Background: Cowpea is a major legume crop which has high protein content and provides a powerful tool to combat malnutrition due to its highly nutritional value. Identification of superior genotypes will aid in cowpea breeding program. Genetic variability is the foremost requirement in a breeding population for the selection of high yielding genotypes. To develop a new high yielding variety, it is important to study the genetic variability present in it so that proper and efficient selection could be done and most promising genotypes could be identified. 
 
Methods: Keeping this in mind, studies on genetic variability in grain cowpea was done utilizing 40 diverse exotic and indigenous cowpea genotypes which were evaluated for ten quantitative characters for two consecutive years 2020 and 2021. The experiment was planted in randomized block design with 3 replications at Pantnagar. Data was recorded on ten characters.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Mean squares were found to be highly significant for all the characters. Cluster analysis revealed five genetically diverse clusters. Cluster I had 8 genotypes, cluster II had 9 genotypes, cluster III consisted of 12 genotypes, cluster IV had 6 genotypes and Cluster V consisted 5 genotypes. Cluster I had the greatest intra-cluster distance (2.500) whereas cluster V had the smallest intra-cluster distance (1.701). In the cluster V, one of the genotype Pant Lobia-2 exhibited the highest mean values for all the characters. The highest GCV and PCV was recorded by number of pods per plant (28.87, 29.19) followed by yield (q/ha) (28.72, 29.04). The higher value of phenotypic component compared to the corresponding genotypic component suggest that there was an environmental influence on the performance of the genotypes. Correlation studies revealed positive correlation between pod length, pods per cluster, seeds per pod and yield quintal per hectare. Path coefficient analysis showed the significant positive direct relationship between plant height, peduncle length, pod length, number of pods per cluster, number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod with yield quintals per hectare. The results of the study showed that, out of the 40 genotypes evaluated, Pant Lobia-2 exhibited the best performance. It has attractive red bold seeds with 31% protein content. Therefore it can be used in grain cowpea breeding program.

Genetic Variability Studies for Identification of High Yielding Genotypes with High Protein Content in Grain Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]

The present investigations involving forty five diverse pea recombinant inbreds and three standard checks were carried out for two successive years during 2011-2012 and 2012-13. The objective of the study was to ascertain genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation and path coefficient among yield and other horticultural and quality traits and identification of superior recombinants for their utilization in crop improvement programme. Wide range of variability was observed for most of the characters under study. The magnitude of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher than the genotypic coefficient of variability (GCV) for all the traits. High phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variations were recorded for protein content, ascorbic acid, plant height and pod yield per plant for both the years. Pod yield per plant and plant height exhibited high heritability associated with high genetic advance in the respective years indicating the additive gene action for their expression and are likely to respond better to selection. Pod yield showed a positive and significant correlation with number of pods per plant, pod length and number of seeds per pod both the years. Path analysis revealed that number of pods per plant and pod length have highest positive direct effect both the years and thus it may be treated as selection criteria for isolating higher yielding genotypes in garden peas. In heterosis study, some of the recombinant inbreds were found superior over standard checks which include L-14 and L-13 for pod yield/plant, number of pod/plant and earliness. These findings can be further utilized to develop and enhance the yield potential of garden pea.

Study of genetic variability, character association, path analysis and selection parameters for heterotic recombinant inbred lines of garden peas (Pisum sativum var. Hortense L.) under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh, India

Background: Agriculture is the most sensitive sector to climate variability. In rain-fed ecosystems, rainfall is the single most essential component in crop planning. Crop planning using rainfall variability and probability analysis helps to improve the productivity. 
 
