Central Tuber Crops Research Institute

About: Central Tuber Crops Research Institute is a facility organization based out in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Starch & Fermentation. The organization has 475 authors who have published 587 publications receiving 10285 citations.

Morphological characterization of above ground characters of taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott.] from North East India

Abstract: Taro [ Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott], belonging to the family Araceae, is a major tuber crop grown in the tropical and sub-tropical regions. It is reported to possess medicinal values in addition to being a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. As the North Eastern states of India are regarded to be one of the primary centers of origin of taro, a considerable level of diversity is expected among these accessions. Therefore, the present study attempts to morphologically characterize 25 taro accessions collected from different North Eastern states of India using 27 above ground characters based on a combination of NBPGR/IPGRI descriptors. PCA analysis revealed 3 principal components revealing 67.7% of the variability. The dendrogram generated using the R statistical package grouped the accessions into 2 broad clusters, which were further divided into 2 and 5 sub-clusters, respectively. It was also observed that geographically similar accessions were grouped under different clusters. In addition to supporting breeding and germplasm conservation programmes, the data can serve as a baseline for correlation with other types of markers.

Discovery of elytral thermo-receptor sensilla in three species of coleopterans- a comparative morphology study

Abstract: Coleopterans are all hard in physic and are tougher to withstand fatalities due to random or blind flight. This unusually thick chitinous cuticle is definitely an evolutionary gift in the foresaid sense while this doesn’t correlate with the extraordinary olfactory and thermo-reception properties, the family execute in general. Current study gain its base in this quest and to understand the mechanism, examination of the distribution and function of the receptive sensilla in the body surface of three coleopteran insects viz. Odoiporus longicollis Oliver, Cosmopolitus sordidus Germer and Pollitus mellerborgi Bough was carried out. The sensilla discovered on the surface of the elytral cuticle were observed using light and scanning electron microscopy. The thermal sensitivity of the elytral-sensilla was proven by providing various temperature exposures. Though these sensilla are observed in common they exhibit slight morphological variations that fine tune the niche boundary between the three closely related species.

Exploration of D1/D2 domain of large-subunit ribosomal DNA for specific detection of Sclerotium rolfsii by polymerase chain reaction assay

Abstract: Collar rot disease of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is an important disease existing in all Amorphophallus growing areas. The pathogen propagules present in soil and planting material form key basis of inoculum. This study presents the aptness of D1/D2 domain of large-subunit ribosomal DNA (rDNA-LSU) for PCR based detection of S. rolfsii. The detection limit of conventional PCR was 10 pg and that of nested PCR was 100 fg of pathogen DNA. The designed primer was found to be highly specific and could be used for accurate identification of pathogen up to the species level. The protocol was standardized for detection of the pathogen in artificially and naturally infected field samples. The PCR-based method developed here could be used for both disease diagnosis and pathogen monitoring, as well as in guiding plant disease management.

Biology of Oriental Mealybug, Rhizoecus amorphophalli Betremand and its Coccinellid Predator, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant on Elephant Foot Yam

Abstract: Elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson) is an important tropical tuber crop in India.The oriental mealybug, Rhizoecus amorphophalli Betrem caused10-15% damage to the corms of elephant foot yam during storage under Bhubaneswar, Odisha conditions.Williams (1985) reported the presence of Rhizoecus spp.in some root crops in India, and for the first time, R. amorphophalli was reported from Kerala. R. amorphophalli are sexually dimorphic. Female mealybugs went through four developmental stages or instars, and adults laid up to approximately 600±23 eggs, in a cottony-like ovisac beneath its body. After hatching (6 to 14 days), the crawlers, moved away from the cocoon and searched for suitable feeding sites in sheltered areas. It was the most fragile and easily controlled stage. The crawlers and adults sucked and desapped the cell content of corms which affected the quality of elephant foot yam corms. The juveniles passed through four moults before reaching adult stage. In the case of males, the last juvenile instar pupated in a silk cocoon and emerged as a winged adult.