A new look at the genus Crocus L. phylogeny and speciation: Insight from molecular data and chromosome geography

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - The genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae is a monophyletic genus with over 100 species. Due to the high degree of hybridization and the changes in the number...     

Assessment of molecular genetic diversity of 384 chickpea genotypes and development of core set of 192 genotypes for chickpea improvement programs

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea) is one of the most significant legume crops domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. This study was aimed to characterize a diverse...     

A bioinformatic insight into the genetic diversity within pomegranate cultivars: from nuclear to chloroplast genes

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an ancient fruit plant which has been consumed for its nutritional value and medicinal properties by mankind. Several...     

Copper,Chromium, and Arsenic Adsorption and Equilibrium Modeling in An Iron-Oxide-Coated Sand,Background Electrolyte System

The adsorption of copper, chromate, and arsenate (CCA)onto iron-oxide-coated sand (IOCS) was examined insingle-metal and mixed-metal systems. Copper andarsenate were strongly adsorbed or formed inner-spheresurface complexes with the IOCS surface while chromatewas weakly adsorbed or formed an outer-sphere surfacecomplex with the IOCS surface. Copper adsorption byIOCS slightly increased in the presence of arsenatebut was not affected by the presence of chromate. Arsenate adsorption was not affected by the presenceof copper and/or chromate. Chromate adsorptionincreased in the presence of copper by the combinationof electrostatic effects and possiblesurface-copper-chromate ternary complex formation. The presence of arsenate significantly decreasedchromate adsorption due to competition for adsorptionsites and electrostatic effects. Using inner-spheresurface complexation constants for copper and arsenateand outer-sphere surface complexation constants forchromate, the triple-layer model (TLM) was successfulin describing adsorption of copper, chromate, andarsenate in single-solute systems. The modelindicated that each metal uses a different number ofadsorption sites. For CCA metals-IOCS systems, theequilibrium constants determined from single-solutesystems were not able to predict adsorption frommulti-solute systems. The TLM does not currentlyaccount for the heterogeneity of oxide surface sitesand the formation of ternary complexes and/or solidphases that do not exist in single-solute systems.     

Effects of Nitrate:Ammonium Ratios on Vegetative Growth and Mineral Element Composition in Leaves of Apple

Evaluations of vegetative growth and leaf concentrations of nitrogen (N), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe) were made of apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cvs. Granny Smith, Gala, and Golab) grown with five treatments of NO₃^?:NH₄⁺ ratios in pot culture. The concentrations of NO₃^?:NH₄⁺ ratios were 2.5:0.1, 6:0.3, 6:0.5, 6:0.7, and 6: 1 meq L^?1. Regression analysis showed that growth parameters of main stems and branches were not affected by increases of NH₄⁺ in the ratios. Granny Smith, Gala, and Golab differed in some of these parameters. Concentrations of N and Fe increased as NH₄⁺ increased, whereas K and Ca decreased and Mg was not affected significantly. Generally, the treatment of 2.5:0.1 produced leaves with lower N but higher K, Ca, and Mg concentrations than the other treatments. This research showed that vegetative growth was not affected by NH₄⁺ concentration whereas elemental composition was affected.     

Calibration of Gypsum Blocks for Measuring Saline Soils Moisture

The proper management of irrigation requires an accurate measuring of soil moisture. One of the commonly applied methods for measuring soil moisture is the use of gypsum blocks – a method that is simple and quick to apply. However, measuring moisture in saline soils using this method is prone to errors due to the effect of soil salinity on the block. In this study, the effect of different salinities (1, 2, 6, 10, and 18 deci Siemens per meter (dS m^?1) on the measurements of a gypsum block type 5910 A was investigated with two repetitions in random blocks in sandy loam, loam, and clay loam soils, and corrective functions were obtained using multivariate regression for all soils with different salinity levels. The results showed different trends for measuring the soil moistures for salinities 1–6 dS m^?1 compared with salinities 10–18 dS m^?1, and the corrective functions in salinities 1–6 dS m^?1, which had higher accuracies than those with salinities 10–18 dS m^?1.     

