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ThesisItem Open Access EFFECT OF EARLY AND LATE SOWING OF WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) UNDER WATER DEFICIT CONDITIONS ON DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIOXIDANT DEFENCE SYSTEM AND GRAIN QUALITY(PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, LUDHIANA, 2010) SONDEEP SINGH; GUPTA, A. K.Drought and high temperature (HT) are major environmental constraints in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production and quality world wide. Deciphering the mechanisms of drought and HT tolerance is a challenging task because of the complexity of stress respoThesisItem Open Access Morpho-physiological and biochemical characterization of a recombinant inbred line population of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under direct-seeded aerobic conditions(Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2014) Cheema, Amandeep Kaur; Bedi, SeemaDirect seeding of rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a resource conservation technology but at the cost of reduction in yield. In the present study, recombinant inbred lines (RILs) obtained from a cross between PR 120 x UPLRi 7 were sown as direct-seeded aerobic and conventional transplanted crops respectively for two seasons. Various morpho-physiological, biochemical and yield related traits were studied under the two conditions. In general, plant height, dry matter, crop growth rate, relative growth rate, leaf area and chlorophyll content were lower under direct-seeded aerobic conditions than under conventional transplanted conditions. Plant height and crop growth rate showed a positive correlation with grain yield and had a direct effect on grain yield. Dry matter accumulation did not show any significant correlation but had an indirect effect on grain yield. Relative growth rate, leaf area and chlorophyll content did not show any correlation or effect on grain yield. All the yield contributing traits viz., above ground biomass, total number of tillers per 0.5m row, number of fertile tillers per panicle per 0.5m row, spikelets per panicle, grain filling percentage, grain yield per 0.5m row, harvest index, 1000 grain weight were lower and sterile grain per panicle were higher in direct-seeded aerobic condition. Above ground biomass and harvest index showed correlation with yield and had a direct effect on grain yield under both direct-seeded aerobic and conventional transplanted conditions. In general, higher sugar, starch and proline content were detected in leaves of direct-seeded aerobic crop. Out of twenty RILs under study, Ae-RIL-B-158, showed highest proline and sugar contents. Interestingly, this RIL showed least reduction in yield when sown under direct seeded-aerobic condition as against conventional transplanted condition suggesting this RIL may be more tolerant to drought stress as it accumulated highest proline and sugars under direct-seeded aerobic condition. The development of aerenchyma was comparatively more in crop raised under conventional transplanted conditions than under direct-seeded aerobic conditions. UPLRi7 (parent) showed maximum aerenchyma under direct-seeded aerobic conditions while PR120 (parent) showed maximum aerenchyma formation under conventional transplanted conditions. Under both the sowing conditions, two high-yielding RILs (Ae-RIL-B-42 and Ae-RIL-B-44) had higher aerenchyma than the two low-yielding RILs (Ae-RIL-B-7 and Ae-RIL-B-117). These characters could be used as criteria for selecting RILs for incorporating into breeding programmes for yield enhancement.ThesisItem Open Access Dynamics of soil phosphorus in relation to carbon under different cropping systems(Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2016) Dhram Prakash; Benbi, D.K.Dynamics of phosphorus in soils were studied in relation to nutrient management and land-use practices. The nutrient management practices evaluated included source (rock phosphate and single superphosphate) and rates of P application in rice-wheat system; and integrated nutrient management (INM) and organic farming practices in basmati-wheat system in field experiments conducted at the research farm of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The land-uses studied included ricewheat, maize-wheat, cotton-wheat and poplar based agroforestry systems at farmers’ fields in different districts of Punjab. After seven cycles of rice-wheat cropping, farmyard manure (FYM) and rock phosphate (RP) application increased available P and soil organic carbon (SOC) by 72% and 98%, respectively over control. Inorganic P constituted the largest proportion (88-92%) of total P in soil and relative abundance of different inorganic P fractions in soils followed the order Ca-Al associated > Fe associated > humic bound > water soluble P. In basmati-wheat system, application of recommended rates of NPK and adoption of INM improved available P in soil over unamended control by 75 and 100%, respectively. The comparison of three organic sources revealed that available P was the highest in soil receiving 400 kg N ha-1 through FYM followed by rice straw compost and the lowest in vermicompost-amended plots. Application of FYM significantly increased inorganic, organic and total P, SOC and labile C pools compared to INM treatments. The INM increased inorganic, organic and total P by 77, 82 and 78%, respectively over NPK. Humic-bound organic P constituted major proportion (39.5-49.5%) and water soluble organic