Fusarium solani Upregulated Sesquiterpene Synthase Expression,Sesquiterpene Production and Allelopathic Activity in Piper betle L.

Activators of sesquiterpene synthase (STS) gene expression and sesquiterpene production in Piper betle L. were examined using quantitative real time PCR and gas chromatography mass spectrometry methods, and the allelopathic activity of untreated and Fusarium solani-treated betel extracts was tested on seed germination and on the shoot and root growth of Thai rice variety PSL2 (Oryza sativa cv. Phitsanulok 2) and three dominant paddy weeds (Eclipta prostrata, Echinochloa crus-galli and Chloris barbata). The results demonstrated that F. solani dramatically upregulated STS expression and productions of β-cubebene, β-caryophyllene and germacrene D sesquiterpene when compared with the untreated control, and that betel extracts had a greater inhibitory effect on weeds than on rice. The effects were more clearly detected on seed germination and root growth than on shoot growth, and they were found to be dose-dependent. It is also noted that F. solani-treated extract had stronger effects than the untreated extract. The species most sensitive to the allelopathic effects was C. barbata, germination of which was completely inhibited even at a dose of 0.1 mg/mL untreated extract. With regards to rice, although betel extract at 1.0 mg/mL showed no inhibition on germination, it affected the elongation of rice roots, in addition to those of the tested weeds. The obtained data suggested that F. solani has potential as an activator of sesquiterpene allelochemical production via STS expression, the latter leading to the treated betel extract having a stronger phytotoxic effect. These results were beneficial in the promotion of natural herbicide production using biotechnology.     

Identification of Stable Quantitative Trait Loci for Sheath Blight Resistance Using Recombinant Inbred Line

To identify stable quantitative trait loci(QTLs) responsible for sheath blight resistance, a recombinant inbred line mapping population consisting of 219 lines was developed by crossing Lemont and Yangdao 4. Average disease rating, average lesion length, maximum disease rating and maximum lesion length were assayed in six different environments. A total of 128 minor effect QTLs were detected by multiple interval mapping. These QTLs explained less than 11.2% of the phenotypic variations individually, and 106 QTLs were clustered in 20 QTL-rich regions/putative loci. Significant QTL × environment interactions were detected at three putative loci(q SBR11.1, q SBR11.2 and q SBR11.3), indicating that these three loci were not stable. The other 17 stable loci(qSBR1.1, qS BR1.2, qS BR2.1, qS BR2.3, qS BR3.1, qS BR3.2, qS BR3.5, qS BR3.6, qS BR5.1, qS BR7.1, qSBR8.1, qS BR9.1, qS BR9.2, qSBR9.3, qSBR12.1, qS BR12.2 and qS BR12.4) provided a foundation for marker-assisted selection in breeding. Analysis of allelic effect on the 20 putative loci identified 7 highly stable loci, including qS BR3.2, qS BR7.1, qS BR8.1, qSBR9.2, qSBR9.3, qSBR12.1 and qSBR12.2.     

Quinclorac Resistance in Echinochloa crus-galli from China

Echinochloa crus-galli is a major weed in rice fields in China, and quinclorac has been long used for its control. Over-reliance of quinclorac has resulted in quinclorac resistance in E. crus-galli. Two resistant(R) E. crus-galli populations from Hunan, China were confirmed to be at least 78-fold more resistant to quinclorac than the susceptible(S) population. No difference in foliar uptake of 14 C-labelled quinclorac was detected between the R and S plants. However, a higher level of 14 C translocation and a lower level of quinclorac metabolism were found in the R plants. Basal and induced expression levels of β-cyanoalanine synthase(β-CAS) gene and β-CAS activity were not significantly different between the R and S plants. However, the induction expression of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase(ACO1) gene by quinclorac treatment was evident in the S plants but not in the R plants. Quinclorac resistance in the two resistant E. crus-galli populations was not likely to be related to foliar uptake, translocation or metabolism of quinclorac, nor to cyanide detoxification via β-CAS. Thus, target-site based quinclorac signal reception and transduction and regulation of the ethylene synthesis pathway should be the focus for further research.     