Electrochemical Production of Ferrate (Iron VI): Application to the Wastewater Treatment on a Laboratory Scale and Comparison with Iron (III) Coagulant

This paper presents a comparative study of the performance of ferrate(VI), FeO ₄ ^2? , and ferric, Fe(III), towards wastewater treatment. The ferrate(VI) was produced by electrochemical synthesis, using steel electrodes in a 16 M NaOH solution. Domestic wastewater collected from Hailsham North Wastewater Treatment Works was treated with ferrate(VI) and ferric sulphate (Fe(III)). Samples were analysed for suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and P removal. Results for low doses of Fe(VI) were validated via a reproducibility study. Removal of phosphorous reached 40% with a Fe(VI) dose as low as 0.01 mg/L compared to 25% removal with 10 mg/L of Fe(III). For lower doses (<1 mg/L as Fe), Fe(VI) can achieve between 60% and 80% removals of SS and COD, but Fe(III) performed even not as well as the control sample where no iron chemical was dosed. The ferrate solution was found to be stable for a maximum of 50 min, beyond which Fe(VI) is reduced to less oxidant species. This provided the maximum allowed storage time of the electrochemically produced ferrate(VI) solution. Results demonstrated that low addition of ferrate(VI) leads to good removal of P, BOD, COD and suspended solids from wastewater compared to ferric addition and further studies could bring an optimisation of the dosage and treatment.     

Interaction of Different Wheat Genotypes and Nitrification Inhibitor 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole Phosphate Using 15N Isotope Tracing Techniques

To investigate the effect of applying ¹⁵N-labeled ammonium sulfate with or without a nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on fertilizer use efficiency and crop productivity of different wheat genotypes, a field trial was conducted at the Nuclear Agricultural Department’s farm of Iran in 2013–2014. The treatments included five wheat genotypes with different 13 C isotope discrimination and three fertilizer treatments, an unfertilized control, ¹⁵N-labeled ammonium sulfate, and ¹⁵N-labeled ammonium sulfate with DMPP in three replications. Soil samples were taken after 2, 4, and 6 weeks after sowing and also at harvest time. Results from ¹⁵N experiment showed that DMPP delayed nitrification of ammonium for 42 days. Genotypes with lower discrimination index had greater uptake of ammonium ions which led to increase crop yield and nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency. The results also suggested that the use of DMPP may not be beneficial in some fast growing wheat genotypes.     

Characterization of char from the pyrolysis of tobacco

Pyrolysis of tobacco was studied in oxidative and nonoxidative (inert) environments at atmospheric pressure and temperatures ranging from 150 to 750 degrees C. The objective was to study the effect of pyrolysis conditions on the characteristics of the solid residue, i.e., char. The char was characterized using cross-polarization (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (CPMAS NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, and the elemental composition. The char yield from pyrolysis (i.e., nonoxidative) decreased sharply with an increase in temperature to ca. 22% (dry, ash-free basis) at high temperatures. In oxidative pyrolysis, i.e., in 5% oxygen, the char was completely oxidized above 600 degrees C. The gaseous product from pyrolysis at high temperatures contained a significant concentration of hydrogen. The surface area of the char was low, with a maximum of 8 m(2)/g at 400 degrees C. SEM analysis indicated that pyrolysis of the tobacco led to a gradual accumulation of inorganic crystals on the exposed surfaces, and some constituents also melted, resulting in the formation of vesicles by evolving gas. NMR analysis showed significant changes in pectin and sugar constituents of the tobacco and breaking of glycosidic bonds of cellulose at 300-500 degrees C before the char became predominantly aromatic at high temperatures. FTIR results showed a continuous decrease in the intensity of the OH stretch with temperature and the aromatic character to be at maximum at 550-650 degrees C. The H/C ratio of the char decreased continuously with temperature, while the O/C ratio became constant above 300 degrees C due to the presence of oxides and carbonates in the char. The results are consistent with the analysis of the evolved gases.     

Physicochemical,including spectroscopic,and biological analyses during composting of green tea waste and rice bran

The aims of this study were to monitor the changes in physicochemical, including spectroscopic, and biological characteristics during composting of green tea waste–rice bran compost (GRC) and to define parameters suitable for evaluating the stability of GRC. Compost pile temperature reflected the initiation and stabilization of the composting process. The pH, electrical conductivity, NO₃ ⁻-N content, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio were measured as chemical properties of the compost. The color (CIELAB variables), humification index (the absorption ratio Q _4/6 = A ₄₇₂ / A ₆₆₄ of 0.5 M NaOH extracts), absorption at 665 nm of acetone extracts, and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra were measured to evaluate the organic matter transformation; germination of komatsuna or tomato seeds was measured to assess the potential phytotoxicity of composting materials during composting. No single parameter was capable of giving substantial information on the composting process, the nutrient balance, phytotoxicity, and organic matter decomposition. The FT-IR spectra at 3,300, 2,930, 2,852, and 1,065 cm⁻¹ provided information on the molecular transformation of GRC during composting and they decreased over the composting. Most of the assayed parameters showed no further change after about 90 days of composting suggesting that GRC can be used for agricultural purposes after this period.