Publications by authors named "R Paliwal"
To feed the world's expanding population, crop breeders need to increase agricultural productivity and expand major crops base. Orphan crops are indigenously important crops with great potential because they are climate resilient, highly nutritious, contain nutraceutical compounds, and can improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers and consumers, but they have received little or no scientific attention. This review article examines several research and developmental strategies for hastening the improvement of these crops so that they can effectively play their role in securing food and nutrition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenomics-informed breeding of locally adapted, nutritious, albeit underutilised African crops can help mitigate food and nutrition insecurity challenges in Africa, particularly against the backdrop of climate change. However, utilisation of modern genome-assisted crop improvement tools including genomic selection and genome editing for many African indigenous crops is hampered by the scarcity of genomic resources. Here we report on the assembly of the genome of African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa), a tuberous legume crop that is indigenous to Africa.
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- A Genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on 112 cowpea accessions to explore the genetic links between drought tolerance and photosynthesis, assessing traits under both well-watered and drought conditions.
- Significant interactions between the accessions and the environments were found, revealing specific SNP markers associated with grain yield and photosynthetic efficiency (ΦNPQ and ΦNO).
- The identified genes, particularly Vigun04g169000 and Vigun08g168900, play crucial roles in plant development and stress adaptation, providing valuable information for breeders to enhance cowpea varieties for drought resilience through marker-assisted selection.
Article Synopsis
- - Neuropsychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia affect 15% of the global population, with India having one of the highest rates of mental illnesses according to the WHO.
- - The blood-brain barrier (BBB) complicates drug delivery to the brain, but advancements in nanotechnology and the nose-to-brain (N2B) method allow for more effective treatment by directly delivering drugs through the nasal cavity.
- - This review focuses on the use of plant-derived and synthetic nanoformulations delivered through the intranasal route to treat neuropsychiatric disorders, highlighting the potential benefits and challenges associated with this innovative approach.
The nanostructured drug-delivery systems for colon-targeted drug delivery are a promising field of research for localized diseases particularly influencing the colonic region, in other words, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and colorectal cancer. There are various drug-delivery approaches designed for effective colonic disease treatment, including stimulus-based formulations (enzyme-triggered systems, pH-sensitive systems) and magnetically driven drug-delivery systems. In addition, targeted drug delivery by means of overexpressed receptors also offers site specificity and reduces drug resistance.
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