African Journal of Crop Science

African Journal of Crop Science ISSN: 2375-1231 Vol. 14 (1), pp. 001-010, January, 2026. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Impact of Physiological Senescence on Cry1Ac Toxin Expression and Leaf Chemistry in Transgenic Cotton

S. Poongothai¹*, R. Ilavarasan² and C. M. Karrunakaran³

¹Department of Biotechnology, Bharath University, Chennai-600 073, India.
²Captain Srinivasa Murthi Drug Research Institute for Ayurvedha and Siddha, Chennai-600 106, India.
³Department of Biotechnology, Bharath University, Selaiyur, Chennai-600 073, India.

Accepted 19 November, 2025

Quantification of Cry 1Ac protein in two field-grown Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton hybrids (MECH- 184, RCH-2) was performed in relation to tissue maturity. Leaves of upper, middle and lower canopies and in bolls and bracts attached to the plant were chosen. Similar measurements were also made in fully mature tagged leaves attached to plants in the upper canopy and excised leaf discs. The leaf discs were incubated in the dark following the ELISA method with commercially available kits. Cry 1Ac levels declined with tissue maturity and senescence in both attached and excised plant parts of the Bt cotton hybrids examined. With advancing maturity in leaves attached to the plants till 21 days, steady increase in the levels of chlorophyll and decrease in the amounts of total protein were observed. Moreover, with increasing maturity, the concentration of reducing sugars rise in contrast to decline in total soluble amino acids. On the other hand, in case of the excised leaf discs, while total soluble amino acids exhibited an increasing trend, chlorophyll, total protein and reducing sugar contents decreased gradually.

Key words: Bt cotton, senescence, ELISA, Cry 1Ac insecticidal protein, amino acids, reducing sugars, chlorophyll.

African Journal of Crop Science ISSN: 2375-1231 Vol. 14 (1), pp. 001-010, January, 2026. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Characterizing Yield and Nutritional Potential in Hull-less Spring Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.): A Multivariate Approach

Firdissa Eticha^1*, Heinrich Grausgruber² and Emmerich Berghoffer³

¹National Wheat Research Project, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, P. O. Box 489, Asella, Ethiopia.
²Department of Applied Plant Sciences and Plant Biotechnology, BOKU–University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Str. 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
³Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, BOKU–University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Mutthgasse, Vienna, Austria.

Accepted 06 October, 2025

A study was conducted to characterize a world collection of hull-less barley using multivariate traits. Significant variations were observed among genotypes in grain yield and grain physical characteristics. Genotypic as well as environmental effects were important for the variations occurred in chemical contents. Total phenolic content ranged from 166.0 to 295.0 mg/100 g ferulic acid equivalent. The total anthocyanin ranged from 3.0 to 284.5 ppm cyanidin glucoside equivalent. Yellow pigment content ranged from 3.9 to 8.7 ppm and protein content from 12.3 to 17.3%. Beta-glucan ranged from 3.5 - 7.4% for barley genotypes. Purple pigmented barley found to have high total anthocyanin content whereas the black pigmented barleys were superior in their total phenolics and yellow pigments. Waxy barleys contained higher levels of beta-glucan.

Key words: Hordeum, hull-less, barley, pigments, Ethiopia.
 

African Journal of Crop Science ISSN: 2375-1231 Vol. 13 (5), pp. 001-008, May, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Agronomic Responses of Upland Rice Varieties to Differential Water Supply in a Tropical Environment

Christopher O. Akinbile

Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected].

Accepted 15 December, 2024

The response of rice crop to water application is of paramount importance to researchers as it helps in determining its agronomic development. The study was aimed at establishing the agronomic responses of rice crop to differential water supply. A two-year dry season experiment was conducted at the research farm of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA Ibadan, Nigeria. Two upland rice varieties (NERICA 2 and NERICA 4) were planted on a 5 × 5 m plot in a randomized complete block design with four treatments based on different water application. Agronomic parameters such as plant height, root depth, canopy shading, leaf area index, panicle and tiller configuration, biomass and grain yield in relation to crop water use were obtained and the results were subjected to statistical analysis. Maximum plant height (89.0 and 100.3 cm), maximum root depth (22.1 and 23.8 cm), panicle diameter (3.9 and 4.5 cm), panicle length (26.1 and 25.7 cm), leaf area index (LAI) 3.27 and 3.95, canopy shading (CS) 0.22 and 0.99 were obtained for both NERICA 2 and NERICA 4, respectively. Leaf width (1.3 and 1.4 cm), total tillers (14 and 12) and leaf length (36.9 and 38 cm) were also observed for the two varieties respectively. The highest total grain and biomass yields of 1.94 and 1.95 t/ha were observed in treatment A for NERICA 2 while the least values of 0.29 and 1.09 t/ha were observed in treatment D. As for NERICA 4, the highest values (1.90 and 2.27 t/ha) were from A and the least (0.38 and 2.29 t/ha) in D. The result of ANOVA showed significant differences in biomass and grain yield, LAI, CS, plant height and root depth among treatments (P > 0.05). Specific behavioural pattern to differential water application was observed in the development of agronomic parameters monitored during the experiment. This was indicative that water is a major yield - influencing factor in rice production.

