Salinity is one of the major agricultural concern that significantly limits the crop productivity. The plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) may contribute in sustainable crop production under salt stress. The current study was designed to isolate the Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) producing salt tolerant PGPR to promote the growth of cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum , FH-142) and induce its salt stress tolerance. Ten Salt Tolerant (ST) bacterial strains were screened for their PGP trait in vitro and evaluated for their beneficial effect on cotton plants growth by plant–microbe interaction assay in lab and under natural condition. GC–MS analysis of the metabolites of the selected bacterial strains confirmed the presence of indolic compounds like indole, indole-3-butyramide, benzylmalonic acid and 4-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone. The bacterial isolates ST4, ST5, ST6, ST15, ST16, ST17, ST18, ST20, ST22 and ST25 were identified as Bacillus sp., B. sonorensis , B. cereus , B. subtilis, Brevibacillus sp. B. safensis , B. paramycoides, Bacillus sp., B. cereus and B. tequilensis respectively on the basis of 16S rDNA sequencing. Bacteria inoculated plants had a significant (P < 0.05) increase in percentage germination up to (31%), root length (17%) and shoot length (34%) in lab while in wire house pot experiments, maximum enhancement in root length (31%) and shoot length (29%) was observed. ST bacterial strains inoculation improved the chlorophyll content index (34%), relative water content (36%), leaf area (33%), absorption of K + (28%) and decreased the uptake of Na + (58%) from soil in plants under salt stress over control in pot experiment. These ST PGPR have the potential to act as plant defense agents by enhancing plant growth, productivity, and tolerance in saline environment.

A tryptophan auxotroph of Neurospora crassa, trp-5 , has been characterized as a mutant with a deficient tryptophanyl-transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase (EC 6.1.1.2) activity. When assayed by tryptophanyl-tRNA formation, extracts of the mutant have less than 5% of the wild-type specific activity. The adenosine triphosphate-pyrophosphate exchange activity is at about half the normal level. In the mutant derepressed levels of anthranilate synthetase and tryptophan synthetase were associated with free tryptophan pools equal to or higher than those found in the wild type. We conclude that a product of the normal tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase, probably tryptophanyl-tRNA, rather than free tryptophan, participates in the repression of the tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes.

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Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral disease that has been reported across Asia, Africa, eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East. In Pakistan, the first case of CCHF was documented in 1976 and its prevalence has been vigorously debated since. 1 Findings from some studies have associated the incidence of CCHF in Pakistan with the coinciding event of Eid-

A total of 1,438 colonies of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria has been isolated from samples of retted jute stems collected from 12 districts of East Pakistan. Of these, 169 isolates have been purified and characterized. They have been found to comprise 3 genera, Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Pseudomonas and 13 species. Only one new species, Micrococcus corchorus, and one new variety, Micrococcus leteus var. Ziquefaciens, are reported; these will be described elsewhere.Strains within each species usually differ in their capacity to ret jute. Active retting strains have been found to lose their retting activity, and it has been concluded that this loss may follow either from loss of adaptive enzymes or from mutations. Among the aerobes and facultative anaerobes, B. subti2is has been found to be the most common and B. macerans, B. polymyxa, Micrococcus corchorus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa the most active retting agents in East Pakistan. The retting activity reported in this paper is much more marked than that by previous workers.A detailed description of the process of jute retting is given.

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The effects of soil texture and host plants on the reproduction of Hoplolaimus galeatus were investigated under greenhouse conditions. A three-way interaction among soil, crop, and pH existed. Sandy loam soil was more suitable for nematode reproduction than silty loam or loamy sand soil. The pH effect varied with the host plant; population increases were greatest at pH 7 for bean and pH 5 for barley. The rate of reproduction of H. galeatus was significantly higher on rye, barley, wheat, oats, soybean, corn, cabbage, and bean than on pepper, eggplant, lettuce, tobacco, and pea.

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