BackgroundThe association among food and health is momentous as consumers now demand healthy, tasty and natural functional foods. Knowledge of such food is mainly transmitted through the contribution of individuals of households. Throughout the world the traditions of using wild edible plants as food and medicine are at risk of disappearing, hence present appraisal was conducted to explore ethnomedicinal and cultural importance of wild edible vegetables used by the populace of Lesser Himalayas-Pakistan.MethodsData was collected through informed consent semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, market survey and focus group conversation with key respondents of the study sites including 45 female, 30 children and 25 males. Cultural significance of each species was calculated based on use report.ResultsA total of 45 wild edible vegetables belonging to 38 genera and 24 families were used for the treatment of various diseases and consumed. Asteraceae and Papilionoideae were found dominating families with (6 spp. each), followed by Amaranthaceae and Polygonaceae. Vegetables were cooked in water (51%) followed by diluted milk (42%) and both in water and diluted milk (7%). Leaves were among highly utilized plant parts (70%) in medicines followed by seeds (10%), roots (6%), latex (4%), bark, bulb, flowers, tubers and rhizomes (2% each). Modes of preparation fall into seven categories like paste (29%), decoction (24%), powder (14%), eaten fresh (12%), extract (10%), cooked vegetable (8%) and juice (4%). Ficus carica was found most cited species with in top ten vegetables followed by Ficus palmata, Bauhinia variegata, Solanum nigrum, Amaranthus viridis, Medicago polymorpha, Chenopodium album, Cichorium intybus, Amaranthus hybridus and Vicia faba.ConclusionsPatterns of wild edible plant usage depend mainly on socio-economic factors compare to climatic conditions or wealth of flora but during past few decades have harshly eroded due to change in the life style of the inhabitants. Use reports verified common cultural heritage and cultural worth of quoted taxa is analogous. Phytochemical analysis, antioxidant activities, pharmacological applications; skill training in farming and biotechnological techniques to improve the yield are important feature prospective regarding of wild edible vegetables.

Advanced wheat lines carrying the Hessian fly resistance gene H27 were obtained by backcrossing the wheat/Aegilops ventricosa introgression line, H-93-33, to commercial wheat cultivars as recurrent parents. The Acph-N v 1 marker linked to the gene H27 on the 4N v chromosome of this line was used for marker assisted selection. Advanced lines were evaluated for Hessian fly resistance in field and growth chamber tests, and for other agronomic traits during several crop seasons at different localities of Spain. The hessian fly resistance levels of lines carrying the 4N v chromosome introgression (4D/4N v substitution and recombination lines that previously were classified by in situ hybridisation) were high, but always lower than that of their Ae. ven-tricosa progenitor. Introgression lines had higher grain yields in infested field trials than those without the 4N v chromosome and their susceptible parents, but lower grain yields under high yield potential conditions. The 4N v introgression was also associated with later heading, and lower tiller and grain numbers/m 2. In addition , it was associated with longer and more lax spikes, and higher values of grain weight and grain protein content. However, the glutenin and gliadin expression, as well as the bread-making performance, were similar to those of their recurrent parents.

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Although phenotypic correlations generally show winter hardiness and late summer and autumn growth (fall dormancy, FD) in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to be strongly associated (r = 0.90), the genetic relationship between the traits has been poorly documented. This study was conducted to rigorously characterize this relationship in a segregating population. We developed an F1 population of 200 plants derived from crossing an elite subsp. sativa clone, ABI408, and a semi‐improved subsp. falcata clone, WISFAL‐6. We clonally propagated the parents and progeny and planted replicated trials at Ames and Nashua, IA in 1998. Plant height, a measure of fall dormancy, was measured in October 1998 at both locations. Winter injury was rated in April 1999. Transgressive segregation in both directions was noted in all cases, except for plant height at Ames, where no F1 genotype was shorter than WISFAL‐6. The heritability of fall growth was estimated at 0.69 ± 0.044 on an entry mean basis and 0.29 ± 0.035 on a plot basis, and of winter injury at 0.73 ± 0.039 and 0.39 ± 0.040, respectively. Phenotypic correlations between the traits based on entry means were not evident (P < 0.05) but were weakly negative based on plot data (−0.11 at both Ames and Nashua, P < 0.01). The genetic correlation between fall height and winter injury was −0.16 ± 0.048. A weak association exists in this population—taller plants in the fall have less winter injury. These results provide compelling evidence that considerable improvement in both fall growth and winter hardiness can be achieved simultaneously. We suggest that the varied pathways controlling winter hardiness provide ample opportunity for selection of agronomically desirable genotypes.

Anaerobic digestion is the method of wastes treatment aimed at a reduction of their hazardous effects on the biosphere. The mutualistic behavior of various anaerobic microorganisms results in the decomposition of complex organic substances into simple, chemically stabilized compounds, mainly methane and CO2. The conversions of complex organic compounds to CH4 and CO2 are possible due to the cooperation of four different groups of microorganisms, that is, fermentative, syntrophic, acetogenic, and methanogenic bacteria. Microbes adopt various pathways to evade from the unfavorable conditions in the anaerobic digester like competition between sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and methane forming bacteria for the same substrate. Methanosarcina are able to use both acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic pathways for methane production. This review highlights the cellulosic microorganisms, structure of cellulose, inoculum to substrate ratio, and source of inoculum and its effect on methanogenesis. The molecular techniques such as DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) utilized for dynamic changes in microbial communities and FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridization) that deal with taxonomy and interaction and distribution of tropic groups used are also discussed.