<div>Hybrid seed production technology requires cross pollination between parents of choice. Several physical and chemical techniques including manual or mechanical emasculation and male gametocide chemicals have been introduced each with respective disadvantages. Easy and quick technique such as environment sensitive male sterility is effected by environmental irregularities. Identification of commercial use of genetic means of male sterility systems like GMS and CGMS have brought revolutionary benefits to hybrid seed industry in many crops to feed an ever increasing human population. However, these strategies are complicated, laborious and require more cropping area for parental increase and maintenance including employment of sophisticated backcross breeding for line conversion and search for suitable restorers. The biotechnological methods (BMS) simplified the strategies each in its own approach, though having certain disadvantages too as for example, dual component Barnase/Barstar and Cystein protease/Cystatin approach needed herbicidal spray. The next generation hybrid breeding systems were developed utilising GMS system under nuclear control avoiding search for suitable restorers and cytoplasm-nuclear interactions. The era of genomics assisted breeding has facilitated well characterised study of several crop genes including male fertility genes which is a never ending approach. In combination with transgenic and genome editing approaches, the next generation hybrid breeding systems such as &ldquo;Seed Production Technology&rdquo; (SPT), &ldquo;Multi Control Sterility&rdquo; (MCS) and &ldquo;MGM-Maintainer approach&rdquo; have provided easy and well defined mode of utilising male sterility for hybrid seed production bypassing all the complications of traditional techniques.</div>

Next Generation Hybrid Seed Production Methods-Superior and Beneficial Biotechnological Approaches: A Review

Background: The global rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to public health, emphasizing the urgent need for accurate, rapid and efficient detection methods. Conventional approaches for detecting AMR genes typically involve bacterial isolation followed by DNA extraction-procedures that are time-consuming, involve multiple steps and are not well-suited for routine screening. This study aimed to optimize a direct PCR method for the detection of AMR genes and to apply the standardized protocol for screening these genes in various sample types. 
 
Methods: A total of 150 samples (50 samples from each category) were collected from Chennai district, Tamil Nadu, India. The bacteria was isolated following standard protocols, DNA was extracted and PCR amplication was done to detect the presence of AMR genes. In the Direct PCR Master, PCR amplification was done directly from samples without the need for prior DNA extraction.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Escherichia coli was most prevalent in cloacal samples, followed by chicken meat and water, whereas Staphylococcus aureus was predominantly found in chicken meat, followed by water and cloacal samples. Regardless of the source, the genes tetA, sul1 and blaOXA-1 were consistently detected in E. coli, while tetA, sul1 and qnrA were most prevalent in S. aureus isolates. When comparing conventional culture dependent method with the direct PCR method, the latter showed a high concordance rate (&gt;76%) with the culture-dependent method, demonstrating strong sensitivity and specificity for most target genes. Additionally, the direct PCR approach offers several advantages, including reduced risk of contamination, a simplified workflow and shorter turnaround times. These benefits make it a promising alternative for rapid detection of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, especially in resource-limited settings or during outbreak situations.

Rapid Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Genes by Direct PCR Method: A Comparative Study with Culture-dependent Method

<div style="text-align: justify;">Decades of documented successful pieces of evidence in agritech have shown us a clear picture of the importance of biotechnology in crop improvement. The production in agriculture should have steady growth and to achieve these objective conventional methods should go on parallel with biotechnological approaches. Genetic engineering which has revolutionized the path of crop improvement involves the identification and transfer of novel genes into the existing elite cultivars. Different methods of transferring the gene into plant cells have been developed and continuous efforts have been made to increase its efficiency. Both direct and indirect method of gene transfer has its own merits and demerits. Efforts have been made continuously to eliminate drawbacks and to develop an easy, elite and eco-friendly method to transfer genes. The transformation method which is a base of genetic engineering is vital and Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer and gene gun have shown to be doing well in recent years. As a whole the methodology involved, merits and demerits of different methods have been briefly discussed.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Genetic Transformation Methods for Crop Improvement- A Brief Review</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">An experiment was conducted during 2014-2015 to standardize the seed testing method in Kabuli chickpea MNK-1 by number of seeds and number of germination papers. Among the different testing methods 25 seeds per replication recorded highest seed germination percentage (91.58%), less number of fresh un-germinated seeds (1.91%), abnormal seedlings (4.00%), diseased seeds (2.33%) and significantly higher seedling vigour index-I and II (2215 and 6863), among the number of germination papers used 2+1 &nbsp;as in between paper method(Bottom 2 and one paper above) recorded significantly higher germination percentage (92.12%), less number of fresh un-germinated seeds (1.41%), abnormal seedlings (3.66%), diseased seeds (2.33%) and significantly higher seedling vigour index-I and II (2463 and 6900), when compared to other. Irrespective of number of germination paper and seeds used however, interaction of 25 seeds per replication and 2+1 between paper method of seed germination testing showed significantly germination percentage (96.50%), less number of fresh un-germinated seeds (0.00%), abnormal seedlings (1.00%), diseased seeds (1.00%) and significantly higher seedling vigour index-I and II (2844 and 7792) followed by 50 seeds per replication.&nbsp;</div>

