Background: To determine the optimal water irrigation method combined with covering material for Allium chinense growth and yield on acid sulfate soil. 
 
Methods: The field experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design, which include four treatments, each with four replications. The plot size was 83.3 m2&nbsp;(19.6 m in length, 4.25 m in width). Treatments were flooding irrigation combined with rice straw covering (FI-RS), flooding irrigation combined with Eleocharis dulcis covering (FI-ED, control), spray irrigation combined with rice straw covering (SI-RS) and spray irrigation combined with Eleocharis dulcis covering (SI-ED). 
&nbsp; 
Result: Experimental results showed that Allium chinense planted on the treatment of SI increased clump height (47.2 cm) and weight of bulb (4.38 g), gave the highest yield of 40.9 t ha-1&nbsp;and increased up to 25.9% in comparison to planted in conventional method (control). The spray irrigation method was more suitable than the flooding irrigation method for growing Allium chinense. Vitamin C content in bulbs was not changed under different water irrigation methods combined with mulching materials.

Effects of Water Irrigation Methods Combined with Mulching Materials on the Growth and Yield of Allium chinense on Acid Sulfate Soil

<div>Background: Arsenic present in underground water affects the overall health. The therapeutic effects of Allium sativum was investigated for ameliorating the toxic effects of arsenic exposed ducks. Even though, heavy metals especially arsenic toxicity and ameliorative effects of Allium sativum has been largely studied, yet the histopathological cardiac lesion grading and its correlation with oxidative stress and biochemical parameters is scarce. This study is aimed at evaluating cardiotoxic lesions due to arsenic and ameliorative effects of Allium sativum in accordance with histopathological grading with respect to oxidative and biochemical parameters. 
 
Methods: In the present study, 105 birds were randomly distributed in 5 groups. GRP II was given arsenic @ 30 ppm whereas GRP III, IV, V were given Allium sativum @ 0.5 gm/ kg feed, 1 gm/kg feed and 2 gm/kg feed respectively along with arsenic to study the ameliorative effects. At the end of 42 days, 6 birds from each group were slaughtered after blood collection and the extend of arsenic toxicity with Allium sativum effects were studied as biochemical and oxidative parameters with histopathological grading of lesions. The extent of lesions was graded as mild (+), moderate (++) and severe (+++). 
 
Result: Grossly, heart revealed dilatation and thickening of ventricular wall in GRP II along with congestion in coronary vessels. In GRP V, grossly heart revealed no congestion and comparatively reduced enlargement. Whereas microscopically, myocardial and epicardial oedema, disruption of muscle fiber and hemorrhage was observed. Along with this, there was increase in cardiac biomarkers - Total serum creatinine kinase (CK), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) levels and tissue oxidative parameters (LPO), with decrease in GSH, CAT, total antioxidant and SOD levels in GRP II which was comparably restored in GRP V.</div>

​Histopathological Grading of Induced Cardiotoxicity Due to Arsenic and its Alleviation by Allium sativum in Ducks

<div>Background: Garlic belongs to the largest monocot genus, Allium, comprising different species known for their use as spices and medicinal plants. It ranks second in volume and area of production among the Allium species, next to onoin. The Philippines is renowned for garlic varieties with a strong and pungent odour observed in the seven accessions registered at the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC), Department of Agriculture, Philippines. Morphological, phytochemical and molecular characterization of the different garlic varieties would provide baseline information important to the identification of the registered varieties, their conservation and improvement. 
 
Methods: Physiologically mature and disease-free NSIC-registered garlic accessions were characterized and evaluated at the Institute of Crop Science, University of the Philippines Los Ba&ntilde;os. The bulbs were separated from each other and planted in a homogenous field. Morphological characterization was done from the vegetative stage until bulb harvesting using an Allium spp. descriptor list. The mature bulbs of each accession were screened for phytochemicals and alliin content. SSR markers were used to fingerprint the eight garlic accessions. 
 
Result: Qualitative characters showed low diversity (H&rsquo; = 0.22), while quantitative characters had intermediate diversity (H&rsquo;= 0.51). Identical phytochemicals, flavonoids and phenols, were detected across all the garlic accessions. Despite this, alliin content varied considerably with Bang-ar and Mindoro having the highest (37.70&plusmn;0.70 mg/g) and lowest (17.22&plusmn;0.68 mg/g) alliin contents, respectively. Only one SSR primer, ASA-24, showed polymorphic bands that can discriminate Batanes White and MMSU Gem from the other NSIC-registered garlic varieties.</div>

Morphological, Phytochemical and Molecular Characteristics of NSIC-Registered Varieties of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) in the Philippines

<div>Background: &ldquo;Lasona&rdquo; (Allium cepa var. aggregatum G. Don) is a multi-bulb cultivar commonly grown in the Northern Philippines as an annual crop. This, together with bulb onion, are the two main types of onions produced in the country, but the majority of onions exported from the Philippines are the latter. However, despite its importance to the human diet, no complete chloroplast genome sequence has been reported to date. Hence, the assembled plastome can be utilized as a resource for distinguishing the taxon and elucidating its evolutionary relationship with other Allium species, particularly within the aggregatum group. 
 
