Effect of Biostimulants on Yield and Quality in Tomato

An experiment was conducted to study comparative efficacy of growth regulators and panchakavya on growth, yield and biochemical constitution of tomato. It is well known that panchakavya plays a vital role in organic cultivation. Hence, the present experiment was laid out to determine the effect of this biostimulant on yield and quality in tomato. Recommended dose of fertilizers recorded highest yield. Next best results were obtained by combined spray of panchakavya (3%) + salicylic acid (100ppm) + nitrobenzene (150ppm); panchakavya (3%) alone and panchakavya (3%) + salicylic acid (100ppm). Results also revealed comparable performance of panchakavya over salicylic acid and nitrobenzene indicating, that, panchakavya can be utilized as an organic component to increase yield in tomato

Aerodynamic effects of a folding wingtip to increase take-off, landing and cruise performance

The main purpose of a folding wing tip is to allow aerodynamically efficient high aspect ratio wing. To allow a wing tip to move in flight is to alleviate the loads and achieve lower wing weight or enable wing span to maximize. Thus reduces the induced drag and improve fuel efficiency. The folding wing tip may include spring devices in order to provide an additional gust loads alleviation ability in flight. A wing without a winglet produces wingtip vortices which increases drag as the air from the bottom surface of the wing (high pressure) tries to move to the upper surface (low pressure). To avoid this and have less vortices a winglet is used, around which the flow is same on both surfaces. A folding wingtip can be set at an angle of 0° to have maximum cruise performance and aspect ratio. If the wingtip is set in the range of 15°-50° it can increase lift during take-off. This folding wingtip can access any airport in the world because if it is folded at an angle of 90°, it can meet the gate requirements and restrictions of any airport. To study the performance of this mechanism, the wing tip was designed by using CATIA V5 software. The analysis of the wingtip at different angle of attacks was done using ANSYS and XFLR 5 softwares

Thermodynamic characterization of RNA triloops

ABSTRACT: Relatively few thermodynamic parameters are available for RNA triloops. Therefore, 24 stemloop sequences containing naturally occurring triloops were optically melted, and the thermodynamic parameters ΔH°, ΔS°, ΔG°3 7 , and T M for each stem-loop were determined. These new experimental values, on average, are 0.5 kcal/mol different from the values predicted for these triloops using the model proposed by Mathews et al. [Mathews, D. H., Disney, M. D., Childs, J. L., Schroeder, S. J., Zuker, M., and Turner, D. H. (2004) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S. A. 101, 7287-7292]. The data for the 24 triloops reported here were then combined with the data for five triloops that were published previously. A new model was derived to predict the free energy contribution of previously unmeasured triloops. The average absolute difference between the measured values and the values predicted using this proposed model is 0.3 kcal/mol. These new experimental data and updated predictive model allow for more accurate calculations of the free energy of RNA stemloops containing triloops and, furthermore, should allow for improved prediction of secondary structure from sequence. RNA stem-loops containing three nucleotides in the loop, triloops, are common secondary structure motifs found in naturally occurring RNA. For example, bacterial 16S rRNAs strongly favor tetraloops; however, the UUU triloop is the most common replacement (1). In the 16S-like rRNA variable regions, triloops account for 7% of the loops in bacteria and 16% of the loops in eukaryotes (2). Triloops are also found in large subunit rRNAs (3, 4), 5S rRNAs (5), signal recognition particles (6), RNase P RNAs (7), and group I introns (8, 9). More specifically, triloops are found in Brome mosaic virus (þ) strand RNA (10), human rhinovirus isotype 14 (11), iron responsive element RNA (12), and an RNA aptamer for bacteriophage MS2 coat protein (13), to name a few. Although relatively unstable due to the strain in the loop, triloops may be an important structural feature due to the accessibility of the loop nucleotides for recognition by proteins, other nucleic acids, or small molecules. It has been shown that triloops play a role in various biological processes, including virus replication The current model used by secondary structure prediction algorithms to predict the thermodynamic contribution of RNA triloops to stem-loop stability is sequence independent; all triloops contribute 5.4 kcal/mol to stem-loop stability, with the exception of 5 0 CCC3 0 which contributes 6.9 kcal/mol (21). In addition, there are two unstable triloop sequences (5 0 CAACG3 0 and 5 0 GUUAC3 0 ) for which this predictive model is not used; instead, the ΔG°3 7,loop values (6.8 and 6.9 kcal/mol, respectively) for these two triloops are provided in a lookup table (21). An interesting study by the Bevilacqua laboratory (19) used a combinatorial approach and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis to identify stable and unstable RNA triloops. It was discovered that sequence preferences for exceptionally stable triloops included a U-rich loop and C-G as the closing base pair. Although they used 10 mM NaCl during their melting experiments, they suggested that the rules for predicting triloop stability at 1 M NaCl should be modified; however, this has yet to be done. Here, we report the thermodynamic parameters for 24 previously unmeasured RNA triloops in 1 M NaCl and propose a new algorithm for predicting the contribution of triloops to stem-loop stability, which includes two bonuses for stabilizing sequence features. MATERIALS AND METHODS Compiling and Searching a Database for RNA Triloops. The initial aim of this project was to identify the most frequently occurring RNA triloops in nature and to thermodynamically characterize these hairpin triloop sequences. Therefore, a database of 1349 RNA secondary structures containing 123 small subunit rRNAs (22), 223 large subunit rRNAs (3, 4), 309 5S rRNAs (5), 484 tRNAs (23), 91 signal recognition particles (6), 16 RNase P RNAs (7), 100 group I introns (8, 9), and 3 group II introns (24) was compiled. This database was searched for triloops, and the number of occurrences for each type of triloop was tabulated. In this work, G-U pairs are considered to be canonical base pairs. Design of Sequences for Optical Melting Studies. Since most thermodynamic parameters for RNA secondary structure motifs are reported for RNA solutions containing 1 M NaCl, the melting buffer used in this work also contained 1 M NaCl. A major limitation of a thermodynamic analysis of RNA hairpins using this high salt concentration is the possible bimolecular

