α-galactosidase purified from Acinetobacter sp. was immobilized in four different matricesCalcium alginate, Gelatin, Agarose and k-Carrageenan. On comparative analysis, k-Carrageenan immobilized enzyme showed highest immobilization yield of 68% and storage stability for 30 days. Gelatin showed an immobilization yield of 57%. Soluble enzyme led to decrease of 84% in raffinose and 76% in stachyos...

Destruxins (DTXs) are cyclic depsipeptides produced by many Metarhizium isolates that have long been assumed to contribute to virulence of these entomopathogenic fungi. We evaluated the virulence of 20 Metarhizium isolates against insect larvae and measured the concentration of DTXs A, B, and E produced by these same isolates in submerged (shaken) cultures. Eight of the isolates (ARSEF 324, 724...

Oligosaccharides in beans are known to be the major cause of flatulence associated with beans consumption. The effects of soaking, autoclaving and repeated boiling on the oligosaccharide levels in ten cowpea varieties were studied. The oligosaccharides were extracted in 70% aqueous ethanol and separated by thin layer chromatography (TLC) method. The quantitation was done using the spectrophotom...

Weevils can devastate food legumes in developing countries, but genetically modified peas (Pisum sativum), chickpeas and cowpeas expressing the gene for alpha-amylase inhibitor-1 (αAI) from the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) are completely protected from weevil destruction. αAI is seed-specific, accumulated at high levels and undergoes post-translational modification as it traverses the seed ...

Methods for phenotyping cowpeas for adaptation to drought are reviewed. Key factors involve achieving optimal time of flowering and cycle length, and appropriate morphology for different types of cultivars as they relate to their utilization for dry grain, hay, and fresh pea production. Strong resistance to vegetative-stage drought is available and should be incorporated. The extreme ability of...

Cowpeas grown in nutrient solutions, from which Ni had been removed by a ligand exchange technique, accumulated urea in most tissues. Urea levels were highest (up to 3.1 percent dry weight) in necrotic leaf tips. Urea accumulation in Ni-deficient cowpea tissues amounted to about 1 percent of the total N. The accumulation of urea was presumably associated with the catabolism of N compounds in ol...

The ATP-dependent evolution of H(2) catalyzed by nitrogenase and the hydrogenase-catalyzed oxidation of H(2) have been implicated as factors influencing the efficiency of energy utilization in the N(2) fixation process. The effects of rhizobial strain and plant age on the H(2)-evolving and H(2)-utilizing activity of leguminous root nodules are described in this manuscript. Two classes of legume...

Plant parasitic nematodes, Meloidogyne javanica in particular, cause significant yield losses in sugarcane crops in South Africa. The chemicals at present available for nematode control are expensive and potentially detrimental to the environment. It has been reported that various types of crops reduce the numbers of plant parasitic nematodes. Seven green manure crops (sunn hemp, marigold, oats...