Loss of pendimethalin in runoff and leaching from turfgrass land under simulated rainfall

A field study was undertaken to investigate runoff and leaching loss of the herbicide pendimethalin in turfgrass land of loamy sand soil. A series of plots constructed in a golf course fairway were surface-applied with pendimethalin SC formulation at the rate of 2. 25 or 4.50 kg a.i./ha and subjected to simulated rainfall at 2.0 cm/day for 10 consecutive days. Runoff losses of pendimethalin were the highest at the first rainfall and then gradually decreased with time. The first runoff event contained pendimethalin in its highest concentration, and in subsequent runoff samples the concentration decreased exponentially. The ranges of pendimethalin concentration were 80.9-18.2 and 177.4-48.6 microgram/L in the standard and double doses, respectively. Total losses by 20 cm of rainfall for 10 days reached 0.81 and 1.22% of the initial deposits at 2.25 and 4.50 kg a. i./ha, respectively. Pendimethalin concentration in the leachate collected at 30-cm soil depth was quite lower than that in the runoff, and the concentration rapidly decreased from 4.3-4.7 to 0. 2-0.4 microgram/L during the 10 days of rainfall treatment. Soil residue analysis at 45 and 90 days after pendimethalin treatment showed that more than 90% of the residue remained at the top 10 cm of soil depth. Low runoff and leaching confirmed that lateral and downward movement of the herbicide should be limited in turf soil. The half-life of pendimethalin under field conditions was 23-30 days and was not affected by application dose and rainfall treatment, but longer persistence was observed under laboratory conditions. Considering low runoff and leaching, as well as relatively short persistence in soil, it is concluded that little environmental carryover of pendimethalin would be expected in turfgrass land.     

Quantification of the group B soyasaponins by high-performance liquid chromatography

High-performance liquid chromatographic methods were developed for the isolation and quantitative determination of the group B soyasaponins, including 2,3-dihydro-2,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one (DDMP)-conjugated soyasaponins alphag, betag, and betaa, and their non-DDMP counterparts, soyasaponins V, I, and II, respectively, with formononetin used as the internal standard. The limits of quantification for soy products were 0.11-4.86 micromol/g. The within-day and between-days assay coefficients of variation were <9.8 and < 14.3%, respectively. The group B soyasaponin concentrations in 46 soybean varieties ranged from 2.50 to 5.85 micromol/g. Soy ingredients (soybean flour, toasted soy hypocotyls, soy protein isolates, textured vegetable protein, soy protein concentrates, and Novasoy) and soy foods (commercial soy milk, tofu, and tempeh) contained the group B soyasaponins from 0.20 to 114.02 micromol/g. There was no apparent correlation between isoflavone and soyasaponin concentrations in the soy products examined.     

Antioxidative activity of heterocyclic compounds found in coffee volatiles produced by Maillard reaction

Typical heterocyclic compounds substituted with various functional groups found in Maillard reaction products were examined for antioxidant activity. Pyrroles exhibited the greatest antioxidant activity among all heterocyclic compounds tested. All pyrroles inhibited hexanal oxidation by almost 100% at a concentration of 50 microg/mL over 40 days. Addition of formyl and acetyl groups to a pyrrole ring enhanced antioxidative activity remarkably. Pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde, 2-acetylpyrrole, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolecarboxaldehyde, and 2-acetyl-1-methylpyrrole inhibited hexanal oxidation by >80% at 10 microg/mL. Unsubstituted furan exhibited the greatest antioxidant activity among furans tested. Addition of all functional groups used in this study to furan decreased antioxidative activity. The antioxidant activity of thiophene increased with the addition of methyl and ethyl groups, but the addition of formyl or acetyl groups to thiophene decreased antioxidant activity. Thiazoles and pyrazines were ineffective antioxidants at all concentrations tested. Reaction of all heterocyclic compounds with hydrogen peroxide resulted in the formation of various oxidized products.     

