In recent years there has been a remarkable increment in the area dealing with oxidative stress caused by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Oxidative stress leads to the consequence of an imbalance of prooxidants and antioxidants in the organism. ROS is a key phenomenon in chronic diseases. It is directly involved in the pathogenic mechanism of risk factors and in the protection exerted by various environmental factors. Dietary antioxidants play a major role in the environmental control of oxidative stress. Antioxidants present in fruits, vegetables particularly, the polyphenol and flavonoid components decrease oxidative stress. Flavonoids represent the most common and widely distributed group of plant phenolics. These bioactive molecules are linked to the health benefits and has significant ROS scavenging properties.

In the paper "Quantitative Evaluation of the Antioxidant Properties of Catha edulis", the authors, Bouayed J, Djilani A, Rammal H, Dicko A, Younos C and Soulimani R, have evaluated the total phenolics and flavonoids content and related total antioxidant potential in C. edulis leaf. The paper highlights the importance of the relevant work in the area of potential antioxidant activity in this plant which is chewed by a certain population of people. It opens avenues in the area of signal transduction pathways and gene expression, thereby providing valuable information regarding the role of dietary polyphenol antioxidants in the regulation of cellular function.

The paper "Influence of Various Inoculum Levels of Macrophomina phaseolina on Sprouting and Root Rot Disease Incidence in Mulberry (Morus Spp.)", by N B Chowdhary and Govindaiah, addresses the issue of the pathogenicity of various isolates of Macrophomina phaseolina on mulberry plant. The silk worm feeds on mulberry plants and this is one of the most important aspects in the sericulture industry. Mulberry leaf yield loss due to root rot disease is caused by M. phaseolina. The study clearly demonstrates the influence of various inoculum levels of Macrophomina phaseolina on sprouting and root rot disease incidence in mulberry. Sericulture is one industry which is beneficial to agriculturists. India is the second largest producer of silk, contributing about 18% to the world production. This work is of economic importance.

In the paper, "Induction and Proliferation of Callus Derived from Different Explants of Flacourta jangomas (Lour.) Raeusch, a Woody Medicinal Plant", the authors, P K Yadav, V Kashyap and D Yadav, have carried out callus induction with explants of freshly obtained twigs of the plant. This is a woody, medicinal plant having considerable therapeutic and economic value. The paper deals with the medicinal implications of the plant and provides novel tissue culture protocol. Further research can be extended to the medicinal importance of the active ingredients obtained from different parts of the plant which can be screened using suspension culture methods.

In the paper "Possible Modulating Action of Plant Extract of Ocimum sanctum L. Against Methyl Methanesulphonate and Cyclophosphamide Induced Genotoxic Damage In Vitro", the authors, Yasir Hasan Siddique, Gulshan Ara, Tanveer Beg and Mohammad Afzal have extensively investigated the antigenotoxic effect of a very important plant species. Ocimum sanctum L. is known as holy basil in English and tulsi or tulasi in Hindi and is quite popular in naturopathy. The study deals with the antigenotoxic potential of Ocimum sanctum infusion at different dosages both in the presence and absence of metabolic activation system on cultured human lymphocytes. The study clearly shows that O. sanctum infusion reduces the genotoxic damage by inducers in mammalian cell lines.

The next paper is, "Antibacterial Activity of Some Euphorbiaceae Weeds Against Pathogens" by Parmesha M, Raghavendra S, Ramesh C K, Manjunatha K S and Prakash G. Antibacterial studies were conducted by utilizing three species of weeds belonging to Euphorbiaceae.The results obtained revealed antibacterial activity in all the plants. Plants have provided a source of inspiration for novel drug compounds. The study has shown the significance of weeds screening for antibacterial activity. It further opens routes to venture into the study of largely unexplored areas of nature for possible remedy and benefits. The investigation is an evidence that scientifically unexplored weeds have important biological activity and can be used as agents for the development of novel drugs.

The paper, "Efficiencies of Alternate Carrier Electives for Rhizobium Biofertilizer" by P Sathiya Moorthi, M Deecaraman, S Periyar Selvam and P T Kalaichelvan, offers a great promise by improving the crop yields through environmentally better nutrient supplies. In this context, it may be stated that biofertilizers are very important and contain living cells of different types of microorganisms. These are utilized to convert nutritionally important elements from unavailable to available form through biological processes. In the preparation of an ideal biofertilizer, the carrier is important and act as the delivery vehicle for the microorganism from factory to the field. The study attempts to screen the potential novel alternatives towards the traditionally used carriers for R. leguminosarum as lignite.

The last paper, "Comparative Chicken Mortality Rates in Andassa Government Poultry Farm, Northwest of Ethiopia" by Hailu Mazengia and Tekeba Eshetie provides basic information on the mortality rate between the two breeds of chicken across dry and wet seasons in Andassa government farm. Mortality rates have been well-documented and compared. It focuses on the poultry industry in Ethopia for better analysis of health and disease of incoming and outgoing stock. It is important for the maintenance of specific pathogen-free parent stock flocks and improving biosecurity. Future work should be carried out in the direction of health and management of poultry industry. It provides the basic knowledge for improving productivity.

- S B Mukherjee
Consulting Editor