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Note, participants are assumed to be speaking on their own behalf, unless they state otherwise.]

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: 13 March 2007 10:09
To: 'biotech-room2@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: 25: Software for QTL analysis - Drought tolerance

I am PK Gupta from Meerut University, Meerut, India. I am involved in molecular breeding research in crop plants, particularly cereals. In view of this, I posted a message earlier (nr. 14) giving advice on quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis and mentioning software for conducting QTL analysis that permits detection of epistatic digenic interactions, and QTL x environment (QE) interactions.

Dr Boopathi, to whom I responded in my last message, has requested that I also give some details about these softwares mentioned in my previous message. In our QTL studies, here at Meerut, we have been using the following softwares: (i) QTL Cartographer (developed at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States) for single locus composite interval mapping; and (ii) QTLMapper (developed initially) and QTLNetwork 2.0 (developed later) both developed at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

This activity in our laboratory led to a series of publications in journals like Plant Science, Theor. Appl Genetics., Functional & Integr Genomics, Euphytica, Molecular Breeding, etc. All the above softwares are freely downloadable and can be used freely for non-commercial purposes. QTLMapper and QTLNetwork are both designed for study of epistatic interactions and QTL x Environment (QE or QQE) interactions. QTLNetwork 2.0 (which was developed later) is more user-friendly than QTLMapper (developed initially) and is being used by our students currently. Several laboratories abroad (including those in China, USA and Germany) are also using these softwares successfully.

Besides the above softwares, there are many other softwares available for QTL analysis involving detection of epistatic and QE interactions, but most of them first detect QTLs having main effects and then examine interactions among these main-effect QTLs. QTLNetwork 2.0 (also QTLMapper), on the other hand, allows detection of even those epistatic QTLs, which have no main effect, and therefore will never be detected in single locus analysis that is done using a variety of other softwares.

Drought tolerance is a trait which should be complex and therefore should involve epistatic and QE interactions, hence this message is to all concerned with quantitative genetics of drought tolerance.

P.K. Gupta
Honorary Emeritus Professor and INSA Senior Scientist
Molecular Biology Laboratory
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding
Ch. Charan Singh University
MEERUT-250 004
India
Tel (Lab): 91-121-2768195
(Resi): 91-121-2762505
TeleFax : 91-121-2768195
e-mail : pkgupta36 (at) yahoo.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: 13 March 2007 12:44
To: 'biotech-room2@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: 26: CAM plants are water savers

This is from Dr. A.K.K. Achakzai, Pakistan. I am involved in teaching plant physiology for the last 2 decades. I have also some experience of preliminary research on water stress.

I have gone through the messages posted so far. Each one was highly informative. I am fully agreed especially with message 6 (by Norbert Tchouaffe) along with the following additions regarding scarcity of water (not about polluted water). We can cope with the said problem by reducing the rate of evapotranspiration (evaporation + transpiration) than absorption. As we know that water from our land is being lost either by evaporation or by transpiration from the aerial part of green plants:
(1) To minimize the evaporation, we have to apply organic mulch to our cropland immediately after sowing/first irrigation, which is not only helpful for the existing crop but also maintains the fertility status of the soil for next season crops. This is also the cheapest one for poor farmers.
(2) We should minimize the rate of transpiration, by introducing those crops which belongs to the CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) category. Their mechanism of photosynthesis is quite different from those of C3 and C4 plants. Plants that show dark acidification and light deacidification are styled CAM plants. Many plants belonging to families Cactaceae, Aizoaceae and some others, are xerophytic succulents and occur in dry habitats. In these plants, the stomata (transpiratory organ) generally remain closed during the day and transpiration is minimized. Gas exchange occurs mostly during the night (nocturnal stomatal moment) when stomata open, and carbon dioxide (CO2) is fixed into carboxylic acids in much the same way as in C4 plants. The biological importance of the CAM plants appears to be a mechanism that reduces water loss during gas exchange.
(3) Care should be taken in selection of these CAM crop plants. Because most plants of this category synthesize allelochemicals (secondary plant metabolites), which are harmful for existing soil and crop of the next seasons.

Dr. A.K.K. Achakzai
Department of Botany,
University of Balochistan,v
Quetta
Pakistan
Ph #. 081-9211264 (Office)
Cell #. 0333-7812944
e-mail: profakk (at) yahoo.com

[Section 5a) of the Background Document gives a brief introduction to the basic differences in photosynthesis in C3, C4 and CAM plants. A xerophyte is a plant that is very resistant to drought, typically adapted to extremely dry environments - http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp ...Moderator].

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: 13 March 2007 17:16
To: 'biotech-room2@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: 27: Re: Use of wastewater for countering water scarcity in agriculture

My name is Dr I Charles Okoli. I am a senior lecturer in the Department of Animal Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria. My research interests center on animal health and management issues in tropical animal production.

I want to add to the interesting observations of Anju Arora (Message 20) that useful application of microorganisms and aquatic plants could be used to bio-remedy wastewater for reuse in agriculture. Plants like azolla and algae can be beneficially applied to wastewater for the removal of solid wastes, metals and also nutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) so that wastewaters can be safely reused in agriculture.

I am interested in use of terrestrial plant seeds such as Moringa tree seeds (we are currently using the leaf of this tree to feed poultry and are waiting for it to fruit so that we can use the seed as coagulant in water treatment) in the sanitization of microbial contaminated water at the livestock farm level. I am currently searching for indigenous plants of south eastern Nigeria that could be easily be cultivated by smallholder farmers and used to improve the microbial quality of water offered to animals.

In many areas of eastern Nigeria the only readily available water for livestock are rainfall run offs and local streams of doubtful quality. Such water when offered to animals, especially intensively kept poultry, remains a major source of disease agents, especially bacteria and helminth eggs.

Such a technology that requires planting the useful tree at the farm and harvesting the useful parts for immediate water treatment in my view will easily be adopted by local smallholder farmers.

We are currently establishing the general quality of water offered to animals in the region as bases for further studies that will involve simple bio-treatment of such water.

Dr. I. Charles Okoli
Senior Lecturer (Animal Health and Production),
Department of Animal Science and Technology,
Federal University of Technology,
Owerri, Nigeria
e-mail: dr_charleso (at) yahoo.com