Biological Science: Research Developments and Innovations Vol. 5

Botanical Legacy of Dr. E. K. Janaki Ammal: An Authenticated Catalogue of Plant Specimens Preserved at the Botanical Survey of India, Central Regional Centre Herbarium (BSA), Prayagraj, (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India

2026-10-13T10:03:33+00:00

Herbaria are invaluable repositories of plant diversity, preserving authenticated voucher specimens that serve as fundamental resources for taxonomy, systematics, floristics, biodiversity conservation and historical ecological research. Historical herbarium collections provide permanent records of species occurrence and continue to support modern studies in taxonomy, nomenclature, biodiversity informatics and conservation planning. Among the distinguished botanical collections preserved in India are those made by Dr. E. K. Janaki Ammal (1897–1984), an eminent botanist and cytogeneticist whose pioneering contributions to plant cytogenetics, economic botany and botanical exploration have had a lasting impact on Indian plant sciences. The present study documents and authenticates the herbarium specimens collected by Dr. Janaki Ammal that are preserved at the Botanical Survey of India, Central Regional Centre Herbarium (BSA), Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India.

All herbarium specimens attributed to Dr. Janaki Ammal were critically examined, and label information, including the accepted scientific name, family, herbarium accession number, collection date and collector's field number, was compiled and verified. Scientific names were updated using Plants of the World Online (POWO) and World Flora Online (WFO), while the family classification for angiosperms follows the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV (APG IV) system. The authenticated collection comprises 558 herbarium accessions, representing 272 taxa, 195 genera and 69 vascular plant families. The collection is taxonomically diverse, with the greatest representation from families such as Poaceae, Verbenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Lamiaceae, Asteraceae and Moraceae, reflecting the extensive botanical interests and field explorations of Dr. Janaki Ammal during the 1950s–1970s.

The present catalogue provides a verified inventory of a historically significant herbarium collection and contributes to the documentation and preservation of India's botanical heritage. The authenticated dataset enhances the accessibility of these collections for taxonomic revision, floristic investigations, biodiversity assessment, herbarium digitisation and biodiversity informatics. Furthermore, this study preserves the scientific legacy of Dr. E. K. Janaki Ammal by highlighting the enduring value of historical herbarium collections as indispensable resources for contemporary botanical research and long-term biodiversity conservation.

Small RNAs at the Plant–Pathogen Interface: Cross-Kingdom Communication, Virulence and Disease Resistance

2026-10-13T10:13:25+00:00

Small RNAs have moved from being viewed mainly as intracellular regulators of plant gene expression to candidate mobile effectors exchanged between plants and their pathogens. This critical narrative review evaluates the evidence that small RNAs mediate cross-kingdom communication during plant disease, with emphasis on fungal and oomycete pathosystems in which donor origin, recipient machinery, molecular targets and disease phenotypes can be assessed mechanistically. Literature published from 2004 to 18 July 2026 was considered through searches of multidisciplinary and life-science scholarly sources, supplemented by citation tracing and verification of bibliographic metadata and digital object identifiers. The strongest evidence supports bidirectional RNA interference in a limited set of systems rather than a universal mechanism. Pathogen-derived small RNAs can exploit host Argonaute complexes to suppress immunity, while plant-derived microRNAs and small interfering RNAs can silence pathogen virulence or fitness genes. Recent work has strengthened causal models by identifying fungal RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and Argonaute requirements, clathrin-mediated entry of fungal extracellular vesicles, plant RNA-binding proteins associated with exported small RNAs, pathogen effectors that antagonise host RNA transport, and host competing endogenous RNA modules that buffer pathogen small-RNA activity. At the same time, major uncertainties remain. Mixed-tissue sequencing can misassign RNA origin, target prediction is frequently treated as stronger evidence than it warrants, silencing mutants can be pleiotropic, and extracellular-vesicle preparations may contain substantial non-vesicular ribonucleoprotein-associated RNA. Negative results in the wheat-Zymoseptoria tritici system and interspecific differences in environmental RNA uptake show that cross-kingdom RNA interference is conditional on recipient competence and pathosystem biology. Host-induced and spray-induced gene silencing are therefore best understood as exploitable RNA-silencing technologies whose success does not by itself prove a natural trafficking route. Progress now depends on quantitative, cell-resolved and genetically reversible demonstrations of RNA origin, transport, target engagement and disease relevance across diverse crops and pathogens.

Hematological Biomarkers of Metal-Associated Stress in Freshwater Murrel Channa striata: A Seasonal Assessment from the Kharun River, Central India

2026-10-13T10:17:55+00:00

Freshwater fish integrate environmental stressors and can provide biological evidence of river condition. This study assessed spatial and seasonal patterns in six haematological indicators—haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell count (RBC), white blood cell count (WBC), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC)—in Channa striata collected from three locations in the Kharun River near Kumhari, Chhattisgarh: an upstream reference zone, an industrial-effluent meeting point, and a downstream zone. River water was assessed for Fe, Cd, Pb, Ni, and Hg, and the reported contamination gradient was considered alongside fish blood characteristics. Across summer, monsoon, and winter, Hb, RBC, PCV, MCV, and MCHC consistently decreased from upstream to downstream, whereas WBC increased. Downstream Hb was approximately 29% lower than upstream values, RBC was 36–39% lower, and WBC was 65–71% higher across seasons. When seasonal means were considered, downstream changes were approximately −29.0% for Hb, −38.1% for RBC, −27.5% for PCV, −14.2% for MCV, −19.9% for MCHC, and +68.2% for WBC. These coordinated responses are compatible with reduced oxygen-transport capacity and increased stress/immune activity. However, the field design does not establish causation by any single metal. The findings support the use of multi-parameter haematology as an early-warning component of freshwater biomonitoring while emphasising the need for cautious interpretation of mixed-contaminant field data.