An improved method of seed germination testing in Kabuli chickpea

<div style="text-align: justify;">Black Soybean is highly nutritious legume of Uttarakhand but its hard seed coat reduces the nutrient availability to consumer. Attempt was made in this experiment to study effect of processing method on proximate composition of black soybean. Four Kilograms of black soybean was taken and subjected to three different processing methods like germination, roasting and cow urine treatment while one group was taken as control. Results indicated highly significant (Pd&rdquo;0.01) differences in dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, ash and crude fibre content of black soybean among different groups compared to control. All processing methods were effective in improving nutritional value of black soybean thereby increasing its utilization in foods and food formulations.</div>

Effect of processing method on nutritional quality of black soybean

Background: Direct wet seeding offers the advantage of faster and easier sowing, reduced labour and less drudgery, 7-10 days earlier crop maturity, more efficient water use and higher tolerance to water deficit, less methane emission, and often higher profit in areas with assured water supply. There is a possibility of intercropping green manures during early growth stage of rice with less interference on the crop growth, which also smothering the weed growth to enhance the productivity of wet direct seeded rice. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted during Kharif, 2019 and 2020 at the Department of Rice, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, to study the time of sowing and method of sowing under wet direct seeded rice. The experimental trial was laid out in split plot design with three replications. Treatments comprising of time of sowing in main plot viz., normal sowing time in first fortnight of July and delayed sowing time in second fortnight of July. In sub-plot, method of sowing viz., broadcasting method, line sowing method, paddy drum seeder method, paddy + dhaincha drum seeder method and direct planting method.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The results revealed that, sowing of wet direct seeded rice during first fortnight of July month by using Paddy + Dhaincha drum seeder method recorded higher grain yield of 5707 kg/ha which resulted 33 per cent higher yield than that of broadcasting method.

Effect of Time and Method of Sowing in Wet Direct Seeded Rice

<div>Harvesting methods adopted for paddy crop are largely dependent on the land size of the farmers. Mechanized methods are completely implemented by the farmers of medium and large categories. On the other hand, the marginal and small farmers are struggling between manual and mechanized methods because of unavailability of implements that can suit to their land size an economic level. Cutting and threshing operations are performed separately which are responsible for more input cost and grain loss. Various methods of harvesting were studied and the loss of grain associated with the methods is emphasized. In manual method, before threshing, the cutting, collecting, bundling and transportation operation requires which consumes time, energy and cost and increase the grain loss significantly. In mechanized methods, the time, energy and input cost can be minimized. The manual crop cutting requires about 8 to 12 and 25 to 45 times, respectively, more man-hours per hectare compared to rotary blade cutter and vertical conveyor reaper. The field capacity of manual harvesting methods is 4 to 10 times less than the mechanized methods.</div>

Harvesting and Threshing Methods for Paddy-I: A Review

<div>Background: Milk-derived exosomes (MDEs) are stable, nanosized extracellular vesicles secreted by mammary epithelial cells, encapsulating bioactive proteins, lipids and nucleic acids within a phospholipid bilayer. Their stability and resistance to enzymatic degradation make them promising candidates for targeted delivery systems and nutraceutical applications. This study standardized a robust, reproducible protocol for isolating high-purity MDEs from Bos indicus (Sahiwal), Bos taurus (Holstein Friesian) and crossbred (Karan Fries) cows and evaluated subspecies-specific variations in their properties. 
 
