should endeavour to seek

biosafety testson case by case basis. The antisense RNA and RNAi technologies should not

be looked at with the same biosafety yardsticks as the insecticidal proteins. For incorporating

more durable resistance to pathogensin the crop plants, we need to use R genes present in

the primary gene pool of the crop species (allelic diversity) and/ororthologs (genes) present in

the wild relatives. Such transgenics should not require any protein safety tests. Plants developed

with CRISPR/Cas-based technologies should be subjected to minimal biosafety testing.Science

academies all over the world have endorsed the safety of GE crops that have been released

so far. In India, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) has made laudable

efforts to sensitize the Governmentof India on the issue of R&D for developing more robust

crops through GE technologies. Rather than getting intimidated by ill-motivated campaigns,

the scientific community should make a thorough appraisal of the available GE technologies

and develop a set of recommendations for the Government of India on how to assure effective

safety and nurture R&D at the same time – to provide a better deal to the farming communities

of India.



IC VI - 2

Functional analysis of genes for phytic acid biosynthesis in wheat

Ajay K. Pandey

Naitonal Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Knowledge City, Mohali 140 306


Phytic acid (myo-inositol-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis phosphate; PA, IP6) beside been a storage

form of phosphorus in seed is also a well know seed anti-nutrient. The chelating properties of

PA in seeds contribute to reduced iron and other micronutrients bioavailability. In plants, the

ability of phytic acid to chelate some important micronutrients including iron has led to the

designing of the strategy to target the biosynthesis pathway of IP6 in different crops. We have

targeted two genes in wheat by means of RNAi. The first gene encoded a putative ABCC

transporters for PA, referred as TaABCC13, that also help in transport of yeast glutathione

conjugates. Furthermore, the wheat RNAi for ABCC13, showed low PA, enhanced lateral

roots with senstivity for heavy metal Cd. Functional analysis of the second gene encoding for

inositol pentakisphosphate kinases (IPK1) was also performed in wheat. These transgenic

lines showed, drastic reduction in PA, minimal pleotropic effects and enhanced Fe and Zn

content in seeds. The reduction of PA in TaIPK1-RNAi lines showed accumulation of certain

metal transporters (yellow stripe like transporters) in LPA grains. Subsequently, IPK1 gene

was chosen for CRISPR-Cas9 medited genome editing. Conserved gRNA was designed and

currently we are performing validation of the construct and Agrobacterium mediated

transformation of the wheat. Overall, our work emphasized the much neeed impetus for

exploring need of heterologous system and functional tool in wheat for assesment of gene

function.

IC VI - 3

Status and prospects of gene editing and transgenic in fishes

Hirak Kumar Barman

Fish Genetics & Biotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture,

Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar 751 002, Odisha


Recent advances in high throughout DNA sequencing technologies have revolutionized for

better understanding of structure-functional relationships of genes in identifying trait-associated

transcriptomes and their regulated gene expressions. Subsequent breakthroughs in gene

editing technologies such as zinc finger nucleases, transcriptional activator-like effector

nucleases (TALEN) and CRISPR (clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic determined

chromosomal loci so as to understand gene functions in vivo. Such editing technologies are



now being implemented in many laboratories due to an affordable cost and easiness of

techniques. Targeted gene delivery and disruptions are now not only restricted to standard

cell lines or stem cells, but also primary cell lines and non-model agriculturally important

species. Progress and implications of gene integration and disruptions in food fishes like

salmon, craps, etc. will be highlighted. The positive impacts on myostatin gene (negative

growth hormone regulator) disruption mediated muscular growth have been documented.

Transposon mediated gene integration technologies for value-additions to small

indigenousaquarium fishes by expressing attractive fluorescent color genes could be the

future of rainbowrevolution. Issues linked with further-tuning with regards to improved efficacy

and specificity, while reducing off-target effects of gene editing tools will be addressed. There

are health and environmental concerns with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). CRISPR/

Cas9 mediated editing generates indels and hence supposed to be free from transgene-

nontoxic and non-allergen. Scientific progress regarding to generate genetically modified craps;

those could well be cultivated in a confinement and at the same time economically profitable;

will be highlighted. Emphasis should be given for transfer these technologies from the laboratory

to land for the development of a consumer-friendly sustainable farming system.

IC VI - 4

Development of CRISPR vector for a polycomb gene CcEZ1 isolated

from apomictic Cenchrus ciliaris

Laishram Sundari Devi, Lingrui Zhang1, Vishnu Bhat and Jian-Kang Zhu*1

Plant Developmental Biology, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007;1Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette,

IN 47907


The advanced genome engineering technology is rapidly evolving as a method for the new

era of functional genomics as Precision Genome Engineering (PGE). In this technique, the

DNA sequence modification is introduced first to the exact targeted site of the genome by

using a protein called nuclease. The main technological premise of PGE is the harnessing of

DNA repair mechanism of the cell by introducing DNA double strand breaks at or near the

targeted site using sequence specific nucleases. Among the different classes of nucleases,

the most recent and robust is CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic

repeat/ CRISPR-associated) system. It is a very potential biological phenomenon which is

adapted as a genome editing tool by using a small guide RNA (sgRNA). Here, we have

developed CRISPR vector of CcEZ1 gene which is isolated from the apomictic individual of

Cenchrus cialiaris. The feasibility of the CRISPR vector of CcEZ1 is also checked by examining

the expression of Cas9 and sgRNA on Nicotiana benthamiana leaves.



IC VI - 5

Genomic characterization of mithun (Bos frontalis) populations using

high density SNP array

Anupama Mukherjee#, Sabyasachi Mukherjee*, Imsusosang Longkumer, Nazrul

Haque, Kezhavituo Vupru, Kobu Khate, Abhijit Mitra and Goutam Sahana1

Animal Genetics and Breeding Lab., ICAR-National Research Centre on Mithun, Medziphema,

Nagaland 797 106; 1Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Department of Molecualar

Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark; #Dairy Cattle Breeding Division,

ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana 132 001


Mithun (Bos frontalis) is a bovine species found in the North-Eastern Hilly region of India. The

770k BovineHDBeadChip (Illumina, CA) is utilized for genotyping of mithun to study genomic

diversity and structure of mithun populations. The present study included SNP genotyping of

96 diverse mithun from Institute farm and farmers field. Eight additional bovine populations of

taurine (Holstein and Angus), indicine (Gir) and other Bos species (Bali cattle, Yak, Bison,

Gaur and wild buffalo) were also included in this analysis (N = 185) for comparative purposes

with mithun. The results showed that there was no population sub-structure with few signs of

indicine admixture. The observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosities estimated ranged

from 0.17 to 0.25. The inbreeding coefficient estimates (FIS) were 0.06 and 0.02 for the farm

and field animals, respectively, signifying overall low inbreeding level.Principal component

analysis showed the Indian mithuns from both farm and field population were positioned

together in a distinct cluster along with Bali cattle, wild gaur, yak and bison; and separated

from two other major clusters of Bos taurus (American Angus and Danish Holstein), and Bosindicus (Nellore, Ongole and Red Sindhi). The Admixture analysis showed the mithun population

was having similar strong grouping together similar to PCA analysis, signifying genetic

uniformity. This is the first study in any Indian animal species for genomic characterization

and population diversity analysis using 770k BovineHDBeadChip. The baseline information

generated will help in developing proper strategies for implementing genomic selection and

conservation of mithun.



IC VII - 1

Creating harmony and balance among diverse regulatory bodies for

efficient use and management of genetic resources in India

R. C. Agrawal and K. V. Prabhu

Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers

Rights Authority, New Delhi 110 012


The Plant Genetic Resources were treated as the ‘heritage of mankind’ and were shared

freely among nations prior to the commencement ofthe Convention of Biological Diversity

(CBD) in 1993. Subsequently, conservation, sustainable utilization and access to biological

diversity were considered as national sovereignty. As a result of it, many issues regarding

the rights of the conservers, users, breeders, farmers and intellectual property have emerged

in India. Keeping in view that India is biodiversity rich, and agriculture is a key means of

livelihood and employment, a sui generis system for plant variety protection was adopted and

accordingly enacted the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001. Further

to provide for conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components and fair

and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the use of biological resources, knowledge,

India also enacted The Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal

Committee (GEAC) regulates the Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells under the

Environment Protection Act, 1986 and deals with the part of the germplasm. Section 3(j) of

the Patents Act, 1970excludes from patentability “plants and animals in whole or any part

thereof other than microorganisms but including seeds, varieties and species and essentially

biological processes for production or propagation of plants and animals.” The Patent Act

may include a part of the microbiological processes. In case any invention uses any biological

including plant material from India, the application for grant of patent, the applicant has to

declare that “the invention as disclosed in the specification uses the biological material from

India and the necessary permission from the competent authority shall be submitted by me/

us before the grant of patent to me/us.” The Geographical Indications of goods (Registration

and Protection) Act, 1999 is an indirect way to extend protection to farmers varieties and

traditional knowledge. In the present paper an efforts shall be made to discuss some of the

issues like the rights under one act does not gets impeded by another act, the overlapping of

clearances between various regulatory bodies so as to make the genetic resources more

accessible for research.



IC VII - 2

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Issues related to use of Genetic

Resources

Pratibha Brahmi and Vandana Tyagi

ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi 110 012


Genetic Resources (GR) refer to genetic material of living organisms with actual or potential

value. Use of GR refers to the process of researching their beneficial properties and using

them to increase scientific knowledge and understanding, or to develop commercial products.

There is continuous search for newer resources to meet the future demands that arise with

the emergence of climate change, new diseases, and enhanced demands food and nutritional

security. GR are exchanged and searched continuously for specific traits to improve yields

and nutritional value. Every nation is concerned with acquisition of diverse and superior

germplasm for conservation and utilization. The rapid advancements in the fields of molecular

biology, biotechnology and bioinformatics, led to the emergence of new legal, political and

technological regimes regulating access to GR. The issues of ownership, utilization of

germplasm and benefits accrued there from, and related discussions resulted in a paradigm

shift from GR being a ‘common heritage of mankind’ to ‘sovereign rights of nations’ and

Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) came into prominence. Three international negotiations

impacted on this rise to prominence including Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the

Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) as part of the

Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Treaty on

Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). The regulation regarding access

to GR, increasing application of IPRs and the vast potential of biological wealth yet to be

tapped through bio-prospecting and genetic engineering, has placed greater demands on

nations to adjust to the changing scenario of GR management. As per TRIPS Agreement the

term ‘intellectual property’ refers to all categories of intellectual property that are the subject

of Sections under the Act. These sections deal with copyrights and related rights, trademarks,

geographical indications, industrial designs, layout designs of integrated circuits, patents and

the protection of undisclosed information (trade secret). The requirement to provide for the

protection of plant varieties by patents or by an effective sui generis system or by any

combination thereof is the subject of Section 5 of the TRIPS Agreement. It follows that, like

patents and all the other rights the sui generis system also has to be an IPR. Currently

access to GR is under the provisions of CBD and access to GR is based on mutually agreed

terms (MAT), subject to prior informed consent (PIC). In response to CBD, India enacted the

Biological Diversity Act (BDA), 2002 and established the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)

in 2003. Access to PGR from India is therefore regulated by BDA, 2002. The Nagoya Protocol

which entered into force from October 2014 defines the international regime within the framework

of CBD to promote and safeguard the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the

utilization of genetic resources. The paper discusses these agreements in detail with reference

to use of GR.



IC VII - 3

DUS tesing for plant variety protection: researchable issues

S. K. Chakrabarty and D. Roychoudhury1

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1Protection of plant varieties

and Farmers’ Rights Authority, New Delhi 110 012


In order to implement effectively Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001

testing of new varieties for Distinctiveness (D), Uniformity (U) and Stability (S) is essential. A

plant variety is declared as new subject to its establishment as a distinct, uniform and stable

variety. Based on field and laboratory trials along with the most similar variety the new variety

is compared for the characteristics which describe the variety. Distinctiveness assessment

of a new variety apparently looks easy but actually it is not so particularly in case of crop

species maintained /reproduced through often cross pollination and cross pollination owing to

presence of plants with varied expression of some characteristics. Similarly, uniformity

assessment of a variety is important to ensure its genetic purity. The guideline for its assessment

is indicated in each crop species. Practical application of the guideline in this regard is

essential to register a new variety. Further there is scope to extend the guidelines for the

benefit of plant variety examiners. To make the comparison scientific and valid some statistical

procedures are used. Plant varieties differ genetically and the differences are expressed in

the form of phenotypes (characteristics). The level of difference depends not only on the

genetic constitution of the characteristics but also on the sample size and level of confidence,

reject numbers etc. These are required to be studied in each plant species keeping in mind

the overall variation available among the varieties in a plant species and easiness in the

registration process.



IC VIII - 1

Teaching genetics in India: Shortcomings and possible solutions

P. K. Gupta

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS University, Meerut 250 004, UP


Genetics is taught at all levels including secondary school (as a part of science) and graduate/

postgraduate/PhD level (as a part of life science/agriculture). In this presentation, I will restrict

the discussion to only university level teaching of genetics in traditional universities, agriculture

colleges and most state agricultural universities. The shortcomings of teaching genetics at

the graduate and post-graduate levels, are many-fold and are mainly associated with quality

of teachers and their commitment, and therefore also with the methods, which the teachers

follow in teaching genetics. Knowledge/memory based teaching is not as big a problem, as is

the understanding the concepts in genetics, problem solving, reasoning, application and data

analysis, sometimes also at the molecular level. Most of the teachers of genetics unfortunately

did not have good teachers themselves and therefore never developed a taste for the subject

of genetics. These teachers generally provide information and knowledge-base to memorise,

but never make the students understand concepts, analyse data and solve problems. It is a

welcome sign that Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding is concerned about teaching

of genetics, like the Genetics Society of America (GSA). The concern of GSA is apparent

from periodical invited articles on teaching genetics published in the prestigious journal

“Genetics:” (Smith and Wood, 2004; Smith and Knight, 2004; Wood, 2004; Smith and Knight

2012). In these articles, the authors point out some major problems and also provided some

solutions. Two major shortcomings and possible solutions discussed in these research papers

include (i) the lack of use of clickers for assessment (due to lack of ability to write these

clickers) and therefore there being no means for assessment of the extent to which students

understand some of the basic concepts of genetics; (ii) lack of regular assessment using a

set of questions described as “genetic concept assessment” (GCA). ISGPB may like to

follow GSA as a step towards improvement of teaching genetics in India. I have selected 2-

3 examples each of the three selected areas of genetics to illustrate the problem of understanding

concepts of genetics and data analysis: (i) Mendelian-Morganian Genetics (three-point test-

cross and genetic mapping using a mapping function; meiosis and reduction division including

double reduction; concept of gene/allele based on resolution of genetic system (Pontecorvo’s

book), (ii) Cytogenetics (Barbara McClintock’s work; chromosome mapping using structural

and numerical changes, and genome analysis using wheat as an example; and (iii) Quantitative

Genetics (QTL analysis using interval mapping and GWAS; likelihood and probability including

posterior probability and Bayesian methods for analysis. Following are the possible solutions

for overcoming the above shortcomings: (i) regular short courses for upgrading the knowledge-

base of teachers; (ii) regular and frequent assessment of students through sets of clickers

and GCA questions. For this purpose, one or more teachers training courses should be



arranged every year; and a repository of clickers and GCA questions (adequately reviewed

and validated) should be prepared and made available to the teachers for their own assessment

followed by the assessment of the students in the class room. The worst aspect of teaching

of genetics is at the PhD level, where there are hardly any examples of failures; every student

registered for PhD degree is guaranteed a PhD degree, irrespective of whether or not he/she

deserves it. Some of these aspects of teaching genetics in India will be elaborated and

discussed during the presentation.

IC VIII - 2

Science communication to college students and the public

R. Geeta

University of Delhi, Delhi


Participative, active learning methods are increasingly used in the class room. In my experience

as a teacher of Plant Diversity and Evolution, teaching and learning are most enjoyable and

effective when there is a judicious balance of active, directed learning through self-designed

study and collaborative projects and laboratory exercises that, e.g., use a series of leading

questions to direct the student toward inference – all within the overall framework of a programme

of lectures. When these same students become involved in communicating science concepts

– to their peers (in collaborations), other non-Biology students, and the general public – we

have the additional benefit that they are “learning-by teaching.” In this brief presentation I will

present our attempts, at the Department of Botany, University of Delhi, to communicate

basic (but complex) concepts of Natural Selection and the Phylogenetic Tree of Life, using a

wide variety of modes — street-plays (Nukkad Natak), games, interactive visual displays and

discussions. These and other activities (including film shows followed by discussion and

popular lectures) consitute a part of “International Darwin Day” (February 12). All activites

were only possible through the active participation of students (M.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D.) at

all stages– conceptualization, planning, development of tools and displays, writing and

choreographing street-plays, implementation, performance, and continuous development based

on feed-back. Clearly, there are diverse benefits in actively promoting “Scientific Literacy”

(among non-scientists and the general public), but let us not forget the need to promote

“Social Literacy” among science students in order to enable effective cross-communication.



IC VIII - 3

Tools and resources for teaching genetics in veterinary sciences in

India: A critical analysis of deficiencies and possible solutions

G. K. Gaur, N. R. Sahoo, Sheikh Firdous Ahmad and D. R. Pruthviraj

Livestock Production and Management Section, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar

243 122, Uttar Pradesh

Email:

Recent developments in Animal Genetics and Breeding in 21st Century have made these

areas logical to be unavoidable for modern livestock husbandry. Animal Genetics and Breeding

teaching consists of knowledge in three fields’ viz., conventional animal breeding, application

of molecular genetics in livestock production and reproduction of “superior” genetic material.

Teaching in this subject currently has however been skewed either to Animal Breeding or to

Molecular Genetics resulting in incomplete knowledge of both the fields. Simple laboratory

practical exercises on Tribolium and Drosophila, which were routinely experienced about 20

years back, are now missing in most of the colleges / Universities. Livestock Farm Facilities

for each species like cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig should be strengthened to understand

the genetic mechanism of quantitative traits. Advanced statistical tools, which are required to

understand the complex structure and function of genes and genome are missing in the

curricula. Use of the latest software to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying

important traits in domestic animals need to be emphasized in syllabus. Basic knowledge of

computer languages like R, C++, FORTRAN and Java must be compulsory for the students

of Animal Genetics and Breeding to understand and formulate the parameters for the Software.

Experience of collecting huge phenomic data from the livestock farms and its statistical

analysis is missing in the curricula. A compulsory course on “Livestock Farm Practices” in

line with Under Graduate students should be kept in 1st year for Post Graduate students also.

Furthermore, exposure visits should be organized to state of the art farms of Government and

industry to cover all the livestock species in order to sensitize students for efficient phenomic

data recording. A skill development course should be designed at Post Graduate level using

specialized techniques of Animal Genetics and Breeding for fulfilling the gap of manpower in

industry. Under Graduate students have the fear of unknown origin towards Genetics and

Breeding discipline, which may probably be due to little knowledge of Elementary Mathematics

and Statistics. Therefore, they should be given exposure of these subjects before starting the

Animal Genetics and Breeding courses. The time requirement for teaching Animal Genetics

and Breeding to Under Graduate students is less in view of mathematical/statistical derivations.

Furthermore, Animal Breeding courses should be covered in 3rd year after completion of

mathematical/statistical/reproduction/LPM courses. Though power point presentation is an

efficient tool for teaching, however, all the lectures should not be delivered through this

technique, especially those which include mathematical/statistical calculations. Board based

teaching is recommended for such courses. Updated study material and practical manuals



should be available separately for Under Graduate and Post Graduate students online on a

public portal like “E learn vet” to make teaching uniform in the country. Emphasis should be

given for teaching through videos and animations to understand complex concepts of genetics.

The computational facility needs to be strengthened along with advanced software for high-

end computing to teach Postgraduate students. Wet laboratory facilities for Cytogenetics and

Molecular Genetics including advanced instruments should be developed/updated at each

college. Teachers in sufficient number should be given proper exposure and training of recent

developments in the country or abroad.

IC VIII - 4

Developing resources and approaches for teaching genetics at school

level

Firoz Hossain*, Shripad Ramachandra Bhat1 and Ashok Kumar Singh

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1ICAR-National Research

Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 012


Schools are the entry points of education system; and students’ interest and leanings on

subjects are greatly influenced by the teachers they encounter in these early formative years.

Although text books provide the basic information (substance) on specific topics with appropriate

diagrams, charts etc., it is the style teachers adopt that differentiates the best ones from the

rest. Those who succeed in capturing the attention and imagination of students through

articulate explanations, interesting anecdotes and effective demonstrations will invariably be

regarded as the best teachers. Unlike other subjects it is hard to find a single model in

genetics that can explain fundamental Mendelian principles in a class room. Therefore, basic

genetic principles are taught with charts/diagrams which not only make it less interesting but

also leave most school-level students confused. The interaction with biology teachers in

genetics and biotechnology has led to the development of novel genetic stocks specifically

for teaching genetics principles to school children. To comprehend the principles of heredity,

students need to be introduced to the terms/concepts of hybridization, character states

(phenotypes), genotype, sampling and probability. Teh hybridization could be easily explained

by maize which bears male (tassel) and female (ear) flowers separately. F2 segregation for

grain traits can be seen on an ear. Grains arranged in rows on a ear could be used to explain

sampling and probability. The availability of maize mutants with contrasting traits such as

shrunken2 (sh2), sugary1 (su1), waxy1 (wx1) and amylose extender1 (ae1) impaired in starch

biosynthesis exhibit distinct kernel phenotypes. Crumpled grains of sh2mutant result from

excess (6x) accumulation of reducing sugar, while su1 grains with 3x reducing sugar produce

translucent but less crumpled grains compared with round grains produced by wild type.

Recessive wx1 condition leads to accumulation of very high levels (95-100%) of amylopectin

in grains imparting them a cloudy phenotype compared to glossy grains (with ~75%

amylopectin) in wild type. Likewise, ae1 with high amylose (50-70%) gives pale grains as

against glossy grains in normal maize with 25-30% amylose. These genes display complete



dominance and show typical Mendelian monogenic F2 segregation ratio (3:1). Combination of

two mutants viz., sh2 and su1 shows a typical 9:3:3:1 (wild: shrunken: sugary: double mutant)

ratio of independent assortment. Pericarp colour1 (p1) gene affecting pericarp and cob colour

helps to explain pleiotropy and multiple alleles. Likewise, linkage is explained using

anthocyanin1 (a1) and sh2 mutants affecting plant pigmentation and grain morphology,

respectively. The significance of transposons is demonstrated with stocks carrying active

transposable elements in the p1 gene which produces distinct sectoral colouration in the

grain pericarp. Since molecular mechanisms governing these traits are now well understood,

one can clearly explain the connection between genotype and phenotype. Further, we use

these examples to explain concepts of molecular markers and marker assisted breeding.

Various practical applications of these technologies in breeding quality protein maize and

sweet corn varieties are also shown to teachers/students. Thus, a single maize ear depicts

segregation of seed traits in a small space, and helps explain statistical concepts of sampling

and probability. Further, ears can be easily preserved for years. In order to bring science lab

to classroom, we are now developing ‘model genetic resources’ for distribution to school

teachers.

IC VIII - 5

Writing successful patents and overcoming patent barriers to create

products

M. Padmavati

Professor and Dean, Rajiv Gandhi School of IP Law, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721 302

email: [email protected]

Inventions related to pre-harvest and post-harvest technologies have revolutionized agriculture.

There is a significant growth of intellectual property rights (IPR) in agriculture across the

globe. The predominant forms of IP relevant to agriculture sector are patents and designs.

Understanding the requirements of an invention under the Indian Patents Act, 1970 is necessary

to know what can be patentable in India. The criteria of novelty, non-obviousness and industrial

application and disclosure norms are applicable to all inventions irrespective of the technology

areas. Examination guidelines for each technology area indicate to the elaborateness of the

practice in relation to patents. While preparing patent specifications for agriculture inventions,

it is important to ensure that the subject matter claimed should not be a method of agriculture

(under Section 3h) or plants or plant parts (under Section 3j of the Act). Identification of

relevant prior art and its anticipatory value is very important for the assessment of novelty of

inventions. Agriculture inventions which can lower the cost, be obtained by reduced number

of steps and are environment friendly can be considered under ‘economic significance’ by the

Indian patent office (under the purview of Section 2(1) ja). Adhering to the disclosure norms

(as mandated under Section 10 of the Act) are also important. Inventors/applicants need to

also consider the deposit requirements.



SESSION I

Genetic Resource

Management and Use



PS I - 1

Inheritance of fertility restorer gene(s) in rice (Oryza sativ a L.)

N. S. Kute*, N. V. Kayande and S. J. Lakhote

Pulses Imrovement Project, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra


The present investigation was conducted at MPKV, Rahuri. Crosses of female line IR58025A

with 25 rice genotypes were made during kharif 2011. All the test hybrids (F1s) were raised

during dry season 2011-2012 (December–May) at Agricultural Research Station, Vadgaon

Maval, Maharashtra using single seedling per hill at a spacing of 20 x 20 cm. Similarly all the

test hybrids were selfed as well as backcrossed to IR 58025A to generate the F2 and BC1

segregating/mapping populations with 250 and 150 plants of F2 and BC1, respectively. For

identification of new restorer lines pollen fertility and spikelet fertility of F1 hybrids were

determined. Out of the 25 F1 hybrids tested, 8 were complete fertile and 2 were completely

sterile. From the 25 test hybrids evaluated, 8 restorers, 4 partial restorer, 11 partial maintainers

and 2 maintainers were categorized on the basis of pollen and spikelet fertility. The frequency

of restorers (32%) was higher than that of maintainers (8%). Among the genotypes tested,

VDN-2-3-1-1, VDN-14-2-4-1-1-1, SYE-2001, PKV Ganesh and VDN-3-4-1-2 can be

considered as potential restorers as the hybrids of these genotypes showed more than 80%

pollen fertility and more than 75% spikelet fertility. Rice varieties, Phule Radha and RTN24

were identified as maintainer lines as these lines have produced sterile hybrids when crossed

with IR58025A. The inheritance study in four crosses revealed that the segregation behaviour

for number and nature of genes controlling the fertility restoration using spikelet fertility

analysis in F2 and BC1 showed that the fertility restoration in all the four lines was governed

by two independent dominant genes, one of which is stronger in action than the other. But

the mode of interaction of the genes, however, varied among crosses. Among the crosses

IR58025A/VDN12-12 and IR58025A/VDN-23-1-1 exhibited epistasis with dominance (F2

ratio, 12:3:1); IR58025A/IR72 revealed epistasis with incomplete dominance (F2 ratio, 9:6:1),

and IR58025A/SYE-2001 showed epistasis with recessive gene interaction (F2 ratio 9:3:4)

in F2 generations for spikelet fertility indicating two major genes controlling the fertility

restoration showing epistasis with recessive gene action and dominant epistasis gene action

respectively. This has indicated the digenic inheritance governing fertility restoration in all

the four crosses of WA-CMS system. The non-significance of chi-square test confirmed the

goodness of fit of all the four crosses studied.



PS I – 2

Genetic divergence (D2) analysis for qualitative and quantitative traits

in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern and Coss.) under normal

sown condition

Amit Tomar1, Mahak Singh* and Anurag Tripathi

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture

and Technology, Kanpur 208 002, Uttar Pradesh; Rani Laxmibai Central Agricultural

University, Jhansi 284 003, Uttar Pradesh


The present experiment was conducted using 25 diverse genotypes/varieties/lines/ hybrids

of Indian mustard (Brassica campestris L. Czern & Coss). Materials were tested in randomized

block design with two replications at Nawabganj, Research farm of the Chandra Shekhar

Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur during rabi 2016-18. Observations

on thirteen characters, namely, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height (cm),

number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, length of

main raceme, number of siliquae per plant, number of seeds per siliqua, 1000-seed weight

(g), biological yield per plant (g), harvest index (%), oil content (%) and seed yield per plant

(g). The maximum value of genotypic coefficient of variability, phenotypic coefficient of

variability, heritability and genetic advance were recorded for days to 50% flowering, length

of main raceme and 1000-seed weight. Grain yield showed highly significant and positive

association with harvest index, while negative and highly significant association with number

of secondary branches per plant at both genotypic and phenotypic level was observed.

Number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, oil content

and 1000-seed weight had positive direct effects whereas, days to 50% flowering, plant

height, days to maturity and seed yield per plant had negative direct effect on seed yield.

Genetic divergence was suggested that cross between the genotypes of III and IV clusters

would give better results during hybridization programme.



PS I – 3

Genetical analysis for combining ability and selection parameters of

qualitative and quantitative traits in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.

Czern & Coss) under normal sown conditions

Mahak Singh*, Amit Tomar and Ankit Kumar1


and Technology, Kanpur 208 002, Uttar Pradesh, 1Rani Laxmibai Central Agricultural

University, Jhansi 284 003, Uttar Pradesh


The present investigation was undertaken to study the genotypic architecture of yield and its

component traits through 10 parents diallel crossing programme rabi 2016-17 at Oilseed

Research Farm, of C.S. Azad University of Agricultulre and Technology, Kanpur. The material

included genetically diverse 10 parents/lines, their 45 F1s and 45 F2s. The present study

revealed that the appreciable variability was present among parents and their F1s and F2

population with respect to all the traits under study. Dominant gene action was observed for

all characters in both generations except days to 50% flowering. Whereas, in F1 generation

the varieties were significant for days to maturity, plant height, length of main raceme, number

of silquae per plant, biological yield per plant, 1000 seed wt, harvest index, seed yield per

plant, oil content and protein content. It indicated the presence of both additive and non-

additive gene effects in the expression of all the characters. The parents Ashirwad and

Vardan proved to be the best general combiners for twelve characters MK (L) 13-306 × MK

(L) 13-301, MK (L) 13-310 × MK (L) 13-308, MK (L) 13-307 × MK (L) 13-308, Ashirwad× MK

(L) 13-301 and MK (L) 13-304 × MK (L) 13-303, MK (L) 13-306 × MK (L) 13-301 in both the

generations had desirable significant sca effects. High heritability estimates were observed

for all the characters in both the generations. Correlation study indicated that seed yield per

plant had significant and positive correlation with 1000 seed weight, leaf area index, harvest

index, oil content, protein content, biological yield per plant, seeds per silquae, silquae per

plant, primary branches per plant and length of main raceme. However it was negatively

and significantly associated with days to 50 % flowering, days to maturity and plant height at

phenotypic level. The higher magnitude of positive direct effect at phenotype level on seed

yield per plant was exerted by 1000 seed weight followed by biological yield per plant and

leaf area index. However negative direct effects were exerted by days to 50 % flowering and

primary branches per plant.



PS I – 4

Variability studies for yield, its components and grain mold in kharif

sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

H. V. Kalpande, R. R. Dhutmal*, K. R. Bhakad and L. N. Jawale

Sorghum Research Station, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani 431

402 (M.S.)


The present field investigation was carried out at Sorghum Research Station, V. N. M. K.V.,

Parbhani during kharif 2017 to study genetic variability in sorghum genotypes for grain yield

and grain mold tolerance in 87 genotypes of kharif sorghum including 3 checks (PVK 801,

296 B (SC) and B58586 (RC). The genotypes were grown in Randomised Block Design with

2 replications. High estimates of genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation were

recorded for plant height, number of primaries per panicle, panicle type, glume coverage,

grain color field grain mold rating, threshed grain mold rating, grain yield, fodder yield, glume

color, germination percentage and grain hardness. While traits with moderate GCV and

PCV values were panicle length and 100-seed weight. Days to 50% flowering, days to

maturity and grain density were categorized as low. Heritability ranged from 92.3 to 39.6 per

cent. High estimates of heritability in broad sense were obtained for plant height, number of

primaries per panicle, grain color, FGMR, grain yield, fodder yield, TGMR, glume color and

grain hardness. All of the characters except days to 50% flowering, panicle length, days to

maturity and grain density had high genetic advance as percent of mean in the current

study. However, the afore said traits exhibited moderate to low Genetic advance. Thus, the

traits with high values for GCV, PCV, heritability and genetic advance were considered to

be most important and effective for improving grain yield in kharif sorghum.

PS I – 5

Character association studies for grain mold tolerance in kharif

sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

R. R. Dhutmal*, H. V. Kalpande, K. R. Bhakad and A. W. More

Sorghum Research Station, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani 431

402, Maharashtra


Experimental material comprising of 84 kharif sorghum genotypes and 3 checks (296B (SC,

B58586 (RC) and PVK 801) were evaluated at Sorghum Research Station V.N.M.K.V.

Parbhani during kharif 2017. Observations were recorded on five randomly selected plants



in each genotype from each replication while, the variation in qualitative morphological traits,

such as panicle type, glumes color and grain color were assigned numerical ratings following

the DUS (Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability) ratings developed by National Research

Centre for Sorghum (NRCS), Hyderabad, India. The significant and positive correlation of

field grain mold rating had recorded with panicle compactness at both genotypic and

phenotypic level. Whereas association was significant in negative and desirable direction

with glume coverage, glume color, grain color, grain density, seed hardness and germination

percentage. In the present study few genotypes viz., GM 42, GM 43, GM 54, GM 55, GM 69,

GM 74, GM 75, GM 76 and GM 77, showed considerable grain mold tolerance despite

having white to grayed white pericarp color (1-3 scale). With regards to direct and indirect

effects glume color, grain density, germination percentage and threshed grain mold rating

recorded positive direct effect at genotypic level only. Thus, it may be concluded that the

traits like glume coverage, glume color, grain color, grain hardness had greater importance

for indirect selection for improving grain mold tolerance in kharif sorghum.

PS I – 6

Pre-breeding for development of genetic stocks for Yellow Mosaic India

Virus resistance in soybean

Shivakumar Maranna*, Giriraj Kumawat, Sanjay Gupta, Balwider Singh Gill1, Shunmugiah

V. Ramesh, V. Nataraj, Akshay Talukdar2, Milind B. Ratnaparkhe, Jayaramegouda3 and

Ashok Jaiswal

ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore, Madhya Pradesh; 1Department of

Genetics and Plant Breeding, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab; 2Division of

Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, IARI, New Delhi 110 012; 3AICRP on

Soybean UAS, Bengaluru


Two popular varieties of Central India JS 335 and JS 95-60 were hybridized with wild type

G. soja to introgress Mungbean Yellow Mosaic India Virus (MYMIV) resistance. The F1

inter-specific hybridization and backcrosses were effected. A total of 95 BC2F4 lines derived

from JS 335 x G. soja were screened at PAU, Ludhiana, hot spot for MYMIV disease and

obtained two lines namely SS 147 and SS 137 as resistant. The resistant plants derived

from these lines were crossed back with recurrent parent to obtain BC3F1 and BC4F1 seeds.

Similarly, 123 progenies (BC3F2 and BC2F2) derived from JS 95-60 x G. soja along with 131

progenies (BC4F1 and BC3F2) derived from JS 335 x SS 147 and JS 335 x SS 147 were

genotyped with SSR marker linked with MYMIV resistance. Out of 131 progenies of BC3F2

and BC4F2, only 73 progenies carried the gene for YMV resistance. Whereas, 13 progenies

found to carry the gene for YMV resistance in case of 123 BC2F2 and BC3F1 progenies

derived from JS 95-60 x G. soja. A total of 254 back cross progenies derived from JS 335 x

SS 147, JS 335 x SS 147 and JS 95-60 x G. soja were phenotyped under field conditions at



PAU Ludhiana and IARI, New Delhi during 2017 kharif. The appearance of MYMIV infection

was recorded on 254 backcross progenies and the susceptible checks JS 335 and JS 95-

60. The disease incidence was very severe on JS 335 and JS 95-60. The screening results

identified 74 and 84 individual plants as resistant at PAU Ludhiana and IARI, New Delhi

respectively. The resistant progenies exhibited phenotypic similarity with the respective

recurrent parents and were again being evaluated at three locations for MYMIV resistance

and yield and attributing characters at PAU, Ludhiana, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi and ICAR-

IISR-Indore during kharif 2018. Thus, the present study has developed number of genetics

stocks with resistance in the background of two popular varieties of Central India by utilizing

wild type.

PS I – 7

Improving plant ideotype and genetic diversity using gamma ray

induced mutagenesis in red rice variety Surak

Anjali Chauhan, Vikash Kumar, A. K. Shinde2, R. L. Kunkerkar2, Sanjukta Abhay Kumar1,

Shailaja P. Pandey1, Swain. K. Kallol1 and B. K. Das

Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, 1Analytical Chemistry Division, Bhabha

Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085; 1Regional Agricultural Research

Station, DBSKKV, Karjat, Dapoli


Red rice is known to be rich in Fe and Zn, with pigmentation conferring to it functional

advantages associated with high phenolics. Surak, a red kernel rice variety inhabitant of

tribal areas of Maharashtra, is known for making nutritionally superior poha and different

culinary preparations. The cultivation of Surak is being marginalized owing to its poor plant

architecture, lodging, grain shattering and poor yield. Gamma ray induced mutagenesis

programme with 250Gy dose was initiated to improve the plant ideotype and increase genetic

diversity for different traits. Wide spectrum of phenotypic mutants were identified in M2

generation viz., dwarf (80-100cm) and non-lodging, profuse tillering (>30 tillers/plant), better

culm strength, narrow and erect leaves, grain dimensions (SS/MS/LS), grain colour (red/

white), early maturity (110 days vs 135 days in Surak), dense panicle, non-shattering, disease-

mimic, husk pigmentations, high grain yield etc. These mutants were stabilized in M4

generation and are being evaluated for Fe/Zn contents using ICPMS. Development of

improved plant type mutants will help in developing nutritionally rich and high-yielding rice

varieties.



PS I – 8

Characterization of a sub-set of tobacco germplasm and its core

collection

K. Sarala*, K. Baghyalakshmi, K. Prabhakara Rao, P. Vinay, P. Sonia, G. Kiran,

K. Santinandivelu and D. Damodar Reddy

ICAR-Central Tobacco Research Institute, Rajahmundry 533 105


ICAR-Central Tobacco Research (CTRI), as a National Active Germplasm Site, maintains

around 3300 accessions of various tobacco types including wild species. In the present

investigation, a total of around 647 accessions comprising Bidi (205), Chewing (175), Cheroot

(185) and Cigar filler (82) accessions maintained at ICAR-CTRI genebank were characterized

for 25 morphological (plant, leaf, floral and seed) traits. Diversity analyses based on these

characters indicated higher diversity in bidi and cigar filler genotypes with two major cluster

and many sub-clusters compared to cheroot and chewing types. Six leaf characters viz.,

angle of insertion, length, width, tip shape, blistering of blade and development of auricles,

inflorescence shape and two floral traits (color of corolla and length of pistil relative to stamens)

were found to play major role in diversity. A core collection of 65 accessions, constituted

based on the origin and characterisation of these four tobacco types, were also characterized.

Comparison of germplasm accessions of local types and their core collection for various

morphological traits using t test found to be statistically non-significant. It indicates that core

collection represents the variation of the total collection and, hence, can be of immense help

for evaluation and utilization.

PS I – 9

Estimation of genetic variability in extra early varieties of pigeonpea

(Cajanus cajan ) for yield and component traits

Niraj Kumar*, C. S. Mahto, H. C. Lal1, Binay Kumar2, Shreya Sen and Sandeep Kr. Yadav

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 1Department of Plant Pathology, 2Department

of Entomology, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkhand


The present study was conducted to assess variability parameters for ten quantitative

characters including seed yield per plant in Cajanus cajan utilizing fourteen genotypes in

two different seasons of 2016-17 and 2017-18. Randomized Block Design with two replications

was used and each genotype was planted on a spacing of 30 cm x 10 cm. From the data

analysed, genotype ICPL 11273 showed consistent performance and was found to be highest



yielder during 2016-17 (458.50 kg/ha) and in 2017-18 (1093.00 kg/ha). The highest genotypic

variance was observed for days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity,

pods per plant, seed yield per plant and 100-seed weight during both the years. Most of the

traits showed high heritability values of more than 65 per cent as well as genetic advance as

per cent of mean. Higher genetic advance as per cent mean was observed for days to first

flowering, days to 50% flowering, primary branches per plant, pods per plant and seed yield

per plant during both seasons. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was

observed for days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity and seed yield

per plant. Hence, these characters can easily be improved through selection.

PS I – 10

Inheritance of fertility restoration of the A1 cytoplasmic-nuclear male

sterility system in pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L). R. Br.]

Subhash Chandra*, S. P. Singh1, S. Mukesh Sankar1, C. Tara Satyavathi2, Ganesh Meena1,

Neelu Jain1 and K. V. Prabhu3

ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore; 1ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research

Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 2ICAR-AICRP on Pearl Millet, Jodhpur; 3PPVFRA, NASC

Complex, New Delhi 110 012


Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is a major food and fodder crop for farmers

living on marginal agricultural lands in the arid and semi-arid tropics of Africa and Asia.

Pearl millet hybrid programs around the world are based almost entirely on the A1 system of

cytoplasmic-nuclear male sterility. In this study, Inheritance of fertility restoration of the A1

based CGMS in pearl millet was investigated using six crosses involving two diverse male

sterile lines and three diverse restorers. The parents, F2 and BC1F1 populations of all crosses

were planted in rainy season & summer season of Delhi as well as summer season of

Dharwad. Crosses 576A/IPC 1518, 411A/IPC 1518, 576A/ICMR 06111 and 411A/ICMR

06111 showed a segregation ratio of fertile: semi-fertile: sterile as 9:3:4 and 1:1:2 in F2 and

BC1 generations, respectively, based on pollen fertility, indicating involvement of the digenic

supplementary gene action for these crosses. In other two crosses, where a different restorer

HTP 94/54 was crossed with the same CMS lines, different digenic ratios of fertile: sterile of

9:7 and 1:3 in F2 and BC1 generations, respectively, were obtained based on pollen fertility,

indicating involvement of two genes interacting in complementary manner. Data of summer

season in Delhi did not fit any ratio. Association between pollen fertility and seed set was

found significantly positive. The genetic information on the digenic control of fertility restoration

will help in diversifying the restorer genetic base of the A1 CMS system.



PS I – 11

Genetic divergence studies in forage sorghum genotypes

Pummy Kumari* and S. K. Pahuja

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural

University, Hisar 125 004, Haryana


In the current experiment, sixty two forage sorghum genotypes including five checks were

evaluated for understanding genetic diversity for fodder yield and their component traits in

forage sorghum. For evaluation of these traits, correlation and diversity analysis employed

to obtain suitable parents. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among

genotypes for all traits. The total variation was mainly due to variation in the fodder yield and

their contributing characters like green fodder yield, dry fodder yield, leaf length, leaf breadth,

number of leaves/plant etc. The sixty two genotypes were grouped into five major clusters

on the basis of average linkage. Cluster-I contained 10 genotypes, cluster II contained 19

genotypes, cluster-III contained 2 genotypes, cluster-IV contained 18 genotypes and cluster-

IV contained 13 genotypes. Distribution pattern of all the genotypes into five clusters showed

the presence of considerable genetics diversity among the genotypes for most of the traits

under consideration. Cluster three consists of only two multicut varieties SSG 59-3 and

COFS 29 and cluster five consist of all single cut type of varietal checks and some other

promising genotypes superior in terms of green and dry fodder yield. Information extracted

from cluster analysis will be helpful in designing breeding programmes to obtain high yielding

genotypes in sorghum for fodder yield.

PS I – 12

Genetic diversity analysis in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Anuj Kumar* and Tejbir Singh

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Kisan P.G. College, Simbhaoli 245 207, Hapur,

Uttar Pradesh


The knowledge of genetic diversity and relatedness in germplasm is a pre-requisite for

breeding programmes. Forty wheat genotypes were planted during rabi 2017-18 at Research

Farm of Kisan P.G. College, Simbhaoli, Hapur to study genetic diversity for 12 quantitative

traits in wheat. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences in genotypes

for all the traits. Magnitude of GCV and PCV were higher for flag leaf area, plant height,

grain yield, spike length, number of tillers per plant and number of spikelets per spike. The

estimates of heritability were high for plant height, days to 50% heading, grain yield, flag leaf



area, spike length, number of spikelets per spike and 1000-grain weight. Among the

characters, flag leaf area, plant height, grain yield, number of tillers per plant and spike

length had high values of genetic advance as percent of mean. Correlation analysis indicated

that biological yield, harvest index, number of tillers per plant, spike length and plant height

showed positive and significant correlation with grain yield. Further, path coefficient analysis

identified biological yield, harvest index and number of tillers per plant as the most important

characters as showed positive and high direct effect on yield. Genetic divergence analysis

using Mahalanobis’s D2 grouped 40 genotypes into eight clusters containing maximum

number of genotypes (10) in cluster VI. Further, highest inter cluster distance (6.140) was

observed between cluster V and I indicating that the genotypes belonging to these clusters

are more divergent and may result in maximum hybrid vigour and useful segregates.

PS I – 13

Detection of chromosome segment substitution lines of Oryza sativ a

cv. Swarna/Oryza niv ara and major QTLs for yield traits

B. Divya*, S. Malathi, M. Sukumar, A. Krishnamraju, Y. V. Rao, B. Kavitha and N. Sarla

ICAR-National Professor Project, ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad


Chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) are useful tools for precise mapping of

quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and the evaluation of gene action or interaction in inter-specific

crosses. Deployment of genes from distant and wild germplasm has emerged as an essential

option for enhancement of genetic diversity and CSSLs are useful in transfer and functional

analysis of valuable genes from unadapted germplasm to existing cultivars. In this study, a

set of backcross introgression lines from Oryza nivara as the donor parent in the background

of cultivar Swarna was selected and advanced up to BC2F8 generation to obtain interspecific

CSSLs. Genotyping data 140 polymorphic SSRs was used to identify a set of 70 CSSLs

with CSSL Finder. Back cross lines were evaluated for yield traits under kharif for 3 years.

22 QTLs were detected for 11 yield traits with 3.68-26.43% phenotypic variation. Of these

22 QTL, 9 were identified across 3 environments. The CSSLs harboured a greater number

of favourable alleles for yield traits compared to the recurrent parent Swarna, and could be

advanced for yield improvement.



PS I – 14

Identification of diversity pools among castor genotypes using

microsatellite markers

Darshan Dharajiya, Anshuman Shah, Kapil K. Tiwari1*, M. P. Patel, C. J. Patel2,

D. K. Patel2, A. G. Desai2

Department of GPB/PMBB, CPCA, 1CIL, DoR, SDAU, Dantewada, Gujarat; 2Castor Mustard

Research Station, SDAU, S. K. Nagar 385 506, Gujarat


Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is the foremost industrial non-edible oilseed crop that is

cultivated globally in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. India possess rank first in the

area and production of castor. Castor seed constitute by more than 45% oil and this arsenal

constitution of oil represents the abundant source of ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxy-9-cis-

octadecenoic acid). Due to its idiosyncratic chemical properties, castor oil is conspicuously

used for many of the purposes involving lubricant for aircraft, manufacturing of polymer

cosmetic etc. Excessive accelerating demand of castor, robustly promotes the necessity to

improve castor productivity. Castor productivity is significantly entangled by wide range of

disease(s) like seedling blight, Alternaria blight, Cercospora leaf spot, powdery mildew and

wilt etc. Use of diverse parents is a pre-requisite for crop improvement. Identification of such

parents can be facilitated by the use of molecular markers in the assessment of diversity

pattern. A total 192 diverse genotypes were genotyped by using 50 different microsatellite

markers. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 8 with an average of 3.7 that

yielded a total of 185 alleles. PIC ranged from 0.12 to 0.74 with an average of 0.44. The

castor genotypes were clustered in to 8 distinct groups. The divergent lines recognized in

the study will be useful for identification of genes and alleles and for the selection of superior

hybrids.

PS I – 15

Assessment of genetic diversity for various morphological traits in

chickpea (Cicer arietin um L.)

Ravi Singh Thapa*, Tejbir Singh and Dharmendra Pratap1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS University, Meerut 250 004; 1Department

of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Kisan P.G. College, Simbhaoli, Hapur 245 207


An experiment was conducted at Research Farm of Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding,

CCS University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh during Rabi season of 2017-18, with 45 genotypes



of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) to study the genetic diversity for 11 quantitative traits. The

analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant variation in genotypes for all the traits.

Genotypic coefficient of variance and Phenotypic coefficient of variance were higher for 100

seed weight followed by number of seeds/plant, number of pods/plant, grain yield/plant,

biological yield and harvest index. The estimates of heritability in broad sense were higher

for 100-seed weight, protein content, grain yield/plant, number of pods/plant, biological yield,

days to maturity and days to 50% flowering. The correlation analysis of all the traits revealed

that grain yield per plant exhibit significant and positive association with days to 50% flowering,

biological yield and harvest index, while it showed negative association with number of pods

per plant and 100 seed weight. The genetic divergence analysis of the 45 genotypes of

chickpea grouped them into seven clusters. The cluster IV contains maximum number of 12

genotypes and minimum 3 genotypes in cluster V and VI. Maximum inter cluster distance

(6.90) was observed between cluster V and VI, which indicate the genotypes belong to

cluster V and VI are most divergent and these genotypes can be used in the future breeding

programme of chickpea improvement.

PS I – 16

Development of MTU1010/ Oryza rufipogon chromosome segment

substitution lines (CSSLs) and QTL mapping for yield related traits

Venkateswara Rao Yadavalli, Malathi Surapaneni, Krishnam Raju Addanki, Kavitha Beerelli,

Divya Balakrishnan and Sarla Neelamraju*

ICAR-National Professor Project, ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad,

Telangana


Chromosome segment substitution lines are useful tools for precise mapping of quantitative

trait loci (QTLs) and the evaluation of gene action or interaction in inter-specific crosses. A

set of CSSLs were developed using MTU1010 as recurrent parent and O. rufipogon IC309814

as donor parent. Backcrosses from BC1F1 to BC4F1 were attempted and introgression lines

were genotyped in each generation using 70 polymorphic core set SSR markers. 306 BC4F1

were selfed to generate BC4F2 families which were phenotyped for 9 yield related traits viz.,

days to 50% flowering, plant height, tiller number, panicle number, single plant yield, 1000

grain weight, flag leaf length, flag leaf width and stem diameter. Pair-wise comparison showed

that 152 lines were significantly different from MTU1010 for atleast one of the traits. Two

lines MTU214 and MTU254 showed significantly higher values for flag leaf length and flag

leaf width. Genotyping data of 92 BC4F2 lines using 161 SSRs were subjected to CSSL

Finder, and 85 CSSLs set was identified with homozygous chromosome segments from O.rufipogon substituting MTU1010 segments. High number of CSSLs (13) were obtained on

chromosomes 3; 12 CSSLs on chromosome 2; 10 CSSLs on chromosomes 1 and 8. Complete

coverage of overlapping O. rufipogon segments was seen on chromosomes 2, 3, 8 and 9.



However, small regions on chromosomes 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 12 were not represented

in the 85 CSSL set. In BC2F2 of the same cross, 49 QTLs were identified for thirteen yield

and seven photosynthesis related traits.

PS I – 17

Ideotype with long peduncles and pods above canopy for mechanical

harvest compliance in cowpea

P. Dhanasekar* and K. S. Reddy

Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology

Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085


Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.], a proteinaceous arid legume crop, exhibit a wide

range of variability for majority of morphological traits. Nevertheless, the ideotypes of present

day cultivars with indeterminate and prostrate growth habit are non-amenable for mechanical

harvesting. The dearth of agricultural labourers necessitates development of machine harvest

compliant varieties. In this regard, a large seeded variety PGCP-11 (@&) was hybridized

with an erect, determinate mutant TC-1-26-E (B&). The resulting F1 hybrid exhibited

intermediate plant type with medium peduncles (36.3±2.2 cm). From the F2 population of

252 plants, a total of 23 recombinants with long peduncles (mean peduncle length > 42cm)

were selected. Only two of the 23 recombinants bred true for the desired ideotype with long

peduncles and pods above canopy in third filial generation. The recombinants TC 1-21-2

and TC 1-10-1 on characterization for machine harvest suitability in F4 generation were

observed to possess determinate growth habit, erect plant type (angle of branching d” 22°),

higher level of pod initiation (20 ± 5 cm above ground level), long peduncles (43.2-44.5 cm

vs 32.5-34.8 cm of parents), early and synchronous maturity (62 ± 2 days) along with large

seed size (22.5 – 24.5g/100 seed weight vs 20.1 g/100 seed weight of parent). The

recombinants were also found resistant to CABM virus through sap inoculation. Albeit

comparable yield of recombinants (24.6 g/plant) with that of parents (25.8g/plant) the yield

per unit area could be augmented by high density planting. These long peduncle recombinants

could serve as valuable genetic donors for developing machine harvestable varieties.



PS I – 18

Morphological and molecular characterization of local collections of

cucumber (Cucumis sativ a L.) genotypes for productivity traits

D. Satish*, R. Sushil Kumar, R.C. Jagadeesha, A. P. Dadaper, Ratnakar M. Shet,

A. G. Babu and M. Dileep Kumar

Department of Biotechnology and Crop Improvement, KRC College of Horticulture, Arabhavi,

University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot 587 104, Karnataka


The present investigation on morphological and molecular characterization of cucumber

genotypes was undertaken during kharif 2015. Thirty five genotypes of cucumber, collected

from different regions were sown in RCBD design with two replications. To study the

morphological diversity, observations were recorded on thirty different productivity related

traits and mean data was subjected to D2 statistics. Analysis of variance revealed highly

significant difference among the genotypes for all the traits studied. Among the 30 characters,

16 characters contributed to genetic divergence. Maximum contribution towards genetic

divergence was from sex ratio (34.79%) followed by seed yield per fruit (20.17%). Five

clusters formed by adopting the Tocher’s method. Cluster I was the largest with 26 genotypes

followed by cluster II. Clusters III, IV and V were solitary with single genotype. Cluster I had

maximum intra-cluster diversity followed by cluster II. Inter-cluster distance was maximum

between cluster IV and III and it was least between cluster III and I. For molecular

characterization, out of 40 RAPD primers screened, only 23 primers showed polymorphism.

Average number of bands per primer was observed to be 6.60 In total, 19 primers produced

100% polymorphism. The binary data of RAPD profile were subjected to Jaccard’s dissimilarity

coefficient analysis using the statistical programme DARWIN ver 6.0. A dendrogram was

constructed by Ward’s method of clustering and only two main clusters were formed from 35

genotypes. The present study revealed that there is no similarity in clusters formed based

on morphological markers and molecular markers. The divergent genotypes identified were

can be further utilized in heterosis breeding programme. Genotype UDYC-25 was identified

as superior with highest fruit yield per vine.



PS I – 19

Linkage of flower color and hairy leaf traits with agronomic characters

in guar [Cyamopsis tetra gonoloba (L.)Taub.]

H. R. Mahla*, R. Sharma, Sushil Kumar1and R. K. Bhatt

ICAR – Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 342 003; 1Department of Agricultural

Biotechnology, AAU, Anand, 388 110


Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) is a drought hardy industrial crop of Indian arid zone grown

over an area of 5 million hectares for its seeds rich in galactomannan earning foreign exchange

of over Rs. 15000 crores annually. A number of improved varieties in seed chain are

pubescent (hairy, leaf and stem) and mostly pink flowered with good yield potential and

wider adaptability. However, systematic information particularly for linkage and inheritance

of important traits is lacking. In order to understand reasons behind this bias we initiated an

experiment to understand the inheritance of these traits and their association with agronomic

traits. A cross was made between glabrous leaf having white flower genotype (CAZG-15-6)

and hairy leaf with pink flower (HG 2-20) by hand emasculation and pollination. The F1

progeny was with hairy leaves and pink flowered. The segregating progeny consisting of

194 F2plants was space planted (50 x 15 cm) for proper phenotypic expression of traits. All

the F2 plants were tagged and genotyped for presence and absence of pubescence and

flower color (pink/white). Agronomic traits were recorded at the time of harvesting on all the

plants. The F2 segregation pattern of leafs were; 143 hairy: 51 glabrous and that of flower

color was 146 pink : 48 white, fitting well in a theoretical monogenic inheritance ratio of 3:1.

The two traits were found to be independently inherited (hairy pink 104 : hairy white 38 :

glabrous pink 41: glabrous white 11). Single marker QTL analysis was performed in WinQTL

Cartographer V2.5 using linear regression model. To analyze the marker-trait association,

two qualitative traits as markers viz., flower colour (pink/white) and leaf pubescence (hairy/

smooth) were scored and regressed on 10 quantitative traits. Both markers showed

association with a total of 5 traits (yield per plant, plant height, branches per plant, pod

length and seeds per pod) of which four except branches per plant were associated with

flower color. The phenotypic variation explained (PVE) by flower color ranged from 4.3%

(SPP) to 8.8% (PL). The PVE by leaf hairiness for BPP was 4.5%. The analysis will serve as

a primary method of detection of association between marker and trait.



PS I – 20

Photoperiod and vernalization based modulation of flowering in

AegiloPS I Itausc hii for its use in wheat improvement programs

S. R. Cambay*, S. K. Sandhu1, Puja Srivastava1 and N. S. Bains1

Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1 Punjab Agricultural University,

Ludhiana 141


Morphogenesis is a complex process that has been mostly studied with respect to the

influence of external factors like phytohormones and photoperiodic requirements.

Synchronization of flowering is a basic requirement in crop breeding programs. Wheat

breeders encounter difficulty in using AegiloPS I Itauschii for introgression of suitable traits

related to biotic and abiotic stresses. Most breeders utilizing tauschii for extended photoperiod

and staggered or multiple sowing of wheat or durum parents under controlled conditions.

This provides a single opportunity for conducting crosses. In the present study, we present

a protocol for raising Ae. tauschii multiple times a year as per requirement. The partially

controlled facility and largely field-based protocol can be utilised by wheat grouPS I Iworking

in Northern India. The protocol involves vernalization treatment through simple domestic

refrigerators for 6 weeks at 40C. The material is not exposed to light during these crucial 6

weeks of vernalization. This is followed by fixation at 150C in growth chambers for 12-15

days. The vernalised material is then shifted to growth chambers with inbuilt light system

(3500-3600 lux), controlled temperature and relative humidity. Post vernalization and fixation,

the seedlings are transferred to the field with well-pulverised soil beds. Without intervening

dark period, the extension in photoperiod is ensured for further 8-10 hours using Halogen

and/or LED lamPS I Iunder field conditions. The extended photoperiod is continued till

flowering is initiated in AegiloPS I Itauschii. The protocol generated is of low cost as it

amalgamates field with controlled conditions. The vernalization treatment through domestic

refrigerator makes the system applicable to institutes not having the complete controlled

facility.



PS I – 21

Transfer of high grain weight from Aegilops tausc hii Coss. into wheat

(Triticum aestivum L.)

Preeti Kumari, Parveen Chhuneja* and Satinder Kaur

School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab 141004


Grain characteristics such as grain size and grain number are two important yield components

in wheat breeding programme. Aegilops tauschii, the D genome donor to hexaploid wheat is

the major reservoir of favourable alleles for economic traits and have been considered as

prioritized genetic resource for wheat genetic improvement. In present study a set of Wheat

- Ae. tauschii AB introgression lines derived from different accession of Ae. tauschii in the

background of T. aestivum cvs. PBW550 and PBW 621 were analysed for three consecutive

crop seasons (2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18) to determine the phenotypic diversity and

relations between TGW and other yield parameters such as grain number, tiller number,

Grains per Spike and yield. The results revealed that the direction of crosses effect the

number of TGW, grains /spike, number of tillers and grain yield. Grain yield was positively

correlated with TGW, tillers per plot, grains per spike whereas spikelet number is negatively

correlated with TGW. Descriptive statistics of grain parameters (Grain weight, length, Width)

and yield components (TGW and plot yield) revealed a wide variation in these introgression

lines. Variation ranges from 25.11 to 56.78 gm for TGW, 6.28 to 7.79 mm for grain length,

3.14 to 3.39 mm for grain width and 117 gm to 608 gm for yield per plot. Introgression lines

derived from Ae tauschii PAU accession number 3760 and 14158 in the background of

PBW621 give overall batter performance. The selected introgression lines can further be

used in wheat improvement breeding programme.

PS I – 22

Genetic variability and heritability for yield and its traits in diverse S2

populations developed through reciprocal recurrent selection in maize

(Zea mays L.)

P. Dharmateja* and Mruthunjaya C. Wali

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural

Sciences, Dharwad 580 005, Karnataka


The present study was carried out at College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural

Sciences, Dharwad during kharif, 2017 to determine the various parameters of genetic

variability, broad sense heritability and genetic advance estimates in newly developed S2



progenies through reciprocal recurrent selection. Analysis of variance revealed that the

mean sum of squares due to genotypes showed significant differences for all the 12 characters

considered in both population A and B. High to moderate estimates of GCV and PCV were

recorded for Grain yield, number of kernels per row, 100-grain weight, ear length and plant

height which represents considerable variability and offers scope for genetic improvement

through selection. Grain yield and 100-grain weight had high GCV estimates with high

heritability in both population A and B. High estimates of genetic advance coupled with high

heritability was recorded for Grain yield, 100-grain weight, ear height and plant height which

further leads to improvement of traits under selection. Thus provides better opportunities for

selecting plant material for these traits in maize breeding program.

PS I – 23

Combining ability analysis for seed cotton yield and yield contributing

traits in desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.)

V. N. Chinchane*, D. B. Deosarkar1 and K. S. Baig2

Cotton Research Station, Mahboob Baugh Farm, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi

Vidyapeeth, Parbhani 431 401, Maharashtra; 1College of Agriculture, Golegaon, Maharashtra;2Cotton Research Station, Nanded


Cotton is one of the most important fiber and cash crop of India and plays a dominant role in

the industrial and agricultural economy of the country. The present study comprised of seven

females (lines) and eight males (testers) with four standard checks thus making 56 F1s

using Line x Tester mating design. These lines, testers and hybrids along with four checks

were sown during kharif 2016 at three locations viz., Cotton Research Station, Nanded (L-

1), Experimental farm of Department of Agricultural Botany, VNMKV, Parbhani (L-2) and

Experimental farm, Agricultural Research Station, Badnapur (L-3). The observations recorded

on days to 50 % flowering, days to 50 % boll bursting, plant height (cm), number of sympodia

per plant, number of boll per plant, boll weight (g), seed cotton yield per plant (g), seed index

(g), lint index (g), harvest index (%). Pooled over the environments, the highest GCA effect

for seed cotton yield plant was showed by line PAIG 346and also exhibited high GCA (in

desirable direction) for the traits, sympodia per plant, number of bolls per plant, seed index,

lint index and harvest index. Among the testers, highest GCA for seed cotton yield per plant

(9.72) was reported in CNA 449. Pooled over the environments, among the crosses highest

SCA for seed cotton yield per plant was reported in PA 740 x Digvijay. Lines PAIG 346 and

PA 809 and testers CNA 449, AKA 8, JLA 794 and DWDa 1402 appeared to be the best

general combines for seed cotton yield and yield contributing characters which may do well

in cross combination with other parents. The cross combination PAIG 346 X JLA 794, PAIG

346 X DWDa 1402, PA 809 X AKA 8, PA 785 X CNA 449, PA 801X HD 514 were found

significantly positive for SCA effects with high mean for seed cotton yield and yield contributing

characters.



PS I – 24

Inheritance pattern of genes for morpho-physiological and yield traits

in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Jaydev Kumar, Arun Kumar1*, Mukul Kumar2, S. K. Singh1 and Lokendra Singh


and Technology, Kanpur 208 002, Uttar Pradesh; 1Department of Genetics and Plant

Breeding, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar 263

145, Uttarakhand; 2Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Mandan Bharti Agriculture

College, Agwanpur, Saharsa 852 201, Bihar


In order to study the inheritance pattern of morpho-physiological traits in bread wheat, a

10×10 diallel cross, excluding reciprocals was made and grown in a randomized complete

block design (RCBD) with three replications. Observations were recorded on days to 75%

flowering, days to maturity, duration of reproductive phase, plant height (cm), effective tiller/

plant, no. of spikelets per spike, no. of grains per spike, grain weight per spike (g), spike

length (cm), biological yield per plant (g), harvest index (%), 1000-grain weight (g), spike

density, canopy temperature depression (0C), chlorophyll intensity (%), chlorophyll

fluorescence (Fv/Fm), protein content (%), grain yield per plant (g). Highly significant

differences were observed among the genotypes for all traits. The resulted 45 F1s and their

F2s used for study the nature of gene for grain yield and its contributing traits in bread wheat.

The result indicated that considerable gene action and average degree of dominance respond

to achieving significant result for grain yield and its component traits. In both the generations

F1s and F2s, grain yield per plant (g) was governed by non additive gene action based on

combining ability analysis, (s2g/s2s)0.5 and (H1/D)0.5 were exhibited over dominance type

average degree of dominance for grain yield and its component traits in both generations.

Genetic analyses of the traits confirm the involvement of both additive and non-additive

gene effects in governing the inheritance.



PS I – 25

Stability analysis for seed yield and yield component traits in ajwain

(Trachysperm um ammi L.)

Monika Meena, Baudh Bharti, Arun Kumar1*, R. B. Dubey and N. S. Dodiya

Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and

Technology, Udaipur 313 001, Rajasthan; 1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding,

Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar 263 145,

Uttarakhand


Genetic improvement toward optimized and stable agronomic performance of ajwain

genotypes is desirable for food security. Understanding how genotypes perform in different

environmental conditions helps breeders develop sustainable cultivars adapted to target

regions. Complex traits of importance are known to be controlled by a large number of

genomic regions with small effects whose magnitude and direction are modulated by

environmental factors. Knowledge of the constraints and undesirable effects resulting from

genotype by environmental interactions is a key objective in improving selection procedures

in ajwain breeding programs. The mean squares due to genotypes x environment G x E (L)

interactions were also significant for all the characters except day to 50% flowering and

days to 75% maturity, plant height and test weight. The genotypes UA-63 was superior in

per se performance and stable for seed yield suggesting its suitability for inclusion in future

breeding programme. The genotype UA-48 found suitable for high yielding environments,

while genotypes, UA-66, UA-7, UA-83, UA-29, UA-70, UA-71, Local check, UA-41, UA-28,

UA-30, UA-90, UA-1, UA-32, UA-87 and GA-1were best in poor environments for seed

yield.

PS I – 26

Morphological characterization and of some agronomic traits in

Ashwagandha (Withania somnif era L.)

R. B. Dubey, Baudh Bharti and Arun Kumar1*

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and

Technology, Udaipur 313 001, Rajasthan; 1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding,

Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar 263 145,

Uttarakhand


Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L.) (2n= 48) is also known as winter cherry belongs to

the Solanaceae family. It is a multipurpose herb that acts on various systems of the human

body: the neurological system, the immune system, the energy-production system, the



endocrinal system and the reproductive system. The genetic diversity in ashwagandha is

less, therefore, the attempts have been made for the improvement of the medicinal plant

ashwagandha. Therefore, there is an urgent need of systematic breeding approach to develop

suitable and high yielding varieties with desirable characteristics. In the present experiment,

dry root yield showed high heritability with GCV, PCV and genetic advance as percent of

mean. Dry root yield exhibited maximum negative and significant correlation with plant height.

However, it showed positive correlation with alkaloid, seed weight, primary branches and

root length. Alkaloid (%) exhibited maximum direct effects on dry root yield followed by

primary branches and seed weight. Maximum intra cluster distance exhibited in cluster III

followed by cluster I and cluster II and inter cluster distance between cluster V and cluster III

followed by Cluster III, Cluster I, Cluster III, Cluster II, cluster V and Cluster II. On the basis

of inter cluster distance, clusters III and V were identified as more divergent clusters. Highly

divergent genotype would produce broad spectrum variability in subsequent generations

enabling further selection and improvement.

PS I – 27

Assessment of genetic diversity in common bean germplasm for yield

traits

Shailja Sharma and Sanchit Thakur*

Department of Crop Improvement, CSKHPKV, Palampur 176 062


An experiment was undertaken to study the nature and extent of variation and association

among yield and related traits and to characterize the common bean landraces using

morphological markers with a view to identify the gene pool of Indian common bean. The

experimental material comprising 169 land races of common bean including 3 checks

(Kailash, Jawala and Baspa) were evaluated in Simple Lattice Design with 2 replications at

CSKHPKV, Mountain Agricultural Research and Extension Centre, Sangla, Kinnaur. Data

were recorded on various morphological and agronomic traits and were analyzed using

standard procedures. D2 statistics is a powerful tool for estimating genetic diversity among

different genotypes for hybridization programme. On the basis of D2 values, the 169 genotypes

were grouped into VIII clusters. Cluster II was the largest consisting of sixty two genotypes

viz., KRC-2, K-326, HPK-322(2), HPR-396, VLF-106, K-255, KR-110, KR-249, K-249, VL-

63, Palchan Local, , Mani Rajma, Palchan kath, AK-40, HPR-80, HPR-24, HPR-38, AK-65,

HPR-214,KR-296, HPR-8, KR-56-1, KR-118-1,KRC-16, KR-238, KR-155-3, KR-293, KR-

52-2, KR-48-1, HUG-33, K-38, HPR-293, EC-84462, KR-256, AK-4, K-319, KRC-12, KR-

35, KRC-9, KR-175-1, KR-205, KR-96, KRC-22, Beeses 3 white, KR-171, K-296, Premiere,

KR-111, KR-53-2, KR-66-2, KR-24, KR-131, KR-240, KR-82, Ribba Local, R-10-457, KR-

196, SR-1-6, SR-6-11, Jawala, Baspa. The next largest is clusters IV, followed and cluster

VII, V, VI, III and I each containing 42, 29, 16,12 and 1 respectively. The assessment of

genetic diversity helps in reducing the number of breeding lines from the large germplasm.



PS I – 28

Genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance and correlation studies

for yield and component traits in rice (Oryza sativ a L.)

Vartika Budhlakoti* and M. K. Karnawal

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, G. B. P. U. A. and T.,

Pantnagar, U. S. Nagar, 263 145, Uttarakhand


The present study was conducted to estimate the phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of

variation, broad sense heritability, genetic gain and correlations in rice during kharif season

2016-17 at Norman E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India. Thirteen

rice genotypes along with their thirty F1 developed using line × tester mating design were

evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications for yield and yield

components namely, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height at maturity, number

of tillers per plant, number of panicle per plant, panicle length, number of grains per panicle,

grain length, grain width, 1000 grain weight and grain yield per plant. Significant differences

among the genotypes were observed for all the characters under study. Highest GCV and

PCV estimates was obtained for grain yield per plant. High heritability and correspondingly

high genetic advance was obtained for grain yield per plant and number of grains per panicle

suggesting that selection for these characters may be effective. Grain yield per plant showed

positive and significant phenotypic and genotypic association with number of tillers per plant

(0.749, 0.838), number of panicles per plant (0.784, 0.843), panicle length (0.479, 0.572)

and number of grains per panicle (0.521, 0.543). 1000 grain weight (0.313) showed significant

positive genotypic association with grain yield per plant. Therefore, these characters can be

used for grain yield selection.

PS I – 29

Reverse Breeding: An upside down approach for crop improvement

Debadatta Panda*, R. S. Bhakta1 and K. G. Modha

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 1Pulses and Castor Research Station, N. M.

College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396 450, Gujarat


In this era of population explosion, making the world free of hunger in sustainable way has

become a challenge. For the maximum exploitation of the available plant resources, there is

need for a rapid method of crop improvement without significant harm to nature. Heterosis

breeding has been successfully utilized to solve the purpose but the heterotic effect observed

in segregating populations fades away due to segregation and recombination. Reverse



breeding stands as a stable way for conservation of elite genotype of unknown parentage

from any background, giving extra advantage over apomixes and other methods for fixation

of heterosis. Reverse breeding enables production of transgene free homozygous parental

lines of any heterozygous plant using achiasmatic meiosis along with RNAi or marker assisted

method followed by production of doubled haploids. It helps in reconstruction of heterozygous

germplasm collections, aids in CMS based hybrid production and facilitates trait mapping,

QTL identification, gene interaction studies and targeted inbreeding using chromosome

substitution lines. Reverse breeding is also used as a concept of rewilding the present

cultivars in form of back to nature breeding and its eco-friendly nature making it more attractive.

Thus, it enables immortalization of heterotic effect in unprecedented manner.

PS I – 30

Genotype × Environment interaction in hedge lucerne [Desmanthus

vir gatus (L.) Willd.] for yield and quality

Arun Chacko, Mareen Abraham and A. M. Shahiba

Plant Breeding and Genetics, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of

Agirculture Kerala Agricultural University, College of Agriculture, Trivandrum 695 522


The present work on Genotype × Environment interaction in hedge lucerne [Desmanthusvirgatus (L.) Willd.] for yield and quality” was carried out across four locations in Kerala viz.,College of Agriculture, Vellayani, College of Horticulture, Thrissur, KVK, Kollam and RARS,

Ambalavayal, Wayanad, during 2016-2018 with an objective to identify stable genotypes of

Desmanthus virgatus in varied environments with respect to yield and quality. The eight

genotypes of hedge lucerne were evaluated in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with four

replications over four locations during 2017-2018. Eberhart and Russell model (1966) was

used to analyze the stability and adaptability of yield and yield related characters of these

genotypes. In the pooled analysis of variance for evaluation of hedge lucerne over locations,

significant differences among the genotypes and environments were noticed for all the

characters studied, suggesting that genotypes interacted significantly with environments.

Stability analysis revealed that the genotype T1 was stable over all locations for different

characters such as plant height, number of branches, green fodder yield, dry fodder yield,

dry matter production and crude fibre. The genotype T4 was stable for the characters number

of branches, leaf to stem ratio and crude protein across the locations. The genotype T6 was

stable over locations for the characters viz., plant height, length of branches and number of

leaves, while the genotype T7 was stable for leaf to stem ratio, number of pods and crude

fibre. The present study revealed that the genotypes T1, T4, T6 and T7 were stable over the

four different locations viz., College of Agriculture, Vellayani, College of Horticulture, Thrissur,

KVK, Kollam and RARS, Ambalavayal, Wayanad. The genotypes T2 and T8 showed stable

performance under favourable environments, while the genotype T5 was suitable for

unfavourable environment.



PS I – 31

In situ Conservation on-farm of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and

Agriculture

J. C. Rana*

Bioversity International-India Office, G-1, B-Block, NASC Complex, DPS Marg, New Delhi

110 012


Historically, Plant Genetic Resources have primarily been conserved ex situ. Though exsitu conservation remains very useful, especially for immediate use in plant breeding, it has

major drawbacks in terms of effectiveness and extensiveness.However, various researchers

have questioned whether the genetic diversity being conserved in gene banks would be

able to cope up with rapidly changing environments due to halt in evolutionary processes.

Keeping this in view, Convention on Biological Diversity has made very clear that in situconservation on farm should be the primary conservation strategy, with ex situ as a safety

backup, because in contrast to ex situ conservation, in situ conservation on farm promotes

natural gene exchange and continued evolution leading to new genetic diversity and variability

in crops. It also empowers the farmers to exercise controlover their genetic resources as a

major biological asset, and to use this for improving their livelihoods. Furthermore, on farm

management of PGR have number of potential positive socio-economic and environmental

outcomes; these may include improved diet and nutrition, increased self-sufficiency and

livelihood security for farmers and rural communities, maintenance of indigenous knowledge

and local cultural practices, low-input sustainable land management practices, and the

maintenance of ecosystem services - all factors that add weight to the need for promoting,

supporting and sustaining in situ on farm. Although, there are not many programmes which

on mainstreaming agrobiodiversity on farm, ICAR and Bioversity International has been

doing some pilot project with the support of world bank and UNEP-GEF. This paper discusses

the outcome of these programmes and future roadmap for mainstreaming agrobiodiversity

conservation and utilization to support ecosystem services and rural livelihoods.



PS I – 32

Genetic mapping of the serrated leaf trait in Indian mustard (Brassica

juncea )

Priyansha Singh, D. Pental and A. K. Pradhan*

Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi

110 021


Leaves exhibit amazing variations in shape and size, both of which result from a complex

network of hormone signalling and wide array of genetic factors. The lobed leaf character is

an easily recognisable and unique morphologic trait in Brassicas, with potential advantages

for agricultural productivity. Brassica juncea var. tumida is quite distinct in leaf morphology

with its serrated margins. For genetic mapping of the serrated leaf character, tumida was

crossed with popular and high yielding B. juncea var. Varuna, which has smooth margins.

The F1 plants showed an intermediate leaf type. A large number of doubled haploids were

raised, and were phenotyped for their leaf morphology and 11 main agronomic traits. The

doubled haploid lines were genotyped with intron polymorphisms, microsatellite, KASPar

and genotyping by sequencing (GBS) based SNP markers. Twenty-one restriction enzyme

combinations were tested using IgCoverage for in silico evaluation of genomic coverage

through GBS. A genetic map was developed and primary genetic analysis of the serrated

leaf character was performed which mapped it to a 417.5 kb region of B. juncea A10. Fine

mapping in this region is underway for the identification of candidate genes which will facilitate

the cloning and identification of the target gene.

PS I – 33

Use of radiations in creation of variability in saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

Sabina Nasseer, A. Shahina, Nagoo*, Gowhar Ali, Shabir H. Wani, Irfan Ahmad Rather,

Mudasir Hussain1 and F. A. Nehvi

Dryland Agriculture Research Station, Budgam, SKUAST-K; 1Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura

Sopore, Saffron Research Station, Pampore, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir

Email:

Saffron is a bulbous perennial of the family Irridaceae popularly known as “Golden

Condiment”. It is considered to be the most precious spice of the world owing to its unique

medicinal value and delicate aroma. Being sterile, saffron propagates through its corms

only. An experiment was conducted to study the effect of different doses of physical mutagens

on the morphology of the plant. Gamma rays were used as physical mutagens using Co60 at

five doses viz., 0.1 Kr, 0.3 Kr, 0.5 Kr and 0.7 Kr to irradiate corms of uniform weight of 10g.



Hundred dormant saffron corms were taken at regular intervals of 15 days and were subjected

to irradiations in the month of June when the plant is in dormant stage. Data were recorded

on survival percentage, number of flowers/corm, fresh flower weight/ corm, fresh pistil weight,

pistil length in M1 and M2 generations. It was observed that the radiation dose of 0.3 Kr

showed significant positive effect on survival of corms, increased number of heavier flowers

and pistil weight. Irradiation resulted in variations in the morphological features of the plant,

thereby, indicating that mutagenesis can play an important role in creating variability in

clonally propagated plants.

PS I – 34

Assessment of combining ability and authentication of hybrid wheat

(Triticum aestivum L.) using SSR markers

Akanksha Tiwari*, D. K. Mishra1, R. S. Shukla1 and S. K. Singh1

Project Coordinating Unit (Sesame and Niger), 1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics,

JNKVV, Jabalpur 482 004, Madhya Pradesh


A line x tester analysis of 40 wheat F1s developed by crossing 10 lines with 4 testers grown

along with parents was carried out for grain yield per plant and its contributing components

and quality traits. Parents JW 1202, LOK 1, HD 2932, MP 3269 and JW 3211 were good

general combiners for all the traits. Thus these genotypes might be used in the crossing

programme to accumulate all the desirable characters in a genotype. The crosses GW-366

X JW-3211, GW 366 X JW 3336, HI 1544 X JW 3288, HD 2932 X JW 3211, HD 2932 X MP

3269 depicted high SCA effects along with at least one good general combiner parent. So,

these cross combinations might be used for developing the transgressive segregants in

wheat. A total of 40 hybrids and 14 parental lines were taken for the hybrid purity analysis

with 20 SSR markers. Out of 20 SSR markers, only 8 markers viz., Xwmc617, Xwmc457,

Xwmc48, Xgwm153, Xbarc61, Xgwm273, Xbarc268 and Xgwm274 showed the polymorphic

dominant loci in the parents and codominant loci midway between these parents. The range

of allele size produced by SSR marker on the parental lines were 120 bp to 300 bp. The

highest allel size (300 bp) was produced by marker Xbarc 268 whereas, the minimum allele

size (120 bp) size was produced by marker Xgwm 273. The confirmation of hybrid purity

indicated that a single codominant marker is sufficient to distinguish false hybrids from real

hybrids.



PS I – 35

Combining ability and heterosis estimates in sesame

Ekhlaque Ahmad*, Abdul Majid Ansari, A. Paul, Munish Kumar Singh, Nazrussalam and

D. N. Singh

Zonal Research Station, Birsa Agricultural University , Chianki, Palamau 822 102, Jharkhand


Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important oilseed crop of Jharkhand mostly grown

during kharif season under rainfed condition. The present investigation was carried out at

Zonal Research Station, Chianki, Palamau to obtain information about performance of sesame

genotypes, asses the combining ability and estimate nature and magnitude of heterosis for

yield and it’s attributing characters. 28 hybrids were synthesized in a 8 × 8 diallel fashion

excluding reciprocals. The purpose of the study was to identify and select superior parents

and best hybrid combinations on the basis of estimates of general and specific combining

abilities. The differences among genotypes were highly significant for all the characters

studied. Estimates of variance due to general combining ability (gca) and specific combining

ability (sca) and their ratio revealed that both additive and non-additive gene effects were

important for different characters studied. The estimates of gca effects as a whole suggested

that if most of the traits are to be improved through hybridization and selection, then priority

should be given to parents Shekhar and Kanke White. The estimates of specific combining

ability revealed that the crosses JTS-8 x Shekhar, PKV-NT-11 x Kanke Whit and JLT-408 x

Shekhar were the best specific combiner for seed yield per plant. The maximum significant

heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis over check GT-10 was observed in the cross JTS-8

x Shekhar with a value 45.4, 32.4 respectively and adjudges as best heterotic cross

combination for grain yield per plant followed by the cross PKV-NT-11 x Kanke White. On

other hand desired negative heterbeltiosis (-24.25) and economic heterosis (-19.50) was

observed in the cross combination PKV-NT-11 x Kanke White for days to maturity. These

crosses may be used in developing high yielding and early maturing cultivar either by selecting

transgressive segregants or by using these as parents in future breeding programme.



PS I – 36

Stability analysis for grain yield and quality traits in selected traditional

and improved varieties of rice (Oryza sativ a L.)

G. L. Ashwini and M. P. Rajanna

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, V. C. Farm, Mandya,

Karnataka


An investigation was undertaken at five different locations of Karnataka during kharif 2017

using four traditional rice varieties (TRVs) viz., Rajamudi red, Rajamudi white, Ratnachoodi,

Jeerigesanna; four high yielding varieties (HYVs) viz.,BPT-5204, Tunga, BR-2655, Mugadsiri;

and two farmers’ varieties (FVs) viz., BKB and PUB to study genotype ×environment

interaction (GEI) for grain yield and quality traits. Additive main Effect and Multiplicative

Interaction (AMMI) model and genotype and genotype by environment (GGE) biplots statistical

tools were used to assess the GEI. The AMMI analysis of variance showed highly significant

GEI for yield and quality traits except for panicle length, gelatinization temperature, alkali

spreading value and cooking time. Two Interaction Principle Component Axis viz., IPCA1

and IPCA2 were highly significant for all traits. IPCA1 explained maximum (>50%) percent

of GEI for all traits, except number of tillers (43.46%). AMMI stability value (ASV) revealed

that Ratnachoodi was stable for grain yield and Mugadsiri was unstable. Gel consistency

had stable expression in Jeerigesanna, but unstable in Rajamudi white. BPT-5204 wasstable

for amylose content, whereas Ratnachoodi and Tunga were unstable. Genotypic selection

index (GSI) revealed that BR-2655 was the best genotype for yield, while BPT-5204 was the

best for cooking quality. TRVs were distinct for 34 DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability)

characters as compared to HYVs. BKB, PUB and Rajamudi red were moderately resistant

for leaf blast, while other varieties were moderately susceptible. Attempt was also made for

DNA fingerprinting of all the above rice varieties using SSR markers.



PS I – 37

Insights into the genetic diversity pattern among hybrid rice parental

lines

K. Sruthi*1, A. S. Hari Prasad1, B. Divya1, P. Senguttuvel1, P. Revathi1, K. B. Kemparaju1,

P. Koteswararao1, R. M. Sundaram1, Abdul Fiyaz1, Vikram Jeet Singh2, E. Ranjith Kumar2,

Prolay Kumar Bhowmick2, K. K. Vinod2, S. Gopal Krishnan2 and A. K. Singh2

1Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad 500 030; 2Division

Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 2IARI Regional

Station, Aduthurai, Tamil Nadu


In hybrid rice breeding programmes, narrow genetic base of parental lines is the major

constraint for realizing higher level ofheterosis. Lack of hybrids possessing better grain

quality hasslow down the adoption rate in the southern states of India. To understand the

genetic diversity present between the parental lines, which are commonly used in public

hybrid rice breeding programmes in India, a study was carriedout at ICAR-Indian Institute of

Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Hyderabad involving 96 parental lines including 31 maintainers

and 65 restorers, which have been characterized for their molecular and morphological

diversity. For molecular profiling, a panel of 50 hyper-variable, rice SSR markers were used

and yield and yield related traits have been recordedfor morphological characterization of

the above mentioned parental lines. Based on molecular diversity analysis, 39 polymorphic

SSR markers consistently grouped the parental lines into two major clusters (maintainergroup

and restorergroup clusters) through both distance and model based approaches.

Morphological diversity was determined using Mahalanobis D2-statistics and DARwin

software. In both the clustering methods, fivemajor clusters were observed with minor

variations.From the study,it is clear that the available diversity among the two groups i.e,

maintainer group (B) and restorer group(R) is sufficient for developing heterotic hybrids, but

within the maintainer and restorer groups, the diversity is limited, particularly in the maintainer

group and efforts are needed for broadening the genetic base of parental lines for development

and adoption high-yielding hybrids with better grain quality in the country.



PS I – 38

Combining ability and gene action for quantitative traits in Sesame

(Sesamum indicum L.)

P. B. Wadikar, S. L. Dhare* and G. S. Thorat

College of Agriculture, Latur, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani 431

402, Maharashtra


Sesame is an important oilseed crop not only in India also throughout the world. The most

powerful tool concerning to break this stagnated yield plateau in sesame is hybridization

with appropriate parents based on knowledge of gene action and combining ability. An

attempt made to estimate the GCA, SCA and nature of gene action in sesame (Sesamumindicum L.) with 21 hybrids with line x tester mating design for different quantitative and

qualitative traits. Based on GCA effect the line, BSG-5 found good general combiner for

plant height, number of capsule per plant, oil content, 1000 seed weight and seed yield per

plant whereas, BSG-9 found promising for earlininess and days to maturity. The tester, LT-

8 exhibited highly positive GCA effect for days to 50 per cent flowering, number of seed per

capsule, oil content and seed yield per plant. These parents could be utilized in the breeding

programme for the further improvement of the specific traits. The best crosses based on

SCA effect as per se performance were BSG-5 x LT-8, BSG-5 x LT-5, BSG -5 x IC -413221

and BSG-5 x IC-413201. These crosses may be used for further exploitation in breeding

programme. Combining ability studies indicated the preponderance of non additive gene

action for all the characters except days to maturity and oil content. These are close agreement

between per se performance and GCA as well as SCA effects for most of the characters.

PS I – 39

Heterosis for yield and its components traits through line x tester mating

design in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

P. B. Wadikar, G. S. Thorat* and S. L. Dhare


402, Maharashtra


Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is highly nutritive, having medicinal value with high oil and

protein content. Sesame varieties under cultivation have limited yield potential and lack of

resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses during the crop growth period. Heterosis breeding is

a potential technique to improve yields in sesame. The present investigation was carried out



with an objective to estimate the extent of heterosis in 21 hybrids obtained by crossing three

lines and seven testers in line x tester fashion with their 10 parents and two standard checks

replicated twice in randomized block design. Data were recorded on various quantitative

characters which contribute to yield and earliness. Two crosses viz., BSG-1 x IC-413201

and BSG-9 x LT-8 recorded significant negative heterosis, heterobeltosis and standard

heterosis for days to flowering. It indicated that early maturity hybrids could be developed

with this parental material. The cross BSG-9 x LT-5 showed high heterosis for number of

branches per plant over mid parent. The crosses, BSG-5 x IC-413204 and BSG-5 x LT-4

exhibited highest significant positive heterosis over the check Phule Til and JLT-7 respectively

for number of capsule per plant. Among the crosses, BSG-1 x LT-8, BSG-1 x LT-5, BSG-1

x LT-4 and BSG-9 x LT-5 exhibited desirable positive heterosis over both standard checks

for seed yield per plant. Keeping in views the above investigation, these four crosses are

identified as potential experimental hybrids.

PS I – 40

Variability assessment of bora and chokuwa rice (Oryza sativ a L.)

germplasmfrom Assam: grain quality, genetic diversity and allelic

diversification at the waxy locus

Somnath Roy*, A. Banerjee, N. Basak1, N. P. Mandal, T. B. Bagchi1, S. K. Singh2,

A. K. Misra3, R. S. Rathi2 and A. Pattanayak4

Central Rainfed Upland Rice Research Station, ICAR-National Rice Research Institute,

Hazaribag 825 301, Jharkhand; 1Crop Physiology and Biochemistry Division, ICAR-National

Rice Research Institute, Cuttack 753 006, Odisha; 2ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic

Resources, New Delhi 110 012; 3ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Regional

Station, Umiam, Meghalaya; 4Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almorah

263 601, Uttrakhand


North-eastern region of India is a rich source of genetic diversity of sticky rice. In Assam,

sticky rice commonly known as Bora and Chokuwa have been traditionally classified based

on stickiness after cooking. These sticky rices are the core component of Assamese sweets,

snacks and breakfast. Forty-six rice accessions comprising of 38 bora and 8 chokuwa cultivars

were characterized for grain quality parameters including grain length and shape, amylose

content and alkali spreading value. The ~6 kb region of wx gene was sequenced in 24

representative rice accessions to evaluate the allelic diversity at waxy locus. Grain amylose

content (Amy) of 46 rice accessions varied considerably (CV = 64%), and it ranged from

2.2% to 22.8%. Among 38 bora accessions, four amy lose classes: waxy, very low, low and

intermediate, were identified with the highest frequency of waxy types. Amy varied from

very low to intermediate in chokywa cultivars. Similarly, a higher frequency of high and



intermediate AlkD groups was observed. The grain length and shape exhibited a low range

of variation. Nucleotide variation at wxlocus identified overall 64 polymorphic sites: 62

segregating sites were detected in bora, while, 15 in chokuwa. In the coding regions, only

three substitutions were detected, one non-synonymous in exon 4 (+714 bp) and two in

exon 9 (non-synonymous and synonymous at +1718 bp and +1801 bp, respectively). The

splice donor mutation (G/T) in intron 1 was recorded in 7 bora accessions. The rice accessions

carrying this mutation or AGTT splicing donor site sequence showed a CT repeat region of

17 dinucleotides. A molecular phylogenetic tree based onwxgene indicated that the borarice accessions possessing splice donor site mutation grouped in Japonica clade while rest

of the bora and chokuwa accessions were identified asIndica. Microsatellite variability analysis

using 40 SSRs revealed that the gene diversity parameters were higher in bora than in

chokuwa. The bora rices showed lower differentiation with indica(FST = 0.07), than with

aus(FST=0.16). The chokuwa rices exhibited a higher differentiation with both indica, aus(FST=

0.14 and 0.19, respectively). However, both bora and chokuwa were distant from the

japonicas. These findings demonstrate the first detailed analysis of sticky rice landraces

from Assam which are culturally important for their special grain qualities.

PS I – 41

Inheritance studies of brown plant hopper resistance from Oryza

rufipogon (Griff.)

Pavneet Kaur, Kumari Neelam*, P. S. Sarao1, Reetranjan Kaur, Neha,Yogesh Vikal, Kuldeep

Singh2

1School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; 2Department

Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; 3ICAR-National

Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi

Email: [email protected];[email protected]

Brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens (Stal) is one of the most serious insect-pest of

rice accounting for the loss upto 52% of annual production. Under high infestation, complete

drying and plant death occurs causing “hopper burn”. Controlling insects using chemicals

are already proven detrimental not only to the environment, but also to human health. On

this account host-plant resistance serves as an important strategy to reduce the damage

caused by BPH. Out of 1003 wild species germplasm accessions screened against BPH,

Oryza rufipogon CR100441 has shown consistent resistance reaction (score 1-3) during 3

years of screening under greenhouse conditions. The F1 plant was obtained by making a

cross of O.rufipogon (CR100441) and PR122. The BC2F2 population was generated by

further back crossing with PR122 and selfing than after. The BC2F2 plants were screened by

the standard seedbox technique at seedling stage against BPH biotype 4. The BC2F2Plants

were scored phenotypically on a 0-9 scale according to the Standard Evaluation System

(IRRI, 1996) as 1-3 resistance, 5 moderate resistance, and 7-9 susceptible plant. From 284



BC2F2 plants, 66 plants were found to be resistant (1-3 score) and 218 plants (5, 7 and 9

score) were susceptible which segregated in 1:3 ratio (resistant: susceptible) indicating the

recessive nature of the BPH resistance gene. Genotyping using microsatellite markers

spanning all the 12 chromosomes of rice was done. Out of 520 SSR markers, 163 were

identified as polymorphic between the parents. Bulked segregant analysis was performed

on 233 BC2F2 plants with polymorphic markers and results will be presented.

PS I – 42

Genetic analysis of combining ability and heterosis of breeding lines

of cotton (Gossypium hir sutum L.)

S. M. Palve* and Nita Kate

Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010


The information on combining ability and heterotic pattern of cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) germplasm is of great value to cotton breeders for hybrid development. The objective of

this study was to determine the heterosis and combining ability of breeding lines developed

from parents originating from different regions of the cotton growing states in India and to

identify suitable lines from different heterotic groups for hybrid development based on specific

combining ability of the hybrids. Twelve breeding lines were developed and used to make

crosses following a diallel without reciprocals. 12 breeding lines and 66 crosses were

evaluated in randomized complete block design during 2014-15 at ICAR- Central Institute

for Cotton Research, Nagpur. The mean squares due to GCA were significant for seed

cotton yield and for most of the yield components indicating importance of additive effects.

The estimate of component of variance due to GCA variance was higher in magnitude than

SCA indicating predominance of additive type of gene action for the inheritance of these

traits. Line CNH 15-2-1expressed its superiority as best general combiner for seed cotton

yield and positive effects for all the yield contributing traits except sympodial length. Lines

CNH 7-3-3 and CNH 12-2-3 exhibited negative and significant GCA effects for reduced

height. Similarly, lines CNH 22-4-1 and CNH 16-3-1 exhibited negative significant GCA

effects for low number of vegetative branches suggesting these two lines a good source for

selection of compact plant type in their crosses in segregating generations. The SCA

estimates were positive in most of the crossed studieds. However, only four crosses recorded

significant SCA effects for seed cotton yield. Cross involving line from first heterotic group

CNH 20-2-4 with CNH 15-2-1 from second heterotic group (best gca effect for seed cotton

yield) exhibited highest seed cotton yield. Significant heterosis was exhibited in crosses

CNH 20-4-3 × CNH 22-4-1 (60.67%), CNH 20-4-3 × CNH 7-2-2 (46.32%), CNH CNH 22-4-

1 × CNH 14-6-4 (63.78%), CNH 7-3-3 × CNH 14-1-1 (63.13%). Thus, this study suggests

that additive effects are more important for seed cotton yield and its component traits.



PS I – 43

Identification of trait-specific foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.)

accessions for fenetic augmentation

K. Hariprasanna*, P. Suresh, P. Rajendrakumar, C. Deepika, P. Parashuram1 and

K. K. Sharma1

ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030; #Centre on

Rabi Sorghum, Solapur 413 006


Foxtail millet is a crop of short duration, which is important as food, feed and fodder with

high water-use efficiency. Grains are nutritionally rich with high protein and fibre making it a

preferred diabetic food. Systematic efforts are needed for exploitation of landraces and

novel germplasm to broaden the genetic base and breed genotypes with enhanced

productivity. In order to identify trait-specific genotypes for crop improvement, 169diverse

germplasm accessions including popular cultivars were evaluated for different morpho-

agronomic traits for two seasons. Very high variability was observed for all the qualitative

and quantitative traits. High heritability (>0.6) was recorded for flowering duration, plant

height, inflorescence length and test weight. Genotypes ISe 1067, ISe 1181, ISe 1658, ISe

1647 and ISe 1593 had large and thick lobes and compact panicles with high grain yield per

panicle (>3g), whereas high yield (>2250 kg/ha) was recorded in KOPFM 79, KOPFM 70,

ISe 140 and KOPFM 17 with loose to medium compact panicles indicating that selection

based on individual panicles alone will not be rewarding. Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped

the genotypes into 8 clusters. For leaf blight disease SIE 1598, KOPFM 25 and ISe 1209

were resistant, while ISe 1254, SIE 1599, KOPFM 82 and ISe 1059 were resistant to rust.

Genotypes with long inflorescence (ISe 1488, ISe 748, ISe 769, GS 27, KOPFM 67), less

tillers and good grain yield (ISe 140, ISe 1059, ISe 1610, GS 372, ISe 301), medium maturity

(KOPFM 22, KOPFM 8, KOPFM 24, ISe 1258, KOPFM 9), higher seed weight (ISe 1468,

ISe 1254, ISe 1610), etc. were identified for use in foxtail millet breeding.



PS I – 44

Diversity mapping of rice (Oryza sativ a L.) genepool in different agro-

ecological zones of India

D. P. Semwal*, S. P. Ahlawat, K. C. Bhatt, Anjula Pandey, K. Pradheep, N. S. Panwar and

Shashi K. Sharma

Division of Plant Exploration and Germplasm Collection ICAR-National Bureau of Plant

Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110 012


Rice is experiencing numerous challenges pertaining to climate change. So far, ICAR-NBPGR

has augmented 1,00,425 accessions of cultivated and 1,143 of wild rice germplasm from

across the country in collaboration mode. Species-wise account shows that maximum

accessions were collected in Oryza sativa (1,00,425) followed by O. nivara (523), O. rufipogon(452), O. sativa var. spontanea (71), O. officinalis (54), Porteresia coarctata (24) and O.meyeriana var. granulata (15) from different agro-ecological zones of India. Accessions

having passport data with locality information and geo-coordinates were analysed for diversity

mapping. Geo-referenced map of rice showed that Chhattisgarh state represents maximum

accessions (11,001) followed by Odisha (4,598) and Assam (4,036). Major gaps in collections

have been identified in states like Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal

need to be explored in priority. The National Genebank data of rice germplasm also

corroborated these facts as maximum accessions conserved are from Chhattisgarh (27.83%)

followed by Odisha (10.05%) and Assam (9.54%), it is mainly because of these areas

represent core centre of rice diversity in India. Analysis of data has shown that there is a

sizeable gap between collected vs. conserved germplasm particularly from Maharashtra,

Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Tripura states. The indigenous collection represents 57.90% rice

landraces. Maximum rice landraces were collected from Chhattisgarh (4,156) followed by

Odisha (3,686) and Assam (1,446). Some prominent landraces have been collected are

Doobraj, Gobindo Bhog, Kalo Moto, Chini Shakar, Nuna Bokra, Kalo Nuniya and Tulai Panji.Diversity map of wild rice spp. showed that Odisha has the maximum wild species as

compared to other states of the country. The collected germplasm was geo-referenced and

climate analogues sites (rice landraces adapted to high temperature) were identified based

on past collections and environmental variables using GIS tools. These identified sites will

form target for trait-specific germplasm collections through fine-grid survey method.



PS I – 45

Characterization of maize germplasm using agro-morphological traits

for its enhanced utilization

Ashok Kumar*, Jyoti Kumari, Sherry R. Jacob, Shivani, Ishwar Singh and R. K. Sharma



Maize crop has diverse utility in the form of feed, food, fodder, fuel along-with various industrial

uses. A total of 11, 179 maize accessions, comprising of 8712 indigenous accessions and

2467 exotic collection were conserved in National Genebank of National Bureau of Plant

Genetic Resources. Many of the conserved indigenous landraces have unique traits of

economic importance, but their utilization is restricted due to lack of knowledge of their

potential value. Hence characterization and evaluation of these valuable genetic resources

are very important. An initiative was taken to characterize these accessions in collaborative

approach involving AICRP centres under CRP-Agrobiodiversity Platform. Our goals for this

study were to characterize the 300 genebank maize accessions and identification of superior

lines for their enhanced utilization. These collections mainly belonged to Arunachal Pradesh

(82), Himachal Pradesh (69), Meghalaya (23), etc. These collections were evaluated at

NBPGR, New Delhi during Kharif 2017 in Augmented Block Design with 4 checks (Parkash,

PMH-1, PC-3 and Bio-9544) using 18 qualitative and 14 quantitative variables. There was

sufficient variability in this set of maize accessions. The superior accessions were identified

for the quantitative traits namely, days to tassel (<41 days)-31 acc.; days to silk (<43 days)-

29 acc.; ear length (>19 cm)-9 acc.; number of kernel rows (>17)-2 etc. Accessions with

high kernel rows IC128770 (19.33), IC128771 (17.33) belonged to Aizwal district of Mizoram.

Highly prolific accessions IC077395 (2.67), IC130786 (2.67) belonged to Jammu Kashmir

and Arunachal Pradesh respectively. Thus, the study clearly demonstrated that despite

environment-specific adaptations, several accessions are capable of showing high

adaptability across the agro-ecological regions and could be utilized for diversifying the

pools and deriving inbred lines with specific features.



PS I – 46

Stability analysis of advanced mutant lines of sorghum over locations

[Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

Anjaneya, G. Girish*1, S. Muniswamy2, L. N. Yogesh and Ashok Badigannavar3

AICSIP, Agriculture Research Station, UAS, Hagari, Karnataka; 1Nuclear Agriculture and

Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai


Rabi sorghum is an important crop of India, cultivated in mainly in Hyderabad. The traditional

land races viz., Chittapur Maldandi(JP-1-5) and Chincholli local are cultivated by farmers.

These are low yielders and of long duration. The induced mutation through gamma irradiation

on these land races throw a desirable mutants, which were confirmed in M6 generation. The

advanced mutant lines are tested in multilocations to confirm their high yield and it stability.

Seventeen advanced mutant lines and ten checks were studied for the evaluation of stability

during rabi 2017-18 at Agricultural Research Station, Kalburagi. Main Agricultural Research

Station, Raichur. Agricultural Research Station, Hagari and Agricultural Research Station,

Malnoor. Pooled analysis of variance revealed, significant differences among the genotypes

for all the quantitative traits except for panicle width and seed yield per plant. MSS due to E+

(GxE) was significant for most of characters except for days to 50% flowering, days to

maturity and 100 seed weight. Environment linear component was significant for all traits.

