Search Results (10)

A deeper root system can improve the efficiency of water and nutrient absorption from soil; therefore, genetic improvements to the root length of crops are essential for yield stability under drought stress. We previously identified a stable quantitative trait locus (QTL) qRLP12 for root length under polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced drought stress in a Jinhuangma (JHM, sensitive)/Zhushanbai (ZSB, tolerant) recombinant inbred line (RIL) population. To validate and fine map this QTL, in this study, a secondary F₂ population was constructed, and the genetic effect of the target QTL was validated by comparing the phenotype data of different genotypes. Using newly developed markers, 14 genotypes of recombinant F₂ individuals were obtained. A phenotypic analysis of homozygous recombinant progeny lines narrowed qRLP12 to a 91 kb region. Seven putative predicted genes were identified in the target region, among which LOC105165547, a callose synthase gene, was the only one containing nonsynonymous variations in the coding region between two parents. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that LOC105165547 was significantly induced by PEG stress in the qRLP12+ line. These indicated that LOC105165547 might be the candidate gene for qRLP12, which is responsible for root length subjected to PEG stress. Our results provide a favored gene resource for improving root length under drought stress in sesame. Full article

This research aimed to explore the structural, electronic, mechanical, and vibrational properties of double half Heusler compounds with the generic formula Ti₂Pt₂ZSb (Z = Al, Ga, and In), using density functional theory calculations. The generalized gradient approximation within the PBE functional was employed for structural relaxation and for calculations of vibrational and mechanical properties and thermal conductivity, while the hybrid HSE06 functional was employed for calculations of the electronic properties. Our results demonstrate that these compounds are energetically favorable and dynamically and mechanically stable. Our electronic structure calculations revealed that the Ti₂Pt₂AlSb double half Heusler compound is a non-magnetic semiconductor with an indirect band gap of 1.49 eV, while Ti₂Pt₂GaSb and Ti₂Pt₂InSb are non-magnetic semiconductors with direct band gaps of 1.40 eV. Further analysis, including phonon dispersion curves, the electron localization function (ELF), and Bader charge analysis, provided insights into the bonding character and vibrational properties of these materials. These findings suggest that double half Heusler compounds are promising candidates for thermoelectric device applications and energy-conversion devices, due to their favorable properties. Full article

A variety of agrochemicals, especially fertilizers, are applied indiscriminately by farmers across trapezoidal landscapes to increase productivity and satisfy the rising food demand. Around one-third of the populace in developing nations is susceptible to zinc (Zn) deficiency as a result of their direct reliance on cereals as a source of calories. Zinc, an essential micronutrient for plants, performs several critical functions throughout the life cycle of a plant. Zinc is frequently disregarded, due to its indirect contribution to the enhancement of yield. Soil Zn deficiency is one of the most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies that reduces crop yield. A deficiency of Zn in both plants and soils results from the presence of Zn in fixed forms that are inaccessible to plants, which characterizes the majority of agricultural soils. As a result, alternative and environmentally sustainable methods are required to satisfy the demand for food. It appears that the application of zinc-solubilizing bacteria (ZSB) for sustainable agriculture is feasible. Inoculating plants with ZSB is likely a more efficacious strategy for augmenting Zn translocation in diverse edible plant components. ZSB possessing plant growth-promoting characteristics can serve as bio-elicitors to promote sustainable plant growth, through various methods that are vital to the health and productivity of plants. This review provides an analysis of the efficacy of ZSB, the functional characteristics of ZSB-mediated Zn localization, the mechanism underlying Zn solubilization, and the implementation of ZSB to increase crop yield. Full article

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a vital cereal crop for food security in Pakistan. In Zn-deficient soils, its productivity and quality suffer, affecting grain yield, Zn bioavailability, and nutrition, which can lead to malnutrition. Field experiments were conducted using factorial randomized block design at the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) Tarnab, Peshawar, Pakistan to evaluate the impact of wheat genotypes (G₁-TRB-72-311 synthetic hexaploid, G₂-TRB-89-348 advanced line, and G₃-Pirsabak-19-approved variety), Zn application methods (AM₁: no Zn application, AM₂: seed priming with 0.5% Zn, AM₃: soil application of 10 kg ha⁻¹ Zn, and AM₄: foliar application of 0.5% Zn), and the experiment also explored the use of ZSB (BF₁: with bacteria, BF₀: without bacteria) to cope with Zn deficiency. The study revealed significant impacts on wheat’s Zn content, uptake, and nutrient efficiency, arising from genotypes variance, Zn application approaches, and ZSB. TRB-72-311 synthetic hexaploid genotype with 0.5% foliar Zn and ZSB excelled, enhancing grain (17.8%) and straw Zn (23.1%), increasing total Zn uptake (55.0%), reducing grain phytic acid (11.7%), and boosting Zn-related efficiencies in wheat. These results prompt further discussion regarding the potential implications for agricultural practices. In conclusion, utilizing the TRB-72-311 genotype with 0.5% foliar Zn application and ZSB enhances wheat’s Zn content, uptake, grain quality, and addresses malnutrition. Full article