Methods: Differential ultracentrifugation and precipitation kit based methods using specific polymers were compared for efficiency, yield and preservation of exosomal integrity. Comprehensive characterization comprising transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, nanoparticle tracking analysis and western blotting for exosomal markers. 
 
Result: Our results demonstrate that differential ultracentrifugation is the superior method for yielding morphologically intact, homogeneous MDEs from large milk volumes, irrespective of the milk source. This precision was crucial, as it allowed us to discern subtle but significant subspecies-specific differences. MDEs from Bos indicus exhibited a markedly smaller particle size than those from Bos taurus and crossbreds. This distinction is critical because exosome size directly impacts their functional performance and utility. Bos indicus MDEs potentially offer enhanced cellular uptake and bioactivity, while larger MDEs from taurine and crossbred cattle may be advantageous for delivering bulkier molecular cargos or modulating immune responses. This work not only validates an optimized isolation technique for large-scale recovery of high-quality MDEs but also highlights bovine subspecies nanostructural traits with implications for pr&eacute;cised applications in dairy biotechnology and healthcare. Identification of smaller, potentially more bioavailable MDEs from Bos indicus highlights the importance of native cattle resources for high value therapeutic applications, promoting value addition and sustainable utilization of native cattle genetic resources.</div>

Comparative Evaluation of Isolation Methods on the Biophysical Properties of Milk Derived Exosomes from Bovine Subspecies

<div>Background: The present investigation is an attempt to study the effect of different harvesting and threshing methods on germination and seedling vigour of dhaincha. The use of a combine harvester to harvest dhaincha will be an effective alternative method that has not been widely tried. However, work on different methods of harvesting and threshing of dhaincha is limited. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate the impact of various harvesting and threshing methods on germination and seedling vigour of dhaincha. 
 
Methods: This study was conducted at Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, TNAU, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. The dhaincha crop was harvested and threshed using four different methods viz., manual harvesting and manual threshing, manual harvesting and threshing by tractor treading, manual harvesting and mechanical threshing&nbsp;and harvesting and threshing by combine harvester. The resultant seeds were tested for mechanical damage and germination potential. The experiment was laid in completely randomized block design. Germination was tested by roll towel method using 100 seeds in four replications. Germination percentage, root and shoot length were measured in seven days after sowing from ten randomly selected seedlings in each replication. For the estimation of dry matter production, ten seedlings were selected at random and kept in a hot air oven maintained at 85oC for 24 hours after measuring their root and shoot length and vigour index was calculated. Mechanical damage to seeds was observed by ferric chloride test. Seed recovery per cent was calculated based on the 100 kgs of dhaincha seeds were cleaned and graded treatment wise using cleaner cum grader and the seeds retained on the bottom sieve were weighed and expressed as per cent of total quantity of seed. 
 
Result: The results revealed that the significant difference was found among the different harvesting and threshing methods. The seeds harvested and threshed by manual method recorded 85 per cent germination followed by seeds harvested manually and threshed by mechanical threshing (84 per cent) and seeds harvested manually and threshed by tractor treading (80.5 per cent). The lowest germination of 80.0 per cent was recorded by combine harvesting. From this study, it could be inferred that combine harvester is a modern method for harvesting of dhaincha that saves time and labour when compared to all other methods.</div>

Harvesting and Threshing Methods on Seed Quality of&nbsp;Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata)

<div style="text-align:justify">
This review deals with the various traditional and recent methods of sire evaluation. A sire evaluation is a method of prediction of sire&rsquo;s next-generation produced by breeding with specified females and creating their records in a specific environment. Breeding worth of progeny tested sires are obtained through sire index method that assigns ranking to each sire based on their genetic merit. Numerous sire indices are broadly classified in two type&rsquo;s viz., indices which are purely meant for ranking purposes and those which, besides, provide an estimate of the breeding worth of each sire. Sires can be evaluated in single or multiple herds. The statistical equations represent sire evaluation as linear or non-linear methods. Numerous methods can be incorporated as the advances are made in sire evaluation based on data structures, breeding approaches and selection methods. There are various approaches of sire evaluation such as Least Squares Method (LSM), Simple Regressed Least Squares (SRLS), Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) and Derivative-Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (DFREML) for single as well as multiple trait models which can be used to derive genetic worth of an individual. An efficient method of sire evaluation shows minimum within sire variance or error variance.&nbsp;
</div>