Effects of Different Drying Methods on Some Physical and Chemical Properties of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) Fruits

ABSTRACT

In this communication, we have discussed and compared the different drying processes i.e. flat plate solar collector, open sun and mechanical dryer with the preservative solution of Sodium Benzoate. Loquats were pretreated with preservative solution and subject to the drying process. Drying kinetics in terms of moisture lost per hour and drying rate, texture and antioxidants retention were determined before and after drying. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the different drying process has significantly affected on the kinetics of loquat fruits with the confidence interval of (α ≤ 0.05), whereas the preservative solution showed a non-significant effect on texture and antioxidants retention. High moisture lost per hour (5.4%) was recorded in mechanical dryer followed by flat plate solar collector dryer (3.7 %) while minimum (1.8%) was recorded in open sun drying. Good textured dried loquat with optimum hardness (313 g) and stiffness (141 g mm^?1) was found in flat plate solar collector dried samples. Similarly more antioxidants (52%) retained in samples dried with hot air using flat plate solar collector followed by the mechanical dryer (47%) while minimum (41%) was recorded in open sun drying. Although mechanical drying is fast, it does not help to maintain a good texture and more antioxidants. From the study, it was concluded that hot air drying using a flat plate solar collector is better for drying process to get valuable dried loquat with good texture and more antioxidants.     

Major polyphenols in aerial organs of greater plantain (Plantago major L.), and effects of drying temperature on polyphenol contents in the leaves

Plantago major L. (common plantain) has been used in folk medicine all over the world, mainly for the healing of wounds. This species already has a high market demand in Asia, and attempts to domesticate P. major as a medicinal crop in horticulture are emerging also in Europe. Both polysaccharides and polyphenols have been proposed to have bioactive effects. In this study, major phenols were analysed in leaves, flower stalks and seeds of P. major plants from five homogenous offspring families, as verified by DNA-marker analysis. Furthermore, leaves were harvested and dried at different temperatures. The contents of plantamajoside, verbascoside and a hitherto unidentified compound, P1, differed greatly between plant organs. Degradation of leaf polyphenols increased with an increase in drying temperature, and consequently, freeze-drying resulted in the highest content of phenols. Thus it is important to select plant material of a suitable organ or combination of organs, and to use the lowest possible drying temperature to obtain a high content of a specific phenolic compound in P. major.     

Gibberellin producing Neosartorya sp. CC8 reprograms Chinese cabbage to higher growth

Gibberellins production by soil fungi received little attention, although substantial work has been carried out on other growth promoting aspects of soil borne fungi. We investigated gibberellins production and growth promoting capacity of a novel fungal strain of Neosartorya, which was isolated from the roots of Chinese cabbage (Bassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis). Fungal culture filtrates (CF) obtained from pure cultures of 16 endophytic fungi were bioassayed on Waito-C, in order to investigate plant growth promoting capacity of these fungi. The fungal isolate CC-8 induced maximum shoot length of Waito-C (13.0 cm) as compared to control treatments. In a separate experiment, the CF of fungus CC-8 significantly promoted plant length and biomass of Chinese cabbage. The fungal CF also increased endogenous bioactive GA₁ and GA₄ contents of Chinese cabbage. Gibberellin analysis of CF of CC-8 showed presence of both physiologically active and non active gibberellins in higher concentrations (GA₁, 1.42 ng/ml; GA₃, 5.93 ng/ml; GA₄, 11.36 ng/ml; GA₇, 3.25 ng/ml; GA₉, 0.79 ng/ml; GA₁₅, 1.18 ng/ml). The culture filtrate of CC-8 produced higher amounts of GA₃, GA₄, GA₇ and GA₉ than wild type Fusarium fujikuroi, a well known gibberellins producing fungus. The fungal isolate CC-8 was later identified as a new strain of Neosartorya species on the basis of traditional and advance molecular techniques.     