Methods: Using Illumina sequencing data, we assembled and annotated the complete chloroplast genome of A. cepa var. aggregatum accession from the germplasm collection of the Institute of Crop Science, University of the Philippines, Los Ba&ntilde;os, Laguna. Moreover, the morphology of the genotyped accession was characterized to ensure that the genome assembled is attributed to the correct taxon. The voucher specimen (ICROPS 1374) was deposited at the Philippine Herbarium of Cultivated Plants of the Institute of Crop Science. 
 
Result: The complete chloroplast (cp) genome had a sequence length of 153,587-bp long, with 36.8% overall GC content. A total of 126 functional genes were found, comprising 80 mRNA genes, 38 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. We annotated 43 genes that code for photosynthesis, 29 genes for self-replication and 6 other genes for other functions. This is the first complete chloroplast genome of Allium cepa var. aggregatum. The phylogenetic analysis of the assembled genome, together with 21 other Allium accessions and 12 other Amaryllidaceae species, revealed that the A. cepa accessions formed a distinct clade despite infraspecific plastome variations. Comparison among earlier published plastomes of A. cepa showed that the assembled A. cepa var. aggregatum chloroplast genome was distinct in sequence length and composition. The observed differences could be utilized to further elucidate differences needed for varietal identification. 
&nbsp;</div>

The Complete Chloroplast Genome of &ldquo;Lasona&rdquo; (Allium cepa var. Aggregatum G. Don), an Important Indigenous Vegetable in the Northern Philippines

<div>Background: With the ban on the use of antibiotics as feed additives and growth promoters in animal nutrition, livestock scientists are now shifting their attention towards natural and safe products like organic acids, probiotics, prebiotics and herbal growth promoters. Plants containing essential compounds can be a cost-effective means of improving efficiency of nutrient utilization and growth performance of animals. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) belongs to the family Liliaceae, which is a genus of 500 species. The medicinal properties of garlic may have beneficial effects on nutrient utilization and health of animals. However, very few studies have been reported whereby garlic has been fed to ruminants. Therefore, the present study was design to investigate the effect of garlic supplementation on nutrient utilization, gastro intestinal parasites and haemato-biochemical profile in crossbred calves. 
 
Methods: Twelve crossbred male calves of similar age (3-6 months) were randomly allotted to two equal groups ((n=6) on basis of body weight. All animals were maintained on common feeding regime consisting of required concentrate mixture and roughage as per requirement given by ICAR (2013). Calves in experimental group were supplemented with garlic (Allium sativum) @ 250 mg per kg body weight whereas; the control group was remaining unsupplemented. The study was conducted for 90 days. After 60 days of experimental feeding a digestion trial of seven days was conducted to access the nutrient utilization of animals. The faecal sample of each animal was collected fortnightly for parasitological examination of helminthes eggs. Blood samples were collected from each animal at 0 and 90 days of feeding trial to assess the haemato biochemical profile of crossbred calves. 
 
Result:&nbsp;The results indicated that the intake and digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE, ADF and NDF were statistically (P&gt;0.05) similar in both the groups. The haemato-biochemical parameters like Hb, PCV, RBC, WBC, glucose, TP, albumin, globulin and A:G ratio were statistically (P&gt;0.05) comparable among both the groups at 0 and 90 days of study. Similarly, the fortnightly faecal egg per gram (EPG) was also statically (P&gt;0.05) similar in both the groups. From the results it can be deduced that the garlic (Allium sativum) supplementation has no any effect on feed intake and digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE, ADF, NDF and CP but significantly increases in digestibility of CF. Garlic powder supplementation did not have&nbsp; any appreciable effect on haemato-biochemical profile and faecal egg per gram (EPG) in crossbred calves.</div>

Effect of Garlic (Allium sativum) Supplementation on Nutrient Utilization, Gastrointestinal Parasites and Haemato-biochemical Profile of Crossbred Calves

