Effect of Application of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria and Amino Acids Foliar Application on Growth Characteristics, Yield, and Nutritional Value of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Introduction Rice (Oryza sativa L.), as one of the most important cereals, is the main food of more than 50% of the world's population. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers in paddy fields has caused many environmental problems. Therefore, the application of biological fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers to increase the yield of crops and produce more food is one of the important goals of sustainable agriculture, which is necessary for human life. Bacteria is an example of biological fertilizer used in agriculture, which plays an important role in improving soil structure, improving plant growth, and increasing the quantitative and qualitative yield of crops. Another biological stimulant of plants is amino acids, which can increase plant growth, improve nutrients uptake, and increase grain yield and grain quality of crops. Methionine is the precursor of growth regulators such as auxin, cytokinin, and brassinosteroids and is known as the most important growth-limiting amino acid in plants. Lysine is an essential amino acid that is involved in the germination of pollen grains, chlorophyll synthesis, and crop production. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of different strains of plant growth-promoting bacteria and amino acids on growth, yield, and concentration of nutrients in rice.Materials and Methods The field experiment was arranged as a split-plot in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the farmer's field located in Mazandaran province, Amol during 2019-2020 cropping seasons. In the present research, the plant growth-promoting bacteria at five levels (control or without bacteria [B0], P. agglomerans strain O4 [B1], P. putida strain P13 + P. agglomerans strain P5 [B2], P. koreensis strain S14 + P. vancouverensis strain S19 [B3] and combination of different strains [B4]) as the main factor and amino acids foliar application in four levels (control or without amino acids [A0], methionine [A1], lysine [A2] and methionine + lysine [A3]) as the sub-factor were considered. The plant growth-promoting bacteria at the rate of 100 g.ha-1 and amino acids at a concentration of 2.5 per thousand were applied in this study. At physiological maturity, the growth, yield components, grain yield, and nutrients uptake (NPK) in grain were measured. A combined analysis of variance was performed using SAS software version 9.2. Mean values were compared using least significant difference (LSD) test at 5% probability level.Results and DiscussionThe outcomes established that the bacteria treatment exerted a notable impact on all examined traits, excluding the count of fertile tillers per hill. Equally noteworthy, the amino acid intervention displayed significance in terms of 1000-grain weight, grain yield, and nitrogen concentration in rice grains. However, the interaction between bacteria and amino acids exhibited no significance across the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of rice. The concurrent utilization of bacteria strains, specifically B4, yielded substantial enhancements in panicle length (24.22 cm), the count of filled grains per panicle (60.30 filled grains), 1000-grain weight (28.52 g), grain yield (5097.50 kg.ha-1), and the amelioration of nutrients concentrations. Notably, nutrients like nitrogen (1.61%), phosphorus (7.04%), and potassium (1.53%) exhibited improvements in rice grains, in comparison to instances involving separate strain applications and the control group. Simultaneous foliar application of methionine and lysine amino acids resulted in maximum 1000-grain weight (26.90 g), highest grain yield (4844.73 kg.ha-1), and production of the greatest nitrogen content in grain (1.40%). In the present research, the increase in grain yield by combined application of different bacteria strains might be due to enhancing growth, improving yield components such as 1000-grain weight and filled grains number per panicle, and increasing nutrients concentration (NPK) in rice. Also, the simultaneous foliar application of methionine and lysine led to an increase in rice grain yield through increasing 1000-grain weight and improving nitrogen uptake in rice grains.ConclusionAccording to the results of this experiment, the combined application of the bacteria strains (P. agglomerans strain O4 + P. putida strain P13 + P. agglomerans strain P5 + P. koreensis strain S14 + P. vancouverensis strain S19) and simultaneous foliar application of methionine and lysine can play an important role in improving growth, yield and nutrients uptake in rice grains

High-resolution stratigraphy of the Changhsingian (Late Permian) successions of NW Iran and the Transcaucasus based on lithological features, conodonts and ammonoids

The Permian–Triassic boundary sections in north-western Iran belong to the most complete successions, in which the largest mass extinction event in the history of the Earth can be studied. We investigated the Changhsingian stage in six sections in the area of Julfa (Aras Valley) for their lithology, conodonts and ammonoids. Revision of the biostratigraphy led to the separation of 10 conodont zones (from bottom to top Clarkina orientalis–C. subcarinata interval zone, C. subcarinata, C. changxingensis, C. bachmanni, C. nodosa, C. yini, C. abadehensis, C. hauschkei, Hindeodus praeparvus–H. changxingensis and Merrilina ultima–Stepanovites ?mostleri zones) and 8 ammonoid zones (from bottom to top Iranites transcaucasius–Phisonites triangulus, Dzhulfites nodosus, Shevyrevites shevyrevi, Paratirolites trapezoidalis, P. waageni, Stoyanowites dieneri, Abichites stoyanowi and Arasella minuta zones). The new ammonoid genera Stoyanowites and Arasella are described