Methods: A study was taken for crop planning in Madurai district by analyzing the rainfall variability and probability analysis using 40 years (1982-2021) of weekly, monthly, seasonal and annual rainfall data.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The mean annual rainfall in Madurai district was 925.5 mm was spread over 74 rainy days with 24.7 per cent of coefficient of variation thereby the rainfall is dependable over years with decreasing trend. The probability analysis showed that receiving 20 mm rainfall per week was for 12 weeks (32 to 45th week) except 35 and 37th week which is helpful for sowing and planting. On the other hand, highest mean monthly rainfall was received in October (176 mm) followed by September (137.4 mm). Seasonal analysis resulted that Southwest monsoon had high rainfall quantity with mean value of 397.7 mm. Rice is the major crop cultivated in this region should be replaced by maize, green gram, black gram, cowpea, sorghum, ragi and minor millets which can withstand drought conditions with less crop duration.

Crop Planning using Rainfall Variability and Probability Analysis for Madurai District of Tamil Nadu

<div style="text-align: justify;">A two years old Kathiawar stallion was reported with the history of two, pedunculated hard mass medially on the thigh and hock of the right hind limb, progressively increasing for the past two months. Fine needle aspiration cytology revealed fibrosarcoma.The tumour on the medial aspect of the thigh was injected with cisplatin intra-tumorally at a dose rate of 0.3 mg/cm3 of tumour volume and was exposed to ECT. The tumour on the medial aspect of the hock was excised incompletely to preserve skin and subcutaneous tissues around the tumour for wound opposition and treated with intra-tumoral injection of cisplatin followed by ECT. Following &nbsp;electrochemotherapy complete response was noticed onthe 3rd and 4th week for the tumours on the thigh and hock respectively. No recurrence was noticed during the follow-up period of one year revealing ETC with cisplatin as a single treatment and also in combination with surgery is effective for the treatment of fibrosarcoma in equines.&nbsp;</div>

Electrochemotherapy with intra-tumoral cisplatin for the treatment of fibrosarcoma in a horse

<div style="text-align: justify;">Background: The genetic variability in a population is the raw material for selection, because the estimation of genetic parameters depends on the variability present within the population. The pedigree analysis is a method to assess population genetic variability. An increase in the level of inbreeding disturbs the production performance of the animals. Hence, it is essential to assess the effect of inbreeding on production performance of the animals at regular intervals. The present study was conducted on data of Bharat Merino (BM) sheep with twin objectives of evaluating the population structure by pedigree analysis and possible effect of inbreeding on lamb growth and heritability estimates.&nbsp; Methods: The study was conducted on data consisting of a total of 9688 pedigree records of BM sheep born from 1975 to 2018 (43 years), out of which 9050 formed population reference (with both the parents known). ENDOG ver 4.8 program was used to generate different measures of genetic diversity. General Linear Model of SPSS 25.0 was used to ascertain the effect of inbreeding (Fi) or change in inbreeding (&Auml;Fi) on the lamb live weights. Using animal model with software WOMBAT, single trait linear mixed model analyses were performed. The heritability estimates and breeding values were obtained by including or excluding the inbreeding coefficient in the model to observe how the estimates of heritability varied with inclusion or exclusion of the inbreeding coefficient.&nbsp; Result: Effective number of founders (fe) was 56, constituting 11.39% founders in the population reference, while the effective number of ancestors (fa) was 43.The genetic contribution of the 15 most influent ancestors explained 50% of the genetic variability in the dataset. The ratio fe/fa, representing the effect of population bottleneck, was 1.302. The average inbreeding coefficients for the whole pedigree was 2.36%, while it was 3.84% for inbred animals. It was found that the inbreeding coefficient (Fi) increased with the addition of each generation to the pedigree. The average relatedness coefficient was 4.53% between members of the population.The effect of individual inbreeding (Fi) or the change in inbreeding (DFi) was not significant on the lamb live weights, except the effect of individual inbreeding (Fi) on three-month body weight and average daily gain (0-3month) and of change in inbreeding (DFi) on three-month body weight. From the analysis of the pedigree data of Bharat Merino sheep, it was found that the most of the measures of genetic diversity were within acceptable limits and the pedigree data was reasonably well maintained. When inbreeding was accounted for in the model, there were reductions in h2 estimates as well as the estimates of breeding values for both 3WT and ADG1 and consequently there were changes in ranking of animals for both 3WT and ADG1.&nbsp;</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Genetic Variability of Bharat Merino Sheep Derived from Pedigree Information</div>

