Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp. (Sanskrit: Adhaki, Hindi: Arhar, English: Pigeon pea, Bengali: Tur) (family: Fabaceae) is the most important grain legume crop of rain-fed agriculture in semi-arid tropics. It is both a food crop and a cover/forage crop with high levels of proteins and important amino acids like methionine, lysine and tryptophan. During the last few decades extensive studies have been carried out regarding the chemistry of C. cajan and considerable progress has been achieved regarding its biological activities and medicinal applications. This review article gives an overview on the biological activities of the compounds isolated, pharmacological actions and clinical studies of C. cajan extracts apart from its general details.
Weeds burden plant growth as they compete for space, sunlight, and soil nutrients leading to 25-80% yield losses. Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] is a widely used broad spectrum non-selective herbicide that controls weeds by inhibiting 5enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) enzyme and interfering with the shikimate biosynthesis pathway. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is one of the most important commercial crops grown worldwide for its fiber. We have developed herbicide tolerant transgenic cotton (cv. P8-6) by introgression of a codon-optimized and modified EPSPS gene (CP4-EPSPS) possessing an N-terminal chloroplast targeting peptide from Petunia hybrida. Because of the recalcitrant nature of cotton, a genotype-independent non-tissue culture-based apical meristem-targeted in planta transformation approach was used to develop transformants. Although in planta transformation methodologies are advantageous in developing a large number of transgenic plants, effective screening strategies are essential for initial identification of transformants. In the present study, the use of a two-level rigorous screening strategy identified 2.27% of T1 generation plants as tolerant to 800 and 1,500 mg/L of commercially available glyphosate (Roundup). Precise molecular characterization revealed stable integration, expression, and inheritance of CP4-EPSPS in advanced generations of the promising transgenic events. Further, superiority of selected transgenic plants in tolerating increasing levels of glyphosate (500-4,000 mg/L) was ascertained through reduced accumulation of shikimate. This report is the first of its kind where cotton transformants tolerating high levels of glyphosate (up to 4,000 mg/L) and accumulating low levels of shikimate have been identified. This study not only reiterated the genotype-independent nature of the transformation strategy but also reiterated the translational utility of the CP4-EPSPS gene in management of weeds.
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The possible beneficial properties of functional foods are due to their content in bioactive ingredients, with
specific biological properties. A number of processed functional foods are available in the market – probiotic yogurt,
calcium and ω-3 fatty acids enriched orange juice and milk. Simultaneously, new research studies confer potential health
benefits of various conventional foods (salmon, berries, green tea, vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals and breads etc) termed
as “superfood” which is a marketing term and there is no established medical definition. Following suitable dietary
patterns superfood reduces the risk of degerative diseases by promoting physical and emotional health. Scientific
evidences suggests that superfood are dense source of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and other nutrients. There is
insufficient research on the exact explanation of term ‘superfood’and its health claims by different companies without any
legislation. This buzz word making confusion among consumers, that how much and what quantity should make a food
superfood, as no single food may be as nutritious to be stated as superfood. This article introduces further investigation on
superfood which was categorized on the basis of their major constituents and potential health benefits. Further there is a
need of more reviews, researches, clinical trials and human case studies to investigate or test superfood.
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