Background: This randomized clinical trial was conducted to assess whether sleep bruxism (SB) is associated with an increased rate of technical complications (ceramic defects) in lithium disilicate (LiDi) or zirconia (Z) molar single crowns (SCs). Methods: Adult patients were classified as affected or unaffected by SB based on structured questionnaires, clinical signs, and overnight portable electromyography (BruxOff) and block randomized into four groups according to SB status and crown material (LiDi or Z): LiDi-SB (n = 29), LiDi-no SB (n = 24), Z-SB (n = 23), and Z-no SB (n = 27). Differences in technical complications (main outcome) and survival and success rates (secondary outcomes) one year after crown cementation were assessed using Fisher’s exact test with significance level α = 0.05. Results: No technical complications occurred. Restoration survival rates were 100% in the LiDi-SB and LiDi-no SB groups, 95.7% in the Z-SB group, and 96.3% in the Z-no SB group (p > 0.999). Success rates were 96.6% in the LiDi-SB group, 95.8% in the LiDi-no SB group (p > 0.999), 91.3% in the Z-SB group, and 96.3% in the Z-no SB group (p ≥ 0.588). Conclusions: With a limited observation time and sample size, no effect of SB on technical complication, survival, and success rates of molar LiDi and Z SCs was detected. Full article

NOD2 is an innate immune receptor that constitutes an important target for the development of small molecule immunopotentiators with great potential to be used as vaccine adjuvants. We report here the results of an in vivo study of the adjuvant properties of a desmuramylpeptide NOD2 agonist SG29 and its lipidated analogs featuring an adamantyl moiety or a stearoyl group. These compounds have been synthesized, incorporated into liposomes, and evaluated for their in vivo adjuvant activity. The characterization of liposome formulations of examined compounds revealed that their size increased in comparison to that of empty liposomes. The introduction of a stearoyl or an adamantane lipophilic anchor into the structure of SG29, to produce SG115 and ZSB63, respectively, substantially improved the in vivo adjuvant activity. Of note, the attachment of the stearoyl moiety produced a Th2-biased immune response, while the incorporation of the adamantyl moiety greatly enhanced the production of total IgG but mostly augmented the production of IgG2a antibodies, which indicated a shift toward a Th1 immune response. The identified bona fide capacity of ZSB63 to initiate a cellular immune response thus highlights its untapped potential as an alternative vaccine adjuvant. Full article

Micronutrients, such as zinc (Zn), are essential for the growth and development of a wide range of crops. To overcome Zn deficiency in the soil, Zn-solubilizing bacteria (ZSB) have recently been employed. In the present study, samples from the rice fields in the state of Selangor, Malaysia, were collected to isolate, characterize, and identify the ZSB. A total of 88 strains were isolated, and only 9 strains were able to solubilize the insoluble Zn on zinc oxide (ZnO)-, zinc carbonate (ZnCO₃)-, and zinc phosphate (Zn₃(PO₄)₂)-amended Tris-minimal media agar and broth assays. The highest Zn solubilization (20.99%) was measured for the TM23 isolate when exposed to Zn₃(PO₄)₂-modified media culture, whereas ZnCO₃ showed the lowest (3.35%) Zn solubilization by ZSB. In addition, nine isolated ZSB also exhibited plant-growth-promoting (PGP) traits, including nitrogen fixation ability, siderophore production, indole acetic acid production (35.28–65.48 mL⁻¹), phosphate solubilization (27.69–77.38%), enzyme hydrolysis, and production of organic acids. Most of the isolated strains (88) were Gram-negative, except for TM54, which was Gram-positive. The four potential ZSB isolates based on 16RS rDNA sequence analysis were identified as Serratia sp. and Acinetobacter sp. Hence, this study’s findings suggest that these isolates could be prospective candidates to overcome Zn deficiencies and reduce the consumption of chemical fertilizers in agricultural areas. Full article