Variance due to G X E was significant for panicle length. Whereas, G X E (linear) interaction

was non significant for most of the characters except plant height, panicle length panicle

width and seed yield per plant. The genotypes J-12, C-28 and JP-1-5 had mean value more

than population mean and regression coefficient near to unity for days to 50 % flowering.

Genotypes J-6-1 had mean value less than population mean and regression coefficient

around unity and significant deviation from regression indicates average stability. The

genotypes J-12, J-3 and GS-23 had mean value more than population mean and regression

coefficient near to unity and significant deviation from regression coefficient shows average

stability and adapted to all situations.



PS I – 47

Genetic variability, correlation and path coefficient studies in M4 mutant

lines of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

T. Shivaprasad1, G. Girish*, Ashok B. Adigannavar3, S. Muniswamy4 and L. N. Yogesh5

AICSAP, Agriculture Research Station, U.A.S. Hagari, Karnataka; 1College of Agriculture

Raichur, University of Agriculture Sciences, Raichur; 3Agriculture Research Station,

Kalaburagi; 2Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research

Centre, Mumbai


The rabi sorghum land races are cultivated in Hyderabad and Karnataka. These land races

are low yielders. The induction of mutation through gamma rays on these land races creates

genetic variation for further selection of useful mutants in M4 generation. In this regard the

present investigation was undertaken to know the variability present in the mutant lines of

Chincholli-2 and JP 1-5 of M4 generation and to estimate the correlation between yield and

its attributing traits. Genetic variability studies revealed high phenotypic and genotypic

coefficient of variation (PCV, GCV), heritability and genetic advance as per cent mean for

panicle length, panicle weight, panicle width, 100 seed weight and grain yield per plant. This

trend indicated ample scope for improvement of yield through selection for these traits having

additive gene action. The characters viz., number of leaves, plant height, stem girth, panicle

length, panicle weight and panicle width had significant positive correlation with grain yield

at phenotypic level indicating the role and importance of these traits in the development of

superior lines with increased grain yield. The path analysis revealed positive and direct

effect of days to maturity, number of leaves, plant height, stem girth, panicle length, panicle

weight and panicle width on grain yield per plant. This study would help in developing high

yielding mutant lines for deep black soils of rabi season of northern Karnataka.

PS I – 48

Distribution of hybrid necrotic genes and their allelic expressivity in

north-western Himalayan diverse bread wheat gene pools: A criteria

for pre-breeding and successful hybridization efforts

N. V. Manoj*, H. K. Chaudhary, P. Sharma, K. Singh, C. Kapoor and A. Relan

The Molecular Cytogenetics and Tissue Culture Laboratory (MCTL), Department of Crop

Improvement, CSK HP Agricultural University, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh


For sustainable agriculture, new widely adaptable cultivars are to be developed with broad

genetic base by transferring agronomically important genes from alien sources or other



wheat cultivars to the elite wheat cultivars. And the possible way to generate variability

among elite wheat cultivars is through introgression of targeted genes via hybridization.

Hybrid necrosis is one of the crucial factor coming across the success of such strategies.

Hybrid necrosis is due to the interaction of two complementary dominant genes Ne1 and Ne2

located on 5BL and 2BS chromosomes of wheat, respectively. To investigate the distribution

of these genes, 332 lines comprising of 274 triticale x wheat derived homozygous

recombinants (TW-lines), 41 winter x spring wheat derived doubled haploids (DH), 12

reconstituted wheat lines (RLs) and 5 released bread wheat varieties developed at CSK

HPAU utilizing Himalayan genetic resources were used as maternal parent whereas, the

pollen sources involved two spring wheat testers C306 (Ne1 –carrier) and HD2380 (Ne2 –carrier). Hybridization was carried out at Palampur and Lahaul and Spiti during 2014-15 to

generate F1s. The necrotic lines were categorized into Ne1 and Ne2 -carrier based on the

presence of necrotic genes. Eighty three lines comprised of 51 TW-lines (11 Ne2s, 6 Ne2

ms,

26 Ne2m, 4 Ne2

wmand 4Ne2walleles), 22 DH lines (7 Ne2

s, 12 Ne2m and 3Ne2

walleles), 9 RLs

(5 Ne2s, 2 Ne2

mand 2 Ne2wmalleles) and 1 released variety (Ne2

m allele) possessed Ne2 gene

for necrosis and none of the lines possessed Ne1 gene. Ne2 gene was prevalent in RLs

(75%) followed by DH lines (54%), released varieties (20%) and least in TW-lines (18.61%).

In order to preclude hybrid necrosis, 249 non-carrier genotypes having superior morpho-

physiological traits can be used as parents in future hybridization programmes for wheat

improvement.

PS I – 49

Genetic and molecular analysis for weevil (Sitophilus or yzae L.)

resistance in bread sheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell.)

Ekhlaque Ahmad* and J. P. Jaiswal

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture &

Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand 263 145, 1Zonal Research Station Birsa Agricultural

University, Chianki, Palamau 822 102, Jharkhand


Rice weevil is an important storage pest of wheat in the tropics and subtropics. An effort has

been made to establish the gene identity for rice weevil resistance in the wheat. The

experimental material of the study consisted of six wheat genotypes i.e. 3 susceptible and 3

resistant to Sitophilus oryzae L. as parents, their F1s, F2s and backcrosses (BC1s andBC2s).

The analysis of variance indicated significant difference among different treatments for weevil

infestation. The material under investigation possessed considerable amount of variability

with respect to weevil infestation. The F1 seeds from the crosses involving susceptible x

resistant parents were found resistant. This indicated the dominance nature of resistance

over susceptibility and the presence of few susceptible seeds indicated the role of modifier

gene(s). Most of the F2 generation derived from susceptible x resistant crosses gave a ratio



of 13 (resistant) : 3 (susceptible) while one cross gave 15 (resistant) : 1 (susceptible) ratio.

This indicated that resistance to weevil is controlled by two dominant genes. Segregation in

BC1 showed a 1:1 (resistant: susceptible) ratio which supported the results of F2. This indicated

that weevil infection was governed by both additive and non-additive gene effects in all the

crosses. In microsatellite analysis, gene specific primers WDAI–Af1/f2, WDAI-Br1/Br2, WDAI-

Af1/R1, WDAI-Af1/R2, W24A and W47AT gave an amplification product of 376bp, 272bp,

426bp, 426bp, 422bp and 398bp respectively. These specific primers were found linked

with wheat dimeric alpha amylase inhibitor gene (WDAI) and able to distinguish among

susceptible and resistant patents and their progenies. In resistant genotypes the characteristic

bands were present while remained absent in susceptible genotypes. The findings could be

use for to develop weevil resistant varieties that can minimize the storage losses due to

weevil infestation.

PS I – 50

Studies on genetic variability and characterization of selected traditional

rice varieties of Karnataka

M. P. Rajanna*, E. Gangappa, C. A. Deepak, Manoj Kumar, Naveen Kumar and R. Nandini

Rice DUS test centre and AICRP(Rice), University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru,Zonal

Agricultural Research Station, V.C. Farm, Mandya 571 405, Karnataka


Traditional Rice varieties (TRVs) are valuable genetic reservoirs of genes responsible for

imparting resistance, quality, adoptability and many other economically important traits. Two

hundred and eighty four traditional rice varieties (TRVs) out of 438 collected from different

parts of Karnataka and maintained in the Germplasm unit of Rice Breeding division of

AICRP(Rice), ZARS, V.C.Farm, Karnataka, were grown during Kharif 2016 as per DUS

guidelines and evaluated for their growth, yield and grain characteristics. The TRVs differed

significantly for growth, yield and morphological traits. Days taken for 50 per cent flowering

ranged between 72 (Rahodaya, Game, Shuwan Karee) and 120 days (Kari batta), Plant

height ranged between 61.90 (Aishwarya) and 133 cm (Barma black) and No. of tillers

varied from 4 (Joopvadlu) to 14 (KN Local). Husk colour and kernel colour were also studied

and recorded.



PS I – 51

Study of genetic divergence in mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

C. S. Mahto* and Shreya Sen

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi

834 006


The experimental material comprised of 42 elite mungbean genotypes evaluated in a

randomized complete block design with three replications at college farm, Birsa Agricultural

University, Ranchi during kharif 2017. Using Mahalanobis D2 statistics, the 42 genotypes

were grouped into 9 clusters. Cluster I was the largest with 29 genotypes followed by cluster

IV with 6 genotypes. Clusters II, III, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX had with single genotype in each

which revealed the presence of wide genetic divergence for various characters. The maximum

inter cluster distance was recorded between clusters VIII and VI (8.30) followed by clusters

VIII and V (8.07) and clusters V and IX. The minimum inter cluster distance was noticed

between clusters II and III (1.76). The maximum intra-cluster distance was recorded by

cluster IV (4.03) followed by cluster I (3.54). The characters viz.,days to maturity, seed yield

per plant, number of pods per plant, days to 50% flowering, seed per pod and 100-seed

weight could be given due importance for selection of genotypes for further improvement.

Considering the mean performance for different characters of genotypes belonging to diverse

clusters, the promising genotypes for exploitation as parents in hybridization programme

were OBGG -56, COGG 13-39 and LGG 607. These genotypes may be recommended for

crossing with the genotypes of the clusters showing high inter cluster distances for isolating

transgressive segregants.

PS I – 52

Combining ability studies for yield and yield contributing characters in

safflower (Cartham us tinctorius L.)

P. B. Wadikar, M. R. Magar* and S. J. Sonawane


402, Maharashtra


Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is one of the most important rabi oilseed crop. It has

gaining increasing popularity in recent years in the country. An attempt was made to estimate

the GCA, SCA and nature of gene action in safflower with 20 hybrids with L x T mating

design for different quantitative and qualitative traits. Based on GCA effect among the parents,

the tester GMU-2465 was good general combiner except for oil content. Whereas GMU-15-



3640 also expressed highly significant positive GCA effect for traits viz., seed yield, number

of secondary branches, oil content, number of seed per capitulum and highly significant

negative GCA effect for trait hull content. The line PBNS-40 exhibited highly positive GCA

effect for days to 50 per cent flowering and seed yield per plant. These parents could be

utilized in the breeding programme for the further improvement of the specific traits. The

best crosses based on SCA effect as per se performance were NARI-6 x GMU-2465, Sharda

x GMU-15-3423 for days to maturity, Sharda x GMU-15-3640 for number of capitulum, test

weight and seed yield per plant while PBNS-12 x GMU-2465 for test weight. These crosses

may be used for further exploitation in breeding programme. Combining ability studies

indicated the preponderance of non additive gene action for all the characters except days

to maturity and oil content.

PS I – 53

Hybridization study of Annona taxa genotypes for yield and quality

traits

N. V. Soni1*, P. C. Patel, M. P. Patel, N. B. Patel, Mithlesh Kumar, H. S. Bhadauria and

S. B. Patel1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, C. P. College of Agriculture, S. D. Agricultural

University, Sardarkrushinagar; 1Agroforestry Research Station, S. D. Agricultural University,

Sardarkrushinagar


Sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.) is least known fruit belong to Annonaceae family. Long

juvenile phase, high heterozygosity and requirement of large area for evaluation of genotypes

resulted into limited number of the improved cultivars which is major limiting factor in sugar

apple production and improvement. Thus, there is a need to create variability for dwarfness,

profuse bearing, attractive fruit with good size, shape, quality and less seeds. Efforts have

been made to understand floral biology, emasculation, pollination and development of

successful cross. In present study, six different genotypes of two species i.e. Annonasquamosa L. and Annona atemoya L. i.e., Mammoth, Iceland gem, Washington, Red flesh,

Selection-9 and Sindhan were used for hybridization programme. The objectives were to

study the success rate of pollination and fruit setting in Annona taxa. The natural pollination

and fruit setting is a problem in sugar apple. The crossing was done during June to September

in 2017. High fruit set was observed during the July and August due to high humidity and low

atmospheric temperature. One hundred and six crosses were attempted among which 18

fruits were harvested with success rate of 17 per cent. From harvested fruits, 385 seeds of

different crosses were extracted and sown for germination of which 287 seedlings were

developed and established in the field for further evaluation. In future, present study will be

helpful to identify promising genotype with high yield, good fruit size shape fruit, sweet pulp

with pleasant flavour, less seed number and better keeping quality.



PS I – 54

Genetic variability studies for yield, yield attributes and quality

parameters in F3 populations in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

V. Rudranaik*, Manohar Banakar, Suma S. Biradar, S. A. Desai1 and C. K. Chethana

AICRP on Wheat, Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences,

Dharwad 580 005 Karnataka; 1Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Variety, ICAR,

New Delhi 110 012


Wheat is an important cereal crop cultivated worldwide and staple food across the world.

The present investigation was undertaken to study the nature of genetic variability, association

for yield, its attributes and quality parameters in F3 population of cross DBW17 × Binnu. The

segregating progeny lines of DBW17 × Binnu were evaluated in augmented RBD design

along with checks. Observation on yield, yield components and grain quality parameters

were recorded. Analysis of variance revealed that the prevalence of significant difference

among the genotypes for all the parameters studied. Considerable amount of genetic

variability was observed for all the traits. The moderate to low genotypic coefficient of variation

(GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was recorded for most of the traits.

High GCV, PCV and heritability was observed for traits like number of productive tillers per

plant and grain yield per plant. Most of the traits showed high heritability with moderate to

low genetic advance over mean. The protein content and sedimentation value exhibited low

GCV, PCV with high heritability. Grain yield had high degree of positive association with

number of productive tillers per plant, number of grains per spike and thousand grain weight

while protein content was significantly negatively associated. The grain yield showed the

positive association with number of tillers, spike length, 1000 grain weight and negatively

associated with protein content and sedimentation value, The higher estimates of GCV,

PCV, heritability, GAM and association of these traits which provides the better scope for

improvement of yield and quality parameters by direct selection methods.



PS I – 55

Striking success in DH breeding approach through endosperm assisted

regeneration of non-responsive small sized haploid embryos of wheat

obtained via intergeneric hybridization with maize and Imperata

cylindrica

A. Relan*, H. K. Chaudhary1, K. Singh1, C. Kapoor1, P. Sharma1 and N. V. Manoj1

CSIR-IHBT, Palampur 176 061, Himachal Pradesh; 1Molecular Cytogenetics & Tissue Culture

Lab, Department of Crop Improvement, CSK HP Agricultural University, Palampur 176

062, Himachal Pradesh


Size of haploid embryos produced through wide hybridization with maize and Imperatacylindrica following chromosome elimination mediated approach in wheat has been identified

as the major factor in determining it’s in vitro regenerability on nutrient agar media. Low

regeneration of small sized embryos has been found as one of the deterrent in obtaining

high frequency of haploid plants through this technique. It has been observed that higher

percentage of green plants can be obtained from large sized (>2mm) haploid embryos as

compared to small sized embryos (<1mm). Hence, a study was conducted to enhance the

regeneration frequency of small sized haploid embryos of wheat, triticale and triticale x

wheat derivatives thereby improving the haploid induction efficiency. The small sized haploid

embryos were co-cultured with endosperm dissected from normally developed selfed wheat

seeds on a sterile nutrient agar media. Embryos obtained through hybridization of wheat

(bread and durum wheats, triticale and triticale x wheat derivatives) with I. cylindrica when

cultured on endosperm showed a significant improvement in regeneration (65.31%) as

compared to their culture on normal media without endosperm (7.40%), while in case of

embryos obtained through crossing of wheat with maize, an increase in regeneration

frequency of 43.49% was recorded in endosperm assisted culturing. The results obtained

therefore suggest that co-culturing of small embryos with endosperm is an efficient technique

for obtaining high frequency of haploid plants in wheat, triticale and triticale x wheat derivatives

and thereby can open up new vistas in wheat improvement programme through doubled

haploidy.



PS I – 56

Role of 2,4-D and Kinetin in improving callusing response in in vitr o

anther culture of indica rice (Oryza sativ a L.)

Chakravarthi Marri*, DijeeBastian, Jiji Joseph, Anju M Job and S. Biju

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, KAU, Vellanikkara


Anther culture facilitates conversion of heterozygous breeding material to homozygous lines

in a single step, which is a faster alternative to conventional selfing, for several generations.

This technique has been successfully exploited in rice with much of the success in Japonica

varieties.The success of anther culture depends largely on the media and the growth regulator

combination used. In order to develop doubled haploids for iron toxicity tolerance in indicarice anther culture was initiated with N6 as the callus initiation media and different growth

regulator combinations.Growth hormones 2, 4-D at two levels (1 and 2 mg/L) and kinetin at

two levels (0.5 and 1 mg/L) were used in 4 combinations. Callus induction was observed in

media with the growth regulator combination of 2,4-D (2 mg/L) and kinetin (0.5 mg/L).

PS I – 57

Effect of carbon source on callus induction response in in vitr o anther

culture of rice (Oryza sativ a L.)

Chakravarthi Marri*, Dijee Bastian, Jiji Joseph, Anju M Job and S. Biju

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, Thrissur,

KAU, Kerala


Adoption of double haploid technique, although a success in Japonica varieties is limited in

indica cultivars, due to its poor androgenic response. Attempts have to be made to overcome

this hurdle by evaluating the key factors affecting this response.Carbon source supplemented

in the growth media is one such factor. A variety of carbon sources are used in culture

media according to the type of culture,the genotype or explant used. Pre-cold treated anthers

from F1s developed by crossing susceptible and resistant varieties for iron toxicity tolerance

in rice were inoculated in N6 medium with different sources of carbon, such as maltose and

sucrose at 3 levels each ( 30,40,50 g/L). Callus induction was observed when maltose was

used as a carbon source at 30 and 40 g/L levels.



PS I – 58

Stability and adaptability analysis for grain yield and its components

of finger millet genotypes under dryland condition of Jharkhand

D. N. Singh*

Zonal Research Station, Birsa Agricultural University Chianki, Palamau 822 102, Jharkhand


The present investigation was carried out to determine stability and adaptability range of

fifteen finger millet genotypes and identify superior once with better yield potential for their

use as cultivar or as germplasm source for future breeding endeavors. To find out requisite

information, the experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replication

during Kharif 2015, 2016 and 2017 at Zonal Research Station, Chianki, Palamau under

dryland rainfed condition. Data were collected on grain yield and its attributing characters.

The linear component was significant as against the nonlinear component (Pooled deviation),

which revealed that a large portion of G x E interaction was attributed for by the linear

regression through pooled deviation and which was significant. None of the genotypes was

stable for all the characters under studied. Based on estimated stability parameters (i.e. bi =

unity, S2di= 0) and over all mean performance of grain yield, genotypes BBM-10 and VR-

708 were identified as superior, which were well adapted to all the environment, stable with

above average yielding ability or highest grain yielder (31.03, 27.29 q/ha, respectively) with

non-significant bi and S2di values. whereas genotypes A-404 and HR-374 were above average

stable and two genotypes, namely, BBM-11 and JWM-1 were below average stable ones

and as such they are suitable for cultivation in poor, and rich environments, respectively.

BBM-10 was also found stable across the environment for number of effective tillers per

plant. The genotypes BBM-10, VR-708, GPU-67 and RAU-08 were also stable for 1000

seed weight, number of fingers per plant and days to 50% flowering. The entries BBM-10

and VR-708 are also showing stability and superiority for other component characters of

grain yield therefore these genotypes may be utilized as germplasm for developing high

yielding stable finger millet genotypes.



PS I – 59

DUS characterization and genetic diversity of a rice RIL population

derived from the cross ADT45 × Nona bokra

V. Mathivanan*, S. Thirumeni, J. Karthick, D. Gokulan, M. Kalpana, S. Pavithra and

K. K. Raghuraman

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture

and Research Institute, Karaikal 609 603, Puducherry, (U.T)


Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) are a valuable resource for building genetic linkage maps.

The presence of genetic variation in the RILs is essential for detecting associations between

molecular markers and loci controlling agronomic traits of interest. The ultimate aim of the

study was to quantify the genetic diversity of rice RIL population derived from a cross between

ADT 45 and Nona Bokra. This population was developed by the single seed descent method

from a single true F1 plant (as identified by a set of molecular markers) producing around

2000 seeds. A total of 1156 F2 plants was obtained and forwarded until the F10 generation

producing 420 lines. These RILs were characterized using 27 essential descriptors of rice

as per PPV and FRA National DUS Test Guidelines developed by the Directorate of Rice

Research. Significant differences were observed among the RIL’s for all evaluated traits. A

comparisons of the RIL’s and parental lines showed significant differences in 14 characters

like number of days to flowering (DFL), plant height (PH), grain colour (GC), etc. However,

there were no significant differences for basal leaf sheath colour, ligule shape and colour,

etc. These results indicate the occurrence of additive × additive epistatic interactions for

DFL, PH, GC. Cluster analysis grouped 420 RIL’s into 23 clusters based on Darwin software.

The unweighted variable pair group method of the average linkage cluster analysis (UPGMA)

were used to analyze the data. Using UPGMA 23 cluster groups were obtained from 14

characters. The RIL population housed wide range of genetic variability for the evaluated

traits, and this genetic stock will be useful for future studies involving genetic mapping and

quantitative trait locus identification and analysis.

PS I – 60

An analysis on seed dormancy in rice varieties

S. K. Chakrabarty*, Usha Rani Pedireddi, Yogendra Singh and P. C. Nautiyal

Division of Seed Science and Technology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New

Delhi 110 012


Seed dormancy in rice varieties is a required trait to avoid seed germination in case of

unfavorable weather conditions during seed maturation and harvesting. A study on



germination of seeds of about 80 rice varieties harvested at different stages of maturity

starting from dough stage till attainment of harvest maturity showed that early maturing

varieties showed low level of fresh seed dormancy in seeds during early periods of seed

maturation. Some of the medium and late maturing varieties showed higher level of fresh

seed dormancy. In dough stage seeds showed germination upto57% in some early maturing

varieties. These varieties are vulnerable to seed germination in case of unseasonal rains at

this stage and onwards. On the other hand there are varieties which do not show seed

germination in this stage or showed very few seeds germinate. In order to incorporate seed

dormancy in varieties with no/very low level of dormancy crosses were made with Basmati

370 as variety with high fresh seed dormancy and Annada, IR 64 and Jaya as varieties with

no/low fresh seed dormancy. The results showed that in The F2 seeds from 3 crosses showed

seed dormancy of about 40-56% at 45 days after harvesting. In the F3 generation fresh seed

dormancy was observed in most of the F2 plants. After one month of harvest seed dormancy

(<50% seed germination) remained in 58-100% F2 plants. However, in two crosses upto

50% F2 plants showed seed dormancy at 3 months after harvest. This showed that seed

dormancy can be incorporated in non-dormant varieties upto 3 months following advancement

of segregating generations and selection.

PS I – 61

Breeding strategy of pearl millet parental lines for drought stress

P. Sanjana Reddy* and Jinu Jacob

ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030


A pearl millet hybrid trial involving 4 female and 5 restorer lines was evaluated for 18 traits.

One of the simplest methods for predicting hybrid performance is based on inbred parent

phenotype. In our experiment, the correlation between the phenotype of the hybrid and the

pollen parent was significant for early flowering (EF), higher number of productive tillers

(HPT) and greater compactness of panicle (CP), while the female parent did not show

association for any of the traits. Similarly, the mid-parent (MPH%) and better-parent heterosis

(BPH%) for grain yield is significantly correlated with the MPH% and BPH% for these three

traits. Taking these results into consideration, 120 parental lines (55 B and 65 R) were

evaluated in three replicated randomized complete block design in two dates of sowing

under drought stress. Data were recorded for 16 traits. The Genotype × Environment (G×E)

influence on the total variation was less than 20% of total variation observed for all the traits.

Based on EF, HPT, CP and grain yield, R 34 and R 8 among R-lines and ICMB 97111 and

ICMB 08666 among the B-lines were found to be promising. Low to moderate variability was

noted in both the parental lines which was mostly expressed due to genetic factors, less

influenced by environment. The genetic advance is low in B-lines under drought and there

by selection should be practiced in later generations in female parent breeding programs.



However, in the male-parents, the heritability and genetic advance was high for the three

traits indicating a successful selection program. Based on both the experiments, the restorer

program needs to be strengthened involving selection and pedigree breeding considering

the three traits – EF, HPT and CP for realizing high yielding hybrids suitable for drought

prone environments.

PS I – 62

Genetic diversity studies in promising wheat genotypes grown under

restricted irrigated condition

Tasphiya Elahi, Suneeta Pandey*, R. S. Shukla, Vinod Goyal and Archana Rani

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, JNKVV, Jabalpur 482 004, Madhya Pradesh


Under scenario of climate change, Madhya Pradesh is in need of drought tolerant and low

moisture genotypes for sustainable productivity of wheat. Genetic diversity is of paramount

importance of heterosis and hybridization between genetically divergent parents and is

expected to produce superior hybrids and desirable recombinants. Therefore, it is essential

to identify genetically divergent genotypes and utilize them for breeding programme.

Experimental material includes 36 promising genotypes grown in Randomized Completely

Block Design with three replications at Seed Breeding Farm, Department of Plant Breeding

and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur during rabi 2017-18. Observations were

recorded on thirty two morpho-physiological traits. On the basis of D2 values, the 36 genotypes

were grouped into 5 clusters, following Tocher’s method. Cluster I was most divergent,

consisted 718 genotypes. Cluster I was poly-genotypic having 32 genotypes. Whereas,

cluster II, III, IV and V were mono-genotypic. Maximum inter cluster distance was observed

between genotypes of cluster IV (JWJ 806) and V (MP 3503). The hybridization between

individuals belonging to these clusters may leads to the formation of superior recombinants

leading to superior segregants. On the basis of Principal component analysis, the genotypes

JWJ 817, JWJ 823, JWJ 301, MP 3503 and MP 3507 have highest PC values for yield

related traits. Thus, these genotypes can be used for development of new varieties in breeding

programme.



PS I – 63

Development and characterization of chromosomal segmental

substitution lines (CSSLs) of chromosome 5U from Aegilops triuncialis

in hexaploid wheat background

Satinder Kaur*, Deepika Narang, Priti Sagar, Jaspal Kaur1, Ramanna Koulagi1 and Parveen

Chhuneja

School of Agricultural Biotechnology, 1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab

Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab


Cytologically stable wheat-Aegilops triuncialis disomic substitution line DS5Ut(5A) resistant

to leaf rust (LR), powdery mildew (PM) and cereal cyst nematode (CCN),has been generated

in Punjab Agricultural University (Aghaee Sarbarzeh et al 2002); however, it shows linkage

drag due to replacement of chromosome 5A of hexaploid wheat with chromosome 5U of Ae.triuncialis. To characterize novel genes on chromosome 5U, an induced homoeologous

recombination was initiated between wheat and 5U of DS5Ut (5A) using ph1b mutant, and a

set of 95 chromosomal segmental substitution lines (CSSLs) were developed encompassing

the entire 5U segment on 5A. These CSSLs were screened against LR, PM and CCN

pathotypes. Thirteen CSSLs were found moderately resistant while 82 were susceptible

against CCN. Screening against PM confirmed DS5Ut (5A) was highly resistant alongwith

44 CSSLs, WL711 and Pavon (ph1b) showed complete susceptibility while 46 CSSLs were

susceptible. Towards LR, DS5Ut (5A) showed moderate type of resistance (20MR) while

WL711 and Pavon (ph1b) showed susceptibility of 80S and 60S. 29 CSSLs categorized

resistant, nine were segregating and 58 belonged to susceptible class. To design chromosome

5U specific markers, flow-sorted short read sequence of 5U was assessed with FASTQC,

aligned against reference genome sequence of 5A of wheat, to identify SNPs and Insertion/

deletions in the aligned sequences. 98 In Del and 28 KASPar primer sets were generated

and amplified onto the parental lines alongwith CSSLs. 5U CSSLs panel will act as a

permanent genetic resource and can be used for fine mapping and cloning of underlying

QTLs/genes.



PS I – 64

Evaluation of Annona genotypes for morphological and quality

parameters

P. C. Patel*, N. V. Soni, M. P. Patel, J. S. Patel1, N. B. Patel, Mithlesh Kumar, A. K. Singh

and Piyush Verma2

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, C. P. College of Agriculture; 1Department of

Biochemistry, College of Basic Science and Humanities; 2Department of Horticulture, C. P.

College of Agriculture, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar


Annona squamosa L. commonly known as sugar appleis one of the sweetest fruit of its

family Annonaceae. The breeding for improvement of Annona is necessity but challenging.

The wide range of diversity and ease vegetative propagation are the advantage for the

breeder to develop new cultivar. The fruit is less preferred by the consumers owing to high

number of seeds and poor keeping quality. In the present study eleven accessions comprised

six different genotypes belong to two species i.e. Annona squamosa L. and A. atemoya L.

were studied to identify good parental trees with desirable quality and fruit related traits for

exploiting hybridization. Fourteen traits were recorded from each of these trees i.e. fruit

weight (g), rind weight (g), pulp weight (g),seed weight (g), number of seed/fruit, number of

seed/100 g fruit, average total soluble solids, pulp/seed ratio, number of fruits/plant, per

cent acidity, per cent total soluble sugar, per cent reducing sugar, per cent non-reducing

sugar, ascorbic acid (mg/100g). The six accessions were found promising for fruit and quality

traits. Among these, genotype Sindhan was found superior for both fruit and quality traits,

Selection-9 for all the traits except number of seeds per fruit. Whereas, the genotype Iceland

gem and Red flesh were reported less number of seeds per fruit with moderate fruit quality.

Therefore, these genotypes will be used to breed the new cultivar with less number of seed

per fruit with better pulp quality.



PS I – 65

Multivariate analysis for variability studies on grain filling and

associated traits in maize germplasm under sub-tropical conditions

Jyoti Kaul*, Sherry Rachel Jacob1, Ganapati Mukri, Jayant S. Bhat, R. N. Gadag, Firoz

Hossain, Chikkappa Karjagi2, Digvender Pal and Rajesh Kumar

Division of Genetics, ICAR-IARI, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012; 1Division of Germplasm

Conservation, ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi 110 012; 2ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research,

Pusa, New Delhi 110 012

Email:

Maize (Zea mays L.) is considered as one of the most important food, feed and fodder crops

catering to the diverse needs of the world. Being highly cross pollinated, it offers the possibility

of exploiting heterosis through the development of hybrids. Among the various approaches,

manipulation of grain filling attributes is considered to be critical in improving the selection

method for enhancing yield potential. In order to understand the contribution of grain filling

period and kernel growth rate to GY, it becomes imperative first to identify variability for

grain filling and associated traits. Therefore, experiments were laid during 2017-18 based

on field evaluation of 300 accessions (ICs and ECs). Data were recorded on agro-

morphological, phenological, yield and yield-related traits besides grain filling attributes.

The results indicated that the first five factors explained 85.8 % variability in the germplasm

with most of the traits showing significant contribution. Strong associations with certain trait-

combinations (DA/DS; DS/silk delay; PH/EH; KW/GY; DS/DPM; KW/TDFD, etc.) and traits/

factors were also detected. This information would be utilized in identifying QTLs for grain

filling which in turn may be used in improving selection efficiency in enhancing per day

productivity of subtropical maize.

PS I – 66

Morphological characterization in diverse cytoplasmic male sterile lines

of wheat

Vinod Goyal*, Suneeta pandey, R. S. Shukla and Archana Rani



Looking to the target for wheat production at national Level it is very difficult to meet out the

demand of 109 mt by 2020 AD. In this direction an effort was made traits develop hybrid

wheat genotypes using cytoplasmic male sterile lines. A total of 17 newly developed CMS

lines and seven restorer lines, were used as an experimental material with the objective to



identify diverse cross combinations and classify morphological and morpho-physiological

traits of wheat genotypes. Genotypes were evaluated for twenty one morpho-phenological

traits. Sufficient variability and significant genotypic differences was exhibited by most of

the observed traits. The genotypes were also evaluated for variability parameters for eight

metric traits. The estimates of genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic

coefficient of variation (PCV) were moderated for peduncle length. High estimates of

heritability were exhibited by most of the traits except chlorophyll content, canopy temperature

and number of tillers/plant. Based on Euclidean cluster tree analysis, genotypes were grouped

in five clusters in such a way that genotypes within each cluster had higher similarity than

between clusters i.e. the genotypes within the cluster had much smaller distance than the

genotypes belonging to different clusters. Maximum divergence was present between clusters

IV (Res. 7, Res.9 and Res.10) and V (cms 84), followed by II and IV, clusters III and IV and

cluster III and V. Maximum seed setting was observed in cross combination cms 87 x Res-

10, followed by cms 83 x Res-9, cms 83 x res-10, cms 89 x Res-9 and cms 88 x res-10. The

selection of cms hybrid developed from the cross combination having maximum number of

seeds, will be useful for developed of hybrid in wheat breeding programme.

PS I – 67

Genetic analysis for different quantitative traits in underutilized potential

crop Buckwheat

S. A. Desai*, Guruprasad Hiremath1, Suma Biradar1 and V. Rudra Naik1

PPV and FRA, New Delhi 110 012; 1University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad 580 005


Buckwheat is an important multi-food-use pseudo-cereal with a better nutritional value than

many common cereals and a functional food with many industrial applications. An attempt

was made for the first time to bring the Buckwheat under cultivation in Karnataka state,

unconventional area for buckwheat. As a basic step in every plant breeding programme,

present investigation comprising fifty four buckwheat genotypes collected (involving exotic,

indigenous and local collection) from NBPGR Regional Station, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

were evaluated in a replicated completely randomized block design to estimate the phenotypic

coefficient of variation (PCV) and genetic coefficient of variation (GCV), heritability and

genetic advance as per cent mean as the effectiveness of selection and identification of

superior genotypes depends on the magnitude of inherent variability for a particular character.

Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences between the genotypes for all

characters studied under the investigation suggesting the presence of adequate variability

for selection. Moderate PCV and GCV coupled with high heritability were recorded for days

to 50 per cent flowering while, days to maturity exhibited low PCV, GCV and genetic advance

indicating ineffective of selection for such traits. However, high genotypic and phenotypic

coefficients of variation coupled with high heritability and genetic advance as per cent mean



were observed for seed yield and number of secondary branches indicating the more of

additive gene action for these traits hence, the selection could be effective in genetic

improvement of buckwheat genotypes for yield. The selected superior genotypes may be

cultivated in different agro-climatic zones of the Karnataka as next generation crop for near

future upon confirming their stability.

PS I – 68

Estimation of genetic divergence in niger [Guizotia ab yssinica (l.f.)

cass.] germplasm

V. N. Tiwari and Aruna Devi Ahirwar

JNKVV, Zonal Agricultural Research Station, AICRP on Niger, Chhindwara 480 001, Madhya

Pradesh


A field experiment was conducted with 183 niger germplasm to study the genetic divergence

using Mahalanobis D2 statistics were grouped into 8 clusters. The results revealed

considerable amount of genetic diversity. Cluster IV had the maximum number of 125

genotypes followed by cluster I with 30 genotypes. The intracluster distance ranged from

0.00 to 74.00. The highest intra cluster distance was observed for cluster I (74.00) followed

by cluster II (71.89). The intercluster D2 values ranged from 30.37 to 1300.45, the maximum

intercluster distance was observed the cluster V and VIII (1300.45) followed by clusters VI

and VIII (1037.00) and II and VIII (845.08), which indicated that the genotypes included in

these clusters would give high heterotic response and thus better segregants. On the basis

of the maximum inter cluster values and per se performance for seed yield/plant and 1000

seed weight, the genotypes (JNS-521, JNS-204, JNS-216) were identified as potential parents

in future endeavors for genetic improvement of niger.

PS I – 69

Multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) populations in

pigeonpea: A novel strategy for genetic research and breeding

Kumar Durgesh*, Rekha Joshi, R. S. Raje and G. Ramaprashat



Traditional mapping populations combine the genomes of two parents contrasting for the

trait of concern to identify regions of the genome affecting that particular trait. Due to narrow

genetic base, only a small snapshot of the factors affecting the trait was captured and only



those genomic regions which differ between the two parents and having high allelic frequency

in population are detected. The association mapping efficiently captures far greater diversity

but requires very large samples to detect genomic regions of interest. Therefore, Multi-

parent Advanced Generation Inter Crosses (MAGIC) which is an intermediate to bi-parental

and association mapping offer great potential both for dissecting genomic structure and for

improving breeding populations. The present study involves generation of MAGIC population

in pigeonpea for fine mapping of various traits of interest in this pulse crop. Eight diverse

genotypes contrasting for various morphological traits viz. plant architecture (spreading and

erect), plant stature (tall and dwarf), branching pattern (spreading and erect), growth habit

(determinate and indeterminate), number of branches (uni-culm and multi-culm), flower

structure (wrapped and open),seed colour (black and white), seed size (small and bold) and

seed weight (ranging from 6.06g to 13.3g) etc. were selected to generate Multi-parent

Advanced Generation Intercrosses (MAGIC) population. The selected parents were inter-

mated to generate four F1s which were further inter-crossed to develop four-parent hybrids

(Double cross hybrids). These double cross hybrids are being inter-crossed to produce

eight-way hybrid. The hybrid thus produced will be selfed for 5-6 generations to get about

2000 homozygous lines. These lines will constitute MAGIC population and will be used for

high throughput genotyping, fine mapping and genetic analysis (linkage analysis and

association analysis) of various traits of interest.

PS I – 70

Development and characterization of synthetic derived nested

populations for grain associated traits

Amandeep Kaur, Kunal, Parveen Chhuneja, Kuldeep Singh1, Monika Garg2, Pooja

Srivastava3 and Satinder Kaur


Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 041; 1National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources,

New Delhi; 2National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali


Generating synthetic hexaploids wheat is wonderful way to transfer unutilized variation for

tolerance to major biotic (rust and pest attack) and abiotic stresses (drought, waterlogging,

salinity, etc.) from the diploid wild progenitor of wheats. Present study was undertaken to

assess superiority of Synthetic Hexaploid derived populations over the elite cultivars for

various grain associated traits. Two synthetic amphiploids(PBW114-Ae. tauschiiacc.

pau14128 and PBW114-Ae. tauschiiacc. pau14170) were selected from available germplasm

of synthetics developed at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (India). The selection

was based on their performance under normal and heat stress conditions for two consecutive

years. These synthetics were backcrossed with two elite cultivars (improved versions of

PBW343 and HD2967) and were selfed subsequently to generate nested BC1F4 chromosomal

segmental substitution lines (CSSLs) based populations. These populations were evaluated



for five grain traits [thousand grain weight (TGW); grain length (GL); grain breadth(GB); L/B

ratio and Factor Form Density (FFD)] in 2017-18 main crop season. Statistical analysis

revealed significant correlation for different grain characteristics with TGW.Selected

populations had higher TGW compared to both synthetic and elite parent. Maximum number

of better performing CSSLs (81) were identified in PBW114*AT14128/PBW343 population

while minimum frequency of better performing individuals (71) was from PBW114*AT14170/

PBW343 population. These CSSLs have been targeted for the screening of yield-related

and physiological traits along with mapping the linked genomic regions using genotype-by-

sequencing (GBS) approach. These nested mapping populations are well known to have

novel introgressions from Ae. tauschii genome and have a large potential to accelerate the

transfer of these gene/QTLs into elite wheats to meet the challenges posed by changing

climate in India.

PS I – 71

Exploiting Triticum dicoccoides for grain architecture and disease

resistance

Manpreet Kaur*, Maninder Kaur, Rohtas Singh, Parveen Chhuneja, Kuldeep Singh1 and

Satinder Kaur

1School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; 2National

Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110 012


Wild emmer, Triticum turgidum var. dicoccoides (AABB; 2n = 28) harbor rich genetic resource

that could be exploited in breeding for future wheat improvement. Punjab Agricultural

University has identified accessions of T. dicoccoides that are a good source of variation for

grain length as well as resistance to prevalent pathotypes of leaf rust and stripe rust. T.dicoccoides accession pau14723 with long grains (length/width = 9.5mm/2.3mm) and resistant

to leaf rust (LR) and stripe rust (YR) was crossed with another accession (T. dicoccoidesacc. pau4663) with short grains (length/width = 6.5mm/2.0mm) and susceptibility to both the

rusts. Disease scoring on F2 population generated from their intercross indicated single

dominant gene responsible for YR resistance with F2 plants segregating in 3 Resistant (R):1

Susceptible (S) ratio. On the other hand, segregation for LR does not fit into any specified

ratio indicating some different genetic underlying mechanism. Molecular mapping of these

two genes was done through Bulk Segregant Analysis using A and B genome specific SSR

markers. One SSR marker wmc11 from chromosome 1A, amplified a differential PCR product

in bulks indicating the probable position of stripe rust resistance gene. F2 plants were also

scored for grain length (GL), grain width (GW), grain area (GA) and length/width ratio (L/W)

using Cannon Grain Analyser. GL varies from 7.07-10.46mm, GW from 1.82-3.mm, GA

from 11.42-23.01mm and L/W ratio varies from 2.93-5.54 indicating a normal distribution for

these traits. All the data will be scored on F3 mapping population and linkage map underlying

all the genes will be generated using genotyping by sequencing approach.



PS I – 72

Sweet sorghum as an excellent single-cut forage crop

A. V. Umakanth* and V. A. Tonapi

ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad 500 030


Sweet sorghum is a high biomass yielding variant of grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolour (L.)

Moench] which is not only an efficient and highly productive bioenergy crop but also a potential

food and forage crop in the context of climate change and limited availability of arable land.

The stalks of sweet sorghum are juicy and rich in fermentable sugars as high as 15-18%

than sorghum stalks which makes them fit for ensiling. Suitability of sweet sorghum as

forage for livestock was investigated by evaluating eight sweet sorghum genotypes in

comparison to two forage sorghum checks for single-cut forage parameters during kharif

and rabi seasons of 2016. For green fodder yield, sweet sorghum hybrid CSH22 SS

significantly out yielded (281 q/ha) the forage checks CSV21F (141 q/ha) and HC308 (140

q/ha) in both kharif and rabi seasons and across the seasons. The next best sweet sorghum

genotype was SSV74 with higher green fodder yields (273 q/ha). With respect to brix content,

Urja (17.4%) was significantly superior to both the forage checks. Most of the sweet sorghum

genotypes were superior to forage checks for stem girth, number of leaves, leaf length and

leaf width and were on par to the forage checks for protein and digestibilty. The results of the

present study show that sweet sorghum’s might represent an acceptable source of energy

for ruminants with greater brix content, which increase the animal preference and assist in

optimum fermentation in vivo. Higher levels of leafy fraction along with greater biomass

production in sweet sorghum certainly scores over the traditional forage sorghums.

PS I – 73

Morphological and molecular characterization using SSR markers in

diverse germplasms of Indian mustard

M. K. Tripathi*, N. S. Rajput, Sushma Tiwari, R. S. Sikarwar and V. S. Kandalkar

Department of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Rajmata

Vijayraje Scindia Krish Vishwavidyalaya, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh


The genus Brassica is one of the most important oil seed crops in India with higher degree

of genetic diversity. In present study, genetic diversity was studied in forty germplasm lines

and eight cultivars of Indian mustard using morphological traits and SSR markers.

Morphological characters were taken for days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant

height (cm), length of main raceme (cm), number(s) of primary branches/plant, number(s) of



secondary branches/plant, number(s) of silique per plant, number(s) of seeds per silique,

1000 seed weight (g) and seed yield per plant (g). Total 50 SSR markers were used for

characterization of these germplasm lines, out of which 7 SSR markers were found highly

polymorphic among all the investigated germplasm lines. An UPGMA phonogram was

constructed for all 48 germplasm lines and the similarity coefficient ranged from 0.00 to 0.91

in dendrogram. Major allele frequency was ranged between 0.33 to 0.44, with average value

of 0.389. Number of alleles ranged from 3 to 4, genetic diversity 71% to 65% with average

value of 67%, heterozygosity raged from 20 to 10% with an average of 12% and PIC value

for markers ranged from 0.59 to 0.65 with mean value 0.61. All seven SSR primers showed

PIC value above 0.5 (50%) indicating presence of higher genetic diversity in the studied

plant material. The study identified diverse clusters of germplasm lines with known check

varieties and some unique clusters representing new traits in mustard lines, further work

can be planned for trait specific studies. Identified superior germplasm lines could be used

in hybridization programme for development of new varieties in future.

PS I – 74

Screening of germplasm lines for foliar disease by allele specific SSR

and SNP markers of groundnut (Arac his h ypog ea L.)

Sushma Tiwari*, Sushmita Mandloi, M. K. Tripathi and V. S. Kandalkar

Department of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture,

RajmataVijayraje Scindia Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh


The rust (Puccinia arachidis) and late leaf spot (LLS) (Cercospori diumpersonatum) are two

major foliar fungal diseases of groundnut which cause severe yield loss. The conventional

breeding alone may take more time to achieve the goal while integration of molecular breeding

with conventional methods is the best option to achieve accelerated genetic gains. The

present investigation was carried out with 48 germplasms and advance breeding lines of

groundnut. Considerable amount of variation was observed for yield and its attributes. The

morpho-physiological yield contributing characters were analyzed using SPSS ver. 19

software at 1% and 5%, probability levels. Kernel yield/plant (g) were found highly significant

with 100 kernel weight and weight of pod at 1% level of significance. The cluster analysis

helped in grouping the accessions into different clusters. The genotypes were divided into

two major groups, group ‘GI’ having 20 genotypes and group ‘GII’ 28 genotypes. Germplasm

lines were characterized and compared with foliar disease resistant check varieties viz.

KDG128 and GPBD4 and found 20 lines, similar to them with foliar disease resistance

along with higher yield. The highest genetic diversity was observed between R 7-24-5 and

FD1. A set of 16 highly polymorphic SSR markers were used to study diversity in 48 groundnut

lines. The mean value of alleles per locus was 3.5, genetic diversity 0.62 and PIC was 0.56

respectively. Along with this 4 allele specific SSR markers were used to detect foliar disease



resistance in the germplasm lines and the marker GMRQ517 gave the best result to reveal

the characteristics of the germplasm regarding foliar disease resistivity. SNP genotyping

was also conducted with 10 plex assays which gave an authentic result of several genotypes

that carried foliar disease resistance.

PS I – 75

Genetic diversity studies in greengram (Vigna radiata L. Wilczeck) for

yield and component traits

P. Narmada Varma and Ch. Sravani1

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Orissa University of

Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 003, Odisha; 1Department of Seed Science

and Technology, Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru

560 065, Karnataka


Plant breeders often use genotypes possessing high genetic divergence in breeding

programme with an objective of getting more transgressive segregants. In the present study

genetic diversity analysis was conducted among fifty six genotypes of greengram using

Mahalanobis D2 Statitics. Observations on ten important quantitative traits were recorded

from genotypes raised in Randomised Block Design with three replications. Phenotypic

coefficient of variation and Genotypic coefficient of variation (PCV & GCV) was highest for

primary branches per plant followed by pods per plant and 100 seed weight indicating the

presence of good amount of diversity for these characters. Plant height, pods per plant,

days to 50% flowering, and maturity had high heritability with high genetic advance which

indicated additive genetic effect and possibility of achieving high genetic progress through

selection. Clustering of genotypes was done by Tocher’s method and all the fifty six genotypes

were grouped into seven clusters. Cluster IV was the largest consisting of twenty four

genotypes. The average inter-cluster distance revealed that the most divergent clusters

were Cluster V and VI, followed by cluster II and VI and cluster VI and VII. Crosses between

these clusters are expected to produce more transgressive segregants in the later generation.

100 seed weight contributed maximum genetic divergence followed by yield per plant and

days to maturity.



PS I – 76

Overcoming inter-specific barriers in sorghum

K. B. R. S. Visarada*

ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030, Telangana

State


Crop improvement in sorghum has progressed extensively availing the variation in the primary

gene pool of Sorghum bicolor, while the wild species of tertiary gene pool remain

unexploited.Sorghum wild species are reported to carry resistance genes to biotic and abiotic

stresses including for shoot fly and stemborer that prompted us to develop inter-specific

hybrid derivatives. Cross incompatible barriers in sorghum were identified to be lack of

pollen germination on the stigma and it was overcome in Texas through incorporation of iap(inhibition of alien pollen) allele. However, iap allele cannot be accessed by Indian programs

due to IPR rights. We overcame these barriers of crossing through pollen and floral treatments

and developed inter-specific populations. Trait specific pre-breeding lines are identified for

use in sorghum crop improvement program in India. Thirteen diverse elite lines of cultivated

species were pollinated with eight wild species belonging to tertiary gene pool. Different

treatments like pre-treatment of pollen, spray with pollen germination medium and 2, 4-D,

and repeated pollinations were used to facilitate crossing. Seed set was observed in 76%

crosses, but many seeds were under developed. We raised F1 hybrids from 10 crosses.F1

progeny from these eight crosses showed purple leaves, loose panicles and shattering

seeds resembling their wild parents. Hybrids were confirmed through PCR analysis in eight

crosses. Many (80%) F1 plants were sterile and 20% of F1s were advanced to F2 generation.

Wide variation was observed in F2 progeny and based on the phenotype selections were

made and are being evaluated in the field.

PS I – 77

Genetic diversity analysis among advanced breeding lines in pearl millet

for grain iron, zinc and agronomic traits

M. Pujar, S. Gangaprasad1 and M. Govindaraj* and A Kanatti


Telangana 502 324; 1University of Agricultural Sciences Shivamogga, Karnataka 577 225


Evaluation of genetic diversity within breeding populations will help in parents’ diversification

and identification of trait-specific inbred sources. Total of 294 inbreds were evaluated for

grain iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and agronomic traits in two contrasting seasons using alpha-lattice



field design. There was a significant variability observed for all traits. Three-to-four-fold

variability noticed for Fe (31-120 mg kg-1), Zn (19-88 mg kg-1), yield (0.6-2.6 tha-1) and 1000-

grain weight (6-16 g 1000-1). The magnitude of genetic coefficient of variation explained by

traits were varied in the order of Fe (25%)>Zn>TGW>PL>PH>GY>PG>DF (7%) and

heritability (broad sense) was very high as >84% for all traits except grain yield (56%). Nine

clusters formed at 90% genetic similarity. Clusters I to IV and VII had higher mean value for

Fe density (78-100 mg kg-1) and agronomic traits. Highest number of genotypes grouped in

cluster I (63) followed by cluster III (54) having higher yield,1000-grain weight, panicle girth,

Fe and Zn. Top-10% of high-Fe lines had significantly higher Fe (64%), Zn (49%), grain-

weight (29%) and panicle girth (19%) than bottom-10% genotypes. This implies that high-

Fe/Zn sources are available with eliteness and can be incorporated into any genetic

background without compromising agronomic superiority. Higher heritability and genetic

advance as percentage of mean were observed for Fe, Zn and grain-weight suggesting

these traits are predominantly determined by additive gene and can be improved through

selection.

PS I – 78

Marker assisted selection for bean anthracnose resistance in backcross

derivatives of French bean

Jadhav Harshad Manohar1, Bansuli2, Sourav Kanungo and Rakesh Kumar Kapila1

CSK HPKV, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 062; 1Department of Agricultural

Biotechnology, 2Department of Seed Science and Technology, CSK HPKV, Palampur 176

062, Himachal Pradesh


French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most important food legumes consumed

worldwide including India. Viable production of French bean in the temperate and sub-

temperate regions of the north western Himalayas is hampered by anthracnose disease

caused by fungus Collectrotrichum lindemuthianum. The disease is favoured by cool and

humid environment that is prevalent in many parts of Himachal Pradesh. The present study

was undertaken on marker assisted selection of bean anthracnose resistant Co-4 gene

positive plants, raised from previously selected BC1F2 seeds. Three previously selected

gene positive derivatives of French bean (11-9-1, 11-9-2 and 11-2-2) possessing specific

desirable characters like better pod length (11-9-1), higher branch number (11-9-2) and

early flowering (11-2-2) were used as donors of anthracnose resistance gene, Co-4. The

results of the foreground selection in these plants revealed that in cross combination Arka

Komal × 11-9-1, out of 20 plants screened for the presence of SY20 marker, 15 were found

to be positive for the marker and hence the gene, Co-4. Similarly, for cross combination

Arka Komal × 11-9-2, the successful amplification was noticed in 30 out of a total of 40

plants. In combination Arka Komal × 11-2-2, out of a total of 18 plants, 8 amplified the



desired product for marker, SY20. Thus, overall, out of the 78 plants raised, 53 were inferred

to be Co-4 gene positive. A further validation of anthracnose resistance to confirm the

introgression of the Co-4 gene was done using Detached Pod Method.

PS I – 79

Transferability of genomic SSR of Setaria italica across Setaria anceps

for genetic diversity analysis

V. K. Sood*, Aditi Sharma, H. K. Chaudhary, Anjali Kumari and Sawan Kumar

1Department of Crop Improvement, College of Agriculture, CSK Himachal Pradesh

Agricultural University, Palampur 176 062


Considering the potential of S. anceps as forage crop and lack of genetic information at

molecular level, a study was conducted to (i) evaluate the potential of S. italica developed 31

genomic SSR primers for cross-species transferability across S. anceps grass and (ii) assess

the genetic diversity of 34 S. anceps genotypes using cross-amplified SSR markers. SSRs

transferred from S. italica demonstrated a high degree of cross-species amplification (70.9%)

among the genotypes of S. anceps. Cross-amplified SSR markers produced a total of 65

bands, of which ~95% were polymorphic. Polymorphic information content for all the loci

ranged from 0.42 (GB-SIM-066) to 0.77 (UH-Si-583) with an average of 0.62. The average

number of alleles, marker index and resolving power were 2-5, 1.19 and 1.56 respectively.

The UPGMA based dendrogram was able to establish genetic relationships of each genotype

and grouped 34 genotypes into six clusters and clearly separated commercial cultivars from

the rest of genotypes. Based on D2 statistic, all the genotypes were grouped into seven

clusters whereas SSR analysis grouped the genotypes into six clusters. Genetic diversity

on the basis of D2 statistic and molecular analysis revealed genetic polymorphism among

all the genotypes. Maximum diversity was observed for genotypes S-6, S-25, S-17, S-92, S-

21, S-27, PSS-1, S-16 and S-11. So, these genotypes can be used as parents in polycross

breeding program for development of synthetics in Setaria grass.Cross-amplified SSR

markers revealed the usefulness of these markers in genetic differentiation of Setaria grass

and will be greatly helpful in future S. anceps molecular breeding endeavours.



PS I – 80

Genetic diversity analysis in jatropha based on morphological traits

Subhash Chand*, B. B. Bandyopadhyay1, M. K. Nautiyal1 and A. S. Jeena1

1ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi 284 003, Uttar Pradesh;1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and

Technology, Pantnagar 263 145, Uttara Khand


Jatropha is used for production of biodiesel, waste land management, medicinal purposes

etc. Genetic variability and divergence analysis was done based on morphological characters

(fourteen) among ten years old twenty genotypes, which were collected from different regions

of India and planted at farm of GBPUA and T, Pantnagar. The genotypes were planted in

RCBD with three replications. The ANOVA revealed highly significant differences among

genotypes for all characters. The study on genetic parameters showed high genetic variance,

genetic coefficient of variation, heritability, genetic advance and genetic gain over percent

of mean for days to flowering, fruit clusters per plant and fresh weight of 100 fruits suggested

the preponderance of additive genetic control for these traits. Twenty genotypes on D2 analysis

were grouped into three clusters. Cluster I comprised of three genotypes with higher cluster

mean value for primary and secondary branches per plant. Sixteen genotypes constituted

cluster II showing higher mean values for plant height, collar diameter and days to flowering.

One genotype represented cluster III and exhibited high mean values for post floral period,

fruits per cluster. The maximum inter-cluster distance was found between cluster II and III;

and minimum inter-cluster distance was found between cluster I and III, while cluster I was

separated from cluster II and III by equal distance. Experimental results revealed that seed

yield/plant, fruits/cluster and post floral period had contributed maximum towards genetic

diversity and the genetic diversity was not associated with geographical diversity of Jatropha

genotypes. Hence, genotypes with potential genetic diversity viz., IGAU Raipur, IGAU Surguja,

TNMC-3 (from cluster I) and TNMC-2 (cluster III) can be used as a parent in hybrid cross to

improve genetic constitution towards augmenting the productivity of seed yield in Jatropha

population.



PS I – 81

Association and path coefficient analysis for biochemical traits in local

maize genotypes at two different levels of nitrogen

Aditi Eliza Tirkey*, Nagendra Sarma Barua1, Akashi Sarma1, Prakash Kalita2, Samindra

Baishya3

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institite of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu

University, Varanasi 221 005, Uttar Pradesh; 1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics,3Department of Crop Physiology, 3Department of Biochemistry and Agricultural Chemistry


The present study was carried out to compare the direct and indirect effect of various

biochemical traits on grain yield per plant at two different nitrogen levels viz. 80 kg N ha-1

and 0 kg N ha-1. Ten local maize genotypes were evaluated for nine traits in randomized

block design. Heritability and genetic advance both were found to be high for all the traits

except for heritability of Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) at N0. At N0 level grain yield per plant

exhibited strong and highly significant positive genotypic correlation with starch content,

protein content, plant nitrogen, grain nitrogen and while at N80 level grain yield per plant

showed highly significant genotypic correlation with starch content, fat content, protein content,

plant nitrogen, grain nitrogen and NUE. Path analysis at genotypic level showed that at both

N0 and N80 condition, highly significant positive direct effect was recorded for protein content

and NUE on grain yield. Plant nitrogen showed significant positive direct effect on grain

yield while moderate to high, positive direct effect on grain yield per plant was recorded by

starch content, protein content, plant nitrogen and NUE at N0 and at N80, protein content,

plant nitrogen and NUE exhibited significant positive direct effect on grain yield therefore

these traits can be considered for indirect selection criteria for maize grain yield. The direct

influence of these traits was reinforced by its indirect effect mainly via protein content at N0

level and via protein content and grain nitrogen at N80 level.

PS I – 82

Evaluation of Triticum dicoccoides germplasm of wheat for variation in

grain length and width

Sanket Shinde*, Maninder Kaur, Satinder Kaur, Parveen Chhunneja, Kuldeep Singh1

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab; NBPGR, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110

012


Grain traits are the important breeding objective in wheat, as phenotypically it is the most

stable yield component. Large grain has been a key trait selected during wheat domestication



and modern wheat breeding. Wild germplasm of wheat found to be excellent source of

variation in grain length to be exploited in wheat grain improvement. In the present study,

wild progenitor of wheat were understudied including T. dicocoides, T. boeticum, T.monococcum, Ae. speltoides accessions as they are found to have great variations for grain

length which could be exploited for increasing grain length thus grain yield in wheat. The

mature seeds of each of these accessions were evaluated for grain length (GL) and grain

width (GW) for three consecutive years from 2015- 2018. Overall, GL (mm) varies from

5.05-11.02, 5.95-9.71, 6.13-8.9 and 4.57-8.9 and GW (mm) varies from 1.67-3.6, 0.49-3.15,

0.4-3.4 and 1.28-2.78 in all the selected wild accessions T dicocoides T. boeticum, T.monococcum and Ae. speltoides respectively during three consecutive years. In long grain

accessions maximum gain in GL is between 12DPA to 15DPA while in short grains accessions

maximum gain of GL is between 9DPA to 12DPA during developmental stages. The maximum

GL and GW observed in T. dicoccoides from 9.9-10.4mmand 8.1-8.4mm respectively at 4

days of regular intervals after anthesis. This study will enhance the potential for genetic

manipulation of grain size in wheat along with understanding of the evolutionary dynamics

of wheat which is likely to be useful for future wheat-breeding efforts.

PS I – 83

Identification of an efficient chromosome doubling agent for enhancing

doubled haploid production efficiency in wheat × Imperata c ylindrica

derived wheat haploids at in viv o and in vitr o level

K. Singh*, H. K. Chaudhary, N. V. Manoj, A. Relan, P. Sharma and C. Kapoor

*The Molecular Cytogenetics and Tissue Culture Lab (MCTL), Department of Crop

Improvement, CSK HP Agricultural University, Palampur, Himacha Pradesh


In vivo and in vitro production of doubled haploids in wheat involves application of colchicine

to haploid embryos and haploid seedlings at 3-4 leaf stage. Besides, colchicine has many

side effects like abnormal growth, chromosome losses or rearrangements and gene mutation.

Due to its toxic and carcinogenic properties, it may not be safe to be used as chromosome

doubling agent. Hence, a study was conducted with the goal to determine the relative efficiency

of colchicine and other potential chemicals for chromosome doubling in I. cylindrica- mediated

haploids at in vitro and in vivo level. The haploid embryos and seedlings obtained by crossing

6 bread wheat F1s as female parents with I. cylindrica were treated with 6 chromosome

doubling agents namely, colchicine, pronamide, amiprophos methyl (APM), caffeine, oryzalin

and trifluralin at in vitro and in vivo levels. Various parameters were recorded to identify

most potential and economically viable chromosome doubling agent. Chromosome doubling

was reported at 1500 ppm and 2000 ppm colchicine for 72 hours, pronamide 2 ppm and 3

ppm for 96 hours, APM 5 µM for 96 hours and oryzalin 10 µM for 48 hours and 96 hours at



in vitro and 750 ppm and 1500 ppm colchicine for 4 hours and pronamide 2 ppm and 4 ppm

for 8 hours and 3 ppm for 16 hours at in vivo level. Pronamide and APM were found to be

potential and promising alternative for DH production in wheat thereby opening new vistas

in bread wheat improvement programme.

PS I – 84

Combined evaluation of progeny lines and hybrid combinations in flue

cured tobacco using modified augmented design

R. Venkata Ganesh*, D. Satish Kumar, K. N. Subrahmanya and G. V. S. S. Sastry

Research department, ITC ABD Limited, Huccumpeta Post, Rajamahendravaram 533 107


A field experiment was conducted in flue cured tobacco utilizing modified augmented design

during Mysore 2014 season at M/s ABD ITC limited farm. A total of 120 materials including

29 ABL’s, 13 pure lines, and 78 F1 hybrids were tested against checks CH3, Kanchan,

AB103, and AB114 for a combined 144 treatments. The four checks were replicated as

primary plots in a 4x4 design to eliminate two way soil heterogeneity. Additional 8 (4x2)

plots as secondary checks are included to determine whole plot and sub plot errors. The

analysis of variance for cured leaf yield revealed significant variance among test lines with

a range from 1920 Kg/ha to 4091Kg/ha. 13 lines demonstrated superior yield than the best

check AB103 (3451Kg/ha). 20 F1 hybrids exhibited positive trend for Relative heterosis

(0.32-29.5%), Heterobeltiosis (0.63-23.65%), and Standard heterosis (1.78-38.58%).Three

materials ABL20, HYB221 and HYB270 recorded 37-40% higher leaf yield to standard check

and found significantly superior to 3 checks and 27 test lines. Extensive evaluation of several

entries at a time facilitated screening of pure lines and breeding populations (ABLs, F1s)

together to identify one variety and two hybrids for large scale evaluation.

PS I – 85

Genome-wide analysis of the heat shock factor (HSF) genes in jute

(Corchorus olitorius L. and C. capsularis L.)

Subhojit Datta* and Dipnarayan Saha

ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres (CRIJAF), Barrackpore 700 120,

West Bengal


Heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) regulate stress response by regulating the expression

of heat shock proteins and are of immense importance in response to abiotic stress in



plants. However, till date, Hsfs of jute have not been studied in detail and therefore a genome

wide comprehensive analysis of the sequences, evolutionary relationships, and domain

profiles of jute Hsf genes were performed. A total of 17 Hsfs each were identified from C.olitorius and C. capsularis. The peptide and coding sequences of candidate Hsfs of C. olitoriusand C. capsularis were used for BLAST search with Gossypium raiimondi and Theobromacacao Hsfs as query sequences. The Hsf domain, denominated as PF00447 in the Pfam

HMM library were retrieved and highly conserved DBD were detected Using Heatster and

SMART programs. MEME web server was used to further verify the results of domain

prediction. In both C. capsularis and C. olitorius majority (~60%) of Hsfs were categorized as

class A and rest as class B. Only one Hsf in C. olitorius belongs to class C. To understand

the evolutionary relationships between Hsf genes in Corchorus, Gossypium and Theobroma,multiple alignments of the Hsf proteins from the three species were conducted using ClustalW

program built in the MEGA6.0 software. Based on the importance of Hsf genes in responses

to various environmental stresses, analyses of these useful genes will allow genomics enabled

breeding and gene editing for developing climate - smart superior varieties.

PS I – 86

Performance of fodder maize varieties in southern dry zone of Karnataka

P. Mahadevu*, B. G. Shekara, N. M. Chikkarugi and N. Manasa

AICRP on Forage Crops and Utilization, Zonal Agricultural Research Station, University of

Agricultural Sciences, V. C. Farm, Mandya 571 405, Karnataka

Email:[email protected]

Maize (Zea Mays L.) is an important food & fodder crop of southern dry zone of Karnataka,

gaining prominence due to high green forage yield, palatability, ideal crop for preparation of

silage and cultivation in hydroponics. Evaluation of fodder maize varieties carried out under

All India Coordinated Research Project on forage crops and utilization, zonal agricultural

research station, V. C Farm, Mandya during kharif 2017 for identifying the promising

genotypes with high green forage yield and other desirable fodder traits. The experiment

consisted of nine genotypes viz., TSFM-15-2, TSFM-15-5, ADV 6737, IAFM-2015-38, IAFM-

2015-48, AFM-6, H 1003, JHM-15-1 and were compared with national check variety African

tall, laid out in a randomized block design with replicated thrice. The genotype TSFM-15-2

numerically recorded higher green forage yield of 347.8 q/ha over the check variety African

tall (326.0 q/ha). The higher dry matter content (26.32%) and yield (85.81 q/ha) was

observed with check variety African tall. The variety ADV 6737 recorded numerically higher

crude protein yield (6.08 q/ha) and content (8.30%) as compared to other entries including

check.



PS I – 87

Performance of fodder Pearl millet varieties in southern dry zone of

Karnataka

P. Mahadevu, B. G. Shekara, N. M. Chikkarugi and N. Manasa

AICRP on Forage Crops and Utilization, Zonal Agricultural Research Station, V.C. Farm,

Mandya 571 405; University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru 560 065, Karnataka


Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br.) is one of the most drought tolerant cereal

forage crop with excellent palatability and free from anti-nutrional factors. It is gaining

prominence in low rainfall areas that experience frequent periods of dry weather during

either in vegetative or reproductive phases and ideal crop for preparation of silage. Evaluation

of fodder Pearl millet varieties carried out under All India Coordinated Research Project on

forage crops and utilization, Zonal Agricultural Research Station, V. C Farm, Mandya during

kharif 2017 for identifying the promising genotypes with high green forage yield and other

desirable fodder traits. The experiment consisted of seven genotypes viz., TSFB-10-5, Moti

Bajra, TSFB-13-12, TSFB-14-10, Raj Bajra Chari-2, RBB-6 and were compared with national

check variety Giant Bajra. The national check variety Giant Bajra numerically recorded higher

green forage (375.0 q/ha), dry matter yield (75.85 q/ha) and dry matter content (24.89 %)

and on par with other varieties evaluated. The variety Moti Bajra recorded numerically higher

crude protein yield (7.19 q/ha) and content (10.07 %) as compared to other entries including

check variety.

PS I – 88

Genetic analysis for rust resistance in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

P. G. Suresha*, G. T. Basavaraja1 and Shobha Immadi

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, 1AICRP on Soybean,

UAS, Dharwad 580 005; University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad 580 005, Karnataka


Asian soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi Syd. has become a major threat for

production and expansion of soybean in India. JS 335 is the most widely cultivated soybean

variety whose popularity lies in its high yield, early maturity and high adaptability in soybean

cultivation regions of India. However the variety is highly susceptible to rust disease which

causes serious yield losses. EC 241778, is an exotic germplasm line identified as highly

resistant to rust disease. Utilizing JS 335 and EC 241778, in a long term breeding programme,

a highly rust resistant variety, DSb 21 has been released from University of Agricultural

Sciences Dharwad, Karnataka. Six dominant rust resistance genes have been reported



from different sources (Rpp1 to Rpp 6), in addition to a single recessive gene and two

dominant genes with complementary epistasis. Keeping these things in view inheritance of

rust resistance in soybean was studied in three crosses involving two resistant and one

susceptible genotype, viz., DSb 21 x EC 241778 (Resistant x Resistant), DSb 21 x JS 335

(Resistant x Susceptible) and JS 335 x DSb 21 (Susceptible x Resistant). Seeds of all the

generations viz., P1, P2, F1, F2 and F3 were used in field screening. The F2 segregation

analysis of two crosses EC 241780 x JS 335 and JS 335 x EC 241780 cross combinations

revealed that rust resistance is governed by a single dominant gene. In the cross combination,

DSb 21 x EC 241780 it was observed that two dominant genes impart resistance. In all

these crosses the F2 results were confirmed by studying the F3 progenies.

PS I – 89

Estimation of genetic variability resulting from an interspecific cross

between Vigna m ungo and V. umbellata

R. Dhiman, R. K. Mittal and V. K. Sood

Department of Crop Improvement, CSK HPKV, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh

Email: mittal [email protected], [email protected]

Field experiments were conducted on experimental material consisted of 61 Recombinant

Inbred Lines (RILs) (F7 and F8 generations) of Vigna mungo x V. umbellata along with three

standard check varieties of black gram in ?-Design. A wide range of genetic variability for all

the traits clearly show that interspecific hybridization between black gram and ricebean has

created a vast genetic diversity in black gram and has broadened its genetic base. Study

indicated higher contribution of pods per plant, seed yield per plant, biological yield per plant

and harvest index for variability among RILs. High heritability coupled with high genetic

advance for pods per plant, seed yield per plant, biological yield per plant and harvest index

indicated preponderance of additive gene action in the inheritance of these traits. Low residual

effects and R2 values indicated that 99% of the variability has been covered by the traits

studied under present investigation. Seed yield per plant exhibited highly positive correlation

with plant height, branches per plant, pods per plant, pod length, seeds per pod, 100-seed

weight, biological yield per plant and harvest index at both genotypic and phenotypic levels.

Crude protein exhibited significantly negative correlation with seed yield per plant. Pods per

plant emerged to be the best selection indices for increasing seed yield per plant in black

gram.



PS I – 90

Screening for bacterial blight resistance in backcrossed lines of rice

variety Uma

L. M. Megha*, Rose Mary Francies, Jiji Joseph, P. Raji1 and P. S. Abida1

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, 1Regional Agricultural

Research Station, Pattambi, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur


Bacterial blight (BB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae (Xoo) is one of the most

devastating disease in rice which seriously threatens its production and productivity

throughout the country. Considering its impact on food security and sustainability, efforts

were taken to introgress BB resistance into Uma, eliterice variety of Kerala from donor

parent Improved Samba Mahsuri (ISM) identified to show BB resistance under Kerala

conditions through backcross breeding programme. In the present study phenotypic screening

for resistance was conducted in BC1F2 generation under open field conditions during the

month of May-June coinciding with south-west monsoon. Pathogenicity of Kerala isolates of

Xoo pathogen was tested in 106 BC1F2s. Inoculation was conducted by leaf clipping method,

suggested as per IRRI (1991) at maximum tillering stage and leasion length was measured

after 15 days of inoculation. Bioassay of BC1F2 population revealed that 58 out of 106

individuals screened showed resistance with disease score 1 and 22 individuals was observed

to show moderate resistance with disease score 3. Highly susceptible reaction was observed

among 11 genotypes giving a disease score 9.BC1F2s exhibiting resistance and moderate

resistance to BB pathogen was selfed to produce the advanced breeding generations.

PS I – 91

Centromere mediated speciation-revisited

Juby Baby, J. S. Minimol, Jiji Joseph, Anju M. Job and L. M. Megha

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, KAU, Vellanikkara,

Thrissur, Kerala


Centromere is a structure which plays an important role in division of cells through the

attachment of spindle fibres. Even though the main function of centromere is chromosomes

segregation, their rapidly evolving nature has led to the differentiation of new species, hence

playing an important role in evolution. The position of centromere, which includes centromere

repositioning and formation of neocentromere are the main factors. The change in the

centromeric position in chromosome of cucumber and melon is considered as an important

reason for species differentiation. The formation of neocentromere is when the already existing



centromere gets inactivated due to some reasons, a new region in chromosome uptakes

the activity of centromere, known as neocentromere reported in many plant species. The

phylogenetic relationship study carried out in Poaceae family revealed that rice, maize and

bajra were evolved from a common ancestor. An 80 base pair motif was conserved in the

centromeric region of many relatives of these three crops indicating the phylogenetic relation

between them. The best example for centromeric evolution is the comparison between human

beings and chimpanzee. Although belonging to two different genera, majority of their genomic

sequences are identical. Only differences are nine pericentromeric inversions and one centric

fusion leading to the evolution of man and chimpanzee from their closest ancestor. Although

having an important role in evolution, the area of study has not been investigated enough

and which thus requires more research of how this speciation is affected by centromere and

hence evolution.

PS I – 92

Wild species as gene source for crop improvement

Juby Baby*, J. S. Minimol, Jiji Joseph, L. M. Megha and Anju M. Job

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, KAU, Vellanikkara,

Thrissur, Kerala


The use of crop wild relatives (CWR) genes to improve crop performance is well established

with important examples dating back more than 60 years. These genes have been undeniably

beneûcial to modern agriculture, providing plant breeders with a broad pool of potentially

useful genetic resources. Their utility was recognized in breeding programs of major crops

in the 1940s and 1950s, and wild gene use in crop improvement gained in prominence by

the 1970s and 1980s with their use being investigated in an increasing wide range of crops.

Discovery and incorporation of genes from wild species provide means to sustain crop

improvement, particularly when levels of resistance in the cultigens are low and virulent

strains of pests and pathogens overcome the host plant resistance. The extent of utilization

and the potential of the wild gene pool for genetic enhancement have been reviewed in

many important food crops like sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeon pea, groundnut and

many other crops. Wild relatives were used in crop improvement in sugar cane in the ûrst

half of the 20th century which led to the nobilization of canes. Introgression from compatible

wild germplasm in the primary gene pool resulted in transfer of new cytoplasmic male sterility

systems in pearl millet and pigeonpea, development of high protein genotypes, cleistogamous

ûowers and dwarf lines and foliar disease resistant groundnut cultivars. Hence, to conclude

it is better to say that this promising area should be sufficiently exploited as there are many

wild relatives and species which can give us more valuable gene pool related to factors

whose problem has still to be dealt with and which can be incorporated into commercial

varieties.



PS I – 93

Genetic divergence for seed yield and component traits in brown sarson

(Brassica campestris var. brown sarson) under Northwestern Himalayas

Sheetal Sood*, Vedna Kumari and Vinod Kumar

Department of Crop Improvement, CSK HP KV Palampur 176 061, Himachal Pradesh


Genetic diversity analysis based on Mahalanobis (1936) D2-statistic is an important tool to

quantify the degree of genetic divergence among all possible pairs of populations at genotypic

level which determines the relative contribution of each component trait to total divergence.

In the present study, an attempt was made to assess the genetic divergence among 26

brown sarson genotypes grown in randomized complete block design with three replications

at experimental farm of CSKHPKV, Palampur during rabi 2015-16. The analysis of variance

revealed the presence of sufficient genetic variability for all characters in Env.I and Env.II.

Pooled analysis over environments revealed the presence of G x E interactions for all

characters except days to 75 per cent maturity. All the genotypes were grouped into 6

clusters each in Env.I, Env.II and pooled over the environments. Maximum genotypes were

placed in cluster II in Env.I as well as in pooled over the environments and cluster I in Env.II.

The genotypes in Env.I, II and pooled over the environments clustered irrespective of their

geographical region which suggested that there was no parallelism between geographical

distribution and genetic diversity. Maximum contribution towards genetic divergence was

due to seeds per siliqua in Env.I, siliquae per plant in Env.II and days to 75 per cent maturity

in pooled over the environments. Selection of genotypes as superior and diverse parents for

hybridization programme based on diverse clusters viz., IV (03-473 x 03-472, HPBS-1 x

Heera-1 and 03-473 x 02-KLM-6) and V (02-KLM-6) in Env.I, V (HPBS-1 x 02-KLM-6) and

VI (HPKM-04-1) in Env.II and II (03-473 x 03-472, HPKM-04-1 x KDH-BS-6, KBS-3 x HPBS-

1, 03-473 x 02-KLM-6 and HPBS-1 x Geeta-1) and IV (KDH-BS-6 x 02-KLM-6) in pooled

over the environments would be effective to get heterotic crosses and superior recombinants

in early segregating generations of brown sarson.



PS I – 94

Speed breeding: A promising tool for rapid green revolution

Anju M. Job*, V. Silpa, S. Biju, Jiji Joseph, Dijee Bastian, P. Sindhumole and Chakravarthi

Marri1

College of Horticulture, KAU, Vellnikkara, Thrissur, Kerala


Sustainable food production for a rapidly growing human population is one of the major

concerns for the agricultural sector globally. Due to the long generation time, there exists a

huge gap between demand and supply. In order to overcome this, plant breeders are exploring

more efficient crop improvement strategies such as shuttle breeding, doubled haploid

technique, tissue culture methods and hormone application to hasten the advancement of

breeding material. ‘Speed breeding’ is a revolution among them, which greatly shortens

generation time and accelerates breeding programmes. It is a platform which uses fully

enclosed, controlled-environment for crops which can accelerate the rate of development,

early harvesting of immature seeds, thereby reducing the generation time. Different strategies

used in speed breeding includes optimisation of photoperiodic conditions, temperature, light,

plant density, and watering regimes, harvesting immature seeds followed by seed treatment,

and rapid phenotyping. So far three procotols have been established for speed breeding

viz., controlled-environment chamber protocol, glasshouse protocol and low-cost home-

made growth room design protocol. It has been used successfully in breeding for various

traits in crops such as drought tolerance, multiple disease resistance, and seed dormancy.

Integrating speed breeding protocols with other breeding techniques such as genomic

selection and rapid phenomic screening platform is found to be promising in achieving a

better genetic gain in future.

PS I – 95

Genetic studies for shattering resistance in rice (Oryza sativ a L.)

Anju M. Job*, S. Biju, Jiji Joseph, T. Girija, M. T. Kanakamani and Chakravarthi Marri

College of Horticulture, KAU, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala


Shedding of seeds at maturity is an important factor which leads to yield loss especially in

case of field crops like rice. One of the main disadvantages of Jyothi, a popular rice variety

of Kerala is seed shattering at maturity. To overcome this, the first step is to identify the

variability present among the rice genotypes for shattering. In our experiment, twenty five

rice genotypes including both traditional and high yielding varieties were screened for seed

shattering and other yield attributes, following augmented design with two check varieties.



The degree of shattering was measured using IRI (Induced Random Impact) method. Wide

variability was found among the twenty five genotypes for all the characters studied with

shattering per cent ranging from 1.73 (Manupriya) to 26.92 per cent (Jyothi). High PCV and

GCV were recorded for seed yield per plant and shattering per cent. Days to fifty per cent

flowering, flag leaf width, flag leaf length, number of panicles per plant, seed yield per plant

and shattering per cent recorded high heritability along with high genetic gain. Heritability

and genetic gain for shattering was 89.34 per cent and 72.96 per cent respectively, indicating

the influence of additive gene action in the expression of the trait and scope for further

improvement through selection.

PS I – 96

Molecular Diversity in Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea ) using SSR

markers

Girish Tantuway*, Anamika Jaiswal and K. Srivastava

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras

Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005


Indian Mustard is an important oilseed crop used as edible oil, condiments and in treatments.

In this study SSR markers were used for assessment of DNA polymorphism in Brassicajuncea. The prime objective of present investigation was assessment of genetic diversity

among 19 B. juncea genotypes using 10 SSR markers. A total of 13 alleles, ranging from 2

to 3 were amplified and PIC value ranged from 0.776 to 0.426 with a mean value of 0.605.

The UPGMA dendrogram was constructed using Jaccard’s similarity coefficients based on

SSR marker data generated on nineteen genotypes. UPGMA grouped all 19 Indian mustard

genotypes into five clusters at a similarity coefficient of 0.50. NDRE-4 × 9901-1-1-3, DRMR-

904 × MCN-22-09-25, Ornamental Rai × HUJM-9964-3-2-1, NDRE-4 × HUJM-9964-5-1-4,

DRMR-904 × MCN-22-5-1-2 and NDRE-4 × HUJM-9964-5-1-4, NDRE-4 × ABR-4-4-1-1,

NDRE-4 × HUJM-9964-5-1-4 genotypes exhibited maximum diversity. The information

generated in present study would be used in the future by breeder to select cultivars that

can be used for rapeseed-mustard breeding in order to obtain new high yielding hybrids or

varieties.



PS I – 97

Heterosis and combining ability analysis for yield attributing traits in

bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Prakriti Tomar*, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Somveer Singh1 and Lokesh Kumar Gangwar2

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 1Section of Rabi Cereals, Chandra Shekhar

Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur 208 002 Uttar Pradesh; 2Professor,

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Sardar Vallabhbhai University of Agriculture

and Technology, Meerut 250 110, Uttar Pradesh


In order to study the combining ability and heterosis of wheat, 15 hybrids generated in a 6 x

6 diallel fashion excluding reciprocals, were evaluated in R.B.D. design with 3 replications

and the experiment was conducted in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 at Crop Research Farm,

CSAUA and T, Kanpur (U.P.). Analysis of variance for gca among the parents revealed that

all the traits were found highly significant but sca for the crosses were observed highly

significant for all the traits except number of productive tillers per plant, spike length and

grain yield per plant. Combining ability analysis revealed the involvement of both additive

and non-additive gene action in the inheritance of most of the traits. Among the parents,

K9107, PBW343 and K1006 proved to be good general combiners based on their gca effects

as well as per se performance for grain yield. In regards to sca effects, the F1 hybrids K1006

× K9107 and K9107 × K607 were exhibited good specific combinations for grain yield.

Heterosis at better parent reflected the idea of gene action i.e. dominance, over dominance

or recessive. The positive and significant values always indicated over dominance effect of

the parents. For grain yield per plant, three cross combinations K1006 × K424, K9107 ×

K424, and K607 × K424 identified with positive significant over better parent heterosis.

PS I – 98

Association analysis for root and shoot trait in upland rice

Harendra Verma* and R. N. Sarma

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat 785 013


Rice crop is challenged by drought stress in upland ecosystem. The vigorous shoots and

roots help to improve drought resistance. The identification and introgression of major effect

QTL for root and shoot traits will play important role in improving the drought tolerance.

Association mapping is more effective in detection of more genes/alleles with higher resolution

as compared to biparental analysis through advantages of both linkage disequilibrium and

accumulated historic recombination events in the natural population of a particular species.



In the present study genome wide association analysis was conducted for identification of

various QTLs for root and shoot traits on a panel of 114 rice genotypes using 65 SSR

markers. This panel showed high diversity for various root and shoot traits. Spurious

associations due to hidden population structure can be avoided by population structure

analysis. A total of 15 marker-trait associations detected at P<0.0001 for the various root,

shoot and drought sensitivity related traits under water stress situation. Two associations

were detected for recovery of 1st leaf one day after irrigation and recovery after 2nd leaf on

chromosome 9 by RM24390 explaining 11.95% and 19.05% of variation respectively. The

marker RM212 located on chromosome 1 showed association with fresh root weight, dry

root weight, root volume and dry leaf weight explaining 57.80%, 24.41%, 20.04% and 12.75%

of variance, respectively. Marker RM252 on chromosome 4 was associated with dry root

weight, fresh root weight, root volume, dry leaf weight and fresh leaf weight explaining 58.54%,

57.80%, 43.78%, 37.92% and 18.94% of variance respectively. RM127 located on

chromosome 4 was associated with root length explaining 19.30% of variation. One

association was detected for root shoot: ratio on chromosome 7 by RM418 explaining 23.27%

of variation. Marker RM495 located on chromosome 1 was associated with fresh root weight

explaining 15.66% of variation.

PS I – 99

Weedomics for sustainable food, health and nutrition security

Parthsinh Rahevar*

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, C. P. College of Agriculture, Sardarkrushinagar

Dantiwada Agricultural University, Dantiwada 385 506, Gujarat


Weedomics is the study of organization, evolution and utility of the genes and non-coding

counties of weed genome. Numerous genomic-based studies have provided insight to the

physiological and evolutionary processes involved in developmental and environmental

processes of model plants. However, far fewer efforts have been attempted to use genomic

resources of weedy plants. There are currently eight weeds with well-developed genomic

resources and only for Amaranthustuberculatus; significant amount of genomic sequence

data is available. Leafy weedy plants are the major source of food in rural area of India.

Amarnanthusdubius has the highest (34.2 mg/100 g) iron content; followed by wild onion

(6.9 mg/100 g).Cannabis and Caper spurge are well known in Indian medicine for their

emetic and purgative property. The earliest reports of using non-weed microarrays to study

weed transcriptomes described the use of arabidopsisc DNA arrays to follow changes in

gene expression between shoots and mature leaves of wild oat and leafy spurge. Weedomics

research should increase our understanding of the evolution of herbicide resistance and of

the basic genetics underlying traits that make weeds a successful group of plants. Utilizations

of Weedomics will help in the identification of novel genes that could improve crop yields



such as aluminum tolerance, a trait that is virtually absent from crops. Additionally, it is

possible that some of the genes that make weeds so competitive may provide targets or

information needed to or modify crops or management practices to make crops more

competitive and able to thrive in less than optimal growing conditions, convert in better

medicinal and nutritionally rich plants for animals or humans due to novel transcription factors,

new regulatory pathways and unique homeotic genes that allow them to respond and grow

differently than crops and wild plants. Study of genome organization is mandatory for utilization

of this all the advantages of weed plants in commercial breeding program.

PS I – 100

Principle component analysis for important quantitative traits In baby

corn (Zea Mays L.)

P. Magudeeswari and E. V. Divakara Sastry

College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University Imphal, Manipur


Twelve baby corn genotypes for nine quantitative traits were evaluated in college of

agriculture, central agricultural university Imphal during the season pre kharif 2016, rabi2017 and kharif 2017. The principle component analysis indicated that the total variation

was explained by 9 principal components (PC1 to PC9). The first three principal components

exhibited eigen value more than one and all together accounted for 76 percent of explained

variability. The first principal component (PC1) accounted 33.92 % followed by the second

(PC2) accounted 23.04% and third (PC3) accounted for 19.36% principal components. It

was therefore inferred that the essential feature of data set was explained by the first three

principal components. The first principle components had the positive loading for the

characters like 50% pollen shedding, 50% silking, Cob length, cob girth, cob weight, yield

with husk and yield without husk. The present investigation was carried out to identify the

most relevant characters and presents them in more interpretable and more visualized

dimensions through linear combinations of variables that accounts for most of the variation

present in original set of variables.



PS I – 101

Improvement in fibre quality of desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum )

through interspecific hybridization

V. N. Chinchane* and K. S. Baig

Cotton Research Station, Mahboob Baugh Farm, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi

Vidyapeeth, Parbhani 431 401


Cotton is an important agriculture commodity for export in the form of raw cotton, cotton yarn

and other value added textile goods. Indigenous diploid Gossypium arboreum cotton

possesses inherent ability to resist major insect pests and diseases, but had inferior fibre

length and smaller boll size than tetraploid G. hirsutum cotton. Attempts to introgress favorable

traits like big boll size and fibre length (staple length) of cultivated tetraploid G.hirsutum into

cultivated diploid G. arboreum were made by interspecific hybridization of G. arboreum and

G. hirsutum. Introgressed genotypes developed by introgression along with three checks

viz., PA 255, PA 402 and NH 615 were evaluated at Cotton Research Station, Mahboob

Baugh Farm, VNMKV, Parbhani. These genotypes were analysed for fibre quality parameters

like Upper Half Mean Length, micronaire, fibre strength, uniformity index, as well as for

quantitative characters like seed cotton yield, lint yield and boll weight. Results were

statistically significant for seed cotton yield. Based on the mean performance for seed cotton

yield, the genotype PAIG 398 recorded highest seed cotton yield (1117 kg/ha) followed by

PAIG 396 (937 kg/ha) and PAIG 394 (935 kg/ha). The ginning outturn ranged from 33.38

(PAIG 384) to 36.33 per cent (PAIG 393). The genotype PAIG 393 recorded highest ginning

outturn (36.33%) followed by PAIG 391 (35.70%). The genotype PAIG 400 recorded highest

upper half mean length (31.4 mm) followed by PAIG 394 (31.2 mm) and PAIG 390 (30.8

mm). Micronaire value ranged from 3.9 to 5.0 µg/inch. The genotype PAIG 395 recorded

highest fibre strength (30.6 g/tex) followed by PAIG 384 (30.3 g/tex) and PAIG 400 (30.2 g/

tex). In general, performance of genotypes PAIG 398 and PAIG 396 was most promising for

upper half mean length (above 31.00 mm) and fibre strength (above 29.00 g/tex).



PS I – 102

Development and validation of novel EST-SSR markers in pomegranate

(Punica granatum L.)

Shilpa Parashuram*, S. N. Shendage, N. V. Singh, P. B. Patil, B. T. Meera, Vipul Sangnure,

D. M. Mundewadikar and Jyotsana Sharma

ICAR-National Research Centre on Pomegranate, Kegaon, Solapur, Maharashtra


Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an ancient fruit crop domesticated over 5000years

ago. It is well known for table and anardana purposes. Conventional breeding in pomegranate

is time consuming due to its perennial nature. Molecular markers play an important role in

crop improvement programmes for improving or developing promising genotypes in a short

period of time. In this study, a total of 2417 pomegranate expressed sequence tag (EST)

sequences retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) (http://

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) database and were mined for discovery of simple sequence repeats

motifs. Unigenes from the downloaded EST sequences were identified and categorized into

singletons (873) and contigs (255) by using EGassembler (http://egassembler.hgc.jp/)

software. Total 159 SSR motifs were discovered from 143 unigenesby using WebSat software

(http://purl.oclc.org/NET/websat/). Among these dinucleotide repeats were found to be the

most abundant (42.77%) followed by mononucleotide (36.48%) and trinucleotide (20.13%).

In dinucleotide repeats (AG)n, (CT)n and (GA)n were found in maximum number with 16.18%.

In total, 101 in silico primers were designed from the flanking regions of motifs by using

WebSat software (http://purl.oclc.org/NET/websat/). Out of 101 primers, 27 were randomly

selected and synthesized for validation on 12 different pomegranate genotypes. Finally, 22

primers were successfully amplified with the expected product size. These EST-SSR primers

could be utilized for generating molecular genetic information in pomegranate breeding

programmes. Through this study we could able to develop and validate a good

number of functional primers by utilizing available database information in a very cost

effective manner.



PS I – 103

Genetic diversity assessment for fruit morphological and biochemical

characters in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Shilpa Parashuram*, G. A. Puja, N. N. Gaikwad, K. D. Babu, Ram Chandra, Swati

Suryavanshi, Vipul Sangnure and Jyotsana Sharma

ICAR-National Research Centre on Pomegranate, Kegaon, Solapur, Maharashtra


Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), one of the most important commercial fruit crops of

India, is well known for its nutritional and medicinal properties. Understanding the genetic

mechanism of this often-cross pollinated crop is very much essential to enhance its breeding

programme efficiency. In this context, matured fruits of 24 pomegranate genotypes collected

from field gene banks of ICAR-NRCP, Solapur during 2017-18 were evaluated for 17 fruit

quantitative traits including morphological and biochemical parameters. Analysis of Variance

has showed the presence of significant difference among the studied genotypes for all

characters except total soluble solids. Wild genotypes were found to have small sized fruits

with high acidity and phenol content. A large sized fruit with bold arils and higher anthocyan

in content was noted among cultivated genotypes. Cluster analysis has clearly indicated the

presence of wider diversity among the genotypes. Based on genetic dissimilarity distance,

the genotypes were grouped into five clusters. Cluster-II consisted highest number of

genotypes (8) followed by cluster-I (7) whereas cluster-VI had only one genotype. Maximum

intra and inter cluster distance was found to be 6.61(cluster-I) and 9.33 (between cluster I

and IV) respectively. The inter-cluster distances were larger than the intra-cluster distances.

The genotypes falling into these four clusters (I, II, III and IV) had wider genetic variability.

Hence, selection of diverse genotypes for the trait of interest can be made between these

groups. Further, these can be directly used in hybridization programme to develop desirable

recombinants of important commercial cultivars.



PS I – 104

Comparative studies of correlation and path analysis in Indian mustard

(Brassica juncea L.Czern and Coss) under late and normal sown

conditions

Suman Yadav and Anil Pandey

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Dr. RPCAU, Pusa 848 125, Bihar


Twenty germplasm accessions of Indian mustard were evaluated for seed yield and its yield

components (seventeen characters) under protected (against terminal heat stress) and

unprotected conditions during rabi season of 2017-18 at Farm Research centre TCA Dholi,

Bihar, India. The correlation study revealed that seed yield per plant was highly and

significantly correlated with biological yield per plant, plant height, number of primary branches

as well as number of secondary branches, siliqua on primary branches, siliqua on secondary

branches, days to first flower open, vegetative phase duration and days to 50% flowering at

both genotypic and phenotypic levels in protected and unprotected conditions. Further, path

coefficient analysis of seventeen yield contributing characters clearly indicated that biological

yield per plant showed highest positive direct effect on seed yield in both protected and

unprotected conditions even though plant height, number of seeds per plant, harvest index,

physiological maturity indicated positive direct effects and other characters contributed

indirectly towards seed yield. The present study has clearly indicated the need for giving

due weightage for number of siliquae per plant, number of secondary branches per plant,

harvest index and biological yield per plant for improving seed yield in mustard.

PS I – 105

Rice bean - An underutilized potential multipurpose grain legume: A

brief review

Sanchit Thakur*, Shailja Sharma and Neelam Bhardwaj

Department of Crop Improvement, CSKHPKV, Palampur 176 062

Email:

Rice bean (Vigna umbellata) is regarded as a minor food crop in northern India and Nepal

and is a neglected legume. The dried seeds are high in nutrition value and are consumed as

dal or pulse. Rice bean is an excellent legume crop which has capability to produce good

yield under wide range of climatic conditions. Although mainly grown for human consumption,

it is also used as fodder and green manure. It has high yield potential and is also free from

major pests and diseases. Rice bean is an underutilized crop which is cultivated in a limited



scale by subsistence farmers in India. There is hardly any institute specifically working for

the development of this crop therefore, as a result there is limited research on development

of this potential pulse giving rise to scarcity of published literature. Thus, there is a need to

focus on this crop to establish it as a potential pulse crop.

PS I – 106

Evaluation of advance breeding genotypes of soybean for stability and

genetic diversity under different environments

Stuti Mishra1, Dinesh K. Pancheshwar, Archana Rani, Avinash Jha and A. N. Shrivastava

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya,

Jabalpur 482 004, Madhya Pradesh


Fifty advance breeding soybean genotypes were evaluated for stability over three

environments, in three seasons for two years i.e. Kharif 2013, Rabi 2013-14, Kharif 2014 for

phenological and economic traits. The mean sum of square of variance revealed that

genotypic differences were highly significant (P<0.01) for seven traits viz., vegetative phase,

plant height, number of pod cluster plant-1, number of branches plant-1, number of seeds

plant-1,100 seed weight, seed yield plant-1. Mean sum of squares due to Environment (linear)

was found highly significant for all the traits under study. The genotype x environment

interaction showed significant values for five traits viz., vegetative phase, reproductive phase,

number of pods plant-1, number of nodes plant-1, biological yield plant-1. The mean sum of

squares due to genotype × environment (linear) component against pooled deviation were

found significant among the traits viz., plant height, number of branches plant-1, number of

seeds plant-1, biological yield plant-1, seed yield plant-1, 100 seed weight and harvest index.

JS 335, JS 93-05, JS 95-60, JS 97-52, JS 20-34, JS 20-73, JS 20-84, JS 20-85, JS 20-90,

JS 20-93, JS 20-94, JS 20-98, JSM 246 were identified as stable genotypes over all

environments exhibited constant performance for more than four traits including economic

traits. Whereas JS 20-64, JS 20-73, JS 20-94, JS 20-96, JSM 302, Bragg were found

appropriate for poor environments. JS 20-53, JS 20-41, RVS 2007-4 and JSM 283 found

stable for favorable environment. On the basis of genetic divergence analysis over three

environments, most diverse genotypes identified were JS 335, JS 20-34, JS 20-29, JS 20-

41, JS 20-50, JS 20-59, JS 20-65, JS 20-69, JS 20-71, JS 20-89, JS 20-92, JS 20-94, JS

20-95, JS 20-96, JS 20-98, JSM126, JSM 127, JSM 175, JSM 230, JSM 242, JSM 283,

JSM 302 and Bragg. On account of results from genetic divergence and stability analysis

above genotypes were considered as potential sources to be utilize in hybridization programs

to accomplish the desirable future varieties of soybean with wider adaptability and better

stability.



PS I – 107

Evaluation of short duration pulses for crop diversification in Cauvery

command areas of Karnataka

P. Mahadevu, B. G. Shekara, N. Mallikarjuna, N. M. Chikkarugi and Yusuf Abbas

AICRP on Forage Crops & Utilization, Zonal Agricultural Research Station, V. C. Farm,

Mandya 571 405; University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru 560 065, Karnataka


Pulses are second most important group of food grains after cereals with their unique features

which support sustainable agriculture and nutritional security for majority vegetarian

population in India. Promising short duration pulses like blackgram, greengram, cowpea,

chickpea, fieldbean, horsegram and ricebean. Cauvery command areas of Karnataka is

characterised by majority under bimodal assured rainfall regions dominated with cereals

(rice, ragi, maize, sorghum and bajra), commercial (cotton, tobacco, turmeric, ginger,

sugarcane and mulberry) and plantation crops (coconut, mango). Conventionally large area

under these crops are amenable for introduction of short duration pulses in different seasons

(early kharif, kharif, late kharif, rabi-summer) with available residual moisture or protective

life saving irrigation or in assured rainfall regions. We evaluated different genotypes under

different seasons/location specific conditions to validate and identify promising genotypes.

These promising varieties were also evaluated in large scale demonstrations in farmer fields

in four districts (Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Hassan). Development of mungbean

yellow mosaic virus resistant genotypes in blackgram and greengram was undertaken by

using resistant donors viz., PU-106 and PU-20 in blackgram and ML818, EC-693372 and

IPM-02-14 in greengram as donor parents. Among the evaluated genotypes, LBG 791 and

MBG-1 found promising in blackgram, and in greengram, MGG-1 derived from the cross

KKM-3 x ML 818, found promising with 32.6% and 17.4% superior over the respective check

varieties.

PS I – 108

Qualifying ability of Phule Chaitanya ( KDG 160) for cultivation in zone

IIIb of India

M. P. Deshmukh*, D. K. Kathmale and R. G. Jadhav

Agricultural Research Station, Kasbe Digraj 416 305 Dist. Sangli ( MS)


A groundnut breeding programme at Agricultural Research Station, Kasbe Digraj (Mahatma

Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri-413 722 : Maharashtra State) has yielded a variety which

is moderately resistant to stem rot and late leaf spot with higher yield (rabi–summer) in



groundnut growing zone III b of India. It is an outcome of a cross between [(ICGV 92069 x

ICGV 93184) x (ICGV 87121 x ICGV 87853) x ICGV 92023]. Single plant selections were

made from the successive progenies and were maintained by Pedigree method. Selected

promising material showed moderate resistance to diseases mentioned above and consistent

high yield performance at station, multilocation and adaptive trials of the Mahatma Phule

Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri besides in All India Coordinated Project trials of groundnut (Initial

Varietal trials and Advanced varietal trials) also conducted in zone IIIb of India during rabi-summer. The results of Initial and Advanced varietal trials held between 2011 to 2014 have

reflected into its high yielding performance over to checks. In zone III b percent increase in

dry pod yield and kernel yield of this genotype ranged between 28 to 54% and 33 to 56%

respectively over checks. Among 14 trials conducted at seven locations during three years,

KDG 160 ranked first six times in significant group over check varieties, TAG 24, R-8808

and ICGV 00350. The variety has high hundred kernel weight (38-49 g); shelling outturn

(68-69 %) and sound mature kernel (83-90) with high oil content (51.6%). Considering its

high yielding performance and moderate resistance to stem-rot and late leaf spot diseases,

this genotype qualifies for release in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil

Nadu states of India for cultivation during rabi-summer season.

PS I – 109

Selection for earliness, seed size, determinate growth habit and seed

luster traits from F2 segregatomg population in soybean [Glycine max

(L.) Merril]

Sharinkhal T. Pawale, V. P. Chimote and M. P. Deshmukh*

State Level Biotechnology Centre, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri 413 722;1Agricultural Research Station, Kasbe Digraj, (Sangli) 416 305, Maharashtra


Six crosses were performed among three varieties from our university (Phule Agrani/Phule

Sangam/ Phule Kimaya) with two Kunitz trypsin inhibitor free cultivars (NRC101/ NRC102),

of which only four crosses showed morphologically desirable traits for yield and yield attributing

traits in F2 segregants (except those cross involving Phule Sangam). Phule Agrani x NRC

101 showed good performance during segregation for determinate growth habit, early

flowering (42 days) and early maturity 92 days over the parent, Phule Agrani (102 days).

Phule Agrani x NRC 102 showed improvement for seed size (15g test weight) and seed

luster over the local parent Phule Agrani (11g test weight), which is an improvement preferred

by farmers. There was also improvement in this F2 segregating population for maturity (91

days) as well as early flowering (42 days) over Phule Agrani (102 days maturity and 54 days

to flowering). In both these F2 populations, seed hilum was yellow coloured just like their

male parents NRC 101/102. F2 segregant from Cross Phule Kimaya x NRC 101 showed



similar result with improvements for early maturity (97 days and 43 days to flowering) over

the local female parent Phule Kimaya (109 days to maturity and 55 days to flowering).

Further the seeds obtained from few segregants were bold sized (18g test weight); had

shiny lusture and were spherical shaped with yellow hilum like their male parent NRC101.

Determinate growth habits desired for synchronous maturity was also observed in both the

crosses involving Phule Kimaya. In Phule Kimaya x NRC 102 cross, F2 also showed early

maturity (92 days) and flowering (43 days) over female parent Phule Kimaya with test weight

of seeds (17 g) exhibiting shiny seed lusture.