Variation and correlation analysis of flavonoids and carotenoids in Korean pigmented rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars

Flavonoids and carotenoids of pigmented rice ( Oryza sativa L.), including five black cultivars and two red cultivars, from Korea were characterized to determine the diversity among the phytochemicals and to analyze the relationships among their contents. Black cultivars were higher in flavonoids and carotenoids than the red and white cultivars. The profiles of eight phytochemicals identified from the rice grains were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the differences among cultivars. PCA could fully distinguish between these cultivars. The Heugjinjubyeo (BR-1) and Heugseolbyeo (BR-2) cultivars were separated from the others based on flavonoid and carotenoid concentrations. Flavonoid contents had a positive correlation with carotenoid contents among all rice grains. The BR-1 and BR-2 cultivars appear to be good candidates for future breeding programs because they have simultaneously high flavonoid and carotenoid contents.     

The origin of the turtle body plan: bridging a famous morphological gap

A restudy of pareiasaurs reveals that these primitive reptiles are the nearest relatives of turtles. The two groups share numerous derived characters, such as a reduced presacral count, an acromion process, and a trochanter major, which are absent in other basal amniotes. Many traits long thought specific to chelonians also occur in pareiasaurs and must have evolved before the distinctive turtle shell appeared. Evidence uniting captorhinid or procolophonoids with turtles is shown to be weak. The phylogeny proposed here also suggests that certain features of the earliest turtle (Proganochelys) that have been interpreted as specializations, such as the large supratemporal and robust metacarpals, are primitive for turtles. In pareiasaurs, the osteoderms represent the precursors of the chelonian shell and the morphology of the anterior region is consistent with the idea that the shoulder girdle in turtles has migrated posteriorly into the rib cage.     

利用卫星遥感进行加拿大花旗松林虫害监测的研究

森林虫害监测是森林经营管理中的一个重要内容,为此作者利用陆地卫星第5号的主题成图仪数据,在加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省卡奇河试验区对花旗松林被云杉茅卷蛾危害的状况进行了监测。试验表明,在直方均衡的基础上进行比值处理和最大概似分类,其图象处理效果比较理想。利用直升飞机航空目视调查所勾绘的虫害分布图进行对照检验,其位置和形状基本吻合,面积也达到一定的精度。这种分析方法所取得的结果,可作为虫害防治的依据。     

Radiation-Induced Breeding in Camelina Sativa

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - The ionizing radiation methods, including X-rays, gamma rays, and neutrons to create variation is well established and used in major crops. Many...     

Fabrication of electropsun PLGA and small intestine submucosa-blended nanofibrous membranes and their biocompatibility for wound healing

In recent decades, tremendous research has focused on the production of nanoscale fibers using synthetic polymers, with the goal of fabricating nanofibrous scaffolds for wound healing. However, the hydrophobicity of such polymers typically hinders attachment and proliferation of the cells. In this study, we combined poly-d,l-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) and small intestine submucosa (SIS) to fabricate blended nanofibers for wound healing by electrospinning. PLGA and SIS were dissolved in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro isopropanol to produce different weight ratios of PLGA/SIS-blended nanofibrous membranes (NFM). Physicochemical characterization of the electrospun NFM was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, water contact angle analysis, degradation test and tensile testing. The PLGA/SIS-blended NFM showed improved hydrophilicity and tensile strength. Better infiltration, attachment and proliferation of rat granulation fibroblasts of PLGA/SIS-blended NFMs compared to PLGA NFMs were identified by morphological differences determined by SEM and a water-soluble tetrazolium salt assay kit. Based on our results, the PLGA/SIS blended NFMs were found to be suitable for use as a potential material for wound dressing.     

Exploring diversity among rice germplasms based on their physiological traits responses to salinity

Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that severely effects rice production throughout the world. Previously, there have not been many studies which focused on studying diversity among rice germplasm based on specific physiological traits for salt tolerance. Our diversity study was based on physiological traits such as Na+ concentration, K⁺ concentration, K⁺/Na⁺ ratio, osmotic potential, and biomass which are major components determining salt tolerance. This study has systematically analyzed phenotypic data of 191 germplasms in two different salt concentrations apart from the control. The current study identified salt tolerant germplasms based on their response to a single physiological trait as well as a combination of different physiological traits. Some of the germplasm identified outperformed known salt tolerant cultivar Pokkali. This study identifies correlation among various physiological traits. The salt tolerant germplasms can be taken forward into developing better varieties by conventional breeding and exploring genes for salt tolerance.