A Critical Review on Sulphur Application in Rapeseed-mustard to Enhancing Productivity and Oil Quality

Sulfur (S) plays a vital role in determining the seed yield, oil content, quality, and resistance to various stresses in rapeseed-mustard. It is essential for chlorophyll formation, oil synthesis, seed protein, amino acids, enzymes, and glucosinolate in these plants. Sulphur also boosts mustard seed production. However, due to modern agricultural practices, including multiple cropping, the use of sulfur-free fertilizers, and limited organic manure application, soil sulfur levels are depleting rapidly in India. Indian soils typically contain between 10 to 6319 mg kg-1 of sulfur, with most agricultural soils averaging 30 to 300 mg kg-1. Adding sulfur increases mustard oil content by enhancing the activity of an enzyme called acetyl-CoA carboxylase, which is essential for oil synthesis. Sulfur also mitigates the harmful effects of heavy metal toxicity, especially from cadmium. Sulfur interacts with other nutrients in both positive and negative ways. Recommendations for sulfur fertilization in different mustard growing regions have been made based on various research programs. To maximize sulfur use efficiency, it's crucial to apply the correct amount based on soil tests and in balance with other limiting nutrients. Timing of sulfur application is also important; it's best applied at the beginning but can also be top-dressed 20-40 days after planting for optimal yield. Research suggests that mustard responds well to foliar spraying of thiourea during flowering and basal placement before sowing. This paper reviews the strategies to improve sulfur utilization through advancements in application rates, methods, and sulfur sources on rapeseed-mustard

Hyperspectral Imaging and Chemometric Modeling of Echinacea — A Novel Approach in the Quality Control of Herbal Medicines

Echinacea species are popularly included in various formulations to treat upper respiratory tract infections. These products are of commercial importance, with a collective sales figure of $132 million in 2009. Due to their close taxonomic alliance it is difficult to distinguish between the three Echinacea species and incidences of incorrectly labeled commercial products have been reported. The potential of hyperspectral imaging as a rapid quality control method for raw material and products containing Echinacea species was investigated. Hyperspectral images of root and leaf material of authentic Echinacea species (E. angustifolia, E. pallida and E. purpurea) were acquired using a sisuChema shortwave infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral pushbroom imaging system with a spectral range of 920–2514 nm. Principal component analysis (PCA) plots showed a clear distinction between the root and leaf samples of the three Echinacea species and further differentiated the roots of different species. A classification model with a high coefficient of determination was constructed to predict the identity of the species included in commercial products. The majority of products (12 out of 20) were convincingly predicted as containing E. purpurea, E. angustifolia or both. The use of ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) in the differentiation of the species presented a challenge due to chemical similarities between the solvent extracts. The results show that hyperspectral imaging is an objective and non-destructive quality control method for authenticating raw material

Doubly end-on azido bridged mixed-valence cobalt trinuclear complex: spectral study, VTM, inhibitory effect and antimycobacterial activity on human carcinoma and tuberculosis cells

Doubly end-on azido-bridged mixed-valence trinuclear cobalt complex, [Co3(L)2(N3)6(CH3OH)2] (1) is afforded by employing a potential monoanionic tetradentate-N2O2 Schiff base precursor (2-[{[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]imino}methyl]-6-methoxyphenol; HL). Single crystal X-ray structure reveals that in 1, the adjacent CoII and CoIII ions are linked by double end-on azido bridges and thus the full molecule is generated by the site symmetry of a crystallographic twofold rotation axis. Complex 1 is subjected on different spectral analysis such as IR, UV—vis, emission and EPR spectroscopy. On variable temperature magnetic study, we observe that during cooling, the χMT values decrease smoothly until 15 K and then reaches to the value 1.56 cm3 K mol−1 at 2 K. Complex 1 inhibits the cell growth on human lung carcinoma (A549 cells), human colorectal (COLO 205 and HT-29 cells), and human heptacellular (PLC5 cells) carcinoma cells. Complex 1 exhibits anti-mycobacterial activity and considerable efficacy on Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv ATCC 27294 and H37Ra ATCC 25177 strains