PS I – 110

Validation of microsatellite marker associated with pod dehisence

tolerance in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

D. P. Mohekar, V. P. Chimote, D. S. Thakare, M. P. Deshmukh1 and S. S. Dodake2

State Level Biotechnology Centre, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri 413 722, (MS);1Agricultural Research Station, Kasbe Digraj, Sangli 416 305, (MS); 2Agricultural Research

Station, Kundewadi, Niphad, Nashik 422 303, (MS)


Soybean molecular markers linked with pod shattering tolerance loci (qPDH1 loci) were

evaluated in a segregating F2 population of cross [Kalitur (shattering susceptible) x DS-9712

(shattering tolerant)] by bulked segregant analysis (BSA). Based on field (3.0-16.0%

shattering) and oven drying (5-85% shattering) data in this F2 population, pod shattering

was found to be partially dominant over the tolerance, with inhibitory epistasis of two major

genes evident from 13:3 ratio. Chi-square test for goodness of fit that was confirmed by test

cross. Only two (viz. Satt674 and SRM1) microsatellite markers showed polymorphism in

between the parents and their corresponding F2 bulks. Satt674 marker alleles were closely

placed hence was not used for validation. SRM1 primer that yielded distinct polymorphic

markers (237bp vrs. 225 bp) was validated in 60 individual F2 plants varying for pod

dehiscence. Forty-seven susceptible plants yielded either only 237 bp bands or were

heterozygous, while 13 shattering tolerant F2 plants amplified only 225 bp marker. Hence,

for screening the soybean breeding materials in future, this SRM1-225bp marker should be

used.



PS I – 111

Understanding genetic diversity in mungbean (Vigna radiata L.)

genepool based on agro-morphological traits

Gayacharan*, Kuldeep Tripathi, J. C. Rana1, Neeta Singh, Surendra Kumar Meena2, Bhopal

Singh Panwar, Ashok Kumar and Hanuman Lal

ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110 012; 1Bioversity

International, India Office, NAASC, New Delhi 110 012; 2ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses

Research, Kanpur 208 024


Mungbean (Vigna radiata) is a major pulse crop of Indian sub-continent. It plays a significant

role in nutritional and food security particularly in vegetarian population of South, East and

Southeast Asia. It is also a rich source of high quality protein source (25-28% protein. This

pulse is relished for its palatability, easily digestibility and least flatulence. But the potential

yield of the crop could not be realized despite decades’ long research and breeding work

being carried out throughout the region; which is majorly due to inadequate utilization of

existing variability present in the crop gene pool. Therefore, characterization of 1231

accessions of mungbean germplasm was done. Total nine quantitative traits, seventeen

qualitative traits and eleven seed morphometric traits were observed. Wide range of variability

was observed for various useful traits like days to 80% flowering (25-60), days to 80%

maturity (48-90), pod length (5-15.1 cm), number of seeds/pod (4.67-15) and 100 seed

weight (1.58-7.89g). Phenotypic coefficient of variation was highest for flowering period

(32.92%), seed weight (30.18%) followed by days to end of flowering (16.05%) and days to

initial flowering (15.01%). Traits of adaptive importance like Leaf pubescence, seedling vigour,

growth habit, raceme position and other morphological traits like hypocotyle pigmentation,

petiole colour, seed color and seed shape shown good amount of variability. Some unique

germplasm with erect and tall canopy (~120 cm) having lodging resistance (IC553601), late

maturing thermo-insensitive in nature (IC118998 and K-1) and very large leaf size (IC249567)

were also identified. The agro-morphological variability revealed from this study may prove

very useful in on-going and future breeding programs.



PS I – 112

Identification of stable dual sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

genotype for feed and fodder security of dairy animals of Gujarat

S. K. Jain* and P. R. Patel

Sorghum Research Station, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Deesa

385 535 (BK) Gujarat; Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture,

Sri Karan Narendra Agricultural University, Lalsot (Dausa) Rajasthan


Sorghum or Great millet [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is one of the major staple foods for

the poorest and most food insecure people across the semi-arid tropics of the world. In

Gujarat, sorghum is grown as grain crop in South Gujarat, dual purpose in North Gujarat,

Kutchh, and Saurashtra on an average about 1.80 lakh hectares. The productivity is 1338

kg/ha. In spite of low productivity of kharif sorghum in Gujarat it continues to be an important

component for feed and fodder for dairy cattle’s with fairly consistent area over many years.

One of the major reasons for instability in yield of dual sorghum is due to the non-availability

of stable genotypes. Genotype × environmental interaction has great significance in evaluating

crop varieties over a wide range of environmental conditions. The information on G × E

interaction leads to successful evaluation of stable genotypes which could be used either

for general cultivation or in future breeding programme. Therefore, the present study was

undertaken to evaluate newly developed sorghum genotypes over different agro-climatic

conditions of Gujarat during kharif 2015-17. Significant differences were observed among

environments and varieties for the characters. The G × E interaction for the characters was

significant and the significant mean squares due to environment (linear) indicated the

existence of real varietal differences in characters for regression over the environmental

mean. The genotype DS 127 was found higher yielder and most stable and found suitable

for recommendation for release as dual purpose under rainfed condition of Gujarat.

PS I – 113

Pattern of genetic diversity in germplasm collection of rice (Oryza sativ a

L.)

Tejbir Singh* and Naresh Kumar

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Kisan P. G. College, Simbhaoli 245 207, Hapur

Email:

The pattern of genetic diversity among forty rice genotypes collected from different geographic

sources was carried out under four different environments using Mahalanobis’s D2 statistic.



The genotypes were grouped into five clusters (EI) and seven clusters each (EII, EIII and

EIV). It was observed that the constitution of different clusters with regard to genotypes

changed under different environments due to gxe interaction. In EI, the maximum inter-

cluster distance was observed between cluster II and IV, in EII between cluster IV and VI, in

EIII between cluster V and VI and in EIV between cluster II and VI. The groups of genotypes

are highly divergent from each other. The genotypes in the above clusters of respective

environments revealed substantial differences in the means of grain yield and its attributes.

Therefore, taking into consideration higher genetic distance and higher differences in cluster

means for maximum number of traits, the crosses may be attempted between the genotypes

from the cluster combinations showed maximum inter-cluster distance under different

environments. The most important traits causing maximum genetic divergence were number

of leaves on main tiller, number of spikelets per panicle and plant height. Hence, it is advisable

to select divergent parents based on these traits and attempt crossing between them so as

to achieve a broad spectrum of favourable genetic variability for yield improvement in rice.

PS I – 114

Studies on inheritance of rust resistance in linseed (Lin um

usitatissim um L.)

Ranjeet Singh Sran*, Satish Paul, Ashok Kumar and Nimit Kumar

Department of Crop Improvement, 2Plant Pathology, Shivalik Agricultural Research and

Extension Centre, Kangra, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur 176

062, H.P.


Rust is a destructive disease of linseed that affects all the aerial parts of the plant (leaves,

stem and capsules). It causes drastic losses in fibre quality and seed yield. Mainly the

damage depends upon the severity of the disease. Among the different control measures,

development of resistant cultivars is a best way to check the disease. There are 34 genes

known for conferring resistance to rust and occurred in seven groups, namely, K, L, M, N, P,D and Q. The present investigation was carried out at Shivalik Agricultural Research and

Extension Centre Kangra to study the inheritance of gene(s) conferring resistance in linseed

using four generations derived from hybridization between three diverse genotypes, namely

T-397 (susceptible), Baner (resistant) and Nagarkot (resistant). The results of this study

provided an indication that rust resistance is conditioned by a single dominant gene. In the

attempted cross combinations, the segregation of F2 generations fit well in the ratio 3(R):1(S),

which suggests the monogenic inheritance of resistance in these crosses. This was further

conûrmed by the test cross ratio of 1(R):1(S) in backcross generation producted from the

susceptible parent in both the crosses. The present investigation suggests that the resistant

parental lines (Baner and Nagarkot) can be used as sources of resistance in breeding

programs.



PS I – 115

Estimates on combining ability, gene action and heterosis for

quantitative traits in rice (Oryza sativ a L.)

R. Madhuri1*, B. M. Dushyanthkumar and S. L. Krishnamurthy1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, University of Agricultural and Horticultural

Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka 577 204; 1Department of Crop Improvement, ICAR-

Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana


Rice is the staple food of more than 50% of the world’s population. Considerable amount of

heterosis has already been exploited. For exploitation of more heterosis, knowledge on

choosing appropriate parent of good genetic potential is very essential. Present investigation

was carried out at ICAR- Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana to develop

desirable hybrids superior to the existing high yielding commercial varieties. Thirty F1’s

were derived through mating of six lines ( PR 123, BC 20, CSR 30, Pusa 44, Pusa 1121 and

Sarjoo 52) and five testers (CSR 10, CSR 11, CSR 27, CSR3 6 and Bulk 212) in Line x

Tester mating fashion which were evaluated along with parents during Kharif 2017. Combining

ability estimates for ten quantitative traits was studied. The lines were significant for days to

fifty per cent flowering, plant height and spikelet fertility. Parentsvs crosses were highly

significant for all the characters except number of productive tillers per plant and biomass

per plant. Lines x Tester interactions were highly significant for all the traits except pollen

fertility. Sarjoo 52 is good combiner for grain yield/plant. Among testers, CSR 36 was found

to be good general combiner for almost all the traits studied including grain yield per plant.

Among hybrids, Pusa 44 x CSR 36 exhibited significant sca effect for all the traits except for

panicle length and pollen fertility. Out of 30 hybrids, Pusa 44 x Bulk 212 is the best promising

combination for developing high yielding hybrid rice varieties.

PS I – 116

Assessment of genetic diversity among newly developed parental lines

of rice (Oryza sativ a L.)

R. Madhuri* and N. Shivakumar


Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka 577 204; 1Hybrid Rice Section, Zonal Agricultural

Research Station, V. C. Farm, Mandya 571 405


Genetic diversity is pre-requisite for any crop improvement programmes as it helps in the

development of superior recombinants and selection of parents having wider variability for



different characters. Therefore, there is a need to diversify the genetic base of rice genotypes.

The experiment was conducted at Hybrid rice scheme, ZARS, V. C. Farm, Mandya,

Karnataka. Genetic diversity among 100 parental lines were assessed using D2 Mahalonibis

tocher method for ten quantitative traits. The genotypes were grouped into eleven clusters.

Cluster VIII considered with the highest number of (14) genotypes, whereas cluster VII

consisted with the lowest number of (2) genotypes. Maximum inter cluster distance was

recorded between cluster XI and cluster IV. Intracluster distance was maximum within cluster

IV. Cluster XI had the highest mean value for total number of spikelts/panicle, number of

productive tillers/ plant and panicle length. Number of spikelts/panicle and plant height showed

maximum contribution towards total divergence (90%) among ten different quantitative traits

studied and number of productive tillers/plant was least contributed towards total divergence.

Five genotypes viz., MSN 20c, MSN 20L, MSN 39-2, MSN 43-2-1 and MSN 70-2 are highly

diverse and can be used for hybrid rice program development. Development of hybrid

combinations using these genotypes has the chance to obtain higher heterosis with high

performing crosses. Clusters VI, VIII, IX, X and XI were identified as solitary and highly

diverse clusters. The genotypes from these clusters with desirable characters may be used

as potential donor for future hybridization program to develop high yielding varieties.

PS I – 117

Deciphering temporal pattern of fertility phases and agronomic

performance of novel thermo-sensitive genetic male sterile lines under

humid tropical environment

M. Nagarajan*, K. K Vinod, S. Gopala Krishnan1, Ashok K Singh1

IARI Rice Breeding and Genetics Research Centre, Aduthurai 612 101; 1Division of Genetics,

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012


Thermosensitive genetic male sterility (TGMS) system in rice is acclaimed as an effective

and less laborious alternative for hybrid production in rice. Since fertility phases alternate in

this system depending upon the temperature regimens, hybrid seed production and male

line maintenance are weather dependent. An effective male sterile line therefore must be

one with a distinct window for fertility reversion. Although several TGMS lines are available,

many of them are commercially unfeasible due to indistinct fertility reversion phase. Therefore,

patterning of the reversion behaviour is a must for TGMS line development and their utilization.

The study reported herein evaluates temporal behaviour of four novel TGMS lines under a

humid tropic environment at Aduthurai, characterised by mostly warm annual weather, except

for a brief period of three months of cooler night weather. These lines were planted at 10-12

days interval for a period of two years and the fertility phases and agronomic behaviour

were studied. Pollen and spikelet fertility was found highly correlated with a correlation

coefficient of 0.93. The TGMS lines remained completely sterile for 36-37 weeks in a year



starting frommid-March (12th week)to early-December (48th week). There was significant

level of fertility phase extending 17-18 weeks in a year. The fertility reversion coincided the

shift in minimum temperature below 20-21°c,12-14 days prior to 50% heading. The average

daily temperature at the fertility reversion stage was 24°c as against 30°c during the sterility

phase. The duration of minimum temperature below 21°c was critical for the fertility change.

The maximum diurnal duration of 4-10 hours below 20°c was found prevalent during the

fertile phase. The highest maximum temperature during the sterile phase was above 40ºc

while the lowest minimum during the fertile phase was 17°c. Other then fertility phases no

other agronomic trait showed significant temporal variation. The study suggests that the

period of hybrid seed production at Aduthurai is between April and October every year,

while a small window between late December to mid-February can be considered for TGMS

line multiplication.

PS I – 118

Taximetrics in plants, an approach to elucidate evolution and

classification

Neeraja Puthiamadom and K. T. Presanna Kumari

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala


Modern taxonomy is considered to be a synthetic discipline as it incorporates information

from various branches of biology like genetics, paleobotany, embryology etc. This synthetic

approach has led to the development of newer aspects of taxonomy like taximetrics.

Taximetrics is the numerical evaluation of the similarity between a set of individuals or units

on the basis of a set of characters and the ordering of these individuals into higher ranking

taxa based on these similarities. Taximetrics, based on the Neo Adansonian principles, is

having two approaches, phenetics and cladistics. Formation of taxonomic groups is an

important step in both the approaches. The basic unit of taximetrics is Operational Taxonomic

Unit (OTU), which can be an individual or individuals representing a species or genera.

Binary or multistate characters are used for grouping of the OTU’s. The different states of

quantitative characters are represented by actual numerical values where as that of qualitative

by codes like 0, 1 or +, -. The characters selected should be variable and should represent

the different parts of the organism as well as different stages of life cycle of the organism.

Taximetrics, a novel approach to taxonomy, being purely empirical and unbiased, eliminates

the subjectivity of other conventional methods and thus finds wider application in biology

and allied subjects.



PS I – 119

Assessment of genetic variability in mothbean [Vigna aconitif olia (Jacq.)

Marchal] in hot arid climate of Rajasthan

Neelam Shekhawat*, Omvir Singh and Kartar Singh

ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Regional Station, Jodhpur 342 005,

Rajasthan


The arid and semi-arid districts of Rajasthan are privileged to have moth bean [Vignaaconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal] as a traditional crop. It is of utmost significance kharif crop in

arid and semi-arid region due to its drought and heat tolerance characteristics. With changing

climatic scenario, breeding of climate resilient varieties is becoming more important. The

existence of genetic diversity may serve as the source of desirable alleles and may assist

plant breeders in breeding climate resilient varieties. Studies on genetic variability, heritability

and genetic advance were carried out with 30 genetic accessions of mothbean germplasm

during summer and kharif 2017. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among

the genotypes during both the seasons for plant height (cm), number of clusters per plant,

number of branches per plant, number of clusters per branch and seed yield per plant. The

magnitude of GCV and PCV was moderate to high for all the studied traits. High heritability

and low genetic advance were recorded in days to 50% flowering and days to maturity,

indicating a non-additive gene action in the inheritance of these characters. However, high

heritability and high genetic advance were observed in traits viz., plant height, number of

clusters per plant, seed yield per plant and number of clusters per branch indicating that

these characters are controlled by additive gene effects and phenotypic selection of these

characters for future breeding programme could be effective.

PS I – 120

Novel Wnt gene mutations-interaction and molecular characterization

during Drosophila development

Prachi Yadav*, Adita Joshi2, Akshay Talukdar and Akanksha Sharma

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1Sansriti

Foundation, New Delhi 110 012


The wingless (wg) is the prototype gene of the Wnt family identified as wingless fly mutation

in IARI. The name Wnt is amalgam of wingless (wg) and int1 gene (cellular oncogene). Out

of seven Wnt genes in Drosophila, a cluster of four Wnt homologues - DWnt4,wg, DWnt6,



DWnt10 is present on the left arm of second chromosome. The identical clustering of the

Wnt genes in Drosophila, mouse and humans over 500 million years signifies their biological

importance. Among four Wnt genes, detailed study has been done on wingless, but only

one mutation in DWnt6, no known mutation of DWnt10 and only two semi lethal mutations

were reported in DWnt4 till 2014. We have recently isolated 7 novel null mutations in DWnt4using EMS mutagenesis. We report a novel DWnt4AL7 allele which shows segment polarity

defects in embryos. RNA interference mediated knockdown of DWnt4 in embryos mimicked

segment polarity defects as observed in DWnt4AL7. DWnt4AL7 exhibits increased

wg expression and loss of armadillo expression. DWnt6/10 over expression rescues the

denticle defects of DWnt4AL7 mutant. Our studies suggest, DWnt6/10 functions via canonical

Wnt pathway. Germline clones of DWnt4AL7 are lethal at stage 6 of oogenesis. We are

reporting for first time role of DWnt4 is essential for polarity and cuticle differentiation of

adult abdominal bristles. The interaction of DWnt4 and wg during embryonic cuticle patterning,

signaling pathway for DWnt4 are not deciphered so far. With these new mutants in hand,

we propose to address questions of interactions among Wnt genes and also the common

control mechanisms that exist in this interesting cluster of Wnt genes.

PS I – 121

Heterosis for seed yield and its attributes in mutant lines of Ethiopian

mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun)

Vinod Kumar* and Vedna Kumari

Department of Crop Improvement, CSK, HPKV, Palampur 176 062, H.P.


Rapeseed-mustard is the second most important oilseed crop in India, contributing nearly

25-30 per cent of the total oilseeds production. However, it ranks first in terms of oil yield

due to more oil content (30-45%). Ethiopian mustard predominantly being a self pollinated

crop, exploitation of hybrid vigour depends upon the direction and magnitude of heterosis.

Since heterosis has an important role in all the plant breeding programmes. Therefore,

identification and selection of better parental line based on heterotic combination for

development of high yielding hybrids is a common practice. Keeping this in view, the crosses

were attempted using line × tester mating design involving 16 mutant lines and two testers

during rabi 2015-16. The resultant 32 F1 crosses along with 18 parents were evaluated in

randomized block design during rabi 2016-17 at CSK HPKV Palampur. Analysis of variance

revealed significant differences among parents and crosses for all the traits. The crosses

namely P(3)2 (0.3% EMS PS) × Jayanti and P(3)2 (0.3% EMS PS) × P(4)2 (80kR) showed

maximum significant negative heterobeltiosis for days to flower initiation, days to 50%

flowering and maximum significant negative economic heterosis for days to 75% maturity

respectevely. Hybrids P (74) 50kR × P (4)2 (80kR) and P13 (100 kR) × Jayanti exhibited the

maximum significant heterotic response for primary branches per plant and secondary



branches per plant respectively. Two crosses namely, P(4)2 (0.3% EMS PS) × Jayanti and P

(74) 50kR × Jayanti showed significantly positive heterosis for seed yield per plant, siliquae

per plant and seeds per siliquae. These crosses are expected to deliver better segregants

for yield and yield contributing characters in subsequent generations.

PS I – 122

Molecular diversity at teosinte branc hed1 locus in maize and its wild

relatives

Nitish Ranjan Prakash, Rashmi Chhabra, Rajkumar Uttamrao Zunjare, Vignesh Muthusamy

and Firoz Hossain*



Maize is domesticated from Balsas teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis), and possesses

single stem with 1-2 ears per plant compared to several ears on primary branches in teosinte.

Teosinte branched1 (tb1) located on chromosome 1L is a major locus which led to reduced

branching and development of female inflorescence in place of primary branch in cultivated

maize. In the present study, we studied the sequence diversity of the entire 1736 bp

encompassing the coding (one exon) and promoter region of tb1 gene among six cultivated

maize inbreds (Zea mays ssp. mays) and four teosinte accessions belonging to Zea maysssp. parviglumis, mexicana, luxurians and perrenis. Cultivated maize possessed insertion

of hopscotch and tourist transposable element in the upstream of coding sequence of tb1,

while they were not present in teosinte accessions. Predicted protein length was 366 amino

acids in all maize inbreds and parviglumis, while it was shorter by 2-4 amino acids in other

teosinte accessions. TCP domain was found at 105-253 amino acids in cultivated maize

and teosinte accessions except luxuriance and perrenis (at 103-251 amino acids). Across

genotypes, 93 SNPs and 14 InDels were identified in the coding sequence of tb1. A 6 bp

insertion unique to all teosinte species located at ~80 bp upstream of poly-A site was also

identified. Phylogenetic tree based on sequence data placed teosinte and cultivated maize

in different groups. Present study shows that tb1 is a highly conserved locus in maize, while

it has allowed the greater sequence variation in non-coding region.



PS I – 123

Random mating: Enhancing genetic variability and development of

broad based varieties in desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.)

Vijay N. Waghmare

ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur 440 010

Email:

Cotton is one of the most widely used fiber and oil seed crop. Worldwide, four cotton species

are under cultivation for fiber production that includes Gossypium arboreum and G. herbaceum(diploids) and G. hirsutum and G. barbadense (allotetraploids). About 98% of the world

cotton production comes from tetraploid cotton G. hirsutum and G. barbadense. Diploids are

mainly grown in south East Asia, particularly India, China and Pakistan. Narrow genetic

diversity in the cultivated varieties and germplasm of diploid cotton had adverse impact on

improvement of economic yield and fibre quality. The negative association between yield

and fiber quality has also stalled simultaneous improvement for yield and quality. We report,

development of random mating (RM) populations in diploid cotton (G. arboreum) using 20

genetically diverse germplasm lines and elite cultivars using genetic male sterility system

and conventional crossing following bulked-pollen method for pollination. After fifth cycles

of random mating, composite random mating population Cp1, was constituted, further

advanced and maintained by bulk harvesting one busted boll from each plant in the population.

Comparison of performance of Cp1 with parental population showed gain in seed cotton

yield to the extent of 61.93% and large extent of variation for all economic traits. The results

indicated breakage of genetic linkages and reduction in correlation between fibre quality

traits after fifth cycles of random mating. Performance and genetic variability of conventional

crossing based RM population declined over the years that might be due to attaining

homozygosity and fixation of alleles. However, no such decline in genetic variability for the

major economic and quality traits was observed in the GMS based RM population. Further,

ease of maintenance of GMS based RM population and as a continual/ persistent source of

getting superior recombinants with improved agronomic and fibre traits provide definite

advantage over the conventional crossing based random mating.



PS I – 124

Mole of inheritance of seed and flower colour in linseed (Lin um

usitatissim um L.)

Ritika Singh*, Satish Paul and Arjun Negi

Department of Crop improvement, CSK, HPKV, Palampur 176 062, (H.P.)


Linseed is an important oilseed crop in the Indian economy due to its wide utility. A sound

genetic information has been indispensible prelude for modifying the vast array of gene

frequencies to enable genetic enrichment in a genotype. Seed colour of flax is used to

identify the two main market types. Regular, high linolenic acid flax must have brown seed

while “zero” Linolenic acid solin flax must be yellow seeded. The objective of this study was

to determine allelic-gene relationship of different genes controlling seed coat colour and

flower colour in linseed.Three true breeding genetically diverse genotypes of flax with

contrasting seed colour and flower colour viz., T-397 (brown seeded and blue flower),

Nagarkot (brown seeded and blue flower) and Surbhi (yellow seeded and white flower) were

crossed among each other as T-397 × Surbhi and Surbhi × Nagarkot to develop F1, F2 and

backcross generations for studying inheritance of seed colour during rabi 2016-17. The F1’s

of these crosses had brown colour of seeds. This indicated the dominant nature of brown

seed coat colour over yellow. The F2 segregation gave a good fit to the expected ratio of 3

brown:1 yellow in both the crosses. Similarly for flower colour the F1’s of cross combinations

T-397 × Surbhi and Surbhi × Nagarkot had blue flower colour was further confirmed by back

crosses and F2’s where in 1:1 and 3 blue:1white ratio was observed. The segregation pattern

for seed colour and flower colour in F2 and BC indicated it is also controlled by single dominant

gene.

PS I – 125

Influence of cytoplasmic-nuclear male sterility on agronomic

performance and response to anthracnose infection of chilli (Capsicum

annuuum L.) hybrids

C. Nanda*, A. Mohan Rao1, S. Ramesh1, V. H. Prathibha2 and Sushma Pai1

ICAR-Central Tobacco Research Institute, Research Station, Hunsur 571 105, Mysore

District, Karnataka; 1Department of Genetics and Plant breeding, CoA, GKVK, UAS,

Bengaluru, Karnataka; 2ICAT-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasargod, Kerala


CMS based chilli hybrid cultivars are becoming popular with farmers despite the compulsion

of using fresh seed to raise subsequent crop. Development of CMS-based hybrids is justified



if either they offer additional benefits over conventional hybrids in terms of their economic

yield and quality or they are comparable to B × R crosses. A study was conducted in this

regard at the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, University of Agricultural Sciences,

Bengaluru during 2008-2009. Each of the seven CMS lines and their corresponding B-lines

were crossed with eight males in a Line × Tester mating design. The 112 hybrids so

synthesized, along with their 22 parents were evaluated separately in contiguous plots.

Cytoplasm of the maternal parent exerted significant influence on gca effects of parents,

hybrid mean performance, sca effects and mid parent heterosis of hybrids in majority of the

nuclear genetic background for all traits. The magnitude of the differences varied with the

nuclear genetic backgrounds and no definite trend was evident favouring cytoplasm of

maternal parent for any of the traits. However, male sterile cytoplasm based lines and hybrids

produced higher frequency of better combining parents and hybrids with higher per seperformance, sca effects and mid parent heterosis for reaction to anthracnose infection.

The significant edge of A × R crosses compared to B × R crosses for anthracnose disease

resistance with comparable performance of A × R and B × R crosses for fruit yield and its

contributing traits would adequately justify the use of CMS based hybrids for developing and

deploying hybrids.

PS I – 126

Dissecting genetic basis of leaf yield in FCV Tobacco (Nicotiana

tabaccum L.) under rain fed conditions of Karnataka

C. Nanda*, S. Ramakrishnan, M. Mahadevaswamy, K. Sarala and D. Damodar Reddy

ICAR-Central Tobacco Research Institute, Research Station, Hunsur 571 105, Mysore

District, Karnataka


Flue cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco is a high export value crop grown in rain fed conditions in

light soils of Karnataka providing livelihood to majority of small and marginal farmers. In

view of restrictions on area under tobacco owing to Framework Convention on Tobacco

Control (FCTC), increasing productivity is the only logical option to meet the export demand.

Understanding genetic basis of yield in the breeding materials used is essential to design

effective breeding strategies to increase yield potential of varieties/hybrids. Twenty-one

crosses developed involving seven advanced breeding lines/varieties in a diallele mating

design were evaluated along with parents in a replicated trial for two seasons at ICAR-CTRI

research Station, Hunsur. Hayman’s diallel approach was employed to analyse data on

productivity traits; plant height, number of yields, green leaf yield, cured leaf yield and bright

leaf yield. Analysis of Variance indicated similarity of parents for all productivity traits except

number of leaves. However, significant differences among F1’s indicated dispersion of genes

contributing to productivity traits among parents. Dominant and recessive genes were in

equal frequency among the parental lines (as indicated by non significant F statistics) for all



productivity traits except plant height. Dominance components of genetic variances appear

to be involved in the expression of all the yield components as also indicated by very low

narrow sense heritability indicating that yield is predominantly under the control of non additive

gene action.

PS I – 127

Assessment of genetic variability for morphological, physiological and

biochemical characters among advanced population of vegetable

soybean

Priya P. Pardeshi*, Ravindra S. Nandanwar, Pravin V. Jadhav, Sanjay B. Sakhare, Philips

Varghese1 and Rajendra N. Katkar

Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola; 1Agharkar Research Institute, Pune.


Malnutrition is caused due to micronutrient/protein deficiencies in staple food. The

consumption of nutrient rich vegetables is one of the preferred solutions for alleviating

malnutrition. Vegetable soybean (edamame) is nutritionally rich crop gaining significance

recently. It is harvested earlier, when pods are bright green having bigger and sweeter

seeds with pleasant flavour. However, only limited germplasm of vegetable soybean is

available till date. Therefore, in the present study, 80 advanced genotypes (F6 and F7

generations) derived five crosses of contrasting parents (grain and vegetable type) were

evaluated for 10 morphological, one physiological and two biochemical traits. Significant

variation was recorded for 50% flowering (30-42 days), maturity (84-94 days), plant height

(25-40 cm), number of branches (7-15), number of pods (20-54), number of seeds/pod (1-

3), green pod yield (173-332 g), 100-bean weight (14.30-45.60 g), 100-seed weight (8.30-

39.60 g), bean yield/plant (58-212 g), seed yield/plant (34-145 g), chlorophyll content (20.60-

49.55 mg/m2), oil content (16.23-21.89%), protein content under green (7.34-31.21%) and

dry stage (19.34-43.21%). Genotypes viz., VS-5- 266-17, VS-5- 268-17, VS-3-104-17

recorded higher bean yield/plant (>210 g), 100-bean yield (>30 g), green pod yield (>332 g),

oil content (>19 %) and protein content (green stage: 26% and mature stage: >38 %) and

therefore are promising for vegetable uses. Green pod yield was positively associated with

bean yield/plant and 100-bean yield while negatively associated with oil content. Promising

genotypes identified here can be used for vegetable purpose that ultimately led to nutritional

security to the country.



PS I – 128

Developing three line rice hybrids for temperate conditions

S. Najeeb*, Asif B. Shikari, Amir Rashid, Showkat A. Waza, Ghazala H. Khan, M. D. Sofi, F.

A. Sheikh, Ashaq Hussain and G. A. Parray

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir Mountain

Research Centre for Field Crops, Khudwani 192 102


Exploitation of heterosis in rice is yet to be exploited at commercial level in the temperate

regions of India, although hybrid rice technology has been anticipated to play a key role in

ensuring food security worldwide in future. Major limitation for commercial development of

hybrids in these areas is the non availability of cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines and

effective restorers. In the first attempt to develop rice hybrids for temperate conditions of

Kashmir valley the four CMS lines were evaluated, the genotype SKUA-7A followed by

SKUA-11A revealed desirable performance for most of the allogamy related and agro-

morphological traits. The 24 test crosses generated of these CMS lines were evaluated for

spikelet fertility and pollen sterility. Based on these estimates, male parents were classified

into 16 effective restorers, five partial maintainers and three partial restorers. Moreover, the

highest desirable standard heterosis for grain yield and other yield attributes over the check

varieties (Jehlum and Shalimar Rice-3) was recorded in the cross combination K15-34

followed by K15-31and K15-40. Pollen parents of all the three test crosses on screening

with RM-6100, DDRM-Rf3-10 and DRCG-Rf4-14 markers revealed the presence of both

Rf3 and Rf4 genes responsible for fertility restoration. Besides, 39 genotypes were screened

for fertility restoration and the lines RL-2, RL-5, RL-6, RL-7, RL-10, Pusa Sugandh-3 and

Kohsar were identified to carry homozygous alleles at both Rf3 and Rf4 loci. These genotypes

can thus be used as promising restores for the development of temperate rice hybrids.

PS I – 129

Germplasm variability in Chickpea in the Bundelkhand region

Anshuman Singh*, MeenakshiArya2 and Upagya Sah

1*Genetics and Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology, AICRP-Chickpea, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central

Agricultural University, Jhansi, U.P.


Bundelkhand region is known as the pulse bowl of India. Among other legumes such as

mungbean, urdbean, lentiletc., chickpea is widely consumed as food crop in India with 9120

thousand tonnes production in 2016-17 with 41.2% share in total production of pulses.

RLBCAU, Jhansi, made an efficient attempt to evaluate phenotypic diversity in chickpea



germplasm. Same set of germplasm was sown at three different sowing dates in three

different adjacent fields with an interval of 15 days between the first and subsequent sowing.

First sowing was done in the second week of November, 2017. Various parameters such as

plant height, days to 50% flowering, pod initiation, and maturity were observed in all the

three sets of germplasm. BGD 72 and BG1053 were used as checks. Germplasm ICCV

442203 attained maximum height of 64.2, 52 and 44 cm in all three dates of sowing viz. I, II

and III respectively. Minimum height was recorded in ICCV 53248 (32.6cm) in I set, ICCV

554984 (24.6cm) in II set and ICCV 448812(13cm)in IIIset.BGD 72 and BG1053 attained

maximum height of 63 cm and 56.6 cm respectively in the first date of sowing. Days to 50%

flowering for the line ICCV 267272 was minimum i.e. 59, 57 and 60days respectively in all

three germplasm sets. Similarly, pod initiation (70,65 and 70 days) as well as maturity (105,97

and 102 days) was earliest in the same germplasm line ICCV 267272. For BGD72, days to

50% flowering was recorded as 74 (Germplasm I), 55 (Germplasm II) and 50 (Germplasm

III) days and for BG1053, 69 (Germplasm I), 60 (Germplasm II) and 63(Germplasm III)

days. Similarily, pod initiation was 84 (Germplasm I), 64 (Germplasm II) and 56 days

(Germplasm III) for BGD 72. BG1053 attained 78, 67,73 days in pod initiation for the three

germplasm sets respectively. Days to Maturity were 118, 103,72 days for BGD 72 and 109,

102, and 97 days for BG 1053. The germplasm lines showed wide variability in almost all

the traits taken into account and these can be used in future breeding programmes in the

development of new varieties in the background of high yield potential for the Bundelkhand

region.

PS I – 130

Identification of heterotic yield QTLs in Swarna X O. rufipogon

introgression lines (ILs) and transferring into parental lines of hybrid

rice

P. Revathi*, Arun Kumar Singh, Jyothi Badri, C. Gireesh, G. Sandeep, T. S. Sowmyashree

and R. M. Sundaram

Crop Improvement Section, ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad 500 030


Hybrid-rice technology is one of the feasible technology for further increasing rice productivity.

The yield improvement in recently released hybrids in India is negligible over the varieties

indicating yield stagnation in the hybrids. This could be due to very narrow genetic diversity

among the parental lines. Considering the huge variability available in wild species of rice,

there is a need to identify and transfer novel traits from wild species to cultivated species.

Marker assisted backcross breeding (MABB) and AB-QTL mapping to identify yield enhancing

heterotic QTLs from wild species to develop pre-breeding material to widen the genetic

base of parental lines is under progress at IIRR. A popular cultivated rice mega variety



Swarna was crossed with wild species O.rufipogon and F1s were produced. Superior F1s of

non-weedy types were back crossed with Swarna to produce BC1F1s. Selected plants were

back crossed to produce BC2F1s and BC2F1s plants were selfed to produce BC2F2s. In

BC2F2 population genotyping is under progress to map QTLs of yield and yield component

traits by AB-QTL mapping and also by trait phenotyping. The wild introgression lines were

crossed with WA based CMS lines viz., APMS 6A, CRMS 32 A and IR 68897A and F1s were

produced. The F1s are under evaluation for heterosis and combining ability to identifying

heterotic yield QTLs. The identification and mapping of heterotic loci (HLs) from wild rice

could lead to a novel strategy for improving heterosis in rice.

PS I – 131

Morphological characterization and genetic variability of advanced lines

of chickpea

Manoranjan Biswal, Ravindra Singh Solanki* and Anita Babbar

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics JNKVV Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh


To focus more on the approaches with the greatest potential to increase the yield of chickpea

as assuring the food and nutritional security. Thirty two advance lines of chickpea evaluated

during 2017-18, JNKVV, Jabalpur. Characterization is essential for identification of genotypes

with desirable traits individually and in combination. Out of 32 genotypes twelve genotypes

had semi erect, while remaining had semi spreading growth habit. Nineteen genotypes had

dark green foliage, whereas eight were light green foliage and 5genotypes had medium

green foliage. Flower number per peduncle recorded single in 29 genotypes and twin found

in 3 genotypes. Seed size and seed coat colour is important trait for marketing in chickpea.

Ten genotypes were medium seed size, 13 were small and 10 were very small seed size.

Thirteen genotypes had dark brown seed coat, while13 genotypes were light brown, 3

genotypes were yellow and 3 genotypes had orange seed coat. Sixteen genotypes had

smooth seed surface, while remaining had rough surface. These visual traits showed

overlapping of expression in various combinations. Genetic variability is the raw material on

which selection acts to evolve superior genotypes. High GCV% and heritability coupled with

high genetic advance as % of mean recorded for total number of pods followed by number

of effective pods, biological yield, 100 seed weight, secondary branches and reducing sugar%

indicated, predominantly presence of additive gene action in the expression of these traits

which will enable the breeder to select plants on the basis of phenotypic expression of these

traits in the development of promising genotypes.



PS I – 132

Enhancing seed longevity through wide-hybridization in soybean

(Glycine max L. Merr.)

Akshay Talukdar*, Ashish Kumar, Subhash Chandra, Yashpal, Darasing R. Rathod, Raju

K. Yadav, Shatakshi Poonia, Kishor Gaikwad1, Sangita Yadav2 and S. K. Lal

Division of Genetics, 2Division of Seed Science and Technology, Indian Agricultural Research

Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1National Research Centre for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa

Campus, New Delhi 110 012


Soybean seeds have poor longevity in ambient storage. Depending on genotype and condition

of storage, the loss of viability has been reported to be 30-100% in a year. Seeds of wild

type soybean (G soja) remain viable for several years without significant loss of viability. To

enhance storability of cultivated soybean seeds, wide hybridization was performed between

DS9712, a popular variety of North India, and DC2008-1, an accession of G soja, and a

recombinant inbred lines (RILs) population was developed. Seeds of 305 RILs along with

the parental genotypes were stored in ambient condition for 3 years and then tested for seed

viability. Significant variations were observed among the RILs and the parental genotypes

for viability of the seeds under storage. Germination of the seeds of DS9712 reduced to

11%, while that of the seeds of wild type genotype (DC2008-1) and the RILs maintained at

30-83%. The genotypes with better storability hadactive enzyme system for scavenging the

reactive O2. Scanning Electron Microscopy indicated that cracks in the seed coat increased

with years of storage more prominently in the poor storing genotypes than the good ones.

Poor storing seeds also had more damaged hourglass cells and cracked hilums. Electrical

Conductivity (EC) test indicated that leaching of vital compounds was more in the seeds

with poor longevity. In general, oil contents and large seed size found to have negative

relationship with longevity of the seeds. A set of 8 RILs that maintained more than 75%

viability after 3 years of ambient storage have been identified and backcrossed to develop

soybean genotypes with better longevity.



PS I – 133

Genetic divergence and phenotypic stability across the cutting

environments in lucerne (Medica go sativ a L.)

V. P. Yadav2 and G. P. Shukla1

Advance Chickpea Research Center, Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute, Durgapura,

Jaipur; 1Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh


The present investigation was conducted in alfalfa (Madicago sativa L.) adopting 9x9 double

lattice design and seven cutting management environments to examine the extent of variability

and genetic divergence amongst 81 forage alfalfa genotypes of different geographical origin.

The nature of association and direct and indirect effects of different characters on fodder

yield identification of differential response of genotypes over the cutting schedules and the

stability were also studied. ANOVA revealed substantial amount of variability for various

characters among the all genotypes under all the environments. The genotypes were grouped

into 12 clusters in all the cuts and on pooled basis. The 2nd, nineth cluster having the maximum

number of genotypes in fourth cut followed by cluster 3nd in C3 and fourth in C5 and cluster 4

had maximum number of genotypes followed by 10th clusters in pooled analysis. There was

no association between clustering pattern and eco-geographical distribution of the genotypes.

Genotypic correlations of higher magnitude were recorded as compared to their corresponding

phenotypic correlations in most of the character combinations. Green fodder yield was found

to be positive and significantly correlated with leaf weight, stem weight, DMY, protein contents

and dry fodder yield per plant was found to be positive and significantly correlated with GFY,

plant spread, leaf weight, stem weight, protein content on pooled basis. Path-coefficient

analysis revealed that number of primary branches, plants spread, leaf weight, L-S ratio and

stem weight, stem grith were the most important characters controlling directly to fodder

yield and quality in alfalfa. Significant linear and non-linear components of G x E interactions

were recorded for some traits. Linear portion was higher for number of nodes, number of

primary branches and plant height, whereas for internodes length, stem girth, plant spread,

GFY, DMY, L-S ratio, Leaf weight and stem weight showed greater portion of non-linear

components of G x E interaction. The genotypes, IL-03-36, IL-2000-60, IL-2000-113, IL-

2000-117 and IL-2000-77 were identified as promising for hybridization on the basis of their

genetic divergence, stability and per se performance for several traits particularly green and

dry fodder yield and their quality.



PS I – 134

Induction of mutation in gladiolus through gamma rays

Reena P. Borkakati1, Sudeshna Baruah1 and T. R. Ganapathi2

Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat 785 013, Assam; 1Bhabha Atomic Research Centre,

Trombay 400 085, Mumbai


Induction of mutation in gladiolus through irradiation has been reported to be an effective

means for creation of novelty in colour, form and other desirable traits. Present investigation

was undertaken to develop gladiolus mutants with novelties in flower characteristics suitable

for cut flower as well as garden display. Four varieties of gladiolus viz. Summer Sunshine,

Pasibica Beauty, Red Candiman and Red Majesty were irradiated with gamma rays with

five radiation doses viz. 20Gy, 30Gy, 40Gy, 50Gy and 60Gy. Mutants were observed in all

the radiation doses. A total of 188 putative mutants along with chimera were identified in

four varieties. Mutation frequency was found to be highest in 40Gy (21.08%) followed by

20Gy (19.60%), 30Gy and 50Gy (18.63%) and 60Gy (14.22%) in V1M1 generation. The

highest number of mutation (76 numbers) was observed in the variety Red Majesty, followed

by Pasibica Beauty (52), in V1M1 generation. Highest mutation percentage was recorded in

variety Red majesty (43.13%) with 40Gy radiation dose. Putative mutants have to be

confirmed after evaluation in succeeding generations.

PS I – 135

Post-emergent herbicide tolerance in chickpea: Progress and prospects

Biswajit Mondal*, Sushil Kumar Chaturvedi, Avinash Kumar Srivastava1, Yogesh Kumar,

Girish Prasad Dixit, Shiv Sewak and Narendra Pratap Singh

Crop Improvement Division, ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulse Research, Kanpur 208 204, Uttar

Pradesh; 1AICRP Chickpea, ICAR-IIPR Campus, Kanpur 208 204, Uttar Pradesh; 2RBLCAU,

Gwalior Road, Jhansi 284 003, UP,


Weed infestation is a major constraint reducing the yield in chickpea. Controlling the weeds

by post-emergent herbicides is a major technological intervention to cope up with the labor

scarcity for manual weeding. Two hundred chickpea germplasm accessions and advanced

breeding lines were screened for tolerance to Imazethapyr for three consecutive seasons in

RBD. Each plot was divided equally, one half was sprayed with Imazethapyr (10% SL w/w)

@ 130g/ha. (2X dosage) whereas rest plots were maintained as control without manual

weeding (weedy check). The entries were scored for survival %, morphological and

phenological characteristics at control and treated plots. Significant effect of the spray was

observed in the treatment plots and phenological shift with respect to the control was the



most common response within the potential lines. Other symptoms of the spray were stunted

growth, canopy architecture modification, acicular leaflets, yellowing of the terminal foliage

and modification in the grain traits. Canopy architecture modification was result of three

types of response ???? to Imazethapyr spray viz., minimum damage of the apical bud and

shift in phenology w.r.t control (resistence), significant damage in the apical bud followed by

die back symptom with considerable shift in phenology (resistance) and prolonged vegetative

stage with stunted growth (in difference). However, low yield penalty or equivalent yield with

control was observed in accessions responding in all the three ways mentioned above.

Selection within the potential entries was made on the basis of index comprising of survival

% (>90%); phenological shift 5 plants’ yield; plot yield; and yield penalty. Promising accessions

with comparative higher yield and low yield penalty for more than 2 seasons were ST-3-D-

2, ICC 91902, ICC 12315, ICC 1116, ICC 4963 and NBeG 511. Few genotypes reported for

heat tolerance performed well under Imazethapyr spray, namely, ICC 1205, ICC 1710 and

JG 16. Concerned to weeds, after spraying, resurgence of only Phalaris minor was observed

during seed setting stage for consecutive seasons, however the population was sparse.

Contrast in expression and variability for post emergence herbicide tolerance exist in chickpea,

which have potential to be exploited in breeding.

PS I – 136

Antifungal activity and metabolites study of Bacillus strain against

aflatoxin producing Asper gillus

A. A. Bharose* and H. P. Gajera

Department of Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Junagadh Agricultural University,

Junagadh, 362 001, Gujarat


Achieving metabolome data with satisfactory coverage is a formidable challenge in

metabolomics because metabolites are a chemically highly diverse group of compounds.

The knowledge concerning the behavior of these Bacilli as antagonists and metabolite analysis

is essential for their effective use and the commercialization. The present study was focused

on selection of best biocontrol antifungal Bacillus strain against aflatoxin producing Aspergillusby antagonism on PDA medium. About 16 different strains of bacteria were isolated from

healthy and infested rhizosphere of groundnut using N-agar medium. The isolates were

identified based on morphological and microscopic characters. Bacterial isolate JND-KHGn-

29-A and JND-KSGn-30-L were recorded to be a best antagonist as of its ability to inhibit

most toxic fungus A. flavus JAM-JKB-BHA-GG20 (58.20%) after screening with 16 Bacillusisolates. GCMS analysis of best and least bacterial antagonist Bacillus subtilis (JND-KHGn-

29-A, Accession KU984480) inoculated onto N-agar medium identified total 55 and 42

compounds respectively. Whereas GCMS analysis from best bacterial antagonist

Pseudomonas isolate no. 14 (JND-KSGn-30-L) inoculated onto N-agar identified Time in

min. Intensity total 60 compounds.



PS I – 137

Microsatellite analysis of genetic diversity and population structure of

Telangana goats

N. K. Verma, Rekha Sharma, R. A. K. Aggarwal, Himani Sharma and P. S. Dangi

ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal 132 001

Email: [email protected],[email protected]

India is a rich repository of goat genetic resources with 34 registered goat breeds distributed

in different parts of the country. These breeds have evolved through natural selection and

selective breeding and are adapted to different agro-ecological conditions. Although,

Telengana has a sizable goat population but no goat breed has been reported so far from

this region. A systematic survey conducted in different districts (Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool

and Jogulamba Gadwal, Medak, Adilabad, KB Asifabad, Bhupapally and Nallamala forest

area) of Telengana revealed lack of phenotypic uniformity among the goats. To further

explore the genetic diversity, goat blood samples were collected from genetically unrelated

animals from different areas and molecular data based on neutral microsatellite markers

was generated on these goats. For this, goat population was categorized into solid black

phenotype (n=26) and mixed/ splashed phenotype (n=49) on the basis of coat colour. Analysis

of genotype data showed that moderate genetic variation is maintained in these goat

populations. A total of 145 alleles were detected in black and 160 in splashed populations of

Telangana goat. Highest number of alleles 11 and 13 was observed at ILSTS058 locus in

both black and splashed populations. The mean observed number and effective number of

alleles across all the loci was 6.59±0.57; 3.33±0.37 and 7.27±0.63; 3.33±0.39 for black and

splashed populations, respectively. Difference in the observed and expected number of

alleles in both the populations suggested presence of several low frequency alleles in these

populations. In accordance with allelic diversity, estimate of observed heterozygosity (Ho)

was not very high, (0.504±0.043 and 0.474±0.047for black and splashed populations,

respectively). Nine loci in black and ten in splashed populations of Telangana goat deviated

from HWE (P < 0.01). Observed heterozygosity was less than the expected heterozygosity

and correspondingly FIS analysis identified significant heterozygote deficiency (15.4% in

black and 17.5% in splashed population). Genetic differentiation was not strong among the

two groups of Telangana goats. Population assignment reported that 32% of animals were

assigned to the wrong group. Principal coordinate analysis did not discriminate two groups

of populations and genetic differentiation as reported by FST was only 6 percent. Nei’s genetic

identity among the two groups was also very high (0.998). Analysis indicated that two groups

of Telangana goat differentiated on the basis of coat colour were also not distinct hence, it is

concluded that Telengana goats lack homogeneity at phenotypic as well as genetic level.



PS I – 138

Rice–chickpea varietal combinations suitable under rice-fallow area in

Eastern India

Yogesh Kumar*, N. P. Mandal, D. Maiti, S. K. Chaturvedi1, B. Mondal1 and A. K. Srivastava1

ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kalyanpur 208 024, Kanpur; 1ICAR-NRRI, Central

Rainfed Upland Rice Research Station, Hazaribag


Rice is grown in Jharkhand as a monocrop under rainfed conditions in about 1.5 m ha with

different moisture regimes, soil types and sub-optimal nutrient management during wet

season. The longer duration rice varieties harvested late in November, does not leave ample

moisture for a second crop in most parts of Eastern India including Jharkhand. Recently, a

number of shorter duration (100-120 days), drought tolerant genotypes (Sahbhagidhan, CR

Dhan 40, IR64 dart-1) have been released for rainfed farming in the Eastern Indian Plateau

of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal. The development of these rice varieties

and availability of quality seed of early maturing varieties of chickpea (JG 14, KPG 59, Pusa

372, Pusa 547, Digvijayetc) has opened avenues for having second crop in rice-fallow areas.

The quality seeds of rice varieties (Sahbhagidhan and CR Dhan 40) were distributed among

215 farmers for demonstrations conducted in 12 villages of Chatra, Deoghar and Khunti

districts of Jharkhand and covered85.48 ha. The yield of paddy ranged from 32 to 46 q/ha,

27 to 36 q/ha and 17 to 30 q/ha in Chatra, Deoghar and Khunti districts, respectively. The

co-operating farmers were very much enthusiastic about the crop performance and expressed

their interest in taking up DSR with an early rice variety to enable them to take up a sequence

crop of chickpea after harvest of rice crop.A chickpea variety JG14 (duration 105-110 days)

was demonstrated in 10.63 ha area in four villages (Sonpura, Titmoh, Bhursha and

Maranghatu) for enhancing cropping intensity and livelihood security. The highest yield was

recorded in Chatra (13.48q/ha) followed by Khunti (11.46q/ha) and Deoghar (9.79q/ha) district.

The crop of chickpea made male farmers to tend to their crop rather than leave the village

for off-farm employment after the rice season. Head loads of green chickpea fetched them

good price in the local markets as most of the produce was locally consumed and the farmers

were benefited. Green chickpea crop of one ha fetches about Rs. 75000 to 100000/ha (8-9

t/ha), whereas dried and threshed chickpea gets them about Rs 60,000/- (2t/ha sold at Rs.

35/kg). This self-reliance is now encouraging more farmers to cover larger areas.



PS I – 139

Performance of tissue culture plantlets and minituber withconventional

tuber potato at field condition

S. D. Solanki*, H. S. Bhadauria, R. A. Gami*, P. T. Patel, R. M. Chauhan, M. P. Patel,

C. J. Tank, Kapil K. Tiwari, L. D. Parmar, N. V. Soni, P. C. Patel, Mithlesh Kumar,

Anuj Kumar, D. M. Thakor and K. P. Pachchigar

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, C.P.College of Agriculture, S.D. Agricultural

University, Sardarkrushinagar 385 506 (Gujarat)


The tuber yield performance and stability analysis were carried out in three consecutive

years (environments). The minitubers of K. Khyati was produced more tuber yield (23553.70

kg/ha) as compared to K. chipsona (21362.50 kg/ha), while in medium size minitubers it was

vice-versa. In case of average tubers per plant, the mean numbers of tubers were high in

tissue culture plantlets (14.52 and 13.49) followed by medium size and minituber plantlets in

both cultivars. The medium and minitubers plantlets were produced more average numbers

of tubers per plant (e”10.0) as compared to conventional tuber’s plantlets (e” 8.0). Analysis

of variance for genotype x environment interaction and stability analysis suggested that the

variance for G x E interaction was significant for tuber yield and average number of tubers

per plant. The cultivar K. Khyati exposed to higher mean value than population mean (23353.89

kg/ha) with significant and unit regression coefficients (bi) (1.06) measured to be a stable

and it was suitable to varied environmental condition. Based on over all data and stability

performance minituber and medium size tubers may prove to be the best source material for

produce disease free-quality potato seed in short time as compared to conventional method

of seed production.

PS I – 140

Efficient in vitr o plantlet regeneration in chickpea (Cicer arietin um L.)

Vinod Sahu*, Sushma Tiwari*, M. K. Tripathi, Punamch and Bhawar

Department of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, RVSKVV,

Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh


Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), commonly known as ‘Bengal gram’ is one of the world’s most

important grain legume. Its production is limited due to many biotic and abiotic stresses.

Conventional plant breeding methods must be supported by biotechnological tools and

techniques. This may open new avenue by applying tissue culture, transgenic breeding and

molecular breeding approaches. Particular chickpea show recalcitrant nature to in vitro culture,



a reliable in vitro plant regeneration protocol is thus prerequisite for further utilization in crop

improvement programmes by means of in vitro selection and genetic transformation. The

objective of the present investigation was to study mature embryos, cotyledons and hypocotyls

behavior when cultured in vitro to develop and establish a reproducible plant regeneration

system. Mature embryos, cotyledons and hypocotyls explants of chickpea of genotype JG6

2 were cultured on MS medium with addition of different concentrations and combinations of

plant growth regulators. Morphogenetic response was recorded after one month of incubation.

Results were expressed as MS without supplementation of plant growth regulators was

suitable to induce mature embryos from preexisting meristems development, whereas MS

with 2, 4-D was favorable to callus formation. Indirect buds formation was accomplished on

MS added with 0.5 mgl-1 2,4-D via callusing from cultured explants and shoot formation was

accelerated with incorporation of 0.5 mgl-1 BAP in medium. A comprehensive protocol for

successful transplantation of the in vitro produced plants is reported. This method will be

useful for the genetic manipulation of chickpea and its agronomical improvement.

PS I – 141

Study on heritability genetic advance and genetic variability in maize

genotypes (Zea mays L.)

Anurag Tripathi and S. S. Verma

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, G.B. Pant University

Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar


The present experiment was performed to study various parameters related to genetic

variability, heritability and genetic advance for different characters in inbred line of maize.

Analysis of variance for all characters revealed that the mean sum of squares due to genotypes

showed significant differences for all the 11 characters. Traits like grain yield/ha, days to

50% tasselling, days to 50% silking, number of kernels per row, 100-kernel weight were

showed high heritability accompanied with high genetic advance in both the environments

(OPD and HPD). These indicates that more likely the heritability is due to additive gene

effects and selection may be effective in early generations for these traits. Whereas high to

moderate heritability along with low estimates of genetic advance were observed for days to

50 per cent tasselling, days to 50 per cent silking, ear length and number of kernel rows per

ear. In the present study high estimates of genotypic coefficient of variation were observed

for grain yield (kg/ha), ear height and 100 grain weight, number of kernels per row, plant

height and ear length, so selection for these traits become effective. So, heritability, genetic

advance are the parameters that helps to know the genetic improvement of those characters.

Higher GCV was recorded for Yield per hectare, plant height, ear height, number of kernels

per row, 100-kernel weight so selection may lead towards improvement for these traits.



PS I – 142

Inbred zebrafish lines: A genetic repository for zebrafish researchers

Mujahid Khan Pathan, Shrinivas Jahageerdar, Aparna Chaudhari and Gopal Krishna

Fish Genetics and Biotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education,

Mumbai 400 061


Genetically uniform strains/inbred strains of animals are used in experiments that demand

minimal genetic background variability and highly reproducible results. Modern genomic

research is heavily dependent on inbred strains and they are widely used for identification of

quantitative loci that affect evolutionarily and biomedically important traits, dissection of

gene-gene and gene environmental interaction patterns, toxicity studies, immunology, reverse

genetics, cancer research, etc. In mice, over 450 inbred strains have been described and in

medaka over 13 inbred strains have been established. Owing to its numerous attributes

zebrafish, Danio rerio, is one of the widely studied vertebrate model organisms, but

comparable zebrafish inbred strains are not available to the scientific community. This is

because of early onset of inbreeding depression causing high mortality of embryos and

larvae and biased sex ratio that have been reported from earlier attempts to produce inbred

lines. However, these attempts used few eggs from natural crosses. At CZeBraG- Centre

for Zebrafish Breeding and Genetics Research facility of ICAR-CIFE, we are developing

inbred lines of zebrafish using full sib and half sib mating designs. The strategy followed is

intense inbreeding coupled with strong positive selection for selected traits. The base

population consisted of three wild stocks of zebrafish collected from rivers of North East

India. Using nested mating design 70 families were produced in F1 generation and 46 inbred

families were produced in F2 generation. Genetic parameters such as heritability and genetic

correlationfor growth traits like body weight and standard length were estimated. The effects

of gender, stock, family and their interaction on growth traits were found significant. The

heritability for body weight and standard length estimated using animal model was 0.36 ±

0.05 and 0.31 ± 0.05 respectively. Strong positive genetic correlation of 0.87 ± 0.05 was

observed between the traits. The mean family size for population was 14 and mean sex ratio

(females:males) was found to be 1.29. Fecundity was also recorded and this trait had no

significant variation among stocks. In addition to developing inbred lines we are also

maintaining the wild zebrafish stocks and the centre has commenced supply of pedigreed

zebrafish for researchers. In future we can provide zebrafish of known inbred levels (12.5 to

50% and above). Currently, the CZeBraG can house about 10000 adults, with separate

facility for holding individual fish.



PS I – 143

Comparative study of morpho-molecular variations in huskless barley

(Hordeum vulgare L.)

Prabha Banjarey*, A. N. Tikle1, R. Malik2, A. Sarker3, R. P. S. Verma3 and S. Kumawat


1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, R.A.K. CoA, Sehore, RVSKVV, Gwalior 474

002, Madhya Pradesh; 2ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal 132

001; 3ICARDA-IRP (India Research Platform), Amlaha, (MP)


A set of 24 barley accessions from ICARDA, Lebanon were grown at experimental field of

ICARDA- IRP, Amlaha, India and were analysed for agro-morphological and molecular

variability. High (40.11) to moderate (23.58) diversity was observed for all characters except

plant height (14.60) and ear length (12.84). The PIC values of molecular work in this study

ranged from 0.153 to 0.81 with an average of 0.5 indicating sufficient variability among

accessions at molecular level. Comparison of clusters of molecular and morphological

analysis showed that the accessions from similar or related ancestral background have

variability at phenotypic level. Comparative study of diversity at both phenotypic and molecular

level provides better information for selection of parents or diverse lines for utilization in

barley improvement programs.

PS I – 144

Best media prepared for callusing of a medicinal plant Adhatoda v asica

Nees

Sonal Tolwani*, P. D. Gaikwad1, P. Banjarey, D. K. Patre2, G. Kumari and S. Kumawat

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, JNKVV, Jabalpur 482 004 (M.P.); 1Department

of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Indore 452 001, (M.P.); 2Department

of Agricultural Microbiology, IGKV, Raipur 492 012, (C.G.)


The study was undertaken to explore the possibility of callus culture in Adhatoda vasicaNees (Vasaka), belonging to the family Acanthaceae, an important medicinal plant of India.

During this investigation the callus culture of vasaka were obtained from different explants

such as cotyledon, stem segment and leaf base explants. It was conducted with the objective

to find out the best media for callusing and shoot and root regeneration capacities of callus

in Adhatoda vasica. In this study seven media’s were tried. Out of them, five medias were of

Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) media and the other two media’s were Gamborg’s B5 and



White’s media, respectively. The different combinations and concentrations of Kinetin (Kn),

benzyl amino purine (BAP), 2,4- Di chloro phenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and Naphthalene

acetic acid (NAA) were used. Among these seven media’s, three medias showed better

results than other medias. The M2 media contained MS + 1mgL-1 2,4-D + 0.5mgL-1 Kinetin +

1mgL-1 IBA. The M3 media contained 2mgL-1 BAP + 2mgL-1 Kinetin + 1mgL-1 IAA + 0.5mgL-

1 NAA and 150mlL-1 Coconut water. The M4 media contained MS salts + 2mgL-1 2,4-D +

1mgL-1 Kinetin + 1mgL-1 BAP. Among these media’s, M3 media was found best for callusing

and shoot regeneration, followed by M4 and M2 medias respectively. The best media found

for root regeneration was M2 media followed by M3 media. Doubling the amount of sucrose

were found to be the best for root regeneration.

PS I – 145

Population structure and association studies to identify QTLs for grain

yield with a target of breaking yield ceiling in rice

Ravindra Donde, S. Mohapatra, S. Y. Baksh, B. Padhy, M. Mukherjee, S. Roy1,

K. Chattopadhyay, A. Anandan, P. Swain, K. K. Sahoo2, O. N. Singh, L. Behera, S. K. Dash*

ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack 753 006, Odisha; 1ICAR-NRRI,

Regional Research Station (CRURRS), Hazaribagh, Jharkhand;2Department of Botany,

Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha.


A panel of 60 rice genotypes comprising 48 New Plant Types (NPT), 6 indica, 3 tropicaljaponica, and 3 temperate japonica were used to study diversity and identify QTLs associated

with yield traits. Phenotyping identified 20 potential NPTs with yield of ~5 to ~9.8 ton/ha,

indicating their potentiality as prospective parents for promising transgressive segregants.

A total 85 SSR markers employed, out which 66 SSRs were found to be polymorphic,

amplifying 154 alleles (2.33 alleles /locus) with a PIC values varied from 0.516 to 0.92. A

moderate level of genetic diversity (0.39) was detected among genotypes. Cluster analysis

could identify two major populations at 54% genetic similarity coefficient. The genotypes

were categorized into two sub-clusters (K=2) through STRUCTURE analysis. GLM, MLM

and FaST model based association analysis identified 46, 15 and 22 SSRs significantly

associated with yield and yield traits, respectively. All SSRs found significantly associated

with a trait in four seasons and mean at the 5 % level of FDR. Thirty SSRs had a positive

association with QTLs as reported earlier. A total of 16 novel QTLs for seven traits, namely,

tiller number (QTL-6.1), panicle length (qPL-1.1, qPL-5.1, qPL-7.1, qPL-8.1), flag leaf length

(qFLL-9.1), flag leaf width (qFLW-5.1, qFLW-8.1), thousand-grain weight (qTG-2.2, qTGW-5.1, qTGW-8.1), seed length-breadth ratio (qSlb-3) and grain yield per plant (qYLD-5.1, qYLD-6.1a, qYLD-7.1, qYLD-11.1) were identified. Prospective introgression of these novel QTLs

into elite rice cultivars would help them in increasing yield potentiality and breaking yield

ceiling.



PS I – 146

Correlation and path coefficient analysis in Ajwain (Trachysperm um

ammi L.)

Omprakash Nagar, Shiv Ratan Maloo1, Prashant Bisen and Namrata*

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, M.P.U.A.T.,

Udaipur; 1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences,

BHU, Varanasi


An investigation was carried out on twenty five genotypes originating from different places

along with three checks Gujarat Ajwain-1, Pratap Ajwain-1 and Local check, at Agricultural

farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, MPUAT, Udaipur, India during rabi 2014-15 to find

out the association among yield components and their direct and indirect effects on the

seed yield and seed oil yield of Ajwain. Seed yield per plant was observed to show strong

positive correlation with primary branches (0.71, 0.39), biological yield (0.75, 0.71) and harvest

index (0.54, 0.54) at both genotypic and phenotypic level. Whereas, with days to maturity

(0.50), secondary branches (0.58) and umbellates per umbel (0.83) at genotypic level only.

These characters were also mutually correlated with each other. However, none of the

characters was significantly correlated with seed oil content. Secondary branches per plant

(0.20, 0.14) and umbels per plant (0.32, 0.29) were showed positive correlation with seed oil

content. While seed oil content (-0.06, -0.05) and plant height (-0.04, -0.02) had negative

correlation with seed yield per plant. Path coefficient analysis revealed that maximum direct

effects on seed yield were recorded by umbellates per umbel (0.74), secondary branches

per plant (0.71) and days to flowering (0.59) followed by biological yield (0.43). These

characters exhibited strong genotypic correlations. Whereas, there was no direct and indirect

effect of all component traits included in path analysis on oil content. Emphasis should be

placed during selection on these characters which will results in the form of improvement of

seed yield in ajwain breeding programs.

PS I – 147

Molecular marker assisted genetic diversity analysis in rice germplasms

Akhand Pratap, P. K. Singh, Bapsila Loitongbam, Deepika Singh, Sanket R. Rathi and

Prashant Bisen*


Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P


Thirty eight rice germplasms were analyzed to evaluated the genetic polymorphism and

identification of diverse parents using simple sequences repeat (SSR) markers. These

germplasms showed significant phenotypic variation for all the characters studied. A total of



61 alleles were detected by 11 polymorphic markers showing highly polymorphic across all

germplasms with an average of 5.54 alleles per polymorphic marker. The size of fragments

varied from 76bp (marker RM30) to 350bp (marker RM171). The marker RM336 produced

maximum 7 alleles. The PIC value ranged from 0.275 to 0.751 with a mean PIC of 0.633 and

marker RM31 was found to be the most appropriate marker to discriminate among the rice

genotypes owing to the highest PIC value of 0.751. Cluster analysis germplasms were

grouped in to seven clusters. Cluster analysis based on indicated that 8 germplasms belong

to the cluster IIB followed by 7 germplasms to cluster IA-1 and 6 germplasms to cluster IA-

2. Clusters IA and IB-2 have five germplasms and cluster IB-1a and IB-1b have four and

three germplasms, respectively. The average of dissimilarity coefficient varies from 0.78 to

0.92. The dissimilarity coefficient varied from the largest value 1.00 between the cultivar C-

3 and LAL KHADHA which shows high dissimilarity between them. These germplasms

were showing wide genetic divergence among the constituent in it and may be directly

utilized in hybridization programme for improvement of yield related traits.

PS I – 148

In-vitr o propagation of Boerhaa via diffusa L.: An important medicinal

plant

Ashu Pandey, Oshin Verma and Suresh Chand*

School of Life Sciences, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Khandwa Road, Indore 452 001


Boerhaavia diffusa L., commonly known as santhi, or punarnava is an important medicinal

plant, belonging to the family Nyctaginaceae. This species is said to be distributed throughout

Malwa plateau in central India, as per ayurvedic literature, but due to extensive commercial

exploitation, the species has become vulnerable. The plant contains anthelminthic, diuretic,

aphrodisiac, cardiac stimulant, diaphoretic, emetic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, febrifuge,

laxative, and tonic properties. For callus induction, leaf explants were cultured on Murashige

and Skoog, (1962) (MS) medium supplemented with various concentrations of 2,4-

dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2, 4-D 2.26 µM – 9.04 µM) and N6-benzyladenine (BA 1.11 µM

– 4.44 µM), either alone or in combinations. Calli formed within 10-12 days of culture, followed

by shoots regeneration within 20-25 days. Direct organogenesis was achieved from nodal

explants in MS media fortified with 2,4-D (2.26 µM – 9.04 µM) along with BA (1.11 µM – 4.44

µM) within 20 days. Multiple shooting was observed during subculture of in vitro regenerated

shoots when 2,4-D was replaced with α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Rooting was achieved

in MS medium fortified with 2.85 µM IAA, within 7-10 days and also on half strength MS

medium containing 2.85 µM Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). For hardening, regenerated plants,

with roots (3-4cm) were initially maintained on half-strength MS liquid medium without growth

regulators followed by quarter strength MS liquid medium for 10 days. For acclimatization

sterile mixture of soil, sand and manure (2:1:1) was used. Survival rate of regenerated

plants was 100%.



PS I – 149

Physical mapping and candidate gene prediction of fertility restorer

gene of cytoplasmic male sterility in Brassica juncea

Deepak Singh Bisht*, Rohit Chamola, Vajinder Garg, Ajay Mahato and S. R. Bhat

National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012


The male fertility restorer gene for the CMS (Moricandia arvensis) was introgressed into B.juncea from M. arvensis and has been tagged with a dominant SCAR marker. In this study

a two pronged approach of molecular mapping and transcriptomics was employed for

identification of fertility restorer gene of CMS (M. arvensis) B. juncea. Towards this end, two

BC1F1 populations derived from the cross between CMS and fertility restorer lines we

generated. Screening of more than 550 SSR markers designed based on B. rapa A09

sequence information identified 12 markers flanking the Rf gene and confirmed its location

on B. juncea A09 linkage group. These markers were further cross validated in the second

BC1F1 population. The closest flanking markers BjESSR01 and BjEST01 were at 0.6 and

1.4 cM from the Rf locus. For identification of the candidate gene underlying fertility restoration,

exhaustive comparative transcriptome analysis between CMS and fertility restorer lines

was carried out. Upon screening on different parameters, 34 putative candidate genes having

contig size more than 250 bp were selected. For fertility restoration the restorer gene should

have a prolific expression in pollens. The selected candidate genes were thus narrowed

down to two on the basis of their selective expression in the anthers of the fertile plants.

Further in silico prediction revealed the presence of N- terminal mitochondrial targeting

signal and a conserved PRR motif, the most common features of the restorer genes cloned

so far, in a candidate gene “Brasica_refrence_contig_65865”. This suggests that

Brassica_reference_Contig_65865 might be a putative candidate restorer gene for CMS

(M. arvensis) Brassica juncea.



PS I – 150

Inheritance and allelic relationship among gene(s) for foliar blast

resistance in pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.]

M. Mallik*, S. P. Singh, G. Prakash1, S. Mukesh Sankar1, Tripti Singhal3, Nirupma Singh

and C. Tara Satyavathi2

Division of Genetics, 1Division of Plant Pathology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute,

Pusa, New Delhi 110 012; 2ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; 3ICAR-

All India Coordinated Research project on Pearl Millet - Jodhpur; 4Amity Institute of

Biotechnology, Amity University Campus, Sector 125, Noida


Foliar blast, caused by Pyricularia grisea (Cooke) Sacc, has recently emerged as a serious

disease of pearl millet in India. To study the inheritance of resistance to this disease, two

resistant restorer lines (R-18 and ICMR 06444) and a susceptible maintainer line (ICMB

95444) were selected on the basis of foliar blast reaction in tests conducted under field and

greenhouse conditions. Two crosses were made viz., ICMB 95444 x R-18 (susceptible x

resistant) and ICMB 95444 x R-18 (susceptible x resistant) and F2s and backcrosses with

susceptible parent were generated. P1, P2, F1, F2 and the back cross of each cross were

used to study the inheritance of blast resistance in pearl millet, it revealed the presence of

single dominant gene governing resistance in the resistant genotypes. No segregation for

blast reaction was observed in the F2s derived from the crosses of resistant x resistant

parents. The resistance reaction of these F2s indicated that single dominant gene conferring

resistance in the resistant genotypes is allelic, that is same gene imparts blast resistance in

these genotypes to M. grisea isolates.

PS I – 151

Genetic evaluation of the breeding populations using pedigree analysis

in the captive-bred food fishes of mariculture

M. Sakthivel*, G. Tamilmani, M. Sankar, R. Jayakumar, P. Rameshkumar, K. K. Anikuttan,

M. Anbarasu, N. Krishnaveni and A. K. Abdul Nazar

ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute Manapam Regional Centre, Marine

Fisheries PO, PIN 623 520, Tamil Nadu


Mariculture is one of the fast growing aquaculture sectors in which seed production and

farming of high value marine fishes are carried out. The Cobia and the Silver Pompano are

the prioritized food fishes for mariculture in India. Genetic management of the breeding

populations of these two fishes under captivity in sea cages is being carried out by ICAR-



CMFRI at Mandapam, Tamil Nadu. In the study, genealogical information of these two fish

populations were evaluated to assess the genetic structure and the status of inbreeding

through pedigree analyses. Although pedigrees are often recorded in fish improvement

programs, the implementation of that information as a tool to analyze the genetic structure

of the population is seldom carried out. The present work is the first of its kind in the field of

marine fisheries where the pedigree based population genetic analysis has not been carried

out so far.Pedigree information (Cobia: N=316 for 8 years; Silver Pompano: N=348 for 7

years) were analyzed to estimate the population genetic parameters based on the gene

origin probabilities using the program ENDOG (version 4.8). Molecular marker

(microsatellites) based FAP (Family Assignment Program, version 3.6) was used for

parentage assignment. Both the species have implicit reference populations against which

the parameters were computed. Generation interval, coefficients of inbreeding and

relatedness, individual increase in inbreeding (rate of inbreeding), realized effective population

size, effective numbers of founders, ancestors, founder genomes and non-founder genomes

and the loss of genetic variability caused by genetic bottleneck and genetic drift were

computed for both the populations. The analysis revealed the evidences on loss of genetic

variability with a critical effective population size and resulting in disequilibrium among the

founder contributions in both the populations. The parameters computed from pedigrees

are valuable for studying the quantitative genetic architecture of traits, status of inbreeding

and for genetic management of breeding populations. The results obtained will complement

production variables and provide the basis for a long-term breeding strategy for the Cobia

and the Silver Pompano.

PS I – 152

Basmati rice for temperate and high altitude conditions of northern

Himalayas: A new paradigm for economic growth under hill rice ecology

S. Najeeb, Asif B. Shikari, M. D. Sofi, F. A. Sheikh, Ghazala H. Khan, Ashaq Hussain,

M. A. Ganai, F. A. Mohiddin, N. A. Bhat, Z. A. Dar and G. A. Parray*




Geographical indicator determines the essence of quality in basmati rice. Cultivation of

basmati rice was not popular in the Kashmir valley till the introduction of Pusa-Sugandh-3

(PS3), a basmati rice type that marginally gained popularity among the farmers primarily

because of maturity issues. The newly developed premium and affordable basmati types

and their adaptation prompted farmers for its commercial production that necessitated the

development of basmati variant (SKUA-494) having extra-early heading viz a viz maturity

and cold tolerance features. SKUA-494 as a secondary selection from PS3 depicts a marked

difference for heading date, thus having an adaptive edge under temperate rice ecology of



Kashmir. The newly developed variety is a derivative of PS-3 developed through secondary

selection of early transgressive variant from a uniform population of PS3 using pureline

breeding methodology, showing earliness by 15-20 days than PS3. Development of SKUA-

494 not only addressed the issues of maturity but resulted in higher productivity of 6-7

tonnes /hectare than its progenitor yielding just 4-5 t/ha probably by escaping low temperatures

from grain filling to maturity stage and is also tolerant to rice blast. Gene based SSR analysis

of SKUA-494 revealed distinctive polymorphic loci as well as similarities to PS-3 with nested

marker at Badh-2 locus showed aroma specific allele for presence of aroma due to 2AP.

The variety has hulling, milling and head rice recoveries of around 77%, 61% and 50%,

respectively and is highly aromatic besides, shows intermediate amylose content (24.1%),

alkali spreading value (ASV) of 5.5 together with soft gel consistency (> 60 mm). The

cultivation of the variety gives a net benefit of ¹ 123000=/ha and benefit cost ratio of 2.01:1.

PS I – 153

Elite germplasm of Sesamum indicum L. (Til) groundbreaking for

oilseeds production in Bihar

Sima Sinha* and Rajani Bisen1

Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur,1Project Coordinator Unit (S&N), JNKVV, Jabalpur


The present study was carried out in Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour in view of oil

security of our country. Sesame (Til) is still underutilized crop, after tremendous scope in

oilseed security of India. We are concern about Bihar having high yield potential (875 Kg/

ha) with low acreage 2032 ha (source; Directorate of economics and statistics, 2006-07).

There is a wonderful scope to improve the sesame crop acreage in Bihar. It is the most

ancient oil seed which was used by man and known as ‘Queen of oil seeds’ due to its high

quality polyunsaturated stable fatty acid, which restrains oxidative rancidity. This crop has

ability to tolerate to heat and drought stress. This trial was conducted with a view to provide

high yielding and disease resistant variety for this area. The study was performed to evaluate

and characterize 46, 27 and 36 genotypes in the summer season of 2016, 2017 and 2018

respectively at Bihar Agricultural College, Sabour for various morphological yield parameters.

The germplasm were evaluated in RBD in three replications and showed considerable

variability for days to 50 per cent flowering, plant height, number of primary branches, number

of secondary branch, number of pod per plant, number of seed per pod, pod length, height

of 1st pod from ground, number of pod per axil, days to maturity, 1000 seed weight and yield

per plot. The best yielder in the year 2016 was JLS-606-7-2 having yield was 1554 kg per

hectare and maturity was observed 87 days. In the year 2017, AT-255 was observed best

performing genotype in Sabour location having 1129 kg per hectare with 99 days maturity

and followed by PCU-15-2 having 1056 kg per hectare yield with a maturity of 112 days. In



2018, highest yielder was Rama (1361kg/ha) and BRT-4 (local collection) was found to be

promising for this location having lowest maturity 86 days and yield was 1223 kg/ha. In the

Year 2019, we will evaluate the promising entries in RBD with national check and proceed

for multilocation trial. In future, it could be come out as good varieties for oilseed and help us

in vegetable oil and fat nutritional security.

PS I – 154

Phenotypic stability of some cultivars for tuber yield of potato (solanum

tuberosum l.)

R. N. Patel*, D. M. Zapadia, R. A. Gami, J. K. Patel and G. K. Chaudhary

Potato Research Station, S. D. Agricultural University, Deesa 385 535, Gujarat


Seven potato cultivars were evaluated for the stability for total and marketable tuber yield

during rabi season of 2014-15 to 2016-17. The experiment was laid out in randomised block

design in four replications. Genotype x Environment (G x E) interaction was significant for

both the characters. Non-linear component was predominant in G x E interaction for both

the characters. The cultivar Kufri Pukhraj had the highest phenotypic index, ‘bi’ value less

than one and non significant S2di for total tuber yield suggesting its adaptability to poor

environment, while for marketable tuber yield S2di was significant which make it unstable.

The cultivar Kufri Khyati showed above average performance with ‘bi’ value more than one

and non significant S2di for both total and marketable tuber yield suggesting its adaptability

to favourable environment only. The high yielding varieties Kufri Badshah and Kufri Pushkar

had non significant ‘bi’ values but the presence of significant deviation from regression

renders them unstable for both total and marketable tuber yield.

PS I – 155

Elucidating inheritance of enclosed panicle trait and correlation study

of panicle exsertion and spikelet fertility in “Saathi” rice

Nilesh Joshi*, S. Gopala Krishnan, A. K. Singh, H. Bollinedi and S. V. A. C. R. Mithra

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; Division of Genetics, ICAR-

Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012


Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the staple food of India and it also feeds more than half of the

world’s population. India is endowed with tremendous genetic variability in rice in the form of

landraces cultivars and wild relatives. Among the rice landraces from India, “Saathi” is an



early maturing land race commonly found in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which flowers in 60

days. Besides its early maturity it has a unique morphological feature of enclosed panicles,

in which the panicle remains completely enclosed within the flag leaf sheath affecting yield

of genotype. Genetic analysis for panicle exsertion in F2:3 populations from the cross, Saathi/

IR58025B showed significant value of Shapiro-wilks normality test for panicle exsertion

indicating that enclosed panicle phenotype in “Saathi” is governed by the few major genes

with large effect. Furthermore analysis of the correlation between panicle exsertion and

spikelet fertility showed that correlation was non-significant albeit with significant P-value

indicating that panicle exsertion and spikelet fertility are marginally correlated. The nature of

inheritance of the enclosed panicle trait observed in the study will help in generating clear

and useful knowledge on the nature of inheritance of enclosed panicle trait and also help in

breeding genotypes with better panicle exsertion as well as higher spikelet fertility, thereby

improving the rice yield.

PS I – 156

Combining ability analysis in designated R-lines of Pearl millet

(Pennisetum glaucum)

B. R. Beniwal*, Kamlesh Kumar, Vikas Khandelwal, R. C. Meena, S. L. Yadav and C. Tara

Satyavathi

ICAR-AICRP on Pearl millet, Agricultural University Jodhpur, Mandor 342 304


In present experiment 3 lines, 14 testers and 42 hybrids were used to studies combining

ability at three locations during kharif 2016. Analysis of variance for combining ability indicated

that the mean sum of squares due to lines, testers and line x tester were found significant for

days to 50% flowering and plant height. General combining ability effects suggested that

ICMR 13111, ICMR 13333 and ICMA 92777 were found to be the best general combiners

for earliness whereas, ICMR 13666, ICMA 04888 and ICMA 04999 were good general

combiners for lateness. ICMR 14444, ICMR 14999 and ICMR 14888 were found to be positive

significant GCA effects for plant height. The SCA estimates revealed that no cross

combination was consistently superior for all four characters under study. ICMA 92777 x

ICMR 13555 cross was only identified as the best specific combiners for yield. ICMA 04888

x ICMR 13666, ICMA 04888 x ICMR 14888 and ICMA 92777 x ICMR 14444 crosses showed

highest SCA values for days to 50% flowering in negative direction that can be used for

earliness, whereas ICMA 04888 x ICMR 13666, ICMA 04999 x ICMR 13777, ICMA 92777 x

ICMR 14111 and ICMA 92777 x ICMR 14555 showed positive significant SCA effects for

plant height.



PS I – 157

Estimation of Combining Ability Effects in Taramira (Eruca sativa Mill.)

R. Mundiyara* and M. L. Jakhar

College of Agriculture (Agriculture University, Jodhpur), Nagaur, (Rajasthan)


The eight genetically diverse open pollinated populations were crossed in all possible

combination (excluding reciprocals) during Rabi season of 2013-2014 in a varietal diallel

fashion. The resultant 28 F1 progenies along with eight parents were evaluated in RBD with

four environments -Normal date of sowing (17.10.2014) with two irrigations, designated as

E-I, normal date of sowing (17.10.2014) with conserved moisture, designated as E-II, In late

sowing (5.11.2014) with one irrigation, designated as E-III, In late sowing (5.11.2014) with

conserved moisture, designated as E-IV, with 3 replications during, Rabi 2014-15 at the

Agricultural Research Farm of S.K.N. College of Agriculture, Jobner. Estimates of genetic

constants showed that vi effects were found non-significant for only one out of 11 characters

in the environment-IV, indicating diversity among parents. Similarly hi effects were also

found to be non-significant for 2 out of 11 characters in most of the environments. However

sii’ effects were found significant for most characters. This indicates that though not revealed

by vi effects, genetic diversity existed among the parents. Further significant sii’ effects

indicate that the characters were controlled by both additive as well as non-additive traits.

The number of crosses which indicated significant sii’ was more for seed yield per plant.

Among the parents (varieties) RTM-1359 and RTM-1375 in all the environments, RTM-314

in the environment-II and III were found to be superior based on vi effects and per se

performance not only for seed yield per plant but for some of the other yield traits studied.

The parents worth considered on the basis of hi values were RTM-1375 in environment-I,

RTM-314 in environment-II, while RTM-1415 and RTM-1359 in the environment-III and RTM-

314, RTM-1359 in environment-IV. It was therefore recommended to include these parents

in hybridization programme to improve seed yield and seed quality. In the present

investigation, highly heterotic crosses RTM-1351 x RTM-314, RTM-314 x RTM-1359, RTM-

1415 X RTM-2002 and T-27 x RTM-2002 in all the four environments, were desirable as

they had high seed yield per plant, high sii’ values, with high heterobeltiosis and economic

heterosis not only for seed yield per plant but for some than the other yield traits studied.

Since these are varietal crosses, construction of superior populations from the segregants

of these crosses is highly recommended.



PS I – 158

Pre-breeding is fundamental to widen the genetic base in lentil

Aqeel Hasan Rizvi* and Ashutosh Sarker

ICARDA South Asia & China Regional Program, 2nd Floor, Office Block-C, NASC Complex,

DPS Marg, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012


In South Asia, lentil have been developed through pure line selections and intra-specific

hybridizations, inadvertently narrowing down of genetic base. This makes them exposed to

a number of biotic and abiotic factors, besides reducing their genetic potential due to lesser

hidden variability. The prevailing in consistency among native germplasm has been exploited

to reach to ananticipated level. However, to attain additional breakthrough in increasing

yield and refining stability in future cultivars, new variability needs to be tapped and

incorporated into established germplasm. Wild species and exotic cultivated germplasm

holds a treasure of alleles that can help break yield barriers and enhance tolerance to stress

for stability. However, their exploitation for cultivar improvement is limited. Pre-breeding

events of fera distinctive panorama through the introgression of desirable genes from wild

germplasm into concurrent parents. The crop improvement program at ICARDA in

collaboration with ICAR research institutes focused to create genetic stock/cultivars adapted

to changing climate in varied environment. ICARDA has a wealth of germplasm of lentil

collected from their Center of Origin and Diversity. Asubstantial number of wild-species and

primitive-landraces of various countries have been introduced from ICARDA gene-bank to

national program. After arduous evaluation, a number of trait-specific donor parents were

identified and later utilized in crossing program. With the help of distinctive efforts, new

variants have been constructed. Improved progenies (F7:8) were advanced through single

plant selections from F2 onwards for developing stable yielding lines under different agro-

ecological regions for selecting most promising lines/selections for earliness, pod-number,

resistance against prevailing biotic stresses with other desired traits.

PS I – 159

Genetic parameter estimates of body weight and total length in Clarias

magur post one year culture under polyculture system

P. M. Rameez Roshan, Shrinivas Jahageerdar*, Thongam Chanu, Arun Sharma and J.

Krishna Prasad

ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Versova, Mumbai 400 061


Clarias magur commonly known as magur is an Indian catfish. Magur can be a candidate

species for aquaculture diversification in India due to its high market value owing to its

consumer preference. However, non–availability of quality seed, low fecundity, difficulty in



collecting milt for large scale seed production, low hatchability etc. have limited the culture

of this species. Currently farmers rely on the wild collected seeds for magur culture. The

potential of selective breeding for producing quality seeds in aquaculture is well established.

Genetic selection programme is the sustainable strategy aiming at improving overall

performance of the species. The success of any genetic selection programme depends on

the standing genetic variation in the breeding population. The ICAR-Central Institute of

Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India had initiated a genetic selection program to improve the

growth performance of magur and is being implemented at Fresh Water Fish Farm (FWFF)

ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Balabhadrapuram/Kakinada Andhra Pradesh.

For any genetic selection program it is imperative to estimate the additive genetic variance

to start with. In the present study heritability and genetic correlation for body weight and total

length recorded one year post culture under poly-culture with rohu were estimated. A single

pair mating design was adopted to produce 39 full-sib families. They were stocked in different

earthen ponds after PIT tagging for communal rearing. Families were reared separately in

cement tanks until they attained the size of tagging. From every full-sib family 30 fishes

were randomly selected and were PIT tagged for pedigree and individual identification.All

the tagged fishes were communally reared under poly-culture system with rohu in different

earthen ponds for a period of one year. Variance components were estimated via REML

using a full-sib model. Age, sex and pond were considered as fixed effects in the model and

different full-sib families were assumed to be random.Because of the fewer levels of age, it

was used as a class variable rather than a covariate in the model. Age, sex and pond were

shown significant effect on body weight and total length.The mean weight at tagging and

harvest was 10±0.2g and 118±1.65g respectively. The males (127±1.84g) performed better

than females (103±2.06g). The heritability of body weight and total length at harvest was

0.44±0.1 and for 0.39±0.1, respectively. Genetic correlation between body weight and total

length was high and positive (0.99+±0.001). The present study suggests that there is high

additive genetic variance in magur and an optimally designed selective breeding programme

can improve the growth performance in magur.

PS I – 160

Pattern and Distribution of Genetic Variation in Mugil cephalus

Populations along Indian Coast

Rajeev K. Singh*, Raj Kumar, Abhinav Pathak, Vindhya Mohindra, Sangeeta Mandal,

Nimisha Dutta, Pooja Pandey, T. T. AjithKumar1, T. K. Teena Jayakumar1 and K. K. Lal

ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow 226 002 U.P.; 1PMFGR, National

Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Kochi, Kerala


The Mugil cephalus (family Mugilidae) also known as grey mullet is aneconomical fish species

inhabiting tropical and subtropical coastal regions of the world between 42°N and 42°S. In

compliance to international obligations (such as CBD, CGFRA), it is required to assess and



measure intra-species variability for their scientific management through pre informed

decision. The current study was undertaken to delineate genetic variability, demographic

connectivity and gaining insights regarding the pattern and distribution of genetic variation

in the natural populations of the species. Our study used mitochondrial ATP6/8 genes (842bp)

to estimate genetic divergence in M. cephalus (n=103) collected from three different coastal

regions (East Coast, n=44, West Coast, n=25 and Hooghly estuary, n=34) of Indian waters.

Sequence analysis revealed 12 haplotypes, showing 11 variable sites with 3 parsimony and

8 singleton sites. The haplotype diversity (Hd) ranged from 0.3185 to 0.4585 and low

nucleotide diversity (ð) from 0.0003 to 0.0006. Hierarchical analysis through AMOVA revealed

low but significant genetic differentiation among sites (FST=0.03772, P<0.05) indicating

moderate level of genetic variability. The extent of genetic differentiation demonstrated that

the samples were not part of a common genepool. This study conclusively indicates that

wild populations of M. cephalus are genetically structured and hence management plans

need to be population/location specific.

PS I – 161

Stability and correlation for yield and yield-attributing traits in fodder

oats (Avena sativa L.)

Anjani Kumar Singh, Pradeep Wali and J. P. Sharma

Mega Seed Project, SKUAST-Jammu


Stability analysis was carried out in seventy five genotypes of fodder oats for two years

under intermediate conditions of hill zone of Jammu and Kashmir. For analyzing the stability

of genotypes observations were recorded for 1000 grain weight, green fodder yield and dry

matter yield, besides correlation was established among fodder yield and yield related traits.

Significant variation among genotypes was observed for all the traits indicating presence of

high level of variability. Significant genotype x environment (G x E) interactions were observed

for all the traits. Partitioning of G X E interactions revealed that both linear and non-linear

components were highly significant for all the characters. With respect to green fodder yield

genotype SJO-54 was found to perform well under rich environmental conditions. Genotypes

SJO-82, GPO-77, SJO-96 and Kent were observed to perform well under average

environmental conditions. Genotype SJO-93 could be expected to give better yield under

poor environments. For dry matter yield SJO-82 was identified to be high yielding and stable

for average environment conditions while SJO-93 was found to be high yielding and stable

for poor environment conditions. These genotypes would be useful for commercial exploitation

or can be exploited as elite gene pool in future breeding programme. Both green fodder and

dry matter yield were found to be significantly and positively correlated with days to 50 per

cent flowering, days to 50 per cent maturity, pant height, tillers per plant, no. of leaves per

plant, leaf length spike length and 1000 grain weight. Thus, these characters can be

considered for selection while developing new forage oats varieties with high forage yield.



PS I – 162

Present scenario and future prospects of mungbean production in India

Nidhi Pathak*, D. K. Singh, Shubhra N. Kujur and M. N. Singh

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005


Mungbean is one of the important kharif pulses of India. It is also grown during spring season,

mainly in southern India. During 1999-2000, it was planted on an area of 3.01 m/ha, with the

production of 1.03 mt which is increased up to 3.38 m/ha, with the production of 1.61 mt

during 2013-14. Rajasthan is the major mungbean-growing state that alone accounted for

30.81% area and 34.67% of the total mungbean production, respectively. Cultivation is

concentrated in the other states Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamilnadu

and Uttar Pradesh. It is mainly grown in kharif season from July to October. Even though it

is grown in different crop rotations, about 75% cultivation follows mungbean - wheat crop

rotation. With the development and advancement in short duration and uniform maturing

varieties, mungbean can be fitted in various cropping systems. Presently the production of

mungbean has increased due to expansion in area but not by increase in productivity. Among

the major constraints, weeds, insect damage and lack of seed production are the most

important ones. Research activities on mungbean have mainly been focused on the

development of high-yielding varieties with wider adaptability, resistance to diseases like

mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) and Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), early maturity and

insensitivity to photoperiod. The breeding improvement of mungbean was limited, until 1970,

due to the selection from land races, which were of trailing types. Research on this crop like

other pulses gained momentum from1980 when Coordinated Pulses Research Program

was started at national dimension by ICAR, in a joint effort with territorial research

organizations. This program, through age of assets, here and now and long haul preparing,

trade of germplasm/look into materials (with National and International Research Institutes)

and assessment of new enhanced lines, fortified research on heartbeats. From 1985-86 to

2016-17, a few enhanced assortments have been discharged for general development in

the nation. New enhanced assortments can possibly increment mungbean generation. The

yields of dynamic ranchers have nearly achieved 2 to multiple times the trial potential yield,

though the vast majority of the agriculturists are not getting even 50% of the potential yield,

because of some generation limitations. In the event that the Government, private part and

ranchers are convinced to hold hands to increment mungbean generation, these imperatives

can be beaten rapidly.



SESSION II

Genetics and Breeding

for Climate Resilience



PS II – 1

Assessment of barley genotypes for durable spot blotch (Biplorais

sorokiniana) resistance: G x E interaction

Vishnu Kumar*, Sudheer Kumar, A. S. Kharub and G. P. Singh

ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, PB-158, Karnal 132 001, Haryana


Spot blotch is one of the most devastating biotic stresses in barley. The yield losses up to

40% have been reported due to the cultivar susceptibility and favourable weather conditions

in North Eastern Indo-Gangetic plains. A set of 31 genotypes were evaluated at four hot

spots over two years and combined analysis of variance revealed significant influence of

year (5.64%) and location (18.08%) effects on disease severity. The significant G x E mean

squares explained 16.92% of the total variation and indicated to exclude confounding role of

location effect before selecting promising genotypes. Highest susceptible reactions were

observed at Varanasi (51.61%) followed by Kanpur (19.35%) whereas, the moderately

susceptible observations were higher at Faizabad (67.74%) and Kanpur (61.29%) locations,

respectively. In heritability adjusted GGE biplot analysis, the initial two PCs attributed 78.36%

of G + G x E sum of squares and ratio of (G+G x E)/(E+G+G x E) was estimated to be

71.77% and substantiated usefulness of generated biplots to elucidate resistant and stable

genotypes with location discrimination. Based on AEC projections and resistance stability

index (RSI), the genotypes DWRB180, DWRB190 and PL891 were found promising for

spot blotch. The locations Varanasi and Faizabad were found type 2 discriminative and

representative environments for spot blotch screening in North Eastern India.

PS II – 2

Heterosis studies for yield and yield contributing traits in sorghum

Ranjana Tiwari*, H. V. Kalpande and S. V. Kalyankar

Department of Agrilcutural Botany, College of Agriculture, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi

Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, Maharshtra


The present study was conducted in kharif 2015 at Sorghum Research Station, Vasantrao

Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani. A set of 56 hybrids derived using 7 lines and

8 testers in crosses and 3 checks of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] were studied

for the inheritance of yield and yield contributing traits, to estimate the amount of heterosis

and heterobeltiosis and finding out economic heterosis for selection of potential parents and

the hybrids. Significant positive heterosis regarding plant height, flag leaf area, grain yield,

fodder yield and harvest index was desirable for increasing grain yield. The best cross for



yield was ICSA101 × KR125. For Plant height (cm) and flag leaf area significantly highest

economic heterosis over standard check CSH16 was recorded by cross ICSA101 × KR125

i.e. (22.63%) and (42.72%) respectively. As regard grain yield (gm) eight crosses recorded

significant positive heterosis over standard check CSH25. Significantly highest positive

heterosis over standard check CSH25 was recorded by cross ICSA101 × KR125 (27.87%).

Seven crosses recorded significant positive heterosis over standard check SPH1641. Highest

economic heterosis was recorded by cross ICSA101 × KR125 (17.51%). Eight crosses

recorded significant positive economic heterosis over standard check CSH16 and significantly

highest economic heterosis recorded by cross ICSA101 × KR125 (30.28%). As regards of

fodder yield per plant (gm) significantly highest economic heterosis over standard check

CSH16 was recorded by cross ICSA101 × KR125 (29.05%). For Harvest index (%)

significantly highest economic heterosis over standard check CSH16 was recorded by cross

ICSA101 × KR125 (43.63%).

PS II – 3

Line × Tester analysis for different characters in sorghum genotypes

S. V. Kalyankar*, Ranjana Tiwari and H. V. Kalpande

Department of Agrilcutural Botany, College of Agriculture, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi

Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, Maharashtra


The present investigation was conducted in kharif 2015 at Sorghum Research Station,

Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani. A set of 15 parents (7 lines and 8

testers), 56 hybrids and 3 checks of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) was studied to

find out the inheritance of yield, yield contributing traits and grain mould tolerance traits. In

Line × Tester analysis, significant difference were observed for days to 50% flowering, days

to maturity, plant height (cm), flag leaf area (cm²), grain yield (gm), fodder yield per plant

(gm), test weight (gm), harvest index (%), field grade score, threshed grade score, glume

colour, glume coverage (%) and germination (%). However, in parents vs crosses significant

difference were observed for all the traits studied except test weight. Further, partitioning of

treatment variance into components viz., parents, hybrids and parents vs hybrids revealed

that parents significantly differed among themselves for all the characters. Similarly, hybrids

and parents vs hybrids recorded highly significant differences for all the traits. Analysis of

variances revealed that the parents included in this investigation possessed sufficient

variability for the characters studied. Treatment differences were significant for all the

characters studied. Treatment variance revealed that parents significantly differed among

themselves for all the characters. Based on the analysis, it could be concluded that there is

a great scope to improve all the character by selection on making crosses among the lines

understudy.



PS II – 4

Studies on heterosis pattern for grain mould tolerance in sorghum

genotypes

H. V. Kalpande*, Ranjana Tiwari and S. V. Kalyankar

Department of Agrilcutural Botany, College of Agriculture,VNMKV, Parbhani (M.S.)


The present investigation was conducted in kharif 2015 at sorghum research station,

Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani. A set of 15 Parents (7 lines and 8

testers), 56 Hybrids and 3 checks were evaluated to study the inheritance of grain mould

tolerance in sorghum and to estimate the amount of heterosis and heterobeltiosis, for selection

of potential parents and crosses. Significant negative heterosis regarding Field grade score

and Threshed grade score while significant positive heterosis regarding Glume coverage

(%) and Germination (%) was desirable for increasing grain yield with mould resistance. For

Field grade score highest negative economic heterosis over SPH1641 and CSH16 check

was recorded by cross ICSA101 × KR125 i.e., (-36.80%), (-38.39%) respectively. Regarding

threshed grade score highest economic heterosis over SPH1641 and CSH16 check was

recorded by PMS71A × AKR456 i.e., (-27.84%) and (-29.70%) respectively. For glume

coverage (%) positively significant economic heterosis over standard check CSH16 was

recorded by cross PMS28A × C43. For germination (%), the positive heterosis is of interest

to the breeder as it results higher plant stand and yield. Significantly highest positive heterosis

over standard check CSH25 was recorded by cross PMS71A × AKR456 (21.52%) and

ICSA101 × KR125 (20.31%). Highest economic heterosis over SPH1641 check was recorded

by cross PMS71A × AKR456 (26.26%) followed by cross ICSA101 × KR125 (25.00%).

Significantly highest economic heterosis over check CSH16 was recorded by cross PMS71A

× AKR456 (27.59%) and ICSA101 × KR125 (26.42%).

PS II – 5

SSR marker based hybridity assessment of rice F1 for cold tolerance at

seedling stage

Brijesh Kumar Singh*, Monoj Sutradhar1, Pramod Kumar Pandey, Amit Kumar Singh and

Nirmal Mandal1

Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi

Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal 741 252; 1Central Agriculture University,

College of Horticulture and Forestry, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh 791 102


Even though, the morphological parameters are the base level for genotype selection, they

may not often identify true F1 hybrids. Since, the phenotypic parameters does not reveal



their accurate genotypic level and to screen the genotypes from germination to maturity

becomes time consuming and incompetent for the breeding pipeline, molecular markers

provided more feasible option for testing hybridity. So, DNA markers which show high

polymorphism among the parents may be used to test the heterozygosity of the F1 plants.

This study was initiated with the crossing of rice genotypes Neera, CB1 and Hamsahamas

as cold tolerant parent, with Dular, Ratna, and IR36 as cold susceptible parent. Cold tolerance

associated SSR markers such as RM3426, RM286, RM202, RM224, RM256 and RM251

were polymorphic between the parents. Seventy eight (78) true hybrids were selected by

polymorphic markers and subsequent generations were developed successfully by single

seed descend method. The screened SSRs efficiently verified only true hybrids and were

further utilized for genotyping of the progenies and accurate gene mapping.

PS II – 6

Association of SNP haplotypes of VTE1 gene with salt related traits

among Oryza rufipogon species complex (ORSC) wild rice

Balwant Singh, Shefali Mishra, Kabita Tripathy, Vandana Rai and N. K. Singh*

ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110

012


Total 95 ORCS wild rice and 8 cultivated rice were screened for salinity stress at 150mM

NaCl in hydroponics and evaluated for salt related traits including SES score, biomass, total

chlorophyll content, Na+ and K+ ion concentration. Gene was re-sequenced through amplicon

sequencing method using Ion torrent PGM to study association between salt related traits

with VTE gene. For PCR amplification, five set of primers were designed with size ranging

from 2.5 kb to 2.9 kb.It amplified 10.1kb region including 5’UTR, gene and 3’UTR and

sequenced using primer walking technique. Analysis of nucleotide variation revealed 81

segregating sites and nucleotide diversity was 0.00052. Out of the 81 sites, 35 base showed

transversions and 46 base transitions. Haplotype analysis showed 23 haplotypes (H1-H23)

with haplotype diversity of 0.631. Haplotype H3 was the largest haplotype having 62 individuals

followed by haplotype H11 having seven individuals. Haplotype H1 had 6 individuals forming

a tolerant cluster and supposed to be associated with salt tolerance. LD based association

study showed one SNP from 5’UTR region was associated with potassium concentration in

shoot, one from intronic region was associated with SPAD value, six SNPS I Ifrom intronic

region and one from 5’ UTR was associated with sodium concentration in root. Analysis of

biochemical stress markers, enzyme assay and gene expressions analysis will be conducted

for further confirmation of role of VTE gene in salt stress. Identified SNPS I Imay use as

markers and tolerant allele of the VTE gene may introgressed into cultivated rice varieties.



PS II – 7

Identification of surrogates for drought resilience in maize inbred lines

based on high throughput phenomics differentiation

Z. A. Dar*, J. A. Khan1, A. A. Lone, S. Naseer, P. A. Sofi, I. Abidi, M. Habib, G. Ali,

S. Gulzar, A. Gazal, N. Yousuf and J. Rane2

Dryland Agriculture Research Station, Budgam, Sher-e-Kashmir, University of Agricultural

Sciences and Technology, Jammu and Kashmir; 1University of Agricultural Sciences,

Bangalore; 2ICAR-National Institute on Abiotic Stress Management (NIASM), Baramati,

Maharashtra


Phenomics is emerging as a science that aims at non-destructive methods that allow

screening of genotypes in a large scale and thereby complement genomic efforts to identify

genes relevant from crop improvement both under favorable and unfavorable environments.