Incidence of Stored Grain Coleopteran Infestation in Domestically Stored Split Red Lentil (Lens culinaris): A Field Observation and Short Communication

2026-10-13T10:23:12+00:00

Stored pulses are vulnerable to insect infestation during household and small-scale storage, with consequent quantitative and qualitative losses. This short communication documents a household-level coleopteran infestation in split red lentil (Lens culinaris) stored in a sealed glass jar in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, during September 2026. Visual examination and photographic documentation showed localised patches of fine greyish-beige frass within the grain mass and numerous small, free-moving beetles on the inner jar surface above the grain. Close-range images indicated small, oval to broadly elliptical, convex-bodied adults approximately 2–3 mm long, with reddish-brown to dark brown colouration, filiform antennae, and well-developed legs. The observed combination of diffuse feeding or boring dust and adult morphology was compared with features of common stored-pulse beetles, particularly Callosobruchus spp. and Tribolium castaneum. Because the lentil was split and dehusked, the damage pattern was considered more compatible with external or secondary feeding than with concealed larval development alone, although bruchid involvement could not be excluded. Species-level identification was not attempted because microscopic examination, taxonomic keying, and genitalic assessment were not performed. The observation illustrates the practical value of routine inspection, segregation of infested stock, drying, sieving, and airtight re-storage, while emphasising that photographic evidence supports only provisional taxonomic assessment. Laboratory examination of representative specimens is required for definitive identification.

Integrated Agronomic Management for Sustainable Cropping Systems: Linking Sulphur Nutrition, Plant Growth-Promoting Inputs, Organic Amendments and Crop Diversification

2026-10-13T10:26:46+00:00

Sustainable crop production increasingly depends on managing interacting constraints rather than correcting single nutrient deficiencies or deploying isolated inputs. Sulphur (S) deficiency, variable field performance of plant growth-promoting microbial inputs, declining soil organic matter, and simplified crop sequences are often treated as separate agronomic problems, although each influences nutrient turnover, rhizosphere function, crop resource capture and resilience. This critical narrative review evaluates how S nutrition, plant growth-promoting inputs, organic amendments and crop diversification can be integrated within coherent cropping-system management. Literature published principally from 2000 to 25 July 2026 was identified through agricultural, biomedical and multidisciplinary scholarly sources, with older foundational studies retained where conceptually necessary. Evidence was appraised according to field relevance, experimental duration, comparators, environmental characterisation, replication, response consistency and transferability. The strongest evidence supports four conclusions. First, S fertilisation is most effective when soil S supply is genuinely limiting and nitrogen (N) nutrition, water supply and crop demand are considered jointly. Second, beneficial microbial inputs can improve nutrient acquisition and stress tolerance, but field efficacy is substantially more variable than controlled-environment performance because establishment, native microbiomes, soil fertility and formulation constrain response. Third, organic amendments act not only as nutrient sources but also as substrates and habitat modifiers that can strengthen soil biological functions; nevertheless, their yield advantage beyond adequate mineral nutrition is context dependent. Fourth, crop diversification changes the temporal and spatial distribution of roots, residues and microbial substrates and can improve nutrient cycling, soil carbon and multiple ecosystem services, although benefits may diminish under high external-input conditions. The synthesis therefore favours diagnosis-led integration rather than additive input stacking. Long-term factorial field experiments that explicitly test S source, microbial function, amendment quality and crop sequence are a priority for establishing when interactions are synergistic, merely additive or antagonistic.

Diversity and Distribution of Hymenopteran Insects in Urban Areas of Nagpur, Koradi and Kamptee, Maharashtra, India

2026-10-13T10:29:52+00:00

Urban and peri-urban habitats can support diverse Hymenoptera, yet site-specific information for Nagpur District remains limited. This study documented hymenopteran fauna across selected urban and peri-urban locations in Nagpur, Koradi and Kamptee, Maharashtra, India. Field surveys were conducted from April 2025 to April 2026 in urban green spaces, semi-forested areas and mixed agricultural-urban landscapes. Hymenopterans were observed and collected mainly by hand-picking and sweep-net sampling, while field photographs were also used for identification; selected specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol. The survey recorded 32 hymenopteran entries representing 24 genera and seven families. Formicidae constituted the largest component of the recorded fauna, followed by Vespidae and Apidae, whereas Sphecidae, Chalcididae, Mutillidae and Pompilidae were represented by fewer records. Differences in occurrence were observed among the surveyed localities, with urban green and wetland-associated areas supporting a range of ants, bees and wasps. Because habitat characteristics, environmental variables and standardised abundance were not quantified, the observed spatial patterns should be interpreted descriptively rather than as evidence of causal habitat effects. The study provides a baseline inventory for the surveyed parts of Nagpur District and indicates the need for further standardised sampling, taxonomic validation and season-specific observations to clarify hymenopteran distribution and temporal occurrence in the region.