Solar energy has long been utilised in crop conservation. The use of solar dryers as a drying method overcomes the drawbacks of the traditional approach to drying crops under the sun. Previous ...studies were coherently described and focused on the development and thermal convection of greenhouse dryers, structural analysis, crops cultivation for offering choices to reader about solar greenhouse dryers in agriculture. Based on the previous related studies, the current work proposes an evolve and detail review of solar-assisted greenhouse dryers, namely, passive dryers, active dryers and hybrid dryers, from the aspects of system performance, collector performance and the drying characteristics of various crops. Drying crops in a solar greenhouse dryer protects crops from insects, rain and dust. Thus, these dryers are preferred in natural and conventional drying. This review provides a satisfactory guide for researchers to compare, develop and improve solar greenhouse drying systems to achieve optimum crop drying rates based on thermal convection mode.
⁃Solar assisted greenhouse dryer from the aspects of system performances of various crops was described.⁃The solar greenhouse dryers are protected from insects, rain, and dust.⁃The drying rate of crops inside a greenhouse could be controlled in forced convection.⁃A hybrid dryer could provide satisfactory thermal energy storage with an auxiliary heater in a greenhouse system.⁃The hybrid dryers are suitable for use on a large scale by industries.⁃This review is suitable for researchers aiming to develop and improve solar greenhouse drying systems.
Summary
Endophytes contribute to plant performance, especially under harsh conditions. We therefore hypothesized that wild plants have retained beneficial endophytes that are less abundant or not ...present in related crop plants. To test this hypothesis, we selected two endophytes that were found in Sharon goatgrass, an ancestor of wheat, and tested their effect on bread wheat. Both endophytes infected wheat and improved sustainability and performance under water‐limited conditions. To determine how the endophytes modify plant development, we measured parameters of plant growth and physiological status and performed a comparative metabolomics analysis. Endophyte‐treated wheat plants had reduced levels of stress damage markers and reduced accumulation of stress‐adaptation metabolites. Metabolomics profiling revealed significant differences in the response to water stress of endophyte‐treated plants compared with untreated plants. Our results demonstrate the potential of endophytes from wild plants for improvement of related crops and show that the beneficial effects of two endophytes are associated with alteration of physiological responses to water‐limited conditions.
The aromatic nitrogen atoms of heteroarylaldehydes are activated by carbene catalysts to react with ketone electrophiles. Multi‐functionalized cyclic N,O‐acetal products are afforded in good to ...excellent yields and optical purities. Our reaction involves the formation of an unprecedented aza‐fulvene‐type acylazolium intermediate. A broad range of N‐heteroaromatic aldehydes and electron‐deficient ketone substrates works effectively in this transformation. Several of the chiral N,O‐acetal products afforded through this protocol exhibit excellent antibacterial activities against Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs) and are valuable in the development of novel agrichemicals for plant protection.
Activation code: The aromatic nitrogen atoms of heteroarylaldehydes are activated by carbene catalysts to react with ketone electrophiles. A broad scope of cyclic N,O‐acetal products are afforded in good to excellent yields and optical purities. The reaction involves the formation of an aza‐fulvene acylazolium intermediate. Several products exhibit excellent antibacterial activities and are valuable in the development of novel agrichemicals.
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a disease characterized by cerebral neuronal degeneration and loss in a progressive manner. Amyloid beta (Aβ) in the brain is toxic to neurons, being a main risk ...factor for initiation and continuation of cognitive deterioration in AD. Neurotoxicity of Aβ origin is also linked to oxidative stress characterized by excessive lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, changes in antioxidant systems, and cerebral DNA damage in AD. Furthermore, Aβ can induce oxidative neuronal cell death by a mitochondrial dysfunction. Cellular injury caused by oxidative stress can be possibly prevented by boosting or promoting bodily oxidative defense system by supplying antioxidants in diet or as medications. However, most synthetic antioxidants are found to have cytotoxicity, which prevents their safe use, and limits their administration. For this reason, more attention has been paid to the natural non-toxic antioxidants. One of the most promising groups of non-toxic antioxidative compounds is thought to be polysaccharides. This study investigated the characterization and protective action exerted by exopolysaccharides (EPSs) originated from
Lactobacillus delbrueckii
ssp.
bulgaricus
B3 and
Lactobacillus plantarum
GD2 to protect from apoptotic activity exerted by Aβ
1-42
among SH-SY5Y cells. We characterized EPSs by elemental analysis, FTIR, AFM, SEM, and XRD. The antioxidant effects of EPSs were determined by the DPPH free radical scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, metal ion chelating activity, lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, and superoxide anion scavenging activity method. The protective effects of EPSs were determined by flow cytometry and RT-PCR. Mannose ratio, molecular weight, functional groups, surface morphology, and amorphous character structure of EPSs are thought to play a role in the protective effect of EPSs. EPSs reduced apoptotic activity of Aβ
1-42
in addition to their depolarizing effect on mitochondrial membrane potential in concentration-dependent manner. These observations contribute the inclusion of EPSs among the therapeutic options used to manage various neurological disorders in the traditional medicine in a scientific manner, indicating that EPSs may be promising natural chemical constituents that need advanced research and development for pharmacological therapy of AD.