Thirty Maize Inbred Lines from different sources (Exotic and Indigenous) maintained at

Dryland Agriculture Research Station (SKUAST- Kashmir) were chosen for the study. In the

automated conveyer for plant transport and imaging systems (the ICAR-NIASM LemnaTec

Scanalyzer system for large plants), top and side view images were taken of the VIS and

NIR range of the light spectrum. The Lemnagrid, Integrated Analysis software for high-

throughput plant image analyses was used for image-based plant feature extraction. Image

processing is divided into two major parts: Image segmentation and Feature extraction. All

thermal images were obtained with a thermal imager (Vario CAM hr Inspect 575, Jenoptic,

Germany). The results introduce a dataset of 30 maize inbred lines. Images were collected

once per day for 11 days. Imaging started one day after shifting the pots from the greenhouse.

Different surrogates were estimated in the study like Area, Plant Aspect ratio, Convex Hull

Ratio, Caliper Length etc. A strong association was found between canopy temperature and

above ground biomass under stress conditions. Lines showing promise in different surrogates

should be crossed with locally adapted lines to develop mapping populations for traits of

interest related to drought resilience in terms of improved tissue water status and map

genes/QTLs of interest.



PS II – 8

Epigenetics an antidote to the idea that we are hard wired by our genes

Aarti Sharma*

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi,

Uttar Pradesh


Epigenetics is a field of science which is “above” or “in addition” to genetics, if we go with its

etymology. It is science titillating our neurons to ponder “Is there something beyond genes

too; which governs the final phenotype of the gene? At times it has been rephrased as a

revolutionary science, sometimes confused with Lamarckism, and other times a discipline

with definition, which is still debatable; this science has remained in controversy. Coined

and conceptualized by Developmental Biologist, C.H. Waddington, as a science bridging

two different fields of developmental biology and genetics, is now being perceived as a

science which provides us answers of occurrence some natural phenomenons (paramutaion,

genetic imprinting, etc.) of which genetics has no answer for. Today epigenetic therapy is

used in curing many diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and mental illnesses.

Epigenetic is one of the most important topics in the field of plant genetics. The profound

impact of Epigenetics has instigated the launch of Human Epigenome Project (HEP), a

multinational science project, with set objectives; to identify, catalog, and interpret genome-

wide DNA methylation patterns of all human genes in all major tissues.

PS II – 9

Identification of water stress tolerant amaranthus genotypes

(Amaranthus tricolor L.) with high yield and quality

A. M. Shahiba

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala


The present study to identify high yielding genotypes of amaranthus with good quality and

tolerance to water stress under two experiments during 2016-2018. In the first experiment

30 accessions of Amaranthus tricolor L. available in the Department of Plant Breeding and

Genetics and collected from other sources were evaluated for yield under field condition

and morphologically described using IBPGR descriptor for the amaranthus. Madhur Local

(A22) recorded highest yield plant–1 (125.926 g) followed by Kalliyoor Local (A4), Ayyanthole

Local (A28), Haripad Local (A7), Palakkadu Local (A2), Anachal Local (A6), Aryanadu Local

(A21), Poonkulam Local (A20), Kazhakkuttom Local (A9) and Kannara Local (A29). In the

second experiment, these ten genotypes selected based on the yield were evaluated in



RBD with three replications during November 2017-December 2017. Water stress was

imposed after 5 days of irrigation to water holding capacity to the transplanted seedlings by

scheduling the irrigation at a depth of 20mm at 20mm CPE (Cumulative Pan Evaporation).

Analysis of variance was calculated for all the characters under study and was found to be

significant for all the genotypes evaluated. The mean performance of the genotypes for the

characters were studied. The maximum yield was observed for the genotype Madhur Local

followed by the genotype A9 (Kazhakkuttom Local), genotype Poonkulam Local and genotype

Palakkadu Local and the minimum yield was recorded for genotype A4 (Kalliyoor Local).

Vitamin A content registeredthe highest GCV (41.22%) and PCV (41.25%). High heritability

coupled with high genetic advance was observed for leaf width, number of branches, yield

plant–1, protein content, fibre content and vitamin A. The results of the present study showed

thatgenotype A22 (Madhur local) was superior in yield performance under water stress

condition followed by the genotype A9 (Kazhakkuttomlocal), genotype A20 (Poonkulamlocal)

and the genotype A2 (Palakkadulocal). The genotype A22 (Madhur local) also recorded the

maximum stem girth, number of branches, length of leaf lamina, leaf to stem ratio, membrane

integrity, relative water content and proline content of leaves with high Vitamin A and low

oxalate content. Presence of proline in the leaves might be considered as an important

water stress tolerance mechanism.

PS II – 10

Somatic hybrids of Sinapis alba + Brassica juncea: Study of backcross

progenies for chromosome constitution and reaction to Alternaria

brassicae

Preetesh Kumari*, Kaushal Pratap Singh1, Darshana Bisht2, Sundip Kumar2,

R. C. Bhattacharya and S. R. Bhat

National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, IARI, Pusa campus, New Delhi 110 012;1Botany Department, Raja Balwant Singh College, Agra 282 002; 2Molecular Cytogenetics

Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, College of Basic Sciences and

Humanities, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture &Technology, Pantnagar 263 145, Udham

Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand


The wild relatives of croPS I Iare rich reservoir of genes for resilience to climate change. In

order to transfer genes from Sinapis alba (a wild relative of Brassicaceae) into B. juncea, we

produced somatic hybrids between the two species. Subsequently, we have produced a

large number of back cross populations involving two somatic hybrids H1 and H2 with Brassicajuncea. BC1F1 progeny were morphologically very similar. However, when they were challenge

inoculated with a highly virulent Alternaria brassicae (ITCC No. 2542) culture under in vivoand in vitro conditions in two growing seasons, they showed variation for disease reactions.

Out of 58 BC1F1 plants tested in one season, 36 showed resistant reaction. BC1F2 progenies



derived from resistant BC1F1 plants also showed resistance against Alternaria indicating

stable inheritance of resistant phenotype. However, BC1F2 progenies were variable for

morphological traits such as plant height, basal branching, leaf thickness, trichome density

on leaves and stem etc. Five BC1F1 plants were examined by in situ hybridization to determine

chromosome constitution. All plants showed twelve strong hybridization signals upon

hybridization with FITC-labeled S. alba specific probe in genome in-situ hybridization (GISH).

GISH of BC1F2 plants indicated localized signals besides twelve full chromosome hybridization

signals indicating alien gene introgression into B. juncea.

PS II – 11

Genetic approaches to improve heat tolerance in crops

Ayushi Srivastava*




Heat stress is a well-recognized agricultural problem in many areas of the world. High

temperature causes changes in morphology, anatomy, phenology and biochemistry of plants,

which affect its growth and development at whole plant level, tissue level and cellular level

and may ultimately lead to a drastic reduction in economic yield and quality. These adverse

effects can be mitigated by breeding thermo-tolerant crop varieties using different conventional

or contemporary molecular breeding protocols, transgenic approaches or advanced genetic

tools. Since heat stress tolerance is a complex trait as is controlled by more than one gene,

and is highly influenced by environmental variation therefore DNA Marker technology derived

from molecular genomics research holds great promise for breeding thermo-tolerant varieties.

High temperature tolerance has been genetically engineered in plants mainly by over-

expressing the heat shock protein genes, elevating levels of osmoprotectants, increasing

levels of cell detoxification enzymes and through altering membrane fluidity. Recent advances

in molecular technology have widened the horizon of breeding strategies for developing

heat tolerant croPS I Ifor the future. Several crop genomes have been sequenced and a

number of others are in progress, thus providing tools for comparing genomes and deciphering

the functions of hundreds of genes involved in the heat tolerance mechanism as a whole.

The use of genetic stocks with different degrees of heat tolerance, correlation and co-

segregation analyses, molecular biology techniques, and molecular markers to identify

tolerance quantitative trait loci (QTL) are promising approaches to dissect the genetic basis

of thermo-tolerance.



PS II – 12

Performance of advanced breeding lines of green round brinjal

(Solanum melongena L.) for bacterial wilt disease resistance, yield and

quality

K. P. Sahana*, Jyothi Kattegoudar, H. B. Lingaiah, C. G., Sangeetha, S. J. Prashanth,

K. Padmanabha, Jayashree Ugalat and K. P. Sagar

Department of Vegatable Science, College of Horticulture, Bengaluru 560065, University of

Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot


The performance of advanced breeding lines of green round brinjal were evaluated for

bacterial wilt disease resistance, yield and quality attributes. The evaluated genotypes differed

significantly, the highest yield of 754.64 g per plant was obtained from the advanced line 30-

2-7. The line 30-1-42 (37.53 days) was the earliest for days to first flowering. Minimum

number of days to 50 per cent of flowering was recorded in the advanced line 30-1-42 (44.30

days). The phenol content in fruit was highest in the advanced line 30-1-18 (3.15 mgGAE/

100g fresh fruit weight). Advanced line 30-2-12 (20.44) produced the maximum number of

fruits per plant. Five advanced lines 30-2-7, 30-2-12, 30-1-7, 249-10-29, 249-10-54 were

found to be resistant to bacterial wilt disease.

PS II – 13

Evaluation of rice mini core and F2 population for resistance to leaf

and neck blast pathotypes prevalent in NEH region

Ashim Debnath*, Mayank Rai1 and Wricha Tyagi1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144

411, Punjab, 1School of Crop Improvement, College of Post Graduate Studies, Central

Agricultural University, Umiam 793 103, Meghalaya


Rice blast is one of the most devastating biotic stresses that limits rice productivity in North

Eastern hill (NEH) region and causes yield loss from 40 to 46 %. The NEH region is considered

to be the centre of diversity for both rice and Magnaporthe grisea. Therefore, the present

study was carried out in CPGS (Central Agricultural University, Meghalaya) to elucidate the

genetic basis of leaf and neck blast resistance under Meghalaya conditions in terms of

genes and loci associated with resistance to the local pathotypes. The field experiments

involved a set of 80 genotypes and F2 population of a cross between LR-5 (Lal Jangali) and

Sambha mahsuri SUB 1. The study involved association analysis of reported major gene



linked markers with leaf and neck blast resistance in natural and F2 populations to identify

effective genes under local conditions. A set of 80 genotypes were screened across two

seasons, under two different rice ecosystems (upland and lowland) and a panel of 43 tolerant

and susceptible genotypes were identified for marker trait association study. Marker trait

association studies revealed seven different loci to be associated with blast resistance.

These genes/loci were Pi64, Pi2, Pib, Pi2/9 locus, Pi5, Pb1/qPbm locus and Pi20(t). Genes

Pi5 and Pi54 were found to be associated with leaf blast resistance in both, natural population

and biparental F2 population. Pib and qPbm showed some degree of association with neck

blast resistance in natural population. The markers and genes identified in this study can be

used for marker assisted selection of breeding material.

PS II – 14

Introgression of QTLs conferring shoot fly resistance into elite post-

rainy season sorghum varieties using marker assisted backcrossing

(MABC)

Sunita Gorthy1, Lakshmi Narasu1, Santosh P. Deshpande, Hari Chand Sharma, Anil

Gaddameedi, Anuradha Kotla and Ashok Kumar Are

International CroPS I IResearch Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, Hyderabad,

Telangana, 1Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, Telangana


Shoot fly is a major biotic constraint in sorghum production and developing host-plant

resistance is the best method to manage it. Various component traits contribute for imparting

shoot fly resistance and molecular markers linked to QTLs controlling these component

traitshave been reported. In this study, three QTLs associated with shoot fly resistance

were introgressed into elite post-rainy season adapted cultivar Parbhani Moti (=SPV1411)

and an elite sorghum hybrid parent ICSB29004. Crosses were made between recurrent

parents and QTL donors, J2658, J2614 and J2714 (BTx623-derivatives). The F1s after

confirmation for QTL presence were backcrossed to recurrent parents and the resultant

lines after two backcrosses were selfed for advancement. Foreground selection was carried

out in F1 and BCnF1 generations with 33 polymorphic markers and background selection in

the introgressed lines with evenly distributed 43 SSR markers. By using two backcrosses

and four rounds of selfing, six BC2F4 progenies were selected for ICSB29004× J2658, five

BC2F4 progenies were selected for ICSB29004 × J2714 and six BC2F4 progenies were

selected for Parbhani Moti × J2614 crosses. Phenotyping of these lines led to the identification

of two resistant lines for each QTL region present on chromosome SBI 01, SBI 07 and SBI

10 in ICSB 29004 and Parbhani Moti. The introgression lines showed higher shoot fly

resistance than the recurrent parents and their grain yield was the same or better than the

recurrent parents. This is a first report on use of MABC for improving shoot fly resistance in

postrainy sorghum.



PS II – 15

Curtailing wheat rust breeding programme via Imperata cylindrica

mediated doubled haploidy and marker assisted approaches

Madhu Patial*, Dharam Pal, H. K. Chaudhary1, Neha Sharma2, S. Sundaresha2,

K. K. Pramanick, Jagdish Kumar3, A. K. Shukla and K. V. Prahu4

ICAR-IARI, Regional Station, CHC, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh; 1CSK HPKV, Palampur,2ICAR-CPRI, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh; 3ICAR- National Institute of Biotic Stress

Management, Raipur 493 225, Chhattisgarh; 4Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’

Rights Authority, Government of India, New Delhi 110 012


Wheat, an important crop in the current global food security demands increased production

to meet the future global wheat consumption of 880 MMT by the year 2050. With the

continuous changing nature of biotic and abiotic stresses there is an urgent need not only to

sustain but further enhance the productivity of wheat to feed the ever growing population.

The task requires implementation of efficient wheat breeding methodologies which integrates

conventional and biotechnological methods. For this, Doubled Haploidy approach helPS I

Ito accelerate the development of true breeding lines in shortest time frame. Of the various

doubled haploid techniques, wide hybridization via Imperata cylindrica mediated chromosomal

elimination technique has been found to be the most economical and efficient. This research

was conducted to produce rust resistant wheat doubled haploid lines through chromosome

elimination technique (wheat × Imperata cylindrica crosses) involving different spring and

winter wheat genotypes. The lines were crossed to form F1’s and three way F1’s. These F1’s

and three way F1’s were further crossed with I. cylindrica to develop wheat doubled haploid

(DH) lines. The DH lines were tested against four races of yellow (110S119, 110S84, 46S119

and 78S84) and three races of brown rust (77-9,104-2 and 77-5) at seedling stage and with

mix race of yellow and brown rust in adult plant stage (at Dhaulakuan- a yellow rust hotspot).

Gene specific molecular markers for yellow and brown rust resistance were used for looking

the possibility of the resistant gene. One DH, HS 542 / China-84 was found to be resistant at

adult plant stage and showed further resistant to different races of yellow rust at seedling

stage and hence can act as an important genetic stock. Overall, the results suggest that the

I. cylindrica mediated chromosome elimination technique of doubled haploid production could

be used as an effective tool to produce desirable resistant lines in the shortest time and the

developed DH line could be further used as genetic stock by the breeders for varietal

improvement in wheat.



PS II – 16

Pod-wall protects the developing seeds of chickpea by accumulating

defense transcript in response to Helicoverpa infestation.

Mamta Bhattacharjee, Debajit Das, Sumita Acharjee* and Bidyut Kumar Sarmah

DBT-AAU Centre, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat 785 013, Assam


The pod wall acts as an envelope for developing seeds and protects the seeds from pest

and pathogen damage. The role of pod wall defense genes during plant-insect interaction is

not well documented. Therefore, our aim was to understand the defense mechanism is

chickpea pod wall in response to its significant pest, Helicoverpa armigera. Although,

cultivated varieties are susceptible to Helicoverpa armigera, a few tolerant genotypes such

as ICC-506EB have also been reported. We employed RNAseq to know the mechanism of

defense in the pod wall of this tolerant genotype compared to a susceptible cultivar, JG-11.

The pod wall transcriptome data provided us with a snapshot of transcript dynamics due to

chickpea-Helicoverpa interaction. A substantial change in defense related genes, hormonal

networks like jasmonic acid and ethylene pathways, transcription factors, regulatory proteins

etc was observed. The transcriptome data were further validated using quantitative PCR (q-

PCR). Comparison of selected defense genes using q-PCR showed that regurgitant treatment

increased the differential expression of genes (PR-10, thaumatin-like protein PR-5a, disease

resistance response protein) relative to the untreated plants in both the cultivars. The

expression of the selected genes also varied with the increase in the time period deciphering

the spatiotemporal nature of accumulation of defensive compounds resulting due to plant

herbivory. Thus, we have found that the pod wall of chickpea participates in the defense

against Helicoverpa to protect the developing seeds. However, the precise roles of these

defense genes are yet to be elucidated.

PS II – 17

Exploiting geminivirus-plant host interacting gene(s) for developing

transcriptomic markers associated with yellow mosaic disease

resistance in blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper]

Avi Raizada and J. Souframanien*1

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400 085; 1Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai

400 094


Blackgram is an important pulse crop extensively grown in India. Yellow mosaic virus (YMV)

disease caused by geminivirus and transmitted by whitefly is a major disease in a number of



leguminous croPS I Iincluding blackgram. Although YMV resistance sources are reported,

introgressing resistance against several YMV biotypes in elite cultivars is still a major

challenge to breeders. Extensive studies on YMD suggested geminivirus - plant host

interaction to be complex with numerous factors involved in defense mechanism involving

cell cycle, RNA interference and other physiological events. In order to obtain a critical

insight into the blackgram and YMV interaction, we employed quantitative PCR to study

altered expressions of reported genes associated with virus-host interaction. Dynamics of

7 proteins known to be involved in virus-host interactions (RNA/DNA polymerases, DNA

methylation protein etc.) and 2 RGAs were studied in resistant (KU-96-3) and susceptible

(TAU-1 ) genotypes. Seven of these nine factors displayed fold change of > 2. Contig 15576

was observed with highest fold change of 36 and has homology with DNA polymerase alpha

subunit B-like. DNA polymerase alpha subunit B-like is reported to have role in geminivirus

infection cycle. Five contigs that were less expressed in resistant genotype under no

disease condition displayed upregulation in YMV infected condition. Since these

transcriptomic markers were developed based on candidate proteins involved in defence

mechanism against YMV, they would be useful for integrating YMV-tolerance trait in

susceptible cultivars of blackgram and provide opportunities for gene tagging.

PS II – 18

Identification of differentially expressed genes associated with bruchid

resistance in the wild accession of blackgram (Vigna mungo var.

silvestris) by transcriptome sequencing

J. Souframanien1* and Avi Raizada

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400 085; 1Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai

400 094


Blackgram is an important legume crop in Asia, as a major source of dietary protein for its

predominantly vegetarian population. Bruchids (Callosobruchus maculatus) are the most

common storage pest causing 80-100% loss of stored seeds. Blackgram wild accession,

Vigna mungo var. silvestris is resistance to bruchids but the mechanisms of resistance in

this plant are still unclear due to the limited genetic and sequence information. To comprehend

the molecular basis of bruchid resistance, comparative transcriptome analysis was performed

using RNA-seq of developing seeds from resistant Vigna mungo var. silvestris (Trombay

wild) and susceptible blackgram cultivar TU94-2. In total, 1442 differentially expressed genes

(DEGs) were identified including 566 up-regulated (> 2 upto 12) and 876 down regulated (-

2 to -12) CDS. Common hit accessions based on BLAST against green plant database were

identified for differentially expressed CDS. RNA-seq was validated by analyzing the

expression patterns of randomly selected 10 DEGs by qRT-PCR. Among these, 9 CDS



found to be upregulated (> 2 fold change) and 1 CDS was found to be down regulated (-

0.12). This expression data is consistent with that observed by RNA-seq. In this study, CDS

24088 showed highest expression and found to be associated with metal ion binding and

acid phosphatase activity. Acid phosphatase activity of some seed storage proteins is known

to confer resistance to insects. These differentially expressed CDS could be exploited for

gene tagging, development of SCAR markers, cloning and would have considerable utility

for marker assisted selection (MAS) in blackgram improvement programs.

PS II – 19

Prospects of hybrid wheat in India: An analysis based on recent

experiments

P. K. Bhati*, B. R. Basnet1, A. K. Joshi, M. Vishwakarma and U. Kumar

CIMMYT/Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), New Delhi 110 012, India; 2International

Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), El Batan Texcoco 56237, Mexico


Global wheat production is increasing at 0.9% each year, whereas, the global demand

continues to grow at the rate of 1.5% or more annually.Combined with the consequences of

climate change, we must avoid the risk of another food crisis, and ensure farmers across

the world are equipped to meet the demand of a rising global population. Increased yield of

wheat grain can be achieved by exploiting hybrid heterosis. CIMMYT-Syngenta collaboration

project on ‘hybrid wheat heterosis’ aims to explore the potential of CIMMYT’s spring wheat

germplasm in producing viable commercial hybrid wheat varieties. The future scope of hybrid

technology in wheat depends on the male sterility systems, floral biology, level of combining

ability, heterosis and its exploitation in commercial level that may be useful in breaking yield

barriers and enhancing the productivity in the major wheat belt of the country. The main

objectives of the hybrid wheat research at CIMMYT are: 1) to test the mid-parent and

commercial heterosis in F1 hybrids produced using different elite spring wheat lines developed

in CIMMYT, and 2) to identify the best hybrid parents based on general combining ability

(GCA) and/or specific combining ability (SCA) estimates of parents and hybrid combinations,

respectively. Wheat hybrids were developed at CIMMYT-Mexico using CHAs. These F1

hybrids and parents were evaluated for yield under optimal agronomic practices during

2014-2015, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 growing seasons at three different locations in India,

Ludhiana, Punjab (30.90æ%N, 75.85æ%E), Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (23.18æ%N,

79.98æ%E) and Karnal Haryana (29.68æ%N, 76.99æ%E). A good number of hybrid

combinations were found to have a promising level of commercial heterosis tested across

locations. The hybrid heterosis vary from 78.4% to 122.43% over standard checks across

locations and years (2014-15 to 2016-17). Currently less than one percent of wheat croPS I

Iglobally is hybrid wheat, we need to continue with this research, as hybrid croPS I Icould

lead to 15 to 23 per cent greater yield potential and in particular higher stability, an important

trait.



PS II – 20

Weather oscillations and their impact on maize inbreds and their hybrids

Aditi Ghosh*, Amitava Ghosh, and Sabyasachi Kundagrami

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Science, University of

Calcutta, 51/2 Hazra Road, Kolkata 700 019, West Bengal


Seventeen maize inbreds and their 20 hybrids were grown (end of November to 1st week of

April) in randomized block design with three replications in three consecutive seasons. The

fluctuating seasonal agitations were reflected by temperature (maximum and minimum),

rainfall, rainy days, sun days and cloud %. In the unfavourable season precipitation during

December to February and extended to march accompanied by higher temperature (maximum

and minimum) resulted in growth depression (reduction in plant height) and early flowering

with adverse effect on fertility. During this period reduced sun days and increased cloud %

were experienced. In contrast in the favourable seasons these weather variables were

improved favouring adequate growth and smooth reproductive development as reflected by

flowering with delayed tasseling and silking and more grains per cob helping in realizing

significantly higher grain yield. As in hybrids inbreds showed up and down trend in

performance in relation to favourable and unfavourable seasons. Hybrids were less impacted

as compared to inbreds and capable of maintaining resilience against seasonal oscillations.

Hybrids in general recorded twice the grain yield to that of inbreds. Across the seasons

inbred parents of superior hybrids (10) persistently maintained good yield performance.

Maize hybrid development would be more rewarding to safeguard against onslaught of

seasonal variations where selection of inbreds under weather stress for the choice of parental

combination would give positive dividend.

PS II – 21

Screening of salt tolerant mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek)

germplasms and their response to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to

alleviate the stress

Moushree Sarkar*, Suvro Ghosh and Sabyasachi Kundagrami

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, University of

Calcutta 51/2, Hazra Road, Kolkata 700 019, West Bengal


The objective of the study was to screen salt tolerant germplasms of mungbean and to

evaluate the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in alleviation of salt stress. Extra



short duration (<60 days) and high yielding (>25g plant-1) fifty mungbean germplasms were

evaluated for salinity tolerance under three different salinity treatments (NaCl) i.e. 150mM,

200mM and 300mM in pot culture under green house. The germination percent and seedling

vigour index of 7 days old seedlings and other yield contributing parameters including seed

yield plant-1 were recorded. Salt stress induced deleterious effects in all germplasms though

germplasms varied in their response to salt stress. Correlation and regression study

suggested that seed germination was least affected while seedling vigour, root characters

and seed yield severely fractured due to increased level of NaCl. Depending on the salinity

impact (NaCl response) on seedling vigour and seed yield plant-1 germplasms were

categorized as highly tolerant, moderately susceptible and highly susceptible. Multivariate

study indicated that Pusa-9632, UPM-99-3, CUM19 and CUH 40 were highly tolerant. They

along with one moderately susceptible and one highly susceptible germplasm were treated

with AMF (@ 4690 spores per 50 cm, Ghazi 2002) in presence of 300mM NaCl in pot

culture. The significant improvement of root characters (20% increases) and plant biomass

(15% increases) as well as seed yield (30% increases) of treated plants over control were

recorded. AMF seems to be very rewarding to mitigate the adverse impact of salinity stress

in mungbean.

PS II – 22

GGE biplot analysis to evaluate genotypes, environments and their

interactions for targeting the suitability of rice genotypes across salt

affected locations in India

S. L. Krishnamurthy*, P. C. Sharma, D. K. Sharma, Y. P. Singh1, V. K. Mishra1, D. Burman2,

B. Maji2, S. Mandal2, S. K. Sarangi2, R. K. Gautam3, P.K. Singh3, K. K. Manohara4, B. C.

Marandi5, G. Padmavathi6, P. B. Vanve7, K. D. Patil7, S. Thirumeni8, O. P. Verma9, A. H.

Khan9, S. Tiwari10, S. Geetha11, R Gill12, V. K. Yadav13, S. K. B. Roy14, M. Prakash15, A.

Anandan5, J. Bonifacio16, A. M. Ismail17, R. K. Singh16

Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal; 1Central Soil Salinity Research Institute,

Regional Research Station, Lucknow; 2Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Regional

Research Station, Canning Town; 3Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair,

A & N Islands; 4Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (CCARI), Ela, Goa; 5National

Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack, Odisha; 6Indian Institute of Rice Research,

Hyderabad, Telengana;7Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Khar Land, Panvel;8Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute, Karaikal; 9Narendra

Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh; 10Rajendra Agricultural

University, Samastipur; 11Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute,

Trichy; 12 Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; 13Chandra Shekhar Azad University of

Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh; 14Centre for Strategic Studies, Salt Lake

City, Kolkata; 15Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu; 16Division of Plant



Breeding, IRRI, Philippines; 17Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, IRRI, Philippines


The present study was carried out using thirty eight rice genotypes received from IRRI,

Philippines and NARES partners of India. These 38 genotypes along with 4 checks were

evaluated across 18 salt stress locations (alkaline and saline) for 2 kharif seasons of 2014

and 2015 to identify stable rice genotype for salt stress environment and to identify ideal

locations and mega-environments using GGE biplot analysis. The most stable genotype

was IR 87938-1-2-2-2-1-B (G12), which however exhibited below average yields. The

genotype CSR 36 (C3) was found to be most ideal and G8 (IR 87938-1-1-2-1-3-B) was the

least ideal genotype whereas genotypes C1 (CST 7-1) and IR 87952-1-1-1-2-3-B (G15)

were found more stable with above average yields. The check CSR 36 (C3) was the best

performer in majority of the locations by year combinations (10) followed by IR 87948-6-1-1-

1-3-B (G18) which was the winning genotype in eight locations by year combinations. CSSRI,

Karnal sodic environment could be considered as ideal location for testing genotypes for

salt tolerance with its strong desirability index. The CIARI, Port Blair, could be utilized to

discard inferior and unstable genotypes with its considerable discriminating ability. The

genotype CSR 36 turned out to be the most ideal genotype followed by IR 87938-1-2-2-2-1-

B (G12). Overall, the most promising genotypes (CSR 36, IR 87952-1-1-1-2-3-B and IR

87938-1-2-2-2-1-B) with high mean yield and stability could be used for commercial cultivation

or used as donors for breeding programmes across salt-affected soils.

PS II – 23

Management of Asian soybean rust through genetic resistance in India

G. T. Basavaraja*, Shamarao Jahagirdar1, Sheela Duddagi4, P.V. Patil3, G. K. Naidu2,

B. K. Athoni 5, Shobha Immadi2 and P. G. Suresha2

All India Coordinated Research Project on Soybean, 1Department of Plant Pathology, 2Dept.

of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, 3AICRP on Wheat, University of

Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad 580 005, Karnataka; 4Agril. Research Station, Bidar, UAS,

Raichur; 5AICRP on Pearl millet, College of Agriculture, UAS, Vijayapur, Karnataka


Asian soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi Syd. has become a major threat for

production and expansion of soybean in southern parts of India. In spite of the availability of

chemical control with fungicides, the increase in production costs as well as operational

difficulties and health hazards associated with fungicide usage for disease management

has prompted the search for development of durable resistance to rust. Since most of the

popular cultivars are susceptible to rust, a long term breeding programme was initiated at

the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, India to develop rust resistant genotypes.

After rigorous screening of more than 2000 germplasm lines, two rust resistant germplasm

lines viz., EC241778 and EC241780 were identified and utilized in hybridization with



agronomically superior but rust susceptible cultivars viz., JS335, JS93-05 and DSb1. Out of

582 advanced breeding lines developed from these crosses, one line from each cross i.e.,

JS335 x EC241778 (DSb21), JS335 x EC241780 (DSb23) and JS93-05 x EC241780 (DSb28-

3) exhibited highly resistant reaction with high yield potentiality for more than six years at

hot spots. Among them, DSb21 and DSb23 have been released and notified for Southern

Zone of India during 2015 and 2018, respectively. In addition to rust resistance, both the

varieties are having 10-15 per cent yield superiority over best check JS335. Another genotype

viz., DSb28-3 is under the process of release and notification. Definitely, these varieties will

be a boon to soybean growing farmers by preventing significant losses due to rust and also

prevent further spread to newer areas.

PS II – 24

Epigenetics for Crop Improvement

Sonali Vijay Habde* and S. K. Singh

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi,

Uttar Pradesh 221 005


Crop improvement is the ultimate aim of plant breeding. As plant breeders are blessed by

meiosis mediated variations in plants, for selection to act upon spectrum of already existing

variations can be expanded by various processes like introduction, hybridization, mutation,

somaclonal variations, transgenics etc. Each of this mechanisms deal with creation of DNA

level variations have their own potential and limitations. Apart from this now it is the era of

new science called epigenetics which promise crop improvement without editing DNA.

Epigenetic studies deals with heritable changes in trait variation that are not caused by DNA

sequence alteration but by processes of DNA methylation, histone modification and RNA

interference. Study of inheritance of epialleles, epiRILs mapping, candidate epigenetic QTL

identification will broaden our understanding of Darwinian evolution and evolutionary biology.

Once established, such changes are heritable. Global efforts are now focussed towards

whole genome level DNA methylation to identify various complex traits in plants viz flowering,

pathogen resistance etc. Other many potential areas of application of epigenetics are

heterosis, regulation of plant harmone biosynthesis, somatic embryogenesis, role of miRNA

in nutrient transport regulation, epigenetic regulation of osmotic stress related genes, plant

immunity, epigenetics of salt stress tolerance. There is huge scope to study transgenerational

epigenetic memory mechanism and epigenetic fingerprinting of croPS I Igiving variable

responses to growing environments to study genotype × environment interactions that may

be beneficial for long-term improvement of crop performance. Now science is advancing

from epigenomics to functional genomics known as epitranscriptomics. Thus, epigenetics

has enough potential to be research area towards sustainable agriculture.



PS II – 25

Assessment of selection criteria in sesame using correlation and path

analysis

Rajmohan Sharma*, J. P. Lakhani1 and I. M. Khan

Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya, College of Agriculture, Ganjbasoda, Vidisha,

Madhya Pradesh; 1Directorate of Research Services, JNKVV, Jabalpur

Email : [email protected]

In the present experiment, analysis of association between various plant characters using

correlation and path analysis was done. Ten sesame genotypes planted in RBD with three

replications at research farm of Agriculture College, Ganjbasoda during kharif 2017.

Observations were recorded for 10 characters viz., plant height, days to 50% flowering,

number of primary branches, days to maturity, length of capsule, number of capsules/plant,

number of seeds/capsule, 1000 seed weight and seed yield/plant. Analysis of variance

showed significant differences among all the genotypes for all the characters under study.

Correlation studies indicated that capsule length, plant height, number of capsules/plant,

1000 seed weight, number of primary branches and number of seeds/ capsule had significant

positive association with seed yield. Path coefficient analysis revealed that high positive

direct effect of number of capsules per plant, number of primary branches, number of seeds/

capsule, 1000 seed weight and capsule length with seed yield. Therefore simultaneous

selection for these traits will improve seed yield in sesame.

PS II – 26

Wheat line Selection 212: A source of broad spectrum resistance to

leaf rust pathotypes

Omkar M. Limbalkar, J. B. Sharma, S. K. Jha, N. Mallick, M. Niranjana, Vinod*

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012


A leaf rust resistant stock ‘Selection212’ was assessed for resistance against array of leaf

rust pathotypes and identified to be a source of resistance to all these pathotypes.The resistant

stock Selection212 including two susceptible checks Agra Local and Kharchia local were

evaluated against 16 pathotypes of leaf rust, Puccinia triticina pathogen. The Selection212

showed high degree of broad spectrum resistance at seedling stage to diverse pathotypes

of leaf rust pathogen in India and effective at adult plant stage against two most prevalent

pathotypes 77-5 of leaf rust and pathotype 40A of stem rust (Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici).Selection212 was found resistant to leaf rust pathotypes, 12-3, 12-4, 77, 77A, 77A-1, 77-3,



77-5, 77-6, 77-7, 77-8, 77-10, 104-1, 104-4, 106, 107-1 and 108. Some of the pathotypes

like 77-7, 77-8 and 77-10 are known to have virulence against important resistance genes

like Lr9, Lr19 and Lr28.Therefore, Selection212 seems to be a source of broad spectrum

resistance for leaf rust and can be used for further investigation by molecular studies, so

that resistance can be exploited for marker assisted wheat breeding.

PS II – 27

Study on effect of different non-genetic factors on age at first calving

and stayability traits in Sahiwal cow

Shabahat Mumtaz, Anupama Mukherjee*, Kaiser Parveen1, Saleem Yousuf, Prajawilita

Pathak and Suchit Kumar

Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal

132 001, Haryana; 1Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding College of Veterinary

Science and A.H, Anjora, Durg (CGKV)


The present investigation was carried out to see the influence of various non-genetic factors

on age at first calving (AFC) and stayability of Sahiwal cows. The data was collected from

the calving record of 1071 Sahiwal cows maintained at Animal Genetics and Breeding

Division, NDRI Karnal, spanning over a period of 60 years i.e. from 1958 to 2018. The traits

included in the study were AFC and stayability it was counted in days by the date of birth to

the date of disposal or death. The data was classified into twenty periods and four seasons

of birth and sire wise. The analysis of data was done using Mixed Model Least Square

Analysis to see the effect of non-genetic factors sire (random), periods and season of birth

(fixed) effects on AFC and stayability. Overall least square mean under study for AFC were

1002.7± 27.40 days and stayability 2724.93 ± 60.90 days respectively. The study revealed

that sire is significantly affecting both AFC and stayability were as only season in AFC and

period of birth in stayability. However the effect of period in AFC and season of birth in

stayability found to be non-significant. The heritability estimate of AFC was found to be 0.19

± 0.09 and stayability 0.50 ± 0.12. With the study it can be concluded that on an average

animals are profitably productive till eight years of age and is highly heritable.



PS II – 28

Estimation of heterosis in maize (Zea mays) under moisture stress

Khushbu Chittora* and R. B. Dubey

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana

Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur


Maize is an important food, feed and industrial crop in India and other countries of the world.

Productivity of maize in India (2509 kg/ha) is less then global productivity (4888 kg/ha). The

presented investigation was under taken with a view to estimate the extent of heterosis, perse performance and identification of high yielding drought tolerant inbred lines and hybrids.

The hybrid were attempted by adopting line x tester mating design among 12 inbreed lines

and 4 testers in maize during rabi 2016. The resultant 48 hybrids, parents and promising

checks were evaluated in RBD with three replication under three different environments, as

in E1, optimum irrigations during crop growth, in E2, moisture stress at tasseling stage and in

E3, moisture stress at grain filling stage in spring 2017 at Rajasthan College of Agriculture,

Udaipur. Expression of economic heterosis, was variable for different characters in different

environment. E2 was not prominent in all characters because of moisture stress at tasseling

stage while E3 was somewhat less affected. Only few hybrids exhibited significant economic

heterosis in all the environments, indicating dominance of gene for higher grain yield per

plant.

PS II – 29

Molecular characterization of wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.)] genotypes

for terminal heat tolerance using SSR marker

Navodeeta Raaj*, S. K. Singh, Ankit Kumar, Sandeep Suman, Avinash Kumar and Ashutosh

Kumar

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, 1Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and

Molecular Biology, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur

848 125, Bihar


Terminal heat stress is one of the limiting factors in wheat production and it is expected to

rise under present scenario of climate change. The present study was conducted to evaluate

the performance of 30 wheat genotypes including advance lines and cultivated varieties for

terminal heat tolerance in two environments by altering the sowing dates viz., non stress

(E1) and heat stress (E2) using randomized block design with three replications in 2016-

2017. Genetic diversity is the basis for launching an efficient breeding programme that aimed



for the improvement of wheat productivity. The use of molecular markers for the evaluation

of genetic diversity is very common. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have been widely

exploited in wheat due to their high level of polymorphisms. The twenty microsatellite markers

were selected for different heat stress adaptive traits. Out of these 20 SSR markers, six

markers did not produce clear scorable bands and were not used for further studies. Fourteen

markers produced distinct and sharp scorable bands for all the genotypes. The base pair

ranges from 123 to 327. On the basis of molecular diversity all 24 genotypes have been

categorized in 7 groups the most diverse genotypes are RAUW 159 and RAUW221 as the

magnitude of similarity coefficient is minimum between them and least diverse genotypes

are RAUW6 and RAUW199. Two markers were found to be having significant marker-trait

associations under heat stress. These markers were significantly associated with the canopy

temperature and total chlorophyll content under heat stress.

PS II – 30

Marker assisted introgression of slow rusting APR genes Lr34 and Lr68

in bread wheat variety GW322

K. J. Yashavantha Kumar1, Ashutosh Kumar2, S. A. Desai2*, Suma S. Biradar3, V. Rudra

Naik3, T. N. Sathisha2 and Bhumika N. Patel2

Agharkar Research Institute, Pune; 1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 2AICRP

on Wheat, MARS, UAS, Dharwad, Karnataka


Marker assisted back cross (MABC) selection was undertaken to transfer two slow leaf

rusting effective adult plant resistance (APR) genes Lr34 and Lr68 from donor parent Parula

to recipient parent GW 322, which is a ruling variety of central and peninsular zone for timely

sown ecosystem but susceptible to leaf rust in India. Marker assisted back cross selection

was performed during 2012-13 to 2015-16 wheat cropping season at AICRP on wheat, UAS

Dharwad, Karnataka, India. F1 and BC1F1to BC3F4 segregating plant populations screened

with the help of already reported molecular markers viz., cssfr5, csLV34 for Lr34 and STS

marker csGS68 for Lr68 genes, respectively. Homozygous pyramid lines were developed

for transgressive segregants for both yield and leaf rust resistance. Homozygous pyramid

lines were found showing resistant (0; or R) to moderately resistant (MR) type of reaction.

Considering both yield and leaf rust resistant traits, BC1F3 population shown highest, 28.57

per cent of transgressive segregants as compared to other back cross segregating

generations of the cross GW 322 x Parula. This study demonstrates the practical utility of

MABC for introgression of leaf rust resistant genes in the background of any elite and ruling

cultivar with relatively higher speed and accuracy.



PS II – 31

Inter species variation in leaf anatomy of genus Oryza- implication on

photosynthetic efficiency

Pooja Pathania, Arti Bartwal, Dhammaprakash P. Wankhede, Kailash C. Bansal,

Viswanathan Chinnusamy1, M. J. Baig2, S. Rajkumar, R. Parimalan, Kuldeep Singh, Surendra

K. Malik*

ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa campus, New Delhi 110 012;1Division of Plant Physiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 0122National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha


Rice constitutes the major staple food for direct human consumption and with increasing

world population demand on production will increase in years to come. Moreover, climate

change will negatively affect the food productivity. Rice is a tropical to warm temperature

crop follows C3 photosynthetic pathway with loss in photosynthetic efficiency through

photorespiration. C4 photosynthesis is adapted to low rate photorespiration at high

temperature even in drought and salinity. The presence of Kranz anatomy in leaves is unique

to C4 plants. However, identification of single cell C4 photosynthesis in absence of Kranz

anatomy in some species generated hope for transferring C3 rice to C4. In this context, 20

species of genus Oryza including O. sativa (IR64) for leaf anatomical characters have been

examined. The parameters included were TML (total mesophyll length), IVD (inter-veinal

distance), VD (vein density), BSCN (bundle sheath cell number), BSCW (bundle sheath cell

width) and BSCH (bundle sheath cell height). Significant variation observed among the

species, principal component analysis showed that VD showed higher significance difference

than other characters. Maximum TML and IVD length were observed in O. minuta and

minimum in O. rufipogon. Among 20 rice species, VD ranges from 4 to 7 veins/mm and

BCSN between 7 to 11 cells in single bundle sheath cell ring around the vein. Largest BSC

was observed in O. minuta and smallest in O. meyeriana. The functional anatomical

investigations of different cells and its component in diverse species/genotypes will be

interesting and contribute in C4 rice development research.



PS II – 32

Studies on phenology and reproductive biology of khejri [Prosopis

cineraria (L.) Druce]

Preeti Singh*, K. S. Bangarwa and R. S. Dhillon

Department of Forestry, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125 004, Haryana


Studies on reproductive biology of khejri [Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce] indicated that

defoliation started during the month of November and continued till end of January. There

was complete defoliation before the initiation of new vegetative growth and the new leaves

started coming up after all the leaves had shed off. Initiation of leaf primordial was noticed

during the last week of February. Inflorescence was a raceme panicle, which was often

axillary. Panicle initiation started in the first week of March and continued till first week of

April. Maximum well-developed buds were observed from April 7 to April 23, 2016. The

floral buds began to open from first week of April to third week of April. The flowering pattern

was observed asynchronous. The trees were in full bloom from second week of April to third

week of May. Maximum flower opening ranging from 84.38 to 93.82 per cent was recorded

between 0800-0900 h. The shiny stigma a reflection of stigma receptivity occurred between

0800 to 1100 h. Percent pod set varied from 0 for self pollination to 2.03 per cent for natural

open pollination.

PS II – 33

Evaluation and expression profiling of stay-green mutants of upland

rice cv. N22 under drought

M. K. Ramkumar*, V. Suresh Kumar, Prashant B. Kale, Chandra Prakash, Neera Yadav, A.

K. Singh1, S. Gopalakrishnan1, P. Jeyaprakash2, M. K. Kar3, M. S. Sheshshayee4, Satendra

Kumar Mangrauthia5, S. Senthil Kumar7, R. P. Sharma1, N. K. Singh and S. V. Amitha

Mithra*


012; 1Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012;2Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore; 3National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack,

Odhisa; 4University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru 560 065; 5Indian Institute of Rice

Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030; #Department of Botany, National College,

Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu 620 001


Stay-greenness is the condition where the plants exhibit delayed senescence. Stay-green

(SG) trait is established to be one of the contributing factors for drought tolerance in Sorghum



but not in rice. SG mutants may be either cosmetic with impaired chlorophyll catabolism or

functional with prolonged active photosynthesis period. Functional SG mutants with drought

tolerance would be useful in rice breeding. From the National Repository of Rice EMS mutant

resources, three SG mutants (SGM1, SGM2 and SGM3) were identified by Dark Induced

Senescence (DIS) assay. They were grown in irrigated and drought condition along with

Nagina 22(N22) to evaluate their performance under drought stress. Under drought, though

SGM1 and SGM2 showed better performance for plant height, panicle length, flag leaf length

and number of productive tillers, their yield per plot was lower than N22. SGM3 performed

as well as N22. Expression profiling of fifteen candidate genes related to chlorophyll

catabolism such as NYC1, NOL, SGR, ATG4, ATG5, and ATG8 under DIS and drought by

sampling the flag leaf at different time points (0, 3, 6 and 9 days under DIS)revealed that,

under DIS, SGM1 and SGM2 possessed stable transcript levels compared to N22. However

SGM3 had transcript levels similar to N22 for four of the genes. Under drought, N22 showed

significantly higher expression than the SG mutants for 9 genes except for NYC1. This

suggested that the chlorophyll catabolism was hampered in SGM1 and SGM2 while SGM3

could be a functional SG mutant with enhanced yield and drought tolerance.

PS II – 34

Heritability estimation and sire evaluation in Murrah buffaloes for first

lactation milk yield and age at first calving

Ashish Ranjan*, Anand Jain, Ranjana Sinha1 and Beena Sinha

Animal Genetics and Breeding, 1Livestock Production and Management Section, ICAR-

National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132 001, Haryana


Present study was conducted on 1st lactation milk yield records of Murrah buffaloes maintained

at ICAR-NDRI Karnal, Haryana. A total of 938 first lactation records of buffaloes sired by

247 sires and performed during 1975-2017 were analyzed under single and multi trait BLUP

animal models. The statistical model incorporated month of calving and year of calving as

fixed effects, animal as random effect with or without days open (DO) or/ and lactation

length (LL) as covariables. The heritability estimates obtained were 0.165±0.038, 0.061±0.059

for first lactation 305 day milk yield (FL305DMY) and age at first calving (AFC) respectively

under single trait animal model (ST-AM) without a covariable. There was no substantial

change in heritability estimates and accuracies of the two traits while considering various

other models with a covariable except that the heritability estimate for FL305DMY and AFC

improved to 0.178±0.038 and 0.070±0.060 (FL305DMY and AFC without a covariable),

0.181±0.066 and 0.081±0.061 (FL305DMY with LL as covariable and AFC), 0.185±0.069

and 0.075±0.061 (FL305DMY with DO as covariable and AFC) under two trait models. The

result indicated that when the objective of breeding programme is to improve FL305DMY

and AFC simultaneously then the analysis may be done under two trait model by taking



month of calving and year of calving as fixed effects and animal as random effect with LL or

DO as a covariable. For the selection of sires the breeding values for the two traits may be

combined into an index by giving appropriate economic weightages to each of the trait.

PS II – 35

Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling in plants under stress

Korada Mounika*, Amrutlal Khaire and Sonali Vijay Habde

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi

221 005, Uttar Pradesh


Abscisic acid (ABA), a plant stress harmone and a signaling molecule has versatile functions

in regulating many plant developmental, physiological and adaptive stress processes.

Concentration of ABA in the tissue and its sensitivity to ABA will determine what response it

has. In vegetative tissues, ABA is found to increase significantly in response to different

environmental cues, like drought, salt, cold etc. The endogenous concentration of ABA can

increase more than 10-fold within a few hours of drought stress and decrease dramatically

to normal levels following rehydration. The elevated ABA content is beneficial for plant under

stress conditions. The water loss is reduced because of stomata closure induced by ABA

under osmotic stress and because canopy expansion is reduced. Besides, many stress

responsive genes which are favorable for biosynthesis of compatible osmolytes and LEA-

like proteins are induced by ABA, thus prevent plants from stress damage and increase

plant stress tolerance. The properties of ABA, such as variety of action sites, rapid turnover

and transport, crosstalk with numerous signaling pathways and large number of downstream

targets, have make it an extremely powerful message transducer in both normal and stress

conditions. Reports indicate a change in transcriptome with the application of ABA making it

a signal molecule in centre for many stress related issues. With the complex pathway of

signaling, study on ABA would be a field of research to use this signaling plant harmone to

cope up with different stresses in plants.



PS II – 36

Developmental alterations determining sex lability in castor (Ricinus

communis L.)

Sujatha Thankeswaran Parvathy#

ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030, Telangana;#Present address: ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi, Jharkhand

834 010


Castor (Ricinus communis L.), exhibits wide variations in sex expression, though the standard

sex phenotype is monoeciousraceme, bearing male flowers at the bottom and female flowers

at the apex. High sexual polymorphisms or sex lability and sex reversals in pistillate lines to

monoecy, adversely affect hybrid seed production in castor. Development of unisexual flowers

in castor was studied by histology and scanning electron microscopy. Male and female

flowers had 8 and 12 developmental stages respectively, were morphologically similar till

stage 4 and with an intermediate bisexual state, the conspicuousness of which varied with

genotype. The bisexual state in flowers also altered with temperature. Reversion was

unidirectional towards maleness, from female to bisexual and bisexual to male, with increase

in temperatures during summer. Female flowers exhibited rudimentary stamens. When the

temperatures dropped down after summer, the sex of the terminal flower (of staminate

genotype) changed from male to bisexual to completely female. The temperature conditions

prevailing during inflorescence bud initiation affects the sex phenotype and the proportion of

male and female flowers in the inflorescence. Sex alterations and reversions occurs at

inflorescence level as well, during summer, when proportion of male flowers increased in

inflorescences. Thus, unisexuality is preceded by bisexuality in castor flowers and sex

reversions as well as high sexual polymorphisms in castor are due to alterations in male/

female floral developmental pathways.

PS II – 37

Marker-assisted QTLs/gene introgression and pyramiding improving

grain yield and adaptability under dry direct seeded cultivation

conditions

Nitika Sandhu

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004


Rice is the most important staple crop in Asia. Rice is grown by transplanting seedlings into

puddled soil (PTR). PTR is highly labour, water and energy-intensive cultivation system and



a major greenhouse gas emitter contributing ~20% of total global methane emissions. Dry

direct seeded rice (DDSR) is a sustainable alternative to PTR due to its better adaptability to

the future labour-water shortage scenario. To obtain higher yield under DDSR, a set of traits

that are needed in rice are different from those present in modern dwarf cultivars having

better adaptability to PTR. At IRRI (Philippines), QTLs for early uniform emergence, higher

root-length density facilitating higher nutrient-uptake in variable anaerobic-aerobic soil

conditions, and grain-yield under DDSR were identified. So far, the potential of multiple

QTLs/gene pyramiding, positive interactions among multiple introgressed loci in improving

grain-yield and adaptability under DDSR using revolutionized genomic tools and techniques

has not yet been harnessed systematically. To take an advantage of recent successes in

identifying QTLs for the traits improving yield and adaptability under DDSR, a marker-assisted

breeding program involving traits; anaerobic germination, blast resistance, brown planthopper

resistance, bacterial blight resistance, brown spot, gall midge resistance, grain-yield, early

vigor, nodal roots, nematode tolerance, and early-uniform emergence in the background

PR126 has been initiated at PAU, Ludhiana.

PS II – 38

Studies on genetic divergence, variability and path coefficient in barley

(Hordeum vulgare L.) germplasm and its screening for spot blotch

resistance

Padma Thakur*, Priyanka Priyadarshani, K. Rashmi, Kuduka Madhukar, Ravindra Prasad

and Lal Chand Prasad


Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221 005


Experimental trials of Advance Varietal Trial (Rainfed/Irrigated) and Initial Varietal Trial

(Irrigated) FB- North Eastern Plain Zone programme were conducted at Agriculture Research

Farm, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University during rabi 2016-17. It

comprised of 71 genotypes of barley. Studies on genetic divergence, variability and path

coefficient for six traits viz., days to heading, days to maturity, number of tillers per meter,

plant height, 1000 grain weight and grain yield per plot was carried out to identify superior

genotype(s) over checks. Analysis of variance showed significant differences for all the six

traits. The grain yield plot-1 ranged from 117-4150 g. The phenotypic coefficient of variation

and genotypic coefficient of variation was observed highest for grain yield plot-1. Highest

broad sense heritability was observed for plant height while genetic advance was estimated

to be highest for grain yield plot-1. Diversity analysis indicates that total 71 genotypes were

grouped into 10 clusters. The highest inter-cluster distance was found between cluster VIII

and IX followed by IV and VIII hence, their crosses could give maximum heterosis and prove



to be good recombinants. Plant height (58.15%) contributed maximum towards genetic

diversity. In path coefficient analysis the highest direct contribution towards grain yield was

exhibited by plant height and least by days to heading. Resistance to spot blotch disease

was estimated by AUDPC where variety (2, 35 and 65) exhibited least value while variety

(85) exhibited highest. The disease scoring was done following zadoks scale.

PS II – 39

Validation of multiple disease resistant genes using SSR/STS markers

in three-way cross population of wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.) em. Thell]

Sahadev Singh, N. K. Vasistha*, P. K. Sharma, V. K. Mishra1, R. Chand2 and A. K. Joshi3

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS University, Meerut 250 004, UP;1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras

Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005; 2Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Agricultural

Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005; 3The International Maize and Wheat

Improvement Center (CIMMYT); Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), G-2, B-Block, NASC

Complex, DPS Marg, New Delhi 110 012


Wheat is the second most important cereal crop in world after rice. Abiotic and biotic stresses

cause significant yield reduction in this crop. In biotic stresses, rusts and spot blotch are the

most notable diseases of wheat that reduce more than 50 percent yield losses annually

among the total yield losses caused by different biotic stresses. The objective of this study

was to develop multiple disease resistance against yellow rust, leaf rust, stem rust and spot

blotch diseases in the background of a prominent variety of wheat (HUW234) in the eastern

Gangetic Plains of India. A three-way cross involving three NILs (HUW234+Yr15+Lr46+Lr34,

HUW234+Sr25 and HUW234+Qsb.bhu-2A+Qsb.bhu-5B, developed at Banaras Hindu

University, Varanasi) was used to combine five genes/QTL into a single cultivar (HUW 234).

The parent, Picaflor#1 was the donor of leaf rust resistant gene (Lr46) and the stripe rust

resistant gene (Yr15), Chirya3 was the donor of two spot blotch resistant QTL (Qsb.bhu-2Aand Qsb.bhu-5B), whereas PMBWIR was the donor of stem rust resistant gene (Sr25). Leaf

rust resistant gene Lr34 was present in the background of HUW234. Marker assisted selection

(MAS) and phenotypic selection were applied for identification of desirable homozygous

plants with all genes combination in each segregated generation (F2 to F5). Out of five

hundred plants in F5, 154 plants showed the presence of 3-5 genes, of which 91 plants

contained 3 genes, 53 contained 4 genes and 10 plants contained all the 5 genes. The

recovery of plants with all 5 genes showed the possibility of achieving multiple disease

resistance following MAS and phenotypic selection using a three-way cross.



PS II – 40

Analysis of DRO1 expression under water deficit stress and its

relationship with root angle phenotype in Indian rice accessions

Bablee Kumari Singh1, S. V. Amitha, C. R. Mithra*, Amolkumar U. Solanke, Nagendra K.

Singh, Monika Dalal, Archana Singh1 and M. K. Ramkumar


012, 2Division of Biochemistry, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110

012


Deeper Rooting 1 (DRO1) gene from a major QTL on chromosome 9 increases the root

growth angle (RGA) in rice. This gene provides wider RGA and facilitates survival under

water deficit stress (WS) conditions. Twenty four major Indian upland and lowland genotypes

were grown in control and WS conditions. Root length increased under WS wherein the

genotypes Azucena and Satti showed almost 40% increase. In case of root angle, based on

the genotype differences, the genotypes were grouped into two classes (9 wide and 15

narrow angle). Expression analysis revealed the upregulation of gene in all genotypes by 1-

4.5 fold. DRO1 gene (3058bp) was amplified and sequenced. In 756 bp long CDS, a total of

52 SNPs were identified across all genotypes. The transversions were almost 2.5 folds

more common than transitions. In 251 amino acid long protein, substitutions were found in

19 positions, wherein position 92 was the most frequent. Based on allele mining, the 24

genotypes can be grouped into 16 haplotypes ranging from functional allele (Satti, IR36 and

DTY 3.1) to truncated non-functional alleles in PMK2, IR64, IR20 and Swarna. The information

regarding the DRO1 gene will be very useful for the breeders in crop improvement programme

on drought tolerance.

PS II – 41

Identification and functional validation of a novel white rust resistance

gene, WRR2, in Brassica juncea

Heena Arora, Akshay Kumar Pradhan* and Deepak Pental1*

Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi; 1Centre for Genetic

Manipulation of Crop Plants, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi


White rust caused by Albugo candida is a destructive disease in agronomically important

Brassicas including Brassica juncea, the major oilseed crop of India. Most of the released

varieties of B. juncea in India are susceptible to disease leading to yield losses of upto60%.



Therefore, there is urgent need to develop white rust resistant B. juncea varieties. Two

independent loci conferring resistance to A. candida in east European gene pool lines, Heera

and Donskaja-IV, were tagged with markers in previous research. In Heera, partial resistance

conferring locus was mapped to linkage group A04, while in Donskaja-IV, complete resistance

conferring locus was mapped to linkage group A05. With this background we attempted to

identify and functionally validate white rust resistance gene(s) in Donskaja-IV. We found

that the A05 locus of Donskaja-IV contains a single Resistance (R) gene of CC-NB-LRR

class. This R-gene appeared to be most probable candidate for conferring resistance.

Functional validation of gene was performed by raising transgenics in susceptible B. juncea.

Study of disease response by transgenics against A. candida isolates collected from different

geographical regions confirmed the role of transgenein conferring complete and broad

spectrum white rust resistance. Expression studies suggested constitutive expression of

gene. This is the first resistance gene to be cloned and characterized in B. juncea with an

objective of reducing the influence of A. candida on yield of mustard.

PS II – 42

Genetic variability and diversity studies for yield traits among saline

tolerant rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes

K. N. Gangadhara* and N. G. Hanamaratti

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural

Sciences, Dhawad 580 005, Karnataka


The present experiment was conducted during kharif 2017 at farmers’ field in Hegde village

near Kumta in Aganashini estuary to reveal the importance of yield traits, genetic variability

and diversity existing in 62 saline tolerant rice genotypes. The coefficient of variation at

phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic (GCV) levels were high to moderate for plant height at 30

DAS, number of tillers, panicle length, spikelet fertility, thousand grain weight, grain length,

grain breadth, grain length/breadth ratio and yield/ha. High heritability coupled with genetic

advance was observed for plant height at 30 DAS, plant height at maturity, number of panicles-

1, days to 50 per cent flowering which indicates the predominance of additive gene effects.

Mahalanobis D2 analysis grouped the 62 genotypes into seven clusters. Cluster I (44) had

the maximum number of genotypes followed by clusters III (9), II (5) and remaining four are

solitary clusters. Among the characters studied, days to 50 % flowering followed by thousand

grain weight contributed maximum towards the genetic divergence.



PS II – 43

Weedomics for sustainable food, health and nutrition security

Parthsinh Rahevar*

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, C. P. College of Agriculture, Sardarkrushinagar

Dantiwada Agricultural University, Dantiwada 385 506, Gujarat


Weedomics is the study of organization, evolution and utility of the genes and non-coding

counties of weed genome. Numerous genomic-based studies have provided insight to the

physiological and evolutionary processes involved in developmental and environmental

processes of model plants. However, far fewer efforts have been attempted to use genomic

resources of weedy plants.There are currently eight weeds with well-developed genomic

resources and only for Amaranthus tuberculatus; significant amount of genomic sequence

data is available. Leafy weedy plants are the major source of food in rural area of India.

Amarnanthus dubius has the highest (34.2 mg/100 g) iron content followed by wild onion

(6.9 mg/100 g). Cannabis and Caper spurge are well known in Indian medicine for their

emetic and purgative property.The earliest reports of using non-weed microarrays to study

weed transcriptomes described the use of Arabidopsis cDNA arrays to follow changes in

gene expression between shoots and mature leaves of wild oat and leafy spurge. Weedomics

research should increase our understanding of the evolution of herbicide resistance and of

the basic genetics underlying traits that make weeds a successful group of plants. Utilizations

of Weedomics will help in the identification of novel genes that could improve crop yields

such as aluminum tolerance, a trait that is virtually absent from crops. Additionally, it is

possible that some of the genes that make weeds so competitive may provide targets or

information needed to or modify crops or management practices to make crops more

competitive and able to thrive in less than optimal growing conditions, convert in better

medicinal and nutritionally rich plantsfor animals or humans due to novel transcription factors,

new regulatory pathways and unique homeotic genes that allow them to respond and grow

differently than crops and wild plants. This all the advantages of weed plants can be utilize

or transfer only after study their genome organization.



PS II – 44

Genomics governing salinity tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Sameer Upadhyay*, Rathi Sanket Rajendra, Prashant Bisen and Bapsilaloitongbam




Breeding salinity tolerance rice varieties is crucial due to climate change and increasing rice

demand for global population. Genomic data on various genes associated with response to

rice salinity and tolerance can be used to enlist selected candidates genes affecting salinity.

The salt stress response is a quantitative trait which involves activation of a large number of

specific genes adjoining to the repression in activity of a large number of housekeeping

genes. Transcriptional profiling provides quantitative information about the expression levels

of a large number of genes simultaneously. In higher plants, different EST/cDNA collections

have been employed for transcriptional profiling to identify genes whose expression levels

change in response to salt. Transcriptional profiling data from rice suggest that metabolic

readjustment is one of the hallmarks of the salt stress response. From the data obtained, it

appears that overall tolerance to high salt levels is due to effectors such as enzymes that

governing biosynthesis of compatible osmolytes and proteins that protect membrane integrity,

control water or ion homeostasis, and bring about scavenging of reactive oxygen species

(ROS). Transcriptional factors that interact with promoters of osmotic-stress-regulated genes

and intermediates that post-transcriptionally activate the effectors SOS3 SOS2 and SOS1

are the elementary component governing tolerance mechanism. Further progress on the

transcript changes in response to salt application has been made using the comparative

genomics approach. This approach appears highly valuable for unveiling the key genetic

contributors to the complex physiological processes involved in salt tolerance trait.

PS II – 45

Uplifting the quality of fenugreek varieties by screening for incidence

of powdery mildew disease

Jadhav Sulochana, Dileepkumar Masuthi, M. H. Tatagar, Sumangala Koulagi,

B. N. Mahantesha Naika and D. Satish

KRC College of Horticulture Arabhavi, University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot


Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum - graecum L.) is an important leguminous seed spice crop.

The seeds of fenugreek are rich in protein, gum and mucilage. It has long been recognized

all over the world as a valuable spice for food and as a popular remedy for various ailments



and physiological disorders. At present, very few varieties are available to suit to a particular

region for commercial cultivation. Crop improvement and further exploitation in this crop is

possible by identifying the potential genotypes in the existing germplasm. Selection of cultivars

for a particular region is of much significance and shows considerable variability in several

characters when grown under a particular environment. The experiment was carried out in

the field during rabi 2016-17 and during rabi/summer 2017-18. The results of the field and

laboratory experiments are presented here. Significant difference was found among the

genotypes with respect to powdery mildew incidence. Kasuri methi showed (0.1%) resistance

to powdery mildew followed by Gujarat genotype (3.5%). Whereas, Rmt-361 high susceptible

to powdery mildew of (95.5 %). One genotype is immune (0%), five genotypes are resistant

(1-25%), seven genotypes are moderately resistant (25-50%), eleven genotypes are

susceptible (50-75%) and ten genotypes are highly susceptible (> 75%) to powdery mildew

disease.

PS II – 46

Genetic characterization and validation of linked SSR markers for

drought tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Arun Kumar*, Baudh Bharti1, Jaydev Kumar2, Sundip Kumar3, G. P. Singh4, J. P. Jaiswal

and Rajendra Prasad

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 1Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic

Engineering, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar 263

145, Uttarakhand; 2Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Maharana Pratap University

of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur 313 001, Rajasthan; 3Department of Genetics and

Plant Breeding, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur

208 002, Uttar Pradesh; 4ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal 132

001, Haryana


Drought is one of the major limitations to wheat production worldwide. This study was designed

to identify the drought tolerant and susceptible genotypes among 160 wheat genotypes

collected from different wheat breeding centre of India. Nine yield and yield contributing

traits were recorded namely; days to heading, days to anthesis, days to maturity, grain filling

duration, spikelets per spike, grains per spike, grain weight per spike (g), 1000-grain weight

(g), grain yield per plant (g). Grain yield per plant exhibited highly significant and positive

correlation with 1000-grain weight, grain weight per spike, indicating dependency of yield on

these traits. Based on path analysis, maximum positive direct effect on grain yield per

plant was contributed mostly by days to maturity, followed by 1000 grain weight, No. of

grains per spike, grain weight per spike. We have also validated the genotypes using linked

SSR markers for drought tolerance. Based on markers scores and grain yield per plant,

twenty one tolerant genotypes namely; DBW 39, FLW 13, FLW 7, HD 2833, HD 3093, HI



1500, HI 617, HW 2004, HW 2005, HW 2066, HW 4002, HW 4008, HW 4029, HW 4215,

Lok-1, Lok-65, MACS 2496, RAJ 4037, SOKOLL, SSRT 14, VJ 99 were selected and eleven

susceptible genotypes using same criteria namely; DBW 14, DBW 28, DBW 88, HD 2824,

HD 2877, NW 1014, PBW 343, PBW 373, RAJ 4083, UP 2828, MACS 6272 were identified.

Identified tolerant and susceptible genotypes can be used for development of mapping

population.

PS II – 47

Understanding the genetics and genome localisation of leaf rust

resistance in Synthetic 55

Mandeep Singh, J. B. Sharma*, Vinod, S. K. Jha, Niharika Mallick, Niranjana and Vishal

Dinkar



Rapid evolution of fungal pathogens against present sources of resistance have generated

a need of continuous search or to evolve new sources of resistance to effectively manage

the new fungal pathotypes. The same need has been felt in case of wheat leaf rust caused

by Puccinnia triticina Eriks. owing to its high evolution rate. Synthetic hexaploid wheats

(SHW’s) were screened for leaf rust resistance which were developed by CIMMYT as they

are highly variable for many morpho-agronomic traits and have been considered as novel

source for biotic and abiotic resistance. One of the SHW’s, Synthetic 55 has shown high

degree of resistance to leaf rust in field traits. Synthetic 55 exhibited high degree of resistance

at seedling stage against two most virulent leaf rust pathotypes present in India viz., 77-5

and 104-2. It also exhibited resistance against these two pathotypes in field traits. A careful

study of F1, F2, F3 and BC1F1 populations derived from crossing Synthetic 55 with susceptible

parent Agra Local indicated that the resistance is dominant in nature and monogenic.

Molecular mapping was done using SSR markers in F3 population. The aforesaid gene was

mapped 3.4cM, 4.3cM and 13.9cM distal to SSR markers Xwmc432, Xcfd15 and Xcfd61,

respectively on chromosome 1DS. But its novelty is yet to be discovered. Once the novelty

of the gene present in Synthetic55 is confirmed, it can be aggressively used in resistance

breeding for wheat leaf rust.



PS II – 48

Molecular mapping of loci conferring resistance to Albugo candida

isolate (AcB1) in oilseed mustard Brassica juncea

Latika Bhayana, Deepak Pental and A. K. Pradhan*

Department of Genetics, University of Delhi, South Campus, New Delhi

Email:

Albugo candida, a biotrophic oomycete, is the causal agent of white blister rust (hitherto

called white rust) leading to around 30-60% loss in yield. Hence, the major breeding objectives

is to protect the plant from disease. One of the most efficient method to protect the plant

from this disease is through genetic improvement. The objective of this study was to identify

the resistance conferring locus in B. juncea variety Tumida, a chinese vegetable type mustard.Tumida was found to be resistant to a highly pathogenic isolate of white rust (AcB1) whereas

Varuna (Indian type) is susceptible. Different types of molecular markers i.e. SSRs, SNPs,

IP and GBS were used to make a molecular map for an F1 derived doubled-haploid (DH)

population originating from a cross between Varuna and Tumida lines of B. juncea. We

found a new major locus conferring resistance to the fungus. The introgression of this locus

into the cultivated varieties along with the previously mapped locus will give a broad spectrum

resistance against the pathogen.

PS II – 49

Anti-nutritional factors in Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]: Play

a role against the Bruchid attack

Sanhita Ghosh*, Anindita Roy and S. Kundagrami

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Science, 51/2 Hazra

Road, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700 019


Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] is the most important short duration pulse crop and

grown into thrives well under the tropical and subtropical areas. It is also an important major

source of vegetable dietary protein. Substantial loss of seeds quantity and quality in mungbean

due to bruchid infestation during storage condition has highly reflected on the farmers, traders

to consumer. Post-harvest losses are the major barrier to reach the mungbean global demand.

So, our objective to screen the bruchid susceptible and resistant mungbean genotypes and

their relationship with the anti-nutritional factors. The present study was conducted into the

laboratory condition. Fifty-two mungbean genotypes were infested with two pairs of male

and female bruchids in B.O.D condition. The screening data were taken up to the two months



and susceptibility index were recorded by Dobie (1976). Five bruchid resistant and ten bruchid

susceptible mungbean genotypes were identified among fifty-two mungbean genotypes. A

negative correlation found between the anti-nutritional factors and the bruchid susceptibility

index. So, this result picturized that these antinutritional factors inhibit the intensity of pest

infestation. So, these five bruchid resistant mungbean genotypes will used for future

mungbean improvement program.

PS II – 50

Screening of autumn rice germplasm of Assam for drought tolerance

at reproductive stage

M. D. Mahalle, S. K. Chetia, P. C. Dey, R. N. Sarma and M. K. Modi*

Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat, AAU,

Regional Agricultural Research Station A.A.U, Titabar


Rice is the primary crop of Assam grown thrice a year. However, Ahu or autumn rice which

is grown during Feb/Mar to June/July is the least productive due to occasional drought and

drought like situations that occurs during this season. Therefore, identification of highly

productive genotypes having inherent tolerance to drought has become an important breeding

objective of the state. The present investigation is conducted with highly diverse Ahu rice

germplasm panel in order to to analyse the magnitude of yield response, evaluate the traits

that contribute to drought tolerance and identify highly productive genotypes having inherent

tolerance to drought. The panel of 272 accessions were evaluated under two different

hydrological conditions viz., irrigated control and artificial drought stress using augmented

randomized complete block design for yield and yield related traits. Phenotypic comparisons

were made between germplasm grown under both stress and non-stress conditions. Analysis

of variance revealed highly significant differences for all the traits studied under both

conditions. Many promising genotypes were found to be tolerant against drought stress and

showed lowest reduction in grain yield as compared to irrigated conditions. Accessions like

Koni Ahu, Nilazi 3, Garam Ahu 2, Bengonagutiya, Kola Bengonagutiya, Aheni Ahu, SD16,

AS317, SD36 were the best entries under drought conditions. The entries consist of all the

desirable traits needed to improve drought tolerance. Correlation coefficient estimates a

significant positive correlation of grain yield per plant with productive tiller number, spikelet

fertility and relative leaf water content under stress conditions which can be helpful in selecting

genotypes for genetic improvement.



PS II – 51

Rapid screening of genotypic variation of root length using buried

herbicide technique

Harendra Verma* and R. N. Sarma

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat 785 013


The root system plays a crucial role in extracting nutrients and water through complex

mechanism and maintaining the survival and reproduction under a wide range of abiotic

stress. Deep root system plays a crucial role in absorption of water and nutrient from deep

soil profile to avoid adverse effect of drought stress. There is a need to develop rapid methods

which provide meaningful data on root distribution to be gathered with minimal effort. A set

of 160 genotypes has been used with a majority were from NE India, to screen root traits by

using buried herbicide technique. Response of herbicide phytotoxicity was significantly

different on all days indicating that the 52 rice genotypes differed in their access to herbicide

or insensitivity to herbicide. One way ANOVA of 160 genotypes for different dates exhibited

that both ‘F’ value and heritability increased from 41 DAS to 55 DAS and after that it was

slowly decreased indicating that the score on 55 days was the most discriminatory between

genotypes for root depth. In the present study Inglongkiri, ARC10372, Hafa Ahu, Garem-1,

As 313 and Hati Sali-2 have long roots system as they showed the MHS (Mean herbicide

score) of 5 and IR64, Ranjit, As 209, As 314, Bahmori, As 327, Bairing Gusmu, Beria Bhonga,

Darakhojetc have shallow root system as they did not show any herbicide phytotoxicity

symptoms. Therefore, selection of genotypes with high vigour for deep root growth might

improve the drought tolerance of upland rice.

PS II – 52

Evaluation of pulse germplasm for resistance to root-knot nematode

(Meloidogyne incognita)

Zakaullah Khan*, N. K. Gautam, B. H. Gawade, Neeta Singh and S. C. Dubey

ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110 012


India is the largest producer of the pulses in the world with an annual production of22.9

million tonnes during 2016-17, but still it depends on the import to meet additional consumption

demand. Therefore, there is an urgent need to further enhance the pulse production to avoid

pulse import. There are several factors including biotic stress for poor and unstable yield of

pulse production in the country. Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne species) are one of the



most widespread agricultural pests in the world and are considered to be the most potential

nematodes of pulse crops in tropical and subtropical regions as well as in the Indian

subcontinent. During 2016-18a total of 500 accessions of pulse crops comprising, 200

accessions each of lentil (Lens culinaris) and cow pea (Vigna unguiculata) and 100 accessions

of pea (Pisum sativum), respectively were evaluated for resistance to Meloidogyne incognita.

Screening experiments were conducted in 10-cm diameter pots filled with 500g naturally

infested soil collected from a nematode infested field, containing 2000 Juveniles/ 500g soil.

After sixty days of sowing, the plants were uprooted and washed with tap water to observe

galls and egg-mass formation. The host status of each accession was assessed on the

basis of number of root galls induced. A total of five accessions were found resistant to M.incognita with <10 root galls/plant, which include three accessions of lentil (IC347166;

IC560045; EC078526-C) and one each of cowpea (EC723776) and pea (NBP147),

respectively. The resistance consistency of these accessions was confirmed by screening

once again with artificial inoculation in pots. These accessions can further be used for root-

knot nematode resistant breeding programme.

PS II – 53

Identification of high temperature tolerant and stable genotypes in

fieldpea (Pisum sativum L.) using GGE biplot analysis

A. K. Parihar*, G. P. Dixit, D. Singh1, Anil K. Singh and N. P. Singh

ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur 208 024; 1ICAR-Indian Agricultural

Statistics Research Institute, Library Avenue, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012


The anticipated elevation in temperature owing to prevailing global warming is a major

constraint in production of cool season pulses especially field pea which is highly sensitive

to high temperature during reproductive phase. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify

and develop high temperature tolerant genotypes to avoid yield losses. Keeping in view

these prediction and future requirements, the present investigation was executed with a

panel of 151 diverse fieldpea genotypes during 2017-18 at ICAR-IIPR Kanpur. The staggered

planting method was followed to expose the fieldpea genotypes against different temperature

regimes particularly during reproductive stage. GGE biplot is a well established, effective

and efficient method to ascertain genotype and their interactions effect along with identification

of stable and high yielding genotypes. The results revealed that GGE biplot analysis accounted

for 89.26 per cent of the total grain yield variations. Based on GGE biplot ‘mean vs. stability’

analysis, the stable and high yielding genotypes for grain yield were DMR-7, IPF 5-19, IPF

6-16, IPFD 98-9 and VL-1. In addition, based on discriminating ability and representativeness,

first planting was found to offer near ideal environmental conditions for good fieldpea crop

performance followed by second date of sowing. Thus, the aforesaid genotypes can be

used as stable/durable sources for future breeding program to develop high temperature



tolerance cultivars with high yield. Since the crop is grown in diverse environments/ecologies,

the stable and high temperature tolerant cultivar will be more appropriate in all production

systems which may lead to improved productivity in the fieldpea.

PS II – 54

Diverse sources of resistance to Spodoptera litura (F.) in groundnut

M. A. Saleem, G. K. Naidu*, H. L. Nadaf and P. S. Tippannavar

University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, AICRP on Safflower, ARS, Annigeri 582 201,

Karnataka


Groundnut is one of the Worlds important oilseed crops. Spodoptera litura, is an important

insect pest causing yield loss up to 71% in India and is one of the insect pests to develop

resistance to insecticides. Under these circumstances, genetic resistance is the most

desirable, economic and eco-friendly strategy to manage Spodoptera litura. Present study

is aimed to identify diverse sources of resistance to Spodoptera litura from groundnut mini

core (184), recombinant inbred lines (318) and elite genotypes (44) under hot spot location

of Dharwad during rainy season of 2017. Heritable component of variation for resistance to

Spodoptera existed in groundnut mini core, recombinant inbred lines and elite genotypes

indicting scope for selection of Spodoptera resistant genotypes. In the 184 genotypes of the

mini core, only 29 (15 %) genotypes showed resistance to Spodoptera litura. Among these,

27 genotypes belong to hypogaea and one each to fastigiata and hirsuta botanical varieties.

Among 318 recombinant inbred lines, 15 transgressive segregant lines had less (< 10 %)

Spodoptera litura damage compared to its resistant parent (ICGV 86031-14.1%). In case of

elite genotypes, one released cultivar (DSG 1) under Virginia runner group and two advanced

breeding lines (ICGV 93468, Dh 216) from Virginia bunch and Spanish bunch groups,

respectively had resistance to Spodoptera litura with less than 10 per cent leaf damage.

These genotypes under diverse genetic background could serve as potential donors in the

Spodoptera resistance breeding program in groundnut.



PS II – 55

Multiple disease resistant wheat lines developed by pyramiding of rust

and powdery mildew resistance genes-derived from diverse gene pool

M. Sivasamy, V. K. Vikas, P. Jayaprakash, Vinod1, C. Manjunatha, R. Nisha, P. Sajitha and

K. Sivan1

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Wellington; 1Division of

Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012


The economical way to check mate wheat rust and powdery mildew diseases is to cultivate

resistant wheat varieties. The wheat lines pyramided with major or APR genes are expected

to give durable disease resistance. With this objective an effort was made at ICAR-IARI,

Regional station Wellington to pyramid rust resistance genes derived from diverse gene

pools viz., Sr2 (Triticum aestivum) and Yr15 (T. dicocoides) from primary, Sr36/Pm6 (T.timopheevii) from secondary and Lr24/Sr24 (Thinopyrum ponticum) from tertiary gene pool.

The released wheat cultivars HD 2833, COW-3(HW 5207) and HW 5216 already carrying

rust resistance gene complexes Lr24/Sr24, Sr2 and Yr15 were pyramided with linked gene

Sr36/Pm6 to develop multiple disease resistant wheat lines. These lines were crossed to a

stock HW 4444 carrying Sr36/Pm6 and the resultant lines were constituted in BC2F6. Market

Affilated Selection approach using microsatellite markers gwm533, STM773-2, Sr24#12and Xgwm 273 linked to Sr2, Sr36, Sr24 and Yr15, respectively was followed which

authenticated the transfer of genes. The stem rust resistance gene Sr2 is a minor adult plant

resistance (APR) gene. A trait Pseudo-black chaff (PBC), is closely associated with Sr2 has

been used as a useful morphological marker to fix this gene.. The Agropyron elongatumderived linked genes Sr24/Lr24 and Triticum timopheevii derived linked genes Sr36/Pm6are major genes providing effective rust resistance to leaf and stem rusts for a long time in

India and other parts of the world. Additionally the Pm6 gene gives very effective protection

against powdery mildew in India. The constituted lines pyramided with Lr24/Sr24, Sr2, Sr36/Pm6, Yr15 genes in the back-ground of HD 2833, COW3 and HW 5216 were christened as

HW 2436-1, HW 2436-2 and HW 2436-3 respectively. These high yielding back crossed

wheat lines conferring high degree seedling and adult plant resistance to rusts and powdery

mildew diseases will act as source for multiple disease resistance and can be released as

cultivars based on further testing in yield trials.



PS II – 56

Study of root parameters variation under submergence in rice (Oryza

sativa L.) germplasm lines

T. H. Gowda, B. M. Dushyanthakumar, G. K. Nishanth and S. Gangaprasad


Sciences, Shivamogga 577 204, Karnataka

Email:

Rice is habitually only cereal that can be grown in flood prone lowland ecosystem. Flash

and stagnant flooding in lowland ecosystems affects plant stand so resistant/tolerant varieties

offer an inexpensive preventive measure. The present study aims to find out root parameters

viz., root length, shoot length, root volume and root to shoot ratio modification in before and

after submergence condition in ten germplasm lines and four checks. The germplasm line,

AC38575 exhibited maximum shoot length before (66 cm) and after submergence (92 cm)

and the check, Hemavathi (55 cm) recorded highest shoot length. Variation for shoot length

was maximum in all the germplasm lines, shoot elongation was showed moderate to high

range after submergence in tolerant lines. Recorded mean of the lines for root length was

25.13 cm and 30.83 cm respectively before and after submergence. Range for root length

was 20cm (IET21330) to 40cm (AC38575) in before submergence condition, while in after

submergence condition was 25 cm (IET19748) to 45 cm (AC38575). Among checks, Swarna-

sub1 (34 cm) records highest root length after submergence. Mean root volume before

submergence was 11.26 cc and maximum was recorded in IET16950 (15 cc), the check,

FR13A (13.50 cc) recorded highest. Mean of root volume after submergence was 19.25 cc,

highest was in IET19172 (26 cc). Root volume before submergence in all the rice germplasm

lines was normal and immediately after submergence root volume showed good variation in

tolerant germplasm lines (IET19748 and IET19172) by exhibiting increased root number to

hold soil tightly to survive under submergence and increase of arenchyma tissues also

occur whereas, in susceptible check Jyothi increase of root volume was very less because

submergence cause severe root damage due to anoxia. The germplasm lines, IET21465,

AC38575, AC35323, IET21330 and IET6074 are significantly superior and tolerant having

high yield and showed marked differences for root parameters.



PS II – 57

Genetic diversity for shoot fly resistance in post rainy sorghum

[Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

A. W. More*, R. R. Dhutmal1, Sayyad Asgar, H. V. Kalpande and L. N. Jawale1

Department of Agriculture Botany, 1Sorghum Research Station, 2 Vasantrao Naik Marathwada

Agriculture University, Parbhani 431 402


Shoot fly (Atherigona soccata Rond.) assumed the most important pest, which causes 86

per cent of grain and 46 per cent of fodder yield losses particularly in post rainy sorghum.

Genetic diversity is an essential prerequisite for improving the genetic makeup of any cop.

Inclusion of genetically diverse parents in hybridization programme helps in isolation of

superior recombinants. Therefore an experiment was conducted to investigate the genetic

diversity among 116 germplasm lines of Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] along with

4 checks for eighteen shoot fly resistance and growth characters. The results of analysis of

variance indicated presence of sufficient amount of variability among genotypes for all the

characters under study. Clustering pattern based on D2 statistics grouped 120 genotypes

into 16 clusters, among which cluster III was largest involving 40 genotypes followed by

cluster IV (28 genotypes), II (17 genotypes), I (15 genotypes) and V (9 genotypes). Remaining

clusters had one genotype of each. Average intra and inter cluster statistical distance among

18 characters was calculated by Tocher’s method, indicated maximum inter cluster distance

between XVI and VII (66.25), followed by III and VII (63.37), indicating presence of wide

range of genetic diversity among the sorghum germplasm, while cluster IV has highest intra

cluster distance of (19.62) followed by cluster V (17.08). Desirable mean performance for

shoot fly resistance parameters viz., less dead heart %, high abaxial and adaxial trichome

density, seedling vigour, leaf glossiness, leaf angle and chlorophyll SPAD reading was

observed in clusters IX, VII, VI XI and II. Abaxial (39.06%) and adaxial (43.42%) trichome

density contributed maximum towards diversion. Genotypes with wide genetic diversity based

on their mean values can be utilized for breeding programmes for genetic improvement of

shoot fly resistance.



PS II – 58

Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the heat stress

tolerance in pigeon pea crop wild relatives

G. Ramakrishna1, Parampreet Kaur, Swati Saxena, Sandhya, Sunishtha S. Yadav1, Kishor

Gaikwad*


012; 1Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh


The genus Cajanus belonging to family Fabaceae consist of 32 species mainly distributed

across Asia, Africa, South America, Central America, Australia and Caribbean of which

Cajanus cajan (Pigeon pea) is the cultivated one. Wild species related to agricultural crops

(crop wild relatives, or CWR) are the main source for introducing genetic diversity in plant

breeding programs. Pigeonpea is one of the major climate resilient grain legume cultivated

mainly in Indian subcontinent and Africa where high temperature is one of the major abiotic

stresses. In the present study we tried to investigate how plants cope with the high

temperatures by studying time series transcriptome of one pigeon pea cultivar (ICPL 87119)

and two CWRs i.e., C. acutifolius (ICP 15602) and C. scarabaeoides (ICP 15688) under heat

stress. A total of 18 leaf samples, at three time points (Control, 30mins and 3hrs) in duplicates

from each species were collected and transcriptome data were generated. A total of 522

million reads were generated and comparative transcriptome analysis, differential gene

expression and gene ontology enrichment revealed 7286, 10104 and 4406 genes to be

differentially expressed in C.cajan, C.acutifolius and C.scarabaeoides respectively. All the

three species are shown to be similarly enriched with DEGs in common metabolic pathways

like, Oxidoreductase activity, Photosystem II, Thylakoid membrane, Cell wall biosynthesis

and Flavonoid biosynthesis etc. The comparative transcriptome analysis of control samples

of all three species showed higher expression levels of oxidation reduction pathway genes

in wild pigeon peas which could provide clues to the nature of heat responsive pathways in

pigeonpea.



PS II – 59

Developing multiple rust resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

variety HS295 using molecular markers

Dharam Pal*, S. C. Bhardwaj1, Madhu Patial, Subodh Kumar and O. P. Gangwar2

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station [CHC], Tutikandi Facility, Shimla

171 004, HP; 1ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat & Barley Research, Regional Station,

Flowerdale 171 002, HP


Wheat is affected by a large number of diseases worldwide, among which rust diseases are

the most devastating and cause huge losses. All the three rusts of wheat viz., leaf/brown,

stripe/yellow, stem/black occurs in India. HS295, most popular wheat variety among the hill

farmers for late sown rainfed production conditions has succumbed to three rusts. Therefore,

the present study was aimed to build multiple rust resistance in HS295. HS661, has been

developed from a cross (HS295*2/FLW20//HS295*2/FLW13) using Bulk-Pedigree Method

of Breeding. HS661 was evaluated for seedling resistance to wide array of rust pathotypes

and found to possess resistance to all the three rusts. Microsatellite marker Xwmc221 and

SCAR marker SCS265512 were used to tag Lr19/Sr25 in segregating and fixed populations

of this cross. Among 34 F3 lines, 28 were tested positive for SSR marker Xwmc221, indicating

the presence of Lr19/Sr25. Similarly, among 14 selected F4 lines, 09 were homozygous

positive for Lr19/Sr25 whereas one line was heterozygous with Xwmc221. The advanced

breeding lines viz., WBM3632 named as HS661 and WBM3635 were positive for Lr19/Sr25with SCAR marker SCS265512. HS661 was also evaluated at seven locations under late

sown production conditions of Northern Hill Zone during 2017-18. It produced an average

grain yield of 23.3 q/ha under late sown and restricted irrigation conditions of NHZ. The rust

resistance gene pool present in HS661 would prove an useful source for developing potential

rust resistant genotypes and/ or serve as potent donor for creating new usable variability

against all the three rusts.

PS II – 60

Developing drought tolerant compact genotypes for varied agro-eco

system in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Suman Bala Singh*, Jayant Meshram, A. H. Prakash and J. Amudha

ICAR- Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, 440 010


Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) though an annual crop with indeterminate growth habit is

somewhat naturally adapted to dry spells inherited from their wild ancestors. Since vegetative



and reproductive growth occurs simultaneously the impact of climate change on cotton

growth and development badly affects the yield and fibre quality. The polygenic nature of

drought tolerance slows the progress. Considerable efforts have been made to know the

drought tolerant mechanisms and figure out the traits related to drought tolerance. Plant

growth parameters viz., plant height, number of leaves, number of squares, number of green

bolls and number of bursted bolls were observed and cultures DTS 402, DTS 404, DTS 405,

DTS 407, DTS 408, DTS 410, DTS 418, DTS 419 and LRA 5166 showed no reduction with

respect to these parameters, All the cultures showed drastic reduction for reducing sugar,

proline, nitrate reductase and phenols while the tolerant cultures maintained high protein

and amino acid content. These tolerant cultures recorded normal leaf temperature,

intercellular Co2 concentration, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, net assimilation

rate and chlorophyll content. DTS 402 was the most tolerant culture showing least reduction

in seed cotton yield (-26.76%), followed by DTS 419, DTS 407, DTS 406, DTS 408, DTS

410, DTS 413 and DTS 419 while the check LRA 5166 showed reduction of -12.36% for

seed cotton yield.

PS II – 61

Association of root and shoot traits with plant height and thousand

grain weight under moisture stress condition in wheat minicore

Jyoti Kumari*, Ruchi Bansal, Pallavi Singh, Shivani, Sundeep Kumar, Amit Kumar Singh,

M C Yadava, Sherry Rachel Jacob, J C Rana and Ashok Kumar



Root traits influence the amount of water and nutrient absorption, and are important for

maintaining crop yield under stress conditions. Wheat minicore comparing of 224 accessions

was studied for estimating variability of root and shoot traits at seedling stage using cigar

roll method employing Completely Randomized Design with 3 replications. These accessions

were also screened under rainfed conditions during years 2015-16 and 2016-17. Association

between root and shoot traits, plant height and thousand grain weight under moisture stress

condition were determined. Significant genetic variability was observed for root traits among

minicore wheat germplasm. The average coleoptile length varied from 3.47 to 13.23 cm with

mean 6.50 cm. The seminal root number ranged from 2.83 to 6.2 with mean 4.41 whereas

maximum seminal root length from 2.11cm to 18.95cm with mean value of 9.54 cm. Seminal

root length was positively correlated with coleoptile length (0.201**) and negatively correlated

with seminal root number (-0.439**). Seminal root number is positively correlated with

thousand grain weight (0.241**) and coleoptile length with plant height (0.377**). The superior

accessions with long coleoptiles length were indigenous accessions IC28029, IC29002 and

IC29008 with more than 12 cm coleoptile length. Accessions IC29002 and IC29008 belonged

to Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, with relatively dry climate. The durum accession EC299060



from Syria had highest mean seminal root number 6.3 followed by EC549435 (durum wheat)

from America, IC531969, IC335776, EC576578 and EC445374. Thus accessions with

superior root traits can be studied for drought tolerance. The genetic variability identified for

root and shoot traits can be exploited to improve drought tolerance and/or resource capture

in wheat.

PS II – 62

Development of MAGIC maize population: A new approach for climate

resilient breeding

Manigopa Chakraborty

Chief Scientist, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Birsa Agricultural University ,

Ranchi


MAGIC (Multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross) is the multi-parent cross designs

(MpCD) that bridge the two approaches and dramatically increase the mapping resolution

and power by incorporating greater genetic diversity and by increasing the number of crossing

generations in elevated minor allele frequency. MpCD are produced by crossing more than

two inbred lines. The MAGIC designs produce a reusable reference population of RIL that

can be genotyped once and phenotyped repeatedly, which reduces mapping costs and

allows phenotypic data to be accumulated over time. MAGIC maize (MM) population, the

first balanced MpCD developed in maize that integrates the diversity of eight diverse inbred

founder lines into 1,636 RIL-F6 made available to researchers. The MM is a new mapping

population that contains a large amount of genetic diversity. Characterization of the MAGIC

maize population will lead to higher power and definition in QTL mapping which lay the

basis for improved understanding of maize phenotypes. Maize (Zea mays L.) being a cross

pollinated C4 plant having greater genetic diversity has high productivity and has potential

to cope with hunger prevalent in the world. Maize suffered from different biotic and abiotic

stress due to climate change, which decreases its production. This urges a need of climate

resilient maize crop which can be able to give good yield in multiple stress conditions. This

can be possible by utilizing the present diversity for improvement of maize. In this respect,

a new next generation plant breeding technique i.e. MAGIC is develop.



PS II – 63

Studies on genotypic variability in antioxidative enzyme activity of maize

(Zea mays L.) in response to water-deficit stress

B. Sarkar*, S. K. Savita, Y. Varalaxmi, M. Vanaja, Ch. Bhupal Reddy, N. Jyothi Lakshmi,

S. K. Yadav, S. Jainendar, S. S. Shishodia and M. Maheswari

Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Santoshnagar, Hyderabad, Telangana


Maize (Zea mays L.) is well-recognized as third most important food crops worldwide, it is

exposed to various biotic and abiotic stresses during its growth cycle. Drought is a major

abiotic constraint and its consequences affecting in crop production systems are perhaps

more deleterious than other abiotic stresses under changing climatic scenarios.Plant’s

response to drought stress will depend on the species inherent genetics but also on the

period and severity of the drought. If prolonged over to a threshold level drought stress will

undoubtedly result in oxidative injury due to the over production of reactive oxygen species

(ROS). The present study was conducted to appraise the performance of three different

maize inbreds (SNJ-2011-26, Z-101-15 drought tolerant and HKI-161 drought sensitive)

under well-watered, moderate (5 days) and severe moisture (8 days) deficit conditions, at

vegetative and anthesis and silking interval (ASI) stages. Tolerant genotypes showed lower

melondialdehyde (MDA a marker for lipid peroxidation) and relatively less decrease in relative

water content (RWC) and higher activity of enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase

(CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and guiocal peroxidase (GPx) with increased concentration

of proline and chlorophyll activity (SPAD) as compared to the sensitive genotype during

moderate stress at vegetative and ASI stages. With severe stress, tolerant genotypes SNJ-

2011-26 and Z-101-15 had an increased in activity of enzymes in comparison to that of HKI-

161. Whereas, all genotypes showed further decline in RWC and all enzyme activities at

severe stress as compared to moderate stress. Significant activation of antioxidative defence

mechanisms, proline, RWC and lowered MDA are the characteristics of the drought tolerant

genotypes. These studies provided an insight of mechanism for drought tolerance in maize

genotypes.



PS II – 64

Genotype-environment interactions and stability analysis for yield and

quality characters in ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal.) in North

Gujarat conditions

Mithlesh Kumar, M. P. Patel, R. A. Gami, N. V. Soni, P. C. Patel, K. K. Tiwari, A. K. Singh,

S. D. Solanki, H. S. Bhadouria and N. B. Patel

Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, C. P. College of Agriculture, S. D. Agricultural

University, S. K. Nagar, Gujarat


Experiment was conducted to delineate genotype-environment interactions and stability status

of 16 genotypes of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal.) genotypes in context to 12

characters i.e., plant height, number of primary branches, number of secondary branches,

days to flowering, days to maturity, number of berries, number of seeds/berry, root length,

root diameter, root branches, dry root yield and total alkaloid content(%) under the ecological

scenario of the North Gujarat of India. The studies were performed in 3 different location

viz., Sardarkrushinagar, Jagudan and Bhiloda for the year 2017-2018 in complete randomized

block design with 3 replications. The mean sums of squares (MSS) due to genotypes were

non – significant for most of the characters studied. It revealed the non significant differential

response of the genotypes to the changing environments. MSS due to environments highly

significant (p<0.01) for the roots related traits except root branches. Highly significant MSS

due to GxE was observed when tested against the pooled error for the root yield and quality

parameters except the root branches. The results indicated that among the 16 genotypes

SKA-12 and SKA-27 were stable across environments for dry root yield plant-1, SKA-6 and

SKA-27 for root length, SKA-23 for root diameter, SKA-11 for root branches, SKA-27 and

SKA-11 for total alkaloid content(%), SKA-10 for days to 50% flowering and days to maturity,

SKA-11 for no. of berries plant-1, SKA-15 and SKA-27 for seeds berry-1, SKA-1 for primary

branches and SKA-24 for secondary branches plant-1 and SKA-1 for plant height. The result

revealed that some reliable predictions about GxE interaction and its unpredictable

components involved significantly in determining the stability of genotypes.



PS II – 65

Screening of association mapping panel of maize against shoot fly

[Atherigona naqvii (Steyskal)] resistance

Talha Jameel, Tosh Garg*, Jawala Jindal, J. S. Chawla, Ramesh Kumar1 and M. T. Vinayan2

Department Plant Breeding and Genetics, PAU, Ludhiana; 1Indian Institute of Maize Research,

Ludhiana; 2CIMMYT Asia, Hyderabad


Maize cultivation is becoming popular in spring season in Punjab. The incidence of shoot

fly, Atherigona naqvii at seedling stage is one of a major constraint in achieving its full yield

potential. Therefore, it is necessary to screen germplasm from diverse sources for exploiting

shoot fly resistance. Screening of association mapping panel of 305 lines from CIMMYT,

India was carried out using fish meal technique during spring 2018. Susceptility Index (SI)

was calculated for these lines against shoot fly, SI= Ax1 +Ab /Ax2 + Ad /An; Ax1 = No. of plants

oviposited / total no. of plants observed, Ax2 = Total no. of eggs laid / no. of plants oviposited,

Ab= No. of deadhearts / no. of plants oviposited , Ad= Percent deadhearts, An= percent

infested. The germplasm lines within mean SI ± SD range are moderately resistant, while

on left and right side represents resistant and susceptible, respectively. In the present

study, SI ranged from 0.8 to 2.2 with a mean of 1.5 and S.D. of 0.7. Based on SI, 34 and 23

lines were found resistant and susceptible to shoot fly, respectively and remaining lines

were found moderately resistant. Among 34 resistant lines, 20 lines had good seedling

vigour score. Leaf sheath pigmentation was found to be associated with susceptibility. Though,

the seedling vigour had contributed for shoot fly resistance but the component traits for

resistance are complex and quantitatively inherited. The further studies to find out associated

SNPs to shoot fly resistance component traits will help in designing an effective breeding

programme.

PS II – 66

Abiotic stress influences seed hardness in mung bean genotypes [Vigna

radiata (L.) Wilczek]

Debashis Paul, S. K. Chakrabarty*, H. K. Dikshit, S. K. Jha and Y. Singh

Division of Seed Science and Technology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New

Delhi 110 012


Presence of hard seeds in seed lots reduces the seedling emergence percentage in field

leading to non-uniform and lowered plant population and uneven maturity. Seed hardness,



characterized by no water imbibition, is controlled by both genetic and environmental factors.

Twenty mung bean genotypes showing more than 22% hard seeds were grown in four

different conditions (high average temperature and high soil moisture, high average

temperature and low soil moisture, low average temperature and high soil moisture, low

average temperature and low soil moisture) during seed maturity to estimate the broad

sense heritability for hardseededness. The hardseededness was confirmed by standard

germination test (ISTA, 2015). The average per cent hard seeds were 5.42%, 31.4%, 19.4%

and 28.9% under high average temperature and high soil moisture, high average temperature

and low soil moisture, low average temp. and high soil moisture, low average temperature

and low soil moisture conditions, respectively. The broad sense heritability estimate of the

mung bean genotypes in high average temperature and high soil moisture condition was

0.67, and in high average temperature and low soil moisture, low average temperature and

high soil moisture, low average temperature and low soil moisture conditions were 0.97,

0.96 and 0.98, respectively. At low soil moisture situation hard seed frequency was negatively

correlated with stage of harvesting and the reverse situation was found in high soil moisture

condition. There was no significant effect of seed maturity time on the estimates of heritability

in a particular growing condition. The seed hardness was examined using a seed texture

analysis machine. The data indicated that the force required to break seeds produced under

high temperature and moisture ranged from 9.23 to 33.31 Newton in comparison to 39.51 to

71.53 Newton in seeds produced under low temperature and high/low soil moisture conditions.

A lower heritability of 0.67 for hardseededness in high temperature and soil moisture condition

suggested that the character is influenced by stress conditions. But when the temperature

was low enough and irrespective of soil moisture status during seed maturity period the

character was much stable. Growing of genotypes under low temperature and moisture

condition is suggested for screening the genotypes for hardseededness in mung bean.

PS II – 67

Morphological characterization of Mexican wheat landraces under

simulated salinity stress

Ankita Suhalia*, Achla Sharma1, Sukhjit Kaur, Puja Srivastava1, R. S. Sarlach1 and

Sukhwinder Singh2

Department of Botany, 1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural

University, Ludhiana 141 004; 2CIMMYT, Int. Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, DF, Mexico


Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most widely cultivated and has a prominent position in

the international food grain trade. The productivity of wheat is adversely affected by salt

stress. Worldwide, more than 20% of the cultivable land is affected by salinity.Increasing

reliance on relatively few varieties in most breeding programs has led to the loss of well

adapted genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is a pre-requisite for the survival of population



and species. Landraces as the most important source for genetic improvement of cultivars

are also useful in traditional and subsistence farming which continue to play a key role in

food security.The Mexican landraces, obtained from CIMMYT, Mexico were screened for

salinity stress tolerance under simulated stress conditions with the aim to identify tolerant

genotypes. The experiment was conducted to study the effect of different NaCl levels (0

(control), 120mM and 240mM) on 20 Mexican Wheat landraces and 5 checks viz. Kharchia-

65, KRL 213, Barbet, PBW 725 and HD 2967.Electrical conductivity of soil was measured at

different interval of time during experiment. Data were taken at the vegetative, reproductive

and maturity stages. Results indicate that Mexican wheat landraces respond differently to

different salinity levels. Mexican wheat landrace MICH89.1.10 (90%) exhibited highest

germination percentage. Mexican wheat landraces MICH89.1.10, MICH89.2.11,

MICH89.2.16, MICH89.4.19 and MICH89.4.28 having lesser number of days to flowering

and maturity to complete their life cycle as early as possible.MICH89.1.10, MICH89.2.11,

MICH89.2.16, MICH89.4.19, MICH89.6.9 and MICH89.4.28 recorded maximum tiller number,

grains per spike and grain yield under 120mM and 240mM salinity stress levels depicting

their tolerant behavior. On the basis of present investigation, we concluded that there was

sufficient variations in landraces for salt stress tolerance. And these landraces can be used

in wheat breeding programs to improve and develop high yielding salinity tolerant varieties.

PS II – 68

Screening for anti-fungal proteins in pearl millet inbreds active against

Pyricularia grisea

Swathi Marri, Rajan Sharma and Mahalingam Govindaraj*


Telangana 502 324


Pearl millet is a commonly grown nutri-cereals in the semi-arid regions of India and Africa.

Productivity of this crop is challenged by many biotic stress and blast (Pyricularia grisea)

has emerged as a new threat. Recurrent chemical protection is expensive and not sustainable

approach for farmers. Therefore, identification and utilization of host plant resistance is very

appropriate. Present study screened 20 inbreds crude proteins for anti-fungal activity against

blast isolates collected from Patancheru (Pg45), Jaipur (Pg138) and Aurangabad (Pg186)

using oatmeal agar plates (qualitative) and microspectrophotometric assays (quantitative).

