July 2016

Effect of carbohydrate source on the in vitro germination of Elaeis guineensis Jacq. zygotic embryos on two basal media

In this study, seven carbohydrates, namely, glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, maltose, raffinose and starch were screened for the most suitable carbon source for the in vitro culture of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. var. tenera) zygotic embryos on the basal media of Murashige and Skoog (MS) (1962) and Eeuwen (Y3) (1976). The embryos were excised aseptically and cultured on both media containing the different...

Author(s): Okafor, Uche Cyprian and Okezie, Carl Eziuche Agaba

July 2016

Establishment of in vitro callus in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) varieties influenced by different auxins

Sugarcane is an important perennial, polyploidy crop. Based on the growing demand, it has now attracted great attention as cash crop. Tissue culture technique, an alternative method for solving production problem and increasing production, was used in this study. The work was carried out at the Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA), Tandojam, Pakistan. Standardization of protocol for proliferation of callus and...

Author(s): Sardar Khatoon Solangi, Sadaf Tabasum Qureshi, Imtiaz Ahmed Khan and Saboohi Raza

July 2016

Optimizing the size of root cutting in Melia volkensii Gürke for improving clonal propagation and production of quality planting stock

Melia volkensii is a tree species growing in semi-arid regions of East Africa, and is recognized as one of the most valuable forestry species in such regions of Kenya. The use of root cutting is an easy method for its clonal propagation, but the most appropriate conditions have not been systematically examined. In this study, the relationship between diameter of root cut edge or fresh weight and formation frequency of...

Author(s): So Hanaoka, Mineko Ohira, Michinari Matsushita and Jason Kariuki

July 2016

Lipids of Amazon Caimans: A source of fatty acids

Some species of fish and other aquatic organism are important sources of protein and fatty acids that are beneficial to human health and can be industrially processed. The fatty acid profile of Caiman crocodilus and Melanosuchus niger (native to the Brazilian Amazon flooded forest) was determined in samples of a commercial cut (tail fillet) and fat (fat body and somatic fat) of these two species. There were no...

Author(s): Augusto Kluczkovski Junior, Alicia De Francisco, Luiz Beirão, Ariane Kluczkovski and Heitor Barbosa

July 2016

Osmotic stress upregulates the transcription of thiamine (vitamin B1) biosynthesis genes (THIC and THI4) in oil palm (Elaies guineensis)

Thiamine or vitamin B1 comprises a pyrimidine moiety and a thiazole moiety. Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), the active form of thiamine, acts as a cofactor for various major enzymes, for example, transketolase (TK), α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH) and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH). It is suggested that TPP plays another important role, which is protecting plants against abiotic and biotic stresses such as...

Author(s): Wong Sook Yee, Syamimi Diyana Abdul Aziz and Zetty Norhana Balia Yusof

July 2016

Identification and analysis of cassava genotype TME3 bacteria artificial chromosome libraries for characterization of the cassava mosaic disease

Cassava is an economically important crop in sub-Saharan Africa; however, its yield potential is constrained by cassava mosaic disease (CMD) infection. Classical genetics and biotechnology are being harnessed to overcome the disease and secure yields for farmers. The CMD2 resistance locus flanked by three simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers and one sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker were mapped in...

Author(s): Paul Kuria,, Elijah Ateka, Douglas Miano, Justus Onguso and Nigel J. Taylor