<div style="text-align:justify">Although, lipid lowering drugs regulate the blood serum lipids, they have several reported side effects. Therefore, a substance that is less toxic and yet effective would be beneficial. Here, we compared the antihypercholesterolemic effects of combinations of homeopathic mother tincture (HMT) Allium sativa Q (garlic) and Curcuma longa Q (turmeric), with standard lipid lowering drug statin. For experimentation, a total of 20 rabbits were recruited and divided into four groups with five rabbits (n = 5). Normal saline (NS) group served as control; second group served as high fat diet (HFD) group, third group received Allium sativa Q (garlic) and Curcuma longa Q (turmeric) and HFD (T &amp; G group) while the fourth group received statin and HFD (statin group). At the end of the 8th week, blood was collected to analyze the comparative efficacy of Allium sativa Q, Curcuma longa Q and statin on total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoproteins (LDL), high density lipoproteins (HDL) and triglyceride (TG). Various parameters measured (mg/dl) in HFD rabbits were, TC (291.76&plusmn;2.2), LDL (244.20&plusmn;8.3) and triglycerides (243.79&plusmn;4.3) increased significantly and HDL (32.19&plusmn;3.3) was reduced to an alarming level as compared to the NS group after eight weeks. TC, LDL and triglycerides level reduced significantly in T&amp; G group while the HDL level increased significantly as compared to HFD. In statin group, TC (148.37&plusmn;1.2), LDL (76.32 &plusmn;3.4) and TG (104.33 &plusmn;8.9) decreased while HDL increased (p&lt;0.05) as compared to the HFD after eight weeks. It was therefore concluded that that homeopathic medicine Allium sativa Q and Curcuma longa Q is equally good like statin and can safely be used to regulate the circulating serum lipid profile. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Comparative hypolipidemic efficacy of homeopathic mother tincture Allium Sativa Q, Curcuma Longa Q and statin in normal and cholesterol fed rabbits</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">To investigate the effect of planting methods and irrigation levels on irrigation water productivity and onion (Allium cepa L.) yield, a field experiment was conducted on sandy loam soil at the Research Farm of Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during rabi 2011-12. Three planting methods tested include drip irrigated beds, furrow irrigated beds and flat flood irrigation. In drip irrigated beds and furrow irrigated beds three onion rows were planted on 55 cm wide beds at a spacing of 15 cm from row to row. Three levels of irrigation water were tested i.e. IW/PAN-E ratio of 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 in drip irrigated onions and 1.2, 1.6 and 2.0 in both bed furrow and flat flood methods of irrigation. The results of the experiment indicated that in drip irrigated beds by applying same quantity and 50 per cent of water as of flat flood irrigation, the yield was increased by 43 and 25 per cent, respectively. Irrespective of irrigation levels, highest onion yield (32.5 t ha-1) was recorded under drip irrigated beds followed by furrow irrigated beds (28.5 t ha-1) and least under flat flood irrigation method (25.0 t ha-1). The onion yield increases with the increase in irrigation level in all the planting methods. The highest irrigation water productivity was observed under drip irrigated beds (1.26 t ha-1 cm) followed by furrow irrigated beds (0.84 t ha-1 cm) and least under flat flood irrigation (0.48 t ha-1 cm) with equivalent IW/PAN-E ratios. Bigger size onions (40 mm and 50 mm) were observed under drip irrigated beds followed by furrow irrigated beds and smallest size bulbs under flat flood method of irrigation. The results revealed that drip irrigation could successfully be used for onion production with significant water saving and higher production. &nbsp;</div>

Effect of planting methods and irrigation levels on water productivity of onion (Allium cepa L.)

<div>Background: Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a major bulbous vegetable as well as condiment of family Alliaceae grown in India, originated in Iran and Pakistan. Seed pelleting is a mechanism of applying various materials to the seed that can enhance the seed quality with respect to physiological, physical and health attributes. Seed deterioration during storage is inevitable process; however seed pelleting can reduce the rate of deterioration. The leaf powders possess antioxidant, fungicidal and insecticidal properties that helps in maintaining the seed quality during storage.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The present investigation was carried out in the laboratory of Department of Seed Science and Technology, Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP) during the seasons of 2016-17 and 2017-18. This experiment comprised of pelleted seeds with different botanicals carried out to determine the effect of seed pelleting and storage potential of pelleted seeds.&nbsp; 
 
Result: This experiment comprised of pelleted seeds with different botanicals. In all the treatments gum Arabica (5%) was used as the adhesive except control. The pelleted seeds with different material were stored at ambient conditions for nine months. Highest germination (81.75%), seedling length (11.20 cm), seedling dry weight (1.82 g), seedling vigour index- length (920.33), seedling vigour index- mass (148.90) and speed of germination (26.57) were observed in onion seeds pelleted with Azadirechta indica leaf powder + clay and Melia azadirechta leaf powder + clay. Among the storage periods, fresh pelleted seed (0 month) showed maximum values with respect to germination (86.50%), seedling length (13.38 cm), seedling dry weight (2.02 g), seedling vigour index- length (1154.50), seedling vigour index- mass (173.52) and speed of germination (29.04). From the present studies, it can be concluded that onion seeds pelleted with Azadirechta indica leaf powder + clay and Melia azadirechta leaf powder + clay showed significant effects for enhancing seed quality during storage.</div>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div>Influence of Botanical Seed Pelleting on Storability of Onion (Allium cepa L.)</div>