There was significant reduction in growth rate of fungal colony of highly virulent isolate Pg

138 (9-57%; P<0.01)on oatmeal agar plates at fixed time intervals against Pg138, while no

significant differences were observed for Pg 45 and Pg 186.Further, inhibition of fungal

spore germination and initial growth (48h) of these isolates was monitored quantitatively

(595nm) in the presence of each crude protein extract for 48h. As a result, high reduction in



fungal growth was observed for Pg138 (64-87%) followed by Pg186 (21-61%) and Pg45 (2-

31%). Total protein in the tested lines varied 10-15%. Results showed that these protein

extracts were effective (9-50%) against cysteine protease, papain commercially sourced

from papaya that indicates millet protein extracts contain cysteine protease inhibitors and

not a trypsin inhibitor. The result suggest that these PI may be used as potential alternative

to anti-fungal agents, and merits further studies contributing to resistance breeding.

PS II – 69

Analysis of yield components and their association for enhancing grain

yield in Iranian wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landraces under saline

field conditions

Sukhjit Kaur*, Achla Sharma1, Ankita Suhalia, Puja Srivastava1, R. S. Sarlach1 and

Sukhwinder Singh2


University, Ludhiana 141 004; 2CIMMYT, Int. Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, DF, Mexico


Salinity stress in wheat growing areas is emerging as the threat to wheat productivity in

South Western areas of Punjab. It becomes mandatory to identify novel sources of salinity

stress tolerance to be used in development of stress tolerant wheat varieties. A set of 249

Iranian landraces, procured from CIMMYT, Mexico were tested for salinity stress tolerance

at seedling stages under laboratory conditions. Identified landraces were evaluated for

morpho-physiological traits in saline soils in farmers’ fields. The present study was conducted

under field conditions to investigate the response of different wheat landraces to salinity

stress. These experiments were conducted during 2016-17 at two different locations viz., at

Ratta Khera (Sri Muktsar Sahib) and at Mardanpur (Rajpura) Punjab, India, to study the

performance of 27 Iranian wheat landraces along with salt tolerant wheat cultivars (Kharchia

65 and KRL 213) for their salinity tolerance. These locations had different salinity profile (i.e.

Ratta Khera E.C. 1.87dS/m, pH. 7.50 and Mardanpur E.C. 1.97dS/m, pH. 8.10). Statistical

analysis of the data obtained from field revealed that different locations and wheat genotypes

had a significant (p< 0.05) effect on days to maturity, tiller number, thousand grain weight

and grain yield. The studies suggests that at both salinity levels landrace accessions IWA

8613426, IWA 8600191, IWA 867803, IWA 8611326, IWA 8600179, IWA 8611759, IWA

8607803 showed components of salinity tolerance and have the potential of yield sustainability

when grown under saline conditions. These identified donors can be effectively used for

introgressing the salt tolerance traits into commercial wheat cultivars for development of

tolerant wheat varieties.



PS II – 70

Screening of rice cultivars against root knot nematode (Meloidogyne

graminicola)

Gurwinder Kaur*, Narpinderjeet Kaur Dhillon, Gurpreet Singh, Yogesh Vikal1, Kumari Neelam

and Gurjit Singh Mangat2

Department of Plant Pathology, 1School of Agricultural Biotechnology, 2Deptartment of Plant

Breeding and Genetics, PAU, Ludhiana

Email: gurwinderkaur6 [email protected]

Root knot nematode (Meloidogyne graminicola) is one of the emerging threat to rice crop

around the world especially in rice growing belts of South-east Asia where 90% of rice is

grown and consumed. It has been reported to cause 16-32% yield losses in rainfed as well

as upland conditions of India. The identification of resistant or tolerant rice varieties offer an

effective, economic and environmentally acceptable approach. A total of 126 cultivars, among

them forty three accessions of Oryza glaberrima, thirty three cultivars of Basmati and fifty

cultivars of non-basmati were screened against root knot nematode in nematode infested

soil at intial inoculum density (Pi) of one second stage juvenile per gram of soil. Based on

gall rating and nematode population density, all O. glaberrima accessions were found to be

resistant with reproduction factor less than 1. Basmati and non-basmati cultivars didn’t show

any resistance response to M. graminicola. Reproduction factor ranges from 1.62-2.50 and

1.75-3.12 in basmati and non-basmati cultivars, respectively. Out of 33 basmati cultivars,

15 cultivars were found to be highly susceptible, 5 cultivars were moderately susceptible

and 13 cultivars were susceptible. Among fifty cultivars of non-basmati, 9 cultivars were

susceptible and 41 cultivars were found to be highly susceptible. The identification of root

knot nematode resistance in O. glaberrima offer an effective source of resistance for transfer

into Asian cultivar of rice. Further, the high level of resistance in O. glaberrima accessions

has been exploited to introgress the nematode resistance into O. sativa cultivars and

simultaneously the resistance gene(s) can be mapped and used in marker assisted selection

(MAS). In lieu of that, crosses have been attempted between O. sativa cultivar and selected

O. glaberrima accessions. Backcross population would be used for genotyping and mapping

of nematode resistance through molecular markers.



PS II – 71

Phenotyping of rice RIL population for salt tolerance at seedling stage

under hydroponic system

D. Gokulan*, S. Thirumeni, J. Karthick, V. Mathivanan, K. K. Raghuraman, S. Pavithra and

M. Kalpana


and Research Institute, Karaikal 609 603, Puducherry (U.T.)


An experiment was conducted to phenotype 420 RILs (F10-F11) mapping population of ADT

45/Nona Bokra cross along with FL 478 (tolerant) and IR 29 (susceptible) as checks for

seedling salt tolerance. The seedlings were grown in an artificially prepared hydroponic

system under green house and the salt stress was imposed at 14 days after sowing. The pH

of the nutrient solution was adjusted daily to 5.0-5.1 and the culture solution was replaced

weekly. Parents, RILs and checks were individually scored based on the visual symptoms

using IRRI’s SES (Standard Evaluation System) score for rice, with ratings from 1-9. The

score was recorded 7 days after salinization (DAS) for 8 days continuously. Statistical analysis

of salinity score was done using STAR version 2.0 software and normality distribution was

analysed using Shapiro Wilk test. Based on the test value, the RIL (F10-F11) population did

not show the normal distribution as the probability value is equal to 0 for all the eight days of

scoring. However, salinity score on 8th-12th DAS was found to be positively skewed while

rest of the days showed negatively skewed distribution. This indicates that the majority of

the lines falls from moderate to highly tolerant in the initial stages and from moderate to

highly susceptible in the later stage of scoring. Regarding kurtosis, majority of the lines falls

in the middle group on 8th and 9th DAS i.e., highly leptokurtic while rest of the days shows

platykurtic which indicates more widely dispersed frequencies to the extremes rather than

concentrating towards midpoint. A total of 10 RIL’s that scored one on final scoring were all

transgressive segregants over the tolerant parents i.e., Nona Bokra (score 3) which indicates

the occurrence of additive gene action. The experimental results infers that the population is

found to be significantly skewed indicating the involvement of few major genes along with

numerous minor genes for salt tolerance.



PS II – 72

Field evaluation of rice RIL population for salt tolerance at seedling

stage

K. K. Raghuraman*, S. Thirumeni, J. Karthick, V. Mathivanan, D. Gokulan, S. Pavithra and

M. Kalpana


and Research Institute, Karaikal 609 603, Puducherry (U.T)


An experiment was conducted to phenotype 420 RIL’s (F10-F11) generated from ADT 45/

Nona Bokra cross along with FL 478 (tolerant) and IR 29 (susceptible) as checks for seedling

stage salt tolerance. These experimental materials were sown in the four raised nursery

beds of 75 cm width and 50 m length. Each RIL was sown one line spaced 10 cm apart. Salt

stress was imposed through irrigation of poor quality bore well water [EC: 1.25 ds/m; PH:7.85;

SAR: 7.52; RSC(2.25meg/l). The interval of irrigation was four to five days once and the root

zone salinity was recorded using customized piezometer (EC: 4.22 ds/m, PH: 9.42). Parents,

RIL’s (F10-F11) population along with checks were individually scored based on visual

symptoms using IRRI’s SES (standard evaluation system) score for rice, with ratings from 1

(highly tolerant) to 9 (highly susceptible). The score was recorded on three days viz., 20th,

27th and 34thday. Statistical analysis of salinity score was done using STAR version 2.0

software and normality distribution was analyzed using Shapiro Wilk test. Based on the test

value, the RIL (F10-F11) population did not show the normal distribution as the probability

value is equal to 0 for all the three days of scoring. RIL’s generated from ADT 45 /Nona

Bokra was found to be negatively skewed on all three days. This indicates that the majority

of lines are with moderate to highly susceptible. Regarding kurtosis salinity score was highly

leptokurtic on 34th day of salinization as at this stage majority of plants fall under middle

group while the rest of days show platykurtic. Only two RIL’s that scored one on final scoring

were considered as transgressive segregants over the tolerant parent i.e., Nona Bokra (score

3). The experimental results revealed that as the population is negatively skewed seedling

salt tolerance is governed by few major genes along with numerous minor genes.



PS II – 73

Morpho- physiological evaluation of diverse genotypes of pigeonpea

under salinity stress

Rekha Joshi*, Naleeni Ramawat1, R. S. Raje, Kumar Durgesh and G. Rama Prashat

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1Amity

Institute of Organic Agriculture, Amity University Campus, Noida 201 303, Uttar Pradesh


Similarly it affects pigeonpea crop through osmotic stress and interfere with uptake of mineral

nutrients thus affecting plant growth, development and yield by causing physiological and

biochemical changes in plants. Soil and water management approaches for amelioration of

soil salinity are uneconomical for small holding farmers. Therefore, identification of salt-

tolerant donor for the development of salt tolerant genotypes is the most appropriate and

cost effective strategy, for improving yield in salt affected areas. The present study involves

screening of sixty-five diverse genotypes of pigeonpea to assess the exploitable genetic

variability for salinity tolerance and to detect the salt tolerant pigeonpea lines in hydroponics

at 40,80,100 and 120mM sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration for 30 days. The electrical

conductivity was regularly checked and maintained. Salt stress responses of these genotypes

on various morphological and physiological attributes were observed on the basis of different

relevant parameters viz. germination percentage, seedling growth, seedling survivability,

shoot and root length, biomass accumulation (Fresh weight and dry weight), leaf senescence

(scoring on 1 to 5 scale on the basis of visual symptoms), chlorophyll content, membrane

stability index (MSI), relative water content (RWC), Naz /Kz (sodium potassium ratio), etc.

for comparative evaluation of all the genotypes taken under study. Significant genotypic

variation for salinity stress was observed among the genotypes screened under hydroponic

conditions. Two tolerant and two sensitive genotypes were identified at 100mM concentration

of sodium chloride and used in breeding programme for further generation of mapping

population so that the gene(s) for the concerned trait can be mapped.



PS II – 74

Studies on spot blotch disease resistance in tetraploid wheat: An

emerging treat to wheat production in South-East Asia

C. K. Chethana*, V. Rudra Naik, Suma S. Biradar, S. A. Desai1, Narendra Kadoo2 and

I. K. Kalappanavar

AICRP on Wheat, Main Agricultural Research station, University of Agricultural Sciences,

Dharwad 580 005, Karnataka; 1Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority,

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, NASC Complex, New Delhi

110 012; 2Biochemical Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi

Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune 411 008, Maharashtra


Spot blotch (SB) is an emerging disease caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana affecting the wheat

production in warm and humid regions of India and in other South Asian countries. The

tetraploid wheats are naturally resistance to rusts but highly susceptible to SB. A study was

conducted to elucidate the genetics and histopathological basis of SB resistance in durum

wheat. The tetraploid genotypes were evaluated under field conditions as well as under

controlled conditions. The durum genotypes viz., Bijaga Yellow (57.30%) and Amruth

(36.73%) and genotypes, NIDW 295 (6.23%), HI-8663 (7.25%), HI-8498 (9.73%) and DWR-

1006 (9.12%) showed resistance response. Among the dicoccum genotypes evaluated for

SB resistance, NP 200 (59.67%) and DDK-1025 (65.12%) showed susceptible reaction to

SB and genotypes DDK-50044 (17.50%) and HW-1098 (20.30%) showed a moderate

resistance to SB under controlled conditions. The detailed infection pattern of Bipolarissorokiniana at different time points after inoculations was studied and observed that successful

infection of fungus by 24hpi and disease symptoms were appeared on wheat leaves at 4dpi.

The comparative histopathalogical studies revealed that six host resistant components viz.,number of trichomes on leaves, number of spore per lesion, spore germination, lesion size

and lesion frequency differed significantly in resistant and susceptible genotypes. These

significant differences were found among resistant and susceptible genotypes. All the

resistance components showed that variation in components of resistance to spot blotch

could be a basal mechanism of resistance to SB in resistant genotype NIDW-295 compares

to susceptible genotype Bijaga Yellow.



PS II – 75

Studies on morpho-physiological and biochemical changes under

drought condition in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

Nishi Mishra, Shikha Upadhyay, M. K. Tripathi*, Sushma Tiwari, Neha Gupta, Aakash

Sharma, Jyoti Singh, Shagun Nehra, V. S. Kandalkar and A. K. Singh

Department of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Gwalior,

Madhya Pradesh


Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is the leading commercial species among the grain legume

and oil seed crops and represents the most important plant source of vegetable oil and

protein in the world. Among different abiotic stresses drought is a significant limiting factor

for productivity inhibiting plant growth due to reduced water absorption and nutrient uptake.

Drought stress, which usually occurs at pod filling stages, may cause significant yield losses,

up to 40% in a year, and it deteriorates the seed quality of soybean. The present investigation

fifty-three soybean genotypes registered in India were screened against drought. The

experimental material was monitored in randomized block design (RBD) with three

replications. For drought treatment, the 60-day-old plants were non-irrigated for 10 days

and various morpho-physiological and biochemical parameter were recorded after 70 days

of sowing to efficiently screen drought tolerant and susceptible genotypes. On the basis of

investigated parameters six genotypes viz. JS 20-94, JS 20-84, RVS -14, NRC- 76, SL -

1123 and VLS -94 showed more tolerance against drought as compared to remaining

genotypes including higher magnitude synthesis of MDA more than 50 nmol g-1 FM during

drought stress and membrane stability index more than 55%. These genotypes may be

used in advance breeding and biotechnological works to develop drought tolerance/resistant

varieties.

PS II – 76

Marker-assisted selection for white rust resistance in Indian mustard

(Brassica juncea)

V. V. Singh*, Monika, Priyamedha, M. L. Meena, Balbir, Neeraj Gurjar and P. K. Rai

ICAR-Directorate of Rapeseed and Mustard Research, Sewar, Bharatpur 321 303


White rust caused by Albiuo candida is a major disease of Indian mustard which results in

heavy losses in case of epidemic. Thus the present work aimed at developing white rust

resistant genotypes through marker assisted selection (MAS). Two intron polymorphic



markers At5g41560 and At2g36360 that are linked to white rust resistance loci AcB1-A4.1

and AcB1-A5.1, were used for MAS. Total six generations i.e., P1, P2, F1, F2, BC1F1 and

BC2F1 resulted from the crosses of NRCHB 101 and DRMR 150-35 (Recipient P1) and Bio-

YSR and BEC-144 (Donor P2) were used. The donor parents and F1 crosses viz., DRMR-

150-35xBEC-144, DRMR150-35xBioYSR exhibited desired banding pattern of 430 and 750

bp confirmed both the white rust resistant loci AcB1-A4.1and AcB1-A5.1 while recipients

viz., NRCHB 101 and DRMR-150-35, exhibited different pattern from donors. However

NRCHB-101xBioYSR and NRCHB-101xBEC-144 confirmed white rust resistant loci AcB1-

A5.1 andAcB1-A4.1 respectively. Confirmation of these set of two IP markers in all the

parents as well as F1s leads us to further screening of selected F2, BC1 and BC2 populations.

Genotypic and phenotypic evaluation revealed normal Mendelian Segregation ratio of 3:1 in

F2 populations for white rust resistance loci AcB1-A4.1 and AcB1-A5.1. Segregation ratio of

1:1 obtained in BC1F1 and BC2F1 population indicates presence of resistance allele in a

heterozygous condition. This finding has potential use in marker-assisted selection to develop

Indian mustard cultivars with white rust resistance genes in mustard breeding programs.

PS II – 77

Rust resistance and inheritance pattern of stripe and leaf rusts in elite

wheat germplasm from Northern Hills of India

Shubhanshu Anubhav*, Vijay Rana1, H. K. Chaudhary and Aashima Batheja

Department of Crop Improvement, CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur

176 062 1Rice and Wheat Research Centre, Malan 176 047


Wheat crop is attacked by three rust diseases of which stripe rust, caused by Pucciniastriiformis f. sp. tritici and leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina, are the most common causing

greater yield losses. Thirty genotypes were studied for adult plant resistance (APR) and

were evaluated in field conditions and controlled conditions. HPW 373, VW 20145, VL 3002,

RKVY 231, VL 907, PBW 698 and HS 507 were found to be highly resistant to yellow rust at

both seedling and adult plant stages. While, genotypes HS 490, HPW 314, HPW 360, RKVY

133, Raj 4362, DBW 113 and HPW 403 showing very low AUDPC values were found to be

moderately resistant under field conditions. These lines are suggested for use in breeding

program and some are in network trials for their direct release. Inheritance studies were

carried out to decipher the genetics of seedling rust resistance in elite germplasm line HPW

373. The F2s were evaluated for seedling resistance against yellow rust (46S119, 78S84)

and leaf rust (77-5-North American equivalent THTTM) races. Resistance in HPW 373 is

controlled by single dominant gene against leaf rust (77-5) and stripe rust (78S84). Against

stripe rust (46S119), resistance of HPW 373 is controlled by recessive gene. The findings

are expected to contribute towards enriching diversity for leaf and stripe rust resistance in

bread wheat improvement programmes.



PS II – 78

Potassium for inducing drought tolerance in maize hybrids and

improving the nutritional quality

Veena Kumari Tudu*, Manigopa Chakraborty, Rameswar Prasad Sah2, B. K. Agarwal1,

Satish Chandra Narayan, Mukesh Mahto

National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odhisa; Department of Genetics and Plant

Breeding, 1Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Birsa Agricultural

University, Kanke, Ranchi 834 006, Jharkhand ; 2Scientist, National Rice Research Institute,

Cuttack 753 006, Odisha


Drought, a major environmental stresses widely affects the maize crop at vegetative, silking

and grain filling stages. Physiological as well as biochemical changes occurs in plants as a

response to drought stress. Potassium (K) plays an important role to reduce the negative

impact of drought. Twelve maize hybrids were evaluated under two different moisture regime

(MR) irrigated (-30 kPa) and stress conditions (-50 kPa) during flowering & grain filling stage

along with two different gradient of potassium application (@ 60 kg/ha and @100 kg/ha)

thus creating four environment. Observations were recorded for morphological data, Tursicum

leaf blight incidence, and amount of protein, carbohydrate, potassium, Fe and Zn in the

maize grain was analyzed. Significant interaction between K x MR were observed for yield

contributing traits viz., days to maturity, cob length, number of kernel rows per cob, number

of grains per cob. For yield traits like grains per cob and 100 seed weight significant interaction

of Genotype x Potassium x Moisture Regime was observed. The hybrids evaluated under

water deficit condition had 5-8% higher yield when K application was increased from 60

to100 kg/ha. For quality traits, drought had negative effect on protein, carbohydrate, K and

grain yield but Fe and Zn content in grain increased under drought. There was a positive

association between protein content and K; Fe and Zn content. At high dose of K, disease

incidence for tursicum leaf blight was decreased. K has significant role in the plant to cope

under water deficit condition and improving the nutritional content in the maize grain.



PS II – 79

Mapping and transfer of leaf rust resistance of Aegilops tauschii in

hexaploid wheat

Satinder Kaur*, Nitika Sandhu, Jaspreet Kaur, Rohtas Singh, Preeti Kumari and Parveen

Chhuneja

School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab


The diploid grass Aegilops tauschii, D-genome donor to bread wheat has huge diversity in

contrast to D genome of T. aestivum thus making it potential donor for improvement of

cultivated wheat for disease, nematode and insect resistance. At Punjab Agricultural

University, Ludhiana more than 300 Ae. Tauschii accessions was evaluated for more than

10 years and several potential donors for different traits have been identified. One such

accession named Ae.tauschii acc pau 9809 found to be resistant to leaf rust (LR) was crossed

with T. durum var PBW114 and F1s thus obtained were crossed and backcrossed with LR

susceptible hexaploid wheat variety PBW550. Stable BC2F4 plants with resistance to LR

were crossed with PBW550 to generate an F2 mapping population. Population was screened

against prevalent leaf rust race 77-5 at seedling stage and adult plant stage and 198 resistant(

R) and 48 susceptible (S) plants were phenotyped, giving a fit into 3R:1S ratio for single

dominant gene. 236 SSRs selected from all the 21 wheat chromosome were amplified on

the Ae.tauschii acc 9809, PBW114 and PBW550 to identify the markers amplifying a

polymorphic fragments. 34 polymorphic SSRs thus selected were amplified on R and S bulk

generated by mixing equal amount of DNA from 15 R and 15 S plants. Four SSRs from

chromosome 1D and 4D indicated a probable linkage with leaf rust resistance gene. A

linkage map of LR resistance gene with linked markers will be generated by amplifying the

markers on whole F2 population.

PS II – 80

Identification of QTLs linked to Sclerotium stem rot in peanut

S. K. Bera*, J. H. Kamdar, S. V. Kasundra, M. D. Jasani, A. K. Maurya and B. C. Ajay

ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Ivenagar Road, Junagadh, Gujarat


India is the second largest producer of peanut and has the largest acreage worldwide. Stem

rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii, a destructive soil borne fungus, is limiting the peanut

production. Yield loss in peanut due to stem rot ranges from 10 to 40%, but can reach over

80% in heavily infested fields. The disease is more predominant at 30-45 days after

germination and at the time of harvesting during rainy season. Causal fungus preferentially



attacks stem, but it can infect any part of the plant including root, leaf, flower and fruit. QTL

mapping was done in 189 RILs developed between a susceptible cultivar GG-20 and a

resistant interspecific pre-breeding line NRCGCS-319. Phenotyping of RILs was done under

artificially inoculated conditions over two seasons. Polymorphism analysis of parents with

2230 SSRs revealed low polymorphism (15.02%) between parents and a total of 29 SSRs

successfully differentiated both parents and its hybrids. Twenty-eight out of 29 SSRs have

been anchored previously in different linkage groups. Genotyping of RILs with 29 SSRs

covered a map distance of 159cM. QTL mapping identified a minor QTL (qstga01.2) with

8.17% PVE and a major QTL (qstga01.3) with 21.29% PVE. Qstga01.2 is flanked by PM-50

and TC1A08 primers, while qstga01.3 is flanked with IPAHM 356 and RN32H04 primers.

Both the QTLs have been validated successfully in different back ground. In this study we

report two fresh QTLs for resistance to stem rot in peanut and a SSR to the existing linkage

map.

PS II – 81

Oviposition mediated alteration of primary metabolism related genes

in immature pods of black gram (Vigna mungo)

Indrani K. Baruah, Debajit Das, M. V. Jagadale, Sumita Acharjee and Bidyut Kumar Sarmah

DBT-AAU Centre, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat 13, Assam


It is a well known fact that plants require abundant energy to elicit defense responses. In

order to study the re-organization of primary metabolism in immature black gram pods, we

investigated changes at transcript level due to bruchid ovipositioning or egg laying. Immature

pods of a mild tolerant cultivar of black gram (IC8219) were chosen for RNASeq study. A

total of 12,081 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were expressed out of which 258

were up-regulated and 310 down-regulated. A total of 9 major genes with statistically

significant p-values showed down-regulation of genes involved in primary metabolism

pathways on bruchid ovipositioning. A quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) assay was

conducted on 5 of the 9 metabolism related genes which includes UDP-glucoronate

epimerase, á1,4 glucan phosphorylase, glutamate transferase, GDP mannose

pyrophosphorylase (GMPase) and flavanol synthase. The qPCR results substantiated

transcriptome data by showing diminished expression of genes after 7 days of bruchid

ovipositioning. We conclude that this appears to occur in order to compensate the up-

regulation of defense pathways as is evident by up-regulation of major defense related

genes in transcriptomic data. This is a first attempt to understand changes in metabolism

due to bruchid ovipositioning in immature black gram pods and could lead to understanding

he biological significance of such metabolism related modifications in plant defense response.



PS II – 82

Development and identification of bread wheat genotypes for water

scarcity conditions based on drought tolerance indices

S. K. Singh*, P, Sharma, R. P. Gangwar, V. R. Naik1, Suma Biradar1, D. A. Gadekar2, J. M.

Patel3, K. H. Dabhi4, Suneeta Pandey5, P. C. Mishra6, N. R. Potdukhe7, A. P. Agrawal8, R. S.

Shukla5, S. A. Desai1, Lokendra Kumar, Rinki, D. P. Singh, Snehanshu Singh, S. S. Dodake2,

S. P. Singh9, A. G. Pansuriya4, Swati G. Bharad7, S. I. Patel3, P. L. Kashyap and G. P. Singh

ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat & Barley Research, Karnal 132 001; 1UAS, Dharwad; 2ARS,

MPKV, Niphad; 3SDAU, Vijapur; 4JAU, Junagadh; 5JNKVV, Jabalpur; 6JNKVV, Powarkheda;7PDKV, Akola; 8IGKVV, Bilaspur; 9NDUAT, Faizabad


Wheat crop is exposed to water scarcity conditions during the grain filling stage in most of

the wheat growing areas which sometimes associates with terminal heat stress. The

development of climate resilient bread wheat genotypes was initiated with strategic integration

of shuttle breeding approach at eight different target environments of central and peninsular

India. The advance genotypes from this approach have been evaluated for yield and its

component traits alongwith physiological parameters under timely sown irrigated and

restricted irrigated conditions. Additionally, screening for resistance to all three rusts and

leaf blight was also done at hot spot locations. Different drought tolerance indices namely,

mean productivity, geometric mean productivity, harmonic mean, drought resistance index,

yield index, yield stability index, stress tolerance index, sensitivity drought index, stress

susceptibility index, percentage reduction and tolerance index were estimated for these

genotypes using their yield levels under both the production conditions. A wide range of

variability was observed for yield and component traits under irrigated and restricted irrigation

conditions as well as for different drought tolerant indices. Promising genotypes showing

high yield potential under restricted irrigation and higher values of drought tolerance indices

in desirable direction were identified and promoted to the multilocational station trials and

thereafter coordinated trials under AICRP on wheat and barley which are now in pipeline for

release. Evaluation of breeding material in target environments may be a successful strategy

for development of climate resilient genotypes for water scarce areas.



PS II – 83

Mapping and transfer of drought tolerance QTL for water use efficiency

in maize

Kiranpal Kaur1, Ramandeep Kaur, G. K. Gill2, Neha Gupta1, Priti Sharma and Yogesh

Vikal*


Agricultural University, Ludhiana


Drought is considered as one of the major limiting factors in sustainable maize production

all over the world as it causes yield reduction by an average of 15% to 20%. Maize is

generally grown in kharif season but spring maize is now coming up in India. However, the

water requirement is very high but farmers are reluctant to see the long term effect of maize

cultivation during spring season. To meet the growing demand of water during spring season,

enhancement of maize yield can be achieved by developing drought tolerant maize hybrids.

The objective of the study was to identify QTL associated with drought tolerance and to

transfer into elite maize inbreds through marker assisted backcross breeding (MABB). A

total 160 F7 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from the cross between CM123 as the susceptible

(female) parent and CM140 as the tolerant (male) parent along with parents were evaluated

under normal and drought stress conditions for two consecutive seasons. The QTL on

chromosome 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9 were identified for drought tolerance under both stressed

and non stressed water regimes. In total, 12 QTLs were detected out of which seven QTLs

were found in drought stressed conditions and five QTLs in well irrigated conditions. Three

QTLs were found each for SPAD and RLWC, one QTL for each of the other traits i.e. days

to silking, ear length, ear weight, cob weight and remaining two for number of kernels per

ear. The putative QTL for number of kernel per ear (qKPE1) present on chromosome 9

(bnlg1401-umc1634) explained phenotypic variance of 23.14% under stressed environment.

The qKPE1 is being introgressed through MABB into two inbreds LM23 and LM24 of hybrid

PMH10 for water use efficiency during spring season. This will lead to develop drought-

tolerant spring maize hybrids.



PS II – 84

Passage through the plant circadian rhythm: Genetics decoded

L. M. Megha*, Rose Mary Francies, Anju M. Job, Juby Baby and Chakravarthi Marri

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural

University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur


As the earth rotates on its axis, day and night occur. The metabolism, physiology, and

behavior of most organisms change profoundly between day and night. These biological

phenomena apparently oscillate to exhibit a diurnal rhythm. Even when deprived of exogenous

time cues, many of these diurnal rhythms persist, indicating their generation by an endogenous

biological clock. This internal awareness of time is often referred to as ‘Biological clock’.

‘Circadian rhythms’ are the subset of biological rhythms with period, defined as the time to

complete one cycle of 24 hours. Circadian rhythms are endogenously generated, self-

sustaining, heritable and persist even under constant environmental conditions like light

and temperature. These environmental time cues, termed ‘Zeitgebers’, entrain the

endogenous timing system to a period of 24 hours. The varying sensitivity of the biological

clock to environmental stimuli can be quantified and displayed as a phase response curve.

Unravelling the genetics of plant circadian rhythm can be dissected into three conceptual

phases: rhythmic output pathways, input-dependent pathways and input-dependent oscillator

pathways. Initially, research efforts concentrated on deducing the factors that controlled the

rhythmic outputs, resulted in identification of clock controlled genes(CCGs). Later on the

role of the clock controlled genes as the central oscillator and the regulation of the expression

of these genes by a negative feedback loop became evident. These rhythms provide adaptive

fitness to plants by synchronizing its internal clock with external environment. Although the

progress in unraveling the plant circadian clock mechanism is remarkable, much remains

unfinished.

PS II – 85

Juby Baby*, J. S. Minimol, Jiji Joseph, B. Suma1 and A. V. Santhosh Kumar2

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, 1Department of Plantation Crops and Spices,

College of Horticulture, 2Department of Forest Biology and Tree Improvement, College of

Forestry, Kerala Agriculture University, Vellanikkara


Cocoa is a crop which is grown under shade conditions and which requires ample amount of

water for it’s day to day activities. However, the recent news on cocoa, getting it extinct in

the next 40 years due to the climate change indicates the need for importance of breeding

drought tolerant genotypes that can adapt well to water stress conditions. The Cocoa



Research Centre, KAU initiated this activity which resulted in identification of four drought

tolerant genotypes viz., M 13.12, G I 5.9, G II 19.5 and G VI 55. They were crossed between

themselves and the hybrids so obtained were raised in nurseries. During the third month

stage, they were screened for their Height x Diameter2(higher the HD 2 value, more vigorous

the hybrid and hence more yield) and the hybrid having high value was carried to fifth month

stage. 120 hybrids at five month stage were maintained at 40 percent field capacity (below

which the plant died) for two weeks. Proline was estimated from stressed plants using standard

procedure. The value of proline ranged as high as 2295µg/g in tolerant hybrid to as low as

85.52 µg/g in susceptible hybrid. The control kept under 100 percent field capacity expressed

low level of proline (61.33-138.35 µg/g). The result demonstrated that proline is an important

parameter in drought tolerant studies of cocoa. Apart from acting as an osmolyte for osmotic

adjustment, proline contributes to stabilizing sub-cellular structures, scavenging free radicals

and buffering cellular redox potential under stress conditions.

PS II – 86

Analysis of yield components and their association for enhancing grain

yield in Iranian wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landraces under saline

field conditions

Sukhjit Kaur1, Achla Sharma1, Ankita Suhalia, Puja Srivastava1, R.S.Sarlach1 and

Sukhwinder Singh2


University, Ludhiana 141004; 2CIMMYT, Int. Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, DF, Mexico


Salinity stress in wheat growing areas is emerging as the threat to wheat productivity in

South Western areas of Punjab. It becomes mandatory to identify novel sources of salinity

stress tolerance to be used in development of stress tolerant wheat varieties. A set of 249

Iranian landraces, procured from CIMMYT, Mexico were tested for salinity stress tolerance

at seedling stages under laboratory conditions. Identified landraces were evaluated for

morpho-physiological traits in saline soils in farmers’ fields. The present study was conducted

under field conditions to investigate the response of different wheat landraces to salinity

stress. These experiments were conducted during 2016-17 at two different locations viz:, at

RattaKhera (Sri Muktsar Sahib) and at Mardanpur (Rajpura) Punjab, India, to study the

performance of 27 Iranian wheat landraces along with salt tolerant wheat cultivars (Kharchia

65 and KRL 213) for their salinity tolerance. These locations had different salinity profile (i.e.

Ratta Khera E.C. 1.87dS/m, pH. 7.50 and Mardanpur E.C. 1.97dS/m, pH. 8.10). Statistical

analysis of the data obtained from field revealed that different locations and wheat genotypes

had a significant (p< 0.05) effect on days to maturity, tiller number, thousand grain weight

and grain yield. The studies suggest that at both salinity levels landrace accessions IWA



8613426, IWA 8600191, IWA 867803, IWA 8611326, IWA 8600179, IWA 8611759, IWA

8607803 showed components of salinity tolerance and have the potential of yield sustainability

when grown under saline conditions. These identified donors can be effectively used for

introgressing the salt tolerance traits into commercial wheat cultivars for development of

tolerant wheat varieties.

PS II – 87

Genetic variation and association studies involving yield attributes and

some drought tolerance traits in wheat

Mangaldeep Singh1, Vijay Rana1*, H. K. Chaudhary and A. S. Gautam

Department of Crop Improvement, 1Rice and Wheat Research Centre, Malan 176 047, CSK

Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur 176 062


Present study was undertaken with the objectives to evaluate fifty six diverse wheat genotypes

for yield attributes and moisture-stress tolerance and to identify traits for developing reliable

selection criteria. The experiments were laid out in á- design with three replications during

rabi 2013-14 under three environments, irrigated (E1) and rainfed/moisture-stress (E2 and

E3) environments. Analysis of variance revealed that mean squares due to genotypes were

highly significant for all the characters under all the three environments. Pooled analysis of

variance over environments indicated that mean squares due to genotypes and genotype X

environment interaction were highly significant for all the characters. Positive correlation of

thousand-grain weight with DRI and negative correlation with ELWL and DSI under stress

conditions indicated that thousand-grain weight can be used as a selection criterion for

moisture-stress tolerance. Negative correlation of biological yield with ELWL and DSI and

positive with SRM, DMA and DRI in the present study indicated that biological yield can be

used as a measure of selection of tolerant genotypes On the basis of correlation and path

analysis harvest index, biological yield, stem reserve mobilization, Drought Susceptibility

Index (DSI) and Drought Response Index (DRI) were found to be the most important

parameters for selection of tolerant genotypes. On the basis of low DSI and high DRI values

and relative ranking for other morpho-physiological traits, wheat genotypes viz., HPW 368,

NI 5439, CM 33, CM 19, HPW 236, CM 11 and HPW 349 have been found to be moisture-

stress tolerant.



PS II – 88

Genetic enhancement of Abyssinian mustard germplasm through

interspecific hybridization

K. H. Singh*, A. K. Thakur, N. K. Jain, K. K. Gautam, K. K. Singh and P. K. Rai

ICAR-Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research, Sewar, Bharatpur, 321 303, Rajasthaan


Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is the most important crop of the group. Abyssinian

mustard (B. carinata A Braun), an introduction from Ethiopia is gaining importance as an

oilseed crop in many countries, due to its tolerance/resistance against abiotic stresses

including drought and terminal heat and biotic stresses like white rust, downey mildew and

powdery mildew diseases. Efforts have been continued to acclimatize this crop in major

rapeseed-mustard growing regions of country through introgressing desirable traits like early

maturity, short plant height, bold seed size and high oil content through interspecific

hybridization with Brassica juncea. In present investigation, 78 genotypes including 48 inbred

lines derived from interspecific hybridization between B. juncea and B. carinata, 30 germplasm

lines and three check varieties of B. carinata were evaluated in augmented block design to

estimate genetic enhancement of inbred lines over existing germplasm and check varieties.

Mean, range and coefficient of variation for 11 agronomic traits of inbred and germplasm

lines were compared. Genetic enhancement of B. carinata germplasm was established on

the basis of wider range and high coefficient of variation of developed inbred lines over

existing germplasm lines. Promising donors were indentified from inbred lines on the basis

of their superiority over check varieties. Genetic enhancement was recorded for days to

flower initiation, days to flower senescence, days to maturity, seed size and plant height.

PS II – 89

Heat stress and yield stability in selected bread Wheat (Triticum

aestivum L.) germplasm

P. Upadhyay, S. Krishna, V. K. Mishra, S. Kujur, P. Yadav, L. C. Prasad and Chand Ramesh1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 1Department of Mycology and Plant Pathology,

Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, Uttar Pradesh


Wheat is the mainstay of global food security, considered as staple food for about 40% of

the world’s population. Climatic change scenario threatens to exacerbate existing threats to

food security and livelihoods. Temperature elevation is one of the most significant long term

impacts of climate change, that can be mitigated through various crop management



adaptations such as shifted sowing dates. We investigated 20 diverse genotypes under 3

different dates of sowing after 25 days interval for two years i.e., Rabi 2016-17 and 207-18

to evaluate the genotype×environment interaction for wheat genotypes and to predict yield

performance and identify high stable wheat genotypes under varying date of sowing.

Observations were recorded on 14 agro-morphological traits. Stability parameters were

computed as per Eberhart and Russell (1966). Results revealed the uneven spread of impact

of shifted sowing dates on yield stability. Pooled analysis of variance exhibited highly

significant variance due to environments for all the 14 traits, indicated the distinct and

differential effects of different environmental conditions. Across environments, we found six

genotypes viz; K 9107, HD 2967, DBW 39, HW 2036 and DBW 16 as a promising option in

terms of high predictive yield and stability for normal, mid and late planting, respectively.

These varieties could be utilized in future wheat hybridization programme as parents.

Surprisingly UP 262 and PBW 373 genotypes were specifically adapted to poor (late) and

better (early and mid) sown environments respectively which was against the recommended

environment. It may be due to micro environmental effect.

PS II – 90

Stability analysis of medium land rice (Oryza sativa L.) under drought

prone area of Jharkhand

A. Paul*, Ekhlaque Ahmad, D. N. Singh, Swapnil, Munish Kumar Singh and Nazrussalam

Zonal Research Station, Birsa Agricultural University, Chianki, Palamau 822 102, Jharkhand


The genotype x environment interaction for grain yield and some associated traits was studied

in sixteen rice genotypes under medium land situation in three kharif seasons during 2015-

16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 at Zonal Research Station (Birsa agricultural University, Ranchi),

Chianki Palamau. The pooled analysis of variance indicated that the mean sum of square

due to genotypes for all the traits and genotype x environment interaction for many traits

were significant which clearly indicated indicating that the genotypes differ in their adaptability

and stability. The significant G x E interaction (Linear) of many traits indicated differential

response of the genotype to environmental changes. Stability parameters (mean, bi and

s2di) of the genotypes estimated separately over three environments. The characters grain

yield q/ha, which is one of the most economic character was found to the stable for six

genotypes namely CR 2996-1-14-29-3-1, KMP-153, CRR 616-B2-54-1, IR 92516-6-2-1-4,

Naveen and Sahbhagi were found stable for medium land situation. CR 2996-1-14-29-3-1,

IR 83383-B-B-123-3 and Birsa Vikash Dhan - 203 were most stable for test weight across

the environments. Among these stable genotypes, considering all the stability parameters,

CR 2996-1-14-29-3-1 and KMP-153 were found most suitable and desirable for western

plateau of Jharkhand. Both these genotypes having medium duration may be recommended

as cultivar in Jharkhand.



PS II – 91

Assessment of drought tolerance using drought tolerance indices and

their inter relationships in mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.&Coss.]

Vedna Kumari*, Manoj Kumar and Vinod Kumar

Department of Crop Improvement, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur

176 062

Email:

Drought is the most significant constraint for crop production which limits plant growth and

production of field crops more than any other environmental stress. In order to assess drought

tolerance among twenty five diverse mustard genotypes using yield based drought tolerance

indices, two pot culture experiments were conducted in completely randomized design with

three replications each at CSK HPKV, Palampur during rabi 2013-14. Both experiments

differed in respect of irrigation regimes. Drought stress was created by stopping irrigation

after establishment of plants from branch initiation stage to siliqua formation stage. The

analysis of variance under drought stress environment revealed the significance of mean

squares due to genotypes for all components except number of primary branches per plant

and seeds per siliqua. Likewise, analysis of variance under non stress environment revealed

the significance of mean squares due to genotypes for all parameters except days to 75%

maturity, siliqua length and seeds per siliqua. The genotypes; PusaJaikisan and 03-456

exhibited highest seed yield per plant (g) in drought stress and non stress environments,

respectively. Based upon drought tolerance indices such as Stress Susceptibility Index

(SSI), Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Tolerance Index (TOL), Mean Productivity (MP),

Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP), Yield Stability Index (YSI) and Modified Stress

Tolerance Indices (K1STI and K2STI), the genotype PusaJaikisan recorded the highest

average rank as the yield under drought stress and non stress remained same. Besides, the

genotypes such as Heera, RH-8544, IC-355337 and Bawal-151 showed the next higher

ranks (> 7) which indicated their stable yield performance in both environments. As STI, MP

and GMP had positive and significant associations with seed yield under both drought stress

and non stress environments and with each other, they could therefore, be used to select

drought tolerant genotypes with high yield performance under both drought stress and

nonstress conditions.



PS II – 92

Evaluation and identification of maize (Zea mays L.) under drought

stress condition in rainout shelter

Satish Chandra Narayan, Manigopa Chakraborty, Veena Kumari Tudu and Mukesh Mahto

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi

834 006, Jharkhand


Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the leading crop across the world but it is sensitive to one of

the most important abiotic stress i.e. drought, affecting the crop yield. Maize germplasms

have many features which enabled some of the genotypes to cope with drought in better

ways. One hundred ninety six genotypes along with replicated five controls in augmented

design were evaluated at research farm, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi during kharif2017-18. The Germplasm were grown in two moisture regimes i.e.30kPa and 50kPaand

were compared for yield and yield attributing traits. Analysis of variance for traits viz., 1000

kernel weight, days to 50% tasseling, days to 50% silking, number of leaves per plant, leaf

width, and plant height showed significant difference but was non-significant for stem girth,

number of dry leaves.Drought tolerant genotypes identified through average ranking assigned

to them were 156,155, 138, 134, 6, 5, 108, 178, 151 and 13.88 entries were found superior

for number of leaves per plant, 24 entries for dry leaves and 152 for plant height over the

best control. These identified drought tolerant and susceptible entries may be used for future

breeding programme.

PS II – 93

Explication of flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in jute (Corchorus

capsularis L.)

Pratik Satya, Debabrata Sarkar, Soham Ray, NurAlam Mondal, Amit Bera, Laxmi Sharma,

Suman Roy, Jiban Mitra and Nagendra Kumar Singh1

ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, Kolkata 700 120;

ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, IARI, New Delhi 110 012


In addition to its principal economic use as a natural fibre, jute is consumed in different

countries as a leafy vegetable and is also valued as a medicinal herb. The potential anti-

oxidant, anti-pyretic, hepatoprotective and chemoprotective benefits of jute are primarily

due to flavonoids and their various derivatives. From transcriptome sequences of white jute

(Corchorus capsularis L.), we identified fourteen genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis



and reconstructed the biosynthesis pathwaysof primary flavonoids leading to production of

flavonols and proanthocyanins. Comparative analysis of five key genes revealed higher

expression in C.capsularis than in C.olitorius, which may be associated with greater abiotic

stress tolerance in the former. The biosynthesis pathway also revealed some key bottlenecks,

limiting production of certain flavonoids in jute. We also identified close homologs of these

genes from cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.). Further analyses indicated conservation of the

core flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in jute and cocoa. Elucidation of this pathway in jute

opens up the possibility of adjusting flux of endogenous flavonoids and breeding genotypes

for maximizing desired flavonoids.

PS II – 94

Genome wide association study to identify germplasm sources and

QTLs for resistance to false smut of rice

D. Bhatia1, Shridhar S. Hiremath, Ishwinder Kaur, G. S. Mangat and Jagjeet S. Lore

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141

004


False smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens, is one of the emerging fungal grain disease of

rice. The pathogen not only causes yield loss but also impair the quality of grains with

mycotoxins.Currently, the control this disease mostly relies on fungicides or alternatively

cultural management. The development of resistant rice varieties is the most economical

and effective way of managing the disease. A subset of rice 2K panel consisting of 216

diverse rice germplasm lines including indicas, tropical and temperate japonicas, aromatic,

aus and admixed were screened under natural conditions for resistance to false smut for

three consecutive years. The germplasm was planted by grouping on the basis of days to

flowering. Out of 216, 112 germplasm lineswere found to be resistant, 51 moderately resistant,

35 moderately susceptible and 18 susceptible to false smut. A number of tropical japonicalines showed resistance against false smut. Analysis of 21 lines out of 112 with higher level

of resistance, in three replications and two different dates identified 5 lines with almost

negligible false smut symptoms.The genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using mixed

linear model with 159 germplasm accessions and more than 0.1 million SNPs revealed

common QTLs for false smut traits such as infected panicles, per cent infected panicles and

number of smut balls per panicle on chromosomes 3, 6 and 10. The resistant sources and

QTLs identified in this study will be helpful for improving rice for resistance to false smut.



PS II – 95

Cytogenetics and genetics characterization of Aegilops markgrafii

derived leaf rust resistance in wheat

Kirti Rani1, B. R. Raghu2, Niharika Mallick, M. Niranjana, S. K. Jha, J. B. Sharma,

S. M. S. Tomar and Vinod

Division of Genetics, CAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 2ICAR-

Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru; 1ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut

Research, Junagadh, Gujarat


Wheat leaf rust caused by the fungus Puccinia triticina Eriks is one of the most devastating

fungal diseases which has the potential to cause up to 65% yield losses in susceptible

cultivars. Genetic resistance is the most economical method of minimizing rust losses.

Aegilops markgrafii a diploid (2n=2x=14, genome CC) wild relative of wheat is a promising

source of genes for resistance to leaf rust. A number of Ae. markgrafii Introgression lines

(ILs) carrying leaf rust resistance were developed at Indian Agricultural Research Research

Institute, New Delhi. One such Introgression Line ER-9-3-700 carrying leaf rust resistance

showed wide spectrum resistance against 15 Puccinia triticina pathotypes (Pt). Cytological

analysis revealed normal meiosis with 21 bivalents and, therefore, ER-9-3-700 was selected

for genetic analysis of leaf rust resistance. ER-9-3-700 was crossed with susceptible cultivar

Agra Local (AL). All the F1 plants showed resistance against pathotype 77-5 showing dominant

nature of leaf rust resistance. F2 population derived from the cross ER-9-3-700 x AL was

screened against pathotype 77-5 at seedling stage in glasshouse. Out of 323 plants screened

249 were resistant and 74 were susceptible showing Mendelian segregation 3 resistant: 1

susceptible (p-value of 0.686 at χ2 3:1= 0.752, 5% level of significance). Results were validated

in F2:3 families which segregated into expected ratio of 1(resistant family): 2 (segregating

family): 1(susceptible family) with p-value of 0.173 at χ2 1:2:1= 3.50. The results of genetic

analysis showed that leaf rust resistance in IL ER-9-3-700 is controlled by a single dominant

gene.



PS II – 96

Screening and identification of Stemphylium blight tolerance lentil

genotypes and analysis of some yield associated quantitative

characters

Debarati Mandal*, Raju Das and Prabir Kumar Bhattacharyya

Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya


Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is one of the most nutritious annually sown, cool season legume

crop. Among several diseases, it shows vulnerability towards Stemphylium blight caused by

Stemphylium botryosum Wallr, which causes around 62%-100% yield loss. Most economical

way to combat these disease is to cultivate resistant genotypes. To search resistant sources

77 lentil accessions obtained from AICRP-MULLaRP( BCKV centre, Mohanpur), ICARDA

(BCKV centre, Mohanpur) were screened against the disease under artificial disease pressure

in rabi 2015-16 and rabi 2016-17, which resulted in easy identification of eleven moderately

resistant genotypes (VL 151, RLG 195, L 4769, LL 1397, DL 14-2, VL 126, RKL 14-20, IPL

334, L 4710, PL 210 and Precoz) against the disease. Some quantitative characters were

also considered for further study in case of 15 moderately resistant genotypes and 51

moderately susceptible genotypes (rabi 2015-16) seaparately for genotypic and phenotypic

coefficient of variation, heritability, and genetic advance. It revealed that improvement through

selection for number of pods per plant, 100 seed weight, days to maturity, plant height and

seeds per pod would be effective for improvement of lentil. Seed yield was found to be

positively and significantly correlated with number of pods per plant, number of seeds per

pod and 100 seed weight. Identified moderately resistant genotypes of lentil can further be

used in stemphylium blight resistance breeding programme.

PS II – 97

In-vitro screening of elite maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines and hybrids

for abiotic stress tolerance

Ganapati Mukri*, R. N. Gadag, Jayant S. Bhat1, Thirunavukkarsau Nepolean2,

M. G. Mallikarjuna, Jyoti Kaul, Chandu Singh3, Digvender Pal and Rajesh Kumar

Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1Regional

Research Centre (IARI), Dharwad 580 005; 2Indian institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad

500 030; 3Seed Production Unit, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012


Effect of climate change is a reality rather than a matter for discussion in agriculture.

Genotypes with high yielding ability coupled with abiotic stress tolerance can sustain long



under changing environmental condition. Identification of such genotypes and their proper

utilization in breeding program to exploit genetic variation is the need of the hour. During

rabi 2017-18, in-vitro studies on drought and water logging was undertaken to identify high

yielding stress tolerant maize genotypes. Total 25 inbred lines with high per se yield and 4

high yielding experimental hybrids were subjected to drought as well as water logging stress.

Each genotype was grown in 15 plastic cups filled with 150 g soil. Single seed is placed in

the middle of the cup and watered with measured quantity of water (200 ml). After 10 days

of emergence, nine cups with uniform seedlings were selected. These were again grouped

in to 3 sets (Set I, Set II and Set III) having 3 cups each. Set I was treated as control where

watering was continued throughout the treatment, in set II (drought treatment) watering was

stopped and set III was kept in plastic container with the water sufficient to submerge till the

collar region of the seedlings (water logging treatment). In all the sets, data on chlorophyll

content was recorded continuously for 4 days. Among the tested inbred, PML 35 and PML

46 found tolerant to drought and water-logging stresses, respectively. PML 102 found tolerant

to drought as well as water-logging stresses at seedling stage. These inbred will be utilized

for the development of drought and water-logging tolerant hybrids in maize. Similarly, among

the experimental hybrids, AH 4158 (7059 X 7030) found less sensitive to water logging. This

will be validated for its tolerance at different growth stages and mechanism behind abiotic

stress tolerance will be dissected.

PS II – 98

Estimation of methionine content as an in vivo precursor of stress

ethylene in tissues of mango (Mangifera indica L.) plants growing under

stressful condition

Varsha Rani*, G. Bains4, Ekhlaque Ahmad1, Arun Kumar Tiwary2 Arun Kumar3, and D. N

Singh3

Department of Crop Physiology, 1Zonal Research Station, Chianki, Palamau, 2Department

of Horticulture, 3Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Birsa Agricultural University,

Ranchi, Jharkhand, 4Department of Plant Physiology, College of Basic science and

Humanities, G.B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand


Multiple biotic and abiotic stresses like pathogen attack, chilling, high relative humidity etc.

stimulate ethylene production in plants. Recent reports confirm that surge of endogenously

produced ethylene play a role in causing malformation. The increased level of ethylene

brings about physio-biochemical alteration in plants such as the affected leaves become

significantly smaller in size and curve towards the stem giving a bunchy top appearance. In

case of floral malformation, the malformed hermaphrodite flowers bear hooked stigma and

stigmatic surface meant for pollen reception is lacking. Moreover such flowers bear fused



lobed anthers with scanty pollens which are unable to facilitate proper pollination, fertilization

and fruit set. As methionine is in vivo precursor of ethylene, its increased content is indicator

of stress in plants. The present study was therefore undertaken to estimate methionine

content in normal and malformed vegetative tissues of Mango under stressful condition.

Samples of five commercial mango varieties collected from different states of north India

recorded a increase in content of methionine in malformed vegetative tissues as compared

to normal ones which shows that higher content of methionine is responsible for biosynthesis

of surge of ethylene which is in turn is responsible for all developmental changes in malformed

tissues.

PS II – 99

New sources of turcicum leaf blight resistance and general combiners

for grain yield in maize (Zea mays L.)

Jayant S. Bhat, Ganapati Mukri1, Firoz Hossain1, R. N. Gadag1, M. G. Mallikarjuna1,

V. Muthusamy, R. Zunjare1, Jyoti Kaul1 and B. S. Patil1

ICAR-IARI Regional Research Centre, Dharwad 580 005, Karnataka, 1 Division of Genetics,

ICAR-IARI, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012


This investigation presents identification of new sources of turcicum leaf blight (TLB)

resistance and general combiners from newly bred lines of maize. The study involved 81

single cross hybrids, generated by crossing 27 lines with 3 testers, and their evaluation in

RCBD along with parents and checks during kharif-2017. Screening against turcicum leaf

blight (TLB) was carried out under artificial epiphytotics. The disease scoring was done at

20 days after tasseling (DAT). None of the inbreds was immune against TLB. The inbreds

PDM-24, PDM-59, PDM-127 PDM-136 PDM-254, PDM-259 registered a disease score of

<2.0 indicating resistance reaction to TLB. The per cent disease index ranged from 8.6 to

68.6 per cent. The lines, PDM-8, PDM-60 and PDM-254 had disease index of <10% indicating

their resistance to TLB. The lines, PDM-259, PDM-127, PDM-51 and PDM-52 per cent

disease index of more than 50% and hence highly susceptible against TLB. Among lines

PDM-423 was best combiner for days to 50 per cent silking and tasseling while, among

testers PDM-4711 was best combiner for 50 per cent tasseling. For ear weight the line,

PDM-254 and the testers PDM-59 and PDM-258 were potential good combiners. The line

PDM-8 and the tester PDM-59 were good combiners for 100-grain weight while, for grain

yield, line PDM-254 and 2 testers viz. PDM-59 and PDM-258 expressed significant gcaeffects in desirable direction suggesting their ability to nick well in cross combinations. The

good nicking ability of these inbreds coupled with TLB resistance suggested their utility in

breeding of inbreds as well as hybrids in maize.



PS II – 100

Pyramiding of dominant blast resistance genes Pi9 and Pi54 in high

altitude temperate japonica rice variety Kohsar

Asif Bashir Shikari*, Nida Yousuf, Gazala H Khan, S. Najeeb and G. A. Parray

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir; Mountain



Rice is a major food crop of Jammu and Kashmir and occupies an area of 2.63 Lakh ha with

the production of 5.62mt. Rice growing area within the Valley of Kashmir extends from 1500

m to 2100 m amsl. The temperate japonica varieties and landraces occupy 15 to 20% of rice

area and have been characterized to possess enormous degree of tolerance to cold.

However, among biotic stresses, susceptible to rice blast has been a major production

constraint with losses ranging from 5 to 70%. Therefore, an initiative was taken to incorporate

major genes for resistance to rice blast from two of the donor lines namely, IRBL9W (Pi9)

and a derived line SKUA-485 (Pi54). Marker-assisted backcross breeding approach was

used to incorporate genes Pi9 and Pi54 in japonica variety Kohsar. Foreground selection

(FS) was effected through parallel backcrossing programmes with the help gene based

markers Pi9-Pro and Pi54 MAS for the two genes, respectively. The individual plants in

BC3F1 were inter-crossed to derive intercross F1 population. The double heterozygous

individuals were identified through FS and harvested to raise inter-cross F2. Simultaneously,

marker-assisted background selection was carried out among inter-cross F1s to identify and

advance the best F2 progenies. Based on FS and BS along with selection for grain type,

maturity and plant architecture, the homozygous lines were harvested for further multiplication.

The diagnostic isolate of Magnaportheoryzae was used to verify reaction response under

controlled conditions.

PS II – 101

QTL mapping for heat tolerance related traits in wheat (Triticum

aestivum L.) using backcross inbred lines

V. P. Sunil Kumar, Divya Chauhan, Chandankumar Singh, P. Shashikumar, Harikrishna,

Neelu Jain and P. K. Singh


Backcross inbred line (BIL) populations consisting of 188 lines were developed by crossing

GW366 (heat sensitive) with WH730 (heat tolerant) varieties. The BILs population along

with their parents were phenotyped under two heat stress conditions i.e.; late sown (LS) and

very late sown (VLS) in rabi 2016-17 and 2017-18 at IARI, New Delhi. ANOVA revealed

significant variation among the genotypes for the traits under study. Normalized difference



vegetative indices (NDVI), thousand grain weight (TGW), grain weight per spike (GWPS),

and biomass were strongly associated with grain yield (GY) under both the environmental

conditions. The canopy temperature (CT) and days to heading (DH) were negatively correlated

with GY under heat stress. For parental polymorphism a set of 780 SSR markers were used

out of which 97 were polymorphic and they were used to genotype BILs. Using the genotypic

data, linkage map was constructed. Identified 5 QTLs for NDVI found on Chromosome 2A,

2B, 3A, 3B, 3D, 4B and 7B, 2 QTLs for CT on 6D and 7B, 1 QTL each for TGW on 3B,

GWPS on 3B and 6B and biomass on 2B and 4B by ICMV v4.1. LOD score for all the QTLs

was >2.5 with phenotypic variance ranged between 0.9 to 9.5% for both the conditions and

years. Prominent QTLs identified for NDVI, TGW and GWPS were persistent for both the

year and conditions can be used in breeding programs to develop heat tolerant wheat varieties

by MAS.

PS II – 102

Targeted association mapping for salt tolerance in rice

S. Thirumeni*, C. Vinodha and J. Karthick


and Research Institute, Karaikal 609 603, Puducherry (U.T.)


An investigation was carried out, using a set of 124 rice accessions (comprising land races,

HYVs and breeding lines), with an aim of targeted association mapping for salt tolerance at

seedling stage. These accessions were phenotyped in hydroponics in normal and saline

environments (EC 12 dS/m) maintained in green house for a period of 30 days. Seven

physiological traits with SES score were recorded. Phenotypic values of all traits investigated

were found to be normally distributed indicating polygenic inheritance. While 22 unlinked

SSR markers were used for analysis of population structure, 8 SSR markers around Saltolregion of chromosome 1 chosen for targeted association mapping. Population structure,

analyzed using Bayesian based approach, grouped 124 accessions in to two subgroups

with 46 and 44 accessions in SG1 and SG2 respectively and 34 accessions as admixture.

Targeted association mapping revealed 12 SSR markers (apart from 8 Saltol markers) to be

correlated with salt tolerant traits. Of these, six markers belonging to Saltol while others

belonging to chromosomes 2, 4, 6, 7, 10 and 11. Among the eight Saltol markers three

markers viz., RM 3412, SalT 1, SKC 1 were associated for six key physiological traits of

seedling stage salt tolerance. Haplotyping using eight Saltol markers, revealed 44 haplotypes.

Novel alleles, in Saltol region were found in many accessions like, Azgo, CSR-1, CSR-2

and Kuzhivedichan possessing novel alleles for SKC1, AP 3206, RM 3412, RM 8094 and

SalT 1, in three marker combinations. Other potential donors for novel alleles were VTL-1,

VTL-2, Athurkitchadi, Chityankottai, Emmulisamba and Jodumani for two marker

combinations. These accessions could be exploited in future hybridization programmes and

novel alleles in Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) for designing salt tolerant germplasm.



PS II – 103

Construction of core collection in rice (Oryza sativa L.) for salt tolerance

S. Thirumeni*, C. Diwakar and J. Karthick


and Research Institute, Karaikal 609 603, Puducherry (U.T)


Construction of core collections is an effective tool to extensively characterize germplasm

collections and, therefore, increases the effectiveness of genetic diversity analysis at detailed

phenotypic and molecular levels. The present investigation was undertaken with an objective

of constructing rice core collection for salt tolerance involving 236 germplasm accessions

using eight morphological traits and 14 SSR markers linked to salt tolerance. These

accessions were planted in normal and saline-alkaline conditions in the experimental farm

adopting alpha lattice design. A core collection was constructed, using POWERCORE

software, which contains 32 accessions derived from 236 accessions representing the genetic

diversity found in the entire collection of rice (Oryza sativa L.) taken for study. These 32

accessions had a similar distribution for the traits under investigation with 236 accessions in

the entire collection. The resultant core had 5.19 per cent of Mean Difference (MD), 25.05 of

Variance Difference (VD), 111.16 per cent of Variable Rate (VR), and 91.78 per cent of

Coincidence Rate (CR) with the entire collection, which brought about full coverage of all

the traits. Homogeneity of means was observed between core and entire collection by

Newman-Keul’s test and all the traits had homogenous variances between the two collections

as revealed by the Levene’s test. Molecular characterization with 14 SSR markers linked to

salt tolerance had generated 135 alleles and a maximum of 14 alleles was observed in RM

7075. Maximum PIC value of 0.928 was observed in RM 17. All 135 alleles identified by the

14 markers in the entire collection were captured in the core, which maximized allelic richness

up to 100 per cent and resulted in an average genetic diversity (Nei index) of 0.77, ranging

from 0.49 to 0.88 among the markers. In conclusion, the core collection constructed in this

study is highly suitable and representative subset of the entire rice collection and the

knowledge gained through the core collections allows the choice of optimal crosses for QTL

studies and association analysis for better understanding and exploitation of salt tolerance

genes in rice.



PS II – 104

Evaluation of HUW 234 × HUW 468 RILs population of wheat for terminal

heat stress using morpho-physiological parameters

Monu Kumar1, V. K. Mishra*, R. Chand2, S. N. Kujur, P. Singh1, and Ashutosh

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 1Department of Mycology and Plant Pathology,

Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi 221 005


Improving the heat tolerance in wheat is of prime importance in north eastern plains zone

which is characterized by supraoptimal temperature accompanied with high humidity. Present

study aims to phenotype of HUW 234 × HUW 468 (contrasting parent for heat tolerance)

wheat RILs population for terminal heat tolerance based on various morpho-physiological

traits namely Plot yield, Biomass, Plant height, Spike length, Grain filling duration, Canopy

temperature, Normalized difference vegetation index, 1000- Grain weight and heat

susceptibility index (HSI) for each traits. RIL population were sown at BHU, Varanasi under

two conditions in two consecutive years i.e., timely (15th Nov.) and late (15th Dec.) during

2016-17 and 2017-18. In our study, ANOVA of traits showed highly significant variation for

genotypes and genotypes × conditions confirmed a wide variation among RILs population.

The RILs were screened and categorized on the basis of HSI values as, <0.0 (negative

value indicating better trait performance in late sown condition, highly tolerant), 0.0 to 0.5

(tolerant), 0.5 to 0.75 (moderately tolerant), 0.75 to 1.00 (moderately susceptible) and >1.00

(highly susceptible). A significant number of RILs were found to be tolerant for each traits

under study. This phenotypic result obtained at BHU, Varanasi and other locations would be

further utilized for identification and mapping of QTLs for heat stress as the same populations

were genotyped by genome-wide molecular markers.

PS II – 105

Screening of temperate rice germplasm for resistance to panicle blast

Gazala H. Khan, F. A. Mohiddin, S. Najeeb, G. A. Parray, Nida Yousuf and Asif Bashir

Shikari*




Rice is a staple food crop of people living in Jammu and Kashmir with an annual production

of 5.62 lakh tons. Among major production constraints, the most serious concern has grown

after panicle blast has hit most of the released high yielding varieties and local landraces.

Reports on genetic resistance for neck blast are limited and the donors, even though rare,

may not possibly be effective against the prevalent isolates. Therefore, an initiative was



taken to screen the adapted germplasm accessions for reaction against neck blast under

temperate short growing seasons of Kashmir valley. Total of 396 germplasm entries were

evaluated at field hot spot conditions of Khudwani. The lines were scored for panicle blast

following the procedure as proposed by IRRI-SES. Only less than five germplasm lines

were found to carry complete immunity to panicle blast with earliness trait, whereas near

about 150 lines showed score of 0 but could not be classified as resistant as being late in

maturity. Another 156 lines were highly susceptible at a score of 9. Besides, 6, 28 and 44

accessions recorded an intermediate score of 3, 5 and 7, respectively. The lines are also

being screened for SNP markers using KASP assay which may help to precisely map the

QTL for panicle blast resistance in rice.

PS II – 106

Developing multiple stress resistance restorers by genetic male sterility

facilitated recurrent selection in rice

Revathi Ponnuswamy*, Janardhan P. Suryendra, Arun Kumar Singh, V. Jhansiliakshmi,

M. Srinivas Prasad, G. S. Laha, R. M. Sundaram and B. C. Viraktamath

ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Resarch, Hyderabad 500 030


Hybrid rice parental line improvement through genetic male sterility facilitated recurrent

selection (RS) is one of the interesting methods, which not only broadens the genetic base

but also helps in pyramiding desirable genes. The monogenic recessive male sterile gene

ms IR36 reported by Singh and Ikehashi is very useful in facilitating inter crossing phase of

recurrent selection. The F1s plants obtained by crossing IR36 genetic male sterile plants

crossed with donors of biotic (BLB, BPH, GM, and Blast) resistance, abiotic stress

tolerance(Drought and salinity) were validated and confirmed for the presence of resistance

genes. The bulked F2 seeds along with few known restorers were raised in isolation. The

supplementary pollination was done to ensure random mating. Seeds from only sterile plants

(pollinated by fertile plants) were harvested for further recurrent selection cycle. In the same

way, RS was continued up to tenth cycle for developing stable population for biotic and

abiotic stress resistance. The positive sterile plants were advanced for next recurrent selection

cycle and positive fertile plants were advanced through a pedigree method for deriving

multiple stress resistance restorers. Marker assisted backcross breeding leading to greater

uniformity, which is detrimental if there are any pests/diseases outbreaks. Here for the first

time, MAS is being applied in male sterility facilitated recurrent selection for assembling

many biotic and abiotic stress resistance genes. The success of hybrid rice technology

hinges mainly on the development of genetically divergent parental lines with multiple stress

resistance/tolerance. Interestingly homozygous fertile plants with biotic resistance genes

namely Pikh, Gm4, BPph18, and abiotic stess tolerance QTL Saltol has been identified and

under evaluation for further validation. These lines are valuable source for deriving multiple

stress resistance restorers for developing rice hybrids with multiple stress resistance.



PS II – 107

Reaction of Indian commercial lentil cultivars against stemphylium

blight resistance

M. S. Aski*, H. K. Dikshit, G. P. Mishra, Rajibnath1, Raju Das1, Srinivasa2, Laxman Prasad2,

A. Singh and Shivkumar Agarwal3

Division of Genetics, 2Division of Plant Pathology, IARI, New Delhi 110 012. 2Department of

Plant Pathology, BCKV, Mohanpur 741 252, Nadia, WB; IARI, New Delhi 110 012; 3ICARDA,

Morocco


Among many yield limiting factors, the lack of resistance to stemphyllium blight (SB) disease

is in lentil gaining importance. It is caused by Stemphylium botryosum (Wallr.) which was a

minor disease of lentil in south Asia and gradually this has become economically important

disease causing up to 80% yield loss. Stemphyllium blight occurs in Bangladesh, Nepal and

eastern India. Use of chemical control is not cost effective for resource poor farmers but

host plant resistance is the most effective management strategy. Present study aims to

decipher the reaction of 16 commercial lentil varieties at hot spot. Substantial variability was

found among 16 varieties. Disease severity index ranged from 2.5% to 86.75% in 2016-17;

during 2017-18 it varied from 2.25% to 90.75%. Nine Indian lentil varieties (PL05, PL06,

PL07, PL08 BM-4, HM-1, Sehore 74-3, JL-3, NDL-1, LH 90-57) and one Bangladesh variety

BM-4 exhibited the lower PSI values and resistant reaction at hot spot. Two of IARI lentil

varieties (L4076 & L4147) and an Argentinian variety Precoz showed a moderately resistant

reaction. Asha and K-75(Malika) showed the moderately susceptible reaction with higher

PSI values. IPL 81 (Noori) variety from Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur

showed a consistently susceptible reaction with higher PSI values in two years.

PS II – 108

Stability analysis of kabuli chickpea elite lines for yield and its related

traits under high temperature environment

Neha Dhuria* and Anita Babbar1

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics 1JNKVV, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh


Sixty eight elite lines of kabuli chickpea evaluated for yield and its related traits to know the

role of Genotype X Environment interaction and analyze stability under normal, late and

very late planting conditions at JNKVV,Jabalpur during 2014-15. GXE interaction showed

significant differences for days to maturity, height of first fruiting node, biological yield and



seed yield per plant. Pooled deviation was found significant for days to 50% flowering, days

to pod initiation, total number of pods, effective pods per plant, seeds per pod, and seeds

per plant and seed yield per plant. Promising genotypes viz. ,CSJK46,

PhuleG0517,ICCV13310,ICCV13312,FLIP-07-236C,FLIP-07-283C,FLIP-07-

286C,JGK1,JGK25 and JGK26 found stable for yield related traits; hence may be grown

under wide range of environments including high temperature condition in late planting.

ICCV13312 and JGK26 found highly stable with mean values and regression coefficient

lesser than one with deviation from regression minimum.HK 10-109, IPCK 2009-145, CSJK4,

PKV4, ICCV13306, ICCV13303, JGK 24, JGK 23, JGK 3 found most promising lines had

minimum yield reduction in all planting condition. Seed yield of normal planting was higher

as compare to late planting and very late planting due to the exposure to high temperature

stress during reproductive phase. High yielding lines were ICCV13312, ICCV13314, JGK26,

JGK27, JG12, JGK14, JGK23, JGK1, JGK2, JGK3 and KAK 2 found stable in all three

planting conditions.

PS II – 109

Relative efficiency of trait based and empirical selection methods for

drought resistance in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

V. P. Yadav* and B. R. Ranwah**

Rajasthan Agricultural Research institute Durgapura, Jaipur; 1Department of Plant Breeding

and Genetics, R.C.A, Udaipur


The based selection (M1) was exercised under drought (E1) and irrigated condition (E2) by

four breeders at their respective centers viz., ICRISAT (C1), Jalgoan (C2), Junagadh (C3)

and Tirupati (C4) in seven crosses viz., ICGS-76 ? CSMG-84-1, ICGS-44 , CSMG-84-1,

ICGV-86031 , TAG-24, ICGS-76x ICGS-44, JL-220 , TAG-24, GG-2 , ICGV-86031 and K-

134 , TAG-24. Out of these seven crosses first three were common at all the four centers

and from rest four one is at each center. Analysis of variance revealed insignificant difference

between adjusted block means, therefore, further analysis was consistently in RBD. Difference

between genotypes was significant for all the traits except number of primary branches per

plant. Therefore, sum of square for the traits further partitioned. There was significant

difference between means of the progenies selected at different centers by different breeders

for nine traits viz., days to flowering, days to maturity, haulm yield per plant, harvest index,

pod yield per plant, shelling percentage, kernal yield per plant, 100-kernal weight and SPAD

reading. The effect of method varied from center to center and trait to trait and none of the

method showed its superiority for characters under selection. The effect of environment

also varied from centre to center and trait to trait and no impact on selection could be identified.

None of the cross could be identified for any characters which showed superiority in both

the environments of all the centers except for SPAD reading. Cross ICGS-76 ? CSMG-84-



1 and ICGV-86031 ? TAG-24 was having higher SPAD reading in both the methods under

both the environments. Out of 192 progenies sixteen were identified for different trait viz.

C3M1E1H4-2 for pod and kernal yield per plant, C3M2 H2-5 for pod yield per plant,

C1M1E1H3-2 and C3M2H2-2 for protein content C1M1E2H4-2, C4M1E1H4-1, C4M2H2-3,

C2M2H4-2, C2M1E1H2-1, C2M1E2H4-1 and C2M2H1-5 for 100- kernal weight C3M1E2H4-

3 and C2M1E2H1-3 for shelling percentage and C4M1E2H2-3 and C2M1E1H1-3 for height

of main axis. Among these sixteen progenies, ten progenies selected through trait based

selection and six progenies through empirical selection. Among ten progenies, six were

selected under irrigated condition and four under drought condition. But, superiority was not

found for the character under selection, therefore, on the basis of this investigation it can be

concluded that both the methods were less effective, environments for selection was either

not properly created or had no impact on selection and the above identified sixteen progenies

can be utilized for respective characters.

PS II – 110

Genetic variability studies for dry root rot tolerance in chickpea

B. S. Patil*, Priya B. Desai, C. Bharadwaj and J. S. Bhat

ICAR-IARI Regional Research Center, Dharwad, Karnataka


Chickpea is largely grown under residual soil moisture conditions of rain-fed environment.

With increasing temperature and depletion of soil moisture, dry root rot a disease caused by

soil borne fungal pathogen is becoming more severe in chickpea. The dry root of chickpea

is caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola. The widespread and increased incidence of dry root rot

is observed in the central and southern states of India. Use of host plant resistance is the

most economical approach for management of dry root rot in chickpea. Fifty diverse chickpea

genotypes were screened against dry root rot in sick pots. Sick pots were created using

pathogenic culture isolated from the plants collected from the field of IARI’s RRC Dharwad.

The fungus was multiplied in sand + maize medium by inoculating with 10 mm PDA culture

disc of R. bataticola and incubated at 28±20C for 15days. The sick pots were prepared by

using the inoculum of the pathogen @ 30 gm/kg soil. In each pot, a susceptible check

(Annigeri 1) and three plants of test genotype were maintained. The experiment was

conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications. The observation on

number of days to wilting was recorded from the date of sowing (DOS). The number of days

for wilting ranged from 21 to 49 days. The average number of days taken for wilting of

susceptible check was 36 days. Ten genotypes took more than forty days for wilting. Four

genotypes did not show any wilting symptoms and completed the life cycle; produced the

seeds. This indicated presence of variability for tolerance dry root in the chickpea genotypes

studied.



PS II – 111

QTL mapping of drought tolerance traits using backcross inbreed lines

in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

P. Shashikumara*, V. P. Sunilkumar, Divya Chauhan, Chandan Singh, Nivedita Sinha,

Harikrishna, Neelu Jain, P. K. Singh, G. P. Singh and K. V. Prabhu


QTL inclusive composite interval mapping was conducted for important drought tolerance

traits like normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI), canopy temperature, yield, grain

weight per spike (GWPS), thousand grain weight, SPAD, harvest index (HI), using backcross

inbreed lines derived population from bread wheat cultivars, HD2733 and C306. The

population was phenotyped at Delhi, Indore over two years and at Powarkheda for one year

under drought conditions. The population was genotyped using 35k SNP chip. QTL analysis

using inclusive composite interval mapping resulted in identification of 117 QTLs. The QTLs

comprising of 45 for NDVI, 14 for SPAD, 13 for grain weight per spike, for yield, 5 for harvest

index for canopy temperature and 29 QTLs for plant height. All the identified were QTLs

distributed over 17 chromosomes. There are 13 QTLs, which are consistent across the

environment, which includes QTLs for GWPS (PVE % 9.45), HI (PVE % 10.4), NDV1 (PVE

% 8.39) SPAD (PVE % 8) located on chromosomes, 2A, 5A, 5A, and 2A, respectively.

Unlike disease resistance the selection for drought tolerance a complex trait in segregating

population is difficult because it is controlled by many genes. Identification of QTLs for

important drought tolerance traits aids in selection backcrossing, pyramiding of QTLs for

development of drought tolerant varieties.

PS II – 112

Estimates of drought tolerance indices for ethanol and juice quality in

sugarbeet

A. K. Mall*, Varucha Misra and A. D. Pathak

ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, P.O. Dilkusha, Lucknow 226 012. U.P.


Sugar beet is an important crop emerging as a bio-ethanol. Less water availability and

increased frequency of drought have resulted in need of identifying and developing drought

tolerant and susceptible sugar beet varieties. In this study, thirteen indigenous varieties

were tested under irrigation and drought condition to assess drought susceptible indices

(DSI) and tolerance efficiency (DTE) on juice quality parameters. Genetic abi;ity is an essential

pre-requisite for any crop improvement programme. Range of DSI varied for brix from -2.16

to 6.71, sucrose from -3.43 to 3.85, commercial beet sugars from -3.89 to 3.37, purity from



-2.81 to 3.64. Simultaneously, Shubra, LKC 2006 and LS 6 estimated lowest DSI for root

yield, juice quality and ethanol recovery. DSI was generally correlated with root yield and

juice quality under drought stress conditions, but no such relationship occurred under the

irrigated condition. The results therefore, indicated that selection for root yield and ethanol

recovery under stress is reliable but selection under non-stress is inefficient in estimation of

the root yield performance of genotypes under stress condition, particularly under severe

drought condition. The genotypes with high DTE and low DSI were evaluated as drought

tolerant. Thus, top yielder genotypes under stress, viz., LKC 2006 and Shubra were accepted

tolerant which may be used as the genetic sources in breeding programme. LS 6 is suggested

as the best tolerant genotype for cultivation under vegetative stage in drought stress.

PS II – 113

Identification of ToLCV linked DNA markers from segregating

generation developed through cross between S. lycopersicum and S.

habrochaites

Rumit Patel* and Akarsh Parihar1

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics; 1Department of Agricultural Biotechnology,

Anand Agricultural University, Anand 388 110


The experimental material for present investigation comprising F2 segregating generation

originating from a cross between a highly resistant ToLCV line of wild tomato IIHR 2101 (S.habrochaites) and a susceptible cultivated line AT-3 (S. lycopersicum), both the parents and

F1 were used for Bulked Segregant Analysis (BSA). The F2 segregating population, F1 and

both the parents were subjected to phenotypic and molecular analysis. Disease assessment,

fruit yield per plant, number of fruits per plant, plant height (PH) and number of primary

branches per plant (PB) were observed. After phenotyping the F2 population, the ratio of

resistant to susceptible tomato plants was found to be approximately (3:1). Total 235 plants

from F2 segregating generation were subjected to molecular marker analysis employing a

Bulked Segregant Analysis (BSA) approach. Out of 409 primers surveyed for parental

screening, only two were found to discriminate the parents (highly resistant and highly

susceptible) sufficiently. Two markers (Sp and C2_At5g51110) were identified as linked to

ToLCV resistant gene through Single marker analysis. Linkage analysis showed that the

markers Sp and C2_At5g51110 were located 3.93 ± 0.012cM and 3.51 ± 0.012cM,

respectively away from the gene locus.



PS II – 114

Characterization of race non-specific adult plant leaf rust resistance

genes and their effect on stem and stripe rust resistance under Indian

conditions

T. L. Prakasha*, Suresh Chand1, A. N. Mishra, J. B. Singh, S. V. Sai Prasad, V. K. Singh2

and D. P. Walia3

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Indore 452 001; 1Department

of Life Sciences, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore 452 001; 2ICAR-Indian Agricultural

Research Institute, Division of Plant Pathology, New Delhi 110 012; 3ICAR-Indian Agricultural

Research Institute, Regional Station, Shimla

Email: prakash [email protected]

Wheat is one of the most important staple food crops in the world. India is the second

highest wheat producing country with production of 97.44 m. tonnes. Diseases cause

substantial yield losses in wheat and the three rusts attacking the wheat crop are the most

important diseases. Host resistance is the most widely employed method for rust disease

management. The leaf rust resistance genes Lr34, Lr46, Lr67 and Lr68 confer race non-

specific adult plant resistance (APR) against many pathotypes of leaf rust, and are associated

with leaf tip necrosis (‘Ltn’) phenotype. They confer non-hypersensitive, slow rusting

resistance which is characterized by slow progress of the disease with less terminal disease

severity. A total of 198 bread wheat genotypes showing ‘Ltn’ phenotype were selected and

were characterized for the presence of the aforesaid four genes with closely linked molecular

markers. These genotypes were evaluated at multi-locations for resistance to leaf, stem

and stripe rusts and for assessing the stability of their resistance across locations. The

aforesaid four genes were identified in a total of 127 bread wheat genotypes. Many of these

genotypes were carrying multiple rust resistance genes. A total of 71 genotypes which showed

‘Ltn’ phenotype were not found to possess any of these genes studied indicating that they

might be carrying unidentified APR genes. It was observed that susceptible genotypes usually

lacked the seedling resistance. Many of the genotypes studied were resistant to multiple

rust diseases across locations over two years. It was observed that genotypes with seedling

resistance and APR genes were highly resistant and their resistance was stable across

locations and over the years. A number of bread wheat genotypes showed levels of rust

resistance higher than the ones exhibited by the known APR genes indicating presence of

additional unidentified APR genes. These genotypes with stable resistance to two or more

rust diseases can serve as stable sources of rust resistance for wheat improvement.



PS II – 115

Characterizing Barnyard millet germplasm lines for shoot fly resistance

P. G. Padmaja*, A. Kalaisekhar, V. A. Tonapi and R. Madhusudhana

ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500 030, Telangana


Shoot fly species complex comprising Atherigona soccata and A. falcata attack Barnyard

millet (Echinochloa esculenta), and cause economic damage. Eggs are generally laid singly

on the under surface of the leaf, and dead hearts (DH) are found on main plant (MPDH),

basal tillers (TDH), and on the nodal tillers (NTDH). One-hundred and seven germplasm

lines of barnyard millet were assessed for their reaction to shoot fly insect pest over two

kharif seasons (2016 and 2017) at the ICAR-Indian Institute Millets Research in trials with 3

replications. The DH (%) were estimated on the main plant, on the basal tillers and on the

nodal tillers. Basal tillers were most preferred for oviposition and damage (42% DH) as

compared to main plant (27% DH; P=0.000) or nodal tillers (20% DH; P=0.000). Positive

relation between damage on main plant and basal tillers was observed. The range in DH%

for main plant was from 17-41%, while the basal and nodal tillers recorded a range from 33-

49% and 12-26% respectively. IEC 285, KOPBM32-1, KOPBM45-1, IEC 381, IEC 133, IEC

758 and KOPBM28-1 with <20% DH showed least shoot fly damage on main plant. For

basal tiller, GECH-231, IEC 265, IEC 786, IEC 391, KOPBM5 were least damaged (<36%

DH) while IEC 613, IEC 265, KOPBM45-1, KOPBM29-1, IEC 133, IEC 573, IEC 688 and

GECH-397 showed least shoot fly damage to nodal tillers (<15% DH). IEC 265, KOPBM45-

1 and IEC 133 showed minimum susceptibility across plant parts and hence can be used as

sources of resistance to shoot fly in barnyard breeding programs.

PS II – 116

Genotypic variations and effect of salt stress in seedlings of fenugreek

(Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) genotypes grown under different salinity

levels

Sarla kumawat*, D. K. Gothwal1, Prabha banjarey and Kanaram Kumawat2

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, JNKVV, Jabalpur 482 004, MP, 1Department of

Plant Breeding and Genetics, SKNAU, Jobner 303 329, 3Department of Plant Breeding and

Genetics, SKRAU, Bikaner 334 001, Rajasthan


Salinity is the most important abiotic factor in semi-arid regions affect the seedling stage of

crop, determined the crop production. Therefore, 10 fenugreek genotypes grown under 0.0,



40, 80, 20 and 160 mM NaCl salinity levels. Fifteen seeds of each genotype were sown in

sterilized petridishes at 23±20C. On 8th day, the observations were recorded plumule length

(PL), radicle length (RL), seedling length (SL) and vigour index (SVI), plumule (PFW) and

radicle fresh (RFW) and their dry weight (PDW and RDW) after drying in hot air oven at

650C. The genotypes and pooled ANOVA (among genotypes, salinity levels as well as the

interactions between genotype x salinity levels) indicated significant differences for all the

characters except germination percentage (GP). The reduction in mean values was higher

in PL, PFW, SL and SVI and lower in GP at 40 mM. The highest GCV and PCV values were

observed in RFW and heritability (broad sense) in PFW and RFW across the salinity levels.

Highest genetic advance (%) was recorded for RFW, PDW and RDW while lowest for GP.

Higher reduction was found at higher salinity levels for most of the characters except in GP.

Based upon the rank totals of a genotype over different salinity levels {S1, S2, S3 and S4

(Smean)} and characters, the Most desirable genotypes were RMt-303 followed by UM-

385, RMt-143 and RMt-305. The comparison between mean of different genotypes in control

(S0) versus Smean for each character also revealed that overall mean was highest in S0 as

compared to Smean for all the characters.

PS II – 117

Characterizing sorghum recombinant inbred lines for shoot fly

resistance

R. Madhusudhana*, P. G. Padmaja and V. A. Tonapi

ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030, Telangana


The sorghum shoot fly (Atherigona soccata, Rondani), is a predominant insect pest on

sorghum and cause economic damage. The resistance available in the elite genetic

background is very low. Towards this, we evaluated recombinant inbred lines with a view to

identify progenies with good levels of shoot fly resistance and grain yield. The study involved

more than 400 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) developed through two crosses between a

highly susceptible seed parent, 296B and two known stable resistant sources, IS18551 and

IS 2205. The trials were conducted in three replications following completely randomized

block design during the rainy seasons of 2016, 2017 and 2018 at ICAR-Indian Institute of

Millets Research, Hyderabad. High-density of shoot fly population was achieved by planting

the genotypes during late August and by applying fish-meal to attract shoot fly. The shoot fly

damage was measured through component traits, leaf surface glossiness, number of eggs/

seedling, wax load, seedling height and deadheart (DH%). DH% was positively and

significantly correlated with leaf glossiness, eggs/plant and wax load and negatively with

seedling height. Significant differences in shoot fly resistance was observed among the

progenies. Over the three seasons, mean DH% ranged from 37% to 80%. Twenty RIL

progenies were selected which are on-par with the resistant donors, and were significantly



better in their resistance over the susceptible check, 296B. Recombinant inbred lines with

good levels of shoot fly resistance and grain yield have been identified for their in sorghum

improvement.

PS II – 118

Genetic investigation on response of sugarcane genotypes under

moisture deficit conditions

T. E. Nagaraja

Zonal Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, GKVK,

Bengaluru 560 065


In an effort to elucidate the response of newly developed sugarcane clones under moisture

deficit condition a study was undertaken. Scarcity of water is a severe environmental constraint

that hampers the crop plant productivity. Drought-induced loss in crop yield probably exceeds

losses from all other causes, since both the severity and duration of the stress are critical.

An effort was made to review the response of sugarcane genotypes for natural moisture

deficit conditions. Twenty four genotypes were evaluated at Zonal Agricultural Research

Station, V. C. Farm, Mandya of UAS, Banglore. Under natural moisture deficit conditions

genotypes, CoVC 09-29-04 and CoVC 09-61-07 were best performers for growth parameters

(tillering and NMC/ha), whereas genotypes CoVC 09-61-07, CoVC 09-61-05 and CoVC 09-

65-04 showed better cane and sugar yield under moisture deficit conditions. Genotype CoVC

09-61-07 found better with 21.75 % juice Brix, 20.48 % juice sucrose and 24.20 % CCS at

cane harvest. These genotypes also showed a significant variation for physiological

parameters. CoVC 10-65-01 and CoVC 09-61-07 showed significant variation for relative

water content at drought conditions by bearing the highest RWC. CoVC 10-57-07and CoVC

09-60-04 showed highest SLA. They also showed considerable variation for SCMR and

chlorophyll values which are direct indication of drought tolerance. Genotypes CoVC 09-60-

04, CoVC 09-61-07 and CoVC 09-61-05 showed better performance for SCMR and total

chlorophyll. Genotype CoVC 09-61-07, CoVC 09-61-05 and CoVC 09-60-04 hold promise

for better performance under limited moisture condition and hence need to be evaluated at

more number of locations to assess their adaptability under moisture stress conditions.



PS II – 119

Response of sugarcane genotypes to varying pH concentration on in

vitro propagation technique

T. E. Nagaraja

Zonal Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, GKVK,

Bengaluru 560 065


The present study was carried out to optimize in vitro shoot induction, multiplication and root

formation protocol for three selected sugarcane genotypes (Co86032, Co85004 and

Co99004). The shoot apical meristem was cultured on MS medium with different pH values.

Aseptic meristem cultures of the three sugarcane genotypes were cultured in vitro on the

medium with five pH concentrations viz., 4.8, 5.0, 5.4, 5.6 and 5.8 in an order to understand

the response of sugarcane genotypes to varying pH concentration on in vitro shoot induction,

multiplication and root formation. The pH of the medium at 5.6 was evident in producing

highest number of shoots in Co85004 (21.77) followed by Co99004 (20.82) at pH 5.4 and

Co86032 (17.25) at pH 5.8 on 180 days after inoculation. Similarly highest number of roots

was produced at pH 7.0 in all the three genotypes and shoot length was highest at pH 7 in

Co86032. The study verified that medium fortified with pH 5.6, pH 5.4, pH 5.8 concentrations

resulted in optimum in vitro shoot induction, multiplication and root formation responses for

Co85004, Co99004 and Co86032, respectively.

PS II – 120

Bulked segregant analysis for rapid Development of markers linked to

Botrytis grey mould resistance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Supriya Sachdeva, Upasana Rani1, B. S. Patil, K. R. Soren2, Sarvjeet Singh1, S. K. Sanwal3,

S. K. Chauhan and C. Bharadwaj*

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1Punjab Agricultural

University, Ludhiana, Punjab; 2ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur, UP; 3ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal, Haryana


Botrytis grey mould (BGM) is emerging as an important disease of chickpea in the northern

and eastern parts of Indian Subcontinent including Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Australia.

This fungus has a very broad host range and the source of absolute resistance have not

been found in Cicer arietinum L. germplasm. Resistance to this pathogen has been identified

in some wild Cicer species. A set of 371 lines including 164 landraces and 207 interspecific

derivatives lines (derived from crosses of cultivated chickpea with C. pinnatifidum, C. judaicum



and C. reticulatum) have been screened against Botrytis grey mould using cut twig method

under the IRA programme. Comprehensive evaluation of these lines, their derivatives and

previously reported sources was done on a scale of 1-9. Out of these, 4 lines, namely

GLW42, GLW67, GLW115 and GLW174 were found to be highly resistant to BGM. Bulked

segregant analysis (BSA) approach was used for the identification of DNA markers linked to

BGM resistance. DNA bulks of the resistant and susceptible lines were screened using 300

simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Seventy polymorphic markers have been identified

that may be used for F2:3 progeny analysis and mapping candidate genes for BGM resistance.

The BSA indicated the strong correlation of TAA 104 and TA 144 with the resistant bulks

indicating its usability as a putative marker linked to BGM tolerance.

PS II – 121

Assay of genetic architecture for identification of salt tolerance in a

subset of chickpea genotypes and landraces

Rajesh Kumar Singh, Neeraj Kumar, Supriya Sachdeva, Tapan Kumar, Sarvjeet Singh1,

S. K. Sanwal2, Manish Roorkiwal3, S. K. Chauhan, K. R. Soren4, Rajeev Varshney3 and

C. Bharadwaj*

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1Punjab Agricultural

University, Ludhiana, Punjab; 2ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal, Haryana; 3ICRISAT, Patancheru,

Telangana; 4ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur


A set of 50 genotypes consisting of landraces and varieties were used for screening under

salinity and alkanity stress conditions for salt tolerance on the basis of field and pot. Two

sets of experiments at two locations in pots were conducted one at IARI and one at CSSRI

Karnal under controlled and at ECiw 6. The mean performance for different characters in

control and saline environments revealed that wide range of estimates for characters under

study viz., Relative water content, Membrane stability index (1.36), followed by Days to 50%

flowering , (5.86) showed least percent decrease while maximum was in yield per plant

(74.86). Studies revealed the shoot Na:Kratiois important trait for determining the tolerance

and susceptibility not the root Na:K ratio for salinity, lower the shoot Na: K ratio, more

tolerant the genotype and vice-versa, indicating that the plants that were able to exclude the

sodium and prevent it from going to stem showed better tolerance to salinity.Stem Na/K

ratio ranged from 0.05 to 0.33 with an average of 0.12 while the root Na/K ratio ranged from

0.11 to 0.51 with an average of 0.23 under control conditions. L-95 had the lowest Stem Na/

K while L-151 had the highest Stem Na/K.CSG-8962, ICC4463, JG-16, ICCV10, JG315 had

lower Stem Na/K ratios indicating their high tolerance to salt stress.Stem Na/K ratio can

thus be used as important selection parameters for salt screening.



PS II – 122

Basmati rice for temperate and high altitude conditions of northern

Himalayas: A new paradigm for economic growth under hill rice ecology

S. Najeeb, Asif B. Shikari, M. D. Sofi, F. A. Sheikh, Ghazala H. Khan, Ashaq Hussain,

M. A. Ganai, F. A. Mohiddin, N. A. Bhat, Z. A. Dar and G. A. Parray*

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Kashmir; Mountain



Geographical indicator determines the essence of quality in basmati rice. Cultivation of

basmati rice was not popular in the Kashmir valley till the introduction of Pusa-Sugandh-3

(PS3), a basmati rice type that marginally gained popularity among the farmers primarily

because of maturity issues. The newly developed premium and affordable basmati types

and their adaptation prompted farmers for its commercial production that necessitated the

development of basmati variant (SKUA-494) having extra-early heading viz-a-viz maturity

and cold tolerance features. SKUA-494 as a secondary selection from PS3 depicts a marked

difference for heading date, thus having an adaptive edge under temperate rice ecology of

Kashmir. The newly developed variety is a derivative of PS-3 developed through secondary

selection of early transgressive variant from a uniform population of PS3 using pureline

breeding methodology, showing earliness by 15-20 days than PS3. Development of SKUA-

494 not only addressed the issues of maturity but resulted in higher productivity of 6-7

tonnes/hectare than its progenitor yielding just 4-5 t/ha probably by escaping low temperatures

from grain filling to maturity stage and is also tolerant to rice blast. Gene based SSR analysis

of SKUA-494 revealed distinctive polymorphic loci as well as similarities to PS-3 with nested

marker at Badh-2 locus showed aroma specific allele for presence of aroma due to 2AP.

The variety has hulling, milling and head rice recoveries of around 77%, 61% and 50%,

respectively and is highly aromatic besides, shows intermediate amylose content (24.1%),

alkali spreading value (ASV) of 5.5 together with soft gel consistency (> 60 mm). The

cultivation of the variety gives a net benefit of 123000=/ha and benefit cost ratio of

2.01:1.



PS II – 123

Pyramiding of three QTLs Pup1, Dro1 and Dro2 for phosphorus uptake

and deeper rooting in four popular rice varieties MTU1010, Lalat, Naveen

and Satabdi

E. Pandit*, S. Pawar, D. Saha, S. R. Barik, S. P. Mohanty and S. K. Pradhan

ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack 753 006, Odisha


Drought stress is the most important threat to both rainfed lowland and upland rice production,

affecting the yield stability in Asia. In addition, low phosphorus availability is another limitation

in upland ecology. To improve drought avoidance in rice, introducing the deeper rooting

characteris¬tic into shallow-rooting cultivars is considered one of the most prom¬ising

breeding strategies. Introducing the efficient P-uptake and deeper rooting characteristics

into high yielding rice cultivars of rainfed ecologies may be one of the ways to improve their

drought tolerance and augmenting rice yield from rainfed ecologies. Combining these two

traits is a novel approach that has not yet been reported for varietal improvement. A major

QTL Pup1 for P-uptake and two major QTLs Dro1 and Dro2 for deeper rooting were transferred

to four popular/mega varieties MTU1010, Lalat, Naveen and Satabdi through marker assisted

backcross breeding strategy. Landrace rice, Surjamukhi possessing Pup1, Dro1 and Dro2

genes/QTLs was used as the donor to develop the pyramided lines. During the backcross

generations, gene-based markers as well as closely linked flanking markers were used to

select the plants having Pup1+Dro1+Dro2 gene combination. Polymorphic markers between

the recurrent parents (MTU1010, Lalat, Naveen and Satabdi) and the donor line Surjamukhi

were used to select plants that had maximum recurrent genome recovery. A BC2F1 plant

was selfed to produce homozygous BC2F2 plants having the target genes. These improved

lines of MTU1010, Lalat, Naveen and Satabdi having Pup1, Dro1 and Dro2 can be cultivated

in rainfed/upland ecologies under drought and low phosphorous availability without

compromising yield.



PS II – 124

Differential reaction between isogenic lines and powdery mildew

(Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici) isolates of wheat

P. Nallathambi*, C. Uma Maheswari, D.P. Singh1, Santosh Watpade2 and B. Aarthy

ICAR-Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Regional Station, Wellington 643 231, Tamil

Nadu; 1ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barely Research, Karnal; 2ICAR-Indian Agriculture

Research Institute, Regional Station, Shimla 171 004, Himachal Pradesh


Wheat powdery mildew incited by Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici (Bgt) is gaining importance

as one of the major disease of wheat under dry and humid conditions of North India and

Southern hills. The well-established differentials and race analysis system is facilitating to

identify durable resistant varieties. Cultivation of resistant variety is the successful method

to contain biotrophic pathogens like Puccinia spp. causing rusts in Triticum species. However,

in case of Bgt, the quantum of races or pathotypes in a particular area is obscure and

therefore, it is obligatory to demarcate the same in endemic areas. Generally, set of pathotypes

/ new races are grouped based on their ability to parasitize over target set of host species

and their varieties. To ascertain high degree of resistance (vertical resistance), it is imperative

to investigate the interactions between powdery mildew pathogen and Triticum species and

therefore, efforts are being made for the first time to derive differential reactions both under

controlled (glass house and poly houses) conditions and in field. The iso-genic lines of

differential set of Triticum species have been imported from CIMMYT, Mexico; in addition to

another set of same species having Pm genes. Set of Bgt isolates from Himachal Pradesh

and Wellington have been used for artificial inoculations under controlled conditions. Also

such isogenic lines were exposed to natural infection and differential reactions were derived

from both conditions. Comprehensive analysis of data revealed clarity of variation between

the isogenic lines and selected isolates of Bgt. Since the standard differentials and powdery

mildew pathotypes are not well established in India, the present results on differential reactions

among isogenic lines in response to selected isolates of Bgt could serve the base for further

research on race profiling and evaluation of durable resistance in varieties of wheat against

powdery mildew.



PS II – 125

Incidence and severity of Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici on off season

wheat and barley in the Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal

Pradesh

Santosh Watpade*, P. Nallathambi1, Dharam Pal, C. Uma Maheswari1, Madhu Patial and

D. P. Singh2

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

171 004; 1ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Wellington 643

231, Tamil Nadu; 2ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal


Powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis (DC.) E.O. Speer f. sp. tritici E’m. Marchal

(syn. Erysiphe graminis f. sp. tritici) is one of the major diseases of Triticum species worldwide.

This disease is favoured by moderate temperature, reduced light, humidity and succulent

plant growth. The weather conditions in the northern hills of India are favourable for the

development of this disease where it has now acquired serious proportion among other

important diseases of wheat. In order to ascertain the severity, recurrent survey were

undertaken and the distribution of powdery mildew was assessed in the off season wheat

and barley grown in the high altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh. Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti

areas were surveyed. Severe incidence of Bgt was recorded in the wheat crop sown at

Dalang maidan area. Also black dot like structures were observed on the Bgt infected leaves.

On microscopic observations it was revealed that these structures are cleistothecia of Bgt.Incidence of powdery mildew was also recorded in barley sown at Nako Panchayat of Kinnaur

district. Overall data depicted the up scaling trend of this disease and further works are in

progress to analyse their variability and interactions with commercially cultivated species of

wheat in high altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh.

PS II – 126

Inter-specific hybridization in local land races of Commonbean with

runner (Phaseolus coccineus L.) and lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.)

for drought and anthracnose resistance with embryo rescue techniques

Sanjeev Kumar Salgotra*, Preety Choudhary, Rucku Gupta, Anil Kumar and J. P. Sharma

Shere Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-J), Jammu


Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.; 2n = 2x = 22) also known as kidney bean and it’s

cultivation in India is mainly confined to northern hilly tracts of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K),



Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh as a Kharif crop under rainfed conditions . Mainly

local land races are being grown in J & K for last many decades but they are susceptible to

drought and anthracnose which decreases their yield and also deteriorates their quality but

in comparison to Rajmash produces in other parts of country, they are very costly and

farmers of State Jammu and Kashmir are getting premium price in national market. In view

of their high market price and demands, farmers are not willing to replace them with improved

varieties. In the present study, Local Land Races i.e. BL (Bhaderwah Local) and Poonch

Local (PL) were crossed with Indigenous germplasm from Gene Pool 2 (Phaseolus coccinesL) i.e. IC- 361884, IC- 423433 and IC-151884 for drought resistance since Kharif 2017. Two

hundred fifty crosses in each with GP2 and GP4 lines were attempted with BL and PL land

races. Genotypes from GP2 & GP4 were used as donor both for anthracnsoe and drought

resistance with the applications of Embry rescue techniques. Number of medium were tried

and success was made with Gamborg for the rescue of embryos from the crosses of BL (P.vulgaris L) x IC-328372 (P. Lunatus L). Eight hybrids produced seeds with genotypes of GP2

and two hybrids produced seeds with GP 4 (line IC-328372) under high tech glass house at

School of Biotechnology of SKUAST- Jammu. Hybrids with GP4 do not produce seeds in F2

due to meiotic irregularities in spite of applications of different concentrations of growth

regulators (GA3). However, the hybrids of GP4 were highly vigorous in comparison to GP2.

Hybrids of BPL and PL with lines of GP2 were advanced and some desired recombinants

were selected and shall be used in future breeding programme for Commonbean

improvement.

PS II – 127

Response of in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth of

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) genotypes to high temperature

M. S. Uma, H. K. Bharani and H. O. Umesh

Professor and Head, AICRP on Sunflower, ZARS, GKVK Bengaluru 560 065, Karnataka


In sunflower growing areas of Karnataka, especially in the seed production areas during

rabi/summer, unexpected periodic episodes of extreme temperature stress usually occur in

February to May which coincide with the peak time of flowering and seed filling stage, resulting

in lower seedset and yield. Breeding programs for screening high temperature-tolerant

sunflower genotypes are urgent in order to stabilize yield in the current and future warmer

weather conditions. In the present study 24 sunflower genotypes were quantified for in vitropollen germination and pollen tube growth in response to temperatures ranging from 30 to

40°C at 5°C intervals. Different Sunflower genotypes varied in their in vitro pollen germination

and pollen tube length responses to the different temperatures. Maximum pollen germination



and pollen tube length ranged from 40.35% to 71.66% and from 1.15 to 4.22 µm, respectively.