Bumblebees are exposed to pesticides applied for crop protection while foraging on treated plants, with increasing evidence suggesting that this sublethal exposure has implications for pollinator ...declines. The challenges of navigating and learning to manipulate many different flowers underline the critical role learning plays for the foraging success and survival of bees. We assessed the impacts of both acute and chronic exposure to field-realistic levels of a widely applied neonicotinoid insecticide, thiamethoxam, on bumblebee odour learning and memory. Although bees exposed to acute doses showed conditioned responses less frequently than controls, we found no difference in the number of individuals able to learn at field-realistic exposure levels. However, following chronic pesticide exposure, bees exposed to field-realistic levels learnt more slowly and their short-term memory was significantly impaired following exposure to 2.4 ppb pesticide. These results indicate that field-realistic pesticide exposure can have appreciable impacts on learning and memory, with potential implications for essential individual behaviour and colony fitness.
The development of a high-throughput genotyping platform with high quality, flexibility, and affordable genotyping cost is critical for marker-assisted breeding. In this study, a genotyping by target ...sequencing (GBTS) platform was developed in maize, which can be realized for a small number of markers (several to 5 K) through multiplex PCR (GenoPlexs) and for a large number of markers (1 to 45 K) through in-solution capture. The later was used for development of four SNP marker panels (GenoBaits Maize) containing 20 K, 10 K, 5 K, and 1 K markers. Two genotype panels, one consisting 96 representative worldwide maize inbred lines and the other containing 387 breeding lines developed in our maize breeding programs, were used to test and validate the developed marker panels. First, a 20 K SNP panel, with markers evenly distributed across maize genome, was developed from a 55 K SNP array with improved genome coverage. From this single marker panel, 20 K, 10 K, 5 K, and 1 K SNP markers can be generated by sequencing the samples at the average sequencing depths of 50×, 20×, 7.5×, and 2.5×, respectively. Highly consistent marker genotypes were obtained between the four marker panels and the 55 K array (over 95%) and between two biological replications (over 98%). Also, highly consistent phylogenetic relationships were generated by using four marker panels and two genotype panels, providing strong evidence for the reliability of SNP markers and GBTS genotyping platform. Cost-benefit analysis indicated that the genotypic selection cost based on the GBTS in maize was lower than phenotypic selection, allowing GBTS an affordable genotyping platform for marker-assisted breeding. Integration of this affordable genotyping platform with other breeding platforms and open-source breeding network would greatly facilitate the molecular breeding activities in small- and medium-size companies and developing countries. The four marker panels could be used for many fields of marker application, including germplasm evaluation, genetic mapping, marker-assisted selection (including genomic selection), and plant variety protection.
Abstract Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) is one of the world’s most important food crops, and as such, its production needs to be protected from infectious diseases that can significantly reduce ...yield and quality. Here, we survey the effector-triggered immunity (ETI) landscape of tomato against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae . We perform comprehensive ETI screens in five cultivated tomato varieties and two wild relatives, as well as an immunodiversity screen on a collection of 149 tomato varieties that includes both wild and cultivated varieties. The screens reveal a tomato ETI landscape that is more limited than what was previously found in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana . We also demonstrate that ETI eliciting effectors can protect tomato against P. syringae infection when the effector is delivered by a non-virulent strain either prior to or simultaneously with a virulent strain. Overall, our findings provide a snapshot of the ETI landscape of tomatoes and demonstrate that ETI can be used as a biocontrol treatment to protect crop plants.
The impact of stress on crop productivity and the ecosystem have been magnified by climate changes and mispractices in the agriculture field. Soil microbiome is a diverse system consisting of various ...microorganisms. Environmental control techniques like the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are necessary to enhance crop productivity. AMF is known as stress regulating organisms that help plants within the nutrient uptake, biotic and abiotic stress management, plant protection, and consequently enhancement on crop yields. Also, host plants can tolerate many difficult situations such as water problems, salt stress, heavy metals, and temperature changes through AMF inoculation. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) enhance plant growth under stress by mediating a series of complex contact events between the two symbiotic partners resulting in a good photosynthetic and gas exchange amelioration. Plants have several tolerance mechanisms to deal with the constraints of environmental changes. The antioxidant ability is the principal tolerance mechanism; it is assisted by osmolytes accumulation and exacting absorption of ions. In this review, we will discuss the effect of AMF colonization on the host plants at different stages of growth, with comprehensively updated knowledge, their roles, and applications for plant growth enhancement and mycorrhizae role on plant resistance induction and stress management.
In plants, sinapate esters offer crucial protection from the deleterious effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure. These esters are a promising foundation for designing UV filters, particularly for ...the UVA region (400 - 315 nm), where adequate photoprotection is currently lacking. Whilst sinapate esters are highly photostable due to a cis-trans (and vice versa) photoisomerization, the cis-isomer can display increased genotoxicity; an alarming concern for current cinnamate ester-based human sunscreens. To eliminate this potentiality, here we synthesize a sinapate ester with equivalent cis- and trans-isomers. We investigate its photostability through innovative ultrafast spectroscopy on a skin mimic, thus modelling the as close to true environment of sunscreen formulas. These studies are complemented by assessing endocrine disruption activity and antioxidant potential. We contest, from our results, that symmetrically functionalized sinapate esters may show exceptional promise as nature-inspired UV filters in next generation sunscreen formulations.
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