<div>Background: Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins which perform diverse roles in plants. One important role is in plant defense. These proteins hold great potential as entomotoxic proteins as a part of integrated pest management.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Lectins were purified and characterized from seeds of two legumes, Glycine max-Soybean and Lens culinaris-Lentil, employing ammonium sulfate fractionation and ion exchange chromatography. Bioefficacy of the purified lectins was evaluated against mustard aphid. 
 
Result: Lectins isolated from seeds of soybean (Glycine max agglutinin GMA-I, II) and lentil (Lens culinaris agglutinin LCA-I) were purified upto 9.30 (GMA-I), 4.60 (GMA-II) and 8.70 (LCA-I) fold, respectively. Lectin characterization revealed that soybean agglutinin and lentil agglutinin were specific towards D-Galactose and D-mannose, respectively. Insect bioassay was carried out with five different concentrations (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 &micro;g/ml) of purified lectins of soybean and lentil against mustard aphid. The lethal concentration LC50 value for GMA-I was obtained as 32.1 &micro;g/ml with a 95% confidential interval of 18.2 to 40.5 &micro;g/ml and that of LCA-I was 19.1 &micro;g/ml with a 95% confidential interval of 9.3 to 26.8 &micro;g/ml. Lentil lectin (LCA-I) with lower LC50 value, was found to be the potential candidate for integrated pest management.</div>

<div style="text-align:justify">Purification, Characterization and Bioefficacy of Legume Lectins against Mustard Aphid</div>

<div>Background: Greengram or mungbean is a diploid (2n=22) autogamous leguminous crop. The average global yield is low and stagnant over years in the entire tropical and subtropical Asia. Any improvement in the yield is hard, predominantly because of pest infestation and diseases. Viral diseases result in significant financial losses due to drop in seed yield and quality in many important crops including greengram. Mungbean yellow mosaic disease (MYMD) can lead to yield loss up to 85% in greengram in epidemic conditions. 
 
Methods: The present study was conducted at Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University during the period August-October 2020 in three crosses of greengram viz., PLM 506 x IC 76417, PLM 506 x IC 76381 and IC 398746 x IC 76417. The mean data of five basic generations viz., P1, P2, F1, F2 and F3 of three crosses were evaluated. Populations were screened for MYMV disease resistance by employing infector row method. Scaling test was done using the mean values of various generations for the characters. Significance of scale C suggested dominance x dominance (l) type of gene interaction, whereas the significance of scale D showed additive x additive (i) type of gene interaction. The significance of any of the scaling tests proposes inefficacy of simple additive-dominance model. Five genetic effects viz., mean effect (m), additive (d), dominance (h), additive x additive (i) and dominance x dominance (l) was estimated. 
 
Result: Hundred-seed weight showed additive-dominance model in the cross PLM 506 x IC 76417. The additive as well as additive x additive type of gene action were in control of number(s) of clusters per plant, percentage of disease infection and most of yield components in the cross PLM 506 x IC 76417. Hence, selection at a later generation is effective to improve these traits. Pod length was controlled by additive gene action in the cross PLM 506 x IC 76381, whereas percentage of disease infection showed additive-dominance model. The additive as well as additive x additive type of gene action were in control of plant height and most of yield components in the cross PLM 506 x IC 76381. In the case of other traits, epistatic model was evidenced. Hence, selection needs to be postponed to a later generation. Based on gene action, these crosses may be employed to evolve high yielding plants with MYMV disease resistance.</div>

Generation Mean Analysis for Yield, its Components and MYMV Disease Resistance in Greengram [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

In the present study, generation mean analysis and chi-square test were undertaken to estimate the nature and magnitude of gene action for yield and its component traits; and inheritance pattern of seed colour and lustre in two crosses of mungbean viz Sona/ DMS 03-17-2 and Sona/ DMS 01-34-2. Scaling and joint scaling tests revealed the presence of one or more kinds of epistatic effects for almost all the agro-morphological traits. The selection of elite lines from delayed generations and subsequent inter mating might be useful approach to recover/ develop the high yielding mungbean lines. The elite lines recovered from crosses Sona/ DMS 03-17-2 and Sona/ DMS 01-34-2 might be superior in terms of early maturity with more number of branches, pods high seed index, biomass and yield. Likewise, crosses i.e. Sona/ DMS 03-17-2 for average intermodal length; Sona/ DMS 01-34-2 for NSP; may give opportunity to isolate transgressive segregants in advanced generations. There was also a possibility to recover the yellow and shiny seeded mungbean lines due to its monogenic inheritance of seed coat colour and lusture.&nbsp; 
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Generation mean analysis to estimate the genetic parameters for yield&nbsp;improvement and inheritance of seed colour and lusture in&nbsp;mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]&nbsp;

Purification, Characterization and Bioefficacy of Legume Lectins against Mustard Aphid

Generation Mean Analysis for Yield, its Components and MYMV Disease Resistance in Greengram [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

Generation mean analysis to estimate the genetic parameters for yield improvement and inheritance of seed colour and lusture in mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]