Collection and evaluation of Hedychium species of Manipur, Northeast India
NE India is considered as one of the centre of diversity of gingers having a total account of 24 species out of the 65 valid species found in the world. Manipur is one of the seven states of NE India with a mere area of 0.7% out of the total area of India. This paper focuses on the distribution, classification and evaluation of Hedychium species collected from Manipur. A total of 11 species were collected, identified and classified based on their morphological characteristics. The species are identified as Hedychium rubrum A.S. Rao et Verma, H. coronarium Koenig, H. chrysoleucum Hook., H. coccineum Buch.-Ham., H. thrysiforme Ker-Gawl., H. flavescens Carey ex Roscoe, H. stenopetalum Lodd., H. urophyllum Lodd., H. marginatum Clarke, H. villosum Wall. and H. elatum R. Brown. Evaluation of its botanical characteristics are also conducted. Analytical hierarchy process method is used in this paper to address the possibility of analysing the potential of these diverse Hedychium resources based on their ornamental, adaptability and utilisation potential which was evaluated on 12 indicator points. H. elatum scored the highest overall index making it the most potential species for sustainable exploitation followed by H. coronarium while H. villosum ranked the lowest.
Notes on Hedychium Koenig, Including Four New Species from Khasi & Jaintia Hills, Assam
Four new species of Hedychium Koenig: H. calcaratum, H. dekianum, H. gracillimum and H. rubrum are described from K.&J. Hills, Assam with analytical illustrations. Critical additional descriptive notes are also included in respect of a few other species.
Genetics of the phenotypic evolution in sheep: a molecular look at diversity-driving genes
Background After domestication, the evolution of phenotypically-varied sheep breeds has generated rich biodiversity. This wide phenotypic variation arises as a result of hidden genomic changes that range from a single nucleotide to several thousands of nucleotides. Thus, it is of interest and significance to reveal and understand the genomic changes underlying the phenotypic variation of sheep breeds in order to drive selection towards economically important traits. Review Various traits contribute to the emergence of variation in sheep phenotypic characteristics, including coat color, horns, tail, wool, ears, udder, vertebrae, among others. The genes that determine most of these phenotypic traits have been investigated, which has generated knowledge regarding the genetic determinism of several agriculturally-relevant traits in sheep. In this review, we discuss the genomic knowledge that has emerged in the past few decades regarding the phenotypic traits in sheep, and our ultimate aim is to encourage its practical application in sheep breeding. In addition, in order to expand the current understanding of the sheep genome, we shed light on research gaps that require further investigation. Conclusions Although significant research efforts have been conducted in the past few decades, several aspects of the sheep genome remain unexplored. For the full utilization of the current knowledge of the sheep genome, a wide practical application is still required in order to boost sheep productive performance and contribute to the generation of improved sheep breeds. The accumulated knowledge on the sheep genome will help advance and strengthen sheep breeding programs to face future challenges in the sector, such as climate change, global human population growth, and the increasing demand for products of animal origin.