Enjera, an indigenous Ethiopian pancake is the one of the staple foods of Ethiopians. There is few information available concerning the succession and activities of microflora of its fermentation. Therefore this study was carried out to assess the microbiology of teff enjera. A total of 34 samples from “kuncho” and “Magna” enjera batter were collected during 96 hr fermentation at 6 hr intervals.“Kuncho” and “Magna” were bought from Debrezeit Agriculture Research Center and from Hawassa open market, respectively. Samples were analysed for changes in pH, titratable acidity (TA) and microbial count. The pH decreased with increasing TA during “kuncho” and “Magna” teff enjera batter fermentation. Total aerobic mesophilic count, LAB and yeast increasedby about 3 log cycles until 48 hr fermentation, while Enterobacteriaceae were reduced below detectable levels after 18 hr due to the low pH of the teff batter. Generally, the pH, TA and microbial count of enjera from the two cultivars of teff batter were not different.

Gyrinops walla, an endemic to Sri Lanka, is the only plant known to produce Agarwood, a resinous substance used in perfume industries. Increasing global demand on Agarwood leads the over-exploitation of G. walla to the verge of extinction. Raising callus facilitate sustainable utilization of G. walla avoiding destructive harvesting. The objective of the present study was to raise callus from the explants of G. walla. The tender leaves and nodes were surface sterilized in 70% alcohol and 0.2% (w/V) HgCl2, aseptically. Ex-plants were cultured in modified MS medium supplemented with 3% (w/V) sucrose and gelled with 1% (w/V) agar with varying hormonal concentrations. Following 60 days incubation, weight of the callus was measured and callus induction percentage was calculated. Initiation of callus was observed in all the hormones combinations and the highest weight and callus induction percentage were observed for leaves and nodal explants in MS medium supplemented with BAP (0.5 mg/l) + NAA (3mg/l) and BAP (0.5 mg/l) + NAA (1.5 mg/l), respectively, yielding the highest fresh weight and callus induction.

Many herbs are used from ancient to cure diseases. Plumeria species is of Apocynaceae family, Plumeria accuminata belonging to this, is also considered as ornamental plant. The plant is full of medicinal uses as it cures infections, digestive diseases, bronchitis, bleeding piles, dysentery, blood disorder, blennorrhagia, leprocy, rheumatism. The biological Activities are anti-inflammatory, wound healing activity, anti-pyretic action, anti-tumor potential and antioxidant properties, antifertility, antimicrobial, hepatoprotectant activities. A simple, rapid and efficient method developed for the extraction of genomic DNA from Plumeria accuminata leaves. The protocol was based on a modified cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) extraction method, allowed the rapid DNA extraction from little amounts of leaf material. This protocol gives good quality DNA, yield and a shorter duration of extraction would be ideal for genotyping and further studies.

Herbicide resistant (HR) rice is a novel approach to enhance selectivity and crop safety in rice cultivation. HR crops provide better suppleness in weed management and new solutions to difficult weed management problems. Studies on induced HR in Sri Lankan rice varieties are limited and further research are required to include HR rice in a cropping program. Mutational breeding with molecular methods play an important role in resistant development in modern agriculture. The present study is an attempt to develop HR rice lines through conventional breeding methods using the chemical mutagen EMS. A detailed AFLP analysis was made to identify molecular markers for HR induced varieties. Twenty five cultivated rice varieties were subjected to EMS treatment and after the mutation survived plants were exposed to glyphosate to check herbicide resistance. AFLP analysis was made on EMS mutated rice plants using 16 AFLP primer combinations. Seed-derived calli were obtained from glyphosate-susceptible rice variety and exposed to varying concentrations of EMS. Mutated calli were exposed to glyphosate and Tetrazolium test was applied to identify cell viability in calli. In vivo seed mutation induced HR in 14 varieties and in vitro mutated calli also exhibited resistance to glyphosate. E12M32 was found to be a specific AFLP marker for induced HR varieties.