Field Effect Passivation in Perovskite Solar Cells by a LiF Interlayer

The fullerene C60 is commonly applied as the electron transport layer in highefficiency metal halide perovskite solar cells and has been found to limit their open circuit voltage. Through ultra sensitive near UV photoelectron spectroscopy in constant final state mode CFSYS , with an unusually high probing depth of 5 10 nm, the perovskite C60 interface energetics and defect formation is investigated. It is demonstrated how to consistently determine the energy level alignment by CFSYS and avoid misinterpretations by accounting for the measurement induced surface photovoltage in photoactive layer stacks. The energetic offset between the perovskite valence band maximum and the C60 HOMO edge is directly determined to be 0.55 eV. Furthermore, the voltage enhancement upon the incorporation of a LiF interlayer at the interface can be attributed to originate from a mild dipole effect and probably the presence of fixed charges, both reducing the hole concentration in the vicinity of the perovskite C60 interface. This yields a field effect passivation, which overcompensates the observed enhanced defect density in the first monolayers of C6

The PERSIANN family of global satellite precipitation data: a review and evaluation of products

Over the past 2 decades, a wide range of studies have incorporated Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN) products. Currently, PERSIANN offers several precipitation products based on different algorithms available at various spatial and temporal scales, namely PERSIANN, PERSIANN-CCS, and PERSIANN-CDR. The goal of this article is to first provide an overview of the available PERSIANN precipitation retrieval algorithms and their differences. Secondly, we offer an evaluation of the available operational products over the contiguous US (CONUS) at different spatial and temporal scales using Climate Prediction Center (CPC) unified gauge-based analysis as a benchmark. Due to limitations of the baseline dataset (CPC), daily scale is the finest temporal scale used for the evaluation over CONUS. Additionally, we provide a comparison of the available products at a quasi-global scale. Finally, we highlight the strengths and limitations of the PERSIANN products and briefly discuss expected future developments.</p

Proton Radiation Hardness of Perovskite Tandem Photovoltaics.

Monolithic [Cs0.05(MA0. 17FA0. 83)0.95]Pb(I0.83Br0.17)3/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (perovskite/CIGS) tandem solar cells promise high performance and can be processed on flexible substrates, enabling cost-efficient and ultra-lightweight space photovoltaics with power-to-weight and power-to-cost ratios surpassing those of state-of-the-art III-V semiconductor-based multijunctions. However, to become a viable space technology, the full tandem stack must withstand the harsh radiation environments in space. Here, we design tailored operando and ex situ measurements to show that perovskite/CIGS cells retain over 85% of their initial efficiency even after 68 MeV proton irradiation at a dose of 2 × 1012 p+/cm2. We use photoluminescence microscopy to show that the local quasi-Fermi-level splitting of the perovskite top cell is unaffected. We identify that the efficiency losses arise primarily from increased recombination in the CIGS bottom cell and the nickel-oxide-based recombination contact. These results are corroborated by measurements of monolithic perovskite/silicon-heterojunction cells, which severely degrade to 1% of their initial efficiency due to radiation-induced recombination centers in silicon.F.L. acknowledges financial support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation via the Feodor Lynen program and thanks Prof. Sir R. Friend for supporting his Fellowship at the Cavendish Laboratory. This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (HYPERION, grant agreement number 756962). M.J, A.A.A., E.K., and S.A. acknowledge financial support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) via program “Materialforschung für die Energiewende” (grant no. 03SF0540), by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) through the ‘PersiST’ project (Grant No. 0324037C). T.B. C.A.K. and R.S. acknowledge funding by BMWi through the speedCIGS (grant no. 0324095E) and EFFCIS project (grant no. 0324076D). D.K. and M.C. acknowledge financial support from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, via The Top-consortia Knowledge and Innovation (TKI) Program ‘‘Photovoltaic modules based on a p-i-n stack, manufactured on a roll-to-roll line featuring high efficiency, stability and strong market perspective’’ (PVPRESS) (TEUE118010) and “Bridging the voltage gap” (BRIGHT) (1721101). K. F. acknowledges the George and Lilian Schiff Fund, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Winton Sustainability Fellowship, and the Cambridge Trust for funding. S.D.S. acknowledges the Royal Society and Tata Group (UF150033). The authors acknowledge the EPSRC for funding (EP/R023980/1). This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 841265. A.R.B. acknowledges funding from a Winton Studentship, Oppenheimer Studentship, and funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Doctoral Training Centre in Photovoltaics (CDT-PV). K.G. acknowledges the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education within the Mobilnosc Plus program (Grant No. 1603/MOB/V/2017/0)