P comprised the smallest proportion (0.83-2.5%) of organic P in soils under basmati-wheat system. Beneficial effects of different treatments on soil properties were higher in surface soil (0-7.5 cm), which decreased with soil depth. Generally, soil P fractions were positively correlated with soil C pools. Cumulative P released in 96 hours of equilibration increased with manure and fertilizer application either alone or in combination. Phosphorus release kinetics were best described by Elovich and power function equations (R2≥0.98). Results of land-use studies showed that agroforestry systems had relatively higher proportion of organic P (27%) compared to sole cropping (6-7.7%). Soil organic C was the highest (0.58%) under agroforestry and was significantly correlated with soil P fractions under sole cropping systems. Soil properties viz. clay, organic C, CaCO3 and available P content significantly influenced soil P sorption and release kinetics. Phosphorus release decreased with increase in clay and CaCO3 content. On the contrary, P release increased with increase in available P and organic C. The results suggested that P availability will be higher in coarse-textured, non-calcareous soils having higher levels of organic C and available P. Therefore, for efficient P management it is important to take into account soil texture, the existing soil P level, organic C content and calcareousness of soil. Practices that increase SOC content and ameliorate CaCO3 could lead to improved P use efficiency.ThesisItem Restricted Allele mining for phospholipase D locus to improve the rice bran quality(Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2016) Amandeep Kaur; Kuldeep SinghRice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important staple food for a large part of the world’s population. Rice bran which is a by-product after milling is rich in oil (12–23%), proteins (14–16%), vitamins and crude fiber (8–10%). Rice bran oil is typically an oleic–linoleic type fatty acid and qualifies for good quality edible oil. The primary limitation of rice bran as a source of oil is the presence of highly active lipolytic enzyme Phospholipase D alpha1 (PLDα1) that increases free fatty acids content in the oil and causes the ‘stale flavor’ in the product. The wild relatives of rice constitute a major gene pool for rice improvement. In this study, sequence based allele mining of the gene PLDα1 (6.28 kb) was taken up in wild species of rice to identify potentially novel alleles for bran quality improvement. Differences in expression patterns were also investigated for potential correlation with sequence variation. A representative subset of 86 accessions belonging to 16 wild Oryza species and eight O. sativa cultivars were selected for this purpose. Alignment of the assembled sequence contigs relative to the Nipponbare reference (Os01g0172400) gene revealed the presence of 2555 variations (SNPs and InDels). Highest polymorhism at PLDα1 locus have been detected in the O.officinalis species. Expression profiles in immature grains generated by exon-specific qRT-PCR indicate significant differences in transcript abundance within as well as between the selected accessions and different 3’and 5’ truncated PLDα1 mRNA. Cis-elements identified in the upstream sequences showed variations relative to the reference in low expressing wild species accessions. These results suggest that potential PLDα1 allelic variants are defined by differential regulation at the levels of transcription initiation and/or mRNA splicing. The wild species accessions with variations in protein structures and low expression, identified in the present study, can be further utilized in the breeding programs to transfer desirable allele into elite lines through marker assisted selection.ThesisItem Open Access Study on potentials of farm income in Punjab(Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2011) Sachdeva, Jatinder; Sharma, J. L.The study was undertaken with a view to identify the potentials of increasing farm income in Punjab. The study was conducted in all the three agro-climatic zones of Punjab to make it representative for the state. The primary data were collected from a sample of 300 farmers pertaining to the agricultural year 2008-09. The techniques of multiple regression analysis and linear programming were used to analyze the data. The production function analysis revealed that human labour employed, availability of irrigation machinery and farm size were the most important determinants of the gross value of produce from crop production. Whereas, in the case of dairy farming quantity of concentrates fed and expenditure on veterinary care emerged as important determinants of the gross value of milk produced. The technical efficiency of the farms of Central Plain Zone (Zone-II) was the highest followed by South-western Zone (Zone-III) and Sub-mountainous Zone (Zone-I). This can be attributed to favourable soil, water and climatic conditions and better access to research and extension agencies in Zone-II. The improved plans developed at two levels of technology increased the returns to fixed farm resources ranging from 2.19 to 3.86 per cent in Improved Plan-I and 13.95 to 17.06 per cent in Improved Plan-II on farms of different size categories in the state. The findings of the study revealed that by developing irrigation facilities, providing training for vegetable cultivation and short term credit facilities will help in increasing farm income especially in Sub-mountainous