Key words: Upland rice, LAI, CS, agronomic parameters, water supply.
 

African Journal of Crop Science ISSN: 2375-1231 Vol. 13 (4), pp. 001-009, April, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Selection Indices for High Yielding Coffea canephora Genotypes: A 9-Year Multi-Environment Study

Anim-Kwapong Esther* and Boamah Adomako

Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, P. O. Box 8, New Tafo-Akim, Ghana.

Accepted 17 January, 2025

Early identification and selection of genotypes with high yielding potential is a main breeding objective of Coffea canephora. Eighteen genotypes of C. canephora were assessed in three diverse environments over a 9-years period from 1996 to 2005. Genetic and environmental associations were assessed among 10 vegetative and five reproductive traits and yield. Genetic associations between yields over seven years and vegetative traits, except secondary branches per plant, were positive and significantly correlated with span (rG = 0.65**), girth (rG = 0.60**), diameter (rG = 0.55*) and number of primary branches (rG = 0.53*). The traits exhibited stronger genetic correlations with last 4 - 7 years yields (rG =0.54* - 0.68**) than with first 1 - 3 years yields (rG = 0.38 - 0.47*). Fruit- set observed in three fruiting seasons, when the trees were three, four and six years in the field, was consistently positive and significantly associated with yields over seven years (rG = 0.60**; 0.63**; 0.66**). However, genetic associations between yields over seven years and flowers per node observed in the three fruiting seasons was consistently negative and significant for two seasons (rG = -0.50*; -39; -0.62**). First 1 - 3 years yield was a better predictor (r2G = 0.79***) of yields over seven years, than first 1 - 2 years (r2G = 0.42**) and first year (r2G = 0.012) yield. Selection for potential high yielding genotypes should, therefore, be based on an index involving span, girth, diameter and number of primary branches, first three years yield, fruit -set, and flowers per node. High positive environmental correlations were observed between bean yields and fruit-set, number of fruits per node, number of flowering and fruiting nodes, girth and number of primary branches. However, environmental conditions that reduced yields also increased flowers per node and promoted vegetative growth by increasing secondary branching, span, length, diameter and number of nodes per primary branch. Efficient selection for yield based on vegetative traits should, therefore, be undertaken under optimum growing conditions where there is a better balance between vegetative growth and yield.

Key words: Vegetative traits, reproductive traits, Coffea canephora, genetic correlations, environmental correlations, yields, indirect selection.
 

African Journal of Crop Science ISSN: 2375-1231 Vol. 13 (4), pp. 001-005, April, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Effects of Gamma Radiation on Germination and Emergence Indexes in Barley Variety Nosrat

S. Sarduie-Nasab², G. R Sharifi-Sirchi¹* and M. H. Torabi-Sirchi³

1Horticulture and Dates Research Institute, College of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.
2Graduate student of Agronomy and Plant Breeding Department, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.

3Department of Agriculture Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

Accepted 15 January, 2025

Hordeum vulgare (barley), is an important agricultural crop for food, feed and also has been used virtually worldwide as a model plant for biological research. It is a diploid crop with a low chromosome number (2n = 14) and targeted as a proper crop for intense research on mutagenesis, mutagens and mutants (Khattak and Klopfenstein, 1989). Recently, heavy-ion beams have been used as novel and efficient mutagens in plant breeding. Many plant variations were induced by irradiation and many novel experimental materials and practical cultivars were generated. The present research aimed to estimate the effect of different gamma radiation on germination and emergence indexes of Barley variety Nosrat. Barley seeds were treated with 4 different gamma ray doses (0, 200, 700, 1200 Gy) from 3 angels. Results of this study expressed that high gamma ray doses decreased emergence index compare with control treatment and also, radiation has inhibitory effect on stem height and width. Base on experimental and green house studies doses of 700 and 1200 Gy strongly decline plant growth and treated plant seeds with these radiation doses did not emerge in the field. Therefore we suggest that 200 gamma ray dose was the best treatment to screen mutant Barley.

Key words: Barley, emergence index, gamma ray, germination index, Hordeum vulgare. mutation.
 

African Journal of Crop Science ISSN: 2375-1231 Vol. 13 (4), pp. 001-004, April, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Comparative Analysis of Gamma Rays and EMS-Induced Chlorophyll Mutations in Two Soybean Cultivars

Mudasir Hafiz Khan1 and Sunil Dutt Tyagi2

1Department of Agriculture, Srinagar (J&K), India.
2Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Kisan (P. G.), College, Simbhaoli, Ghaziabad, (U. P.), India.

Accepted 14 December, 2024

Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of gamma rays, EMS and combined treatments was studied in terms of M2 (progenies) lethality and chlorophyll mutations in two cultivars of soybean (Pusa-16 and PK-1042). In general the frequencies of chlorophyll mutations were high in gamma rays and combined treatments. Four types of mutants viz., albina, xantha, chlorine and viridis were observed in the study. Gamma rays were found to be more effective to induce chlorophyll mutations in both cultivars. PK-1042 cultivar exhibited higher mutagenic efficiency as compared to Pusa-16 in EMS and gamma rays treatment.

Key words: Effectiveness, efficiency, gamma rays, EMS, soybean.