Proton‐Radiation Tolerant All‐Perovskite Multijunction Solar Cells

Funder: European Research Council; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000781Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266Funder: European Union's Horizon 2020Abstract: Radiation‐resistant but cost‐efficient, flexible, and ultralight solar sheets with high specific power (W g−1) are the “holy grail” of the new space revolution, powering private space exploration, low‐cost missions, and future habitats on Moon and Mars. Herein, this study investigates an all‐perovskite tandem photovoltaic (PV) technology that uses an ultrathin active layer (1.56 µm) but offers high power conversion efficiency, and discusses its potential for high‐specific‐power applications. This study demonstrates that all‐perovskite tandems possess a high tolerance to the harsh radiation environment in space. The tests under 68 MeV proton irradiation show negligible degradation (22%. Using high spatial resolution photoluminescence (PL) microscopy, it is revealed that defect clusters in GaAs are responsible for the degradation of current space‐PV. By contrast, negligible reduction in PL of the individual perovskite subcells even after the highest dose studied is observed. Studying the intensity‐dependent PL of bare low‐gap and high‐gap perovskite absorbers, it is shown that the VOC, fill factor, and efficiency potentials remain identically high after irradiation. Radiation damage of all‐perovskite tandems thus has a fundamentally different origin to traditional space PV

KIR gene content diversity in four Iranian populations

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) regulate natural killer cell response against infection and malignancy. KIR genes are variable in the number and type, thereby discriminating individuals and populations. Herein, we analyzed the KIR gene content diversity in four native populations of Iran. The KIR genomic diversity was comparable between Bakhtiari and Persian and displayed a balance of A and B KIR haplotypes, a trend reported in Caucasian and African populations. The KIR gene content profiles of Arab and Azeri were comparable and displayed a preponderance of B haplotypes, a scenario reported in the natives of America, India, and Australia. A majority of the B haplotype carriers of Azeri and Arab had a centromeric gene-cluster (KIR2DS2-2DL2-2DS3-2DL5). Remarkably, this cluster was totally absent from the American natives but occurred at highest frequencies in the natives of India and Australia in combination with another gene cluster at the telomeric region (KIR3DS1-2DL5-2DS5-2DS1). Therefore, despite having similar frequencies of B haplotypes, the occurrence of B haplotype-specific KIR genes, such as 2DL2, 2DL5, 3DS1, 2DS1, 2DS2, 2DS3, and 2DS5 in Azeri and Arab were substantially different from the natives of America, India, and Australia. In conclusion, each Iranian population exhibits distinct KIR gene content diversity, and the Indo-European KIR genetic signatures of the Iranians concur with geographic proximity, linguistic affinity, and human migrations

21.6 efficient Monolithic Perovskite Cu In,Ga Se2 Tandem Solar Cells with Thin Conformal Hole Transport Layers for Integration on Rough Bottom Cell Surfaces

Perovskite based tandem solar cells can increase the power conversion efficiency PCE of conventional single junction photovoltaic devices. Here, we present monolithic perovskite CIGSe tandem solar cells with a perovskite top cell fabricated directly on an as grown, rough CIGSe bottom cell. To prevent potential shunting due to the rough CIGSe surface, a thin NiOx layer is conformally deposited via atomic layer deposition on the front contact of the CIGSe bottom cell. The performance is further improved by an additional layer of the polymer PTAA at the NiOx perovskite interface. This hole transport bilayer enables a 21.6 stabilized PCE of the tandem device at amp; 8764;0.8 cm2 active area. We use TEM EDX measurements to investigate the deposition uniformity and conformality of the NiOx and PTAA layers. By absolute photoluminescence measurements, the contribution of the individual subcells to the tandem VOC is determined, revealing that further fine tuning of the recombination layers might improve the tandem VOC. Finally, on the basis of the obtained results, we give guidelines to improve monolithic perovskite CIGSe tandems toward predicted PCE estimates above 3