Calorimetric Investigation of Copper Binding in the N-Terminal Region of the Prion Protein at Low Copper Loading: Evidence for an Entropically Favorable First Binding Event

Although the Cu²⁺-binding sites of the prion protein have been well studied when the protein is fully saturated by Cu²⁺, the Cu²⁺-loading mechanism is just beginning to come into view. Because the Cu²⁺-binding modes at low and intermediate Cu²⁺ occupancy necessarily represent the highest-affinity binding modes, these are very likely populated under physiological conditions, and it is thus essential to characterize them in order to understand better the biological function of copper–prion interactions. Besides binding-affinity data, almost no other thermodynamic parameters (e.g., Δ<i>H</i> and Δ<i>S</i>) have been measured, thus leaving undetermined the enthalpic and entropic factors that govern the free energy of Cu²⁺ binding to the prion protein. In this study, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to quantify the thermodynamic parameters (<i>K</i>, Δ<i>G</i>, Δ<i>H</i>, and <i>T</i>Δ<i>S</i>) of Cu²⁺ binding to a peptide, PrP­(23–28, 57–98), that encompasses the majority of the residues implicated in Cu²⁺ binding by full-length PrP. Use of the buffer <i>N</i>-(2-acetomido)-aminoethanesulfonic acid (ACES), which is also a well-characterized Cu²⁺ chelator, allowed for the isolation of the two highest affinity binding events. Circular dichroism spectroscopy was used to characterize the different binding modes as a function of added Cu²⁺. The <i>K</i>_d values determined by ITC, 7 and 380 nM, are well in line with those reported by others. The first binding event benefits significantly from a positive entropy, whereas the second binding event is enthalpically driven. The thermodynamic values associated with Cu²⁺ binding by the Aβ peptide, which is implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, bear striking parallels to those found here for the prion protein

Utilizing wild relative ((Solanum viarum) as resistant source to shoot and fruit borer in brinjal (Solanum melongena Linn.)

Brinjal (Solanum melongena Linn.) has very important place in Indian curries and also in China, Japan and Southern Europianrecipies. High yield combined with good quality as well as resistance to shoot and fruit borer in a brinjal variety is the ultimateaim in the most of the brinjal breeding programme. Solanum viarum is closely related to Solanum melongena and both are crosscompatible. Therefore hybridization was undertaken in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) with Solanum viarum to transfer theresistance trait of shoot and fruit borer and combine the resistance trait with high yield of brinjal.. Hybridization was made andF1 hybrid plants were raised. Subsequently in each generation selfing was done followed by selection to obtain F9 generation. InF9 generation selection was done in the plants with high marketable yield along with very low or negligible shoot and fruit borerinfestation. The direct derivatives of EP 65 x Solanum viarum were evaluated upto F9 . Two recombinant progenies viz., 7 and 9were selected in F9 generation for carrying forward to the next generation based on their high marketable yield and the leastinfestation of shoot and fruit borer. Molecular study with RAPD primers also revealed the introgression of the genes from donorparent Solanum viarum to brinjal

