This study investigated the effects of cocoa butter and sunflower oil alone and in combination on performance, some biochemical parameters, immunoglobulin, and antioxidant vitamin status in Wistar rats. Forty-eight male rats were assigned to four groups, consisting of 12 rats with 3 replicates. Control received balanced rat diet without oil, cocoa butter group received 3.5% cocoa butter, sunflo...

Development, survivorship, longevity, reproduction, and life table parameters of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar), were examined in the laboratory using three host plants, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), Chrysanthemum morifolium L., and euonymus (Euonymus japonica Thurb.). Females deposited similar-sized egg masses on all three plants. Hatching was highest with...

Sunflower has historically been an important crop in Central Queensland. In recent years the sunflower area in Central Queensland has been reduced due to low and variable prices and increased competition from alternate summer crops. Issues of tall persistent stubble that provides little ground cover and a lack of in-crop weed control options have also contributed to declining popularity of sunf...

BACKGROUND Respiratory allergy triggered by pollen allergens is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. Sunflower pollen is thought to be an important source of inhalant allergens. Present study aims to identify the prevalence of sunflower pollinosis among the Indian allergic population and characterizes the pollen allergens using immuno-proteomic tools. METHODOLOGY Clinico-immunological te...

In a semi-arid environment, the main challenge for crop production is water limitation in space and in time. Considered as appropriate tools, models are used to evaluate the effects of water deficit on crop productivity for better irrigation planning and sustainable yield. The AquaCrop model was tested using data collected during a 4-year experiment on soybean (Glycine max L. Merril) and s...

Traditional plant breeding is often limited by the genetic diversity within a species. The use of biotechnology allows introducing into a plant, specific traits that come from the same or another plant species. In this paper, we focus on tissue culture of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., Asteraceae), particularly related to rooting transgenic sunflower plantlets. Sunflower is notoriously recalc...

Sunflower is an important oilseed crop in India earning lot of revenue. Research on nutritional aspects relating to sunflower cultivation is abundant and is documented comprehensively. However, the role of major nutrients on crop physiology and the effect of these nutrients on growth and yield of oilseed crops in general and sunflower in particular are scanty. Particularly, the role of phosphor...