Steam Pretreatment of Rice Hulls to Release Fermentable Saccharides: An Approach to Improve Recovery of (Hemi)Cellulosic Sugars Through Multivariate Design

The conversion of rice hulls into fermentable saccharides was explored through steam pretreatment employing 2.5% SO₂. The interaction between temperature and time was assessed by means of the response surface method to achieve optimum contents of C6-sugars in water-insoluble solids (WIS) and C5-sugars in the liquor. Pretreatment carried out at 218 °C for 2.3 min released liquor containing 55.4 g/L of sugars (29.1 g/L of xylose). In parallel, the WIS was subjected to enzymatic saccharification using different solid and enzyme loads via an experimental design: assays using 22.0% WIS and 20.0 filter paper units (FPU)/g led to 90.6 g/L of glucose, corresponding to a yield of 86.4% and an overall yield of 72.4%. The data reported are the highest ever found for such raw material, making it attractive to compete with conventional lignocellulosic biomass.     

Appraisal of Thai glutinous rice husk for health promotion products

Rice husks of the RD 6 variety were refluxed with water for 30, 60 and 120 min. The longest extraction time resulted in the greatest yield (0.089 ± 0.008%), radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ = 37.203 ± 0.421 μg/ml), and total phenolic and flavonoid contents (7.512 ± 0.008 g GAE/100 g extract and 36.886 ± 0.004 g QE/100 g extract). Fatty acids of cosmetic importance, such as hexanoic, heptatonic, octanoic, nonanoic, stearic, palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids, were quantified using the best antioxidant extract (166.004 mg/kg). The total phenolic content was related to the antioxidant activity and total fatty acid content (r = 0.997 and 0.864) in linoleic acid (r = 0.989), which displayed antioxidant properties (r = 0.996). The extract was non-cytotoxic in vero cells. Furthermore, it was compatible and stable in cosmetic formulations. Therefore, rice husks should be further studied for use in health promotion products.     

Comparison of different rice flour- and wheat flour-based butter cookies for acrylamide formation

Acrylamide (AcA) contents of different rice flour- and wheat flour-based butter cookies baked at 130 °C for 20, 55, or 90 min were investigated. AcA contents of different flour-based cookies increased with baking time. Color parameters in terms of CIE L*, b*, C*, and ΔE values showed significant opposite correlation to the AcA formation in each of the raw flour cookie. The cookies based on white rice flour had the lowest AcA contents ranging from not detectable (ND) to 204 μg/kg, followed by cookies based on brown rice flour (ND to 450 μg/kg), white wheat flour (155 μg/kg to 661 μg/kg), and whole wheat flour (306 μg/kg to 982 μg/kg). Considerably lower AcA levels were found in the rice flour-based cookies than in the wheat flour-based cookies, as well as in the milled flour-based cookies than in the whole-grain cookies. Although the flour source was considered to play a primary role in determining the AcA content, AcA content was apparently not dependent on the quantities of reducing sugars and free asparagine in the starting raw flour and cookies during baking. In summary, given its reducing potential for AcA formation, rice flour could be used in the production of cookies safe from heat-induced contaminants.     

Production of Xylose from Sorghum Straw Using Hydrochloric Acid

Xylose is a hemicellulosic sugar mainly used for its bioconversion to xylitol. Sorghum straw is a raw material for xylose production that has been studied scarcely. The objective of this work was to study the xylose production by hydrolysis of sorghum straw with hydrochloric acid at 122 °C. Several concentrations of HCl (2–6%) and reaction time (0–300 min) were evaluated. Kinetic parameters of mathematical models for predicting the concentration of xylose, glucose, acetic acid and furfural in the hydrolysates were found. Optimal conditions for hydrolysis were 6% HCl at 122 °C for 70 min, which yielded a solution with 16·2 g xylose/L, 3·8 g glucose/L, 2·0 g furfural/L and 1·9 g acetic acid/L.     