<div>Background: Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] is a self pollinated crop, belonging to family fabaceae and sub family papilionaceae. It is an important multipurpose grain legume extensively cultivated in arid and semi arid regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Central and South America. The assessment of variability present in any crop species is an essential pre requisite for formulating an effective breeding programme, as the existing variability can be used to enhance the yield level of cultivars after following appropriate breeding strategies. 
 
Methods: The present investigation was carried out during the Kharif season of the year 2019. The field experiment was carried out at Pulses Research Station, NAU, Navsari in randomized block design. The study was undertaken on fifty three genotypes of cowpea to know the variability present among genotypes for thirteen&nbsp; traits and correlation and path analysis of yield components. 
 
Result: Analysis of variance indicated significant genotypic differences for all the characters under study. The highest GCV was recorded for plant height, pods per plant, pods per cluster, seed yield per plant, straw yield per plant, 100 seed weight and harvest index. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was exhibited by days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, plant weight, seed yield per plant, 100 seed weight, pod length, pods per cluster and seeds per pod indicating the presence of additive gene action. Seed yield per plant was found to be positively and significantly correlated with pods per plant, pods per cluster, pod length, days to 50 per cent flowering and straw yield per plant or seed yield per plant. The present study has indicated the need for giving due weightage to pods per plant, pods per cluster, seeds per pod, 100 seed weight, pod length with straw yield per plant for improving seed yield in cowpea.</div>

Genetic Variability, Correlation and Path Analysis in Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp]

Background: Collar rot of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) caused by Aspergillus niger is a significant constraint in groundnut cultivation and responsible for huge economic losses in India including Rajasthan. 
 
Methods: By surveying of eight major groundnut growing districts of Rajasthan, India, one representative Aspergillus niger isolate from each district was established (ANBK-01= Bikaner, ANCH-02= Churu, ANDA-03= Dausa, ANJP-04= Jaipur, ANJL-05= Jalore, ANJD-06= Jodhpur, ANNG-07= Nagaur and ANSK-08= Sikar) for studying variability in the pathogen as well as to know the response of groundnut varieties to the highly virulent isolate. The colony and spore characteristics were observed for cultural and morphological variability. For resistance response to the disease, ten varieties (M-13, RG-633-9, RG-382, Girnar-2, RG-604, RG-578, Gajraj 10, RG-510, RG-632-1 and RG-644) were evaluated in the field for two consecutive years against a highly virulent Aspergillus niger (ANJP-04) isolate.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Our investigations cleared that all the isolates were showed cultural and morphological variability such as shape, colour and size of colony and size of conidia, conidiophores and columella. Isolate (ANJP-04) collected from Khejroli village of Chomu tehsil in Jaipur district showed maximum mycelial growth, conidia diameter, length and diameter of conidiophores and length and diameter of columella, early sporulation and found most virulent as it produced higher disease incidence (54.43%). Ten released varieties of groundnut in the field conditions, revealed that none of the variety was found completely free from the disease whereas RG-644, M-13 and RG-510 were found resistant while RG-604, Girnar-2, Gajraj-10 and RG-632-1 were found moderately resistant and rest were found susceptible to highly susceptible to the disease. Conclusively, it can be finalized that famers may cultivate these resistant varieties in areas where collar rot is a severe constraint. The conclusion of this study can also be utilized to screen varieties/genotypes of groundnut against highly virulent isolate for sustainability of breeding material to the disease effectively.