The average cardinal temperatures (Tmin, Topt, and Tmax) also varied among the 24 cultivars

and were 18.8, 27.3, and 39.7°C for pollen germination and 19.8, 26.8, and 37.1°C for

maximum pollen tube length. Variations in seedset and seed yield per plant in field

experiments were found for the 24 sunflower genotypes. The seedset and seed yield per

plant during summer varied considerably in different years according to weather conditions.

Seedset on April was highly correlated with maximum pollen germination (R2 = 0.64) and

pollen tube length (R2 = 0.44). A screening method based on principle component analysis

of the combination of pollen characteristics in an in vitro experiment and seedset/seed yeild

in the field environment was used in the present study and, as a result, the 24 sunflower

genotypes could be classified as tolerant, moderately tolerant, moderately susceptible and

susceptible to high temperature. The maximum pollen germination per cent at 39.70C was

shown by KBSH-44,234-B and EC-734826.Wide range of variability was observed for the

traits like days to 50% flowering, plant height, head diameter, stem diameter, seed yield/

plant, 100 seed weight and seed set percentage. The genotypes which exhibited tolerance

to temperature stress through gametophyte selection were also found tolerant under field

conditions.

PS II – 128

Transformation of antifungal b-1, 3-glucanase gene in rice (Oryza sativa

L.) and its expression analysis for sheath blight resistance

Shivali Pathania* and Jagdeep Singh Sandhu

School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana


Rice, being a staple food for almost half of the world’s population, its production is hampered

by number of biotic and abiotic constraints. Sheath blight, caused by Rhizoctonia species, is

now considered as a major devastating disease worldwide. The revolution of semi-dwarf,

nitrogen-utilizing and high yielding varieties, the disease has led to serious consequences

towards rice production. The conventional approaches are not efficient due to lack of

quantitative and complete resistance in wild germplasm. In addition to this, morphological

and ecological variations have also confounded the analysis of disease resistance. Transgenic

technology, as a promising alternative, is being employed to develop resistance to the

aforementioned phytopathogen. The chitin (10-20%) and b-1, 3-glucan (50-60%) polymers

are the main skeletal components of fungal cell wall. The hydrolytic enzymes are the major

targets for degradation of these cell wall components, leading to fungal cell death. Keeping

this in view, a concise binary vector pRI101-ON::glucanase, has been constructed, containing

Trichoderma viride β-1, 3-glucanase gene under the control of CaMV35S promoter and nos



terminator and kanamycin as a selectable marker. The construct has been mobilized into

Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 for efficient delivery of T-DNA into rice. Genetic

transformation experiments in japonica and indica cultivars, Kitaake and PR124, respectively,

are being carried in our genetic transformation lab. Further, expression and bioassay analysis

will be conducted out for the presence of resistance. From this study, it is anticipated that β-

1, 3-glucanase is a potential target for enhancing resistance in rice for sheath blight.

PS II – 129

Identification of water stress tolerant amaranthus genotypes

(Amaranthus tricolor L.) with high yield and quality

A. M. Shahiba, Beena Thomas and Arun Chacko

Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani 695 522, Kerala


The present study entitled “Identification of water stress tolerant amaranthus genotypes

(Amaranthus tricolor L.) with high yield and quality” was carried out in the Dept. of Plant

Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2016-2018, with an objective

to identify high yielding genotypes of amaranthus with good quality and tolerance to water

stress.The character Vitamin A content registeredthe highest GCV (41.22%) and PCV

(41.25%). High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for leaf width,

number of branches, yield plant-1, protein content, fibre content and vitamin A. The yield

plant-1was found to be significantly and positively correlated with leaf width, number of

branches, yield plot-1, membrane integrity, proline content of leaves and vitamin A both at

genotypic and phenotypic levels. Petiole length and percentage leachate were found to be

negatively correlated with yield plant-1. Path analysis revealed that number of branches,

yield plot-1and proline content of leaves had the maximum positive direct effect on yield

plant-1. The present study showed that genotype A22 (Madhur local) was superior in yield

performance under water stress condition followed bygenotypeA9 (Kazhakkuttom local),

genotypeA20 (Poonkulam local) and the genotypeA2 (Palakkadu local). The genotype A22

(Madhur local) also recorded the maximum stem girth, number of branches, length of leaf

lamina, leaf to stem ratio, membrane integrity, relative water content and proline content of

leaves with high Vitamin A and low oxalate content. Presence of proline in the leaves might

be considered as an important water stress tolerance mechanism.



SESSION III

Breeding for Input Use

Efficiency and

Nutritional Enhancement



PS III – 1

Quantitative evaluation of Assam rice (Oryza sativa) collection for

nitrogen use efficiency

Shantanu Das*, Soumitra Sankar Das1 and Debojit Sarma

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat 785 013,

Assam; 1Department of Agricultural Statistics, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch

Behar 736 165, West Bengal


In the present investigation, a panel of 26 rice genotypes consisting of 21 landraces and 5

improved varieties was tested under three different environments (E1: 0 kg N, E2: 40 kg N

and E3: 60 kg N ha–1) with fixed P and K @ 20 kg ha–1 during kharif 2014 and 2015. The

genotypes were evaluated in randomized block design with 3 replications at Assam

Agricultural University, Jorhat. The experiment was carried out to assess genetic diversity

in 26 rice genotypes and to identify superior nitrogen use efficient genotypes for low land

rice cultivation. There are significant genotypic differences and selection for most of the

nitrogen use efficiency related traits would be effective. Grain yield had moderate to strong

positive correlation with biological yield, harvest index, grain nitrogen, physiological nitrogen

use efficiency, nitrogen utilization efficiency, and nitrogen harvest index at both genotypic

and phenotypic level. All the genotypes were grouped into seven clusters. The maximum

contribution towards divergence was due to flag leaf area followed by physiological nitrogen

use efficiency and grain yield/plant. Principal components analysis performed on 12

quantitative traits revealed that the first four principal components accounted for 83.56%

variance among the genotypes studied. Genotypes Lothabor, Luhasali and Betguti Sali were

found to be suitable for low land rice ecosystem.

PS III – 2

Identification of stable genotypes in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

N. S. Kute*, P. G. Karpe and S. J. Lakhote

Pulses Imrovement Project, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra


The present investigation was undertaken to study the response of different chickpea

genotypes to changing environments’ the predictability of grain yield and its components

over the array of environments and to identify genotypes suitable for different environments.

Fourteen genotypes were sown on three different sowing dates in a Randomized Block

Design with three replications. The data was subjected to statistical analysis as per Eberhart

and Russell. In general, genotypic differences were found significant for all the eleven



characters viz., days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height (cm), plant spread

(cm), no. of primary branches per plant, no. of secondary branches per plant, no. of pods

per plant, no. of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight (g), seed yield per plant (kg), and protein

content (%), when tested against pooled error. Environmental variances were significant for

all the characters except no. of seeds per pod and 100 seed weight when tested against G

x E interaction and pooled deviation. The G x E interactions were significant for all the traits

except plant height and protein content when tested against pooled error. Linear component

of G x E interaction were significant for all characters except plant height, number of primary

branches per plant and protein (%) when tested against pooled error. The genotypes Phule

G-10117, and Phule G-08108 recorded average stability whereas genotype Vishal recorded

below average stability for days to 50% flowering. The genotypes Phule G10114 and SAKI-

9516 showed average stability for days to maturity. The genotype Vijay showed average

stability for plant spread whereas genotypes Phule G-08108 and Phule G-9758 recorded

below average stability i.e. suitable for favourable enviroment for plant spread (cm). The

genotype Phule G-10114, Phule G-08108 and Vijay recorded average stability, whereas

Phule G-2008-74 recorded above average stability and Phule G-0754 recorded below average

stability for number of primary branches per plant. The genotype Vijay recorded average

stability while the genotypes Phule G-10103, Phule G-10114, Phule G-08108 and Phule G-

9758 recorded below average stability. i.e. suitable for favourable enviroment for number of

secondary branches per plant. The genotypes Phule G-10117 and Phule G-08108 showed

average stability while the genotypes Vijay and Digvijay showed below average stability for

pods per plant. The genotypes Phule G-08108 and Phule G-9758 recorded average stability

whereas genotypes Phule G-2008-74 showed above average stability. The genotypes Phule

G-0752 and Phule G-9758 recorded average stability while genotype Phule G-2008-74

showed below average stability for 100 seed weight (g). The genotypes Phule G-10117,

Vishal and SAKI-9516 recorded average stability for seed yield per plant (g).

PS III – 3

Stability analysis for biofortified quality traits in finger millet [Eleusine

coracana (L.) Gaertn]

L. N. Jawale*, B. R. Chavan, R. R. Dhutmal and A. W. More

Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture, Parbhani VNMKV 431 402,

Maharashtra


Finger millet [Elusine corcana (L.) Gartn] is the most important crop among millets having

outstanding properties as a subsistence food crop in drought prone region of south Asia and

East Africa. It also contain sufficient amount of iron and of calcium. The field experiment

was conducted with 13 different genotypes from diverse sources with 2 checks Nagali Dapoli

Safed -1(check) and Nagli Dapoli-1 (check). The environments were created by using different



sowing dates D1 (20th June 2017, D2 5th July 2017, D3 20th July 2017). Data on stability

analysis revealed that the population mean for protein content (%) at the tune of 9.306

percent for 13 finger millet genotypes over three environments. The genotypes GE-2770

and VL-149 showed average stability which indicated that these genotypes were more stable,

while the genotypes GE-1680, TNAU-1214, GE-361, IVT-25 and NDS-(check) showed better

performance under favourable environments showing below average stability. While the

genotypes Dapoli-1(check) showed above average stability. Mean performance of genotypes

for calcium content (mg/100g) was recorded as 350.74. The genotypes VL-149, IE-6350

recorded average stability. However the genotypes Kanika Reddy showed better performance

under favourable environments showing below average stability. While the genotypes GE-

2770, MR-6, VR-929, IVT-11, Nagali Dapoli Safed-1 (check) and Nagli Dapoli-1 (Check)

recorded above average stability. Stability analysis data indicated that the population mean

for iron content (mg/100g) 19.465 (mg/100g) for fifteen finger millet genotypes over three

environments. None of the genotype recorded average stability for iron content. The

genotypes MR-6, PEH-1201, IVT-11 and VL-369 were found to be suitable for better

environments which showed below average stability, while the genotypes GE-2770, IE-

6350 and IVT-25 recorded above average stability showing better performance under poor

environment. The genotypes GE-2770 and VL-149 and GE-361 were found to be good

source of protein. However the genotypes VL-149, IE-6350 and MR-6 were found to be

higher for calcium content and the genotypes MR-6, PEH-1201, IVT-11 and VL-369 and

Kanika Reddy were found to be suitable source of iron. Genotype MR 6 was found to better

for calcium content and iron content along with grain yield.

PS III – 4

Genotype x environment interaction for yield and yield contributing

traits in finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn]

L. N. Jawale*, B. R. Chavan, S. P. Mehtre and A. W. More

Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture, VNMKV, Parbhani 431 402,

Maharashtra


The field experiment was conducted on the field of Department of Agricultural Botany, College

of Agriculture, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidhyapeeth Parbhani during kharif 2017.

Experimental material comprised 13 different genotypes from different diverse sources and

2 checks, Nagli Dapoli Safed-1 and Nagli Dapoli-1. Thirteen genotypes of finger millet

including two checks were evaluated for three different environments D1 (sown on 20 June,

2017), D2 (on 5 July, 2017) and D3 (sown on 20 July, 2017). The observations were recorded

on number of tillers per plant, number of fingers per ear, length of finger (cm), grain yield per

plant (g), grain yield in q/ha and straw yield q/ha. Stability analysis was carried out using the

Eberhart and Russell model. The genotypes, GE-2770, PEH-1201, Kanika Reddy and Nagli



Dapoli Safed-1 (Check) recorded average stability indicating wide adaptability under all

environments considered in the experiment. However, the genotypes MR-6 was found to be

suitable for better environment. The genotypes GE-1680, GE-361 and Nagli Dapoli-1 (Check)

recorded above average stability showing better performance under poor environment. The

genotypes GE-1680, Kanika Reddy, IVT-25 and Nagli Dapoli-1 (Check) were found to be

more stable for number of fingers per ear. However, the genotypes GE-2770, MR-6, PEH-

1201, IVT-11 and Nagli Dapoli Safed-1 (check) were found suitable for better environment.

While the genotypes VL-369 recorded above average stability showing better performance

under poor environment. For length of finger the genotypes PEH-1201, VL-149 and NDS-1

(check) showed average stability while the genotypes GE-2770, MR-6 and Nagli Dapoli-1

(Check) were found to be suitable for better environment. While the genotype GE-1680

recorded above average stability. In general stability for grain yield per plant (g) was found

in the genotypes TNAU-1214 and IVT-11. However the genotypes GE-2770, VR-929 and

VL-369 showed below average stability. Only one genotype MR-6 showed above average

stability. These genotype can perform in all kinds of environment. These genotype could be

better identified for the Marathwada region. The genotypes GE-2770, VR-929 and VL-369

were found to be promising for favourable environments showing below average stability.

Only one genotype MR-6 showed above average stability. Looking to the stability performance

for yield and different yield contributing traits among 15 genotype studied PEH 1201, Kanika

reddy, Nagali Dapoli Safed TNAU 1214 and IVT 11 were found to be best genotype for yield

and yield contributing traits. Looking to the numerical performance of the genotypes for

grain yield/ha top ranking genotypes were found to be MR 6 (29.45 q/ha), VR 929 (23.91 q/

ha), GE–2770 (22.90 q/ha), TNAU 1214 (22.71q/ha) and VL 369 (21.83q/ha) and these

genotypes can be used in breeding programme for enhancing yield potential of finger millet.

PS III – 5

Genetics of nitrogen use efficiency in local rice genotypes (Oryza sativa

L.)

Savitri A. Mallapur and M. S. Uma1*

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding College of Agriculture, V. C. Farm Mandya

Sadhanakeri 3rd cross behind Bendre Bhavan Amruta Nilay, Dharwad; 1AICRP (Sunflower),

ZARS, UAS, GKVK Bengaluru


An attempt was made to study the genetics of nitrogen use efficiency and yield related traits

in two crosses of local rice genotypes which include low nitrogen use efficient genotypes

(Bettasanna, Banavasi selection) and high nitrogen use efficient genotypes (Kaduvakalongi,

Navali) at the College of Agriculture V.C. Farm Mandya during rabi-summer 2016-17. The

significance of scaling tests (A, B, C and D) indicated appreciable amount of epistasis

interaction present in different characters of two crosses. In the cross Kaduvakalongi ×



Banavasi selection, yield per plant and nitrogen use efficiency showed complementary gene

action which indicated the need for heterosis breeding. Yield per plant is governed by duplicate

gene action in the cross Bettasanna × Navali, indicating improvement of the trait through

biparental mating or reciprocal recurrent selection. High genotypic coefficient of variability

and phenotypic coefficient of variability values with less difference were observed for nitrogen

use efficiency in the cross Kaduvakalongi × Banavasi selection indicating less influence of

environmental factor on their expression. Moderate genotypic coefficient of variability and

phenotypic coefficient of variability values with less difference observed for nitrogen use

efficiency. In the cross Bettasanna × Navali, indicated the influence of both additive and

non-additive gene action in the inheritance of these traits. High heritability coupled with high

genetic advance was recorded for yield per plant, nitrogen use efficiency in both the crosses.

This indicated that these traits were predominantly controlled by additive gene action and

amenable for selection. Significant positive correlation of nitrogen use efficiency with grain

yield in both the crosses was observed.

PS III – 6

Maternal effect on grain iron and zinc densities in pearl millet

A. Kanatti, M. Govindaraj*, K. N. Rai and A. S. Rao

International CroPS I IResearch Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru,

Telangana 502 324, Andhra Pradesh


Genetic variation and inheritance of micronutrients in pearl millet has largely been studies in

recent years as part of biofortification initiatives. Both iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) densities are

highly heritable and determined by additive genetic variances. In this context, genetics of

maternal (cytoplasmic) effect on inheritance of grain Fe and Zn was studied using a set of

diverse breeding material, consisting of inbreds, hybrids and OPVs. Entries were paired for

low and high for Fe density to produce direct and reciprocal crosses. Parents and their

crosses were evaluated for two contrast seasons (summer and rainy). Over two seasons,

highly significant variation exhibited by parents and hybrids. Fe density among parents varied

from 31 to 64 mg kg–1 and Zn density varied from 28 to 43 mg kg–1. The differences of direct

and reciprocal hybrids for both micronutrients were non-significant indicate that genetics of

both the micronutrients controlled by nuclear determinants and cytoplasmic or maternal

gene cannot modify inheritance of these traits. Difference between each direct and reciprocal

crosses for both Fe (1 to 4 mg kg–1) and Zn (0 to 2 mg kg–1) were negligible. These results

indicate the high Fe/Zn inbreds can be used either female or male parent in seed and restorer

parent breeding program. In addition, the highly significant and high positive association

between Fe and Zn, suggesting, both could be enhanced simultaneously.



PS III – 7

Doubling grain Fe and Zn concentration in sorghum to combat the

micronutrient malnutrition in sorghum eating populations

A. Ashok Kumar*, Kotla Anuradha, Rahul Phuke, Sunita Gorthy, Jayakumar Jaganathan,

Anil Gaddameedi, K. Hariprasanna2, H. V. Kalpande3 and Shivaji P. Mehtre3

International CroPS I IResearch Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru

502 324, Telangana; 1Present address: ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional

Station, Indore, Madhya Pradesh; 2ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar

500 030, Hyderabad; 3Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, Maharashtra


Dietary induced micronutrient malnutrition (MNM) is one of the greatest global challenges of

our times and India has largest number of malnourished people globally. Sorghum is among

the major staples and a cheapest sources of micronutrients therefore, biofortification of

sorghum is of high priority. From screening of more than 4000 accessions and breeding

lines we identified promising donors for Fe and Zn and established the genetic control. Fe

and Zn are quantitatively inherited. While grain Zn in predominantly under additive gene

control, non-additive gene actions also has role in controlling grain Fe. To develop hybrids

with high Fe and Zn both parents should have high Fe and Zn. We demonstrated the prediction

of F1 hybrid performance based on mid-parental value for Fe and Zn. Both Fe and Zn are

positively correlated (r=0.6 to 0.8) and simultaneous improvement for Fe and Zn is feasible.

Using RIL population sorghum genetic map was constructed with 2,088 markers (1148 DArTs,

927 DArTSeqs and 13 SSRs) covering 1355.52 cM with an average marker interval of

0.6cM. Forty-seven QTLs (individual) and 7 QTLs (across) environments with small main-

effect and 21 co-localized QTLs for Fe and Zn were identified.

PS III – 8

Genetic and correlation studies in rice for high grain zinc content and

grain yield traits

S. K. Singh, Srinivasa Reddy Yerva*, D. K. Singh, Sonali Vijay Hebadae and Arvind Kumar1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005,

Uttar Pradesh; 1IRRI-SAH, ICRISAT, Patancheru, Hyderabad 502 324, Telangana


180 advanced rice lines derived from the cross PR 122 x IR10M 196 were evaluated for 12

grain yield and micronutrient traits (Iron and Zinc) along with checks in kharif 2016. Recorded

phenotypic data were subjected to analyse correlation and to find mode of inheritance. For



majority of the traits, phenotypic coefficients of variance was higher than the genotypic

coefficient of variation. Heritability (H2) in broad sense for grain yield in kg per hectare (72%)

was higher as compared to yield per plant (69%). Zn expressed 66% heritability. Grain yield

(kg/hectare) was found significantly and positively correlated with grain yield per plant

(r=0.99**) and panicle weight (r=0.17**). The zinc content also showed positive association

with iron (r = 0.42**) and no.of grains per panicle (r = 0.22**). Significant negative correlation

(r= -0.24**) between grain yield and zinc content was also recorded. The results indicated

that selection for improvement in grain yield could be made, when positive associations for

different traits are recorded. Coefficient of variation in respect of days to flowering was low

(4.36), while grain yield kg per hectare exhibited higher value (25.71) as compared to other

traits.

PS III – 9

Characterization of advance breeding lines and genotypes for yield

and quality traits under biofortification programme in bread wheat

(Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell)

Divya Phougat*, S. K. Sethi and I. S. Panwar

Wheat and Barley Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana

Agricultural University, Hisar 125 004, Haryana


The experimental material comprised of 24 wheat advance breeding lines and genotypes

were sown in four replications in Randomized Block Design (RBD) during Rabi 2017 at

Research Farm of Wheat and Barley Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding,

CCSHAU, Hisar for evaluation of high yielding and high protein lines. Observations were

recorded for twelve traits (11 agronomic and a quality trait). Results indicated highly significant

differences among the material for all the characters undertaken. Protein content ranged

from 10.1% (HPYT 447) to 12.0% (WB 2) with an average of 11.3%. In ten genotypes,

above average (11.3%) protein content (%) was recorded. Grain protein and grain yield

were found negatively correlated (-0.195). For quantifying the genetic divergence between

the genotypes based on agro-quality data, Tocher’s method was employed which led to

grouping of 13 genotypes in cluster I followed by 3 genotypes in cluster II and IV followed by

II in cluster V and one genotypes each in cluster 3, 6 and 7. Incorporation of highly distant

genotypes as parents in hybridization programme is advocated to achieve transgressive

segregants.



PS III – 10

Evaluation of genetic diversity for micronutrient content and grain yield

in bread wheat for use in biofortification

Ashish*, S. K. Sethi, Divya Phougat and Antim

Wheat and Barley Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana

Agricultural University, Hisar 125 004, Haryana


Wheat is a C3 monocot plant belongs to grass family Graminae. Owing to its unique baking

qualities and long shelf life, wheat serves as staple food to 35% population globally. In a

developing country like India, malnutrition is a bigger challenge. Bioavailability of micronutrient

like Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn is low in diet leading to poor health, impaired growth, increased risk

of infections and poor motor skills development. The present experiment was conducted

during rabi 2015-16 to evaluate 57 bread wheat genotypes to study variability and association

of micronutrient content like Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn with grain yield. The experimental material

was grown in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications at Research Farm of

Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, CCSHAU, Hisar. Results showed presence of

enough genetic variability for micronutrient content and grain yield among all the genotypes.

The Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn content ranged from 33.09 ppm (HPPAU 15) to 46.54 ppm (HPPAU

6), 25.30 ppm (HPPAU 3)to 46.90 ppm (C 306), 5.45 ppm (WH 1179) to14.03ppm (HPYT

403), 22.98 ppm (WH 1063) to 44.63 ppm (HPYT 449) respectively. Grain yield per plot

ranged from 753.33 (C 306) to 1633. 57 g (HPTY 429) with a mean of 1283.32 g. Strong and

positive significant correlation was found among Fe, Zn and Fe, Cu and non significant

correlation was found among yield component traits and grain micronutrient composition.

Zn had strong positive correlation with Mn while Fe had negative correlation with Mn. Previous

studies have shown that grain Zn and Fe can be improved simultaneously. The result obtained

from present study will be useful in understanding the amount of variability present for

biochemical and yield traits which may be further exploited for selection of genotypes with

high micronutrient content and their use in biofortificaiton breeding programme.



PS III – 11

Evaluation of iron, zinc and phytic acid contents and distribution of

allelic variations in the regulatory region of inositol monophosphatase

gene in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Golu Misra and Archana Joshi Saha*

Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay,

Mumbai 400 085


A chronic mineral micronutrient deficiency, particularly of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), is prevalent

globally. Therefore, nutritional quality improvement is one of the major breeding targets in

many croPS I Iincluding chickpea, a major grain-legume crop ranking second in terms of

production worldwide. Phytic acid (PA, inositol hexakisphosphate) is an antinutrient present

in seed that chelates the minerals reducing their bioavailability. In the present study, 31

Indian cultivars and 52 germplasm accessions from different agro-climatic zones of the

world were screened for seed Fe, Zn and PA contents for two growing seasons. Analysis of

variance indicated both genotypic and genotype x environment interactions regulating these

traits. Overall, contents of Fe and Zn were positively correlated, Zn was negatively correlated

with PA, while no correlation of PA with Fe was observed. Despite the environmental influence,

promising genotypes with high Fe, Zn and low/moderate PA were identified. The distribution

of PA in F3 seeds derived from two crosses involving genotypes having contrasting PA

contents (ICC1502: 14.6±1.3 mg/g; ICC8950: 18.9±1.8 mg/g; ICC14778: 17.4±1.6 mg/g),

indicated continuous variation fitting into a normal distribution with transgressive segregants.

In these populations, the expression analysis of inositol monophosphatase (CaIMP) gene

associated with PA content, using qRT-PCR with bulked segregant analysis approach,

confirmed its regulation through a microsatellite-repeat-length variation in its promoter. These

allelic variants were also studied in 26 popular desi chickpea cultivars. The present study

will be useful in identification of accessions suitable for breeding programs to develop high

Fe and/or Zn lines with low/moderate PA contents.



PS III – 12

Can genetics studies lead to development of rice varieties with high

yield under low nitrogen?

C. N. Neeraja*, S. R. Voleti, D. Subrahmanyam, K. Surekha and P. Raghuveer Rao

ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030


With its impact on environment and cost effectiveness in rice cultivation, development of

rice varieties with relatively higher yield under low nitrogen (N) (50-60% of recommended

dose) becomes important now. Several management strategies of nitrogen fertilization plays

critical role for nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in rice. NUE in rice is determined by uptake

efficiency and utilization efficiency. Wide genotypic variation for uptake and utilization

efficiencies has been observed from our studies comprising 472 rice genotypes. Several

genotypes with good N uptake efficiency and relative higher yield under low N were identified.

N uptake is reported to be controlled by several transporter genes and genes affecting

various root traits. The utilization efficiency is dependent on N partitioning among leaves,

stems and grains and its remobilization which appears to be highly variable across genotypes.

Panicle number m-2 appears to be the most affected under low N because of the reduction of

the total biomass. Through association mapping analyses, 12 genomic regions associated

with yield low N were identified. Biparental mapping has shown four genomic regions

associated yield and yield related components. Genetics studies suggest involvement of

QTL for yield under low N with phenotypic variance of not more than 15%. Transcriptomic

and micro RNA analyses of two efficient genotypes and two poor genotypes indicated temporal

and spatial association of transcription factors, transporters and other critical metabolic

pathways. Thus, selection for yield appears to be the major criterion for developing the rice

varieties with higher yield under low N.

PS III – 13

Identification and analysis of CEP1 gene from lentil and their role in

nodulation under N-sufficient soil.

Anirban Roy, Subhadeep Das, Moutusi Sarkar, Diana Sagolsem, Sumit Murmu, Rajib Nath,

Asutosh Sarkar and Somnath Bhattacharyya*

Crop Research Unit, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Bidhan Chandra Krishi

Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal 741 252


Nodulation plays a major role not only in supplying nitrogen to the standing croPS I Ibut also

to the following croPS I Ithereby playing a significant rolein cropping sequence. Nodule



formation is usually inhibited by higher or even optimum N and P-status of the soil. The role

of CEP-1 gene (C-terminally encoded peptide, signaling peptide family), has been reported

in controlling lateral root development and nodule enhancement in Medicago truncatulaeven in N-sufficient soil. Utilizing the published DNA sequence of MtCEP1 gene, suitable

primer pairs were designed which successfully amplified the 910nt length cDNA with desired

c1-peptidase domain. Identified LcCEP1-cDNA of lentil also showed almost 90% homology

with MtCEP1. Four exons and five introns were suggested comparing the identified LcCEP1

with the published genomic sequence of lentil. Fifty genotypes were evaluated for their yield

potentiality and nodulation efficiency in three locations which are not deficient in available

nitrogen.No significant association was observed between nodule number and yield.

Nodulation efficiency of ten selected lines was further compared both under N-deficient and

sufficient soil. In six-week old root of high nodule containing genotypes revealed above3 to

5-fold higher abundance of newly identified LcCEP1 transcript as compared to low nodule

containing lines. Primer pairs, as designed, will be utilized for allele mining of LcCEP1 gene

from other varieties of lentil. Transfer of the high expressing LcCEP1 allele from the identified

genotypes into other high yielding cultivar may improve the nodulation efficiency even the

soil is nitrogen sufficient.

PS III – 14

A novel LAMP assay for detection of adulteration in Basmati rice

Sheel Yadav* and R. Parimalan1

ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 012, 1ICAR-National

Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110 012


Owing to the presence of desirable characteristics like extra-long and slender grains, delicious

taste, superior aroma and distinct flavor, Basmati rice varieties are immensely popular and

therefore, command higher prices in the market than non Basmati rice varieties. As a

malpractice, Basmati rice is commonly adulterated with many look alike, long grain non

Basmati rice varieties. A 10 bp indel was identified at position -205 from transcription start

site of the lax 1 gene in rice . This indel is able to exclusively differentiate ten Basmati rice

varieties (Basmati 217, Basmati 370, Basmati 386, Taraori Basmati, Pusa Basmati 1, Pusa

Basmati 1460, Pusa Basmati 1121, Super Basmati and Vallabh Basmati 23), most of which

have immense commercial importance in India, from non Basmati rice varieties. Based on

this information, an assay based on LAMP (loop mediated isothermal amplification),was

developed for rapid detection of adulteration in these Basmati varieties. The assay involved

the use of 6 primers to amplify the genomic region carrying the indel, at an isothermal

temperature of 65ºC .The end point detection was performed using SYBR green dye. The

limit of detection (LOD) for this assay was estimated to be about 7%. This assay can provide

a rapid and economical approach to detect adulteration in Basmati rice samples.



PS III – 15

Production of metabolite with high medicinal value from an important

ethnomedicinal herb Swertia chiyrayita Buch.-Hams. ex Wall

Garima Kumari*, Kamlesh Kanwar, Ashish Guleria2 and Y. P. Sharma1

Department of Plant Biotechnology, Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry,

Nauni, Solan 173 230; 1Department of Basic Sciences, Eternal University, Baru Sahib,

Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh 173 101


Swertia chirayita is used in traditional medicines as for blood pressure, dyspesia, epilepsy,

blood purification and liver disorders. The species is priced for its bioactive compound the

secoiridoid glycoside and the most acerbic substance found is amarogentin. The bitterness,

antihelminthic, hypoglycemic and antipyretic properties are attributed to amarogentin, the

most bitter compound isolated, till date also reported to be antidiabetic, anticancerous,

antileishmanial and topoisomerase inhibitor. Due to their spatial, developmental and

ecological requirement, production of bioactive secondary metabolites is low, often 1% of

the dry weight, thereby, warranting the development of alternative strategies for the production

of metabolites of medicinal value. A valuable plant regeneration protocol was developed for

the medicinal plant Swertia chirayita Buch.-Hams. ex Wall. In the present study, the

micropropagated plants were found to be phenotypically normal and essentially identical

with mother plant at hardening stage which partly suggest the minimal or absence of

somaclonal variations. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) used to carry out

the analysis of bioactive compounds from the micropropagated plants. There was an irregular

increase/decrease in amarogentin content with the advancement of age of Swertia plants.

Amarogentin content was 0.3067% at three months old stage, which increased to 0.3647%

at 5 months old stage of ex situ plants. Therefore, it may seems the alternate strategy is also

valuable for the metabolite production and its conservation.

PS III – 16

Selection for hard endosperm, tryptophan content and yield contributing

traits in F3:4 QPM families

S. B. Mariyappan and Devyani Sen*

Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Post Graduate Studies (CPGS), Central Agricultural

University, Imphal, Campus Umiam 793 103, Meghalaya.


For selection of QPM inbred lines with hard endosperm and high tryptophan content, a set

of 60 F3:4 QPM families shortlisted for opacity (score 2 and 3) and high seed index from 681



lines of four QPM crosses V341 x V 373, CML 165 x V 373, CML 161 x V 341 and CML 161

x V 373. % of tryptophan determined using Hopkins-Cole reaction in which tryptophan was

found to range from a minimum of 0.020 % to maximum of 0.095 %. Among that, 22 lines

with tryptophan % in the range from 0.073 % to 0.095 % could be identified which showed

significant differences with normal maize and increased genetic gain and Realized Heritability

(RH). Molecular characterization was done by o2 specific reported SSR markers for

differentiating heterozygous and homozygous QPM lines from normal maize. Cluster analysis

using Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic mean (UPGMA) grouped the lines

into three major clusters which differentiates QPM lines from normal maize. For these lines

Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) ranged from 0.25 to 0.74 with an average of 0.55

and yield/plant calculated for the different families showed increased total kernel weight (g)

ranged from 28 to 88 g for twenty two selected families. Since most of these shortlisted

twenty two lines are homozygous for reported o2 markers and phenotypically manifest high

tryptophan content, suggested that they can be further used to initiate a hybrid breeding

programme for QPM.

PS III – 17

Low phytic acid mutants in maize

Bibhuprasad Singh*

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751 003


Phytic acid (myo inositol 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 hexakiphosphate) is a major component of plant

seeds and deposited as a mixed salt of mineral cations. As monogastric animals poorly

digest phytic acid, so the undigested acid gets eliminated and leads to phosphorus pollution

and become the major cause of phosphorus eutrophication in the environment. It reduces

the availability of some essential nutrients via bonding between negatively charged phosphate

and positively charged cations and proteins, thereby reducing bioavailability. It also acts as

antinutritional factor in animal feed and human diet. Low phytic acid mutants (Ipa mutants)

in maize have been developed by mutagenesis. Two types of recessive mutants are

responsible for low phytic acid content in maize. They are Ipa-I and Ipa-II. However, these

mutants are developed by causing mutation with mutator insertion knock out technology.

There are 3 major ways to develop Ipa mutants i.e., firstly through cytoplasmic male sterility,

secondly cloning of ZmIpk gene and lastly by silencing the ZmIpk gene to develop Ipa

mutants. The genotypes low phytic acid content may be useful in breeding programme for

the development of low phytic acid genotypes with imposed nutritional value to overcome

nutritional deficiency syndromes and meet the demand of biofortification. However this is

very much helpful in bioaccesibility of minerals, in vitro starch digestivity and a high value

relationship with antioxidant property. In this context it is proposed to screen low phytic acid

mutants in maize under present scenario, which will have an implication for sustainable

agriculture in the coming future.



PS III – 18

Standardizing the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for low cost high

throughput assessing of phytate and polyphenol contents in sorghum

grain

Anil Gaddameedi#, Michael Blümmel1, Santosh P. Deshpande, K. V. S. V. Prasad, U. D.

Chavan2, P. B. Kavi Kishor3, Rahul M. Phuke4, J. Jayakumar, Sunita Gorthy and A. Ashok

Kumar*


502 324, Telangana; 1International Livestock Research Institute, (ILRI), Patancheru, 502

324, Telangana; 2Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra; 3Osmania

University, Hyderabad, Telangana; 4Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station,

Indore, Madhya Pradesh


Sorghum is a major food, feed and fodder crop globally and a rich source of protein, minerals

and vitamins. While biofortification for increased grain Fe and Zn concentration is being

mainstreamed in sorghum breeding programs, potential phytates and polyphenol content in

sorghum grains is a concern. Phytate and polyphenols strongly chelate minerals including

Fe and Zn, and thereby reducing their bioavailability. Consequently biofortification and

concomitant reduction of phytate content emerged as the new strategy for increasing

micronutrient bioavailability in sorghum. To identify germplasms with low phytate and phenol

levels, screening of a large number of diverse samples is required. While wet chemistry

screening methods are slow, expensive, and laborious, Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS)

could provide a simple, low-cost and high throughput method. The objective of this study

was twofold: first to study the variation in polyphenols and phytate levels in high grain Fe

and Zn concentration lines to increase the micronutrient bioavailability in adiverse set of

sorghum genotypes and; second to assess the use of NIRS in predicting these compounds

in sorghum. A calibration curve was developed to estimate each compound and validated

with an independent validation set. Calibration curve correlations for phytate and polyphenols

were R2cal= 0.95 and 0.90, respectively. Correlations between NIRS-predicted values and

reference values in the validation set were for phytate R2val = 0.88) and for polyphenols

R2val = 0.79). These indicated that sufficient variation (from 0.57 to 0.96g/100g and 7.10 to

32.07mg/g for phytate and polyphenols, respectively. These findings provided a solid base

for developing NIRS calibration curves which could be used for rapid determination of Phytate

and polyphenols concentrations in whole grain sorghum.



PS III – 19

Identification of genomic regions for agronomic and nutritional traits

by GWAS in traditional landraces of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Parmeshwar K. Sahu*, Suvendu Mondal1, Deepak Sharma, Vikash Kumar1, Gautam

Vishwakarma Richa Sao1, Kuber Bhainsa and B. K. Das1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur

492 012, Chhattisgarh; 1Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic

Research Centre, Mumbai 400 085


Rice is the primary food source for more than half of the world’s population and contributes

30-50% of the daily caloric intake. Identification and mapping of genomic regions associated

with agronomic and nutritional traits and their use in marker-assisted breeding is considered

to hasten development of nutritionally rich high-yielding rice for making hunger and malnourish

free world. Present investigation was carried out with 190 core set of rice landraces of

Chhattisgarh during kharif 2015 and 2016 at IGKV Raipur and NA&BTD, BARC, Mumbai. A

total of 149 molecular markers (107SSR + 42 InDels), evenly distributed in entire genome

were used for genotyping of landraces. Eleven agronomic traits and seven nutritional traits

were recorded in entire set of rice landraces during both seasons. Genome Wide Association

Studies (GWAS) revealed total 37 and 43 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) for

18 traits during first and second season respectively whereas pooled GWAS showed 36

significant MTAs for all traits. Total 21 MTAs were common and significant during both

seasons as well as in pooled GWAS. One markers (RM7434) for grain yield; one marker

(R11M23) for panicle length; three markers (RM536, RM17467, RM26063) for Iron content;

two markers (RM44, RM6839) for Zinc content; one marker (RM25) for oleic acid content;

one marker (RM495) for linoleic acid were the most important and common MTA identified

by GWAS during both season and pooled analysis. Marker-trait associations identified under

this study could be further validated and used in marker assisted breeding for developing

high yielding, nutritional rich rice varieties.

PS III – 20

Wheat Biofortification: Achievements and future strategies

Sewa Ram*, Sneh Narwal, O. P. Gupta, Vanita Pandey and G. P. Singh

ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal 132 001, Haryana


Wheat is an important cereal crop which contributes significantly in food and nutritional

security of India. However, there are increasing concerns about the lack of vitamins and

minerals in the human diet, a condition commonly referred to as “hidden hunger”, especially



in developing countries where cereals are the main source of food and

nutrition.Therefore,increasing micronutrient densities in wheat grain which are bioavailable

to human beings, known as Biofortification, has become important. In addition, absorption

of micronutrients especially Fe and Zn in humans is significantly inhibited by the presence

of substances such as phytic acid in wheat grains. Degradation of phytic acid present in the

food can be accomplished by enhancing naturally occurring phytase levels in wheat which

are active in the human stomach. In the present investigation, one thousand wheat genotypes

including released varieties (300) in India, mutant lines (500) generated using EMS

mutagenesis in the background of wheat variety PBW 502 grown in North Western Plain

Zone in India, and synthetic hexaploids (200) were used to assess the variability in Fe and

Zn and phytase and phytic acid levels using microlevel test developed in our laboratory.

Two folds variability has been observed in Fe and Zn content among hexaploid wheat

germplasm, 2 folds variation in phytic acid and 4 fold variations in phytase levels among the

varieties. Some of the mutants were identified with 8 fold variation in phytase levels and also

lower phytic acid content. This is the first report of evaluating large germplasm of wheat for

both phytase and phytic acid levels and also the development of high phytase and low

phytic acid lines through mutation breeding. The study has implications in enhancing

bioavailability of Fe and Zn in wheat to human beings.

PS III – 21

Development of integrated molecular map and identification of stable

QTLs for traits related to water use efficiency and pod yield in groundnut

E. Eradasappa*, D. L. Savithramma and S. K. Savita

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru 560 065


Water use efficiency is considered as an important drought avoidance and it plays crucial

role in groundnut since it is cultivated mainly in rainfed areas. The aim of present study was

to develop improved linkage map and identify stable QTLs for traits related to water use

efficiency (WUE) and pod yield. The recombinant inbred lines consisting of 160 F9 and F10

RIL population derived from GKVK 4 × NRCG 12473 were evaluated for surrogate traits of

WUE, pod yield and yield related parameters in two locations viz., Bengaluru and Chintamani

for two years during summer 2016 and 2017 under well-watered and water-stress conditions.

After screening 180 SSR markers for parental polymorphism, 46 markers showed

polymorphism. The improved linkage map was constructed using 210 SSR markers (164

from previous study, 46 from present study). Improved linkage map was constructed with

125 SSR linked markers and the map resulted in 20 linkage groups whereas previous linkage

map resulted in 22 LGs with 105 linked markers out of 164 polymorphic markers. The total

length of improved linkage map was 1372.05 cM with an average marker density of 10.98



cM. The previous linkage map spanned 763.1 cM in length with an average marker density

of 7.27 cM. QTL analysis detected one each M-QTL for SCMR and SLA and nine M-QTLs

for pod yield related traits. Overall, two minor QTLs for relative water content, four M-QTLs

for days to 50 per cent flowering, four M-QTLs for plant height were stable across years or

locations or conditions.

PS III – 22

Genetic landscapes of oil content quantitative trait loci in erucic and

zero erucic acid frame works in Brassica juncea

Bal Govind Yadav, Kadambini Rout, Satish Kumar Yadava, Deepak Pental,

Akshay K. Pradhan*

Department of Genetics, University of Delhi, South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New

Delhi 110 007


The twofold objectives of genetic modification of seed oil content in mustard (Brassica juncea)

are to enhance the nutritional and functional properties with a concomitant overall increase

in the oil percentage. Earlier studies have indicated the existence of pleiotropy between

erucic acid and oil content, indicating a direct influence of the erucic acid loci on oil content.

The present study, therefore, was undertaken for genetic dissection of seed oil content in B.juncea involving eight bi-parental doubled haploid (DH) that showed wide phenotypic variation

for both seed oil content and erucic acid content. The mapping populations were divided into

two sets – one set consisted of DH lines segregating for erucic acid (SE populations) and

the other set consisted of zero erucic acid DH lines (ZE populations). We have drawn detailed

QTL landscapes of oil content loci describing a pronounced diversity in the allelic effects of

lines belonging to the two distinct gene pools of B. juncea. Meta-analysis revealed a total of

nine common QTL between the segregating and non-segregating populations along with six

novel QTL that are unique to the non-segregating populations. These results have been

discussed and highlight the scope available for increasing oil content in canola quality mustard.

PS III – 23

Estimation of heterosis for yield and nutritional traits in single cross

maize hybrids

Shamly Gupta, S. Lata* and Jay Prakash*

CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalya, Palampur


In the recent past, maize hybrids have replaced the open-pollinated varieties on account of

their higher yield potential across the world. As per WHO reports, Indian diet is cereal centric



as a consequence, they are deficient in micronutrient, therefore biofortified maize hybrids

are the only solution, as they are high yielder and nutritionally-enriched than the traditional

varieties. A field experiment was conducted at CSKHPKV, Palampur during kharif season

by crossing 10 opaque2 introgressed lines with 3 diverse testers to estimate heterosis in

single cross hybrids and evaluated thirty hybrids along with their parents and checks (Vivek

QPM-9 & Palam Sankar Makka-2) in α-RBD design with two replications. The range of

standard heterosis for grain yield and nutritional traits viz., tryptophan, iron and zinc ranged

from -35.34 to 22.17%, 40.28 to 123.60%, -6.54 to 35.78% and -8.18 to 39.93% respectively.

Based upon superiority over standard check a considerable amount of heterosis observed

for many crosses. The presence of heterosis in top three crosses viz., L8 × T1, L7 × T1 and L10

× T1 indicated the possibility of exploitation of hybrid vigour. Overall, it could be concluded

that on the basis of significant heterosis for earliness and grain yield, best four promising

crosses viz., L4 × T1 , L7 × T1 , L8 × T1 and L10 × T1 identified of which cross L8 × T1 and

L10 × T1 were identified as nutritionally enriched hybrids which may be used as a micronutrient

enriched single cross hybrids after further evaluation.

PS III – 24

Nature of gene action for lycopene and asborbic acid content and their

association on shelf life in tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum Mill.)

S. Gangaprasad*, M. P. Pavan and B. M. Dushyanthakumar


Sciences, Shimoga 577 225, Karnataka


Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum Mill.) is universally consumed vegetable and important

dietary composition of world. It is rich in lycopene and ascorbic acid and both are beneficial

for human health. Lycopene is a an antioxidant and it has also been shown to modulate

hormone/ immune systems and other metabolic pathways. Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is also

a component of human health known to enhance the keeping quality of tomatoes. The six

generation mean analysis revealed that both lycopene and ascorbic acid contents are

determined by duplicate genes with both additive and dominance effects. Shelf life of tomato

is directly influenced by both lycopene and ascorbic contents. One or two cycles of biparental

mating followed by recurrent selection are advisable for improving these traits. Selection of

desirable genotypes in advanced segregating generations requires evaluation of a large

number of families.



PS III – 25

Improved storage containers and treatments for longevity of fenugreek

Jadhav Sulochana, Dileepkumar Masuthi, M. H. Tatagar, Sumangala Koulagi, Mahantesha

B. N. Naika and D. Satish

KRC College of Horticulture Arabhavi, UHS Bagalkot


In recent years, attempts have been made to replace synthetic pesticides with natural

pesticides of plant origin which are cheaper, safer and eco-friendly, less persistent and

more specific. Among the various methods followed, use of botanicals has been a traditional

method and is being received much attention, to prevent the loss of seed during storage. In

this research programme longevity of fenugreek seeds is studied by using different containers

like brown paper bag, polythene bag, cloth bag and different seed treatments like Tulsi leaf

(5%), Yekke leaf powder (5%), Pongamia leaf powder (5%), Arappu leaf powder (5%), Boric

powder (1.5%), Cow dung flakes (1/4th flake) and Tulsi leaf (5%), Bavistin (1.5 g/kg of

seeds) and control (without treatment). The experiment was conducted at University of

Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot (Karnataka) during 2017. Initially, seed treated with boric

powder, control under cloth bag and control under brown paper bag showed maximum dry

weight but at end of the storage boric powder and cow dung flakes (1/4th flake) and tulsi leaf

(5%) seed treatment under cloth bag showed maximum seedling dry weight. In seed storage,

seeds treated with cow dung flakes (1/4th flake) and tulsi leaf-5% and packed in cloth bag

was effective for improving seed germination, vigour index, dry weight, seed treated with

tulsi under brown paper bag condition showed minimum electrical conductivity, so these

seed treatment and container are effective in extending the shelf life of seed, seed longevity,

maintaining the storability and effective in controlling storage pest.

PS III – 26

Biofortification in rice for high zinc and iron contents

Amrutlal Khaire*, Korada Mounika and Sonali Habde


Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, Uttar Pradesh


The term Biofortification broadly used for increasing important and highly required

micronutrients, vitamins, proteins etc. in staple food crops. As rice is an important staple

food crop of the world, it is necessary to incorporate important nutrient like zinc and iron as

they are key nutrients which helps in major physiological and biochemical activities of body

system. So, increasing the contents of Zn and Fe in food crops for improving balanced diet

is essential. With great view, the breeders and geneticists are interested to incorporating

higher nutrient content in embryos so that it will be available even after polishing. Genotypes



with high zinc (>20ppm) and high iron (>10ppm) are identified and taken as donors in breeding

programmes. But several reports indicate a significant negative association between grain

iron and zinc concentration and yield in rice. Meanwhile, some released varieties in

Bangladesh have combination of high zinc content and good yield. So there is possibility to

develop high yielding varieties with high levels of zinc and iron. For this purpose, identification

of high zinc and iron donor lines, transgenic lines etc. can be used in breeding programmes.

In the process of developing high-iron and high-zinc rice (HIZR), IRRI has successfully

added a gene from rice responsible for iron and zinc movement from plant roots and leaves

into the rice grain. There is need to incorporate them in famous and farmers preferred varieties

so it can reach the humankind.

PS III – 27

Development and dissemination of linseed varieties and low input cost

based production technology under water limited environment towards

nutritional security of the country

Payasi K. Devendra*, M. P. Dubey, R. K. Saraf and P. K. Singh

All India Coordinated Research Project on Linseed, Regional Agricultural Research Station,

Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Sagar 470 002, Madhya Pradesh


Linseed (Linum usitatissium L.) is an important oilseed crop grown almost every part of the

country. It is a source of complete protein (all 8 essential amino acids), high order linolenic

acid (an essential polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acid), complex carbohydrates, vitamins

and minerals. Now a days, this crop is emerging as very good source of nutrition special

reference to having ample amount of Omega-3 fatty acid, which is a cheap and best source

of essential nutrition for pregnant women, children and all category of human beings. The

state contributed 50 % both in area and production of the country which proved Madhya

Pradesh is the major state as regard area and production of linseed crop. Improved varieties

developed by our research station namely JLS-9, JLS-27, JLS-66, JLS-67, JLS 73, JLS 79

and JLS 95 have high seed and oil yield as well as high omega 3 fatty acid. These varieties

have omega 3 ranging from 40-56%. The highest omega 3 was reported in variety JLS 66

fallowed by JLS 27 and JLS 95 and lowest was reported in JLS 9. Cultivar development of

linseed is currently focused on early maturing, enhancing the oil content and nutritional

value to meet the demand of nutraceutical market supply, as an alternate source of fish oil,

flax is the richest source of ALA, a precursor for the synthesis of very long chain

polyunsaturated fatty acids, a rich source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5) and

docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6). Linseed seed is also rich in soluble and insoluble

fibers and lignins, makes it useful as a dietary supplement. Flax is naturally high in

polyunsaturated fatty acids, more specifically in ω-3 fatty acids; and hence flax seed as a



component of poultry meal, cattle fees can provide ω-3 enriched eggs and milk. An efforts

have been made towards standardization of Low input cost production technology,

mechanization for high productivity on farmer field in District Sagar and Hoshangabad of

Madhya Pradesh during 2016-17 and 2017-18 and the results were encouraging.

PS III – 28

Advanced breeding lines of foxtail millet with high iron and zinc

L. N. Yogeesh* and B. K. Desai

Agricultural Research Station, Hagari 538 111, Bellary, University of Agricultural Sciences,

Raichur, Karnataka


Foxtail millet is climate resilient crop grown and consumed as food and fodder for animals of

arid and semi-arid regions of India. Foxtail millet having health and nutritional benefits for

alleviating the wide spread nutritional deficiency which is possibly the result of changed

food habits and the shrunken food basket mostly consisting of rice and wheat diet patterns.

Millet grains are the store houses of many chemical components including nutrients, physico-

chemicals, and non-nutritive plant protective functional constituents. The present study was

under taken to evaluate the nutritional and physico-chemical properties of genotypes

developed at Agricultural Research Station, Hagari, Ballari. The total mineral content of

different genotypes of foxtail millet ranged from 1.28g (HN-2) to 2.0g (HN-6). The high protein

content was recorded in genotype HN-9 (13.29 g) followed by HN-2 (12.98g) and HN-5

(12.35 g). The crude fiber content ranged from 1.9g (HN-9) to 2.98g (HN-7). Iron and Zinc

concentration in all advanced breeding lines of Foxtail millet was analyzed using Inductively

Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrophotometer (IGPS) at Pesticide Residue and Food Quality

Analysis Laboratory, UAS, Raichur. Iron concentration ranged from 22.78 ppm to 783.58

ppm and zinc from 6.5 ppm to 43.16 ppm. Foxtail millet Genotypes with high fiber, protein,

Fe and Zn was despicable source for biofortification to overcome malnutrition.

PS III – 29

Nutritional and health benefits of multipurpose plant - Linseed

Sandhya*, Yamini Tak1, Manoj Kumar and Chirag Gautamc

Agriculture Research Station, Agriculture University Kota, Department of Plant Breeding

and Genetics, Agriculture Research Station, Department of Biochemistry, Agriculture

University Kota, Rajasthan


Linseed is an important oil crop cultivated worldwide for oil, fiber and functional food. Linseed

oil has health benefits and disease preventive properties on coronary heart disease, some



kinds of cancer, neurological and hormonal disorders. Linseed oil is the richest source of

richest source of Omega 3-fatty acid and ALS, which makes about 55–60% of total fatty

acids. Generally linseed contains 40% oil, 30% diet fiber, 20% protein, 4% ash, 6% moisture

21% PRO, and 3% CHO, source of magnesium, potassium, zinc, B vitamins, soluble fibers

(25%) and insoluble fiber (75%). Linseed oil contains 73% PUFA, 18% MUFA, 9% SFA,

ALA 55% of total fatty acids. Linseed is good source of phytoestrogen called lignans possible

use in breast cancer prevention. Linseed shows evidence of digestibility, bioactive peptides,

antimicrobial, anti-Parkinson’s, anti-proliferative, antihypertensive, anticancer, immune

enhancing, antiulcer and antioxidant activities. Plant of it provides seedcakes, fibers and

shives as by-products. The recent development of analytical methods allowed to determine

several valuable compounds in these materials have made them there by more appealing to

industry. It is expected that the development of value-added products from linseed plant

might greatly improve the economic viability of its cultivation. Moreover, the use of linseed

plant as a whole to produce innovative industrial products would enhance the sustainability

of natural resources. This review highlights the potential of ‘flax seed’ as a ‘neutraceutical’

and its role as a protective, therapeutic medicinal food and the potential application of linseed

oil in improvement of human health.

PS III – 30

G x E interactions for total polyphenol content and anti-oxidant activity

in white and red sorghums

C. Aruna*, C. V. Ratnavathi, M. Suguna, B. Ranga, P. Praveen Kumar, A. Annapurna,

D. M. Bahadure and V. A. Tonapi

Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad


Sorghum is known for diverse end uses and concerted breeding efforts for end-use specific

genotypes are required to gain more returns per unit land. It is a rich source of bioactive

compounds such as polyphenols and antioxidants, and has unique advantage in terms of its

composition, functionality as a modern food ingredient.Genotypes with elevated polyphenols

and antioxidant content may provide foods that benefit human health.In an effort to identify

sorghum genotypes with improved total polyphenol content (TPC) and antioxidant activity,

60 genotypes comprising of white and red sorghums were evaluated over three years. TPC

ranged from 55.6mg/100gto 553.1mg/100g and IS 30508 had the highest TPC. The highest

antioxidant activity, measured as free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) was observed in

IS 16151. Though GxE interactions were detected, the scale of interaction was substantially

smaller than the genotype effect, indicating that genotype has a larger effect. Correlation

studies suggest that TPC and FRSA are positively associated with each other and with seed

color, indicating that colored sorghums are good source of TPC and antioxidants. However,

not all red genotypes have high TPC and FRSA.Correlations with yield indicated the possibility



of developing a high yielding line with superior quality. IC305903, SPV1293, SPV1731 and

SPV1775 among white genotypes and IS 23514 among red were best for TPC based on

their means and bi values.For scavenging activity, SPV1732, RS627, SPV1731, IC345194,

IMS9B among white, and IS 12697, IS 12735 among red sorghums were stable and

promising. The information generated aids in identifying donors for development of trait

specific genotypes for products suitable as functional foods.

PS III – 31

Expression profiling and identification of alpha-gliadin variants in

Triticum sp.

Jaskaran Kaur Arora, Inderjit Yadav and Parveen Chhuneja*

School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 ???,

Punjab


Celiac Disease (CD) is an inflammatory disorder that damages the lining of the small intestine

in humans and prevents it from absorbing components of food that are important for staying

healthy. The allergic reaction to the alpha(á)-gliadin class of gluten proteins which is present

in wheat leads to an autoimmune response in the celiac disease patients which cause damage

to the intestinal mucosa. Alpha-gliadin proteins of the wheat gluten form a multigene family

encoded by genomic loci Gli-A2, Gli-B2 and Gli-D2 located on the homoeologous wheat

chromosomes 6AS, 6BS, and 6DS, respectively. The present experiment was planned to

study the variations in the amino acid sequence of the alpha-gliadin proteins and CD eliciting

epitopes in the eight Triticum sp. including three tetraploid (PDW 274, PBW34, Bansi 162)

and five hexaploid cultivars (C591, C273, K78, PBW 54 and 9D). RNA was isolated from the

developing grain after anthesis and sequenced through Illumina Hiseq platform. Paired-end

reads obtained were filtered at Q30 after which K-mer based screening tools were used to

fetch the á-gliadin reads followed by its alignment to the wheat RefSeq assembly. The amino

acid sequences of α-gliadin were analyzed for the variant form of the toxic epitopes which

do not cause the CD. The most toxic epitope 33-mer was observed in all hexaploid genotypes

but its expression in each varied. The expression of á-gliadin genes was analyzed based on

Reads Per Kilobase Million (RPKM) value. A hexaploid genotype showing lowest expression

of the á-gliadin genes carrying α-9, α-2, and 33-mer toxic epitopes was identified. The lower

proportion of T-cell stimulatory epitopes identified in this cultivar is the initial step towards

developing a wheat that is less immunogenic for celiac disease patients.



PS III – 32

Superior allele(s) of phosphorus starvation tolerance (PSTOL1) gene

from Oryza rufipogon imparts enhanced phosphorus uptake

Sahil Jain, Kumari Neelam, Neha, S. S. Dhaliwal1, Yogesh Vikal and Kuldeep Singh2

1School of Agricultural Biotechnology, 1Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural

University, Ludhiana; 2ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 12

Email: [email protected];[email protected]

For efficient plant metabolism, root growth and yield, phosphorus is an element of unequivocal

importance. Limited availability of P in the soil is identified as a major limiting factor for

growth and productivity across Asian, African and South American countries. Further, the

native soil P reserves are limited and exhaustible under intensive agriculture. In earlier

studies, Phosphorus Starvation Tolerance 1 (PSTOL1), a protein kinase gene, was cloned

in aus type rice variety Kasalath acting as an enhancer of early root growth whose expression

is up-regulated under phosphorus-deficient conditions that enable the plant to acquire more

P and other nutrients and enhances grain yield. Sixty-seven representative accessions of O.rufipogon and Vandana as a positive control were sequence characterized for PSTOL1gene at School of Agricultural Biotechnology, PAU Ludhiana. These accessions were then

classified into 17 haplotypes. Selected wild accessions were screened under phosphorous

deficient soil. One thousand and forty-five BC1F2 and BC2F1 plants involving 4 accessions

{IRGC 81989 (H11 Haplotype), IRGC 93216 (H2), IRGC 104395 (H2), IRGC 104852 (H1)}

developed at PAU were screened for the presence of PSTOL1 with gene-specific marker

and 184 plants were found to be PCR positive for the gene. The PCR positive plants were

selfed to raise the next generation.1528 BC2F2 plants were raised, screened for the PSTOL1gene and positive plants were phenotyped under P-deficient soil for different yield component

traits. Five of the back cross progenies with enhanced phosphorus uptake were identified

which could be further utilized to develop phosphorus efficient rice plants.

PS III – 33

Enhancement of carotenoid pigment content in wheat

Asish*, Achla Sharma, HarinderJit Kaur, Puja Srivastava, Anureet Kaur and N. S. Bains

Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004


Wheat being a major crop of North Western Plain Zone of India, wheat breeding programme

in our country is mainly focused on productivity. Breeding for quality is not a top priority and

moreover, its processing quality that takes precedence on nutritional quality. People generally

lack essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamin A, who eat mostly cereal-based



foods.The best approach, especially for those who cannot afford a varied diet, is by providing

them with the nutrient-rich staple crops. So there is a need of commitment towards

development of wheat with high protein and yellow pigments including carotene, micronutrient

dense grain etc, In the present study, we have increased the ‘Y gene’ based carotenoids

pigment in the popular wheat variety HD 2967. TheY gene is present in distal to the

chromosome arm 7EL from Lophopyrum ponticum that increases yellow pigment in the

endosperm, and is linked with Lr19 (the leaf rust resistance gene) and Sr25 (the stem rust

resistance gene). Because of the yellow colour of the flour due to Y gene, this translocation

was hardly used in the bread wheat breeding in spite of its resistance and high yield conferring

traits. Recently however the nutritional role of yellow pigments in the grain due to the Y gene

has been recognized. In the Indian context the yellow pigment offers no impediment in

terms of consumer preference. Yellow tinged chapatti, unlike bread may be preferred over

white colour. The wheat line FLW 8 was crossed with HD2967 and F2 population was

screened for presence of Y gene as well as for carotenoid pigment content. Further, selected

plants with high pigment and having Y gene were back crossed to HD2967. BC1F2 was

advanced upto BC1F6 selecting lines having Y gene and having high pigments. Molecular

marker BF145935was used for marker assisted selection. The selected homozygous lines

have pigment content ranging upto 12ppm in comparison to 3-4ppm for other wheat varieties;

this can be very useful for providing biofortified food to the poor as wheat is the staple diet.

PS III – 34

Genetic variability for root traits in relation to nitrogen use efficiency

in structured population of wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Mohd Shamshad*, Achla Sharma, Puja Srivastava, Anureet Kaur and Jayesh Singh

Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004


Plant roots are of fundamental importance for numerous functions that are the basis of plant

productivity, which include water and nutrient uptake. The aim of the present study was to

identify the genotypic variation for nitrogen use efficiency. The plant material consisted of a

RIL population havingcontrasting parents(PBW 677 and PBW 703) for the trait.RIL population

consisting of 239 lines was studied using paper towel method in a hydroponics solutions

(Hoagland solution). Three nitrogen concentration variate i.e. full nitrogen, half nitrogen and

zero nitrogen were the three treatments. The hydroponic based root study system was set

up in a growth chamber and the nine days old plants were analysis using ImageJ with smart

root plugin (version 4.1). Further data obtained were statistically analysis using SAS 9.3

(SAS Institute, USA). The analysis of variations (ANOVA) showed significant variation

between RIL populations for the root number, root diameter, shoot length and number of

nodes at 1% significant level.Therewas significant differences among genotypes with respect

to response to different nitrogen concentrations at 1% significant level. The reductions of



the root length is about 53% under the zero nitrogen levels.The correlation analysis shows

that number of roots is positively correlated with number of nodes (0.189**) while number of

nodes and root diameter is negatively correlated with number of nodes. Under the low nitrogen

level, root length and shoot length are positively correlated with number of nodes (0.180**,

0.224**).This implies that the traits like root length, root diameter and root number are highly

effected by the nitrogen concentration and can be the important traits for improving nitrogen

use efficiency in bread wheat cultivars. Further this variations will be used to identifying

QTL’s for nitrogen uptake efficiency.

PS III – 35

Single marker analysis and identification of markers associated with

grain micronutrients and protein content in tetraploid wheat

Suma S. Biradar*, U. Fyroz, V. Rudranaik, S. A. Desai1, C. K. Chethana, Guruprasad

Hiremath and Sewa Ram2

AICRP on Wheat, Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences,

Dharwad 580 005, Karnataka; 1Protection of Plant Varities and Farmer’s Right’s Authority

(PPV and FRA), New Delhi; 2ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR)

Agrasain Marg, Karnal 132 001


Wheat is a staple food for most of people across the world. Nutrients in wheat grains can be

enriched by adopting biofortification. The identification and use of closely linked markers is

important to screen and select for difficult to breed traits like grain Fe, Zn and protein content

which exhibit high genotype x environment interaction. The present investigation was carried

out to validate the markers associated with grain micronutrients and protein content. Single

marker analysis (SMA) was performed to determine the strength of association between

grain micronutrients, protein content and SSR markers. A total of 56 tetraploid wheat

genotypes were screened using already reported 30 SSR primers. Out of 30 markers

screened, only nine markers were found polymorphic among the genotypes. Out of nine

polymorphic SSR markers, four markers viz., Xgwm361, Xbarc67, and Xwmc617andXwmc283 showed significant association with high grain iron content with the R2 value of

23.70, 13.20, 13.20, 7.65 and 7.47 per cent respectively. The marker gwm271 is found to be

associated with grain zinc content with R2 value of 7.11 per cent, similarly marker Xgwm408showed association with grain protein content with R2 value of 11.09 per cent, while, the

marker Xbarc146 exhibited significant association with both traits i.e. grain iron and protein

content with R2 value of 13.20 and 7.11 per cent respectively. Hence, the present work

validates the association of these markers with grain micronutrients and protein content and

also provides the potential scope for their effective utilization in marker assisted selection

for development of micronutrient dense wheat genotypes.



PS III – 36

Molecular characterization of wheat genotypes for nitrogen use

efficiency

S. A. Desai*, T. N. Sathisha2, Suma S. Birader1, R. V. Naik1, Guruprasad Hiremath1

K. J. Yashwanth Kumar2 and C. K. Chethana2

PPV FRA, New Delhi 110 012; 1University of Agricultural sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka


In the present scenario, developing wheat lines which can give high yields with minimum N

inputs is therefore a priority. Selection of genotypes for higher NUE through conventional

approach is very difficult due its complex nature. Thus, molecular characterization would

enable us to understand the genomic components and improves the efficiency of selection.

In the present study, 84 wheat genotypes were characterized using previously reported 24

SSR markers linked to the NUE traits and identification of potential SSR markers that are

significantly associated with the NUE traits under different levels of N (T-1 (0 kg N/ha), T2

(50 kg N/ha), T3 (100 kg N/ha) and T4 (150 kg N/ha)). The SSR marker m081 was found to

be significantly associated with NUE related traits, SPAD and NDVI value at anthesis stage

across all the four treatments with a maximum R2. Grain yield was associated with five SSR

markers (m081, m514, m308, wmc154 and wmc612), across all the treatments. Similarly,

biomass was linked with four markers (m081, m514, m308 and wmc154) and harvest index

with only one marker m514. However, the NUE related traits like above ground N (marker

m308), nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUpE) and nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE) also had

single common marker (m514). Six potential markers were found to be common for NUE

traits across all four N treatments. The markers m081 (25.19 %) followed by m514 (22.9 %),

m308 (18.05 %), wmc154 (22.9 %), wmc612 (13.92 %) and wmc720 (9.65%) exhibited

higher R2 for NUE. Among these six potential markers, m081 showed close association with

most of the NUE related traits contributing towards yield and yield attributing traits and NUE

in particular under low and high nitrogen levels and hence can be used in marker assisted

selection (MAS) for breeding of high nitrogen use efficiency in wheat.



PS III – 37

Identification of candidate genes associated with iron and zinc

metabolism along with SNPs in sorghum and designing KASP assay

for genotyping

P. Rajendrakumar*, K. Hariprasanna, Manjesh Saakre, R. Venkateswarlu and A. Vilas

Tonapi

ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030


Millet grains are nutritionally superior as they contain high amount of protein, essential amino

acids, minerals, and vitamins. Biofortification of food crops is proved to be a cost-effective

and sustainable approach to combat micronutrient malnutrition. With the availability of

germplasm accessions possessing the variability, genome annotations in sorghum and the

advancements in SNP genotyping, SNP-trait associations can be identified through candidate

gene-based association analysis since genes involved in iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) metabolism

are identified in major cereals. Towards this, about 22 candidate genes reported in major

cereals were identified in sorghum encompassing all chromosomes except chromosomes

5, 8 and 9 and their accession IDs were retrieved from MOROKOSHI Sorghum transcriptome

database. A total of 143 SNPs were identified in these candidate genes using SorGSD

database, most of the SNPs were identified in zinc induced facilitator-like gene (30 SNPs)

and least were found in FDH, IDEF1, ID1 and IDS3 (one SNP each). Target allele (SNP)

and reference allele were obtained for each SNP along with the 50 bps of both 5’ and 3’

flanking regions and primers were designed targeting these 143 SNPs in 22 candidate genes

for genotyping using the sorghum association mapping panel through Kompetitive allele

specific PCR (KASP) assay. These set of candidate gene SNP-based primers form a useful

genomic resource for the identification of SNP-trait associations for grain Fe and Zn contents

in sorghum.

PS III – 38

Assessing the allelic variation at lipoxygenase 3 (LOX3) locus for

exploitation in enhancing the rice bran quality and storability

Haritha Bollinedi*, Neha Singh, A. K. Singh, S. Gopala Krishnan and P. K. Bhowmick

Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012


Rice bran constituting the pericarp and germ of rice grain is a valuable byproduct of rice

processing industry. World production of 741.5 MT of paddy yields about 66-75 MT of bran



that further has a potential to produce 3.5 million tons of rice bran oil (RBO). RBO with its

excellent fatty acid profile and antioxidants like α-oryzanol makes it suitable for heart patients.

However, the rapid deterioration of bran upon storage acts as a major limitation in exploiting

its full potential. LOX3 was reported to be major enzyme responsible for lipid degradation

catalyzing the oxidation of polyunsturated fatty acids (PUFA) like linoleic acid (LA) and α-

linolenic acid (ALA) and the formation of peroxide derivatives associated with rancid flavor.

The present study assessed the genetic diversity among 250 rice germplasm accessions

for the oil content, fatty acid composition and LOX activity. The oil content ranged from

9.41% (GP282) to 25.46% (GP924) with a mean of 18.37%. While LA ranged from 14.19-

36.08%, ALA ranged from 0.15- 1.15%. Basmati 370 recorded lowest value for LA and ALA

and highest proportion of oleic acid with better health benefits. Colorimetric assay for LOX

activity identified 12 genotypes with complete absence of the LOX activity. On the basis of

these analyses, a representative set of 50 accessions was made and full length amplification

of LOX3 gene was carried out using a set of 5 overlapping primer pairs. The PCR products

are sequenced to identify the sequence polymorphisms governing the variation in the

expression of the gene.

PS III – 39

Variability for root traits and nitrogen use efficiency under varied N

level in wheat

Rumesh Ranjan and Rajbir Yadav*

Division of Genetics, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi 110 012


Environmental and health concerns along with profitability issues may force breeders to

pursue improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in the coming years in India too. Root; the

most vital organ for absorption of water and nutrient from the soil and its relation to nitrogen

use is little understood and studied by researcher in Indian wheat germplasm. The present

research, therefore, was planned to assess variability of NUE and root traits in Indian advance

breeding material and released varieties. A total of 175 genotypes of spring wheat were

initially screened both under high N and low N under hydroponic conditions for 8 weeks at

National Phytotron Facility, New Delhi. Analysis of variance under HN and LN showed high

significant difference (p < 0.001) among genotypes for root traits [i.e. root dry weight (RDW)

and maximum root length (MRL)] and NUE. Pooled data analysis too revealed high

significance (p < 0.001) due to genotypes, environments and genotypes X environments

interaction for RDW, MRL and NUE under study. Over all mean data revealed that MRL was

higher under LN than HN condition where as RDW were at par under both N environment.

Mean N uptake efficiency (NUpE) and N utilization efficiency (NUtE) were higher in N limiting

environment than N non limiting environment. Range value revealed that enough variability

was present for the traits in the genotypes studied under both N environments. Genotypic



coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) showed that

there were negligible role of environment for traits expression. High GCV for RDW, MRL,

NUpE and NUE were observed under HN where as high GCV for NUtE was observed under

LN environment. Association study revealed that RDW, NUpE and MRL showed strong

correlation with NUE under both N environments where as NUtE showed non significant

relation to NUE. To dissect the root traits, extensive data were generated for root traits

under root scanner under subset genotypes which were grown under hydroponic for 4 weeks

and 8 weeks under HN and LN environments. Subset genotypes analysis for 4weeks data

revealed that RDW was largely contributed by root surface area (RSA), root volume (RV)

and total root length (TRL) under both N environments. Path analysis however, identifies

that only RSA and TRL have positive direct effect on RDW. Root volume contributed toward

RDW largely through RSA and TRL and therefore these should be targeted for improvement

in root biomass under HN where as only TRL show direct contribution with RDW under LN.

Subset genotypes analysis for 8 weeks data revealed that under HN, MRL can be directly

selected for improving NUE whereas N uptake can be improved by directly selecting for root

mass whereas under LN, MRL has no bearing with NUE.

PS III – 40

Identification of meta-QTLs (mQTL) for nitrogen efficiency and profiling

ofthe mQTL diversity in Indian rice germplasm

Kumar Rahul*, K. K. Vinod, S. Krishnan Gopala, Ellur K. Ranjith, Nair S. Lekshmi,

P. K. Mandal, Kumar Dinesh, Mehrotra Shweta

Division of Genetics, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012; 1IARI, Regional Station, Aduthurai,

Tamil Nadu


Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of the crops such as rice is very low which is about 30-

35%.The remaining 65-70 %of N is lost through leaching, denitrification, volatilization into

environment. For the improvement of N use efficiency in rice several QTLs have been

identified which generally have minor effect on this N use trait. Therefore to identify most

significant genomic regions (meta-QTLs) which govern N use trait in rice, this study was

undertaken. Research work began with the evaluation of 65 genotypes for agronomic and N

use related traits under three N level N0, N50 and N100. A meta-analysis revealed sixteen

mQTLs related to N use efficiency and grain yield per plant which were located on six

chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 11. The mQTLs linked marker were used to genotype the

same germplasm set used for field evaluation. The validation test revealed that RM 202

having a allele of size 179 bp with 23% distribution in germplasm was found to associated to

two N use parametrs such as grains no. per panicle and N assimilation efficiency. Marker

RM252 which is linked to mQTL4.3 showed allelic frequency between 0.35 to 0.65 which

also found a low priority candidate marker. These markers can be further employed for



breeding for N use efficency in rice. The potential carrier for N efficiency also identified

which were Acharmati, ADT 38, ADT 42, ASD 16, Chandrahasini, CR Dhan 310, Jaiphoola,

Kamlesh, Nagina 22, Nidhi and Pusa 44 . Further these genotypes can be used as donors in

future for the breeding of N efficient varieties.

PS III – 41

Genetic variability for retention of provitamin - A carotenoids among

crtRB1-based MAS-derived maize hybrids under storage

Suman Dutta, Vignesh Muthusamy*, Rajkumar U. Zunjare, Aanchal Baveja, Rashmi

Chhabra, K. P. Abhijith, Manigopa Chakraborti1, Tapan K. Mondal2 and Firoz Hossain

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, 1Birsa Agricultural University,

Ranchi; 2ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 012


Yellow maize possesses low level of provitamin-A (proA). Marker-assisted introgression of

crtRB1 gene has led to the development of proA rich maize hybrids worldwide. However,

proA level encounters significant loss during storage. Therefore to sustain the increased

proA level, there is a need to identify hybrids with higher retention of proA during storage. In

the present study, nine crtRB1-based maize hybrids rich in proA (13-22 ppm) and six normal

hybrids low in proA (2-4 ppm) were evaluated for retention carotenoids during five months of

storage. At harvest, kernel proA among crtRB1-based hybrids was 18.77 ppm, while non-

proA was 19.00 ppm. After five months storage, proA among crtRB1-based hybrids was

reduced to 3.24 ppm, and the same in normal hybrids was 0.75 ppm from initial level of 2.99

ppm. Non-proA among crtRB1-based hybrids was 10.79 ppm after storage, and the same

for normal hybrid was 20.60 ppm from 39.09 ppm at harvest. Mean retention of proA and

non-proA among crtRB1-based hybrids was 17% and 58%, respectively. Among proA, β-

cryptoxanthin had more retention (22%) than β-carotene (16%), while lutein among non-

proA recorded higher retention (61%) compared to zeaxanthin (50%). The retention for

proA among crtRB1-based hybrids varied from 14% (APQH5) to 23% (APQH7) suggesting

the role of genetic factor(s). Our study also indicated that differential expression of carotenoidcleavage dioxygenase1 (CCD1) possibly affects the retention of proA during storage. Identified

hybrids (APH2, APQH1 and APQH7) with high retention of proA during storage possess

great significance in alleviating vitamin-A deficiency in humans.



PS III – 42

Genetic variability and association in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum

(L.) R. Br.) for grain micronutrients concentration and yield and

components traits under the climatic condition of North Gujarat

M. Kumar*, M. P. Patel and M. S. Patel1

Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, C. P. College of Agriculture, S. D. Agricultural

University, S. K. Nagar, Gujarat; 1Center of Crop Improvement, S. D. Agricultural University,

S. K. Nagar, Gujarat


Micronutrient malnutrition resulting from the dietary deficiency from the staple food like pearl

millet of important minerals such as Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu) and Manganese (Mn)

leads to ubiquitous food-related health problem. In context to that present study was

undertaken among 48 diverse pearl millet genotypes in 2 replications in complete randomized

block design. The data on grain micronutrients concentration, yield and its component traits

of pearl millet were recorded for all the genotypes. Genetic improvement of crop depends

upon the magnitude of genetic variability available in the gene pool. Therefore, significant

range of variation for grain micronutrients was estimated and found as such for Fe was lies

between 14 to 122 mg kg-1, for Zn between 11.5 to 56 mg kg-1, for Cu between 4.5 to 10.5 mg

kg-1 and for Mn between 4.5 to 17.5 mg kg-1. The Significant variation also observed for the

important traits like grain yield plant-1 (0.0055-0.2135 kg), ear head weight (0.0165-0.44 kg),

dry fodder weight (0.3235-2.93 kg), panicle length (13-28.835 cm) and panicle girth (18.55-

29.875 mm) differences were observed for all the traits studied. The phenotypic coefficient

of variation was greater than getotypic coefficients for all the characters. The genotypic

correlation coefficient between grain weight and iron (-0.1293), zinc (-0.1776), copper

(0.0207), manganese (-0.0489), plant height (0.4496), ear head weight (0.9759), panicle

length (0.2769), panicle girth (-0.1226), days to 50% flowering (-0.5504), between iron and

zinc (0.3039), iron and copper (-0.4242) and iron and manganese (0.6594) etc. were observed.

The significant positive correlation between iron and zinc (0.3039) and iron and manganese

(0.6594) content were indicating the likely effectiveness of simultaneous improvement of all

these traits.



PS III – 43

Genetics and breeding of antioxidant and phytochemical traits in

cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) using cytoplasmic male

sterile (CMS) and doubled haploid (DH) lines

Saurabh Singh*, S. S. Dey, Raj Kumar and Reeta Bhatia1

Division of Vegetable Science, 1Division of Floriculture and Landscaping, ICAR-Indian

Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012


The cole vegetables are regarded as superfoods as they are rich source of minerals, vitamins,

secondary metabolites, antioxidant and phytochemical compounds having anticancer and

health promoting properties. Development of F1 hybrids with better nutritional traits is one of

the main breeding objectives in different vegetable crops. Present investigation is the first

report of identifying heterotic crosses exploiting cytoplasmic male sterile and doubled haploid

elite breeding lines for antioxidant and quality traits in cauliflower. Total 120 testcross

progenies were developed using line x tester mating design utilizing twenty genetically diverse

CMS lines of cauliflower and six DH based testers having abundant pollen. The resulting

120 F1 hybrids along with 26 parents and 4 commercial CMS based hybrids as standard

checks were evaluated in 10 × 15 alpha lattice design with three replications. The CMS lines

Ogu33-1A, Ogu122-5A and Ogu119-1A were found good general combiner for majority of

antioxidant capacity and quality traits. The significant SCA effects exhibited strong positive

association with heterosis for all the traits. The less than unity value of proportions of ó2A/D

and predictability ratios indicated preponderance of non-additive gene action in the expression

of all the traits. The more numbers of heterotic crosses with significant SCA effects in desirable

direction was observed for ascorbic acid content and phenolic content followed by total

carotenoid content. The heterotic cross combinations with desirable combining ability and

better per se performance could be useful in accumulation of favourable allele for higher

concentration of important anti-oxidant compounds.



PS III – 44

Identification of meta-QTLs (mQTL) for nitrogen efficiency and profiling

of the mQTL diversity in Indian rice germplasm

Rahul Kumar, S. Gopala Krishnan, Dinesh Kumar1, Shweta Mehrotra1, Lekshmi S. Nair2,

Ranjith K. Ellur, A. K. Singh, P. K. Bhowmick, Haritha Bollinedi, P. K. Mandal3 and

K. K. Vinod*

Division of Genetics, 1Division of Agronomy, 2Division of Plant Physiology, 3ICAR-National

Research Centre for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 012


Nitrogen use efficiency of the crops such as rice is very low which is about 30-35%.The

remaining 65-70% of N is lost through leaching, denitrification, volatilization into the

environment. For the improvement of N use efficiency in rice several QTLs have been

identified which generally have a minor effect on thisN use trait. This study was undertaken

to identify the most significant genomic regions (meta-QTLs) which govern N use in rice. A

meta-analysis of 437 QTLs from 16 studies, revealed sixteen mQTLs related to N use

efficiency and grain yield per plant which were located on six chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 8, 9 and

11. The mQTL linked marker were used to genotype the same germplasm set used for field

evaluation. 65 genotypes were field evaluated for agronomic and N use related traits under

three N level N0, N50 and N100. Among the markers evaluated, mQTL11.2 linked marker RM

202 was found associated to two N use parameters such as grains no. per panicle and N

assimilation efficiency in the germplasm. N efficiency was found linked to an allele of size

179 bp whichhad 23% distribution in the germplasm. This markers can be further employed

for breeding for N use efficiency in rice. The potential carrier for N efficiency also identified

which were Acharmati, ADT 38, ADT 42, ASD 16, Chandrahasini, CR Dhan 310, Jaiphoola,

Kamlesh, Nagina 22, Nidhi and Pusa 44. Further, these genotypes can be used as donors in

future for the breeding of N efficient varieties. The marker RM252 which is linked to mQTL4.3showed allelic frequency between 0.35 to 0.65 was found as a low priority candidate

marker.



PS III – 45

Development of multi-nutrient maize hybrids with enhanced lysine,

tryptophan, provitamin-A and vitamin-E using marker-assisted selection

Abhijit K. Das, Vignesh Muthusamy, Rajkumar U. Zunjare, Hema S. Chauhan, Rashmi

Chhabra, Gulab Chand, Aanchal Baveja, Jayant S. Bhat, Satish K. Guleria1, Supradip Saha

and Firoz Hossain*

Division of Genetics ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; 1CSK-Himachal

Pradesh Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Bajaura, Himachal Pradesh; ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize

Research, Ludhiana, Punjab


Micronutrient deficiency affects two billion people worldwide. Vitamin-E (tocopherols) is

essentially required for cardiovascular- and neurological- functions in humans. Nearly 20%

of the world population has suboptimal level of plasma tocopherols. In maize, α-tocopherol

possessing the highest vitamin-E activity is present in low proportion (10-20% of total

tocopherols). Most favourable haplotype of ZmVTE4 with two deletions (0/0) accumulates

nearly 3-fold more á-tocopherol than wild type haplotype (7/118). Here, 54 diverse maize

inbreds representing four haplotypes (0/0, 7/0, 0/118 and 7/118) of ZmVTE4 were evaluated

at Bajaura, Delhi and Dharwad. 0/0 possessed the highest proportion of α-tocopherol (36%)

and α-/γ-tocopherol (69%) compared to 21% and 32% in 7/118, respectively. Besides the

two reported InDels, additional SNP and three InDels affecting higher accumulation of α-

tocopherol were also identified in ZmVTE4. The most favourable allele of ZmVTE4 was

introgressed into provitamin-A rich QPM (high lysine and tryptophan) inbreds viz., HKI161-

PV, HKI163-PV, HKI193-1-PV and HKI193-2-PV using marker-assisted backcross breeding.

The BC2-derived inbreds had >90% of recurrent parent genome, and possessed high degree

of resemblance to their original parents for majority of plant-, ear- and grain- characteristics.

Mean á-tocopherol of introgressed parents was 15.2 ppm compared to 8.0 ppm in the original

parents. The inbreds also possessed favourable allele of opaque2, crtRB1 and lcyE. The

multi-nutrient rich maize inbreds with high lysine (>0.35%), tryptophan (>0.07%), provitamin-

A (>8.0 ppm) and vitamin-E (>15.0 ppm) assume significance in alleviating malnutrition

through sustainable and cost-effective approach. This is the first report of combining four

nutritional quality traits in maize.



PS III – 46

Performance of rice genotypes under gradient phosphorus levels for

yield and its attributing traits

C. A. Manoj1, B. Muralidhara1, P. S. Basavaraj2, C. Gireesh, R. M. Sundaram, Ravinder

Kale2, M. Anila, L. V. Subba Rao, R. Abdul Fiyaz, Jyothi Badri, G. Padmavati, K. J. Aravind,

P. Brajendra, R. Mahender Kumar and Ch. Suvarna Rani, P. M. Salimath1 and M. S. Anantha*

ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad; 1University of Agricultural Sciences,

Raichur; 2Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural Sciences, Hyderabad


Rice is the most important staple food crops of the world and it is the main source of food for

more than half of the world’s population. Phosphorus (P) plays a crucial role in plant growth

and development. In present study, a set of 28 rice genotypes were evaluated under gradient

‘P’ levels viz., P0, P20 (20kg P2O5/ha), P40 (40kg P2O5/ha) and P60 (60kg P2O5/ha) during

Kharif-2017 at specialized fields of ICAR-IIRR, Hyderabad. The average tillering ability was

low in P0 (1.67-3.67 tillers/plant), as compared to other gradient levels 2-6 tillers under P20,

3.33-11 tillers for P40 and 3-9.67 tillers in P60 indicating the importance of ‘P’ on tillering

ability. Days to 50% flowering was ranging from 79-118 days (P60), 80-119 days (P40) and

88-121 days (P20). But a drastic increase in days to 50% flowering was noticed under P0

condition (91-123 days). Significant differences were observed for grain yield/plot (30 plants)

across the gradient P levels. Highest yield levels were recorded under P60 condition (270.60-

812g/plot) followed by P40 (226.90-689g) and P20 (157.80-409.20g). Drastic decrease in

yield levels under P0 condition was noticed (6.83-83.17g). Superior genotypes under P0,

P20, P40 and P60, are Gangavati sona, GNV 1089, Rasi, IR 30864 respectively. Use of P use

efficient genotypes reduces the quantity of P fertilizers thereby reduces cost of production,

helps to reduce soil pollution, suitable for organic farming and contributes towards doubling

the farmers’ income.

PS III – 47

Introgression of the high grain protein gene GPC-B1 in a popular bread

wheat variety through marker assisted backcross breeding

Jai Prakash Jaiswal*, Saurabh Badoni, Anupama Singh and P. K. Gupta1

1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and

Technology, Pantnagar 263 145; 2CCS University, Meerut


Increasing productivity and accessibility of nutritious food offer key means to attack hunger

and poverty. Wheat is a crop of global significance and is the leading source of protein in



human food, having higher protein content than either maize (corn) or rice, the other major

cereals. Grain protein content (GPC) in wheat has been a major trait of interest for breeders

since it has enormous end use potential. In the present study, marker-assisted backcrossing

(MABC) was successfully used improve GPC in wheat variety UP 2338. The genotype

PBW343+Gpc-B1 was used as the donor for introgression of the Gpc-B1 that confers high

GPC. In a segregating population, SSR marker Xucw108, with its locus linked to Gpc-B1was used for foreground selection to select plants carrying Gpc-B1. Background selection,

involving 102 polymorphic SSR markers dispersed throughout the genome was exercised

to recover the genome of UP 2338. Improved lines had significantly higher GPC and displayed

86.60 to 95.35 per cent of the recurrent parent genome (RPG). For grain yield of selected

lines were at par with the recurrent parent UP 2338, suggesting that there was no yield

penalty. Some of the lines have shown high Fe and Zn content. The whole exercise of

transfer of Gpc-B1and reconstitution of the genome of UP 2338 was completed within a

period of three years (6 crop cycles) demonstrating practical utility of MABC for developing

higher GPC lines in the background of any elite or popular wheat variety with relatively

higher speed and precision.

PS III – 48

Genetic variability for retention of pro-vitamin-A carotenoids among

crtRB1-based MAS-derived maize hybrids under storage

Suman Dutta, Vignesh Muthusamy*, Rajkumar U. Zunjare, Aanchal Baveja, Rashmi Chhabra,

Manigopa Chakraborti, Tapan K. Mondal1 and Firoz Hossain

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 1Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi;

1ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi


Yellow maize possesses low level of provitamin-A (proA). Marker-assisted introgression of

crtRB1 gene has led to the development of proA rich maize hybrids worldwide. However,

proA level encounters significant loss during storage. Therefore to sustain the increased

proA level, there is a need to identify hybrids with higher retention of proA during storage. In

the present study, nine crtRB1-based maize hybrids rich in proA (13-22 ppm) and six normal

hybrids low in proA (2-4 ppm) were evaluated for retention carotenoids during five months of

storage. At harvest, kernel proA among crtRB1-based hybrids was 18.77 ppm, while non-

proA was 19.00 ppm. After five months storage, proA among crtRB1-based hybrids was

reduced to 3.24 ppm, and the same in normal hybrids was 0.75 ppm from initial level of 2.99

ppm. Non-proA among crtRB1-based hybrids was 10.79 ppm after storage, and the same

for normal hybrid was 20.60 ppm from 39.09 ppm at harvest. Mean retention of proA and

non-proA among crtRB1-based hybrids was 17% and 58%, respectively. Among proA, ß-

cryptoxanthin had more retention (22%) than ß-carotene (16%), while lutein among non-

proA recorded higher retention (61%) compared to zeaxanthin (50%). The retention for



proA among crtRB1-based hybrids varied from 14% (APQH5) to 23% (APQH7) suggesting

the role of genetic factor(s). Our study also indicated that differential expression of carotenoid

cleavage dioxygenase1 (CCD1) possibly affects the retention of proA during storage. Identified

hybrids (APH2, APQH1 and APQH7) with high retention of proA during storage possess

great significance in alleviating vitamin-A deficiency in humans.

PS III – 49

Developing selection index for efficient selection of high

yieldingmicronutrient rich lines in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum

(L.) R. Br.)

Tripti Singhal*, C. Tara Satyavathi1, S. P. Singh, S. Mukesh Sankar, C. Bharadwaj,

M. Mallik, Aruna Kumar and Nirupma Singh

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; 1ICAR-All India Coordinated

Research project on Pearl Millet - Jodhpur; Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University

Campus, Sector 125, Noida


Food and nutritional security, especially, of iron and zinc is a major global concern. These

micronutrient deficiencies are contributing substantially towards the global load of hunger

and related ailments. Pearl millet is a nutri-cereal which can be reliably grown in regions

where limited resources prevail. Pearl millet can be improved per yield and enhanced grain

micronutrients content (iron and zinc), thus addressing food and nutritional security for the

inhabitants dependent on this crop. In this research, 215 pearl millet RILs developed for

mapping genomic regions with high micronutrient content were evaluated in alpha design

with two replications during 2014 to 2016 under rainfed conditions of Delhi and 9 yields

contributing along with iron and zinc traits were measured. Eigen Selection Index Method

(ESIM) was used to construct the selection index based on the data of genetic studies on

yield and quality traits. Results indicated there is high correlation with ESIM selection index

and breeding value of 0.972 with response to selection of 32.84. Eleven entries are having

expected genetic gain above 5% are selected based on value of ESIM index. These entries

are having high grain yield per plant (>15g) with enhanced grain iron (>95 ppm) and zinc

content (>66 ppm) considered as best lines and can be recommended for further use.



PS III – 50

Multivariate genetic analyses reveal variability and diversity for iron

toxicity tolerance in North-East Indian rice germplasm

Jeet Ram Choudhary, Ashok K. Singh, S. Gopala Krishnan, M. Nagarajan1, Ranjith K.

Ellur, Vikram Jeet Singh, K. K.Vinod*

Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi110 012; 1Rice Breeding

and Genetics Research Centre, ICAR-IARI, Aduthurai 612 101, Tamil Nadu


Iron toxicity (Fe) is a chief limitation to crop productivity on acid soils in North-Eastern (NE)

India. Native NErice germplasm comprise of several landraces that are tolerant to iron-

toxicity.However, presently several of these landraces are replaced by modern cultivars of

their derivatives. Therefore, we have analysed a panel of 95 rice genotypes accessed from

different NE states for Fe toxicity response vis-a-vis their genetic diversity using morphological

and molecular marker. Based on the regression model three predictor variables were identified

for yield under Fe toxicity, such as plant height, productive tiller number and flag leaf length.

By a path coefficient analysis, using the selected variables and the leaf bronzing score the

degree and direction of influence of the variables to single plant yield were deciphered. The

component traits when subjected to principal component (PC) analysis, showed that a

variation of 49.5% was assigned for first PC while the second PC accounted for 30.4% of

the total variation. Significant contribution of productive tiller number and yield towards first

principal component indicated that these were the most prominent traits affected by Fe

toxicity under field conditions. The PCA based grouping of genotypes revealed two clusters.

The first group consisted most of the genotypes from the states such as Meghalaya, Mizoram,

Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh while the second group was predominantly

constituted by Tripura genotypes except Bhub-Aurang from Mizoram and Metu1 from

Meghalaya. The second group of genotypes were predominantly better yielders, with relatively

more Fe toxicity tolerant ones. The Fe toxicity tolerant checks used in the study, Lampnah,

Megha Shah1, Megha Shah2 and Shah Sharang were found grouped in the second cluster.

The tolerant landraces identified in this study could be used for breeding for Fe toxicity

tolerance in rice. They can also be good candidate for mapping QTLs associated with Fe

toxicity tolerance.



PS III – 51

Utilization of wild species of Thinopyrum for improvement of bread

making quality of wheat

Aman Kumar and Monika Garg*

National Agri Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) Knowledge city, Sector 81, Mohali (Punjab)


Processing quality of wheat is very important for end products such as bread, biscuits and

chapatti. The protein content and its type determine the end product quality. Among the

wheat proteins, glutenin proteins especially, high molecular weight-glutenin subunits (HMW-

GS) are major determinants of the bread making quality. Wheat and its primary gene pool

have limited variation in terms of HMW-GS alleles. For improvement of wheat processing

quality its wild relative- Thinopyrum elongatum was utilized. Attempt was made to replace

Th. elongatum chromosome long arm (1EL) carrying HMW-GS genes related to high dough

strength with chromosome arm 1AL of wheat. Chromosome specific translocation line of Th.elongatum [1EL(1AS)] was developed by crossing 1E(1D) substitution line with nulli-1A

tetra-1D (N1AT1D) genetic stock, followed by cross with homoeologous pairing suppresser

mutant line PhI, further crossing and backcrossing with Japanese cultivar Norin 61 and

selection by fluorescent in-situ hybridization and seed storage proteins profile. This line was

back crossed four times with N61 while selecting in each generation with protein markers.

Morphologically translocation line was similar to recipient cultivar N61. The processing quality

characteristics of translocation line indicated significant improvement in gluten performance

index, dough mixing properties, dough strength and extensibility thus predicting good bread

making quality.

PS III – 52

Harnessing determinancy for breeding input responsive chickpea

varieties

Rajendra Kumar*, M. S. Nimmy, V. S. Hegde and and Shailesh Tripathi

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute and ICAR-NRC on Plant

Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 012


Pulses are a group of staple crops for meeting the protein requirement and their improvement

can be a feasible approach to combat protein and micronutrient deficiencies. The

determinancy gene equipped plant architecture consisting of erect pant types with appropriate

number of branches demonstrate more responsiveness to fertilizer, irrigation and other inputs



for enhanced yield potential in several grain legumes, for example soybean, common bean,

cowpea, broad bean, pigeon pea etc. and have already been characterized as well as

described. In pigeonpea plants with determinate growth habit, inflorescence is short, the

apical bud develops into a flower, the sequence of inflorescence production is basi-petal

(Sheldrake 1984) and flowers occur more or less in the same plane (Gupta and Kapoor

1991). However, in chickpea genetics and physiological pathways for determinancy gene

enfluenced growth habit, are not clear and such potential genotypes are still lacking in the

world chickpea germplasm. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse crop in India

and is an important source of protein, minerals, fibre and vitamins in the diets of millions of

people in Afro-Asian countries and has one of the best nutritional compositions amongst dry

edible legumes. During the year 2013, 89.20% of the chickpea area and 84.47% of production

was in Asia (FAOSTAT, 2015). The global average yield of chickpea is very low as compared

to other legumes and is currently the second most important food legume in the world after

common extensive crop breeding initiatives in many countries. CGIAR organizations ICRISAT

and ICARDA have led to development of several improved varieties of chickpea. However,

a breakthrough in it’s productivity as compared to high inputs is still awaited. ICAR-IARI,

New Delhi is reported to have developed a true breeding determinate chickpea genotype

BGD 9971 for the first time in the breeding programme. To the best of our knowledge none

of the potential genes/QTLs regulating determinacy and other traits under consideration

have been isolated and functionally validated/characterized through fine mapping/map based

cloning. For several decades chickpea breeders have focused their efforts on genetic

enhancement of grain yield, resistance to major biotic and abiotic stresses, but not for

determinate growth habit that hampers yield due to indeterminate growth habit. Chickpea is

naturally indeterminate, which brings about a large gap between source and sink physiological

assimilation pathways for pods formation and asynchronous maturity of pods causing a

high economic and yield loss as compared to inputs applied. To the best of our knowledge

no focused efforts have been made till today to identify the gene (s) responsible for plant

growth habit particularly determinancy in chickpea, which is of utmost importance to transfer

into chickpea for development of high yielding commercial varieties. The present theme

paper aims at approaches for discovery of new gene (s) and their mapping for desirable

plant architecture – determinate growth habit It also targets to develop a strategic method of

expedited breeding cycle in controlled environment and utilize it in our project for shortening

generation time in order to accelerate determinate chickpea development programme. There

is a great potential for integrating speed breeding with modern crop breeding technologies

to recede the duration of chickpea improvement. Further, we may exploit genome editing

tool CRISPER to validate the function of novel gene (s) identified. The information obtained

will be helpful in developing high yielding cultivars with desirable plant architecture.



PS III – 53

Genetic analysis of nitrogen use efficiency and yield related traits in

rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Savitri A. Mallapur and M. S. Uma

Professor and Head, AICRP on Sunflower, ZARS, GKVK Bengaluru 560 065, Karnataka


The nature of gene interaction in the inheritance of nitrogen use efficiency, yield related

traits and nutritional parameters was studied at the College of Agriculture V. C. Farm, Mandya,

during Rabi-Summer 2016-17, deploying generation mean analysis following six parameter

model(Hayman 1958, Jinks and Jones 1958)for parents, F1, F2, BC1 and BC2 generations of

two crosses of rice (Bettasanna × Navali and Kaduvakalongi × Banavasi selection) including

high nitrogen use efficient genotypes (Bettasanna, Banavasi selection) and low nitrogen

use efficient genotypes (Navali, Kaduvakalongi).Significance of scaling tests (A,B,C and D)

indicated appreciable amount of epistasis interaction present in different characters of two

crosses. The results indicated that gene action differs over crosses, In the cross

Kaduvakalongi × Banavasi selection, yield per plant and nitrogen use efficiency showed

complementary gene action, which indicated the need for heterosis breeding. Yield per

plant was governed by duplicate gene action in the cross Bettasanna × Navali indicating

improvement of the trait through biparental mating or reciprocal recurrent selection meanwhile

nitrogen use efficiency was governed by complementary gene action. In general out of the

seventeen charactersviz., SPAD value, Days to 50 % flowering, Plant height at maturity

(cm), Number of tillers per plant, Productive tillers per plant, Panicle length (cm), Panicle

weight (g), 1000 seed weight (g), Yield per plant (g), Nitrogen use efficiency, Total nitrogen

uptake (%), Protein (%), Iron (%), Zinc (%), Amylose (%), Carbohydrate (%) and Moisture

content (%) studied, most of the characters were governed by Duplicate gene action.

PS III – 54

Protocol to achieve targeted mutagenesis in wheat α-gliadin using

multiplex CRISPR/CAS9 based vector

Monika Bansal* and Parveen Chhuneja

School of Agricultural Biotechnology,Punjab Agricultural university, Ludhiana, Punjab

E-mail:[email protected]

From the last few years the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats

(CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) technology is emerging as a powerful genome-

editing tool in different plants species for targeted genetic engineering.Coeliac disease is an



autoimmune disorder in genetically predisposed individuals which are sensitive to the

ingestion of gluten proteins from wheat, barley and rye. The á-gliadin gene family of wheat

contains different antigenicpeptides responsible for coeliac disease,among which the 33-

mer is the most immunodominant peptide. With the help of binary vectors CRISPR/Cas9

machinery can be transformed successfully in plants. To target this 33merregion, we designed

two sgRNAs from the conserved region within its coding sequence.For assembly of two

gRNAs, the two target sites were incorporated into PCR forward and reverse primers,

respectively.The PCR fragment was amplified from pCBC-MT1T2 (Addgene,USA) for

monocots. The purified PCR fragment (T1T2-PCR), together with binary vectors PBUN411

was used to set up restriction-ligation reactions using golden gate technology by

simultaneously usingBsaI and T4 Ligase in a single reactiontube. ThePBUN411-CBC-MT1T2

vectors was transformed into Agrobacterium strain AGL1/PSoup using the freeze-thaw

method. For the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation immature embryos of wheat is

used and further transformation experiments are ongoing. The toolkit generated in this

experiment will facilitates stable expression of CRISPR/Cas9 in wheat to generate high-

efficiency mutants and will be beneficial for the patients suffering from coeliac disease.



SESSION IV

Advanced Genetic Tools

for Enhancing Breeding

Efficiency



PS IV – 1

Development of chloroplast genome based SNP markers for

identification of different Oryza species

Kabita Tripathy*, Balwant Singh, Vandna Rai, Gauri Misra1 and Nagendra K. Singh

National Research Center on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 012; Amity Institute of

Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida 201 303


Wild rice germplasm is rich source of tolerance allele of various biotic and abiotic stress

related genes. For their utilization, identification and cataloguing of the wild rice species is

needed. Chloroplast genome sequence of wild rice species is important because it is

maternally inherited and stable in structure. This allowed inter-specific comparison to elucidate

their phylogenetic relationship. The chloroplast genome based techniques can be used as

important tools in cataloguing and identification of wild rice species. For this study, 58

sequences of chloroplast genome of 22 wild species of Oryza genus belongs to nine different

genome types were downloaded from NCBI nucleotide database. The chloroplast DNA length

is varied from 134,401bp to 136,133bp. The nucleotide variation showed total 1, 26,271

monomorphic sites and 8829 gaps. Total numbers of variable sites are 4017, from which

471 sites are singleton variable site. Total number of mutations is 4137. Haplotype analysis

revealed 50 SNP haplotypes represents 22 species of Oryza. Haplotype diversity is (Hd)

0.995. In the evolutionary study, Zea mays was used as out-group. The phylogenetic tree

constructed based on NJ method formed nine grouPS I Ias per genome type, namely, AA,

BB, BBCC, CC, CCDD, EE, GG, HHJJ, and FF of Oryza species. AA genome has four

subgroups. BB and BBCC came under single group having two different clusters and similar

pattern was followed in CC and CCDD genome. Further, SNP from the haplotype set will be

selected for development of high throughput genotyping assay which differentiate individual

Oryza species.

