Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) is one of the most preferred timber tree species of South Asia. Two DNAbased molecular marker techniques, intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD), were compared to study the genetic diversity in this species. A total of 30 polymorphic primers (15 ISSR and 15 random) were used. Amplification of genomic DNA of 22 genotypes, using ISSR analysis, yielded 117 fragments, of which 64 were polymorphic. Number of amplified fragments with ISSR primers ranged from five to ten and varied in size from 180 to 1,900 bp. Percentage polymorphism ranged from 0 to 87.5. The 15 RAPD primers produced 144 bands across 22 genotypes, of which 84 were polymorphic. The number of amplified bands varied from five to 13, with size range from 180 to 2,400 bp. Percentage polymorphism ranged from 0 to 100, with an average of 58.3 across. RAPD markers were relatively more efficient than the ISSR assay. The mental test between two Jaccard's similarity matrices gave r≥0.90, showing very good fit correlation in between ISSR-and RAPD-based similarities. Clustering of isolates remained more or less the same in RAPD and combined data of RAPD and ISSR. The similarity coefficient ranged from 0.734 to 0.939, 0.563 to 0.946, and 0.648 to 0.920 with ISSR, RAPD, and combined dendrogram, respectively.

Aim:This study was carried out to investigate the genetic analysis of reproductive performance of Frieswal cattle at Military Farm, Ambala.Materials and Methods:A total number of 3005 lactation records of 1147 Frieswal cows over a period of 15 years extending from 1993 to 2007 were used to study at Military Dairy Farm, Ambala. The study period was divided into 5 period of 3 years each. The average performances of reproduction traits, effect of genetic and non-genetic factors were analyzed, and estimation of genetic and phenotypic parameters of reproduction traits was undertaken.Results:The age at first calving (AFC) differed significantly across the periods of calving. The AFC was lowest during the third period (1999-2001) and longest in the first period (1993-95). The effect of season and period of calving, lactation order and regression of AFC on dry period, calving interval and service period was highly significant. The effect of sire was non-significant. The heritability estimates were low for almost all the traits under study. The service period had a high genetic correlation with dry period and calving interval. The dry period also found to have a low genetic correlation with calving interval in Frieswal cows. Service period had a high phenotypic correlation with dry period and very high with a calving interval. The phenotypic correlation between the dry period and calving interval was recognized high.Conclusions:Low heritability estimate for the reproduction traits indicates that there is a very little additive genetic variance in these traits, and individual selection will not be helpful for improving them. Improvement may be brought through better feeding and management of cows by reducing the environmental variability.

Sissoo or shisham (Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.) is one of the finest wood of South Asia. Fusarium solani is a causal organism of sissoo wilt, decline, or dieback. It is also a potential causal organism associated with other valuable tree species. Thirty-eight Fusarium isolates including 24 F. solani and 14 Fusarium sp., were obtained in 2005 from different geographical locations in India. All 38 (18 pathogenic and 20 non-pathogenic) isolates were characterized for genomic analysis, growth behaviour, pigmentation and sensitivity to carbendazim. Based on growth pattern, growth rate, pigmentation and sensitivity to carbendazim, all 38 isolates showed a wide range of variability, but no correlation with pathogenicity or geographical distribution. Three techniques were used for comparative genomic analysis: random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD); inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR); and simple sequence repeats (SSR). A total of 90 primers targeting different genome regions resulted a total of 1159 loci with an average of 12.88 loci per primer. These primers showed high genomic variability among the isolates. The maximum loci (14.64) per primer were obtained with RAPD. The total variation of the first five principal components for RAPD, ISSR, SSR and combined analysis were estimated as 47.42, 48.21, 46.30 and 46.78 %, respectively. Among the molecular markers, highest Pearson correlation value (r = 0.957) was recorded with combination of RAPD and SSR followed by RAPD and ISSR (r = 0.952), and SSR and ISSR (r = 0.942). The combination of these markers would be similarly effective as single marker system i.e. RAPD, ISSR and SSR. Based on polymorphic information content (PIC = 0.619) and highest coefficient (r = 0.995), RAPD was found to be the most efficient marker system compared to ISSR and SSR. This study will assist in understanding the population biology of wilt causing phytopathogen, F. solani, and in assisting with integrated disease management measures.

Background: Bamboo is among the important plants that help shape the socio-economic fabric of rural India. It provides employment, sustains business ventures, has medicinal applications and even helps in carbon sequestration. Out of 125 indigenous species, Dendrocalamus strictus (Roxb.) Nees occupies 53% of the area of bamboo in the country. Moreover, D. strictus may be used in afforestation of wastelands and rural development programmes due to its adaptability in wider landscapes. Dendrocalamus strictus has different growth forms based on edaphic factors and climatic conditions. DNA profiling was used to analyse the genetic diversity among the different growth forms of D. strictus present in three different locations of Uttarakhand. Methods: The study area includes three locations, first, reserve forest of the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun; second, Shivpuri near Byasi, Rishikesh; and third, Chiriapur range (Haridwar district). A standard method was used to isolate DNA from young leaves from ten clumps of each growth form. Ten RAPD primers were screened for polymorphism from A and N operon primers and a standard PCR protocol was followed to amplify and visualise DNA bands. The data matrix was analysed and interpreted using statistical software and methods. Results: The cluster analysis, genetic structure parameters, moderate coefficient of gene differentiation and low gene flow value all indicated that these growth forms are genetically dissimilar and that geographic separation as well as physiological/flowering barriers has influenced these variations. These genetically different growth forms can be called ecotypes. Conclusions: Such a study has not been attempted previously with bamboo and will help inform the conservation of the genetic pool of bamboo ecotypes. Seeds of these ecotypes are monocarpic in nature, which means that bamboo plants flower once in their lifetime, so they must be collected and multiplied (as plantations) in their respective habitats.

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