Cystic hydatidosis in slaughtered goats from various municipal abattoirs in Oman

A passive surveillance study was conducted from April 2012 to April 2013 to determine the incidence, the affect of age, sex and cyst location, fertility, and viability on the occurrence of cystic hydatidosis in slaughtered goats from six municipal abattoirs around Oman. Morphologic characterization of suspected visceral organs has shown that Echinococcos granulosus (E. granulosus) metacestodes were present in 9.2 % of the total samples (682). Incidence (per 10,000) varied from 1.4 to 1.5. There was a significant difference between abattoirs, with Salalah having the highest infection (63.2 %), followed by Nizwa (27.2 %), Al Buraimi (10.8 %), Bousher (7.2 %), and the lowest in Sohar (1.6 %). Infection was significantly higher in indigenous goats (22.1 %) compared with imported breeds (2.5 %) from Somalia. The visceral organs were found harboring one or more hydatid cysts. Greatest cyst infection was recorded in lungs (53.4 %), followed by heart (50 %), liver (6.2 %), and multiple organs (14 %). A significant difference was observed between females (25 %) and male goats (6 %). Furthermore, the fertility of the hydatid cysts was found higher in heart and lungs (100 %, 51.6 %) and the viability rate of protoscolices was high (64 %). The findings of this study demonstrated that cystic hydatidosis is common and widely distributed in local goats, and they might play an important role in the life cycle and transmission of this zoonosis in Oman.     

Application of Micronutrients in Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia

Rice-wheat cropping system(RWCS) is one of the most important cropping systems in South Asia. However, sustainability of this system is under threat owing to several factors, of which deficiency of micronutrients particularly zinc(Zn), boron(B) and manganese(Mn) is one of the major problems. Continuous rotation of rice and wheat, imbalanced fertilizer use and little/no use of micronutrient-enriched fertilizers induce deficiencies of Zn, B and Mn in the RWCS of South Asia. Here we review that(i) imbalanced fertilizer use and organic matter depletion deteriorate soil structure resulting in low efficiency of applied macro-and micro-nutrients in RWCS.(ii) The micronutrients(Zn, B and Mn) are essentially involved in metabolism of rice and wheat plants, including chlorophyll synthesis, photosynthesis, enzyme activation and membrane integrity.(iii) Availability and uptake of Zn, B and Mn from rhizosphere depend on the physico-chemical soil properties(which differ under aerobic and anaerobic conditions) including soil p H, soil organic matter, soil moisture and interaction of these micronutrients with other nutrients.(iv) Plant ability to uptake and utilize the nutrients is affected by several plant factors such as root architecture, root hairs, transport kinetics parameter and root exudates.(v) Crop management and application of these microelements can help correct the micronutrients deficiency and enhance their grain concentration.     

The links between potassium availability and soil exchangeable calcium,magnesium, and aluminum are mediated by lime in acidic soil

Journal of Soils and Sediments - The aims of this study were to investigate the links between potassium (K) uptake by crops and soil K, exchangeable calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), and aluminum...     

An analysis of the resistance of Gossypium arboreum to cotton leaf curl disease by grafting

Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is a serious constraint to cotton production across Pakistan and north-western India. In the Punjab province of Pakistan at this time CLCuD is associated with one virus, Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus (CLCuBuV), and its associated betasatellite, Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB). Although some resistance to the virus complex causing CLCuD has been identified in Gossypium hirsutum, this has in the past proven not to be durable. At this time no commercial lines with strong resistance (immunity) to CLCuD are available. Although the cotton fibre produced by Gossypium arboreum is not of the quality required by processors, the species has a number of desirable characters, including resistance to a number of abiotic and biotic stresses, including CLCuD. For this reason there have been efforts to introgress CLCuD-resistance from G. arboreum into G. hirsutum. However, the nature of the resistance of G. arboreum to the viruses causing CLCuD remains unknown. An initial analysis of the resistance was herein conducted by graft inoculation. Graft inoculation of G. arboreum genotype Ravi with scions from severely infected G. hirsutum genotype CIM 496 plants showed that G. arboreum is able to support virus/betasatellite replication and long-distance spread. However, following grafting, only a small number of leaves developing at the time of grafting became mildly symptomatic and symptomatic tissue contained low amounts of virus/satellite DNA, as detected by Southern blot hybridisation; significantly less than the levels seen in G. hirsutum. The symptoms did not spread to the young upper leaves of graft inoculated plants, which contained DNA levels that could only be detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or PCR following an initial amplification by rolling circle amplification–indicating very low DNA levels. The results showed that the resistance of G. arboreum to the virus complex causing CLCuD likely does not involve a mechanism that interferes with delivery of virus by the insect vector. Rather the resistance appears to be due to poor virus replication and possibly interference in short distance (cell-to-cell) spread.     