PS IV – 2

Transposable elements: ‘Junk DNA’ towards ‘a treasure marker tool’

for crop evolution and diversity analysis

Akanksha*




Transposable elements (TEs) are a mobile genetic component of eukaryotic genomes,

including plants, animals and fungi, and considered as an important source of genome



diversification and evolution. They include class I retrotransposons and class II DNA

transposons, based on structure and manner of transposition. As genetically inherited

retrotransposon insertions with high copy numbers are dispersed throughout the genome,

they can be used as molecular markers. Different Long Terminal Repeats (LTRs) showing

insertion polymorphisms among closely related cultivars have been screened out using

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platform, enabling us to reveal the genetic relationshiPS

I Iamong the cultivars and acquire a number of molecular markers for screening. These so-

called ‘junk DNA’ participate in functional genome diversity leading towards ‘TEs bright

side’. Massively parallel sequencing data combined with functional validations can help

unravelling the role of TEs on crop evolution. A TE jumPS I Iinto a gene producing a mutation

and presence of such a TE provides a straightforward means of identifying the mutant allele

relative to chemical mutagenesis methods. Through Signature-tagging mutagenesis (STM),

by using transposable element insertion formutating a locus, causing it form a new phenotype

and comparing the observed phenotypic expressions of the mutated and unaltered locus,

one can deduce the phenotypic expression of the locus. Additionally, passive TE thrust in

angiospermicgene families can create a high degree of adaptive potential by engendering

ectopic recombination events resulting in deletions, duplications, and karyotypic changes

which further facilitates the knowledge of somatic evolution in addition to germ line evolution.

PS IV – 3

Genetics of semi-determinacy and identification of molecular marker

linked to Dt1 locus in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Harshavardhana*, Venkatraman Hegde, ShaileshTripathi, R. S. Raje, P. K. Jain1,

KishorGaikwad1, C. Bharadwaj, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Mukesh kumar

Sharma and S. K. Chouhan

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1ICAR-

National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012


Chickpea predominantly have an indeterminate (IDT) growth. The semi-determinate (SDT)

types are relatively early, lodging resistant and found to be similar in their yield potential to

that of IDT genotypes. The inheritance of SDT stem type is not well studied in chickpea. The

present investigation was aimed at studying the genetics of SDT plant type and identifying

molecular marker linked to Dt1 locus through Bulked Segregant Analysis (BSA).The genetics

of semi-determinacy was studied in BGD 72 (IDT) x BG 3078-1(SDT) cross in which the

genetic constitution of BGD 72 was already known as Dt1Dt1Dt2Dt2. The F1 was IDT

indicating the dominance of indeterminacy over semi-determinacy. The segregation in F2

and F3 revealed that SDT stem growth in the new-found genotype BG3078-1 was governed

by a single dominant gene Dt2 and its genotype designated as dt1dt1Dt2Dt2. The study of

polymorphic survey between BGD-72 (IDT) and BG 3078-1 (SDT) using 581 SSR markers



found 50 markers polymorphic. The BSA using 50 polymorphic markers has identified TA42and TR29 as polymorphic between IDT and SDT parents as well as IDT and SDT bulks and

hence considered putatively linked to Dt1 locus governing IDT stem growth in chickpea.

The two linked markers were validated in 15 IDT and 15 SDT F2 plants individually. These

two markers were also validated in 3 IDT, 8 SDT, and 3 DT genotypes. This is the first report

on the identification of a molecular marker associated with stem growth habit in chickpea.

PS IV – 4

Applicability of SSR markers as additional descriptors in DUS testing

of sugarcane varieties

A. Siraree*, J. Singh1, R. K. Singh3 and P. K. Singh2

Genda Singh Sugarcane Breeding and Research Institute, Seorahi, Kushinagar 274 407,

Uttar Pradesh, 1Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow 226 002, Uttar Pradesh,3Present Address: U.P Council of Sugarcane Research, Shahjahanpur 242 001, Uttar

Pradesh, 2Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi 110 001


In the present study a panel of 92 sub-tropical sugarcane varieties was used to compare

SSR markers and morphological DUS descriptors in establishing varietal distinctiveness.

All the varieties were confirmed as distinct based on morphological traits and SSR markers

revealed sufficient genetic diversity. A non-significant correlation was observed between

distances based on morphological and molecular markers. Nevertheless, knowledge and

information of genetic structure and molecular diversity generated in present study could be

useful for selection of parents and their combination for targeted breeding programme of

sugarcane. These SSRs can also be utilized for DNA fingerprinting of varieties to rule out

the re-registration of already registered variety, solving disputes regarding varietal

distinctiveness or for creating a feasible system as far as the detection of essentially derived

varieties (EDVs) are concerned.



PS IV – 5

Development of tropical japonica rice restorer lines using molecular

markers and evalution of heterosis in the test cross hybrids

Shivakumar Shidenur, Vikram Jeet Singh, Gopala Krishnan S, S. K. Ghritlahre1, Brijesh

Kumar Dixit, K. K. Vinod2, Ranjith Kumar Ellur, Haritha Bollinedi, Binder Singh, M. Nagarajan2,

A. K. Singh and P. K. Bhowmick*

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012;1RRLRRS, ICAR-NRRI, Gerua, Dist. Kamrup, Assam 784 509; 2IARI-RBGRC, Aduturai,

Tamil Nadu 612 101


Tropical japonica rice germplasms offers an alternative source of genotypes for increasing

heterosis in rice. Crosses were made between Pusa 44 and 29 different tropical japonicalines to develop NPT lines with high grain numbers. Based on plant type with high grain

numbers, 310 advanced lines were selected and subjected to molecular screening for fertility

restorer genes namely Rf3 and Rf4 using gene linked markers DRRM-RF3-10 and RM6100,

respectively. 94 lines were identified as carrying at least one of the fertility restorer gene,

among them 36 were positive for Rf3, 45 for Rf4 and 13 were positive for both the genes. A

total of 36 test crosses were made by crossing 36 selected restorers based on the agronomic

performance with WA based CMS line Pusa 6A and test crosses were further evaluated at

three different locations. Pollen fertility and spikelet fertility of test crosses carrying Rf3rf3were found significantly less than the test crosses possessing Rf4rf4 and Rf3rf3Rf4rf4,whereas test crosses with rf3rf3Rfrf4 and Rf3rf3Rf4rf4 were found statistically at par in

mean pollen fertility percentage but in spikelet fertility percentage significant difference was

observed. Standard heterosis was calculated over US312, where 4 combinations were

identified with >20% heterosis with intermediate amylose content. Promising restorer lines

with Rf4 or Rf3+Rf4 will be very good source for development of hybrids with diverse CMS

lines for exploitation of higher heterosis.



PS IV – 6

Marker assisted simultaneous but stepwise backcross breeding for

pyramiding bacterial leaf blight resistance genes xa13, xa21 and xa33

into elite bold red rice cultivars of Kerala

V. G. Jayalekshmy, S. L. Soumya#*, Ramaling Hundekar and George Thomas1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Kerala Agricultural University,

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; *Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research

Institute, New Delhi 110012; 1Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for

Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala


Bacterial Leaf blight (BLB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes

devastating crop losses of upto 35% in major rice growing tracts of Kerala. The present

study focused on gene pyramiding of xa13, Xa21and Xa33 against BLB into the popular rice

cultivars of Kerala viz., Prathyasa and Aiswarya through marker assisted backcross breeding

(MABB). Improved Samba Mahsuri (xa13 and Xa21) and Fbr-1-1 (Xa33) were utilized as

the donors for the genes of resistance in crossing programme after confirming the resistance

reaction against the pathotype of Xoo found in Kerala. Simultaneous but stepwise scheme

of MABB hybridization was carried out between donors and recurrent parents. Marker assisted

foreground selection coupled with stringent phenotypic selection and background analysis

was carried out for hastening recurrent parent phenome and genome. Phenotypic data in

four metric traits and one qualitative trait were recorded in the BC1F1 plants and the parental

genotypes. Significant variation was observed for plant height, effective number of tillers per

plant, grain length/breadth ratio, kernel colour and days to maturity in the BC1F1 plants. The

percent of recurrent genome recovered in individual BC1F1 plants was calculated. The best

BC1F1 plants from each backcross series was intermated and resultant F1 plants having the

respective BLB genes identified by foreground selection were backcrossed with respective

recurrent parents. The BC2F1 plants thus obtained from intermated backcrosses lines with

three gene combinations having more than 50% homozygosity with the recurrent parent

were further advanced through pedigree method to produce superior BLB resistant lines.



PS IV – 7

Molecular tagging of photoperiod responsive flowering in Indian bean

[Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet]

Vinita Ramtekey*, Kaushal Modha, Vipul Parekh1, Gopal Vadodariya and Ritesh Patel

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, N. M. College of Agriculture, Department of

Basic Science and Humanity (ACKF), Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat


Photoperiod responsive flowering and growth habit have played key role in domestication

history of Indian bean, currently shifting its cultivation from intercropping to monoculture.

Most of the land races of this crop exhibit photoperiod sensitive flowering and indeterminate

growth habit. A cross was made between GNIB-21 and GP-189 which are phenotypic

extremes for photoperiod responsive flowering. F1 hybrid obtained from these parents

exhibited dominant traits like indeterminate growth habit and photo-sensitive flowering

endowed from male parent. Segregation pattern of 3 : 1 in F2 generation indicated monogenic

recessive nature of photoperiod insensitive flowering. Bulk segregation analysis in F2

population revealed association of PvTFLY1, a locus governing determinate growth habit in

common bean, with photoperiod responsive flowering where an amplicon of 300 bp was

observed in photo sensitive GP-189 while it was absent in photo insensitive variety GNIB-

21. Significant χ2 test indicated coupling phase of linkage between PvTFLY1 and photoperiod

responsive flowering. Linkage analysis placed PvTFLY1 at the distance of 19.23 cM from

the locus governing photoperiod responsive flowering. The linkage between growth habit

and photoperiod responsive flowering in common bean, soybean and Indian bean suggest

that these traits may be governed by mutation or deletion of E3 and Dt1 homologs in Indian

bean. Information available on characterized genes for photoperiod responsive flowering

and determinate growth habit from common bean, soybean and other related legumes may

be utilized for isolation, characterization, mapping and molecular dissection of genes involved

in regulation of photoperiod responsive flowering in Indian bean.

PS IV – 8

Speed breeding in wheat - Potential tool to accelerate research in wheat

V. K. Vikas* , M. Sivasamy, P. Jayaprakash and Sureshbabu

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Wellington 643 231, The

Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu


Most of the crops, including wheat, take several years to breed for an improved cultivar.

This holds good for field croPS I Ithat are limited to one to two generations per year. In such



a situation, speed breeding (SB) provides a comfortable solution. SB greatly shortens the

generation time with the use of prolonged photoperiods to accelerate the developmental

rate of plants. SB is inspired by the NASA’s experiments to grow wheat in space, using

continuous light on wheat which triggered early reproduction in the plants. To understand

the response of wheat to SB, a preliminary study involving ten cultivars of wheat species,

six of Triticum aestivum, two each of T. durum and T. dicoccum were subjected to extended

photoperiod (18 h of light and 6 h of dark) using LED lamPS I Iin polyhouse condition.

Temperature range of 20-250C and relative humidity of 70-75% was maintained. Under

these conditions, depending on the species/cultivars, plants reached anthesis in 38-40 days,

while the same set of cultivars under field condition took 60-65 days to reach anthesis.

Cultivars attained physiological maturity in 75 -80 days, whereas field grown plants took

110-115 days to reach the same. Cultivars of T. durum and T. dicoccum showed uniform

response while range of variation was observed in Triticum aestivum cultivars. Response of

variation in Triticum aestivum cultivars to SB is being studied in the light of vernalization

response (Vrn) and photoperiod sensitivity (Ppd) genes. In addition to rapidly advancing the

generation (five generations per year), SB has great potential to integrate with other modern

crop breeding technologies in wheat including high throughput genotyping/phenotyping,

marker assisted selection and genomic selection.

PS IV – 9

Genetic relatedness of TGMS lines revealed by the analysis of

morphological and molecular data

K. Sai Rekha* and R. Saraswathi

Paddy Breeding Station, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural

University, Coimbatore


An investigation was taken up to study the genetic relationship of thermosensitive genic

male sterile lines developed at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore using

morphological traits and SSR marker system. In this experiment, morphological and floral

traits were analyzed using Jaccard’s Similarity Coefficient and SSR marker data was analyzed

by Euclidean distance. Morphological and floral traits revealed a significant and wide genetic

variation among TGMS lines. SSR markers survey using 100 SSR markers revealed that 27

were polymorphic, amplifying a total of 71 alleles with an average of 2.67 alleles. Based on

the morphological characters (number of tillers per plant, angle of glume opening and panicle

length) TNAU18S exhibited high performance and TNAU45S showed good floral characters.

Cluster analysis clearly differentiated six TGMS lines into four clusters. There is a deviation

in the distribution of TGMS lines into different grouPS I Ibased on molecular and morphological

data, which could be attributed to selection pressure, genetic drift, sampling error and unknown

relationship. The diverse TGMS lines obtained from cluster analysis could be used directly

in crossing programme for production of high heterotic two line rice hybrids.



PS IV – 10

Reverse breeding: An upside down approach for crop improvement

Debadatta Panda*, R. S. Bhakta1 and K. G. Modha

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 1Pulses and Castor Research Station, N. M.

College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396 450, Gujarat


In this era of population explosion, making the world free of hunger in sustainable way has

become a challenge. For the maximum exploitation of the available plant resources, there is

need for a rapid method of crop improvement without significant harm to nature. Heterosis

breeding has been successfully utilized to solve the purpose but the heterotic effect observed

in segregating populations fades away due to segregation and recombination. Reverse

breeding stands as a stable way for conservation of elite genotype of unknown parentage

from any background, giving extra advantage over apomixis and other methods for fixation

of heterosis. Reverse breeding enables production of transgene free homozygous parental

lines of any heterozygous plant using achiasmatic meiosis along with RNAi or marker assisted

method followed by production of double haploids. It helps in reconstruction of heterozygous

germplasm collections, aids in CMS based hybrid production and facilitates trait mapping,

QTL identification, gene interaction studies and targeted inbreeding using chromosome

substitution lines. Reverse breeding is also used as a concept of rewilding the present

cultivars in form of back to nature breeding and its eco-friendly nature making it more attractive.

Thus, it enables immortalization of heterotic effect in unprecedented manner.

PS IV – 11

Evaluation of introgression lines of Swarna/O. nivara IRGC81842 for

yield and related traits

Malathi Surapaneni, Divya Balakrishnan, Sukumar Mesapogu, Krishnam Raju Addanki,

Venkateswara Rao Yadavalli and Sarla Neelamraju*

ICAR- National Professor Project, ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad


A total of 105 backcrossed introgression lines (BILs) derived from Swarna/ Oryza nivaraIRGC81848 were field evaluated for three years in wet seasons of 2014, 2015 and 2016 for

nine yield and related traits viz., days to 50% flowering (DFF), days to maturity (DM), plant

height (PH), number of tillers (NT), number of productive tillers (NPT), panicle weight (PW),

yield per plant (YLDP), bulk yield (BY) biomass (BM) and thousand grain weight (TGW).

From significant pair wise mean comparison, 67 significant lines were identified for six traits

over recurrent parent Swarna. 96 lines were identified as positively significant, while 49 as



negatively significant. Fifteen lines showed both positive for one trait and negative for another

trait. NPS-53 (220S) was found significant for panicle weight, NPS-64 (235S) for biomass.

More number of significant lines was observed for DFF, followed by PH and TGW. BILs

were genotyped using 111 polymorphic simple sequence repeats. From two years data

(2014 and 2015), 15 QTLs including 10 novel QTLs were identified for all traits except BM.

O. nivara alleles were trait-enhancing in 26% of QTLs. A set of 74 CSSLs were identified

using CSSL Finder (Malathi et al. 2017). Of 74 CSSLs, 42 lines were found significant for

DFF, DM, PH, PW and TGW. These CSSLs with O. nivara alleles are potential donors for

yield enhancing traits and QTLs and can be transferred into popular varieties.

PS IV – 12

New frontiers in chromosome elimination-mediated doubled haploidy

breeding: Focus on speed breeding in bread and durum wheat

Harinder K. Chaudhary*

Molecular Cytogenetics and Tissue Culture Lab., Department of Crop Improvement, CSK

HP Agricultural University, Palampur 176 062


Chromosome elimination–a dynamic process occurring during wide hybridization in wheat

when crossed with various Gramineae genera, has opened new horizon in accelerating the

genetic upgradation endeavours in wheat with enhanced precision and efficiency. Since the

invention of bulbosum approach, some other potential systems leading to the chromosome

elimination viz., wheat x Zea mays and wheat x Imperata cylindrica have further enhanced

the opportunities to increase the doubled haploid production efficiency in wheat.Imperatacylindrica- mediated chromosome elimination approach- an innovation of this Lab has

recorded a striking success not only in bread wheat, but also succeeded in inducing haploids

appreciably in wheat x rye and triticale x wheat derivatives as well as in the durum wheat.

GISH- a novel tool of the molecular cytogenetic approach was used to identify, detect and

track the elimination of the I. cylindrica chromosomes in wheat x I. cylindrica hybrids at

different stages of the mitotic division which enunciated quick elimination of the chromosomes

in the first division and attributed to higher recovery of the haploid embryos.The first doubled

haploid wheat variety, (Him Pratham) of the country has been developed and released by

our group by utilizing the chromosome elimination approach of doubled haploidy breeding.This

presentation will remove the curtain from various innovative protocols which can actually

enhance the DH production efficiency manifolds in hexa and tetraploid wheats and open

new horizon for accelerated wheat improvement following the concept of speed breeding.



PS IV – 13

Genome-wide identification and validation of microsatellite motif in

Amaranthus species

L. Hetalben Bhilocha, Nevya Thakkar, Parita Barvaliya , Kapil K. Tiwari1*, M. P. Patel and

Nitesh N. Prajapati2

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding (PMBB) CPCA, SDAU, Gujarat, 1CIL, DoR,

SDAU, Gujarat; 2Centre for Crop Improvement, S. K. Nagar 385 506, Gujarat


Amaranthus is an annual short-lived plant belongs to family Amaranthaceae. It is also known

as “the crop of the future” because of its tempestuous nutritional quality and climate re-silent

response. Due to its wider adaptability in various unfavorable situations such as low nutrient

containing soils, and better survivability against wide range of temperature, drought and

other stressed conditions, it has significance affirmation in the farming community of arid

and semi-arid regions of India. Species of Amaranthus have a tremendous biodiversity in

terms of their plant morphology, production and nutritional enriched quality; however this

species is not well characterized at molecular level due to unavailability of molecular marker

which is essential for crop Improvement programmes. In present study, genome-wide

Microsatellite motifs (1-6) were identified and primers were designed from available genomes

namely JPXE01.1 (A. hypochondriacus) and ACQK01.1 (A. tuberculatus). In genome

assembly JPXE01.1, total 257456 contig were scanned that yielded 20818 SSRs motif.

However, only 5236 motifs were found with flanking sequence. Out of theses extracted

motif, only 1206 primers were successfully designed. Likewise, genome ACQK01.1 was

also scanned for microsatellite motif, total 490 SSRs motifs were identified from 15440

contig. From 490 motifs, 357 primers were designed successfully using flanking sequence

of motif. For validation of identified microsatellite, 114 primer pairs were synthesized and

amplified in few genotypes.

PS IV – 14

Fine mapping: a gateway to identification and characterization of gene(s)

Lakshay Goyal* and Kaushal Modha

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, N. M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural

University, Navsari 396 450, Gujarat


Fine mapping or high resolution mapping is a technique in which a genomic region having a

gene of interest flanked by two loosely linked markers is further resolved to more narrow

distance with new tightly linked markers. It includes coarse mapping followed by screening



of large segregating populations to fine map the gene of interest. Firstly, the genomic region

between two flanking markers viz., SSR, where the location of gene is expected, is

resequenced to identify SNPs in that region and then their physical location are determined

by already sequenced genome. Biparental mapping populations are used for recombinants

screening with newly identified SNPs. Plants which are recombinant for the SNPs are selected

along with concerned trait/gene. Based on the trait-marker segregation, putative left and

right borders of the gene are identified relative to SNPs. Repeated resequencing is done

within delimited region to further resolve the gene. Fine mapping of a gene helps to reduce

linkage drag and hence aids in marker assisted backcrossing for introgression of qualitative

traits. Fine mapping also facilitates positional cloning, physical mapping as well as

characterization of the gene using genomic libraries and genome sequence information.

Recent low cost and time saving techniques like next generation sequencing and genotyping

by sequencing hasten the process of fine mapping.

PS IV – 15

Comparative leaf transcriptome profiling of cultivated pigeonpea

(Cajanus cajan) and its wild relative (Cajanus platycarpus)

Maniraj Rathinam1, Pragya Mishra, Ajay Mahato, A. Lakshmi Prabha1, Nagendra Kumar

Singh, Uma Rao2, Rohini Sreevathsa


012; 1Department of Botany, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli,

Tamilnadu; 2Division of Nematology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New

Delhi 110 012


Pigeonpea is consumed as a major protein source amongst the vegetarian population of

Indian sub continent, resulting in India being the largest producer. Yet, there has been yield

stagnation due to various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, wild relatives of pigeonpea

are known to be the gold mine of important agronomic traits, portraying resistance to various

stress. Understanding the genetic background of these wild relatives would provide knowledge

about the molecular mechanism(s) behind the desired traits and also enable us to deliver

these traits into the cultivated species. In the present study, the baseline leaf transcriptome

was compared between the cultivated pigeonpea, Cajanus cajan and one of its wild relative

in the quaternary gene pool, C. platycarpus. Illumina sequencing revealed 114781 transcripts

in both the species, including 99538 (86.7%) that were annotated using BLASTX. Gene

ontology and Mapman analysis depicted increased number of transcripts pertaining to

signaling, transcription factors and stress responsive genes to be dominating in the

transcriptome of the wild relative. Further, networking between the differentially expressed

MapMan bins showed tight interactions between genes present in the selected bins. Co-

relation between the expression of selected genes in both RNA sequencing as well as qRT-



PCR further authenticated the findings. This study opens gateway for further investigations

with respect to the wild relative in decoding the hidden molecular mechanisms behind various

resistance traits.

PS IV – 16

Effect of different method of pollination on fruit and seed characteristics

in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Neha Verma*, Ramesh Kumar and Dinesh Singh1

Department of Vegetable Science, 1Department of Fruit Science, Dr YS Parmar University

of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan 173 230, Himachal Pradesh


Effect of different mode of pollination viz., open pollination and self pollination on fruit and

seed setting and their characteristics in monoecious (K-75 and UHF-CUC-101) and

gynoecious (GYNO-1 and GYNO-2) varieties was studied at the Experimental Research

Farm, Department of Vegetable Science, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and

Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP) during Kharif, 2016. The experiment was laid out in a RCBD

with three replications. Fruit and seed setting studies were assessed through factorial analysis

in randomized block design. The observations were recorded as fruit set (%), average fruit

weight (g), number of seeds per fruit and thousand seed weight (g). A higher fruit set was

observed in case of open pollination method as compared to selfing and it was maximum in

cultivar K-75 and minimum in GYNO-1. Mean fruit weight, number of seeds per fruit and

thousand seed weight were found to be more in open pollination than in self pollination

system respectively. Open pollination had better effect on fruit (mean fruit weight) and seed

characteristics (number of seeds per fruit and thousand seed weight) compared to self

pollination method.

PS IV – 17

Manifestation of heterosis in green bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

under polyhouse cultivation

Jasmeen Kaur*, R. S. Spehia and Neha Verma

Department of Vegetable Science, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture

and Forestry, Nauni, Solan 173 230, Himachal Pradesh


In India, capsicum (coloured or green) is one of the most important cash crops of protected

cultivation and all the available hybrids belong to coloured types, since no recommended



hybrid is available for green capsicum, which also has good potential under protected

conditions. Hence, the experiment was conducted during 2015-16 at the Experimental

Research Farm of Department of Vegetable Science and Precision Farming Development

Center, Department of Soil Science and Water Management of Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar

University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan to assess the magnitude of heterosis

for different horticultural traits in green bell pepper under protected conditions. In the year

2015, 2 testers were crossed with 8 lines to obtain 16 cross combinations and in the next

year (2016), 16 cross combinations along with their 10 parents were transplanted during the

month of March, 2016 in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) replicated thrice

inside polyhouse of 250 square meter. Data was recorded for different observations. Results

revealed that sweet pepper offer much scope of improvement through heterosis breeding

methods and the cross combinations UHF-14 x Solan Bharpur, UHF-11 x Solan Bharpur,

UHF-14 x California Wonder performed better over the estimates of heterosis for mid parent

and better parent for majority of the traits under study. After further field testing these cross

combinations can also be released as hybrids.

PS IV – 18

Improvement and revival of aromatic short grain rice landraces of

Chhattisgarh through radiation based induced mutagenesis

Deepak Sharma*, B. K. Das1, Vikash Kumar1, Parmeshwar K. Sahu, Samrath Baghel, Ashish

Tiwari and Satyapal Singh


492 012, Chhattisgarh; 1Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic



Aromatic short grain (ASG) rice landraces are widespread among the farmers of Chhattisgarh.

However cultivation of these ASG rice landraces have been marginalized over several years

due to manifestation of High Yielding Varieties (HYV) and slowly being extinct from the local

gene pool. The major drawback with the ASG rice landraces is their taller stature (150-

180cm), late duration (150-175 days) which reduces their yield potential (1.5 to 2.5t/ha).

Mutation breeding activities to improve some minor defects in ASG rice was initiated during

2012 at IGKV, Raipur in collaboration with NA and BTD, BARC, Mumbai and RRCAT, Indore.

Radiation doses of 250Gy and 300 Gy of Gamma ray and electron beam are being utilized

for irradiation of seed materials. A mutagenized population of 23 rice landraces are being

maintained at different generations (M2 to M8) in the field. A total of eight ASG rice mutants

were developed with early to mid-late maturity with reduced plant height. We got 4% to 20%

reduction in days to maturity in different mutants whereas percent reduction in plant height

was 4% to 41 %. Grain yield was increased up to 7% to 49% in the mutants with maintaining

the original quality. One mutant rice variety, Trombay Chhattisgarh Dubraj Mutant-1 (TCDM-



1) has been released for commercial cultivation in Chhattisgarh state. Two mutants viz.,RTR 602, RTR 605 are under national testing at All India Coordinated Rice Improvement

Programme. Two mutants viz., TCDM-2, RTR 204 are under state multi-location trials.

Three mutants viz., RTR 31, RTR 17, RTR 18 are under station trials. Mutation breeding is

going to be a viable tool for reviving and improving the traditional landraces of rice in

Chhattishgarh.

PS IV – 19

Study of mutation frequency based on putative mutants in gamma ray

induced two rice landraces of Chhattisgarh

Richa Sao*, Deepak Sharma, Parmeshwar K. Sahu, Vikash Kumar1 and B. K. Das1


492 012 Chhattisgarh; 1Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic



Chhattisgarh is traditionally famous for aromatic short grain rice landraces which are generally

late maturing and tall in nature thus susceptible for lodging and have poor yield. Improvement

of two traditional rice landraces i.e. Samundchini and Vishnubhog was initiated at IGKV

Raipur in the kharif 2017 where 1000 seeds of both the genotypes were treated with the

300Gy dose of gamma rays at the NA and BTD, BARC, Mumbai. Treated M1 seeds were

grown in field and mother panicles of each M1 plant were harvested separately. In kharif

2018, M2 seeds were sown by following panicle to row method. Samundchini and Vishnubhog

landraces have total number of 13712 and 12306 M2 plants, respectively. In Samundchini,

33 putative mutants were observed. Among these mutants, there were six chlorophyll mutants

(mutation frequency of 0.048%), six broad and dark colour leaf mutants (0.048%), one with

broad leaves and high tillers (0.007%), one purple leaf mutant (0.007%), two grassy mutants

(0.014%), two thick stem, broad leaf and dark green colour mutants (0.014%), five semi

dwarf mutants (0.036%), two high tillering mutants (0.014%), five mid early and semi-tall

mutants (0.036%) and five semi-dwarf and early mutants (0.036%) were observed. In

Vishnubhog 29 putative mutants were observed. Among these mutants, there were five

chlorophyll mutants (having mutation frequency of 0.041%), six broad and dark green colour

leaf mutants (0.049%), one narrow leaf mutant (0.008%), one dark green leaf mutant (0.008%),

two grassy dwarf mutants (0.016%), four semi dwarf mutants (0.032%), one high tillering

mutant (0.008%), one dwarf with dark green leaves mutant (0.0081), three semi-tall (0.024%),

two high tillering (0.016%) and four mid early mutants (0.032%) were observed. Economically

important mutants will be promoted to next generation for stabilization and varietal

development.



PS IV – 20

A CYP19 based sex determination and monosex production in booming

aquaculture species, Oreochromis niloticus L.

Atul K. Singh

National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Canal Ring Road, P.O.Dilkusha, Lucknow 226

002, Uttar Pradesh


Comparative performance of tamoxifen and letrozole on sex determination was investigated

in a gonochorist cichlid tilapia Oreochromis niloticus hypothesizing that the sex determination

in this species is Cyp19 gene dependent and it will respond similarly for the two drugs. The

present investigation was designed to better understand the aromatase based sex

determination in tilapia using two functional treatments of tamoxifen (11â-

hydroxyandrostenedione) an estrogen receptor blocker and letrozole (Cyp19) which is a

known aromatase inhibitor. The efficacy and effect of tamoxifen and letrozole on sex reversal

in Nile tilapia was studied using free-swimming fry of Oreochromis niloticus (8 days post

fertilization). Treatment of letrozole in the dose of 100 mg kg-1 feed brought about 87.91 ±

1.39% masculinisation in O. niloticus, while larger dose (200 mg kg-1 feed) produced 99.65

± 0.72% male O. niloticus. In the control group, there was 46.38% male and 53.616% female

O. niloticus. Letrozole significantly increased serum testosterone (T) level suppressing 17â-

estradiol (E2) production and the androgenizing action was more potent when compared

with tamoxifen treatment. The histological examination of letrozole treated O. niloticus revealed

increased number of irregularly spread spermatids, there was hardly any difference when

compared with control testes, and letrozole treated gonads. The results showed potent and

complete action of letrozole (Cyp19) on sex reversal for monosex male fish production

delineating its commercial application in aquaculture.

PS IV – 21

Application of in vitro methods for sugarcane crop improvement

J. Joshi Akshat* and V. Senthilkumar

Department. of Genetics and Plant Breeding, N. M.College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural

University, Navsari 396 450


Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is one of the most important cash-crop that based widely

grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It was originated from New Guinea

and belongs to family Poaceae. It is major raw material of sugar industry. So, that lower

average productivity and sugar recovery are cause due to abiotic and biotic stress as well



as unavailability of successful varieties. In order to overcome the said difficulties of sugarcane

production, must be improved due to the tissue culture aspects are like as embryo rescue,

haploid production, in vitro mutagenesis, somaclonal variation, somatic embryogenesis and

somatic hybridization. These are playing an important role in improving the quality, also

producing biotic and abiotic stress tolerance varieties. These techniques of plant tissue

culture are making a key role on the “Second Green Revolution” in improve the crop yield

and quality of sugarcane.

PS IV – 22

SNPs for typical coat colour pattern of mithun (Bos frontalis) revealed

by genomic tools

Sabyasachi Mukherjee*, Anupama Mukherjee#, Imsusosang Longkumer, Nazrul

Haque, Kezhavituo Vupru, Kobu Khate, and Abhijit Mitra

Animal Genetics and Breeding Lab., ICAR-National Research Centre on Mithun,

Medziphema, Nagaland 797 106; #Dairy Cattle Breeding Division, ICAR-National Dairy

Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana 132001


Mithun (Bos frontalis),a bovine species indigenous to North-East Hills of India, is specifically

reared by the tribal community as a sign of prosperity, gifts and sacrificial animal for meat.

As per local traditions, tribal owners invariably prefer a mithun for sacrifice with one typical

feature, that is, the mithun must be having a uniform black coat color with white “stockings”

(white feet). In cattle, classical genetic studies reported several genes that are involved in

the complex coat colors and patterns and black and white coat color (BB) is considered as

dominant over red & white coat color (bb) in Holstein cattle. In the present study, we have

taken a genomics approach to find out significant SNPs for this preferred coat color in

mithun (black coat & white stockings) through the use of -Illumina®BovineHD Genotyping

assay. The genomic region containing the most significant SNP of a peak was explored by

inspecting a1Mb window around the location of this SNP using the BioMart tool and the

Ensemblgenes 69 data base to investigate 500 kb to each side of the marker using the

UMDv3.1 assembly. The cattle QTLdb data base was examined to find out if the significant

SNP mapped against any previously described bovine QTL. Each of the top ten SNPs,

identified from the analysis performed in GenABEL, with its flanking 20 kb region were

compared with QTLs in the cattle QTL database. Our result revealed 8 significant SNPs for

typical coat color of mithun with one highly significant SNP (p>-log10-5) positioned on cattle

chromosome number 11. Even if this is the first attemptwith limited dataset to trace SNPs

for coat colour of mithun, future study using larger dataset will be useful to associate these

SNPs with the preferred coat color patterns of mithun for selection purpose.



PS IV – 23

Radiation hybrid mapping in crop plants

V. Senthilkumar* and J. Joshi Akshat

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, N. M. Collage of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural

University, Navsari 396 450, Gujarat


Radiation hybrid (RH) mapping is based on radiation-induced chromosome breakage and

analysis of chromosome segment retention or loss using molecular markers. A number of

recombination based and physical mapping methods have been developed in order to study

and understand the genomic organization of plant species. Of these methods, physical

mapping methods provide the best correlation between position on a map and actual physical

location on the chromosome. The discuss differences between maps developed on the

basis of recombination and those developed independent of recombination. In the latter

method, termed commonly as physical mapping, then discuss methods that have been

employed in a number of agriculturally important plant species including rice, the legume

model Medicago, tomato, soybean, barley and wheat, and then focus on the radiation hybrid

method of physical mapping. After a brief discussion about of the radiation hybrid methods

employed in mammalian species, at also discuss radiation hybrid mapping for maize, barley,

cotton and wheat crop species.

PS IV – 24

Production of double haploid using microspore culture in Brassica

carinata against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

Rashmi Verma, Arundhati Mukhopadhyay, A. K. Pradhan and Jagreet Kaur

Department of Genetics, University of Delhi, South Campus, New Delhi 110 021


Brassica crops are susceptible to many fungal pathogens like, Alternaria brassicae, A.brassicicola (Alternaria blight), Albugo candida (white rust) and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Stem

rot). Out of these, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, anecrotrophic ascomycete fungus is the most

destructive pathogen of Brassica species and causes significant yield loss in India (~ 40%

yield losses) and worldwide. Sclerotinia has a broad host range and is known to infect more

than 400 dicot plant species. Several cultural and chemical methods have been employed

to restrain Sclerotinia infection but the cosmopolitan nature of this pathogen renders it difficult

to control the crop damage. Partial genetic resistance is reported in wild and cultivated

species of Brassicas. We carried out screening of several genotypes belonging to different



species of Brassica to identify tolerant and susceptible genotypes/subgroups. We found

tolerant genotypes in Brassica carinata against S. sclerotiorum that showed significantly

resistance to stem rot. To understand the genetic basis of resistance in the identified

genotypes we decided to deploy a conventional mapping approach. A highly tolerant genotype

(R1) was crossed to the most susceptible genotype (S) to obtain R1×S, F1 heterozygotes.

Similarly, R1×R2 cross between two resistant genotypes was made. These F1 heterozygotes

(R1×S, R1×R2) were subjected to microspore culture to obtain doubled haploid (DH)

populations for developing genetic maps to identify putative loci that impart resistance against

S. sclerotiorum.

PS IV – 25

Genetic analysis of heterosis for seed yield and yield component traits

in Brassica juncea

Aakanksha, D. Pental and A. K. Pradhan*

Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi

110 021


Heterosis refers to the phenomenon where a hybrid shows superiority in performance

compared the parents. The genetic architecture of heterosis in the complex polyploid crop

oilseed mustard (Brassica juncea) remains enigmatic, which has however been studied in

details in B. rapa and B. napus. In this study, a doubled haploid (DH) mapping population

and two corresponding sets of backcrossed hybrids were constructed to elucidate the genetic

basis of heterosis. A high density genetic map of B. juncea derived from another DH population

developed from a Varuna/Heera cross was used to identify polymorphic markers between

Varuna and EH-2, which were then used for genotyping of the DH population. Replicated

field trials of the three mapping populations were conducted, and yield and its components

were evaluated in three consecutive crop growing seasons in Delhi. Significant variation

was observed for all the traits, with high heritabilities for a few of the important traits

approaching estimates of 70% or higher. Quantitative trait locus mapping is being undertaken

for identification of genomic regions influencing these traits. Defining the underlying genetic

basis of heterosis will provide new insights into our understanding of the genetic mechanism

of heterosis and will benefit breeding for heterosis in oilseed mustard.



PS IV – 26

PCR-RFLP analysis of TNP2 gene in Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Karan

Fries cattle

Ashish Ranjan*, K. N. Raja1, Ranjana Sinha2 and I. Ganguly1

Division of Animal Genetics and Breeding, 1Livestock Production Management, ICAR-NDRI,

Karnal, 132 001; 2National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal 132 001, Haryana


Transition nuclear proteins (TNP1 and TNP2) are found in chromatin of condensing

spermatids and reported to be important for histone displacement and chromatin

condensation. Chromatin condensation is directly related to the capacity of sperm to fertilize

the ovum. Changes in TNP2 nucleotides sequence, may affect the semen quality parameters,

may cause infertility and sub-fertility. So present investigation was carried out on 50 bulls

and 40 male calves of Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Karan Fries cattle maintained at Artificial

Breeding Research Center and Livestock Research Center, ICAR-NDRI Karnal, (Haryana)

to identify genetic polymorphisms in TNP2 gene. A total of 1528 bp of TNP-2 gene were

studied in Bos indicus cattle breeds Sahiwal, Tharparkar, and Karan Fries cattle. Three sets

of primers for TNP2 gene on the basis of Bos Taurus sequence (Acc. No- BK_006514) were

designed using Primer3 software and PCR products of 459, 483, 484 base pairs were

obtained. Amplicons were custom sequenced and subjected to Clustal W analysis which

showed nucleotide changes in non coding region in Indigenous cattle breeds as compared

to Bos taurus. Analysis of SNPs were performed, using restriction fragment length

polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) to detect nucleotide changes in the sequence, as reported (g.

480 C>T and g. 1536 C>T) in Chinese Holstein breed. Polymorphism at 480 C>T was

present having genotype ratio 0.47, 0.40, 0.13 (CC, CT, TT) in Karan Fries sampled population

while in Sahiwal and Tharparkar only two genotype (CC,CT) were obtained which may be

due to small sample size. But for g. 1536 C>T, there were absence of variability in the

sampled population of Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Karan Fries cattle.

PS IV – 27

Molecular characterization of mungbean (Vigna radiata) recombinase

Sandeep Kumar, Everest Shiwach1 and Punjab Singh Malik*

Department of Botany, Meerut College, Meerut 250 001, Uttar Pradesh; 1Department of

Botany, D. N. College, Meerut 250 002, Uttar Pradesh


Mungbean or green gram [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] is an important legume species and

India is its largest producer. Mungbean Yellow Indian Mosaic Virus (MYIMV) causes Yellow



Mosaic disease in mungbean and is responsible for yield losses from 20 % to 80%. These

geminivirus are evolving at a fast pace and it is believed that geminiviral proteins’ interactions

with host mungbean’s homologous recombination proteins might have roles inthis. In order

to understand it further, we are cloning recombinase genes of mungbean. Mung bean genome

has recently been sequenced. It has diploid chromosome number of 2n=2x=22 with an

estimated genome size of 579 Mb. Homologous recombination (HR) is one of the important

pathway for double strand break repair (DSBR) in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. This error

free process maintains the genomic integrity and is also responsible for bringing variations.

There are two main recombinases- RADiation sensitive51 (RAD 51) and Disrupted Meiotic

cDNA1 (DMC1) present in higher eukaryotes. Both Rad51 and DMC1 are eukaryotic

orthologues of bacterial Recombinase- Rec A protein. Meiosis is key feature during

gametogenesis in plants and understanding of these recombinase proteins might help in

developing strategies for higher yield production as well. The available genome sequence

indicates presence of one copy of putative DMC1 and Rad 51 genes. Progress towards

cloning of these genes and over-expression of recombinant proteins in both prokaryotic and

eukaryotic expression systemswill be presented. Recombinase enzymes make a

nucleoprotein filament with single stranded DNA and then invade into homologous sequences

for repairing the lost sequence. These activities are to be tested using in-vitro assays.

PS IV – 28

In silico analysis of resistance gene analogues (RGAs) in groundnut

(Arachis hypogaea L.) genome

Y. Amaravathi*, G. K. Srividya1, P. Lavanya Kumari2 and R. P. Vasanthi

Department of Genetics and plant Breeding, Groundnut breeding, ANGRAU, Institute of

Frontier Technology, RARS, Tirupati 517 502; 1Department of Molecular Biology and

Biotechnology, ANGRAU, S. V. Agricultural College, Tirupati 517 502; 2Department of

Statistics, ANGRAU, RARS, Tirupati 517 502


Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the most important food and cash crop for small

and marginal farmers of India. In response to attack of pathogens, host plants activate

diverse kinds of defense mechanisms. Resistance Gene Analogues (RGAs) are among the

most important gene classes in plant breeding being responsible for the specific immune

response. The RGAs have conserved domains and motifs that play specific roles in narrow

and broad spectrum disease resistance. A total of 1435 RGAS are identified in cultivated

groundnut through In silico analysis. The RGAs are distributed on all the 20 linkage groups

and within the linkage group; they are clustered at few locations towards both the arms.

Maximum number of RGAs are present on the 2nd linkage group (267) and least are on 7th

linkage group (24). Comparatively more number of RGAs arelocated on B genome (752)

than that of A genome (677). Regarding the diversity of RGAs, many classes of RGAs are



found and the most prevelent class of RGAs are NBS-LRR group (601). This group is a

diverse class with different sub classes like NBS-LRR type disease resistance genes (78),

P-loop containing nucleoside triphosphate hydrolase (197) and NBS-LRR with ARC domain

(326). Markers can be designed to the highly conserved domains in the RGAs on whole

genome basis and can be successfully employed in marker assisted selection (MAS) and

genomic selection (GS) for broad spectrum resistance in groundnut.

PS IV – 29

Relative efficiency of Himalayan maize (Zea mays) and cogon grass

(Imperata cylindrica) gene pools for induction of haploids in bread and

durum wheats and triticale following chromosome elimination- mediated

approach of doubled haploidy breeding

C. Kapoor*, H. K. Chaudhary1, A. Relan1, P. Sharma1, N. V. Manoj1 and K. Singh1

ICAR-National Organic Farming Research Institute (formerly ICAR Research Complex for

NEH Region, Sikkim Centre), Tadong, Gangtok, Sikkim 737 102; 1The Molecular Cytogenetics

and Tissue Culture Laboratory (MCTL), Department of Crop Improvement, CSK HPAU,

Palampur, Himachal Pradesh


Wheat x maize and wheat x Imperata cylindrica are globally known efficient systems for

doubled haploid production in wheat. Haploid induction potential of these two systems can

further be enhanced by searching efficient genotypes of both the pollen sources.To locate

such genotypes,two genotypes of I. cylindrica,Ic-ye (yellow type) and Ic-br (brown type) and

21 OPVs of Z. mays collected from mid and high hills of Himachal Pradesh were utilized as

pollen parents. Four diverse genotypes of hexaploid wheat and two each of tetraploid wheat

and triticale were used as female parents. Two spikes of each of the female lines were

crossed with each of the 23 pollen parents for DH production. Mean frequency of Pseudoseed

formation frequency (PFF), Embryo formation frequency (EFF), Haploid regeneration

frequency (HRF) and Haploid formation frequency (HFF)obtained with I. cylindrica was

46.59%, 20.92%, 17.95% and 4.14%, respectively whereas the same with maize was 45.96%,

6.49%, 37.85%, 1.54%, respectively. The genotypes ofI. cylindrica, Ic-ye and Ic-br and six

genotypes of maize, HP14, HP25, HP53, HP57, HP60 and HP64 were identified as the best

general combiners for EFF and HFF. In case of I. cylindrica, Ic-ye was identified the best

with mean EFF of 26.29% and HFF of 6.55% while among maize, HP27 and HP58 performed

best with EFF of 14.41% and 35.07% for bread and durum wheats, respectively while in

triticale, embryo formation was recorded only with HP57.In all, I. cylindrica outperformed

maize in all the haploid induction parameters. Nine maize genotypes viz., HP53, HP56,

HP57, HP58, HP59, HP60, HP62, HP63, HP64 were identified as early flowering under

polyhouse conditions,thereby providing opportunity to initiate early hybridization and prolong

the haploid breeding endeavour for harvesting higher DH production.



PS IV – 30

Amenability of early maize hybrids to in vivo haploid induction for

doubled haploid development using R1-nj-based haploid inducers

R. K. Khulbe*, A. Pattanayak, G. S. Bisht, M. C. Pant, Vivek Panday and Lakshmi Kant

ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora 263 145, Uttarakhand


Doubled haploid (DH) method has emerged as a potent method for rapid generation of

completely homozygous lines for accelerating hybrid development process in maize. The

current method of DH development in maize involves in vivo production of haploids using

haploid inducer lines (HILs) that upon use as male render a small fraction of seed in the

female ears haploid. The use of this method, however, is limited by the fact that identification

of putative haploid seed in HIL-pollinated female ears is based on kernel anthocyanin

pigmentation (R1-nj marker). Presence of dominant anthocyanin inhibitor gene(s) that

suppress kernel pigmentation render potential source populations unsuitable for DH

development using R1-nj-based HILs. Therefore, prior assessment of amenability of potential

source populations to in vivo haploid induction is helpful in saving time and costs by enabling

selection of compatible hybrids for DH development. With this objective, a set comprising

15 early maturity hybrids and their 19 parental inbreds was crossed with CIMMYT’s haploid

inducer TAILP1 (EC805127) and the degree of kernel pigmentation was scored in each

cross. Kernel pigmentation was present in all the hybrids (except CMVL 55), indicating their

amenability for DH derivation using the in vivo system. Among the 19 parental inbreds, all

except V 405 expressed kernel pigmentation. Of the two hybrids (CMVL 55 and VMH 51)

having V 405 as female parent, kernel pigmentation was absent to weak in CMVL 55, whereas

complete pigmentation was present in VMH 51. These observations suggest interaction

between the maternal and paternal factors in determination of degree of kernel pigmentation

in the hybrids. The present study also enabled identification of potential hybrids for generation

of early maturing DH lines using R1-nj-based HILs. The parental inbreds used in the study

include those derived from germplasm of national and international origin and their

characterization with respect to kernel anthocyanin pigmentation will be useful for workers

intending to use hybrids involving these germplasm as source populations for DH

development.



PS IV – 31

Marker assisted introgression of multiple rust resistance in wheat

variety HD2967

Niharika Mallick*, Vinod, Pooja Kumari, J. B. Sharma, M. Niranjana, S. K. Jha, M. Sivasamy1

and K. V. Prabhu2

Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1IARI

Regional Station, Wellington 643 231; 2Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights

Authority, New Delhi 110 012


The high yielding and popular wheat variety HD2967 became susceptible to all the three

types of wheat rusts in due course of time after its release during 2011. An attempt has been

made to improve HD2967 for leaf and stripe rust as these are the two important diseases in

NWPZ by introgressing Lr19/Sr25, Lr34 and Yr10. The Thinopyrum ponticum derived leaf

rust resistance gene Lr19/Sr25 is quite effective in India. Lr34 is a slow rusting gene provides

durable and non-specific adult plant resistance. The gene, Yr10 is one of the most effective

stripe rust resistance genes in wheat in most wheat-growing areas but virulent Pst races

have been reported earlier. Marker assisted backcrossing followed by intercrossing of the

derived Near Isogenic Lines (NILs) has been used to combine Lr19/Sr25, Lr34 and Yr10 in

the background of HD2967. The donors of rust resistance genes includes, HD2687+Lr19/

Sr25, HD2189+Lr34 and HD2851+Yr10. Linked SSR markers were used to identify targeted

genes, Xwmc221 for Lr19, csLV34 for Lr34 and Xpsp3000 for Yr10 in BC1F1, BC2F1, BC2F2

and NILF2 generations. The gene positive plants in each generation were screened for their

background recovery using polymorphic markers between donor and recipient variety.

Background selection recovered 96.79%, 94.59% and 92.76% of recurrent parent genome

(RPG) in BC2F2 generations of plants carrying genes Lr19, Lr34 and Yr10 respectively. The

NILs were crossed to combine two and three genes together. A total of 8, 10, 12 and 7 plants

were identified of carrying gene combinations, Lr19+Lr34, Lr34+Yr10, lr19+Yr10 and

Lr19+Lr34+Yr10 respectively. Thus marker assisted foreground and background selection

was effectively used for development of improved HD2967 with multiple rust resistance in

just four years while in conventional breeding only development of NILs for single gene only

takes six years. Linked gene Sr25/Lr19 will also provide stem rust resistance to the variety.

This improved HD2967 is expected to replace the susceptible HD2967.



PS IV – 32

Molecular characterization and genetic relationship among upland

cotton genotypes using PCR based molecular markers

P. B. Wadikar, B. G. Solanki1 and G. O. Faldu1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396

450, Gujarat; 1Main Cotton Research Station, Navsari Agricultural University, Athwa Farm,

Surat 395 007, Gujarat


Cotton is an important fibre crop grown over tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide.

The narrow genetic base of cultivated cotton is one of the major factors causing the current

declines in cotton yield and quality. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based molecular

markers have developed into powerful tools to analyze genetic relationships and genetic

diversity. In the present study, genetic variability and relationship among eight upland cotton

genotypes were investigated using RAPD, ISSR and SSR markers. Twenty five RAPD, 19

ISSR and 26 SSR primers generated a total of 157, 96, and 75 alleles, of which 90, 67 and

60 alleles were found to be polymorphic, resulting in 57.32%, 69.79% and 80.00%

polymorphism, respectively. The similarity coefficient based on RAPD, ISSR and SSR

markers ranged from 0.45 to 0.91 suggesting considerable genetic variation among the

cotton genotypes studied. Further, dendrogram generated by UPGMA cluster analysis based

on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient, grouped eight parental lines in to two distinct clusters

named as cluster A and cluster B having the similarity coefficient 0.45. Maximum numbers

(7 out of 8) of genotypes fall in cluster A. Genotype, GSHV-97/612 remained isolated forming

an out group from the rest of genotypes in the cluster B. The groups based on clustering

analysis are in agreement with available pedigree, genetic background and also confirm

taxonomic classification. Our results suggests that, combined molecular markers data are

efficient for measuring genetic diversity and relatedness and also aid in selection of diverse

outstanding lines to be used in future breeding programmes.

PS IV – 33

Characterization of doubled haploid plants in maize

Roop Kamal, Priti Sharma*, Gurpreet Kaur, Puja Srivastava, Navtej Singh Bains

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, 1School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab

Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004, Punjab

Enail: [email protected]

Doubled haploids are produced by using two methods viz., in vitro and in vivo methods but

in vivo method is commonly used for obtaining doubled haploids in maize. In in vivo method,



Tropically Adapted Inducer Lines (TAIL) hybrid was used for haploid induction. Four maize

inbred lines (CM140, LM16, CM123 and I122) were used as target material for haploid

induction. Crosses were made between target population to obtain F1 seeds and then crosses

between F1 hybrids and inducer stock resulted in Haploid Induction Rate (HIR) that ranges

from zero to 9.72 per cent. Two crosses involving CM123 as female parent did not show the

expression of R1-nj system which may be due to the presence of inhibitor genes in the

maternal genotypes. Haploid seeds were germinated by using two methods from which

petri plate method was found to be more suitable with germination percentage range by

from 89.54 to 93.37 per cent. Due to more biotic stress on seedlings in Spring season,

survival percentage in field was 23.37 per cent. The morphological observations of the

colchicine treated plants conferred only one doubled haploid plant. Therefore, the

chromosome doubling percentage worked out to be 0.42 per cent. Confirmation of doubled

haploid plant was done by using cytological study and flow cytometry. So, inducer lines

adapted for tropical environment should be developed to enhance the frequency of haploid

induction as well as sound knowledge of genotypes regarding the presence of inhibitor

genes should be explored which is of utmost importance for haploid induction.

PS IV – 34

Mapping of yield component traits from aromatic rice line RNR-2354

Kumari Neelam*, Manpreet Meelu, Renu Khanna1, Yogesh Vikal, Kuldeep Singh2

School of Agricultural Biotechnology, 1Department of plant breeding and genetics, Punjab

Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New

Delhi 110 012


Basmati, the unique quality aromatic rice is a harmonious combination of aroma, kernel

expansion, fluffiness and palatability. Punjab Basmati 3 (PB-3), is semi-dwarf variety having

resistance to the bacterial blight disease of rice (xa 13 and Xa 21 genes), possesses extra-

long slender and translucent grains with strong aroma and good cooking and eating quality

characteristics. Though, as compared to the indicia varieties, it is low yielding primarily

because of the low number of grains (70 to 80) per panicle. The present study was conducted

to map and improve the yield potential of Punjab Basmati 3 (PB-3) by introgression of yield

contributing traits. RNR-2354, one of the aromatic rice, was found to have a very high grain

number (150-200) per panicle while evaluating and characterizing 400 aromatic rice

germplasm lines from all over India. The cross between PB-3 and RNR-2354 was done to

generate F1, F2 and F3 progenies for mapping and inheritance studies. Phenotypic data

were recorded for grain number, grain length and grain width in F2 population and F3

progenies. The F2 population consisting of 96 individuals was genotyped using microsatellite

markers spanning all the 12 chromosomes of rice. A total of 5 QTLs designated as qGN-1,

qGN-2.1, qGN-2.2, qGN-3 and qGN-5 was mapped to chromosome 1, 2, 3 and 5 using QTL



Cartographer mapping software. Some of the F3 progenies with improved yield potential

and comparable grain length and width as that of PB-3 were obtained which could be utilized

by plant breeders in breeding programs.

PS IV – 35

Genomic approaches to identify miRNAs involved in low light tolerance

at vegetative stage in rice

S. Sekhar, D. Panda, N. Mohanty, J. Kumar, M. Biswal, M. J. Baig, A. Kumar, N. Umakanta,

S. Samantaray, S. K. Pradhan and L. Behera*

1ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Bidyadharpur, Cuttack 753 006, Odisha


Low light is one of the major constraints for low yield in rice India and south east Asian

countries. It induces high tiller mortality at vegetative stage, and reduces spikelet number,

dry matter production while increases spikelet sterility at reproductive stage. Photosynthetic

rate is considerably reduced under low light as compared to normal light. Rice yield during

Kharif season is significantly reduced due to low light mostly in eastern and north eastern

India. The plants adopt various regulatory mechanisms to cope with low light stress. One of

them is the differential and temporal expression of genes, some of which are governed by

post-transcriptional gene expression regulation through miRNA. miRNAs are endogenous

small RNAs and play an important gene-regulatory role through base-pairing with target

mRNAs cleavage or translational inhibition. Whole genome epigenome sequencing was

carried out using low light tolerant (Swarnaprabha) and susceptible (IR8) cultivars of rice.

Swarnaprabha and IR8 were subjected to 50% low light treatment for one day, three days

and five days. Samples were collected from low light treated and untreated samples, and

subjected to whole genome miRNA sequencing using Illumina HiSeq 2500 NGS platform.

After most stringent scrutiny, a total of 322 miRNA were identified, most of them regulates

the genes involved in photosynthesis and metabolic pathways. Five differentially expressed

miRNAs were validated through qPCR. Their target involvement was mostly from

photosynthesis pathway and correlated with their expression pattern identified through whole

genome transcriptome sequencing in our earlier experiment indicating their probable role in

tolerance in low light stress. Further, work is in progress for whole genome bisulphate

methylation sequencing to find possible role of epigenetic factors (miRNA and methylation)

in low light tolerance at vegetative stage.



PS IV – 36

Marker-assisted improvement of multiple traits in elite rice varieties

and hybrids in rice

R. M. Sundaram*, M. S. Madhav, C. N. Neeraja, S. M. Balachandran, S. K. Mangrauthia,

K. B. Barbadikar, P. Senguttuvel, R. Abdul Fiyaz, M. S. Anantha, C. Gireesh, Jyothi Badri,

V. Prakasam, G. S. Laha, M. S. Prasad, D. Ladha Lakshmi, L. V. Subba Rao and A. S.

Hariprasad

ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad


Molecular markers can add precision to breeding and accelerate breeding efforts. Towards

this objective, we have applied marker-assisted breeding (MAB) for improvement of multiple

traits like resistance against biotic stresses (bacterial blight, blast, gall midge and BPH),

hybrid rice breeding related traits, tolerance to abiotic stresses (low soil phosphorus and

salinity), grain quality and yield in elite rice varieties and parental lines. Through marker-

assisted backcross breeding (MABB), a high-yielding, bacterial blight resistant rice variety

possessing fine-grain type and low glycemic index (GI), named Improved Samba Mahsuri

(ISM) was earlier developed and released by our research group. Now ISM has been improved

for resistance against, blast, gall midge and BPH and tolerance to low soil phosphorus (i.e.

conferred by Pup1) and seedling stage salinity and the elite breeding lines of ISM are in

various stages of testing/evaluation. MABB and modified MABB strategies have also been

applied for improving bacterial blight (BB), blast resistance and low soil P tolerance in

MTU1010, NLR34449 and Akshayadhan and the hybrid rice parental lines, IR58025B,

DRR17B, KMR-3R and RPHR1005R. A novel bacterial blight resistance gene, Xa33 has

been identified from an accession of the wild rice, O. nivara, fine-mapped on Chr. 7 and

transferred into several elite genetic backgrounds. Novel sources of resistance against

bacterial blight, blast, BPH and tolerance against sheath blight have been identified and

characterized. A molecular marker-based assay has been designed for rapid and accurate

determination of impurities in seed-lots of rice hybrids and their parental lines and functional

markers have been developed for hybrid rice related traits, viz., wide-compatibility, wild-

abortive cytoplasmic male sterility and fertility restoration. Functional markers have been

developed for major grain quality related traits and novel, non-Pup1 type donors have been

identified for the trait. Four major yield enhancing genes, viz., Gn1a, SCM2, OsSPL14 and

GW5 have been transferred to four elite Indian rice cultivars, viz., Improved Samba Mahsuri,

Swarna, MTU1010 and NDR359.



PS IV – 37

Identification of elite Indian sugarcane varieties through DNA

fingerprinting using novel microsatellite (EST-SSR) markers

R. B. Singh*, Balwant Singh1, R. K. Singh2 and Rakesh K. Srivastava2

Sugarcane Research Institute U.P. Council of Sugarcane Research, Shahjahanpur 242 001,

Uttar Pradesh; 1Swami Satyanand College of Management and Technology, Amritsar 143

001, Punjab; 2International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT),

Patancheru, Hyderabad 502 324


Precise identification and characterization of genetic resources is one of the most essential

aspects for sugarcane breeding. Traditionally, sugarcane varieties have been characterized

solely on the basis of morphological descriptors which have limitations differentiating cultivars

with the similar phenotypes, and influenced by surrounding environment. Popular sugarcane

hybrid varieties and genetic stocks routinely being used as a parent in crossing program

were included in this study. A set of 70 primer pairs were used to amplify, of which ~39%

were found to be robust polymorphic. The number of DNA bands amplified by EST-SSR

primers was ranged from 1 to 10 with an average of 5 bands per primer and their fragment

size ranged between 50 and 1,690 bp. Polymorphism information content (PIC) value was

ranged from 0.17 to 0.78 with an average of 0.47.5. Unique DNA fingerprints of thirteen elite

sugarcane varieties were generated with twenty seven polymorphic sugarcane specific EST-

derived microsatellite (EST-SSR) markers. Analyses of DNA profiles produced by EST-

SSR markers showed the unique bands specific for individual variety. Generated DNA profiles

would facilitate accurate variety identification in the perspective of protection of the breeder’s

intellectual property rights, farmer’s rights and useful in their purity testing. In addition,

developed reliable DNA fingerprinting system will be able to track a potent parent genotype

for breeding programs. The identified variety specific and unique DNA markers will be valuable

for conservation and management of sugarcane germplasm.



PS IV – 38

Identification of novel cis-acting regulatory elements in upstream region

of Phospholipase D alpha1 gene from wild Oryza species

Amandeep Kaur1*, Kumari Neelam, Benildo G. de los Reyes1,#, Ai Kitazumi1,#a, Kuldeep

Singh1,#a

School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab;1School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, United States of America;#aCurrent address: Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock,

Texas, United States of America; #bCurrent address: ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic

Resources, New Delhi 110 012


The Phospholipase D alpha1 (OsPLDα1) is a highly lipolytic enzyme which is responsible

for causing rancidity and stale flavor in the rice bran oil. This enzyme is the primary reason

for wastage of million tons of rice bran each year which otherwise could be used as a source

of oil for human consumption. The promoter elements play a key role in gene regulation and

any change in their sequences influence gene expression resulting in variable trait expression.

In the present study, an in-silico approach was followed to identify novel cis-elements in the

OsPLDα1 promoters (~1.6kb) of 34 accessions representing 5 wild Oryza species. The

upstream sequences of PLD paralogs having highest (OsPLDα1 and OsPLDα1) and lowest

(OsPLDα2 and OsPLDα3) expression throughout the plant growth were analyzed to identify

unique cis-elements. The identified unique elements were then searched in the OsPLDα1promoter of wild Oryza species accessions. Comparison of the detected cis-elements in

different paralogs revealed ACGTOSGLUB1 and HEXAMERATH4 to be unique to the highly

active paralogs while CARGCW8GAT and E2FCONSENSUS were specific to the low

expressing PLD paralogs. Further, ACGTOSGLUB1 was missing in 7 accessions belonging

to O. barthii, O. nivara, and O. rufipogon species while an additional copy (-431bp) of

HEXAMERATH4 was detected in two accessions of O. rufipogon. The elements

CARGCW8GAT and E2FCONSENSUS were missing in the OsPLDα1 promoter of all the

accessions. Furthermore, variations were detected in promoters of OsPLDα1 orthologs which

were then correlated with the exon-specific qRT-PCR results. Owing to the presence of

ARFAT and SEBF elements in the O. rufipogon accession which had the lowest gene

expression as well, these putative upstream regulatory sequences have been identified as

novel cis-elements. The wild species accessions identified with novel cis-elements in the

OsPLDα1 promoter could be further deployed in the breeding programs to improve the rice

bran quality of elite rice cultivars.



PS IV – 39

Construction of genetic linkage map and identification of QTLs for

pungency trait in Capsicum using BhutJolokia, a clad of ghost pepper

landraces

Md Aminul Islam1, Vivek Kumar Singh, Rupesh Kailasrao Deshmukh2, Mehzabin Rahman1,

Surya Kalita1, Dhiresh Chakravarty1 and Shashi Bhushan Tripathi

The Energy and Resources Institute, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003;1Bimala Prasad Chaliha College, Nagarbera, Assam 781 127; 2Departement de phytologie-

FSAA, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada; 4National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute

(NABI), Mohali, Punjab 140 306


The burning sensation which is felt after consuming the fruits of Capsicum is due to presence

of a group of lipophilic alkaloids, collectively known as capsaicinoids. The capsaicinoid

content is implicated by the genetic make-up of the cultivar, weather conditions, growing

conditions, and stage of fruit development. High pungency is a common feature of almost all

of the chilli landraces grown in North East India. In the present study, we used interspecific

BC1 individuals developed from a cross between landrace Bhut Jolokia (BJ: highly pungent)

and cultivar of C. annuum (non-pungent) to study the genetics of high pungency in BJ. A

total of 599 segregating markers were generated using AFLP, TE-AFLP and microsatellite

markers. Of which 424 markers were assigned into 12 linkage groups covering 1197.73 cM

map distance with an average marker distance of 3.36 cM. The mean size of each linkage

group was 99.81 cM. LG3 had the smallest size covering a distance of only 47.278 cM

whereas LG4 had the largest size covering 163.68 cM. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin

content were estimated for two parents, F1 and BC1 individuals using HPLC. QTLs

(Quantitative trait loci) analysis for four pungency traits namely capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin,

total capsaicinoids and ratio of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. Identified eight QTLs were

identified. LG4 has QTLs for all the four pungency traits and their high value of percentage

of variance extended (PVE) suggested that this group is the hot spot for pungency related

traits. Moreover, this study identified novel QTLs for pungency locus in BJ.



PS IV – 40

Identification and validation of a major QTL for 100-seed weight in a

drought tolerant soybean genotype EC538828

Giriraj Kumawat*, Arti Yadav1, M. Shivakumar, Rajkumar Ramteke, Sanjay Gupta,

S. P. Mehtre2, Vikrant Khare4, C. P. Singh4, Suresh Chand1, Virender Singh Bhatia1

ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore 452 001, Madhya Pradesh; 1School of

Life Sciences, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalay, Indore 452 001, Madhya Pradesh; 2Marathwada

Agricultural University, Parabhani 431 402, Maharashtra; 3Wheat Research Center Lokbharti,

Village – Sanosara 364 230, Bhavnagar, Gujarat


Seed weight is a major yield component trait which is positively correlated with productivity

in legumes. Higher seed weight is also desirable for the crops which frequently encounter

terminal drought situation occurring due to early withdrawal of monsoon. EC538828 is a

drought tolerant, bold seeded (>23gm 100 seeds) and early maturing soybean genotype.

EC538828 was hybridized with three low 100-seed weight (>12gm) genotypes Type49,

JS335 and JS97-52. F2 family populations were phenotyped in F2:4 and F2:5 generations for

100-seed weight and seed yield per plant traits at three locations. A total 197 F2:4 lines of the

cross EC538828 x Type49 were genotyped with 32 polymorphic SSRs spanning genomic

regions previously known for seed weight QTLs. QTL analysis detected a major QTL between

BARCSSR_10_1362 and BARCSSR_10_1400 on Chromosome 10. This QTL contributed

13.45% of phenotypic variance for 100-seed weight trait at Indore, and 9.2 and 7% of

phenotypic variance at Parabhani and Bhavnagar, respectively, in year 2016. The identified

QTL was further validated in two different genetic backgrounds. A total of 35 recombinant

inbred lines derived from EC538828 X JS97-52 and EC538828 X JS335 which are having

high 100-seed weight (>15gm) were genotyped with BARCSSR_10_1400. The positive allele

for 100-seed weight was present among 30 lines out of 35 lines with observed selection

efficiency of >85%. As most of the popular soybean varieties in Central India have low seed

weight therefore the identified QTL will be very useful for marker assisted breeding of high

100-seed weight trait employing drought tolerant genotype EC538828.



PS IV – 41

Molecular markers for detection of in vitro androgenic response in

rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties

Chakravarthi Marri*, Dijee Bastian, Jiji Joseph, Anju M. Job and S. Biju

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, KAU


Development of doubled haploids in rice offers a wide scope for fixing of homozygosity in

lines, thereby paving way for selecting desirable varieties at an early stage of breeding

cycle. Although this technique is very useful, its usage is limited because of the poor response

of rice varieties to androgenesis, especially indica types compared to japonica varieties.

This difference in response to androgenesis between indica and japonica varieties may be

attributed to many genic differences between the two subspecies. To understand the genomic

level differences between the two subspecies, many scientists have attempted to find out

the QTLs responsible for the callus induction and green plant regeneration. A few QTLs

governing this trait has been identified on chromosome 1,6,7,8,10,12 for callus induction

and on 1,3,9,10 for green plantlet regeneration along with molecular markers which co-

segregate with these genes. Further more research has to be done to find out more genes

and mechanisms as well as markers to select plants having genes responsible for anther

culturability in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

PS IV – 42

Transfer of Glu-B3+/Sec-1- locus to 1BL/1RS choromosomal arm through

marker assisted selection

Ramandeep Kaur, Puneet Inder Toor1, Parveen Chhuneja1, Harinderjeet Kaur3, Diljot Kaur1

and Satinder Kaur

Department of Biochemistry, 2School of Agricultural Biotechnology, 3Department of Plant

Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab


The replacement of the short arm of wheat chromosome 1B with short arm of rye 1R

chromosome (1BL/1RS translocation) has been widely used around the world to enhance

wheat yield potential, resistance to rust and mildew and adaptation. However, the translocation

is combined with inherent quality problems associated with reduced dough strength and

dough stickiness (‘sticky dough syndrome’) because ω-gliadins, γ-gliadins and LMW subunits

of glutenin on 1BS chromosome are replaced by ω-and γ-secalins encoded by Sec-1 locus

in 1RS translocation. Lukaszewski manipulated the 1BL/1RStranslocation in wheat using



induced homoeologous recombination and created newer engineered version of 1RS with

Glu-B3+and Sec-1- translocations with improved the dough quality. The present study utilizes

this engineered wheat line to remove Sec locus and introduce Glu-B3 locus through marker

assisted selection. Two popular wheat varieties PBW 550 and DBW 17 with 1BL/1RS

translocation were crossed and backcrossed with engineered 1RS donor and BC1 and BC2

plants were selected for Glu-B3+ and Sec- locus with background recovery.12 plants without

secalin locus and 47 plants with Glu-B3 locus were identified in PBW550 and DBW17

background respectively. Quality analysis of these lines is in progress.

PS IV – 43

Manipulation of chromosome through wide hybridization for genetic

enhancement of crop

Mandakini Kabi, Manasi Dash and Bhabendra Baisakh

Department of Plant Breeding and genetics, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology,

Bhubaneswar 751 001, Odisha


Acheivement of targeted economic traits in a crop is the ultimate goal of plant breeding

programme. Flexibility of achievement the targeted goal depends upon extent to which the

genome of a crop is manipulable for its genetic enhancement and the target gene present

within the gene pool of a crop. When the targeted trait is not present within the primary gene

pool of a crop it necessiate to look for secondary gene pool and tertiary gene pool through

wide hybridization. The promiscuity of genus thus allows for an understanding of the genome

dynamics within and between ploidy levels at different evolutionary distance. Product of

wide hybridization are amphiploides, single chromosome addition or substitution lines, centric

translocation lines and homoeologous recombinant lines. Amphiploids are allopolyploids

successful in production of new crop i.e. triticale, raphanobrassica and festulolium.

Development of chromosome addition and substitution line is successful in tobacco and

cotton whereas successful example of transolocation line is achieved in wheat i.e. 1RS.1BL

translocation. Wheat also benefited from production of Induced homologous recombinant

line by suppressing the effect ph1 locus. Though wide hybridization is challenged by many

factors like ecological, morphological, biochemical, cytological and genetic factor and it is

only successfully achieved in very few crop particularly in wheat but there is immense scope

to widen to other crops for enhancement of the genetic constitution of a crop.



PS IV – 44

Genetics and molecular mapping of leaf rust resistance derived from

Aegilops triuncialis (UUCC)

Shiksha Arora*, Satinder Kaur, Rohtas Singh and Parveen Chhuneja

School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana


Wild non-progenitor species of wheat play important role wheat improvement. Aegilopstriuncialis, a tetraploid non-progenitor species with UUCC genome found to be useful source

of disease resistance especially against leaf rust (LR) and stripe rust (YR) fungal pathogens.

One of the LR and YR resistant accession of Ae. Triuncialis pau 3460, was crossed with a

LR and YR susceptible cultivar WL711 (NN) using Chinese Spring ph1 as homeologous

pairing inducer and homozygous introgression lines (IL’s) were developed. All the ILs were

resistant against prevalent LR and YR races. Genetics of leaf rust resistance was studied

on seedling and adult plant stages of F2 mapping population derived from cross of three of IL

viz., IL70, IL72 and IL75 with WL711. Resistant (R) and susceptible (S) F2 plants from cross

of IL 70 and IL72 segregate as 177R : 78S and 208R : 66S respectively indicating a 3R:1S

segregating ratio for single gene. But for F2 population derived from IL75, segregation was

161R: 119S plants indicating different genetic mechanism underlying the LR resistance in

this IL. For molecular mapping of LR, gene bulked segregant analysis was done with 177

SSRs selected from the genomes of hexaploid wheat. 58 SSRs were polymorphic among

the parental lines while four from chromosomes 4A and 5D found to be differentially amplified

among the bulks derived from F2 population of IL70.

PS IV – 45

Molecular markers assisted selection for quality traits in Indian mustard

V. V. Singh*, Monika, Priyamedha, Ibandalin Mawlong, Neeraj Gurjar, S. Kulshreshtha and

P. K. Rai

ICAR-Directorate of Rapeseed Mustard Research, Sewar, Bharatpur 321 303, Rajasthan


Presence of high erucic acid content in oil and high glucosinolate content in seed meal of

traditional varieties of Indian mustard is anti-nutritional for human as well as animal

consumption. Therefore, present study aimed at developing low erucic (<2%) and low

glucosinolate (<30 micromole per g of defatted seed meal) genotypes through marker assisted

selection (MAS) in Indian mustard. NRCHB 101 and DRMR 150-35 were taken as recipient

parents while PDZ 1, Heera and RLC 3 were used as donor for double low trait. Total six

backcross generations of the crosses NRCHB101xPDZ-1, NRCHB101xHEERA,



NRCHB101xRLC-3, DRMR150-35xPDZ-1, DRMR 150-35xHEERA and DRMR150-35xRLC-

3 were carried forward through a set of five earlier reported polymorphic markers linked to

low glucosinolate trait, i.e. (GER-1MRPR + IP3GER-1F (Q1); Myb28 (Q2); At5g41 (Q3);

At5GAJ67 (Q4) and GER-5FPF + GER-5MRPR (Q5)and set of two CAPS markers linked to

low erucic acid trait i.e. FAE II and FAE III for gene FAE1.1. Out of 472 BC1F1 plants and 358

BC2F1 plants screened through quality linked markers, 75 plants and 53 plants, respectively

were found to exhibit heterozygous banding pattern for three markers (Q1, Q3, Q5). These

75 BC1F1 and 53 BC2F1 plants were further screened using CAPS markers, resulted in

selection of 11 BC1F1 and 18 BC2F1 plants for FAE1.1 genes. The study indicates potential

of MAS for quality traits in Indian mustard.

PS IV – 46

Mapping and transfer of bacterial blight resistance gene from Oryza

rufipogon into O. sativa

Sukhpreet Kaur, Pavneet Kaur, Gurmanpuneet Singh, Kumari Neelam, J. S. Lore1, Yogesh

Vikal* and Kuldeep Singh2


Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi


Bacterial blight (BB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae is the most destructive rice

disease leading to yield losses ranged from 20% to 30% and could be as high as 80% in

some of the cultivated area under severe condition. Development of BB resistant variety is

the most economic, effective, and sustainable approach to control disease. About 43 BB

genes have been identified so far, and few of them were also cloned and frequently used for

improvement of rice cultivars. Instead of single gene introgression, pyramiding of multiple

genes through marker-assisted selection strategy is quite effective for sustainable control of

disease to reduce the disease pressure. The present study was undertaken to map the

bacterial blight resistance gene from the BC1F5 population derived from the cross of PR114

(S) and O. rufipogon (R) using bulked segregant analysis. The BC1F5 progenies were

segregated into 1:1 ratio for BB resistance after artificial screening against BB pathotype 7

indicating single gene inheritance of BB resistance gene. Based on phenotypic data two

bulks were prepared viz. resistant and susceptible bulk by taking extreme 10 resistant and

susceptible lines respectively. The parents along with bulks were screened with 156 SSR

markers distributed over 12 rice chromosome. 54 SSR markers were polymorphic among

parents. Two of the markers of chromosome 11, RM27154 and RM2136 showed linkage to

BB gene. These 2 markers were employed on open bulks and one of the markers RM2136

gave clear cut discrimination among resistant and susceptible lines indicating the BB resistant

gene is present on long arm of chromosome 11. Twenty six SSR markers from the



corresponding region were surveyed for parental polymorphism and nine of the markers

were polymorphic. These polymorphic markers are being genotyped on 400 lines to map

the gene. The new identified gene will be used in marker-assisted rice breeding programs

for stacking of BB genes for broad spectrum resistance.

PS IV – 47

Fine mapping of QTL-qslb.pau-3.04 for southern leaf blight resistance

in maize

Kirandeep Kaur, Yogesh Vikal* and Harleen Kaur1


Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004


Southern leaf blight (SLB) caused by Cochliobolus heterostrophus (Drechsler), is a serious

disease throughout the world where maize is grown under warm and humid conditions,

leading to yield losses up to 30 percent. Exploiting genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs)

related to SLB is helpful for improving fungal resistance. A set of 325 F2:3 families and F4

progenies derived from the cross of CM139 as the resistant (female) parent and CM140 as

the susceptible (male) parent were phenotyped for resistance to SLB under field conditions.

A total of 172 polymorphic SSR markers were genotyped on F2 population. Three probable

QTL viz. qSLB2.1, qSLB3.1, qSLB3.2 were detected for SLB resistance in bins of 2.05-2.08,

3.04 and 3.06-3.09. The marker interval phi099-umc1729 spanning qSLB3.1 was considered

as major putative QTL. For further saturating the QTL region more SSR markers spanning

QTL interval were scanned on 298 RIL population of the same cross. The detected QTL

region (13.7 cM) was fine mapped to 1.2 cM region flanked with marker MSSR1-MSSR20explaining phenotypic variance of 15.1 percent at log-likelihood of 6.9. This QTL was further

validated on 420 BC1F1 population. The 1.2 cM region corresponds to 243.8 Kb and comprises

only six candidate genes. One of the candidate genes, Zm00001d039770-Fasciclin like

arabinogalactan proteins is involved in onset of secondary wall cellulose synthesis and

affecting the integrity of cell wall matrix, thus participate in disease resistance. Another gene

Zm00001d039772-Serine carboxypeptidase presumably regulates the intracellular turnover

of protiens and required for acylation of antimicrobial terpenes, thus provide protection against

soil borne pathogens. These candidate genes are being quantified through qRT-PCR to

identify putative candidate gene for SLB resistance. These results will be helpful for improving

maize fungal tolerance; it is also of direct relevance to breeding since it makes QTL more

easily integrated into marker-assisted breeding and into genomic selection.



PS IV – 48

Molecular breeding for improvement of tolerance to biotic and abiotic

stresses, yield and quality of traits in crops - Basmati rice

Reetranjan*, Kumari Neelam, Navdeep Singh1, Manbir Kaur, Amandeep Kaur, Dharminder

Bhatia1, Yogesh Vikal and Kuldeep Singh


Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab; ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources,

New Delhi 110 012


Punjab Basmati 3, a photoperiod sensitive, semi-dwarf and lodging tolerant variety was

developed through marker assisted backcross breeding at Punjab Agricultural University,

Ludhiana and released for cultivation in Punjab state in 2013. It is the first Basmati variety

which is resistant to bacterial blight (BB) due to the presence of two genes, xa13 and Xa21.However, compared to indica varieties, it is low yielding with low number of spikelets per

panicle (SPP) and is susceptible to brown plant hopper (BPH). In the present study a novel

QTL qSPP2.2 controlling spikelet number per panicle identified from Oryza longistaminataand novel sources of BPH resistance (Bph33) from O. nivara was transferred into Pb Bas 3

through marker assisted backcrossing. To study the transfer of grain number QTL qSPP2.2,

the BC2F2 seeds harvested from the selected plants were sown for phenotypic and genotypic

evaluation and 2500 plants were screened with RM6 polymorphic marker nearest to the

QTL qSPP2.2. Plants homozygous for the QTL qSPP2.2 showing more than 100 percent

increase in grain number were obtained. The plants were also further analyzed with markers

linked to Xa21, xa13, BADH1, BADH2 and RM190 for background selection. For the transfer

of BPH resistance gene Bph33, in the crop season year 2017, the 400 BC1F1 produced at

PAU and F3 seeds obtained from Cuttack were screened for BPH resistance. A total of 975

seeds were sown for screening, out of which 770 got germinated and 350 were resistant to

BPH assay. The resistant plants were transplanted to field for procuring F4 seeds. The

identified high yielding and BPH resistant lines are under trial and could be further utilized in

the breeding programs to improve elite rice cultivars.



PS IV – 49

Marker assisted backcross breeding for pyramiding genes conferring

resistance to bacterial blight in popular rice verieties of Kerala

L. M. Megha*, Rose Mary Francies, Jiji Joseph, P. Raji1 and P. S. Abida1

Kerala Agricultural University, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University,

Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala; 1Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi, Palakkad,

Kerala


As in other rice growing locales around the world, bacterial blight (BB) disease caused by

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) assumes a huge role in deciding rice profitability

among the elite rice varieties PTB 39 (Jyothi) and Mo 16 (Uma) of Kerala. Among the various

management tactics, host-plant resistance is advocated as the most effective breeding

strategy to combat the disease. Considering this, efforts were taken to introgress BB R-

genes (xa5, xa13 and Xa21) into the variety Uma from donor parent Improved Samba Mahsuri

(ISM) through Marker Assisted Backcross Breeding (MABB), resulted in the production of

BC2F1s. The BC2F1 plants were further evaluated for the presence of R-genes (xa5, xa13and Xa21) using STS markers RG 556, RG136 and pTA248 respectively. Results were also

confirmed using functional markersxa5SR and xa13 promoter for the respective genes xa5and xa13. Among the BC2F1s evaluated, Plant No. 8.3.9.10 was the only 3-R-gene

introgressed pyramid and was showing 81.82 percent similarity to the recurrent parent Uma

during background screening using rice microsatellite (RM) markers. Similar attempts were

also made for the introgression of R-genes (xa5, xa13 and Xa21) in rice variety Jyothi,

resulting in the production of BC1F1s, forwarded for further evaluation.

PS IV – 50

Molecular farming a novel approach for plant derived vaccines

Anju M. Job*, S. Biju, Jiji Joseph, Dijee Bastian, Chakravarthi Marri, Juby Baby and

L. M. Megha1

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, KAU, Vellnikkara,

Thrissur, Kerala


Merging innovations in medical science and plant biotechnology have opened up a new

avenue for plant derived vaccines. These vaccines use a structural component of pathogen,

generally a protein that does not cause disease but targets the immune system against the

pathogen and trigger antibody production. In the recent years, transgenic plants formed a

novel production platform for a number of pharmaceuticals since plants can cost-effectively



produce and process large amounts of complex foreign proteins from a variety of organisms

free of animal pathogens with well established agriculture support. Transgenic potato, banana

and tomatoes have been used as potential host plants for hepatitis B surface antigen. Vaccines

expressed in edible tissue of plants can be administered with minimal or no purification and

can be stored and distributed at ambient temperature for a significant time, which will bring

down the cost of production further. These vaccines are administered orally, a needle-free

safer practice to stimulate mucosal immune system of gut where the plant cell serves as a

natural bio-encapsulation for the vaccine and protects it from harsh environment in stomach.

Although some technical and ethical issues remain to be solved, at present where frequent

disease outbreaks and speedy spread of diseases are happening, plant derived vaccines

provide a compelling solution.

PS IV – 51

Defense transcriptome in the developing seeds of black gram upon

bruchid oviposition

Debajit Das, Indrani K. Baruah, M. V. Jagdale, Sumita Acharjee* and Bidyut Kumar Sarmah*

Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, DBT AAU Centre, Jorhat 785 013


Oviposition by insect triggers defense response in the plants. In order to capture the larger

picture in terms of underlying defense activity of black gram against bruchid ovipositioning

whole transcriptome analysis was performed. Black gram seeds are severely (20-30%)

affected by bruchids infestation during storage. A few mild tolerant cultivar of black gram

have been identified. Therefore, we aim to identify gene(s) conferring resistance to bruchids

(Callasobruchus spp). Two black gram cultivars, one mild tolerant (IC-8219) and one

susceptible (T-9) were used for transcriptome assay after ovipositioning by bruchids. In all,

304 genes up-regulated in the cultivar IC-8219. The functional annotation revealed 20 (47%)

defense responsive genes, 10 (23%) transcription factors, 7 (16%) secondary metabolite

producing genes and 6 (14%) genes involving in signal transduction. The quantitative real

time PCR of seven defense related genes (defensin, pathogenesis related protein, serine

threonine kinase like receptor, mitogen activated protein kinase, lipoxygenase, DNA damage

repair tolerance protein and hypothetical protein-48) showed similar expression pattern as

revealed by RNAseq data. Among all the genes, defensin showed enhanced and stable

expression due to bruchid ovipositioning. Thus, we have identified defensin as one of the

key genes for resistance, however the mechanism by which it acts on the insect eggs and

adults is yet to be elucidated.



PS IV – 52

Effects of breeding and adaptation on the evolutionary dynamics of

Hsf genes in Sesame: A genome-wide intra-specific study

Ramya Parakkunnel*, K. Bhojaraja Naik, Suman Lakhanpaul1 and K. V. Bhat2

Regional Station ICAR-Indian Institute of Seed Science, GKVK Campus, Bengaluru 560

065; 1Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007; 2Division of Genomic

Resources, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110 012


Development of varieties adapted to different environments change the genomic architecture

drastically and thereby enhances the evolution of genomes. In this particular study in sesame

(Sesamum indicum L.), we focused on the evolutionary dynamics of Heat stress transcription

factors (Hsf’s); a major regulator of plant heat stress response, between varieties and

landraces, adapted to diverse ecological niches. We identified 30 Hsf genes each in Indian

sesame variety ‘Swetha’ and the RefSeq variety ‘Zhongzhi-13’; whereas the two landraces

Baizhima and Mishouzhima had 30 and 28 Hsf genes each. These genes were mapped to

10 linkage groups with LG-06 harboring a maximum of 5 Hsf genes. The length of proteins

varied from 84 to 881 AA in Zhongzhi-13 and 236 to 846 AA in Swetha. 80% of Hsf genes

contained single intron in both the varieties while more introns were present in ‘Zhongzhi-

13’ among genes with multiple introns. The maximum number of introns noticed in ‘Swetha’

was 6 whereas for ‘Zhongzhi-13’ in single Hsf gene,11 introns were noticed. Although class-

A members were most representative for sesame genome, class-B genes; identified as the

primary regulators of drought response were found less in ‘Swetha’ compared to landraces

and ‘Zhongzhi-13’. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the initial duplication which led to

the divergence of sesame Hsf genes as well as the class-A and B fragmentation, happened

~80MYA. The most recent duplications in the evolutionary history of sesame led to the

divergence of B genes in the landraces and varieties mostly as a result of ecological

adaptation.



PS IV – 53

Brassica cenospecies show wide diversity for the mitochondrial orf108

gene causing male sterility and have evolved different ways to process

the transcript to achieve male fertility

Vajinder Kumar* and S. R. Bhat

ICAR-National Research Centre on Palnt Biotechnology, IARI, Pusa Campus New Delhi

110 012

Email: [email protected]; #[email protected]

Mitochondrial genomes of angiosperms contain a limited set of essential, conserved genes

coding for t-RNAs, rRNAs and proteins involved in atp synthesis. Further, all sequenced

mitochondrial genomes show variable number of non-conserved orfs of unknown function.

Studies on cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in different crops have identified novel orfs,

often co-transcribed with some essential mitochondrial genes, as the cause of CMS. However,

such CMS-associated orfs are almost always unique and restricted to specific genotypes or

species. In contrast, we have reported that an evolutionarily conserved orf108 co-transcribed

with atp1is the cause of male sterility in several alloplasmic CMS lines of B. juncea. In the

present study, we examined the presence and sequence diversity of orf108 in 32 species of

the Brassicaceae family. orf108 amplicon was obtained in all wild species but was

conspicuously absent in cultivated species. Sequencing revealed high divergence of orf108sequences among species. Indels or SNPs within the orf108 abolished its function in 14

species. In the three species, Enarthocarpus lyratus, B. spinescens and Biscutellarecombination between short inverted repeats within orf108 led to invertion of a part of the

orf108 sequence and thus resulted in a non-functional copy. RT-PCR revealed that orf108is co-transcribed with atp1 in most of the species. In 24 species, orf108 was located upstream

of atp1 but in a few cases, the two genes were not adjacent. In almost all cases, orf108-atp1

transcript was processed within the orf108 to yield a monocistronic atp1 transcript. The site

of processing appears to be species specific, which suggests that nuclear genes responsible

for processing of orf108 have arisen spontaneously during evolution. Our results suggest

that mitochondrial orfs might have played role in speciation.



PS IV – 54

Genome-wide association mapping of spot blotch resistance in wheat

association mapping initiative (WAMI) panel of spring wheat (Triticum

aestivum L.)

Ram Narayan Ahirwar, Vinod Kumar Mishra*, Ramesh Chand1, Neeraj Budhlakoti2, Dwijesh

Chandra Mishra2, Sundeep Kumar3 and Arun Kumar Joshi4

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding; 1Department of Mycology and Plant Pathology,

Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005; 2ICAR-Indian

Agricultural Statistical Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 3ICAR-National Bureau of

Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110 012; 4International Maize and Wheat Improvement

Center (CIMMYT), Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), B-Block, NASC Complex, DPS

Marg, New Delhi 110 012


Spot blotch (SB) caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana, is one of the most important diseases of

wheat in the eastern part of south Asia. Genomic regions responsible for SB resistance

were searched using a wheat association mapping initiative (WAMI) panel involving 288

spring wheat diverse genotypes was performed using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)

markers from a custom 90 K wheat SNP array. A mixed linear model (MLM) was used for

assessing the association of SNP markers with spot blotch resistance in three consecutive

years. Three traits were measured: incubation period, lesion number and are under the

disease progress curve (AUDPC). Significant SNP markers were found linked to five, six

and four quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for incubation period, lesion number and AUDPC

respectively. They were detected on 11 different chromosomes: 1A, 1B, 1D, 4A, 5A, 5B, 6A,

6B, 6D, 7A, 7B with marker R2 range of 0.083 to 0.11. The greatest number of significant

SNP-markers were found for lesion number and AUDPC on chromosome 6B and 5B,

respectively, representing a better coverage of B-genome by SNPs. On the other hand, the

most significant and largest SNP markers for incubation period were detected on 6A and 4A

chromosomes indicating that this trait is associated with the A-genome of wheat. The panel

exhibits considerable variation for SB resistance and also provides a good scope of marker-

assisted selection using the identified SNP markers linked to resistant QTLs.



PS IV – 55

High-throughput plant phenotyping by automation for accelerating crop

improvement

Chakravarthi Marri*, Dijee Bastian, Jiji Joseph, Anju M. Job and S. Biju

Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, KAU


With the advancement of genomic technologies, minute variations in the genetic structure of

the organisms are being identified accurately. These advancements can be used properly

only when proper correlation is done between the genotype and the corresponding phenotype.

Added to this, in many Genome wide association studies (GWAS) and genetic mapping

studies, a large number of populations have to be phenotyped to correlate the genetic

polymorphisms to the phenotype in question. Therefore phenotyping is gaining importance

along with the advancement in genotyping technologies. But traditional manual phenotyping

methods at a large scale would be slow, cumbersome as well as subjective. To overcome

these problems, automation of phenotyping should be done to increase the throughput as

well as objectivity. Now-a-days, many platforms to phenotype many traits in plants like plant

morphology, growth rate, chlorophyll content, nitrogen content, water content, disease

incidence etc., are available commercially. Many biochemical contents can also be estimated

either through imaging techniques or through automation of the estimation processes. In

this way many of the phenotyping processes in agriculture can be automated with an high

throughput to accelerate the crop improvement process.

PS IV – 56

Genomics of larval gut microbiota of sunflower pest Helicoverpa

armigera

R. N. Dhawale*, S. B. Gore, A. A. Bharose1, P. B. Wadikar and M. S. Dudhare

Vilasrao Deshmukh College of Agricultural Biotechnology, 1College of Agriculture, Vasantrao

Naik Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani, Latur 413 512, Maharashtra


This study, reports the bacterial community member in the midgut of fifth instar larvae of

Helicoverpa armigera by using culturable techniques, four bacteria were isolated and identified

by using morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene PCR amplification techniques.

The fifth instar larvae collected from research field of O.R.S., Latur. Whole gut was dissected

from the fifth instar larvae of the H. armigera and the culturable bacterial species were

identified by sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene. This gene is closely related homomeric



and heterodimeric mannose-binding 16S rRNA gene from 24-523 Bordetella sp. On the

nature of adaptations that permit the resident of Bordetella sp. in the intense environment of

mid gut was determined by culture independent molecular analysis. The nucleotide sequences

of isolate from field environment population were submitted to NCBI-GenBank and accession

numbers was obtained. A more complicated polytrophic interaction observed between the

insect or plant or animal host is still unclear. However, if that was functional significance with

regards to the detoxifying any toxic compounds, physiology and nutrition of the sunflower

fruit borer H. armigera remains to be further studied.

PS IV – 57

Molecular marker-assisted pyramiding of broad spectrum yellow rust

resistance genesYr5 and Yr10 in a popular variety VL Gehun 738

Lakshmi Kant, Navinder Saini, P. K. Agrawal, S. K. Jain, Kanak Durga, A. Pattanayak and

H. S. Gupta

ICAR-Vivekanada Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora 263 601


VLGehun 738, developed and released for commercial cultivation in the year 1997 by the

ICAR-VPKAS, Almora, possessed high level of resistance to most of the pathotypes of

yellow rust but started showing susceptibility to yellow rust pathotypes 46S119 and 78S84,

virulent on Yr9 gene. In order to impart resistance to these pathotypes, we report pyramiding

of the two broad spectrum resistance genes Yr5 and Yr10 to VL Gehun 738, using molecular

marker-assisted selection. The SSR markerXpsp3000 marker linked (1.2cM) with Yr10

gene in Moro derived population, was found polymorphic between VL Gehun 738 and Moro.

Similarly, Xwmc175 (4.5 cM) linked to Yr5 was polymorphic between the recipient VL Gehun738 and donor genetic stock FLW16 (UP 2338 + TSA). Three backcrossings with the recurrent

parent was done and in each generation plants were selected on the basis of foreground

and background selection. Finally, on the basis of genome recovery and phenotypic

observations 36 plants for Yr5 population and 45 plants forYr10 population were carefully

chosen. A total of 176 intercrossing were made between Yr5 and Yr10 plants to pyramid

both the genes. The intercrossed plants were advanced to F4 generation with foreground

and background selection coupled with phenotyping. Finally, selection and evaluation of 45

agronomically superior lines in a replicated trial in Alpha Lattice Design with 2 replications,

resulted in 16 lines that were found higher yielding than the checks, VL Gehun 738, VL

Gehun 907 and VL Gehun738 (protected). Foreground data of these lines confirm presence

of both Yr5 and Yr10 in these lines. Background data revealed more than 95% recovery of

the recurrent parent genome. Three of the five lines, nominated to Initial Plant pathological

Screening Nursery of All India Coordinated Wheat Improvement Project, showed high level

of resistant reaction against yellow rust.



PS IV – 58

Identification of major resistance loci conditioning late leaf spot and

rust resistance in cultivated groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Suvendu Mondal*, Snovia Nixon, Poonam G. Bhad and Anand M. Badigannavar

Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai

400 085

Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) being an important oilseed crop in semi-arid region of the

world, faces severe biotic challenges due to rust and late leaf spot (LLS) diseases. Several

advanced disease resistant breeding lines and cultivars have been developed but they had

undesirable pod features which does not fetch premium prices in the market. Towards the

efficient disease resistance breeding, requisition of fine mapped region and tightly linked

markers are essential to counter the linkage drag of the undesirable pod features. A

recombinant inbred line population segregating for rust and LLS resistance was developed

and characterized at BARC. Phenotypic disease resistance at F1, F2 and RILs explained

duplicated recessive resistance for LLS and monogenic dominance inheritance for rust

resistance. Large number of SSR, RGC and MITE markers were used for genotyping such

RILs and a genetic linkage map (2483 cM) with 20 linkage groups was constructed. Further

genome sequence information was utilized to develop several SSR markers in chromosome

A02 and A03 and these were integrated in cultivated groundnut genetic linkage map at our

hand. QTL analysis revealed two major genetic loci which contribute maximum phenotypic

variations due to LLS field resistance at five different locations. The first QTL was mapped in

A02 chromosome in between Ah282b and RGC2 makers within a map distance of 4.3 cM.

The second major QTL was mapped in B08 in between SSR markers PM375 and GA80.

While a single consensus rust resistance QTL was mapped within a 1.20 cM map interval of

A03 chromosome in between SSR markers FRS72 and SSR_GO340445. These fine mapped

regions in cultivated groundnut genome will be the ideal candidate regions to introgress

rust/LLS resistance into superior cultivars. Further, the identified mapped regions will be of

valuable genomic resources for isolation of disease resistance genes and understanding

mechanism of disease resistance in groundnut.



PS IV – 59

Single large scale marker-assisted selection (SLS-MAS) combined with

phenotyping for the improvement of drought and blast resistance in

rice

N. P. Mandal*, Somnath Roy, Amrita Banerjee and Alpana Anupam

ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Central Rainfed Upland Rice Research Station, PB-

48, Hazaribag 825301


A population have been developed involving Sahbhagi dhan and IR87707-446-B-B as parents

to combine the favourable alleles of both the parents using single large scale marker-assisted

selection (SLS-MAS) at an early generation. Sahbhagi dhan is an widely adapted drought

tolerant variety possess large effect grain yield under drought stress QTLs qDTY12.1, whereas

the other parent IR87707-446-B-B possess two major DTY QTLs (qDTY2.2 & 4.1) along

with blast resistance gene Pita2. One hundred and twenty eight (128) progenies with fixed

loci for the targeted QTLs/gene were identified in the F2 population of the cross through

genotyping with the linked SSR markers of the above mentioned 3 DTY QTLs and blast

resistance gene Pita2. Different combinations of DTY QTLs and blast R gene were observed

among the progenies and only 2 lines with positive alleles of all QTLs and gene were obtained.

The selected progenies were generation advanced to F6 without any further selection.

Agronomic performance these lines were assessed for two years (2017-18) under non-

stress, rain-out shelter managed stress and rainfed conditions. The lines were also screened

for blast resistance under UBN with high disease pressure. Several recombinant lines out-

performed both the parents under both stress and non-stress conditions were identified.

Two lines with all four positive alleles of the targeted QTLs/gene are not the best yielder but

one of the lines out-yielded both the parents under all conditions. The method was found

effective in accumulating useful QTLs/genes in favorable background for varietal

improvement.



PS IV – 60

Structural analysis and development of cross-transferable genic

markers of peroxidase gene family from jute (Corchorus capsularis L.)

Soham Ray*, Pratik Satya, Debabrata Sarkar, Maya Karan, Nur Alam Mandal, Laxmi Sharma,

Suman Roy, Subhojit Datta, Dipnarayan Saha, Chandan Sourav Kar, Jiban Mitra and N. K.

Singh1

ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, Kolkata 700 120,

West Bengal; 1ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New

Delhi 110 012


Peroxidases exist as multi-gene families in higher plants influencing several basic biological

processes such as seed germination, xylem development, cell elongation, lignification and

stress tolerance. We previously reported that rice peroxidase markers generate high allelic

variability in jute, a lignocellulosic bast fibre producing crop species. Here, we report

identification of jute-specific peroxidase gene sequences from bast transcriptome of white

jute. A total of 55 peroxidase-like gene sequences were retrieved, of which 36 were annotated

as functional genes based on structural prediction and domain analysis. Of these, 23 were

peroxidases (EC 1.11.1.7), eight were L-ascorbate peroxidases (EC 1.11.1.11) and the rest

five were glutathione peroxidases (EC1.11.1.9). The size of the predicted proteins varied

form 175 amino acids (~19.5 KDa) to 443 amino acids (~48 KDa). In silico subcellular

localization study suggested that most of these peroxidases are cytoplasmic, only a few are

localized within mitochondria and chloroplast. Domain analysis revealed that all the L-

ascorbate peroxidases (EC 1.11.1.11) contained a haem peroxidase domain, while all the

glutathione peroxidases (EC1.11.1.9) carried athioredoxin-like fold domain. However, the

23 peroxidases harboured the haem peroxidase domain along with another secretory

peroxidase domain. To facilitate utilization of these genes in jute breeding, we developed

genic markers from these peroxidases.Polymorphic information content (range: 0.43-0.83)

and resolving power (range: 0.19-0.74) of these markers were high making them suitable

for molecular diversity analysis. Further, these markers have a good transferability across

cultivated and wild Corchorus species.



PS IV – 61

Genome-wide identification of micro RNAs and long noncoding RNAs

for leaf rust resistance in wheat

Nivedita*, Aalok Shiv, Sushma Rani, Sarika Sahu3, Harikrishna, A. R. Rao1, Neelu Jain*,

P. K. Singh, H. S. Balyan2, P. K. Gupta and K. V. Prabhu3

Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1Indian

Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012; 2Department

of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut 250 004; 3PPV&FRA,

NASC Complex, D.D.S. Marg, New Delhi 110 012


Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding endogenous RNAs (18-24 nucleotides) which

regulate gene expression and are known to be involved in various biotic and abiotic stress

responses. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) (noncoding transcripts >200 nucleotides in

length) also play important roles in tissue homeostasis and pathogenesis. Sequencing data

of four RNA libraries in the background of HD2329 with or without Lr28 gene (leaf rust

resistance) after 0 hai and 96 hai, respectively, of Puccinia triticina (race 77-5), were utilized

for identification of miRNA and lncRNAs. Homology search of Triticum aestivum transcriptome

data was performed with mature miRNA sequences of wheat and related species (Aegilopstauschii, Aribdopsis thalina, A. lyrata, Sorghum bicolor, Zea mays, Hordeum vulgare,

Brachypodium distachyon, Oryza sativa, T. turgidum and T. urartu) from miRBase database

using standard criteria. A total of 174 transcripts encoding 54 miRNAs belonging to different

families were obtained; out of which 5 were differentially expressed for leaf rust response.

Few of these miRNAs were validated using qRT-PCR and target genes for the identified

miRNAs were also searched. A total of 1180 lncRNAs were computed using criteria such as

transcripts length more than 200 nucleotide, ORF length less than 100 and CPC (Coding

Potential Calculator) index less than minus 1. Eight of these were predicted from differentially

expressed genes for leaf rust resistance; among these two lnc RNAs have been validated.

The predicted miRNAs, lncRNAs and their targets in the present study, will assist in further

understanding of the molecular mechanism of leaf rust resistance induced by P. triticina in

wheat.