Variability and Virulence Analysis of Aspergillus niger Isolates Causing Collar Rot of Groundnut

<div style="text-align: justify;">This work aimed at exploring the genetic variability, population structure and relationships of Lathyrus sativus L. germplasm using isozyme analysis. The data of isozyme analysis revealed 12 putative polymorphic loci of a total 33 alleles, indicating that studied accessions express good allelic richness and had an apparent rate of allogamy. The mean average of the expected heterozygosity (0.483) was more than the mean average of the observed heterozygosity (0.449) suggesting an apparent rate of allogamy taking place in Lathyrus sativus L. The average of total heterozygosity (HT) and intra-accessional genetic diversity (HS) were 0.559 and 0.428 respectively indicating that majority of genetic diversity was intra-accessional. The low levels and non-significant of genetic diversity among accessions (DST = 0.190, X2 = 62.59, p = 0.029) were probably indicative of occurrence of several gene flows. The coefficient of gene differentiation (GST) showed significant variation, suggesting the heterogonous distribution of L. sativus accessions among different geographic regions. The mean average of FST was 0.327, suggesting the occurrence of random mating system for the studied accessions and reflecting adaptation to strong environmental dissimilarities. Cluster analysis based on isozyme data suggested that the environment had no influence on the genetic diversity and confirmed that Lathyrus sativus L. had a polyphyletic origin.&nbsp;</div>

Isozyme analysis of genetic variability and population structure of Lathyrus sativus L. germplasm

<div>Background: Triticum aestivum L. (Wheat) is vital grain crop used globally as a staple food. The increasing population is posing a great challenge for agriculture sector especially to secure the availability of wheat. In Pakistan, from the last few years&rsquo; wheat productivity has improved but it is still far less than other countries. Its low productivity is attributed to various factors like weeds, pests, diseases, soil fertility and moisture. To overcome these obstacles, there is a dire need to assess the genetic variability of wheat by rapid and reliable methods. Observations for nine morphological traits were noted and analysis was done at 0.05 probability level. 
 
Methods:&nbsp;To study the genetic variability in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes a field experiment was done during 2017 and 2018 at two different locations Rara and Danna of Muzaffarabad. Hundred wheat genotypes were investigated by using simple lattice design with 4 replications. Analysis of the observations for nine morphological traits was carried out at 0.05 probability. 
 
Result: High values for phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) were noted for grain yield (16.44 and 17.07%) and (14.75 and 15.94%) at both locations, separately. High heritability were obtained for plant height (98.80%) harvest index (96.84), thousand grain weight (95.47), spike length (94.91) and grain yield (92.80) at Rara and&nbsp; plant height (98.09), thousand grain weight (95.66), harvest index (93.32) and number of grain (91.28) at Danna. High genetic advance values were noted for number of tiller (53.45 and 42.89) at both locations. It is concluded from this research that estimation of the variability, heritability and genetic advance in the wheat genotypes (Triticum aestivum L.) is important in the plant breeding, because it might be used for improvement of novel varieties by breeders of wheat at relevant location.</div>

​​Genetic Variability of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Different Agro-climatic Zone of Western Himalayan Region of Pakistan

<div>Ruminal dysfunction affects the productive response of cattle, this activity can be monitored with the use of intra-ruminal electronic devices. In this sense, an intra-ruminal real-time monitoring system for body temperature and pH sensing to have precise information on ruminal activity in grazing cows was developed. Hence, suitable sensor technology was identified for measuring variables, together with a wireless communication system based on Radio Frequency protocol. Components were incorporated into a commercial digital platform, which stores data and has a visual interface. Performance of the prototype was validated in two stages. (i) In a simulated rumen environment with controlled pH and temperature variations and (ii) An in vivo clinical trial with a cannulated cow to assess the response of the device. System autonomy operated ~24 hours. It sensed and transmitted information in real-time to a remote base 70 meters away. The prototype provides in vivo data similar to its in vitro data (R &gt; 0.90; p &lt; 0.05).&nbsp;</div>