<div>Background: Maharashtra ranks first in onion (Allium cepa L.) production with a share of 28.32%. However, the productivity of onion is low as compared to other countries. In order to enhance onion productivity, new and innovative agri-inputs are being tried continuously like providing humic acid, fulvic acid, plant growth regulators (PGR), auxin/amino acid spray, seaweed extract, biofertilizers, sulphur application etc. PGRs are considered to be one of the novel inputs that can help in increasing the productivity of onion in India economically. Plant growth regulators are considered as a new generation of agrochemicals when added in small amounts, modify the growth of the plants usually by stimulation or modifying one part of natural growth regulatory system, thereby increasing the crop yield. Most of the research data available is based on biochemical, seaweeds etc. Almost negligible literature is available pertaining to a PGR made with formulation of Seaweed extract and Protein Hydrolysate. An attempt has been made in this research work to evaluate the effect of PGR formulated with seaweed extract and Protein Hydrolysate as major constituents on onion bulb yield through both foliar and drenching application. 
 
Methods: A field experiment for evaluating the effect of plant growth regulator (PGR) formulated by Research and Development Department, M/s Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited was conducted at Chilli and Vegetable Research Farm, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola (MH). During the experiment, the effect of different concentration of PGR viz., 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6% and 0.8% and 1.0%, 1.2%, 1.4% and 1.6% through foliar and drenching application, respectively were studied. 
 
Result: Statistically, significant results of plant growth regulator application on vegetative growth, yield and qualitative characters of onion crop were observed. Significantly, maximum bulb yield was observed in the treatment PGR @ 0.6% (255.41 kg/ha) through foliar application which is at par with the treatment PGR @ 1.4% (246.67 kg/ha) through soil drenching along with RDF. According to the results, the suitable PGR dose for studied characters of onion under prevailing conditions was 0.6% foliar spray and 1.4% soil drenching along with recommended dose of fertilizers.</div>

​Response of Plant Growth Regulator on Bulb Yield of Onion (Allium cepa L.)

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of garlic extract (Allium sativum) in drinking water on the hematological profile of laying quail. In a completely randomized design (CRD), one hundred and twenty laying quail were randomly allocated to four treatments, with six replicates of five quail each. The treatment drink water are as follows, the control P0 (0%), 1% garlic extract (P1), 2% garlic extract (P2) and 4% garic extract (P3). Feed and water were supplied ad libitum. The parameters measure were; the number of erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes. Blood samples from each quail were collected to analyze the hematological parameters. The result of hematological data showed that supplementation of garlic extract in drinking water had a significant effect (P&lt;0.05) on hemoglobin levels, but did not have a significant effect (P&gt;0.05) on erythrocyte, hematocrit, lymphocyte, monocyte and granulocyte levels. Meanwhile, the hemoglobin levels themselves showed that treatment P2 (2%) had a significant effect compared to other treatments. Based on clinical chemistry&nbsp;it shows that adding garlic extract with concentrations of 0% (control), 1%, 2% and 4% to drinking water does not have a significant effect (P&gt;0.05) on Aspartate transamnase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total cholesterol, triglycerides, BUN, creatinine and glucose.&nbsp;It can be concluded that the best treatment is giving 2% extract in drinking water which is able to improve the haematological profile of quail in terms of increasing hemoglobin levels.

Effects of Water Irrigation Methods Combined with Mulching Materials on the Growth and Yield of Allium chinense on Acid Sulfate Soil

Histopathological Grading of Induced Cardiotoxicity Due to Arsenic and its Alleviation by Allium sativum in Ducks

Morphological, Phytochemical and Molecular Characteristics of NSIC-Registered Varieties of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) in the Philippines

The Complete Chloroplast Genome of “Lasona” (Allium cepa var. Aggregatum G. Don), an Important Indigenous Vegetable in the Northern Philippines

Effect of Garlic (Allium sativum) Supplementation on Nutrient Utilization, Gastrointestinal Parasites and Haemato-biochemical Profile of Crossbred Calves

Comparative hypolipidemic efficacy of homeopathic mother tincture Allium Sativa Q, Curcuma Longa Q and statin in normal and cholesterol fed rabbits

Effect of planting methods and irrigation levels on water productivity of onion (Allium cepa L.)

Influence of Botanical Seed Pelleting on Storability of Onion (Allium cepa L.)

Response of Plant Growth Regulator on Bulb Yield of Onion (Allium cepa L.)

Effect of Garlic Extract (Allium sativum) on Hematological and Clinical Chemistry Parameters of Laying Quail