The COVID-19 epidemic lockdown has a direct influence on urban socioeconomic activity, including night-time light (NTL) changes. Night-time skyglow, a form of light pollution caused by NTL, is also affected by public emergencies. Here we investigated the impact of the lockdown on the night-time skyglow in the Guangbutun region of Wuhan, China. We monitored the night-time sky from 1 November 2019 to 12 April 2020 and compared the intraday skyglow pattern and day-to-day variation of skyglow before and during the lockdown. We found that the detected earliest shutdown timing of lights (STL) was moved from 22:00 (before the lockdown) to 21:30 (after entering the lockdown), and the fluctuation of skyglow decreased significantly during the lockdown. Furthermore, we found the night-time skyglow at various time intervals generally decreased and then recovered during the lockdown. The most severe decrease in zenith sky brightness (ZSB) was observed at the 21:30–22:00 time interval, with a decrease ratio (DR) of 72.1% and a recovery ratio (RR) of only 22.6%. On the other hand, the skyglow near midnight was the least affected by the lockdown, and the RR (32.6% and 24.3%) was comparable to the DR (30.4% and 38.2%), which means the skyglow at this time basically recovered to the pre-epidemic level. We conclude that long-term monitoring of sky brightness using single-channel photometers, such as SQMs, can provide a multi-temporal microscopic perspective for studying the dynamics of skyglow caused by human activities. Full article

Zinc (Zn) availability is limited in salt-affected soils due to high soil pH and calcium concentrations causing Zn fixation. The application of synthetic Zn fertilizer is usually discouraged due to the high cost and low Zn use efficiency. However, salt-tolerant Zn-solubilizing bacteria (ZSB) are capable of solubilizing fixed fractions of Zn and improving fertilizer use efficiency. In the current study, a product was formulated by coating urea with bioaugmented zinc oxide (ZnO) to improve wheat productivity under a saline environment. The promising ZSB strain Bacillus sp. AZ6 was used for bioaugmentation on ZnO powder and termed as Bacillus sp. AZ6-augmented ZnO (BAZ). The experiment was conducted in pots by applying urea granules after coating with BAZ, to evaluate its effects on wheat physiology, antioxidant activity, and productivity under saline (100 mM NaCl) and non-saline (0 mM NaCl) conditions. The results revealed that the application of BAZ-coated urea alleviated salt stress through improving the seed germination, plant height, root length, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, soil plant analysis development (SPAD) value, number of tillers and grains, spike length, spike weight, 1000-grain weight, antioxidant activity (APX, GPX, GST, GR, CAT, and SOD), and NPK contents in the straw and grains of the wheat plants. Moreover, it also enhanced the Zn contents in the shoots and grains of wheat by up to 29.1 and 16.5%, respectively, over absolute control, under saline conditions. The relationships and variation among all the studied morpho-physio and biochemical attributes of wheat were also studied by principal component (PC) and correlation analysis. Hence, the application of such potential products may enhance nutrient availability and Zn uptake in wheat under salt stress. Therefore, the current study suggests the application of BAZ-coated urea for enhancing wheat’s physiology, antioxidant system, nutrient efficiency, and productivity effectively and economically. Full article

Bio-activated organic fertilizers (BOZ) were produced by enriching the zinc oxide (ZnO)-orange peel waste composite with Zn solubilizing bacteria (ZSB: Bacillus sp. AZ6) in various formulations (BOZ1 (9:1), BOZ2 (8:2), BOZ3 (7:3) and BOZ4 (6:4)). The produced BOZs, along with ZnO, ZnSO₄, ZSB were applied to maize crop (Zea mays L.) under field conditions in two different cropping season and the growth, yield, physiology, plant Zn contents and quality of maize were investigated. Results revealed significant variation in the aforementioned parameters with the applied amendments. The BOZ4 performed outclass by exhibiting the highest plant growth, yield, physiology, Zn contents, and quality. On average, an increase of 53%, 49%, 19%, 22%, 10%, 4%, and 30% in plant height was noticed with BOZ4 application over control, ZnO, ZnSO₄, BOZ1, BOZ2, BOZ3, and ZSB, respectively. BOZ4 enhanced the dry shoot-biomass 46% than control. Likewise, the photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll contents, carotenoids, and carbonic anhydrase activity were increased by 47%, 42%, 45%, 57%, 17%, and 44%, respectively, under BOZ4 over control in both cropping seasons. However, BOZ4 reduced the electrolyte leakage by 38% as compared to control in both cropping seasons. BOZ4 increased the Zn contents of grain and shoot by 46% and 52%, respectively, while reduced the phytate contents by 73% as compared to control. Application of BOZ4 revealed highest average fat (4.79%), crude protein (12.86%), dry matter (92.03%), fiber (2.87%), gluten (11.925%) and mineral (1.53%) contents, as compared to control. In general, the impact of cropping seasons on maize growth, yield, physiology, Zn contents, and quality were non-significant (with few exceptions). Thus, bio-activation of ZnO with ZSB could serve as an efficient and economical strategy for boosting up the growth, yield, physiological, and quality parameters of maize under field conditions. Full article