Development of Sustainable Rapid Microwave Assisted Process for Extracting Nanoporous Si from Earth Abundant Agricultural Residues and Their Carbon-based Nanohybrids for Lithium Energy Storage

Bamboo culm (BC), rice husk (RH), and sugarcane bagasse (SB) are the most earth abundant, low-cost, and eco-friendly agricultural residues that contain a substantial amount of biogenic silica (SiO₂) in the form of amorphous hydrated silica grains. In this study, we successfully extracted SiO₂ from various agricultural residues such as BC, RH, and SB via rapid microwave assisted solid-state ashing (MW-SS), followed by microwave assisted magnesiothermic reduction (MW-MR) of SiO₂ into crystalline silicon (Si) at <650 °C for 30 min without the need for a reducing gas atmosphere. The MW-MR process further supports the development of an interconnected three-dimensional porous Si network with a pore diameter of 50–80 nm and wall thickness of ∼23 nm. The obtained Si is further decorated with dimensionally modulated carbon-based materials such as carbon (C), graphene nanosheets (GNS), and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), which can offer higher delithiation capacities (1997, 1290, and 1166 mAh g^–1, respectively) compared to pristine Si (956 mAh g^–1) extracted from RH at C/5 rate after 200 cycles. These results suggest that the earth-abundant BC, RH, and SB could be sustainable resources for large-scale production of nanoporous crystalline Si, which has been extracted via an energy efficient, low-cost microwave assisted sustainable process for lithium ion battery anodes

Mean performance of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) genotypes under Tamil Nadu condition

Thirteen genotypes of brinjal were collected from various places of Tamil Nadu and other states and evaluated during September 2017- January 2018. Among these, the plant height of the genotypes ranged between 72.93cm (Utkal Anushree) to 95.84 cm (Bhavani Gold), Number of branches was found be highest in IC 3749281 (7.75), ABSR 2 recorded the least number of days to first flowering (43.15 days), Karur Local showed the least value of 64.46 days for days to first harvest among the genotypes, Thevur Local recorded the maximum fruit length of 12.95 cm, Mattu Gulla&nbsp; showed the highest value of fruit girth (17.44 cm) and individual fruit weight (88.67 g). The maximum number of fruits was recorded in ABSR 2 (39.75), the shoot borer infestation was found to least in IC 374928-1 (11.28 %) and least value for fruit borer infestation was observed in Karur Local (14.16 %) and ABSR 2 (14.87 %). Among the genotypes evaluated, the highest marketable yield was recorded in Karur Local (2.60 kg) followed by Bhavani Gold (2.15 kg)

Nutrient Status and Oil Yield of Grain Amaranthus species

Amaranth grain is an underutilized crop known for its vegetative parts as vegetable and grain as food. The grain of the crop contains high amount of iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and other minerals. However, there are gaps in our understanding and technology on the nutritional diversity of different kinds of vegetables grown in India. The aim of this study was to analyse the nutritional value of amaranth grains from different genotypes (A. hypochondriacus, A. cruentus, and A. caudatus) and to select elite genotype for varietal development. Randomized block design with three replication was carried. Evaluation studies were carried out by planting different amaranthus genotypes in the orchard at Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore in the year 2022-23. The nutrient composition of the grains was determined using standard methods. The genotype EC- 198122 recorded highest nutritional quality followed by IC–37156. Among the thirty six genotypes EC- 198122 genotype were found to be rich in proteins (20.85%), fat (6.32%), carbohydrate (71.59%), fiber (5.65%), energy (426.64 Kcal), and sugar (1.12g). EC- 198122 genotype contain a high amount of iron (22.74 mg/100g), magnesium (157.3 mg/100g), calcium (199.67mg/100g), potassium (309.77 mg/100g) and other minerals. The anti-nutrients composition also found to be low in grains were oxalate (194mg/100g) and nitrate (87.34μg/g) which are within levels that can be tolerated by the body system. The genotype EC- 198122 (5.20%) posses high oil content. The oil extracted from amaranth grain contained mainly unsaturated fatty acids. The primary acids in the oil were oleic, linoleic and palmitic. Oil was a major component present in the grain amaranthus. This suggests that consuming amaranth grain could be an effective way for mitigating the macro- and micronutrient deficits in the diet