Enzyme-Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Material from Chondrus crispus and Codium fragile and Its Effect on Herpes simplex Virus (HSV-1)

Codium fragile and Chondrus crispus are, respectively, green and red seaweeds which are abundant along the North Atlantic coasts. We investigated the chemical composition and antiviral activity of enzymatic extracts of C. fragile (CF) and C. crispus (CC). On a dry weight basis, CF consisted of 11% protein, 31% neutral sugars, 0.8% sulfate, 0.6% uronic acids, and 49% ash, while CC contained 27% protein, 28% neutral sugars, 17% sulfate, 1.8% uronic acids, and 25% ash. Enzyme-assisted hydrolysis improved the extraction efficiency of bioactive materials. Commercial proteases and carbohydrases significantly improved (p ≤ 0.001) biomass yield (40%–70% dry matter) as compared to aqueous extraction (20%–25% dry matter). Moreover, enzymatic hydrolysis enhanced the recovery of protein, neutral sugars, uronic acids, and sulfates. The enzymatic hydrolysates exhibited significant activity against Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) with EC₅₀ of 77.6–126.8 μg/mL for CC and 36.5–41.3 μg/mL for CF, at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.001 ID₅₀/cells without cytotoxity (1–200 μg/mL). The extracts obtained from proteases (P1) and carbohydrases (C3) were also effective at higher virus MOI of 0.01 ID₅₀/cells without cytotoxity. Taken together, these results indicate the potential application of enzymatic hydrolysates of C. fragile and C. crispus in functional food and antiviral drug discovery.     

Effect of pre-extraction on soda-anthraquinone (AQ) pulping of rice straw

The effect of hot-water and alkaline pre-extraction of rice straw on soda-anthraquinone pulping was carried out. The pre-extraction with hot water at 150 °C for 1 h dissolved 34.7% biomass and the pre-extracted liquor comprised of 16.6% sugars, 6.7% lignin, 6.6% acetic acid and other unknown products. But the pre-extraction with 1% NaOH at 100 °C for 1 h dissolved 10.2% sugars, 5.1% lignin and 10% acetic acid from rice straw. Pre-extracted rice straw was cooked by soda-anthraquinone process with varying alkali charges. The pulp from pre-extracted rice straw was low in kappa number with reduced pulp yield. The drainage resistance (°SR) improved obviously on pre-extraction of rice straw. Pulp strength properties such as the tensile index and the burst index were found to be lower, but the tear index was higher both with hot-water and alkaline pre-extraction. After bleaching, the gaps of the overall pulp yield and strength properties between pre-extracted and non-extracted rice straw became narrower. The alkaline pre-extraction showed improved yield and properties compared with hot-water pre-extracted rice straw.     

Ethanol production from alkali- and ozone-treated cotton stalks using thermotolerant Pichia kudriavzevii HOP-1

In the present study, milled cotton stalks were subjected to alkali pretreatment with NaOH at 1-4% (w/v) concentrations at 121 °C for time ranging from 30 to 90 min. Ozone pretreatment was performed by passing 45 mg/L of ozone gas over 2 mm cotton stalks for 150 min at a flow rate of 0.37 L/min. The residual biomass from 4% alkali pretreatment for 60 min showed 46.6% lignin degradation accompanied by 83.2% increase in glucan content, compared with the untreated biomass. Hydrolysis of 4% alkali-treated and ozone-treated cotton stalks was conducted using enzyme combination of 20 filter paper cellulase units/gram dried substrate (FPU/g-ds), 45 IU/g-ds β-glucosidase and 15 IU/g-ds pectinase. Enzymatic hydrolysis of alkali-treated and ozone-treated biomass after 48 h resulted in 42.29 g/L glucose, 6.82 g/L xylose and 24.13 g/L glucose, 8.3 g/L xylose, respectively. About 99% of glucose was consumed in 24 h by Pichia kudriavzevii HOP-1 cells resulting in 19.82 g/L of ethanol from alkali-treated cotton stalks and 10.96 g/L of ethanol from ozone-treated cotton stalks. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of the alkali-treated cotton stalks after 12-h pre-hydrolysis resulted in ethanol concentration, ethanol yield on dry biomass basis and ethanol productivity of 19.48 g/L, 0.21 g/g and 0.41 g/L/h, respectively which holds promise for further scale-up studies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study employing SSF for ethanol production from cotton stalks.     