PS IV – 62

Marker-assisted pyramiding of major blast resistance genes Pi9 and

Pi54 in aromatic rice landrace MushkBudji

Nida Yousuf, Afshana Shafi, Gazala H. Khan, S. Najeeb, G. A. Parray and Asif Bashir

Shikari*




The valley of Kashmir once known for rich miscellany of landraces is presently ruled by only

few high yielding varieties. MushkBudji, is one such landrace known for its unique aroma,short

grainsand exquisite quality. During past few decades, however, the area under the cultivar

has drastically shrinked, in major part due to its forlorn susceptibility to blast disease causing

yield losses as high as 70%. Therefore an initiative was taken to incorporate two major blast

resistance genes Pi54 and Pi9 from donors as SKUA-485 and IRBL-9W, respectively into

genetic background of MushkBudji. The BC1F1, BC2F1, and BC2F2 progenies were generated

through marker assisted backcross breeding. The individuals in the BCnFn populations were

subjected to marker-assisted foreground selection using gene based / linked markers, Pi54

MAS, Pi9-Pro and AP-5659. Afterwards, the selected plants were subjected to genome

wide background selection using SSR / STS markers for identification of plants with maximum

recurrent parent genome (RPG)recovery and were subsequently evaluated for agronomic

and grain quality traits. The RPG recovery estimates fell within 75 to 97% range in BC2F2.The

pyramided lines were screened using specific Magnaporthe oryzae isolates and expressed

resistance under controlled conditions against MushkBudji parent.

PS IV – 63

Genome wide prediction of lncRNAs in response to leaf rust resistance

in wheat

Aalok Shiv*, Sarika Sahu1, Nivedita, Harikrishna, A. R. Rao1, Neelu Jain, P. K. Singh, H. S.

Balyan2, P. K. Gupta2 and K. V. Prabhu1

Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, 1ICAR-

Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, 2Department of Genetics

and Plant Breeding, Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut 250 004


Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein coding transcripts longer than 200

nucleotides and play vital role in eukaryotic gene regulation. Many promising plant lncRNAs



have been identified in several plant species, such as maize, rice, cotton, tomato etc. in

response to a series of stresses such as cold, heat, drought, salt and, mineral deficiencies

but very few lncRNAs have been identified in wheat and there is no study till date elucidating

role of lncRNAs for wheat leaf rust disease which causes heavy loss of yield worldwide.Therefore we conducted a study to identify genome wide lncRNA in CSP-44 carrying an

adult plant resistance gene, Lr48 at pre-adult (susceptible) and adult plant (resistant) stage

under control and treated (Uredospore inoculation with Puccinia triticinarace 77-5) condition

at different time intervals to predict their role in leaf rust response. Raw reads obtained from

transcriptome sequencing data were processed using standard pipeline to predict the

lncRNAs. Total 3048 lncRNA were predicted on genome wide basis, and out of these197

were identified to be eTM (endogenous target mimics) by PsRobot tool. Repeat Masker

classified predicted lncRNAs into different repetitive elements category as Retroelements,

transposons, Small RNA, etc. Among 3048 lncRNAs, 763 were predicted to contain Simple

Sequence Repeats (SSRs).Genome wide identification of these lncRNA and their function

in response to leaf rust infection would help in elucidation of role of lncRNA during leaf rust

infection and to design the strategies to combat the same.

PS IV – 64

Expression analysis of CYP gene involved in TSNA regulation in

tobacco

T. Saroja, K. Prabhakara Rao1, K. Sarala1, J. Poorna Bindu1 T. Samuel David Raj1 and

D. Damodar Reddy1

V. S. Krishna College, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; 1ICAR-Central Tobacco Research

Institute, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh


Tobacco is a high value commercial crop with different types known for varied traditional

end uses viz., smoking, chewing, hookah etc. apart from their medicinal values. Of late,

health risks associated tobacco use is concerning the public and governments. Tobacco-

specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) are derivatives of tobacco alkaloids considered to be

connected with some of the health risks associated with tobacco use. It is generally agreed

that decreasing levels of TSNAs in tobacco and related products would benefit human health.

Understanding mechanism of TSNA biogenesis is essential for its modulation to reduce its

content in tobacco genotypes. In the current study, an attempt was made to study the

expression of genes regulation TSNA content in tobacco. TSNA are recognized as being

formed when tobacco alkaloids (e.g., nicotine and nornicotine) are nitrosated. Among the

various TSNAs reported,4-(methyl nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and N-

nitrosonornicotine (NNN), are potent carcinogens and share major chunk of TSNAs. These

are the derivative of nornicotine which is a conversion product of nicotine. This conversion

is mediated byN-Demethylase, a vital enzyme encoded by genes belonging to CYP82E



subfamily. Expression levels of CYP82E4, a prominent member of this sub-family was studied

in three high converters (Banket-A1, YB-19 and YB-22) and two low converters (VA510 and

TN90) burley tobacco genotypes in pot culture to understand its association with TSNA. The

high converters lines found to have relatively higher expression of CYP82E4 compared to

low converters indicating CYP82E4 expression can be correlated with TSNA levels. CYP82E4

is more prominent in top leaves compared to bottom leaves may be due to higher levels of

nicotine in top leaves. The study indicates that expression analysis of CYP genes can be

used for screening of low converter genotypes.

PS IV – 65

Molecular Mapping of leaf rust and stripe rust resistance genes

transferred from Triticum monococcum to hexaploid wheat

Suruchi Jindal*, Parveen Chhuneja, Satinder Kaur and Kuldeep Singh1

1Punjab Agricultural University, India; 1National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa

Campus, New Delhi 110 012


Wheat is one of the important food crop feeding billions of people on the earth. Its production

still needs to be increased to meet the demand of growing population but its improvement is

restricted due to its narrow genetic base. Hence wild species are being explored for the

presence of genes conferring resistance to diseases. Stripe rust and leaf rust are two major

diseases of wheat causing much loss in wheat production. The present study aims to map

rust resistance genes transferred from Triticum monococcum to hexaploid wheat using high

throughput genomics. Bulk Segregant Analysis (BSA) was performed using 35 K wheat

SNP chip by preparing two separate resistance and susceptible bulks from the Recombinant

Inbred Lines (RILs) developed in hexaploid wheat. Out of total 35,144 SNPs, 2019 high

quality polymorphic SNPs identified and used for further analysis. For leaf rust and stripe

rust, 47 and 37 polymorphic SNPs common between separate resistant and susceptible

bulks were identified. Majority of the SNPs were identified on chromosome 5A. The region

of about 70 kb towards the distal end on short arm of 5A was identified which may carry leaf

rust resistance gene and region of about 147 Kb on long arm of 5A was identified which may

carry stripe rust resistance gene. Twelve KASP primers have been developed which along

with SSRs are being used to further map the disease resistance genes.



PS IV – 66

Development of flash-flood tolerant and durable bacterial blight

resistant rice in mega variety ‘Swarna’ through marker-assisted

backcross breeding

S. K. Pradhan, E. Pandit, S. Pawar, S. P. Mohanty and A. Mukherjee

ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack 753 006, Odisha


Bacterial blight (BB) of rice and submergence due to flash flood are the two major constraints

of both biotic and abiotic stresses, respectively for the rainfed lowland rice ecosystem of

eastern India. BB caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a major disease of

rice worldwide. Four BB resistant genes viz., Xa4, xa5, xa13, Xa21 were incorporated into

Swarna-Sub1 background by integrating molecular markers in backcross breeding program.

Foreground selection for four BB resistant genes Xa21, xa13, xa5 and Xa4 genes and Sub1QTL for submergence tolerance using closely linked markers were tracked in backcross

generations. Background selection with 100 microsatellite markers was performed in those

plants carrying the target gene. Among the backcross derivatives, plant carrying maximum

genome content of recipient were selected in each generation and hybridized with recipient

parent. The selected BC3F1 plant was selfed to obtain homozygous BC3F2 plants for various

BB resistance and submergence gene combinations. Eighteen pyramided lines showed

high level of tolerance against the BB pathogen and submergence tolerance. Bioassay was

conducted in the pyramided lines using different Xoo strains of Odisha to confirm the disease

resistance. The genotypes with combination of four BB resistance genes conferred very

high levels of resistance to the predominant Xoo isolates prevalent in the region. The

pyramided lines also exhibited submerger tolerance for 12-14 days under control screening.

The developed pyramided lines showed very high similarity with the recurrent parents for

various agro-morphologic and quality traits.

PS IV – 67

Development of microsatellite markers in commercially important

marine fish species through next generation sequencing

P. R. Divya, Vindhya Mohindra, A. Kathirvelpandian, Linu Joy, S. Sunitha, Rajeev Kumar

Singh, V. S. Basheer and Kuldeep Kumar Lal

ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow


Seer fish, Scomberomorus commerson and yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares are

commercially important marine fishes of international importance, with high economic value



with great market demand. Despite being commercially important, these fishes are

categorized under ‘Near Threatened’ category in conservation categorization. The scenario

warrants scientific intervention to utilize the fishery in a sustainable manner for which genetic

stock structure information is vital. The migratory nature, high commercial demand and the

increased fishing pressures on these resources also emphasize the need for intervention.

Microsatellite markers are considered as the suitable marker of choice for genetic stock

structure analyses. An attempt was made to identify microsatellite markers in S.commersonand T.albacares using Next Generation Sequencing technology in PacBio RS II, based on

novel Single-Molecule Real-Time (SMRT) technology. A total of 671 and 298 contiqs with

repeat motiffs were observed in S.commerson and T. albacores respectively. Number of

SSRs in the observed motifs of S.commerson and T. albacores were of 472 and 150

respectively. Using PRIMER 3.0 tool, a total of 203 microsatellite primers were designed in

S.commerson consisting of di repeat motiff- 131; tri repeats- 52, tetra repeats – 16 and

penta repeats – 4. In T.albacares, a total of 100 microsatellite primers were designed consisting

of di repeat motiff-69; tri repeats – 25 and tetra repeats – 6. Upon screening, a total of 30

and 25 numbers of polymorphic microsatellite primers could be identified in S.commersonand T.albacares for developing marker panels using Oligo 7.0 tool. These marker panels will

be validated for utilization in genetic structure analysis of the selected fish species.

PS IV – 68

Rapid in vitro shoot initiation of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.)

genotypes through different sources of nitrogen

Suresh Yadav*, T. E. Nagaraja, H. C. Lohithaswa and K. V. Shivakumar

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; Division of Genetics, ICAR-

Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; College of Agriculture, V.C. Farm

Mandya, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru


Sugarcane (Accharum officinarum L.) an important cash crop of the world, is the major

source of sugar and a perennial monocot plant. Tissue culture techniques are important

tools of crop improvement and rapid multiplication of sugarcane clones. Nitrogen is essential

not only for growth but also for morphogenesis in tissue cultures, which is markedly influenced

by the availability of nitrogen and the form in which it is presented. To study the effects of

different sources of nitrogen on rapid in vitro shoot initiation of sugarcane genotypes. The

results indicated that interaction effect of sugarcane genotype and different nitrogen sources

was found significant for various shoot initiation and shoot induction characteristics viz.,days for explant to turn autotrophic, autotrophic frequency, days for appearance of axillary

buds, axillary shoots per explant, length of axillary shoots, days for shoot establishment,

shoot length after establishment and shoot induction frequency. Among different sources of

nitrogen tested, the MS medium fortified with supplement for MS showed optimum response



for genotype Co 86032.Genotype CoVC 15-22-26 and CoVC 15-22-05 showed optimum

response towards MS medium supplemented with ammonium sulphate for shoot initiation

and induction characters. In contrast, Genotype CoVC 18061, performed the best when MS

medium supplemented with tri- ammonium citrate for shoot initiation and induction parameters.

Hence, the developed protocol will help in cost reduction and commercializing of sugarcane

genotypes within the short period of time and further it can be extended to other agriculturally

important crop species where tissue culture is amenable.

PS IV – 69

Effective amplification of GC-rich region of sd1 gene in rice using

Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) as an additive in Polymerase Chain Reaction

(PCR) mix

Dhawan Gaurav, Prakash Vijay, Kumar Aruna2, Pankaj Kumar, Rathour Rajeev1, Bhowmick

Prolay Kumar, Haritha Bollinedi, Ranjith Kumar Ellur, Singh Ashok Kumar and S. Gopala

Krishnan*

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi110 012; 1CSK

Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur 176 062; 2Amity Institute of

Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida 201 308


PCR amplification and detection of GC rich sequences in DNA is a challenge due to formation

of secondary structures which resist denaturation, thereby stalling of Taq DNA polymerases

as well as affecting primer annealing. Presently, high fidelity Taq DNA polymerase is used

for amplifying long and GC-rich fragments, while Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) has also been

suggested as an additive in PCR to relieve secondary structures in high GC templates. In

the present study, the amplification efficiency of Taq DNA polymerase with 5% DMSO as

compared to high fidelity Taq DNA polymerase has been assessed for amplification of GC-

rich fragments of sd1 gene in rice. Taq DNA polymerase with 5% DMSO displayed better

and reproducible results as compared to platinum DNA polymerase for the amplification of

gene sd1, thereby successfully detecting the dominant wild type allele governing tall plant

height from the recessive semi-dwarf allele. There were no adverse effects of 5% DMSO in

PCR amplification and the amplified fragments improved significantly indicating the

improvement in amplification efficiency. The modified PCR protocol including DMSO provides

a cost effective and cheaper alternative for reliable assessment of the genomic differences

in GC-rich regions of the gene eliminating the need for costly high fidelity Taq DNA

polymerase, thereby helping in economizing marker assisted selection.



PS IV – 70

Construction and characterization of BAC clones of Clarias magur using

end sequencing and their mapping on chromosomes

Basdeo Kushwaha*, Vishwamitra Singh Baisvar, Ravindra Kumar, Akhilesh Kumar Mishra,

Mahender Singh

ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Canal Ring Road, PO-Dilkusha, Telibagh,

Lucknow 226 002, Uttar Pradesh


Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library has been found as a valuable genomic resource

for mining and mapping of genes in organisms. BAC library from Clarias magur genome

was constructed, which contained a total of 55,296 clones with average insert size of 115

kb. The library was cloned in pCC1BAC vector (Epicentre, USA) after digestion of genome

with HindIII restriction enzyme and propagated in Phage Restraint DH10B cells of E. coli. Atotal of 3644 end sequences were generated from BAC clones. The generated end sequences

were mapped on assembled contigs of C. magur whole genome sequence. A total of 513

contigswere mapped with both forward and reverse BAC end sequences. BAC clones were

further identified bioinformatically for the number of genes possessed by them using

information on assembled contigs. Fluorescein 12-dUTP and tetra methyl rhodamine-5-

dUTP labeled two probes, viz., probe-I (pooling of 4 BAC clones) and probe-II (pooling of 6

BAC clones)each possessing 88 genes, were constructed and hybridized onto C. magurchromosomes using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) tool. The FISH revealed

mapping of probe-I on sub-metacentric chromosome (14th pair) and probe-II on sub-telocentric

chromosome (19th pair) of C. magur. The information on end sequencing and mapping will

be useful in fine assembly of whole-genome sequence, developing well-ordered map of

genes on the chromosomes and for understanding the genome organization of the species.

PS IV – 71

Cytogenetic profiling in Clarias magur (Linnaeus, 1758) through

staining and FISH

Basdeo Kushwaha*, Vishwamitra Singh Baisvar and Ravindra Kumar

ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Canal Ring Road, PO-Dilkusha, Telibagh,

Lucknow 226 002, Uttar Pradesh


The Clarias magur (Family: Clariidae) is an important airbreathing Indian catfishwith high

food values.It is found in freshwater, swamps, streams, rivers etc. and categorized as

endangered (A3cde+4acde) in IUCN Red List Status. The knowledge on chromosomes in



terms of number, structure, function, behavior etc. is required for studying the gene

inheritance, organization and expression of the species. The live individuals of C. magurwere collected in the present study from Gomti River in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and used

for cytogenetic investigation to reveal the nucleolar organizer region (NOR) region through

silver nitrate (AgNO3) and chromomycin A3 (CMA3) staining as well as through fluorescence

in situ hybridization (FISH) using single-color Tetra methyl rhodamine-5-dUTP labeled 18S

rDNA probe. Analysis of metaphase chromosome complement (>50 spreads), obtained

from colchicine-KCl-Carnoy’s fixation-Giemsa staining procedures, showed diploid

chromosome numbers50 with 14 metacentric, 20 sub-metacentric, 8 sub-telocentric and 8

telocentric chromosomeswith fundamental arm number as 84. One pair of silver-stained

NORs, situated on the sub-metacentric chromosome, were observed. Similarly, CMA3-

positive sites were also observed one pair of chromosome on the same region that suggested

abundance of GC-rich repetitive DNAs. The 18S rDNA sites were also observed on same

one pair of sub-metacentric metaphase chromosomes using FISH. The finding suggests

that this species contains only one NOR, which is active. These karyological features can

be useful markers in cytotaxonomy and conservation.

PS IV – 72

Mining and validation of SNPs linked to growth performance in

Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Chandan Haldar, Deepak Agarwal, Nilav Aich, Annam Pavan Kumar, P. Gireesh Babu,

Prakash Koringa1, C. G. Joshi1, P. Das2, Bindu R. Pillai2 and Aparna Chaudhari1*

ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Versova, Mumbai 61; 1Anand Agricultural

University, Anand 38 8001; 2ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture,

Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar 751 002


Macrobrachium rosenbergii is an aquaculture species of global importance. Although whole

genome sequence is not available for M. rosenbergii, butsingle nucleotide polymorphisms

(SNPs) in transcribed sequences are likely to have high association with economic traits

and hence a study was carried out to mine SNPs in 34 reported transcripts from 4 wild

M.rosenbergii stocks of India using the amplicon approach and high-throughput sequencing

platforms and total 320 SNPs were detected. Out of these SNPs, 134 were common to all

stocks while 3 were diagnostic. Pair-wise Nei’s genetic distances (0.304 to 0.469) showed

phylogeny consistent with geographical distribution. AMOVA analysis revealed estimated

variance of 21.5 among populations. M. rosenbergii is being genetically selected for growth

at ICAR-CIFA and selected and unselected groups of animals were used to find alleles

associated with higher growth. For this, a total of 30 M. rosenbergii gene fragments having

highest number of SNPswere selected, of which 11 reported to contain 83 SNP loci could be

amplified from genomic DNA. In order to associate the SNPs with growth trait, the 11 selected



gene fragments (175 to 668 bp) were sequenced by Sanger’s chain termination methodin

23 growth selected individuals (cumulative genetic gain of 18%) and 23 unselected

individuals.A total of 45 SNPs were identified from eight genes, of which 20 were novel and

18 were found to be growth associated with allele frequencies > 0.65 in the selected group.

Out of 18 such SNPs, 4 each were found in crustacean lipocalin (LIPC), anti-

lipopolysaccharide factor 1 (ALF1) and phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) genes,

2 in lectin 3 (LEC3) and 1 each in lectin 4(LEC4), heat shock protein 21 (HSP21), HSP70

and cytochrome oxidase 1 (COX1) genes.Changes in amino acid classes and peptide stability

were recorded for 6 non-synonymous SNPs while changes in codon preference were noted

for 5 synonymous ones. Seven SNPs were located in the 3’UTRs of lectin 3 and 4 (LEC3,

LEC4) and anti-lipopolysaccharide factor 1 (ALF1). This is the first such marker association

study being reported for M. rosenbergii from India.

PS IV – 73

Signatures of selection in Hilsa shad, Tenualosa ilisha, from the two

aquatic ecosystems of India

Vindhya Mohindra*, Prachi Mash, Prabhaker Yadav, Rajeev K. Singh, Kuldeep K. Lal,

J. K. Jena1

ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow 226 002, UP; 1Indian Council

of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Krishi Anusandhan Bhawan-II, New Delhi 110 012

Email:[email protected]; [email protected]

Non-neutral (outlier) loci are in association to environmental factors and could bias estimates

of genetic structure, as selection affects the genome at specific loci. The effect is observed

by either reducing the genetic diversity in a specific region in favor of advantageous alleles

(positive selection) or by maintaining similar levels of variation across populations (balancing

selection). Nevertheless, these loci can better explain adaptive genetic variation that is not

accounted for by neutral loci and detecting the footprints of selection. In this study, signatures

of selection were identified in the highly migratory commercially important fish, Tenualosailisha commonly name Hilsa shad. It has a wide range of distribution and occurs in marine,

estuarine and riverine ecosystems. Three alternative genome scan approaches were used

to identify the outlier microsatellite (SSRs) loci, over 66 polymorphic loci identified, including

15 genomic and 51 EST-SSR loci, over 96 samples from the collections from distant localities,

covering four river locations from three river basins, Ganga (Hooghly and Padma),

Brahmaputra (east coast) and Narmada (west coast). As a result,a total of five outlier loci

with positive selection were identified, which showed higher level of differentiation (overall

Fst 0.3262) than 52 neutral loci (0.12162) and 44 differentiating loci identified (0.1656). Markers

identified as outliers are associated with molecular functions associated with response to

environmental stressors. This study provides clear evidence of the presence of signatures

of selection in the process of divergent selection and potential local adaptation are prevalent

in hilsa from the two marine coasts.



PS IV – 74

Transfer of grain softness allele in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

using the marker assisted backcross breeding approach

Tej Pratap Jitendra Kumar1, Anjali Rai1, K. Raghunandan, Arvind K. Ahlawat, Savita Saini,

Neelu Jain, Namita Bedi1 and Anju M. Singh

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012; 1Amity

Institute of Biotechnology, Amity university, Noida, U.P.


A specific type of wheat is required for the optimum end-use quality such as bread, biscuits,

chapatti etc. e.g., hard wheats are suitable for leavened and unleavened breads while soft

grained wheats are more suited to soft texture products such as biscuits, cookies, cakes

etc. When soft grained flour also has a weak and extensible gluten, the biscuits produced

are of excellent quality and the use of chemicals to improve their texture is minimized. An

Indian wheat variety DBW14 was found to possess weak & extensible flour but it has hard

grains limiting the spread factor and texture of the biscuits made from its flour. Therefore, a

Marker Assisted Backcross Breeding (MABB) program was carriedout to convert the texture

of the grain from hard to soft. For this, foreground selection with the allele-specific PCR

based markers for grain texture viz. Pina-D1a(target allele)&PinaD1b(null allele)and

background selection with 173 SSR markers was carried out. Using this strategy, BC2F3

progenies with soft grains were derived. The BC2F4 seed is being multiplied to carryout final

yield and baking quality tests.

PS IV – 75

Development of durum wheat with reduced immunogenicity to gliadin

epitopes

Sumit K. Singh1, Savita, Poornima Sharma, R. B. Shukla, A. K. Ahlawat, V. K. Vikas,

P. K. Mandal2, Alka Grover1 and Anju M. Singh

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012; !Amity

Institute of Biotechnology, Amity university, Noida, U.P.; 2ICAR-NRCPB, New Delhi 110

012


Celiac Disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine of humans and leads

to a myriad of symptoms. It affects nearly 1% of the world population including India. The

disease is manifested due to an autoimmune response to the wheat gluten (mainly gliadins)

in the presence of specific DQ genes in humans. The only present remedy of CD is an



absolute abstinence from wheat and gluten containing products. However, widespread use

of gluten in various products such asice-creams, soups and even some medicine etc. makes

it nearly impossible to avoid gluten ingestion, even 20ppm of which is sufficient to trigger the

autoimmune response. Therefore, development of a wheat genotype devoid of

immunogenicity is required even though extremely challenging. Gliadin proteins containing

epitopes are present on short arm of chromosome 1 and 6 of the three genomes. Therefore,

nullisomic and ditelosomic (for 1A and 6A) hexaploid lines were hybridized with a popular

durum line HI 8663. From the F2 and BC1F2, durum lines which lack chromosome 1A or 6A

or their short arms were selected using molecular markers and EST based primers. The

homozygous plants with absence of individual chromosomes were further hybridized to

obtain heterozygous individuals with combination of nulli-1A and Nulli-6A or ditelo-1A and

Ditelo-6A. The work is being continued to select homozygous pyramided individuals.

PS IV – 76

Insilico comparative study of Melanocortin-1 Receptor (MC1R) and its

modulators in Atlantic Salmon, Nile Tilapia and Blind Cavefish

Saumya Pandey* and Shrinivas Jahageerdar

Fish Genetics and Biotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education,

Mumbai


Body ornamentation in fishes is of great economic importance. A highly polymorphic

Melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene is present in majority fish species and is primarily

responsible for pigmentation in fishes as an initiator gene of the melanogenesis pathway.

Modulation of MC1R protein will help to understand the body colour formation in fish species.

The present study was aimed to predict the tertiary structure of MC1R protein of Atlantic

Salmon, Nile Tilapia, Blind Cavefish, and to identify putative modulator of MC1R. The present

study identified that the MC1R gene of Atlantic Salmon, Nile Tilapia, Blind Cavefish encodes

for a protein consisting of 339, 325 and 323 amino acids, respectively and belongs to the G-

protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family. The molecular weight of the MC1R protein of Atlantic

Salmon was 38787 and that of Nile Tilapia and BlindCavefish was 36924and 36132,

respectively. The estimated isoelectric point of MC1R protein of Atlantic Salmon and Nile

Tilapia suggested that the protein is neutral in nature and that of BlindCavefish is basic in

nature. MC1R protein is composed of seven transmembranes, localized in the plasma

membrane and the active sites are mainly present in the TM2, TM3 and TM6 region. The

tertiary structure of MC1R protein was predicted by homology modelling using the Turkey

beta1 adrenergic receptor protein, as a template, with sequence identity of more than 30%

with three species. The analysis of the tertiary structure by the Ramachandran plot revealed

that more than 92.7% amino acid residues of all the three species were within the most

favoured region indicating the adequacy of the predicted model. A total of 180313 natural



compounds, extracted from ZINC database were virtually screened for their ability to bind

the identified transmembrane region of MC1R. The ADME properties and binding efficiencies

showed that the ZINC05220992 had MC1R modulation properties.

PS IV – 77

Generation of a comprehensive whole genome sequence of walking

catfish Clarias magur (Hamilton, 1822) a report

Basdeo Kushwaha*, Ravindra Kumar, P. Das1, C. G. Joshi2, Dinesh Kumar3, N. S. Nagpure,

Manmohan Pandey, Suyash Agarwal, Shreya Srivastava, Mahender Singh, Lakshman

Sahoo1, Prakash G. Koringa, Mir Asif Iquebal3, S. P. Das1, A. Bit1, S. Patnaik1, Namrata V.

Patel2, Tejas M. Shah2, Ankit T. Hinsu2 and J. K. Jena4

ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Canal Ring Road, PO-Dilkusha, Lucknow

226 002, U.P.; 1ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Kausalyanga,

Bhubaneswar 751 002, Odisha; 2College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry, Anand

Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat 388 001; 3Centre for Agricultural Bio-informatics,

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, Library Avenue, New Delhi 110 012;4Division of Fisheries, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Anusandhan Bhawan

- II, New Delhi 110 012


Whole genome sequencing of Clariasmagur, commonly known as ‘magur’ was done under

collaborative mode with financial support from DBT, Govt of India. Multiplatform NGS data

was generated and assembled on different assemblers. Assembly and scaffolding of C.magur genome resulted in 35,313 scaffolds covering about 95% estimated genome. The

estimate for genome completeness analysis based on 2586 number of BUSCOs, revealed

2407 [93.07%] complete genes. The GC content of C. magur genome was 41.53%, while

repeat elements was 39.76% of assembled genome. The fraction of Class I transposable

elements were 12.65%, whereas Class II transposon elementswere 13.15% of the total

genome. The most abundant transposon family in C. magur was reported to be DNA/TcMar-

Tc1 which covers 7% of the genome. The evolutionary relationship analysis between C.magur and other 14teleost fish species indicated that 21,712 genes in C. magur were found

to be orthologus. Analysis of duplicated genes in magur genome revealed 4134 gene sets to

have more than one copies, considerably higher than observed in channel catfish and fugu,

but lower than zebrafish.The gene prediction and annotation analysis revealed 51,200

predicted genes, excluding duplicate and small size genes, and 24,234 annotated protein

encoding genes (NCBI Accession: PRJNA448280) of which 86% were supported by EST or

RNASeq evidence. The study generated important genomic information for C. magur for the

first time and will pave the way for comparative genomics in the catfish species leading to

holistic increase in fish productivity.



PS IV – 78

Screening of grafted guava plants for genetic fidelity testing using ISSR

markers

Ram Sewak Singh Tomar, Dipti Dhumale, S. V. Amitha Mithra and Amolkumar U. Solanke*


012


Guava (Psidium guajava L., 2n=22) belongs to the family Myrtaceae, that comprises 140

genera and 3800-5600 species of trees and shrubs. It is widely distributed throughout the

tropics and subtropics and ranks high in international trade. It is rich source of calcium,

phosphorus and iron with approximately four times higher vitamin C content than citrus

fruits. The crop improvement of guava by conventional breeding approaches is very difficult

because of heterozygosity, polyploidy nature and large crop duration. The grafting technique

has been commonly used for developing of high yielding, superior and improved plants. The

detection of inferior genotypes in grafting is a great constraint for productivity and its

identification is difficult due to unavailability of reliable screening techniques. The use of

molecular markers in evaluation of seedlings or plantlets for genetic fidelity at early stages

is helpful in detection of genetic uniformity in plants. The genetic fidelity testing in guava was

performed through simple, fast, cost effective and highly reliable ISSR markers. Screening

with 18 ISSR primers available from the University of British Columbia (UBC) were used for

genetic fidelity. A set of 8 ISSR markers i.e. UBC816, UBC822, UBC834, UBC835, UBC836,

UBC840, UBC842 and UBC845 on twenty four L-49 grafted lines of guava got amplified and

found reproducible. Two guava samples each (Variety L-49) and Allahabad safeda were

taken as control for the detection of variation. The result showed all the twenty four lines

were found genetically similar to L-49 Guava variety. This can act as robust system for the

genetic fidelity testing so that farmers can get true to type grafted guava plants for commercial

large scale plantation.

PS IV – 79

Tissue wise ionomic profiling of fertile and sterile line of pigeon pea

Sandhya, AnshikaTyagi, Swati Saxena, G. Ramakrishna, Tanvi Kaila and Kishor Gaikwad*

ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi 100 012


Ion accumulation is an intricate process that influences almost every aspect of plant growth,

development and survival. The main aim of conducting this experiment was to investigate

the tissue wise ionomic analysis of fertile and sterile line of pigeon pea. Elemental profiling



wasdone using ICP-OES and high-throughput ICP-MS. The data obtained from both thetools

showed significant correlation. The expression of ions in terms of quantificationwere observed

for macro as well as microelements. It was found that among macro elements, the order of

expression (quantification) was Mg> K>Ca> Na, while among micro elements, the order of

expression in terms of quantification was Fe>Mn> B> Zn> Cu> Mo. Other macro and micro

elements were observed in very small quantities. Tissue specific elementaldistribution was

made and study was further narrow down on the basis of tissuespecific expression of Fe (for

leaf) and Cu (for bud). Further bioinformatic tools were applied to find out the Fe and Cu

cofactor interacting genes using transcriptome data of Pigeon pea. Differential gene

expression analysis showed that 756 and 203 genesassociated with Fe and 54 and 15

genes associated with Cu cofactor were up anddown regulated respectively.



SESSION V

Application of Bioinformatics and

Statistical Tools in Genetics

SESSION VI

Genetic Engineering

SESSION VII

Ethics, IPR and Regulations for use of

Genes/genetic Resources



PS V – 1

In-Silico elucidation of the three-dimensional molecular structures

defining the resistance mechanism by NBS-LRR proteins towards foliar

blast disease elicitins in pearl millet

S. Mukesh Sankar*, S. P. Singh, G. Prakash1, C. Tara Satyavathi2, S. L. Soumya Mallik,

M. Nirupma Singh and T. Singhal

Division of Genetics, 1Division of Plant Pathology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute,

New Delhi 110 012; 2ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl Millet, Jodhpur


Foliar blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe grisea (Hebert) Barr, forms one of

the worst scourge for pearl millet recently. Resistant lines recognizes molecular signature of

pathogen infection (Avr gene products) and triggers downstream response signaling pathways

in host plants through activation of Resistance (R) proteins, that works as a molecular switch

for pathogen defence signalling and represent one of the largest plant gene family. Hence,

understanding molecular structure and function of R proteins has been of paramount

importance for plant biologists. The present study aimed at predicting three-dimensional

structure of Resistance gene candidate (RGCs) protein RGPM 213 through ab-initio method

of protein modeling. The structured protein models were further validated for structure and

function and determine the ADP ligand binding site on the molecule through bioinformatics

software. Availability of 3D structural model for NBS and other domains in RGCs will help in

getting deeper insight in these pathogen defense genes, thereby manipulating them by site

directed mutation or protein engineering to increase its efficacy towards the fight against

pearl millet blast and other pathogens.



PS VI – 1

Biosafety of seed storage protein in transgenic chickpea expressing

high levels of either Cry1Ac or Cry2Aa gene

Rubi Gupta, Sumita Acharjee and Bidyut Kumar Sarmah*

DBT-AAU Centre, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat 785 013, Assam


Genetic modification in the most important grain legume and vegetarian protein source, i.e

chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) was carried out using Bt genes to protect annual yield losses

due to infestation by Helicoverpa armigera. There are regulatory and consumer’s concerns

on biosafety of the GM croPS I Iincluding Bt-chickpea. Very little information is available

regarding collateral or unintended effects of these genetic modifications in Bt-chickpea.

Therefore, we selected homozygous Bt chickpea lines harboring either a Cry1Ac or a Cry2Aagene along with their non-transgenic counterparts and performed a comparative seed storage

protein analysis which were separated in SDS-PAGE and protein digestibility was also

assessed. Seed storage proteins were fractionated and fractions 11S (legumin-type), 7S

(vicilin-type) and 2S (albumin) were eluted based on size. Upon mass spectrophotometry,

the fractions were found to be legumin, vicilin and albumin. The protein digestibility was

calculated using multi-enzyme (trypsin, chymotrypsin and peptidase) system and transient

pepsin hydrolysis followed by trypsin. In the case of Bt-chickpea lines no variation in the

seed storage proteins and digestibility of Bt protein along with storage protein was observed.

Thus, the results suggest no potential unintended effects of Bt protein accumulation on

chickpea seed protein quality.

PS VI – 2

Expression analysis of CYP gene involved in TSNA regulation in tobacco

T. Saroja1, K. Prabhakara Rao2, K. Sarala2, J. Poorna Bindu2, T. Samuel David Raj1 and

D. Damodar Reddy2

Dr. V. S. Krishna College, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; 1ICAR-Central Tobacco

Research Institute, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh; 2Division of Crop Improvement,

Department of Biotechnology, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh


Tobacco is a high value commercial crop with different styles known for varied traditional

end uses like smoking, chewing, hookah etc. apart from their medicinal values. Of late it is

being in lime light for its health associated risks. Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs)

are derivatives of tobacco alkaloids considered to be the most important carcinogens in



smokeless tobacco products and cigarette smoke. Among the various TSNAs reported,4-

(methyl nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), are potent

carcinogens.N-Demethylase is a vital enzyme encoded by CYP gene and is involved in the

conversion of nicotine to nornicotine thereby in generating carcinogenic agents. In the present

study an attempt has been made to study the expression levels of CYP82E4 targeting terminal

regions of the gene in high converter and low converter tobacco genotypes. For the expression

analysis study, five burley genotypes namely Banket-A1, YB-19 and YB-22 as high converters

and VA510 and TN90 as low converters were raised in a pot culture experiment. RNA

isolation was carried out from the top and bottom leaves and corresponding cDNA was used

as a template for analysis. The expression of CYP82E4 is more prominent in top leaves

compared to bottom leaves indicating a higher expression of the Demethylase gene facilitating

the conversion of nicotine to nor nicotine. Further, it was found that, the high converters

lines have relatively higher expression of CYP82E4 compared to low converters. The

expression analysis data can be correlated with TSNA levels for its future use in screening

of low converter genotypes among the cultivated tobacco.

PS VII – 1

Hybridity testing using simple sequence repeat markers in groundnut

M. S. Darvhankar*, Aman Deep Ranga, Sourav Kumar and S. K. Bera1

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional

University, Punjab 144 411; 1ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Junagadh 362 001


In the percent study, a total of 90 kernels were obtained by hybridizing two peanut genotypes

ICG4747 and TMV2NLM, contrasting for specific leaf area and SPAD Chlorophyll Meter

Reading. Out of 200 SSR primers,42 primers were found polymorphic between parents.Of

which 14 primers differentiated the heterozygous (F1s) from the homozygotes efficiently.

Out of 90 F1 plants, 11 plants were confirmed as hybrid using highly informative 14 SSR

markers.



PS VII – 2

Strengthening farmers’ rights through application of marking system

for varieties in seed chain

P. K. Singh*

ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow 226 002


Quality of the seeds being traded in the seed market or are produced in the seed chain is

important for production and profitbaility. Therefore, there is a need to use a ‘Star Marking

System’ for the varieties for which the seed is being traded. The proposed system will have

05 star/dot marks for five major attributes of a variety viz., Year of release, Registration

under PPV&FR Act, 2001, Adaptability for particular condition, Occurrence or report of disease

and pests and presence of any special character. For example, a marking like *o*** or *****

or *ooo* will easily give an insight of the variety for which the seed is being traded and farmers

will have an opportunity to choose 05 star varieties for cultivation. The marking system will

thus strengthen the Farmers’ Rights associated with the plant varieties.

PS VII – 3

Conserving and mainstreaming traditional varieties: A solution to rural

migration

P. K. Singh* and Sanjeev Kumar

ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow 226 002


The throes of East Indian states after Green Revolution which happened decades ago, is

still echoed in the form of huge rural-to-rural migration of agricultural workers from less

benefitted areas to high impacted areas. The adoption of high yielding varieties of crop

species, not commonly grown before the Green Revolution, in certain areas coupled with

the ability of these farmers to invest in latest technologies, piloted the traditional varieties

out of the cultivation from these areas. The repercussion of such mass replacement of

traditional varieties was loss of traditional processing, variety based cuisines and finally

culinary diversity. But, the early adoption of high yielding varieties and opening-up of new

markets infused huge investments in such areas, prompting rural-to-urban and agriculture

to non-agriculture migrations of workers in these belts. The ground situation in eastern part

of the country remained almost unchanged, due to either non-adoption of high yielding

varieties limited to few crop species or due to inability of the landlords to timely investment

in agriculture owing to certain socio-economic reasons. This non-adoption of new varieties



can now be capitalized as opportunity in disguise, by conserving the traditional varieties and

mainstreaming them through conventional cultivation practices like organic farming and

further processing and marketing the traditional cuisines crafted out of them. The age old

and adapted production to consumption chain can be a perfect solution to the problem of

rural migrations, if, it is strengthened by infusing investments through Start-uPS I Ior opening-

up other marketing avenues for the traditional varieties. In the recent years, mainstreaming

of many traditional varieties of rice, ragi, fruits, vegetables etc has paid rich dividends to the

growers which resulted in their sustained growth restricting migrations to bare minimum.

The recognition by Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, Government

of India given to the traditional varieties of Ragi from Thiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu), varieties

of Rice from Koraput (Orissa), Wayanad (Kerala), Bardwan (West Bengal), Banana from

Hilly areas of Dindigul (Tamil Nadu) etc are some of the successful examples where the

mainstreaming of traditional varieties has resulted in confidence building among local farmers,

creation of new market avenues and above all increased economic returns. The process of

mainstreaming, thus, promotes local area specific development and checks the migration of

residents in long run.

PS VII – 4

Status of DUS testing in sorghum and registration of varieties under

PPV&FR Act, 2001

K. Hariprasanna*, P. Suresh and Vilas A. Tonapi

ICAR-lndian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030


Sorghum is one among the first set of 12 crop pecies notified by the Indian Government for

plant variety registration under PPV&FR Act, 2001. The first Distinctiveness, Uniformity and

Stability (DUS) test trial for the purpose of registration of sorghum varieties was taken up in

2008. So far 151 candidate varieties have undergone DUS testing. Out of these, 66% were

under new category, 23% were extant/variety of common knowledge (VCK) and rest were

farmers’ varieties. Among the new varieties private sector breeders contributed more entries

(71%) compared to public sector (29%), whereas, in case of extent/VCK more varieties

have come from public sector (79%) compared to private sector (R21%). Cultivars constituted

more than half of the candidate varieties tested (53%) while rest were parental lines. Among

the cultivars open pollinated varieties (43%) had a major share followed by hybrids (36%)

and farmers’ varieties (21%). Among the parental lines fertility restorers (50%) were higher

in proportion, followed by male sterile lines (31%) and maintainer lines (19%). More hybrids

were contributed by private sector (86%) compared to public sector (14%) while public

sector applied more open pollinated varieties (60%) for registration. Majority of the restorers

(71%) and male sterile lines (55%) came from private sector whereas 11 out of 13 maintainer

lines (85%) tested were from public sector. The number of DUS characteristics claimed as



distinct in each of the candidate varieties varied from 2 to 22 with a mean of 8. The more

commonly claimed characteristics as distinct were panicle density followed by glume colour

and panicle shape, while colour of vitreous albumen, length of panicle branches and anjher

length were claimed less frequently. Till date, 134 sorghum varieties have been registered

in plant variety registry. The ICAR holds the largest number (54) of sorghum variety

registrations.

PS VII – 5

A cost effective method for genotype identification based on simple

sequence repeats marker data

Niraj Tripathi1 and Sharad Tiwari*

Directorate of Research Services, 1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Jawaharlal

Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur


In order to introduce a new plant variety to the markets commercially, it is necessary to

register a newly bred variety, which relies upon the results of DUS (distinctness, uniformity,

and stability) tests. The studies on the use of molecular markers in DUS testing proving the

expected capability of molecular markers have encouraged. Among all molecular markers

microsatellite are known to have multiallelic nature, codominance inheritance, and relative

abundance as well as require small quantities of DNA for amplification. UPOV has confirmed

the application of SSR markers as one of the molecular marker systems for the identification

of plant varieties. When large numbers of cultivars are involved, the fingerprinting work can

be costly in terms of laboratory consumables, labour and time. As a consequence, it is

essential to build the fingerprinting database of the main commercial cultivars in the market

for rapid and unambiguous cultivar identification with the number of newly similar cultivars

increasing regularly. The present method involves development of innovative cost effective

method to identify an individual genotype. This method will generate an authentic fingerprint

for an individual genotype/variety. These fingerprints may be stored permanently for

comparison of different individuals in future.



SUPPLEMENTARY

ABSTRACTS



PS II-73

Morpho- physiological evaluation of diverse genotypes of pigeonpea

under salinity stress

Rekha Joshi 1*, Naleeni Ramawat1, RS Raje,Kumar Durgesh and G. Rama Prashat

Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-1100121Amity Institute of Organic Agriculture, Amity University Campus, Noida - 201 303 (U.P.)


Salinity, either in soil or water, is one of the major constraint to crop production mainly in arid

and semi-arid areas leading to 35% drop in agricultural production creating shortage of food

for human and animal consumption.Itaffects pigeonpea crop through osmotic stress and

interfere with uptake of mineral nutrients thus affecting plant growth, development and yield

by causing physiological and biochemical changes in plants. Soil and water management

approaches for amelioration of soil salinity are uneconomical for small holding farmers.

Therefore, identification of salt-tolerant donor for the development of salt tolerant genotypes

is the most appropriate and cost effective strategy, for improving yield in salt affected

areas.The present study involvesscreening of sixty-five diverse genotypes of pigeonpea to

assess the exploitable genetic variability for salinity tolerance and to detect the salt tolerant

pigeonpea lines in hydroponics at 40,80,100 and 120mM sodium chloride (NaCl)

concentration for 30 days. The electrical conductivity was regularly checked and

maintained.Salt stress responses of these genotypes on various morphological and

physiological attributes were observed on the basis of different relevant parameters viz.

germination percentage, seedling growth, seedling survivability, shoot and root length,

biomass accumulation (Fresh weight and dry weight), leaf senescence (scoringon 1 to 5

scale on the basis of visual symptoms), chlorophyll content, membrane stability index (MSI),

relative water content (RWC), Naz /Kz (sodium potassium ratio), etc. for comparative

evaluation of all the genotypes taken under study. Significant genotypic variation for salinity

stress was observed among the genotypes screened under hydroponic conditions. Two

tolerant and two sensitive genotypes were identifiedat 100mM concentration of sodium

chloride and used in breeding programme for further generation of mapping population so

that the gene(s) for the concerned trait can be mapped.



PS II-130

Screening of drought tolerance indices and their correlation with yield

in durum wheat genotypes

J. M. Patel*, A. S. Patel, C. R. Patel, A. A. Patel, H. M. Mamrutha1 and Pradeep Sharma1

Wheat Research Station, S.D. Agricultural University, Vijapur 382 870; 1ICAR-Indian Institute

of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR), Karnal

*Email: [email protected]

In order to investigate the relationships among the drought tolerance/resistance indices, an

experiment was conducted during the crop season 2015-16 using alpha lattice design in

durum wheat genotypes. The mean values of grain yield under non-stress condition ranged

between 4.60 to 20.53(g/plant), whereas under stress conditions, it ranged between 2.32 to

8.67 g/plant. Genotypes MP 1279, DWR 185 and CG 1010 gave high performances in both

the conditions for grain yield. The grain yield reduction varied between 12.58% and 76.18 %

in drought plots. Massive reduction in grain yield due to drought stress explains that, moderate

drought stress environments may be more preferable as compared to severe drought stress

to identify drought tolerant lines. Stress Tolerance Index (STI)-related indices (K1STI and

K2STI) were found convenient parameters to select high yielding genotypes in both stress

and non-stress conditions. The MP, GMP and YI indices, which were highly positively and

significantly correlated to the grain yields in both favorable and drought stress environments,

were considered as the best indices. Significant and positive correlation of Yp and Ys (r=0.68)

indicated high yield performance under favorable condition resulting in relatively high yield

under stress conditions. Both Yp and Ys were significantly and positively correlated with,

MP, GMP, HM, YI, K1STI and K2-STI indicating effectiveness in identifying high yielding

lines under both the conditions. Based on principle component analysis it can be concluded

that Ys can discriminate drought tolerant genotypes with high grain yield under stress

condition.



PS IV-80

Development of microsatellite marker associated with heat stress

tolerance in Pennisetum glaucum (L) R. BR

Sunil Ningombam, Albert Maibam and Jasdeep Chatrath Padaria*

ICAR-National Research Center on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 012


Pennisetum glaucum (L) R. Br is the staple food in arid semi-arid tropic regions. However,

heat stress leads to drastic reductions in grain yield. It becomes essential to exploit genetic

variation among pearl millet genotypes to develop tolerant genotypes. In this study, mining

of EST-SSR markers was done using MIcroSAtellite identification tool (MISA) from heat

responsive transcriptome data of pearl millet and validate these developed markers in 24

diverse genotypes of pearl millet. From the 47,310 unigenes examined, 12,976 were identified

as SSR containing unigenes. A total of 2,116 sequences were found containing more than

one SSR and 986 SSRs were observed to be present in compound formation. SSRs with

trinucleotide motif repeat sequences were the most abundant. This large number of identified

SSRs were trimmed based on highly expressed unigenes with a threshold P-value of less

than 0.005 and a fold change of greater than 2.00. Out of the 50 EST-SSR markers developed,

only 4 (15.38%) displayed polymorphism. In case of 9 STS markers developed, only one

(16.66%) was able to detect polymorphism. The Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) of

newly developed EST-SSRs was in the range of 0.207 to 0.662 with an average value of

0.435. Based on the five polymorphic markers, the 24 pearl millet genotypes could clustered

into 5 main and 11 sub clusters. Annotation of 59 unigenes tagged with EST-SSR /STS

markers revealed that the five transcripts for which polymorphism was detected, were found

to code for genes related to stress response and signaling pathway.



PS V - 2

Mapping of QTL for yield related traits in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.

Millsp.) using a 62K genic-SNP chip

Sangeeta Singh, Ajay Kumar Mahato, Vandna Rai, Ranjeet S. Raje1 and Nagendra Kumar

Singh*

ICAR-National Research Center on Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110

0121Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012


Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) in spite of being the second most important pulse crop

of India lags behind in generation of genomic rsources and their use in varietal improvement.

After genome sequencing of pigeonpea genomic resources have been added to some extent

but these are not sufficient to facilitate gene discovery and molecular breeding applications.

To fulfil the need, a 62 K genic-SNP chip was developed. The study aimed to generate a

high-density linkage map in pigeonpea and identification of QTLs for five important yield

related traits namely, number of seeds per pod, number of primary branches per plant, pod

bearing length from main axis, number of secondary branches per plant and pod bearing

length from primary branch was carried out using an intraspecific RIL mapping population

derived from a cross between Pusa dwarf and H2001-4. A set of 94 random RILs were

genotyped using a 62K SNP chip and a high-density linkage map of 2076 SNP markers was

constructed using Joinmap 4.0 software. The intraspecific map spanned to total map length

of 1145.1 cM with an average marker interal of 0.55 cM. Quantitative trait loci analysis for

five traits using WinQTL Cartographer v2.5 by composite interval mapping resulted in

identification of 13 significant QTLs. The current study would serve as a strong foundation

for pigeonpea genome anchoring and after further validation and fine mapping utilization in

the pigeonpea breeding programs.



PS V - 442

Disease resistance (R) and defense response (DR) genes in pigeonpea

(Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) genome

Ajay K Mahato, Sangeeta Singh, Ajay Kumar Sharma and Nagendra K. Singh


012

Department of Biotechnology, Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology, Abdul Kalam

Technical University, Meerut 226 031, Uttar Pradesh


Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) belongs to the plant family Fabaceae with diploid

chromosome number (2n= 22) and genome size of 858 Mb. It is world’s fourth most important

food legume crops and highly crucial for the nutritional security in South Asia and Africa. In

this study we used second draft of the pigeonpea genome variety Asha with is the highest

genome coverage and identified a comprehensive set of 2,350 R- and DR-genes, respectively.

The highest number of R-genes (941) was categorized as nucleotide-binding sites (NBS),

followed by 630 R-genes as receptor like kinases (RLK) and 513 R-genes as receptor-like

proteins (RLP). We further identified 160 DR-genes categorized into five different categories,

namely, chitinase, glucanase, thaumitin-like, defens in and osmotin. In total, 1,677 R-genes

and 99 DR-genes were mapped onto pigeonpea chromosomes in 152 gene clusters of R-

and DR-genes. Separate phylogenetic analysis of each class of genes revealed their

conservation across diverse species and evolution by tandem duplication in the pigeonpea

genome. Expression analysis of DR-genes of five classes identified constitutively expressing

DR-genes in 29 different tissues from at developmental stages. The R- and DR-genes

described here are of broad interest to legume researchers for gene discovery particularly

for breeding applications in pigeonpea for developing improved cultivars with in-built

resistance to different biotic stresses.

National Genetics Congress – 2018

PS II - 85

Role of proline in drought tolerance in Cocoa

Juby Baby*1, Minimol J.S.1, Jiji Joseph1, Suma.B.2, A.V. Santhosh Kumar3

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, 1Deptartment. of Plantation Crops and Spices

College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, KAU, 3Department of Forest Biology and Tree

Improvement, College of Forestry, Kerala Agriculture University, Vellanikkara

Email : [email protected]

Cocoa is a crop which is grown under shade conditions and which requires ample amount of

water for it’s day to day activities. However, the recent news on cocoa, getting it extinct in

the next 40 years due to the climate change indicates the need for importance of breeding

drought tolerant genotypes that can adapt well to water stress conditions. The Cocoa

Research Centre, KAU initiated this activity which resulted in identification of four drought

tolerant genotypes viz., M 13.12, G I 5.9, G II 19.5 and G VI 55. They were crossed between

themselves and the hybrids so obtained were raised in nurseries. During the third month

stage, they were screened for their Height x Diameter2(higher the HD 2 value, more vigorous

the hybrid and hence more yield) and the hybrid having high value was carried to fifth month

stage. 120 hybrids at five month stage were maintained at 40 percent field capacity(below

which the plant died) for two weeks. Proline was estimated from stressed plants using

standard procedure. The value of proline ranged as high as 2295µg/g in tolerant hybrid to as

low as 85.52 µg/g in susceptible hybrid. The control kept under 100 percent field capacity

expressed low level of proline (61.33-138.35 µg/g). The result demonstrated that proline is an

important parameter in drought tolerant studies of cocoa. Apart from acting as an osmolyte

for osmotic adjustment, proline contributes to stabilizing sub-cellular structures, scavenging

free radicals and buffering cellular redox potential under stress conditions.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________




A. A. Bharose 147, 361

A. A. Lone 175

A. Anandan 154, 186

A. Annapurna 294

A. Ashok Kumar 278, 286

A. Banerjee 73

A. Bit 378

A. D. Pathak 256

A. G. Babu 56

A. G. Desai 53

A. G. Pansuriya 234

A. Gazal 175

A. H. Khan 186

A. H. Prakash 215

A. K. Abdul Nazar 158

A. K. Ahlawat 376

A. K. Joshi 184, 199

A. K. Mall 256

A. K. Maurya 232

A. K. Misra 73

A. K. Parihar 209

A. K. Pradhan 67, 206, 335, 336

A. K. Shinde 48

A. K. Shukla 181

A. K. Singh 12, 71, 93, 161, 194, 219,229, 300, 306,322

A. K. Srivastava 149

A. K. Thakur 239

A. Kalaisekhar 259

A. Kanatti 9, 102, 277

A. Kathirvelpandian 370

A. Krishnamraju 52

A. Kumar 22, 344

A. Lakshmi Prabha 329

A. M. Ismail 186

A. M. Shahiba 65, 176, 270

A. Mohan Rao 138

A. Mukherjee 370

A. N. Mishra 258

A. N. Shrivastava 124

A. N. Tikle 153

A. P. Agrawal 234

A. P. Dadaper 56

A. Pattanayak 73, 340, 362

A. Paul 69, 240

A. R. Rao 27

A. Relan 80, 86, 107, 339

A. S. Gautam 238

A. S. Hari Prasad 71, 345

A. S. Jeena 105

A. S. Kharub 171

A. S. Rao 277

A. Sarker 153

AUTHOR INDEX



A. Shahina 67

A. Singh 253

A. Siraree 321

A. V. Santhosh Kumar 236

A. V. Umakanth 99

A. Vilas Tonapi 300

A. W. More 46, 213, 274,275

A. R. Rao 366, 367

Aakanksha 336

Aakash Sharma 229

Aalok Shiv 366, 367

Aanchal Baveja 303, 307, 309

Aarti Sharma 176

Aashima Batheja 230

Abdul Fiyaz 71

Abdul Majid Ansari 69

Abhijit K. Das 307

Abhijit Mitra 32, 334

Abhinav Pathak 165

Achla Sharma 221, 223, 237, 296, 297

Adita Joshi 134

Aditi Bhandari 10

Aditi Eliza Tirkey 106

Aditi Ghosh 185

Aditi Sharma 104

Afshana Shafi 367

Ai Kitazumi 347

Ajay K. Pandey 30

Ajay Mahato 157, 329

Akanksha 319

Akanksha Sharma 134

Akanksha Tiwari 68

Akarsh Parihar 257

Akashi Sarma 106

Akhand Pratap 155

Akhilesh Kumar Mishra 373

Akshay K. Pradhan 289

Akshay Kumar Pradhan 200

Akshay Talukdar 47, 134, 144

Alka Grover 376

Alpana Anupam 364

Aman Deep Ranga 385

Aman Kumar 312

Amandeep Kaur 97, 347, 355

Amir Rashid 141

Amit Bera 242

Amit Kumar Singh 216

Amit Tomar 44, 45

Amitava Ghosh 185

Amitha Sevanthi 10

Vandna Rai 10

Amolkumar U. Solanke 200, 379

Amrita Banerjee 364

Amrutlal Khaire 196, 291

Anamika Jaiswal 116

Anand Jain 195



Anand M. Badigannavar 363

Anil Gaddameedi 180, 278, 286

Anil K. Singh 209

Anil Kumar 267

Anil Pandey 123

Anindita Roy 206

Anirban Roy 282

Anita Babbar 143, 253

Anjali Chauhan 48

Anjali Kumari 104

Anjali Rai 376

Anjaneya 79

Anjani Kumar Singh 166

Anju M. Job 87, 112, 113, 115, 115, 236350, 356, 361

Anju M. Singh 376

Anjula Pandey 77

Ankit Kumar 45, 191

Ankit T. Hinsu 378

Ankita Suhalia 221, 223, 237

Annam Pavan Kumar 374

Anshika Tyagi 379

Anshuman Shah 53

Anshuman Singh 141

Antim 280

Anuj Kumar 51,150

Anupama Mukherjee 32, 190,334

Anupama Singh 308

Anuradha Kotla 180

Anurag Tripathi 44, 151

Anureet Kaur 296, 297

Aparna Chaudhari 152, 374

Aqeel Hasan Rizvi 164

Archana Joshi Saha 281

Archana Rani 91, 94, 124

Archana Singh 200

Arjava Sharma 6

Arjun Negi 138

Arti Bartwal 193

Arti Yadav 349

Arun Chacko 65, 270

Arun Kumar 61, 62, 62, 204, 246

Arun Kumar Joshi 360, 142, 252

Arun Kumar Tiwary 246

Arun Sharma 164

Aruna Devi Ahirwar 96

Aruna Kumar 310

Arundhati Mukhopadhyay 335

Arvind K. Ahlawat 376

Arvind Kumar 278

Ashaq Hussain 141, 159, 264

Asheesh Shanker 28

Ashim Debnath 179

Ashish 280

Ashish Guleria 284

Ashish Kumar 144



Ashish Ranjan 195, 337

Ashish Tiwari 331

Ashok B. Adigannavar 80

Ashok Badigannavar 79

Ashok Jaiswal 47

Ashok K. Singh 132, 311

Ashok Kumar 78, 128, 130, 216

Ashok Kumar Are 180

Ashok Kumar Singh 39

Ashu Pandey 156

Ashutosh 251

Ashutosh Kumar 191, 192

Ashutosh Sarker 164

Asif B. Shikari 141, 159, 264

Asif Bashir Shikari 248, 251, 367

Asish 296

Asutosh Sarkar 282

Atul K. Singh 333

Avi Raizada 182, 183

Avinash Jha 124

Avinash Kumar 191

Avinash Kumar Srivastava 146

Ayushi Srivastava 178

B. Aarthy 266

B. B. Bandyopadhyay 105

M. K. Nautiyal 105

B. C. Ajay 232

B. C. Marandi 186

B. C. Viraktamath 252

B. Divya 52, 71

B. G. Shekara 109, 110, 125

B. G. Solanki 342

B. H. Gawade 208

B. Haritha 12

B. K. Agarwal 231

B. K. Athoni 187

B. K. Das 48, 287, 331, 332

B. K. Desai 293

B. Kavitha 52

B. M. Dushyanthakumar 212, 290, 131

B. Maji 186

B. Marandi 10

B. Mondal 149

B. Muralidhara 308

B. N. Mahantesha Naika 203

B. Padhy 154

B. R. Basnet 184

B. R. Beniwal 162

B. R. Chavan 274, 275

B. R. Raghu 244

B. R. Ranwah 254

B. Ranga 294

B. S. Patil 247, 255, 262

B. Sarkar 218

B. Suma 236

B. T. Meera 121



Bablee Kumari Singh 200

Bal Govind Yadav 289

Balbir 229

Balwant Singh 174, 319, 346

Balwider Singh Gill 47

Bansuli 103

Bapsila Loitongbam 155

Bapsilaloitongbam 203

Basdeo Kushwaha 373, 373, 378

Baudh Bharti 62, 204

Beena Sinha 195

Beena Thomas 270

Benildo G. de los Reyes 347

Bhabendra Baisakh 351

Bhawar 150

Bhopal Singh Panwar 128

Bhowmick Prolay Kumar 372

Bhumika N. Patel 192

Bibhuprasad Singh 285

Bidyut Kumar Sarmah 182, 233, 357, 384

Binay Kumar 49

Binder Singh 322

Bindu R. Pillai 374

Biswajit Mondal 146

Brijesh Kumar Dixit 322

C. A. Deepak 82

C. A. Manoj 308

C. Aruna 294

C. Bharadwaj 255, 262, 263, 310, 320

C. Deepika 76

C. Diwakar 250

C. G. Joshi 374, 378

C. G. Sangeetha 179

C. Gireesh 142, 308, 345

C. J. Patel 53

C. J. Tank 150

C. K. Chethana 85, 228, 298,299

C. Kapoor 80, 86, 339

C. Manjunatha 211

C. N. Neeraja 17, 282, 345

C. Nanda 138, 139

C. P. Singh 349

C. R. Mithra 200

C. S. Mahto 49, 83

C. Tara Satyavathi 50, 158, 162, 310, 383

C. Uma Maheswari 266, 267

C. V. Ratnavathi 294

C. Vinodha 249

Ch. Bhupal Reddy 218

Ch. Sravani 101

Ch. Suvarna Rani 308

Chakravarthi Marri 87, 115, 236, 350356, 361

Chand Ramesh 239

Chandan Haldar 374

Chandan Singh 256



Chandan Sourav Kar 365

Chandankumar Singh 248

Chandra Prakash 194

Chandu Singh 245

Chikkappa Karjagi 94

Chirag Gautam 293

D. A. Gadekar 234

D. B. Deosarkar 60

D. Bhatia 243

D. Burman 186

D. Damodar Reddy 49, 139, 368, 384

D. Gokulan 89, 225, 226

D. K. Gothwal 259

D. K. Kathmale 125

D. K. Mishra 68

D. K. Patel 53

D. K. Patre 153

D. K. Sharma 186

D. K. Singh 167, 278

D. L. Savithramma 288

D. Ladha Lakshmi 345

D. M. Bahadure 294

D. M. Mundewadikar 121

D. M. Thakor 150

D. M. Zapadia 161

D. Maiti 149

D. N. Singh 69, 88, 240, 246

D. P. Mohekar 127

D. P. Semwal 77

D. P. Singh 10, 234, 267

D. P. Walia 258

D. Panda 344

D. Pental 67, 336

D. R. Pruthviraj 38

D. Roychoudhury 35

D. S. Thakare 127

D. Saha 265

D. Satish 56, 203, 291

D. Satish Kumar 108

D. Singh 209

D. Subrahmanyam 17, 282

D. P. Singh 266

Darshan Dharajiya 53

Darshana Bisht 177

Debabrata Sarkar 242, 365

Debadatta Panda 64, 326

Debajit Das 182, 233, 357

Debarati Mandal 245

Debashis Paul 220

Debasisa Mohanty 25

Debojit Sarma 273

Deepak Agarwal 374

Deepak Pental 29, 200, 206, 289

Deepak Sharma 287, 331, 332

Deepak Singh Bisht 157

Deepika Narang 92



Deepika Singh 10, 155

Devyani Sen 284

Dhammaprakash P. Wankhede 193

Dharam Pal 181, 215, 267

Dharmendra Pratap 53

Dharminder Bhatia 355

Dhawan Gaurav 372

Dhiresh Chakravarty 348

Diana Sagolsem 282

Digvender Pal 94, 245

Dijee Bastian 87, 115, 350, 356, 361

Dileepkumar Masuthi 203, 291

Diljot Kaur 350

Dinesh K. Pancheshwar 124

Dinesh Kumar 306, 378

Dinesh Singh 330

Dipnarayan Saha 108

Dipnarayan Saha 365

Dipti Dhumale 379

Divya Balakrishnan 54, 326

Divya Chauhan 248, 256

Divya Phougat 279, 280

Dwijesh Chandra Mishra 360

E. Eradasappa 288

E. Gangappa 82

E. Pandit 265, 370

E. Ranjith Kumar 71

E. V. Divakara Sastry 119

Ekhlaque Ahmad 69, 81, 240, 246

Ellur K. Ranjith 302

Everest Shiwach 337

F. A. Mohiddin 159, 251, 264

F. A. Nehvi 67

F. A. Sheikh 141, 159, 264

Firoz Hossain 39, 94, 136, 247, 303307, 309

G. A. Parray 141, 159, 248, 251, 264367

G. A. Puja 122

G. Ali 175

G. Bains 246

G. Girish 79, 80

G. Gopikrishna 23

G. K. Chaudhary 161

G. K. Gaur 38

G. K. Gill 235

G. K. Naidu 13, 187, 210

G. K. Nishanth 212

G. K. Srividya 338

G. Kiran 49

G. Kumari 153

G. L. Ashwini 70

G. O. Faldu 342

G. P. Dixit 209

G. P. Mishra 253

G. P. Shukla 145



G. P. Singh 171, 204, 234, 256, 287

G. Padmavathi 186

G. Padmavati 308

G. Prakash 158, 383

G. Rama Prashat 227

G. Ramakrishna 214, 379

G. Ramaprashat 96

G. S. Bisht 340

G. S. Laha 252, 345

G. S. Mangat 243

G. S. Thorat 72

G. Sandeep 142

G. T. Basavaraja 110, 187

G. Tamilmani 158

G. V. S. S. Sastry 108

Ganapati Mukri 94, 245, 247

Ganesh Meena 50

Garima Kumari 284

Gauri Misra 319

Gautam Vishwakarma Richa Sao 287

Gayacharan 128

Gazala H. Khan 248, 251, 367

George Thomas 323

Ghazala H. Khan 141, 159, 264

Giriraj Kumawat 47, 349

Girish Prasad Dixit 146

Girish Tantuway 116

Golu Misra 281

Gopal Krishna 152

Gopal Vadodariya 324

Goutam Sahana 32

Gowhar Ali 67

Gulab Chand 307

Gurjit Singh Mangat 224

Gurmanpuneet Singh 353

Gurpreet Kaur 342

Gurpreet Singh 224

Guruprasad Hiremath 95, 298, 299

Gurwinder Kaur 224

H. B. Lingaiah 179

H. Bollinedi 161

H. C. Lal 49

H. C. Lohithaswa 371

H. K. Bharani 268

H. K. Chaudhary 80, 86, 104, 107, 181230, 238, 339

H. K. Dikshit 220, 253

H. L. Nadaf 13, 210

H. O. Umesh 268

H. P. Gajera 147

H. R. Mahla 57

H. S. Balyan 366, 367

H. S. Bhadauria 84, 150, 219

H. S. Gupta 362

H. V. Kalpande 46, 171, 172, 173213, 278

Hanuman Lal 128



Harendra Verma 117, 208

Hari Chand Sharma 180

Harikrishna 248, 256, 366, 367

Harinder K. Chaudhary 24, 327

Harinderjeet Kaur 350

HarinderJit Kaur 296

Haritha Bollinedi 300, 306, 322,372

Harleen Kaur 354

Harshavardhana 320

Heena Arora 200

Hema S. Chauhan 307

Himani Sharma 148

Hirak Kumar Barman 30

I. Abidi 175

I. Ganguly 337

I. K. Kalappanavar 228

I. M. Khan 189

I. S. Panwar 279

Ibandalin Mawlong 352

Imsusosang Longkumer 32, 334

Inderjit Yadav 295

Indrani K. Baruah 233, 357

Irfan Ahmad Rather 67

Ishwar Singh 78

Ishwinder Kaur 243

J. A. Khan 175

J. Amudha 215

J. B. Sharma 189, 205, 244, 341

J. B. Singh 258

J. Bonifacio 186

J. C. Rana 66, 128, 216

J. H. Kamdar 232

J. Jayakumar 286

J. Joshi Akshat 333, 335

J. K. Jena 375, 378

J. K. Patel 161

J. Karthick 89, 225, 226, 249, 250

J. Krishna Prasad 164

J. Kumar 344

J. M. Patel 234

J. N. Reddy 10

J. P. Jaiswal 81, 204

J. P. Lakhani 189

J. P. Sharma 166, 267

J. Poorna Bindu 368, 384

J. Rane 175

J. S. Bhat 255

J. S. Chawla 220

J. S. Lore 353

J. S. Minimol 112, 113, 236

J. S. Patel 93

J. Singh 321

J. Souframanien 182, 183

Jadhav Harshad Manohar 103

Jadhav Sulochana 203, 291

Jagdeep Singh Sandhu 269



Jagdish Kumar 181

Jagjeet S. Lore 243

Jagreet Kaur 335

Jai Prakash Jaiswal 308

Janardhan P. Suryendra 252

Jaskaran Kaur Arora 295

Jasmeen Kaur 330

Jaspal Kaur 92

Jaspreet Kaur 232

Jawala Jindal 220

Jay Prakash 289

Jayakumar Jaganathan 278

Jayant Meshram 215

Jayant S. Bhat 94, 245, 247, 307

Jayaramegouda 47

Jayashree Ugalat 179

Jaydev Kumar 61, 204

Jayesh Singh 297

Jeet Ram Choudhary 311

Jian-Kang Zhu 31

Jiban Mitra 242, 365

Jiji Joseph 87, 112, 113, 115, 236, 350356, 356, 361

Jinu Jacob 90

Juby Baby 112, 113, 236, 356

Jyothi Badri 10, 142, 308, 345

Jyothi Kattegoudar 179

Jyoti Kaul 94, 245, 247

Jyoti Kumari 78, 216

Jyoti Singh 229

Jyotsana Sharma 121

Jyotsana Sharma 122

K. B. Barbadikar 345

K. B. Kemparaju 71

K. B. R. S. Visarada 102

K. Baghyalakshmi 49

K. Bhojaraja Naik 358

K. C. Bhatt 77

K. Chattopadhyay 154

K. D. Babu 122

K. D. Patil 186

K. G. Modha 64, 326

K. H. Dabhi 234

K. H. Singh 239

K. Hariprasanna 76, 278, 300, 387

K. J. Aravind 308

K. J. Yashavantha Kumar 192

K. J. Yashwanth Kumar 299

K. K. Anikuttan 158

K. K. Gautam 239

K. K. Lal 165

K. K. Manohara 186

K. K. Pramanick 181

K. K. Raghuraman 89

K. K. Raghuraman 225, 226

K. K. Sahoo 154



K. K. Sharma 76

K. K. Singh 239

K. K. Tiwari 219

K. K. Vinod 12, 71, 132, 302, 306, 311322

K. N. Gangadhara 201

K. N. Rai 277

K. N. Raja 337

K. N. Subrahmanya 108

K. P. Abhijith 303

K. P. Pachchigar 150

K. P. Sagar 179

K. P. Sahana 179

K. Padmanabha 179

K. Paramsivam 10

S. Nadarajan 10

K. Prabhakara Rao 49

P. Vinay 49

K. Prabhakara Rao 368, 384

K. Pradheep 77

K. R. Bhakad 46

K. R. Soren 262, 263

K. Raghunandan 376

K. Rashmi 198

K. S. Baig 60, 120

K. S. Bangarwa 194

K. S. Reddy 55

K. Sai Rekha 325

K. Santinandivelu 49

K. Sarala 49, 139, 368, 384

K. Singh 80,86, 107, 339

K. Sivan 211

K. Srivastava 116

K. Sruthi 71

K. Surekha 17, 282

K. T. Presanna Kumari 133

K. V. Bhat 358

K. V. Prabhu 33, 50, 256, 341, 366367, 181

K. V. S. V. Prasad 286

K. V. Shivakumar 371

Kabita Tripathy 174, 319

Kadambini Rout 289

Kailash C. Bansal 193

Kaiser Parveen 190

Kamlesh Kanwar 162, 284

Kanak Durga 362

Kanaram Kumawat 259

Kapil K. Tiwari 53, 150, 328

Kapil Sharma 20

Kartar Singh 134

Kaushal Modha 324, 328

Kaushal Pratap Singh 177

Kavita Gupta 5

Kavitha Beerelli 54

Kezhavituo Vupru 32, 334



Khushbu Chittora 191

Kirandeep Kaur 354

Kiranpal Kaur 235

Kirti Rani 244

Kishor Gaikwad 144, 214, 320, 379

Kobu Khate 32, 334

Korada Mounika 196, 291

Kotla Anuradha 278

Krishnam Raju Addanki 54, 326

Kuber Bhainsa 287

Kuduka Madhukar 198

Kuldeep K. Lal 7, 375

Kuldeep Kumar Lal 370

Kuldeep Singh 5, 74, 97, 98, 106, 193296, 343, 347, 353, 355, 369

Kuldeep Tripathi 128

Kumar Aruna 372

Kumar Dinesh 302

Kumar Durgesh 96, 227

Kumar Rahul 302

Kumari Neelam 74, 224, 296, 343, 347353, 355

Kunal 97

L. Behera 154, 344

L. C. Prasad 239

L. D. Parmar 150

L. Hetalben Bhilocha 328

L. M. Megha 112, 113, 236, 356, 356

L. N. Jawale 46, 213, 274, 275

L. N. Yogeesh 293

L. N. Yogesh 79, 80

L. V. Subba Rao 308, 345

Laishram Sundari Devi 31

Lakshay Goyal 328

Lakshman Sahoo 378

Lakshmi Kant 340, 362

Lakshmi Narasu 180

Lal Chand Prasad 198

Latika Bhayana 206

Laxman Prasad 253

Laxmi Sharma 242, 365

Lekshmi S. Nair 306

Lingrui Zhang 31

Linu Joy 370

Lokendra Kumar 234

Lokendra Singh 61

Lokesh Kumar Gangwar 117

M. A. Ganai 159, 264

M. A. Saleem 13, 210

M. Anbarasu 158

M. Anila 308

M. Biswal 344

M. C. Pant 340

M. C. Yadava 216

M. D. Jasani 232

M. D. Mahalle 207

M. D. Sofi 141, 159, 264



M. Dileep Kumar 56

M. G. Mallikarjuna 245, 247

M. Girija Rani 10

T. Anuradha 10

M. Govindaraj 9, 102, 277

M. H. Tatagar 203, 291

M. Habib 175

M. J. Baig 193, 344

M. K. Kar 194

M. K. Karnawal 64

M. K. Modi 207

M. K. Ramkumar 194, 200

M. K. Tripathi 99, 100, 150, 229

M. Kalpana 89, 225, 226

M. Kumar 304

M. L. Jakhar 163

M. L. Meena 229

M. Mahadevaswamy 139

M. Maheswari 218

M. Mallik 158, 310

M. Mukherjee 154

M. N. Singh 167

M. Nagarajan 12, 132, 311, 322, 189

M. Niranjana 244, 341

M. Nirupma Singh 383

M. P. Deshmukh 125, 126, 127

M. P. Dubey 292

M. P. Patel 53, 84, 93, 150, 219304, 328

M. P. Pavan 290

M. P. Rajanna 70, 82

M. Padmavati 40

M. Prakash 186

M. Pujar 102

S. Gangaprasad 102

M. S. Anantha 308, 345

M. S. Aski 253

M. S. Chauhan 21

M. S. Darvhankar 385

M. S. Dudhare 361

M. S. Madhav 345

M. S. Nimmy 312

M. S. Patel 304

M. S. Prasad 345

M. S. Sheshshayee 194

M. S. Uma 268, 276, 314

M. Sakthivel 158

M. Sankar 158

M. Shivakumar 349

M. Sivasamy 211

M. Sivasamy 324, 341

M. Srinivas Prasad 252

M. Suguna 294

M. Sukumar 52

M. R. Magar 83



M. T. Kanakamani 115

M. T. Vinayan 220

M. V. Jagadale 233

M. V. Jagdale 357

M. Vanaja 218

M. Vishwakarma 184

Madhu Patial 181, 215, 267

Mahak Singh 44, 45

Mahalingam Govindaraj 222

Mahantesha B. N. Naika 291

Mahender Singh 373, 378

Mahesh Pujar 9

Malathi Surapaneni 54, 326

Mamta Bhattacharjee 182

Mamta Gupta 8

Manasi Dash 351

Manbir Kaur 355

Mandakini Kabi 351

Mandeep Singh 205

Mangaldeep Singh 238

Manigopa Chakraborti 217, 231, 303309, 242

Maninder Kaur 98, 106

Maniraj Rathinam 329

Manish Roorkiwal 263

Manjesh Saakre 300

Manjit Singh 8

Manmohan Pandey 378

Manohar Banakar 85

Manoj Kumar 82, 241, 293

Manoranjan Biswal 143

Manpreet Kaur 98

Manpreet Meelu 343

Renu Khanna 343

Mareen Abraham 65

Maya Karan 365

Mayank Rai 10

Jawahar Katara 10

Mayank Rai 179

Md Aminul Islam 348

Meenakshi Arya 141

Mehrotra Shweta 302

Mehzabin Rahman 348

Michael Blümmel 286

Milind B. Ratnaparkhe 47

Mir Asif Iquebal 378

Mithlesh Kumar 84, 93, 150, 219

Mohd Shamshad 297

Monika 229

Monika 352

Monika Bansal 314

Monika Dalal 200

Monika Garg 97, 312

Monika Meena 62

Monu Kumar 251

Moushree Sarkar 185



Moutusi Sarkar 282

Mruthunjaya C. Wali 59

Mudasir Hussain 67

Mujahid Khan Pathan 152

Mukesh Jain 26

Mukesh kumar Sharma 320

Mukesh Mahto 231, 242

Mukul Kumar 61

Munish Kumar Singh 69

Munish Kumar Singh 240

N. A. Bhat 159, 264

N. B. Patel 84, 93, 219

N. Basak 73

N. G. Hanamaratti 201

N. Jyothi Lakshmi 218

N. K. Gautam 208

N. K. Jain 239

N. K. Singh 174, 194, 365

N. K. Vasistha 199

N. K. Verma 148

N. Krishnaveni 158

N. M. Chikkarugi 109, 110, 125

N. Mallick 189

N. Mallikarjuna 125

N. Manasa 109, 110

N. Mohanty 344

N. N. Gaikwad 122

N. P. Mandal 10, 73, 149, 364

N. P. Singh 209

N. R. Potdukhe 234

N. R. Sahoo 38

N. S. Bains 58, 296

N. S. Dodiya 62

N. S. Kute 43, 273

N. S. Nagpure 378

N. S. Panwar 77

N. S. Rajput 99

N. Sarla 52

N. Shivakumar 131

N. Umakanta 344

N. V. Kayande 43

N. V. Manoj 80, 86, 107, 339

N. V. Singh 121

N. V. Soni 84, 93, 150, 219

N. Yousuf 175

Nagendra K. Singh 200, 319

Nagendra Kumar Singh 10, 242, 329

Nagendra Sarma Barua 106

Nagendra Singh 28

Nagoo 67

Nair S. Lekshmi 302

Naleeni Ramawat 227

Namita Bedi 376

Namrata 155

Namrata V. Patel 378

Narasimha Rao Nizampatnam 20



Narendra Kadoo 228

Narendra Pratap Singh 146

Naresh Kumar 129

Narpinderjeet Kaur Dhillon 224

Navdeep Singh 355

Naveen Kumar 82

Navinder Saini 362

Navodeeta Raaj 191

Navtej Singh Bains 342

Nazrul Haque 32, 334

Nazrussalam 69, 240

Neelam Bhardwaj 123

Neelam Shekhawat 134

Neelu Jain 50, 248, 256, 366, 367, 376

Neera Yadav 10

Balwant Singh 10

Neera Yadav 194

Neeraj Budhlakoti 360

Neeraj Gurjar 229, 352

Neeraj Kumar 263

Neeraja Puthiamadom 133

Neeta Singh 128, 208

Neha 74, 296

Neha Dhuria 253

Neha Gupta 229, 235

Neha Sharma 181

Neha Singh 300

Neha Verma 330

Nevya Thakkar 328

Nida Yousuf 248, 251, 367

Nidhi Pathak 167

Niharika Mallick 205, 244, 341

Nilanjay 10

Nilav Aich 374

Nilesh Joshi 161

Nimisha Dutta 165

Nimit Kumar 130

Niraj Kumar 49

Niraj Tripathi 388

Niranjan Chakraborty 14

Niranjana 205

Nirupma Singh 158, 310

Nisha Singh 10

Nishi Mishra 229

Nita Kate 75

Nitesh N. Prajapati 328

Nitika Sandhu 197, 232

Nitish Ranjan Prakash 136

Nivedita 366, 367

Nivedita Sinha 256

Nur Alam Mandal 365

NurAlam Mondal 242

O. N. Singh 154

O. P. Gangwar 215

O. P. Gupta 287

O. P. Verma 186



Omkar M. Limbalkar 189

Omprakash Nagar 155

Omvir Singh 134

Oshin Verma 156

P. A. Sofi 175

P. B. Kavi Kishor 286

P. B. Patil 121

P. B. Vanve 186

P. B. Wadikar 72, 83, 342, 361

P. Banjarey 153

P. Brajendra 308

P. C. Dey 207

P. C. Mishra 234

P. C. Nautiyal 89

P. C. Patel 84, 93, 150, 219

P. C. Sharma 10, 186

P. D. Gaikwad 153

P. Das 374, 378

P. Dhanasekar 55

P. Dharmateja 59

P. G. Karpe 273

P. G. Padmaja 259, 260

P. G. Suresha 110, 187

P. Gireesh Babu 374

P. Jayaprakash 211

P. Jayaprakash 324, 194

P. K. Agrawal 362

P. K. Bhati 184

P. K. Bhowmick 12, 300, 306, 322

P. K. Gupta 36, 308, 366, 367

P. K. Jain 320

P. K. Mandal 302, 306, 376

P. K. Rai 229, 239, 352

P. K. Sharma 199

P. K. Singh 10, 155, 248, 256, 292, 321366, 367, 386, 386

P. Koteswararao 71

P. L. Kashyap 234

P. Lavanya Kumari 338

P. M. Rameez Roshan 164

P. M. Salimath 308

P. Magudeeswari 119

P. Mahadevu 109, 110, 125

P. Nallathambi 266, 267

P. Narmada Varma 101

P. Parashuram 76

P. Praveen Kumar 294

P. R. Divya 370

P. R. Patel 129

P. Raghuveer Rao 17, 282

P. Rajendrakumar 76, 300

P. Raji 112, 356

P. Rameshkumar 158

P. Revathi 71, 142

P. S. Abida 112, 356

P. S. Basavaraj 308



P. S. Dangi 148

P. S. Sarao 74

P. S. Tippannavar 13, 210

P. Sajitha 211

P. Sanjana Reddy 90

P. Senguttuvel 71

P. Senguttuvel 345

P. Sharma 80, 86, 107, 234, 339

P. Shashikumar 248, 256

P. Sindhumole 115

P. Singh 251

P. Sonia 49

P. Suresh 76, 387

P. Swain 154

P. T. Patel 150

P. Upadhyay 239

P. V. Ramana Rao 10

P. V. Satyanarayana 10

P. Yadav 239

P. K. Singh 186

P. V. Patil 187

Padma Thakur 198

Padmawathi 10

Padmini Swain 10

Pallavi Singh 216

Pankaj Kumar 372

Parampreet Kaur 214

Parimal Das 3

Parita Barvaliya 328

Parmeshwar K. Sahu 287, 331, 332

Parthsinh Rahevar 118, 202

Parveen Chhuneja 59, 92, 97, 98, 232295, 314, 350, 352

369, 106

Pavneet Kaur 74, 353

Pawan Jayaswal 28

Payasi K. Devendra 292

Philips Varghese 140

Piyush Verma 93

Pooja Kumari 341

Pooja Pandey 165

Pooja Pathania 193

Pooja Srivastava 97

Poonam G. Bhad 363

Poornima Sharma 376

Prabha Banjarey 153, 259

Prabhaker Yadav 375

Prabir Kumar Bhattacharyya 245

Prachi Mash 375

Prachi Yadav 134

Pradeep Wali 166

Pragya Mishra 329

Prajawilita Pathak 190

Prakash G. Koringa 378

Prakash Kalita 106

Prakash Koringa 374

Prakash Vijay 372



Prakriti Tomar 117

Prashant B. Kale 194

Prashant Bisen 155, 203

Pratibha Brahmi 34

Pratik Satya 242, 365

Pravin V. Jadhav 140

Preetesh Kumari 177

Preeti Kumari 59, 232

Preeti Singh 194

Preety Choudhary 267

Priti Sagar 92

Priti Sharma 235, 342

Priya B. Desai 255

Priya P. Pardeshi 140

Priyamedha 229, 352

Priyanka Priyadarshani 198

Priyansha Singh 67

Prolay Kumar Bhowmick 71

Puja Srivastava 58, 221, 223, 237, 296297, 342

Pummy Kumari 51

Punamch 150

Puneet Inder Toor 350

Punjab Singh Malik 337

R Gill 186

R. A. Gami 150, 161, 219

R. A. K. Aggarwal 148

R. Abdul Fiyaz 308, 345

R. B. Dubey 62, 191

R. B. Shukla 376

R. B. Singh 346

R. C. Agrawal 33

R. C. Bhattacharya 177

R. C. Jagadeesha 56

R. C. Meena 162

R. Chand 199, 251

R. Dhiman 111

R. G. Jadhav 125

R. Geeta 37

R. Jayakumar 158

R. K. Bhatt 57

R. K. Ellur 12

R. K. Gautam 186

R. K. Khulbe 340

R. K. Mittal 111

R. K. Saraf 292

R. K. Sarkar 10

R. K. Sharma 78

R. K. Singh 186, 321, 346

R. L. Kunkerkar 48

R. M. Chauhan 150

R. M. Sundaram 71, 142, 252, 308, 345

R. Madhuri 131

R. Madhusudhana 259, 260

R. Mahender Kumar 308

R. Malik 153



R. Mundiyara 163

R. N. Chatterjee 15

R. N. Dhawale 361

R. N. Gadag 94, 245, 247

R. N. Patel 161

R. N. Sarma 117, 207, 208

R. Nandini 82

R. Nisha 211

R. P. Gangwar 234

R. P. S. Verma 153

R. P. Sharma 194

R. P. Vasanthi 338

R. Parimalan 193, 283

R. R. Dhutmal 46, 213, 274

R. S. Bhakta 64, 326

R. S. Dhillon 194

R. S. Raje 96, 227, 320

R. S. Rathi 73

R. S. Sarlach 221, 223, 237

R. S. Shukla 68, 91, 94, 234

R. S. Sikarwar 99

R. S. Spehia 330

R. Saraswathi 325

R. Sharma 57

R. Sushil Kumar 56

R. V. Naik 299

R. Venkata Ganesh 108

R. Venkateswarlu 300

R. Zunjare 247

Rahul Kumar 306

Rahul M. Phuke 286

Rahul Phuke 278

Raj Kumar 165, 305

Rajan Sharma 222

Rajani Bisen 160

Rajbir Yadav 301

Rajeev K. Singh 165, 375

Rajeev K. Varshney 19

Rajeev Kumar Singh 370

Rajeev Varshney 263

Rajendra Kumar 312, 320

Rajendra N. Katkar 140

Rajendra Prasad 204

Rajesh Bansal 3

Rajesh Kumar 10, 94, 245

Rajesh Kumar Singh 263, 320

Rajib Nath 282

Rajibnath 253

Rajkumar Ramteke 349

Rajkumar U. Zunjare 303, 307, 309

Rajkumar Uttamrao Zunjare 136

Rajmohan Sharma 189

Raju Das 245, 253

Raju K. Yadav 144

Rakesh K. Srivastava 346

Rakesh Kumar Kapila 103



Ram Chandra 122

Ram Narayan Ahirwar 360

Ram Sewak Singh Tomar 379

Ramaling Hundekar 323

Ramandeep Kaur 235, 350

Ramanna Koulagi 92

Ramesh Chand 360

Ramesh Kumar 220, 330

Ramesh V. Sonti 11

Rameshwar Sharma 20

Rameswar Prasad Sah 231

Ramya Parakkunnel 358

Ranjana Sinha 195, 337

Ranjana Tiwari 171, 172, 173

Ranjeet Singh Sran 130

Ranjith K. Ellur 306, 311

Ranjith Kumar Ellur 322, 372

Rashmi Chhabra 136, 303, 307, 309

Rashmi Verma 335

Rathi Sanket Rajendra 203

Rathour Rajeev 372

Ratnakar M. Shet 56

Ravi Singh Thapa 53

Ravinder Kale 308

Ravindra Donde 154

Ravindra Kumar 373, 373, 378

Ravindra Prasad 198

Ravindra S. Nandanwar 140

Ravindra Singh Solanki 143

Reena P. Borkakati 146

Reeta Bhatia 305

Reetranjan 355

Reetranjan Kaur 74

Rekha Joshi 96, 227

Rekha Sharma 148

Renu Singh 10

Revathi Ponnuswamy 252

Richa Sao 332

Rinki 234

Ritesh Patel 324

Ritika Singh 138

Rohini Sreevathsa 329

Rohit Chamola 157

Rohtas Singh 98, 232, 352

Roop Kamal 342

Rose Mary Francies 112, 236, 356

Rubi Gupta 384

Sumita Acharjee 384

Ruchi Bansal 216

Rucku Gupta 267

Rumesh Ranjan 301

Rumit Patel 257

Rupesh Kailasrao Deshmukh 348

S. A. Desai 85, 95, 192, 228, 234298, 299

S. B. Gore 361



S. B. Mariyappan 284

S. B. Patel 84

S. Biju 87, 115, 115, 350, 356, 361

S. C. Bhardwaj 215

S. C. Dubey 208

S. D. Solanki 150, 219

S. Gangaprasad 9, 212, 290

S. Geetha 186

S. Gopal Krishnan 71

S. Gopala Krishnan 12, 132, 161, 300306, 311, 372, 322, 194

S. Gulzar 175

S. I. Patel 234

S. J. Lakhote 43, 273

S. J. Prashanth 179

S. J. Sonawane 83

S. Jainendar 218

S. K. B. Roy 186

S. K. Bera 232, 385

S. K. Chakrabarty 35, 89, 220

S. K. Chaturvedi 149

S. K. Chauhan 262, 263

S. K. Chetia 207

S. K. Chouhan 320

S. K. Dash 154

S. K. Ghritlahre 322

S. K. Jain 129, 362

S. K. Jha 189, 205, 220, 244, 341

S. K. Lal 144

S. K. Mangrauthia 345

S. K. Pahuja 51

S. K. Pradhan 265, 344, 370

S. K. Sandhu 58

S. K. Sanwal 262, 263

S. K. Sarangi 186

S. K. Savita 218, 288

S. K. Sethi 279, 280

S. K. Singh 61, 68, 73, 188, 191, 234278

S. K. Yadav 218

S. Krishna 239

S. Krishnan Gopala 302

S. Kujur 239

S. Kulshreshtha 352

S. Kumawat 153

S. Kundagrami 206

S. L. Dhare 72

S. L. Krishnamurthy 10, 131, 186

S. L. Soumya 323

S. L. Soumya Mallik 383

S. L. Yadav 162

S. Lata 289

S. M. Balachandran 345

S. M. Palve 75

S. M. S. Tomar 244

S. Malathi 52



S. Mandal 186

S. Mohapatra 154

S. Mukesh Sankar 50, 158, 310, 383

S. Muniswamy 79, 80

S. N. Kujur 251

S. N. Shendage 121

S. Najeeb 141, 159, 248, 251, 264, 367

S. Naseer 175

S. P. Ahlawat 77

S. P. Das 378

S. P. Mehtre 275, 349

S. P. Mohanty 265, 370

S. P. Singh 50, 158, 234, 310, 383

S. Patnaik 378

S. Pavithra 89, 226

S. Pawar 265, 370

S. R. Barik 265

S. R. Bhat 157, 177, 359

S. R. Cambay 58

S. R. Voleti 17, 282

S. Rajkumar 193

S. Ramakrishnan 139

S. Ramesh 138

S. Roy 154

S. S. Dey 305

S. S. Dhaliwal 296

Yogesh Vikal 296

S. S. Dodake 127, 234

S. S. Paul 15

S. S. Shishodia 218

S. S. Verma 151

S. Samantaray 344

S. Sekhar 344

S. Senthil Kumar 194

S. Sundaresha 181

S. Sunitha 370

S. Thirumeni 10, 89, 186, 225, 226, 249250

S. Tiwari 186

S. V. A. C. R. Mithra 161

S. V. Amitha 200

S. V. Amitha Mithra 194, 379

S. V. Kalyankar 171, 172, 173

S. V. Kasundra 232

S. V. Sai Prasad 258

S. Verulkar 10

S. Y. Baksh 154

Sabina Nasseer 67

Sabyasachi Kundagrami 185

Sabyasachi Mukherjee 32

Sabyasachi Mukherjee 334

Sahadev Singh 199

Sahil Jain 296

Saleem Yousuf 190

Sameer Upadhyay 203

Samindra Baishya 106



Samrath Baghel 331

Sanchit Thakur 63, 123

Sandeep Kr. Yadav 49

Sandeep Kumar 337

Sandeep Suman 191

Sandhya 214, 293, 379

Sangeeta Mandal 165

Sangita Yadav 144

Sanhita Ghosh 206

Sanjay B. Sakhare 140

Sanjay Chetia 10, 47

Sanjay Gupta 349

Sanjay Kumar Singh 117

Sanjeev Kumar 386

Sanjeev Kumar Salgotra 267

Sanjukta Abhay Kumar 48

Sanket R. Rathi 155

Sanket Shinde 106

Santosh P. Deshpande 180, 286

Santosh Watpade 266, 267

Sarika Sahu 366, 367

Sarla kumawat 259

Sarla Neelamraju 54, 326

Sarvjeet Singh 262, 263

Satendra Kumar Mangrauthia 194

Satinder Kaur 59, 92, 97, 98, 106, 232350, 352, 369

Satish Chandra Narayan 231, 242

Satish K. Guleria 307

Satish Kumar 12

Satish Kumar Yadava 289

Satish Paul 130, 138

Satyapal Singh 331

Saumya Pandey 377

Saurabh Badoni 308

Saurabh Ghosh 25

Saurabh Singh 305

Savita 376

Savita Saini 376

Savitri A. Mallapur 276, 314

Sawan Kumar 104

Sayyad Asgar 213

Sewa Ram 287, 298

Shabahat Mumtaz 190

Shabir H. Wani 67

Shagun Nehra 229

Shailaja P. Pandey 48

Shailesh Tripathi 312, 320

Shailja Sharma 63, 123

Shamarao Jahagirdar 187

Shamly Gupta 289

Shantanu Das 273

Sharad Tiwari 388

Sharinkhal T. Pawale 126

Shashi Bhushan Tripathi 348

Shashi K. Sharma 77



Shatakshi Poonia 144

Sheel Yadav 283

Sheela Duddagi 187

Sheetal Sood 114

Shefali Mishra 174

Sheikh Firdous Ahmad 38

Sherry R. Jacob 78

Sherry Rachel Jacob 94, 216

Shikha Upadhyay 229

Shiksha Arora 352

Shilpa Parashuram 121, 122

Shiv Ratan Maloo 155

Shiv Sewak 146

Shivaji P. Mehtre 278

Shivakumar Maranna 47

Shivakumar Shidenur 322

Vikram Jeet Singh 322

Shivali Pathania 269

Shivani 78, 216

Sundeep Kumar 216

Shivkumar Agarwal 253

Shobha Immadi 110, 187

Showkat A. Waza 141

Shree Prakash Pandey 22

Shreya Sen 49, 83

Shreya Srivastava 378

Shridhar S. Hiremath 243

Shrinivas Jahageerdar 152, 164, 377

Shripad Ramachandra Bhat 39

Shubhanshu Anubhav 230

Shubhra N. Kujur 167

Shunmugiah V. Ramesh 47

Shwet Kamal 8

Shweta Mehrotra 306

Sima Sinha 160

Singh Ashok Kumar 372

Smitha Kanathur 3

Sneh Narwal 287

Snehanshu Singh 234

Snovia Nixon 363

Soham Ray 242, 365

Somnath Bhattacharyya 282

Somnath Roy 73, 364

Somveer Singh 117

Sonal Tolwani 153

Sonali Habde 291

Sonali Vijay Habde 188, 196

Sonali Vijay Hebadae 278

Soumen Naskar 15

Soumitra Sankar Das 273

Sourav Kanungo 103

Sourav Kumar 385

Srinivasa 253

Srinivasa Reddy Yerva 278

Stuti Mishra 124

Subhadeep Das 282



Subhash Chand 105

Subhash Chandra 50, 144

Subhojit Datta 108, 365

Subodh Kumar 215

Suchit Kumar 190

Sudeshna Baruah 146

Sudheer Kumar 171

Sujatha Thankeswaran Parvathy 197

Sukhjit Kaur 221, 223, 237

Sukhpreet Kaur 353

Sukhwinder Singh 221, 223, 237

Sukumar Mesapogu 326

Suma Biradar 95, 234

Suma S. Biradar 85, 192, 228, 298, 299

Suman Bala Singh 215

Suman Dutta 303, 309

Suman Lakhanpaul 358

Suman Roy 242, 365

Suman Yadav 123

Sumangala Koulagi 203, 291

Sumit K. Singh 376

Sumit Murmu 282

Sumita Acharjee 182, 233, 357

Sundeep Kumar 360

Sundip Kumar 177, 204

Suneeta Pandey 91, 94, 234

Sunishtha S. Yadav 214

Sunita Gorthy 180, 278, 286

Supradip Saha 307

Supriya Sachdeva 262, 263

Surendra K. Malik 193

Surendra Kumar Meena 128

Suresh Chand 156, 258, 349

Suresh Yadav 371

Sureshbabu 324

Suruchi Jindal 369

Surya Kalita 348

Sushil Kumar 57

Sushil Kumar Chaturvedi 146

Sushma Pai 138

Sushma Rani 366

Sushma Tiwari 99, 100, 150, 229

Sushmita Mandloi 100

Suvendu Mondal 287, 363

Suvro Ghosh 185

Suyash Agarwal 378

Swain K. Kallol 48

Swapnil 240

Swathi Marri 222

Swati G. Bharad 234

Swati Saxena 214, 379

Swati Suryavanshi 122

T. Ahmad 10

T. B. Bagchi 73

T. E. Nagaraja 261, 262, 371

T. Girija 115

T. H. Gowda 212

T. K. Behera 18

T. K. Bhattacharya 15

T. K. Teena Jayakumar 165

T. L. Prakasha 258

T. N. Sathisha 192, 299



T. R. Ganapathi 146

T. Ram 10

T. S. Sowmyashree 142

T. Samuel David Raj 368, 384

T. Saroja 368, 384

T. Shivaprasad 80

T. Singhal 383

T. T. AjithKumar 165

Talha Jameel 220

Tanmoy Sarkar 3

Tanvi Kaila 379

Tapan K. Mondal 303, 309

Tapan Kumar 263

Tasphiya Elahi 91

Tej Pratap Jitendra Kumar 376

Tejas M. Shah 378

Tejbir Singh 51, 53, 129

Thirunavukkarsau Nepolean 245

Thongam Chanu 164

Tosh Garg 220

Tripti Singhal 158, 310

U. D. Chavan 286

U. Fyroz 298

U. Kumar 184

Uma Rao 329

Upagya Sah 141

Upasana Rani 262

Usha Rani Pedireddi 89

V. A. Tonapi 99, 259, 260, 294

V. G. Jayalekshmy 323

V. H. Prathibha 138

V. Jhansiliakshmi 252

V. K. Mishra 186, 199, 239, 251

V. K. Singh 258

V. K. Sood 104, 111

V. K. Vikas 211, 324, 376

V. K. Yadav 186

V. Mathivanan 89, 225, 226

V. Muthusamy 247

V. N. Chinchane 60, 120

V. N. Tiwari 96

V. Nataraj 47

V. P. Chimote 126, 127

V. P. Sharma 8

V. P. Sunil Kumar 248

V. P. Sunilkumar 256

V. P. Yadav 145, 254

V. Prakasam 345

V. R. Naik 234

V. Rudra Naik 95, 192, 228,

V. Rudranaik 85, 298

V. S. Basheer 370

V. S. Hegde 312

V. S. Kandalkar 99, 100, 229

V. Senthilkumar 333, 335

V. Silpa 115

V. Suresh Kumar 194

V. V. Singh 229, 352

Vajinder Garg 157

Vajinder Kumar 359

Vandana Rai 174

Vandana Tyagi 34



Vandna Rai 319

Vanita Pandey 287

Varsha Rani 246

Vartika Budhlakoti 64

Varucha Misra 256

Vedna Kumari 114, 135, 241

Veena Kumari Tudu 231, 242

Venkateswara Rao Yadavalli 54, 326

Venkatraman Hegde 320

Vignesh Muthusamy 136, 303, 307, 309

Vijay N. Waghmare 137

Vijay Rana 230, 238

Vikas Khandelwal 162

Vikash Kumar 48, 287, 331, 332

Vikram Jeet Singh 71, 311

Vikrant Khare 349

Vilas A. Tonapi 387

Vindhya Mohindra 165, 370, 375

Vinita Ramtekey 324

Vinod 189, 205, 211, 244, 341

Vinod Goyal 91, 94

Vinod Kumar 114, 135, 241

Vinod Kumar Mishra 360

Vinod Sahu 150

Vipul Parekh 324

Vipul Sangnure 121, 122

Virender Singh Bhatia 349

Vishal Dinkar 205

Vishnu Bhat 31

Vishnu Kumar 171

Vishwamitra Singh Baisvar 373, 373

Viswanathan Chinnusamy 193

Vivek Dogra 28

Vivek Kumar Singh 348

Vivek Panday 340

Wricha Tyagi 179

Y. Amaravathi 338

Y. P. Sharma 284

Y. P. Singh 186

Y. Singh 220

Y. V. Rao 52

Y. Varalaxmi 218

Yamini Tak 293

Yashi Singh 10

Yashpal 144

Darasing R. Rathod 144

Yellamaraju Sreelakshmi 20

Yogendra Singh 89

Yogesh Kumar 146, 149

Yogesh Vikal 74, 224, 235, 343, 353354, 355

Yusuf Abbas 125

Z. A. Dar 159, 175, 264

Zakaullah Khan 208

National Genetics Congress – 2018

AUTHOR INDEX

A. A. Patel 392 A. S. Patel 392 A.V. Santhosh Kumar 396 Ajay Kumar Mahato 394, 395 Ajay Kumar Sharma 395 Albert Maibam 393 B. Suma 396 C. R. Patel 392 G. Rama Prashat 391 H. M. Mamrutha 392 J. M. Patel 392 J.S. Minimol 396 Jasdeep Chatrath Padaria 393 Jiji Joseph 396 Juby Baby 396 Kumar Durgesh 391 Nagendra Kumar Singh 394, 395 Naleeni Ramawat 391 Pradeep Sharma 392 Ranjeet S. Raje 391, 394 Rekha Joshi 391 Sangeeta Singh 394, 395 Sunil Ningombam 393 Vandna Rai 394 ___________________________________________________________________________ December 14-16, 2018, New Delhi, India 397

1 national genetics congress

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