Zone. The development of short duration varieties of oilseeds and pulses which can easily fit in the paddy-wheat rotation will also help in increasing the income of farmers. The rational use of inputs like fertilizers and insecticides-pesticides helps in decreasing variable cost and ultimately increases the farm income. To make the agricultural system competitive and to increase the income of farmers, efforts should be made by all the interest groups involved in the farm sector.ThesisItem Open Access Morphological and biochemical plant characters in relation to resistance against some sucking insect pests in Bt cotton(Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2017) Y. Krishnakumari Devi; Vijay KumarThe studies on morphological and biochemical plant characters in relation to resistance against some sucking insect pests in Bt cotton were carried out at Entomological Research Farm, PAU, Ludhiana during 2014 and 2015. Experiment on incidence of sucking insect pests on different cotton cultivars, revealed that leafhopper population was significantly higher on Bt cotton cultivar, RCH 773 (4.70 / 3 leaves), whitefly and thrips on Bioseed 6588 (7.47 and 2.47 /3 leaves, respectively). However, lower population of leafhopper, whitefly and thrips was recorded on the desi cotton cultivar, FDK 124 (1.78, 3.25 and 0.83/ 3 leaves, respectively). Incidence of sucking insect pests was also significantly higher at 130 Kg nitrogen as compared to 100 and 65 Kg nitrogen per acre. The population of leafhopper, whitefly and thrips showed significantly positive correlation with maximum and minimum temperature whereas evening relative humidity and rainfall has significantly positive correlation with leafhopper only. However, leafhopper and whitefly showed significant positive correlation with evaporation. Sunshine hours showed significant negative correlation with thrips but positive with whitefly. In another experiment on effect of various morphological plant characters revealed significant positive correlation with leafhopper population and gossypol gland on midrib. However, leafhopper, thrips and whitefly showed significant positive correlation with leaf lamina thickness and highly significant positive correlation with leaf area. Among the biochemical plant characters revealed that higher amount of total phenol, flavonols, O-dihydroxy phenol, tannins, total sugar and reducing sugars were recorded in cultivars infested with sucking insect pests over uninfested condition. Significantly higher biochemical content were recorded at lower level of nitrogen (65 Kg) followed by 100 and 130 Kg per acre. Leafhopper population had significant positive correlation with reducing sugar whereas whitefly and thrips with total sugar. However, thrips population showed significantly negative correlation with O-dihydroxy phenol. In another experiment on detection of the presence of Cry toxin revealed that highest amount of Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab was detected at 60 days after sowing as compared to 120 days after sowing. Higher expression of Cry toxin was recorded at high level of nitrogen (130 Kg) followed by 100 and 65 Kg. ELISA analysis showed presence of Cry toxin (Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab) in leafhopper nymphs and whitefly adults fed on Bt cotton cultivars and traces in honeydew excreted by whitefly feeding on Bt cotton cultivars.ThesisItem Open Access Evaluation of cytoplasmic male sterile lines of chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) and their utilization in heterosis breeding(Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2017) Meena, Om Prakash; Dhaliwal, M. S.A total of 17 cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines were evaluated under the low (E1 and E3) and the high (E2 and E4) temperature regimes of 2014-15 and 2015-16. Based on pollen sterility and pollen release score, 10 lines namely CMS4611A, CMS4614A, CMS4622A, CMS4624A, CMS4626A, CMS46213A, CMS463D2A, CMS463D13A, CMS463D14A and CMS463L5A have been identified as temperature stable. The lines showed normal fruit and seed setting ability under the open pollination conditions, and have commercially acceptable fruit traits. The marker analysis of three selected CMS A- and their respective CMS B-lines showed that the genome recovery of the recurrent parent in CMS4611A, CMS4626A and CMS463D13A was estimated to be 98.8, 98.9 and 96.6%, respectively. Three CMS lines and 20 potential restorer lines were evaluated in a Line × tester mating design to estimate combing ability and heterosis over the better parent and two standard checks over three environments viz. the early season (E1), the main season (E2) and the late season (E3). Over the environments, the estimates due to GCA lines, GCA testers and SCA crosses were significant for all the 15 plant growth, yield and quality traits, except due to GCA lines for number of primary branches plant-1. The magnitude of the additive variance (σ2A) was more than the non-additive variance (σ2D) for all the traits studied except for number of primary branches plant-1 in E2, E3, and across the three environments; and for plant height, plant spread and number of fruits plant-1 in E3. The CMS line CMS463D13A and the testers SL 475, IS 268, PP 402, FL 201 and C 142 were identified for use in breeding to develop high yielding genotypes with superior horticultural traits for early, main and late season environments. Hybrids were identified for different crop seasons and for