Adventitious shoot regeneration from root, hypocotyl, cotyledon and primary leaf explants of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) was studied. Shoot regeneration was promoted by benzyladenine (BA) + naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), BA + indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), kinetin + NAA and thidiazuron (TDZ) + NAA incorporated in Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. High frequency of shoot regeneration and high number of shoots per regenerating explant were obtained on a wide range of TDZ + NAA combinations. Proliferated shoots were elongated in MS + 0.5 mg dm -3 kinetin and well-developed shoots were rooted in half strength MS + 0.5 mg dm -3 NAA. Rooted shoots were successfully acclimatized and established in soil.

Flower color is a useful morphological marker in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Inheritance of this trait was studied using two white-flowered chickpea genotypes, P 9623 and RS 11, and one blue-flowered genotype, T 39-1. The genetic constitutions of the white flower colors of P 9623 and RS 11 were different, for in an earlier study their F1 produced pink flowers. The two F1s of the crosses P 9623 x T 39-1 and RS 11 x T 39-1 also produced pink flowers. Each of the two F2 populations segregated in 9 pink:3 blue:4 white-flowered plants. These results can be explained by a three-gene model. These three independently segregating genes are probably the same as C, B, and P reported in the literature earlier. Allelic tests could not be undertaken, as the genetic stocks used in the earlier studies are not available. The genetic constitutions of the three parents and their F1s are proposed. These accessions should be useful for conducting allelic tests for determining flower color loci in chickpea and for comparative studies with field pea. The seeds of these genetic stocks are maintained at the Genetic Resources and Enhancement Program at ICRISAT and are available for research purposes on request.

Growth vigour plays an important role in the establishment of a normal crop. The F 2 population of a cross between high-and lowgrowth vigour varieties of chickpea segregated into 15 high : 1 low growth vigour. The results for recombinant inbred lines and BC 1 P 2 showed a good fit to the expected 3 : 1 ratio. The results indicated that growth vigour is controlled by two genes with duplicate dominant epistasis. No gene has so far been identified for growth vigour in chickpea. Correlation between growth vigour and other characters showed that high growth vigour had significant negative correlation with days to first flower, days to 50% flowering, days to first pod and days to maturity.

Background:Dementia due to probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD) represents between 60 and 80% of all dementias. The total number of estimated AD cases worldwide by 2030 is 65.7 million and 115.4 million by 2050; this represents a twofold population increase in the next 20 years.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been the primary tool of interest to link hippocampal volume loss with dementia firmly.MRI-based volumetry has been proposed as a promising biomarker.Hippocampal volumetry is useful in discriminating not only cognitively normal individuals from those with dementia but can also differentiate Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) from various types of dementia.Research objective:To measure hippocampal volume in various types of dementia. (MMSE) and Activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with dementia.Method:A cross-sectional study conducted for period of one year among 21 patients with Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, amnestic mild cognitive impairment and 20 healthy age matched controls. MMSE scale was used to stratify patients on cognitive function impairments. ADL scale to assess functional status of the patient ability to perform activities of daily living independently in diverse settings. Hippocampal volume measured using MRI 1.5 T Philips Ingenia, a coronal T1-weighted FFE (Fast Field Echo) 3D sequence.Results:Total Hippocampal volume was reduced by 35% in Alzheimer’s disease, 27% in vascular dementia and 10% in amnestic mild cognitive impairment, compared with control groupConclusions:Moderate positive correlation between mean total hippocampal volume and MMSE scores in patients with dementia which was statistically significant. (P value= 0.001).