脱落酸对水稻种子萌发的影响

以3种水稻种子培两优288、R402、LP04为材料,用不同浓度外源脱落酸(ABA)作浸种处理,研究其对水稻种子萌发的影响.结果表明:低浓度ABA(10mg/L)对水稻种子LP04的萌发具有促进作用,20～90mg/L的高浓度ABA对水稻种子的萌发具有明显的抑制作用.结合水稻种子萌发过程中可溶性糖含量、α-淀粉酶活性和内源植物激素等生理指标的检测结果表明,20～50mg/L的ABA能有效抑制水稻种子的萌发,可作为外源ABA在水稻种子储藏中使用的参考浓度.     

不同杀虫剂防治水稻二化螟田间药效试验研究

通过对不同杀虫剂防治水稻二化螟进行田间药效对比试验,结果表明,氟虫双酰胺.阿维菌素100 g/L悬浮剂、氯虫苯甲酰胺200 g/L悬浮剂、20%氟虫双酰胺水分散颗粒剂是防治水稻二化螟的理想杀虫剂。氟虫双酰胺.阿维菌素100g/L悬浮剂30 ml/667 m^2防治效果99.64%,氯虫苯甲酰胺200 g/L悬浮剂10 ml/667 m^2防治效果99.29%,氟虫双酰胺20%水分散颗粒剂10 ml/667 m^2防治效果8.17%。     

Optimization of switchgrass and extruder parameters for enzymatic hydrolysis using response surface methodology

Switchgrass is an important biomass that can be hydrolyzed to yield fermentable sugars through pretreatment, which is the primary and expensive step in conversion of biomass to bio-ethanol. Most of the pretreatment operates in batch mode, which is energy intensive, requires high capital, results in decomposition of hemicellulose, and formation of inhibitors. Considering these shortcomings, a novel biomass pretreatment method using a high shear bioreactor could be a viable continuous one. The current study was undertaken to determine the effect of biomass parameters such as moisture content (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% wb) and particle size (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm) over a range of barrel temperature and screw speed (45-225 °C and 20-200 rpm). Statistical analyses revealed that among the independent variables considered temperature, screw speed, and moisture content had significant effect on sugar recoveries. Proposed quadratic model to predict glucose, xylose, and combined sugar recoveries from switchgrass had a high F and R² values indicating that the model has the ability to represent the relationship among the independent variables studied. The optimum pretreatment condition of barrel temperature 176 °C, screw speed 155 rpm, moisture content 20% wb, and particle size 8 mm resulted in maximum glucose, xylose, and combined sugar recoveries of 41.4, 62.2 and 47.4%, respectively. The optimum pretreated switchgrass had 50% higher surface area than that of the control.     

麦芽糖提高水稻花药培养效率的研究

 研究了浓度均为150 mmol/L的9种碳源(含组合)对3个籼稻品种花药的愈伤组织诱导率的影响，发现麦芽糖为碳源的培养基效果最佳。进一步以7个籼稻2个粳稻和4个杂交组合为材料，系统比较了150 mmol/L的麦芽糖与蔗糖作为诱导培养基的碳源对花药培养的影响，结果表明，以麦芽糖为碳源的培养基上，平均愈伤组织诱导率和随后的绿苗分化率分别为54.81%与9.70%，而在相应的蔗糖培养基上只有11.85%和3.30%，差异极显著。讨论了提高籼稻花培效率的簧略，井建议采用统一的方法计算愈伤组织诱导率．     

Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction of rice bran protein and its hydrolysates properties

Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was applied for extracting rice bran protein with a response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal condition was 1000 W of microwave power, 90 s of extraction time, and a solid to liquid ratio of 0.89 g rice bran/10 mL of distilled water. The protein yield of MAE was higher than that of alkaline extraction (ALK) by about 1.54-fold (P < 0.05), while the protein digestibility was similar. The protein hydrolysates (PHs) with at different degrees of hydrolysis (DH) (5.04, 10.37 and 15.04%) were produced by alcalase. The molecular weight (MW) of the rice bran protein concentrates (RBPC) and the PHs ranged between <11 kDa and 100 kDa. The excessive enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in a negative effect on water and oil absorption capacities. The PHs with DH15.04% acted as the strongest DPPH radical scavenger, ferric reducing agent, and also metal ion chelator (P < 0.05). However, a DH of 5.04% was sufficient for improving the functional properties of RBPC, especially foam ability and the emulsion activity index. This study suggests that the desirable properties of rice bran protein can be controlled with enzymatic modification.     

Accumulation of reducing sugars by sugarcane: effects of crop age,nitrogen supply and cultivar

Sugarcane was grown under full irrigation in Australia, South Africa and Hawaii. N fertiliser was supplied at a high rate and was non-limiting to biomass accumulation in all but one dataset, where zero and high nitrogen (N) supply regimes were imposed. Crops were sampled for biomass, sucrose, glucose and fructose content of stalks. In one study, the biomass and sugar content of all green crop components were also determined. The objective was to compare the accumulation of reducing sugars, glucose and fructose, with sucrose, and how this responds to agronomic manipulations of crop duration, cultivar and nitrogen supply. Such knowledge can be used to assess the scope for maximising, by agronomic or genetic means, the partitioning of biomass to the economic product, sucrose and maximising the purity of juice for efficient sucrose extraction at the mill. At 12 months growth, 30–50% of reducing sugars was present in the stalk component, but at earlier stages was higher at 50–80%. Stalk yields of reducing sugars for 12 month crops were less than 100 g m⁻², which was less than 5% of total sugars in the stalk. There were strong effects of N supply and cultivar on the amounts and concentration of reducing sugars in the stalk at low yields, but little effect when stalk biomass exceeded about 4000 g m⁻² suggesting that, agronomic or genetic manipulation of levels of reducing sugars will only be effective early in the season. For a given level of stalk biomass, cultivar effects on partitioning to reducing sugars were due either to differences in partitioning of stalk biomass to total sugars, or differences in the partitioning between sucrose and reducing sugars. On the other hand, variation in N supply only altered the partitioning between sucrose and reducing sugars. Calculations suggested that high concentrations of reducing sugars in stalks harvested at a young age or from high N supply treatments, were not expected to lower the polarimetric estimate of sucrose concentration in the juice by more than 6%. This study provides a framework to assess the impact of cultivar, crop duration, and N supply on the accumulation of reducing sugars in different production systems.     

Diversity of weedy red rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Arkansas,U.S.A. in relation to weed management

Weedy rice, specifically red rice (Oryza sativa L.), is a major weed in rice which causes up to 80% yield loss and reduction of grain quality. Red rice accessions from Arkansas, U.S.A., were characterized to classify red rice accessions into certain phenotypic groups relevant to weedy rice management. The red rice accessions were 70% strawhull, 22% blackhull, 7% brownhull and <1% goldhull. Generally, blackhull red rice was the tallest (139 cm) and strawhull the shortest (133 cm) among all accessions. Blackhull red rice had more tillers (102/plant), smaller flag leaves (13 cm wide, 34 cm long), and flowered later (1225 heat units) than strawhull red rice which had 85 tillers/plant, 15 cm-wide and 34 cm-long flag leaves, and flowered after accumulating 1195 heat units. Morphological differences between accessions within each hull type were highly significant, showing great diversity within a hull color group as indicated by large ranges in traits. For example, blackhulls were 75–190 cm tall with 18–69 cm long flag leaves, 21–188 tillers and produced 40–949 g seed. Strawhulls were 46–189 cm tall with 18–66 cm flag leaf length, 16–172 tillers and produced 100–608 g seed. Some traits, such as seed production, differed widely between accessions within each hull color group such that the average seed production/accession for blackhull did not differ from that of strawhull weedy rice (196 vs. 192 g/plant). The onset of flowering among all accessions ranged from 56 to 126 d after planting. Red rice accessions formed six phenotypic clusters generally segregated by plant size or flowering time. Each morphotype would have different competitive abilities; thus, weedy rice management could be geared toward plant types. Highly competitive plant types would require intensive control measures to minimize yield losses and reduce the soil seed bank. Flowering dates impact stewardship strategies for herbicide-resistant or any genetically modified rice.     