different purposes. Pooled across the environments, the cross CMS463D13A × IS 268 was good specific combiner for total yield palnt-1, number of primary branches plant-1, fruit weight, number of seed fruit-1, capsaicin content and SHU, and involved good × good GCA parents. The maximum mean better parent heterosis over environments was exhibited for total yield plant-1 (35.29%), followed by number of primary branches plant-1 (17.96%), number of seed fruit-1 (12.46) and number of fruits plant-1 (11.43%). The crosses CMS463D13A × SL 475, CMS463D13A × VR 523, CMS463D13A × YL 581 and CMS463D13A × IS 268 performed consistently superior over environments in respect of per se and standard heterosis for total yield plant-1, fruit weight and fruit length, and CMS463D13A × SL 475 for total yield plant-1, capsaicin content and SHU. These crosses are recommended for multi-location testing.ThesisItem Restricted Individual and Contextual Traits as Determinants of Delinquency amongst Juveniles(Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2017) Sharma, Neha; Sharma, SeemaThe present study was undertaken to investigate the individual and contextual traits as determinants of delinquency amongst juveniles. The sample comprised of 120 respondents in 16-18 years of age range, selected from observation homes of six districts, from three cultural zones of Punjab. Further the sample was distributed over two sexes i.e. 80 juvenile delinquent boys and 40 juvenile delinquent girls. A self structured sheet was used to procure information regarding the socio-personal status of the respondents. Other scales used to collect the relevant information for the study were: Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire (Eysenck and Eysenck 1975), Cognitive Style Inventory (Jha 1985), Social Maturity Scale (Rao 1986), Emotional Maturity Scale (Singh and Bhargava 1990), Children’s Perception of Parenting Style (Pyari and Kalra 2005), Peer Pressure Scale (Saini and Singh 2012). The results revealed that majority of respondents reported accepting, overprotective and autocratic type of parenting styles. Most of the delinquents had shown psychotic and introvert personality and the most common cognitive style among delinquents was undifferentiated style. Low levels of social and emotional maturity were found in most of the delinquents. As far as gender differentiations are concerned delinquent girls had more introvert personality as compared to delinquent boys whereas delinquent boys had shown more integrated cognitive style. The study further depicted a positive significant correlation between delinquency levels and psychoticism dimension of personality while a negative significant correlation was found between delinquency levels and extraversion dimension of personality among delinquent girls. A positive significant correlation in delinquent girls was found between delinquency levels and intuitive cognitive style. A positive significant correlation was also found between delinquency levels and peer pressure among delinquent boys and girls. A negative significant correlation was found between socio-emotional maturity and delinquency level among juvenile delinquent boys and girls.ThesisItem Restricted Development of Supplementary Foods Using Garden Cress (Lepidium sativum) Seeds to Reduce Malnutrition Among Children(Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 2016) Jain, Tanu; Grover, KiranThe present study was undertaken to develop ready to eat supplementary foods using garden cress seeds to reduce malnutrition and anaemia among children. Garden cress seeds were found to be rich in energy, protein, fat, calcium, iron and zinc with good amount of lysine and linolenic acid. The quantity and quality of proteins were found to be decreased with processing. Essential fatty acids- linoleic and linolenic acids decreased with roasting and boiling while fatty acid profile remained unaffected with soaking treatment. Phytin phosphorus and oxalates decreased with processing which significantly improved in vitro digestibility of starch, protein and iron with improved per cent iron bioavailability. Roasted garden cress seeds/powder was supplemented in various ready to eat foods at the range of 5-25 per cent. The products were found to be acceptable at different levels viz. pinni, panjiri, laddu and burfi at 10 per cent, chikki at 25 per cent and biscuits at 7.5 per cent. Among all developed products, overall acceptability scores for biscuits (7.93 ± 0.32) were found to be highest. Nutritional analysis of all accepted supplementary foods was found to be high in macro and micronutrients with improved essential amino acids and fatty acids. Effectiveness of supplementation was evaluated in terms of improvement in dietary intake, anthropometric and biochemical profile before and after a period of 3 months by selecting mildly underweight and anaemic school going children. The supplementation significantly (p≤0.05) increased cereal, sugar and fat intake resulting in improved daily nutrient intake of experimental group. A significant improvement was also observed in anthropometric parameters and z scores. The iron status, serum proteins and serum albumin were found to be significantly improved in experimental group. A reduction in prevalence of malnutrition (16.67 %) and anaemia (30 %) was observed with supplementation. Hence, the present study recommends the inclusion of garden cress supplemented foods in school feeding programmes to reduce malnutrition and anaemia among children.