Comparative efficacy of surface drying and re-drying seed priming in rice: changes in emergence, seedling growth and associated metabolic events

In seed priming, seeds are soaked in a solution of low water potential and dried back to their original weight. This study was conducted to evaluate the comparative performance of different seed priming treatments and to investigate whether re-drying is essential or not? Seeds of fine grain aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar Super-Basmati were subjected to hardening, osmohardening with CaCl₂ and KCl (ψ _s ?1.25 MPa) each for 24 h (one cycle), and hydropriming and ascorbate priming (10 mg L^?1) for 48 h. Seeds were primed in two sets. In one set after each treatment, seeds were given three surface washings with distilled water and dried back near to original moisture contents with forced air. In the other case, after surface washings with distilled water, seeds were surface dried using blotting paper and sown immediately. All the priming treatments improved the emergence, seedling growth and reserve metabolism. Use of surface drying was more effective for rice seed invigoration, as evident from earlier and synchronized seedling emergence. Moreover, shoot and root length, seedling dry weight, root score, α-amylase activity, soluble sugars and dehydrogenase activity were also improved, although germination percentage and leaf score were similar from both strategies. Results suggested that surface drying, rather than re-drying close to original weight, was more effective, while among the treatments, osmohardening with CaCl₂ was the most effective. Increasing rice production with judicious use of water is need of the day, and aerobic rice cultivation is an attractive alternative for this purpose. However, poor and erratic stand establishment is one of the major hindrances in its wide scale adoption. In this regard, seed priming techniques are pragmatic approaches to achieve proper stand establishment in the new rice culture. They help in improving seedling density per unit area under optimal and adverse soil conditions and may be opted to improve the performance of aerobic rice.     

Farmers’ attitudes towards pesticide labels: implications for personal and environmental safety

The label of pesticide containers is a major source of information for the use of pesticides, but research on whether farmers use this information is scarce. A survey of small-scale cotton farmers was conducted in the area of Punjab, Pakistan, to study attitudes related with the use of pesticide labels. The majority of the farmers (97%) stated that they were using pesticide products purchased in their original containers and accompanied by written information for use. However, 73% of the farmers reported that they usually do not read this information. Elderly, less educated, and experienced farmers in chemical pest control, but without previous training, were found to be less likely to read the labels. A large part of the farmers (34%) stated that they primarily rely on information of pesticide retailers for pesticide use, while nearly four out of ten said they usually rely on other sources of information or their own experience with pesticides. A sizeable proportion of the farmers (9%) mentioned that there is no need to receive information on such issues. Effective pesticide risk communication conveyed through label information is important so that potential risks from pesticide handling may be mitigated at the point of use.     

玉米野生近缘属-摩擦禾属的研究和利用

摩擦禾属于禾本科玉蜀黍族摩擦禾属,起源于美洲,与玉米、大刍草具有共同祖先,其在玉米的起源与进化过程中可能扮演着重要角色。摩擦禾是一种多年生暖季型丛生C4禾草,常用于优质饲草料生产、控制土壤侵蚀和生物质能源。其作为玉米的近缘属材料,保存有栽培玉米不具有的优质、抗病、抗寒、耐涝、耐盐和多年生等多种优良基因,是拓展玉米遗传基础的重要种质。本文从摩擦禾属的习性和分布、摩擦禾属的分类、摩擦禾属的种间可杂交性、摩擦禾属与玉蜀黍属杂交性、摩擦禾属的优良特性和摩擦禾基因向玉米转移的途径等方面进行综述,为摩擦禾属的研究和利用提供参考。