Decrement of Sugar Consumption in Rice Young Panicle Under High Temperature Aggravates Spikelet Number Reduction

Two rice genotypes Huanghuazhan(HHZ, heat-resistant) and IR36(heat-susceptible) were subjected to high-temperature(HT, 40 oC) and normal-temperature(NT, 32 oC) treatments at the spikelet differentiation stage. HT treatment inhibited spikelet differentiation, aggravated spikelet degeneration, reduced spikelet size, and disordered carbohydrate allocation. Meanwhile, HT treatment increased nonstructural carbohydrate content in leaves, but decreased that in stems and young panicles, and the same tendencies of sucrose and starch contents were observed in leaves and stem. However, HT treatment significantly increased the sucrose content and sharply decreased the glucose and fructose contents in young panicles. Lower activity levels of soluble acid invertase(EC3.2.1.26) and sucrose synthase(EC2.4.1.13) were observed under HT treatment. Moreover, HT treatment reduced the activities of key enzymes associated with glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which indicated sucrose consumption was inhibited in young panicles under HT treatment. Exogenous glucose and fructose applied under HT treatment increased the spikelet number more than exogenous sucrose. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that the reduction of spikelet number under high temperature was more affected by the decrease in sugar consumption than the blocking of sucrose transport. The impairment of sucrose hydrolysis was the main reason for the inhibition of sugar utilization.     

不同轻型基质对金钱树生长影响初报

采用单纯形-格子设计,将农林废弃物的椰糠、甘蔗渣、碳化稻壳、中药渣按体积比混合,得到35种轻型基质。结果表明,不同基质对金钱树的苗高、地径、根系生长、生物量有显著差异,经过综合评分,得出6种较好基质,分别为:100%椰糠;75%椰糠:25%碳化稻壳;50%甘蔗渣:50%中药渣;50%椰糠:50%中药渣;25%椰糠:50%碳化稻壳:25%中药渣;25%椰糠:25%甘蔗渣:25%碳化稻壳:25%中药渣。     

Valorization of rice by-products: Protein-phenolic based fractions with bioactive potential

Rice bran (RB) is an important by-product from the rice production with a high valorization potential. The aim of the present work was to explore this potential by considering combined protein and phenolic fractions and enzymatic hydrolysis. The influence of different protocols in the recovery/fractioning of protein were evaluated, including defatting procedures, in rice brans from two very different locations: Portugal and Colombia. The different protein fractions achieved were characterized. Proteins were further hydrolyzed using trypsin and their hydrolysates were characterized in terms of degree of hydrolysis and peptide size. Moreover, the total phenolic content (TPC) and phenolic compounds’ profile on extracted fractions and hydrolysates of RB from Portugal and Colombia were determined. The functional potential was assessed in terms of antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. Though the protein concentrates had already significant potential bioactivities, protein hydrolysates showed that the TPC, antioxidant and antihypertensive activities significantly increased with the digestion by trypsin. Hydrolysates of RB from Portugal presented a higher antioxidant and hypertensive activities in comparison with hydrolysates of RB from Colombia, moreover it presented a higher content of TPC. This study indicated that the exploitation potential of rice bran can be increased with simple fractioning procedures, that combined protein/phenolic fractions are important to deliver functionality and that hydrolysis can be a relevant tool to release that functionality. Furthermore, regional differences in rice bran composition are also important factors to consider. Overall, this knowledge can be used to increase the industrial potential of valorization for this by-product.