Studies on Genetic Variability, Correlation Analysis in Mithipagal (Momordica charantia var. muricata) Genotypes

The present investigation was carried out in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore to study the “Genetic variability and correlation analysis in Mithipagal (Momordica charantia var. muricata) genotypes”. Observations on vine length, days to male flower inflorescence, days to female flower inflorescence, node of first male flower appearance, node of first female flower appearance, sex ratio, number of fruits per vine, fruit weight, fruit length, fruit girth, number of seeds per fruit, yield per vine, ascorbic acid, protein content, iron content and total soluble solids were recorded. Variability and correlation analysis among genotypes were examined. The results, showed that yield per plant had high positive and high significant correlation with fruit weight, fruit girth, number of seeds per fruit, vine length and fruit length. High genotypic co-efficients of variation (GCV) were found for fruit yield per vine, fruit weight, TSS, fruit length, vine length, fruit girth, node of first female flower, number of fruits per vine, number of seeds per fruit, iron, protein content when genetic characteristics were taken into account, However low GCV was found for days to the first male and female flowering. Phenotypic variants were always greater than genotypic variances. For traits such asyield per vine, fruit weight, TSS, fruit length, vine length, fruit girth, number of fruits per vine, number of. seeds per fruit, node of first male flower appearance, node of first female flower appearance, sex ratio, vitamin C, protein, iron content high heritability was found together with high genetic advance in percent of mean, indicating that these features are under additive gene control and hence selection for genetic improvement would be successful. Node of first male flower appearance showed low heritability combined with low genetic advance as a percentage of the mean indicating that non-additive gene effects were involved in the expression of this trait and hence selection for such a trait could not be beneficial. The knowledge of these statistical factors would be useful in identifying genotypes with greater yield potential that might be used in the improvement of mithipagal

Enhancing the Shelf Life of Palak and Coriander through Modified Atmosphere Packaging under Diverse Storage Environments

Aim: Green leafy vegetables are renowned for their rich vitamin and mineral content as well as their nutritional value. However, these vegetables are highly perishable due to their accelerated rates of respiration and transpiration. The process of packing and the choice of packaging materials play a crucial role in extending their shelf life. The main aim of this study was to prolong the shelf life of two prominent leafy greens, Palak (Beta vulgaris L. var. bengalensis) and Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), using Modified Atmospheric Packaging (MAP) and various packaging materials. Study Design: The study employed an FCRD experimental design with 12 treatments and 3 replications. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at Department of Vegetable Science, HC&amp;RI, TNAU, Coimbatore during the year 2023. Methodology: Freshly harvested Palak and Coriander were collected, sorted, and prepared as 250-gram samples. Two packaging materials (LDPE and PP) and three gas compositions (G1, G2, G3) was employed. The vegetables were stored under both ambient (35±5°C) and refrigerated (5°C) conditions and their physiological loss in weight (PLW %) was monitored. The observations were taken every day up to the spoilage of the produce. Results: According to the research findings, vegetables could remain fresh under ambient storage for up to 4 days and under refrigeration for up to 15 days. In ambient storage conditions, Palak exhibited the longest shelf life in treatment T3 - G3M1 (4% O2, 5% CO2, LDPE), followed by T5 - G2M2 (6% O2, 5% CO2, PP). Meanwhile, Coriander showed better shelf life in treatment T2 - G2M1 (6% O2, 5% CO2, LDPE), followed by T6 - G3M2 (4% O2, 5% CO2, PP). Under refrigerated storage conditions, Palak exhibited an extended shelf life in treatment T9 - G3M1 (4% O2, 5% CO2, LDPE), followed by T12 - G3M2 (4% O2, 5% CO2, PP). For Coriander, the best results were achieved with treatment T12 - G3M2 (4% O2, 5% CO2, PP), followed by T8 - G2M1 (6% O2, 5% CO2, LDPE). Conclusion: Proper packaging and gas composition significantly increased the shelf life of these leafy greens, offering potential benefits for both producers and consumers. Palak had a longer shelf life when stored under refrigerated conditions, up to 14 days, while Coriander could be kept fresh for up to 12 days in the refrigerator. Gas composition G3 (4% O2, 5% CO2) was found to be effective and LDPE was generally the preferred packaging material in extending the shelf life of the vegetables