Microgreens have been used for raw consumption and are generally viewed as healthy food. This study aimed to optimize the yield parameters, shelf life, sensory evaluation and characterization of total aerobic bacteria (TAB), yeast and mold (Y&M), Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Listeria spp. incidence in mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek), lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus subsp. culinaris), and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern & Coss.) microgreens. In mungbean and lentil, seeding-density of three seed/cm², while in Indian mustard, eight seed/cm² were recorded as optimum. The optimal time to harvest mungbean, Indian mustard, and lentil microgreens were found as 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th day after sowing, respectively. Interestingly, seed size was found highly correlated with the overall yield in both mungbeans (r² = .73) and lentils (r² = .78), whereas no such relationship has been recorded for Indian mustard microgreens. The target pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. were not detected; while TAB, Y&M, Shigella spp., and E. coli were recorded well within the limit to cause any human illness in the studied microgreens. Washing with double distilled water for two minutes has shown some reduction in the overall microbial load of these microgreens. The results provided evidence that microgreens if grown and stored properly, are generally safe for human consumption. This is the first study from India on the safety of mungbean, lentils, and Indian mustard microgreens.

Codon usage bias (CUB) phenomenon varies with the species and even within the genes of the same species, where few codons are preferred more frequently than their other synonymous codons. It also categorizes the differences between species. Nucleotide compositional analysis reveals the molecular mechanisms of genes and the evolutionary relationship of a gene in dissimilar plant species. In the present study, three orthologous sequences of each FAE1 (FAE1.1, FAE1.2, and FAE1.3) and FAD2 (FAD2.1, FAD2.2, and FAD2.3) genes, from six Brassica species were accessed using the GenBank database. Further, CUB-related parameters such as nucleotide composition (AT and GC content), relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU), the effective number of codons (ENC), frequency of optimal codons (Fop), relative codon usage bias (RCBS), neutrality plot (GC12 vs. GC3), parity rule-2 [(A3/(A3 + T3) vs. (G3/(G3 + C3)], and correspondence analysis (COA) were analyzed to compare codon bias in U’s triangle Brassica species. The FAE1 genes were AT-biased and FAD2 genes were GC-biased across the studied Brassica species. RSCU values indicated that both the genes had moderate codon usage frequency for selected amino acids. The evolutionary study confirmed that codon usage preference is similar within the species grouped into the same cluster for FAE1; however, B. nigra performed differently for FAD2.2 orthologue. The high ENC value, low Fop, and RSCU value highlighted that FAE1 and FAD2 genes had a low level of gene expression and moderate preference for codon usage across the Brassicas. In addition, neutrality plot, parity rule, and correspondence analysis revealed that natural selection pressure had significantly contributed to CUB for FAE1 genes, whereas mutation and selection pressure occurred for FAD2 genes. This study would help to decode codon optimization, improve the level of expression of exogenous genes, and transgenic engineering to increase fatty acid profiling for the betterment of seed oil in Brassica species.

White rust [Albugo candida (Pers. Ex. Lev) Kuntze] is an important oomycetes disease of Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern & Coss] that causes a drastic reduction in seed yield and quality when the conditions are favorable. A set of 25 Indian mustard genotypes were screened against A. candida Delhi isolate (Ac-Dli) under both controlled and natural epiphytotic conditions. Out of 25, only six genotypes (Pusa Karishma, PDZ-3, Heera, BEC-144, BIO YSR, and Donskaja) were found highly resistant in both environments. To study the inheritance of resistance, four resistant genotypes (BEC-144, BIO YSR, Pusa Karishma, and Donskaja) were crossed with three susceptible genotypes (PM-24, Pusa Vijay, and MSTWR-17-15) in a definite design. The parents, F₁, F_2, and BC₁F₁ (F₁ backcrossed with susceptible parent) generations were screened under both artificially controlled and natural epiphytotic conditions and the results indicated that the resistance in BIO YSR, BEC-144, and Pusa Karishma is governed by a single dominant gene, but more than one dominant gene is responsible for resistance in Donskaja. A test of an allelism conducted on the F₂ population derived by crossing resistant (BEC-144) × resistant (BIO YSR) genotypes indicated that the gene imparting resistance to Ac-Dli isolate in the resistant parents BEC-144 and BIO YSR is the same and they are allelic to each other. Therefore, in broader terms, the information generated in the present study will be useful in Indian mustard breeding programs for the development of durable resistant cultivars.

Tocopherol is vital for the nutritional value and stability of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern and Coss) oil; nonetheless, the lack of information on genetic control is hampering its improvement. In this study, six populations (P₁, P₂, F₁, F₂, BC₁P₁, and BC₁P₂) of RLC3 × NPJ203 were evaluated in a family block design to evaluate the inheritance pattern, gene effects, and various other genetic parameters of tocopherol content (α, γ, and total), using generation mean analysis. The comparison of direct and reciprocal crosses indicated that the tocopherol content was not influenced by maternal inheritance. Negative directional heterosis showed that ATC, GTC, and TTC are governed by recessive genes. Potence ratio and degree of dominance highlighted an over-dominance type of gene interaction for GTC and TTC, whereas ATC was governed by epistatic interactions. Furthermore, the six-parameter model revealed a duplicate gene action for α-tocopherol content. Broad and narrow sense heritability coupled with genetic advances were high.