Solophos fertilizer improved rice plant growth in aerobic soil

Yield decline of continuous monocropping of aerobic rice is the major constraint to the wide adoption of aerobic rice technology. This study was conducted to determine if solophos fertilizer could be used to reverse the yield decline of this cropping system using pot and micro-plot experiments. The soil for the pot experiment was collected from a field where aerobic rice has been grown continuously for 11 seasons at the IRRI farm. Four rates (4, 6, 8, and 10gpot^) of solophos application were used in the pot experiment. Micro-plots (1×1m) were installed in the field experiment where the 12^-season aerobic rice was grown. Treatments in the micro-plots were with and without additional solophos application. Solophos rate was 4, 407.5kg ha^ which was equivalent to 10g solophos pot^ used in the pot experiment. An improved upland variety, Apo, was used for both pot and micro-plot experiments. Application of solophos significantly increased plant height, stem number, leaf area, chlorophyll meter reading, root dry weight, and total biomass in the pot experiment. The growth en-hancement by solophos application was also observed in the micro-plot experiment under the field conditions. Photosynthetic rate and spikelet number per m^2 were increased by solophos application in the micro-plot experiment. Although the mechanism of growth promotion by solophos application is not clear, this study suggested that solophos application could be used as one of crop management options that could minimize the yield decline of continuous monocropping of aerobic rice.Original Pape

Effects of source-sink regulation and nodal position of the main crop on the sprouting of regenerated buds and grain yield of ratoon rice

Ratoon rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the production of a second season rice that utilizes the dormant buds surviving on the stubble left behind after the harvest of the main crop. However, the sprouting mechanism of regenerated buds at separate nodes is rarely reported. Field experiments were conducted to examine the effects of leaf-cutting and spikelet thinning on the sprouting of regenerated buds at the separate node, the contributions of regenerated panicles at the separate node to the total grain yield in the ratoon crop, and the associated mechanism. The results showed that the contribution of separate node yields to the total grain yield in the ratoon crop was D2 (panicles regenerated from the 2nd node from the top) >D3 (panicles regenerated from the 3rd node from the top) >D4 (panicles regenerated from the lower nodes below the 3rd node), and the contribution of D2 and D3 made up approximately 80% of the total yield in the ratoon crop. In addition, the effect of leaf-cutting treatment and spikelet-thinning treatment on the grain yield of ratoon season was mainly realized by regulating the relative contribution rate of D2 and D4 grain yield to the total yield of ratoon season. Further analysis indicated that the sprouting of regenerated buds at the D2 node was mainly affected by the content of CTK, while D3 was mainly regulated by GAs and CTK, and D4 was mainly regulated by ABA and CTK. However, only the CTK content in stems and buds was positively correlated with single bud length and bud number at each nodes. These results indicated that CTK might be the main signal regulating the sprouting of regenerated buds and the grain yield at separate nodes, which might change the transport of assimilates to stems and buds

Development and characterization of silica tube-coated separator for lithium ion batteries

通讯作者地址: Zhao, JBIn an endeavor to improve the thermal stability of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), a new kind of ceramic coated separator has been developed based on introducing one-dimensional silica tubes (ST) to one side of a commercial polyethylene (PE) porous separator. The ST interpenetrating network diminishes the thermal-induced dimensional change of the commercial separator without compromising the cell performance. In particular, compared to spherical silica particle (SP) coated separator, the ST coated separator exhibits significantly enhanced thermal stability at elevated temperature. Furthermore the ST coated separator shows better mechanical performance as well as the improved electrolyte absorption and retention behavior, which provides a promising solution to replace conventional polymer separator for high-performance LIBs.National High-Technology & Development Program of China 2012AA110404 Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities 2072014051

Erratum to “Water Management Practices Affect Arsenic and Cadmium Accumulation in Rice Grains”

Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) accumulation in rice grains is a great threat to its productivity, grain quality, and thus human health. Pot and field studies were carried out to unravel the effect of different water management practices (aerobic, aerobic-flooded, and flooded) on Cd and As accumulation in rice grains of two different varieties. In pot experiment, Cd or As was also added into the soil as treatment. Pots without Cd or As addition were maintained as control. Results indicated that water management practices significantly influenced the Cd and As concentration in rice grains and aerobic cultivation of rice furnished less As concentration in its grains. Nonetheless, Cd concentration in this treatment was higher than the grains of flooded rice. Likewise, in field study, aerobic and flooded rice cultivation recorded higher Cd and As concentration, respectively. However, growing of rice in aerobic-flooded conditions decreased the Cd concentration by 9.38 times on average basis as compared to aerobic rice. Furthermore, this treatment showed 28% less As concentration than that recorded in flooded rice cultivation. The results suggested that aerobic-flooded cultivation may be a promising strategy to reduce the Cd and As accumulations in rice grains simultaneously

Water Management Practices Affect Arsenic and Cadmium Accumulation in Rice Grains

Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) accumulation in rice grains is a great threat to its productivity, grain quality, and thus human health. Pot and field studies were carried out to unravel the effect of different water management practices (aerobic, aerobic-flooded, and flooded) on Cd and As accumulation in rice grains of two different varieties. In pot experiment, Cd or As was also added into the soil as treatment. Pots without Cd or As addition were maintained as control. Results indicated that water management practices significantly influenced the Cd and As concentration in rice grains and aerobic cultivation of rice furnished less As concentration in its grains. Nonetheless, Cd concentration in this treatment was higher than the grains of flooded rice. Likewise, in field study, aerobic and flooded rice cultivation recorded higher Cd and As concentration, respectively. However, growing of rice in aerobic-flooded conditions decreased the Cd concentration by 9.38 times on average basis as compared to aerobic rice. Furthermore, this treatment showed 28% less As concentration than that recorded in flooded rice cultivation. The results suggested that aerobic-flooded cultivation may be a promising strategy to reduce the Cd and As accumulations in rice grains simultaneously

Active compounds: A new direction for rice value addition

The development of rice active compounds is conducive to improving the added value of rice. This paper focused on the types and effects of active compounds in rice. Furthermore, it summarized the effect of rice storage and processing technology on rice active compounds. We conclude the following: Rice contains a large number of active compounds that are beneficial to humans. At present, the research on the action mechanism of rice active compounds on the human body is not deep enough, and the ability to deeply process rice is insufficient, greatly limiting the development of the rice active compound industry. To maximize the added value of rice, it is necessary to establish a dedicated preservation and processing technology system based on the physicochemical properties of the required active compounds. Additionally, attention should be paid to the development and application of composite technologies during the development of the rice active compound industry

The Effect of Storage Condition and Duration on the Deterioration of Primed Rice Seeds

Seed priming is a successful practice to improve crop establishment under adverse environment. However, reduced longevity of primed rice (Oryza sativa L.) seeds during storage limited the adoption of this technique. Present study investigated the effect of temperature, relative air humidity (RH) and oxygen on the longevity of primed rice seeds in a range of 60 days storage. In addition, the biochemical and morphological mechanisms associated with deterioration of primed seeds during storage were explored. Three types of priming treated rice seeds and one non-primed control were stored under (1) low temperature-vacuum (LT-V), (2) room temperature-vacuum (RT-V), (3) room temperature-aerobic-low RH (RT-A-LH) and (4) room temperature-aerobic- high RH (RT-A-HH) for 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 days. The results showed that storage of seeds under different conditions for 15–60 days did not influence the longevity of non-primed rice seeds. Meanwhile, the viability of primed rice seeds did not reduce when stored under LT-V, RT-V, and RT-A-LH, but was significantly reduced under RT-A-HH. Under vacuum condition, the increases of storage temperature (30°C) did not reduce the longevity of primed seeds. Likewise, the oxygen did not influence the longevity of primed rice seeds stored under low RH. Nevertheless, increase of RH significantly reduced the viability of primed seeds stored for 15–60 days. Reduced starch metabolism, the consumption of starch reserves in rice endosperms, the accumulation of malondialdehyde and the decreases of antioxidant enzyme activities might be associated with the deterioration of primed rice seeds during storage. In conclusion, storage of primed seeds under high RH condition beyond 15 days is deteriorative for germination and growth of rice. The primed rice seeds are recommended to store at vacuum or low RH or low temperature condition to ensure good crop establishment