Posters

Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethyl xanthine), known to have sensory and stimulatory effects, causes adverse effects on health which has resulted in an increased demand for de-caffeinated tea. The transformants obtained by RNAi are being analysed for partial and complete knockdown of one or both the genes using RT-PCR and reduction in caffeine production estimated by HPLC.

Tea Mosquito Bug (Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse) is one of the most dreaded tea pests of NE India causing a loss of 15-20 lakh kgs of made tea per year. SSR markers derived from stress associated ESTs were evaluated in a segregating population showing variable resistance to Helopeltis infestation. This approach would facilitate new methods of marker assisted selection (MAS) to efficiently breed superior Helopeltis resistant varieties.

Blister blight (caused by Exobasidium vexans) is a destructive disease of tea (Camellia sinensis) in tea growing countries worldwide, that causes substantial losses. More than 10% of the transcripts were specifically induced in defence and/or signal transduction including master switch genes (transcription factors, kinases), R genes (NBS-LRR), phytohormone biosynthesis pathway genes, pathogenesis related genes and genes for antifungal peptides (chitinase, glucanase).

To increase drought tolerance of potato, transgenic plants expressing the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS1) gene of yeast were isolated. The transgenic potato plants exhibited improved drought tolerance, however, grow slower than the wild-type. To understand the molecular basis of this phenomenon, transcriptomes of the leaves of wild-type and TPS1-transgenic plants were analysed using a potato microarray. In addition, protein, starch, and sugar content of the leaves were investigated.

Antimicrobial activity of Irish Brassica vegetables were evaluated against a number of food spoilage and pathogenic micro-organisms. Methanolic extracts from York Cabbage showed the best activity against Listeria monocyotgenes and Salmonella abony.

This study dealt with the determination of copper (Cu2+) ion adsorption capacity of dried roots and above ground vegetative structure of Eichhornia crassipes taken from Lake Palacpacquen in San Pablo, Laguna. Both the adsorption by roots and aerial portion fitted the Langmuir and Freundlich models suggesting that the biosorption mechanism is complex.

A study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of levamisole where cocaine was detected in coronial specimens received at the Forensic Toxicology Laboratory. Cocaine-positive cases from January 2006 onwards were re-examined to determine the presence of levamisole. Recent specimens from the Drugs & Driving Laboratory were also examined in order to obtain comparison levamisole data from a range of living subjects

NF-Y TF is a heterotrimeric complex comprised of the three subunits: NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC. In plants each subunit is encoded by multiple genes with different mRNA expression profiles among plant organs, and in response to developmental and environmental stimuli.

This poster dealt with the impacts of climate on water-use and water-use efficiency of woodlands in the Sudanese Sahel region. Results are based on global circulation models (GCMs).