Tukey Regressive Hoover Indexed Deep Shift-Invariant Neural Network for Student Behavior Prediction

Prediction of student performance in the academic field creates significant challenges in developing reliable and accurate diagnosis models. Through the use of online learning behavior data, this paper may assist teachers in identifying students with learning challenges in advance and providing timely assistance. A novel technique called Tukey Regressive Hoover indexed Deep Shift Invariant Structure Neural Network (TRHIDSISNN) Model is introduced for student behaviour analysis with lesser time consumption. Initially, the student data and features are collected and transmitted to the input layer. After that, the features of collected student data are analyzed in hidden layer 1 with help of the Tukey Regression. The correlation between one or more independent features is identified to find the dependent feature. The relevant features are sent to the hidden layer 2. In that layer, the Hoover index is applied for analyzing the training and testing features. Finally, the hidden layer result is sent to the output layer where the hyperbolic tangent activation function is used to classify the data that belongs to that particular class. Based on the classification, the student grade level is predicted as high, medium and low based on their behavior gets displayed. Experimental assessment is carried out using different parameters such as prediction accuracy, false-positive rate, prediction time, and space complexity with respect to the number of student data.  The discussed results show that when compared to state-of-the-art approaches, the suggested TRHIDSISNN model achieves higher accuracy with shorter prediction times

Use of infrared thermography imaging for assessing heat tolerance in high and low iron pearl millet lines

In the arid regions of Asia and Africa, pearl millet serves as a staple source of dietary energy and mineral micronutrients for millions of people. These regions are more vulnerable to increased temperature. The availability of rapid and efficient screening tools based on the relevant non-destructive quantifiable traits would facilitate pearl millet improvement for heat tolerance. The objective of this study was to evaluate pearl millet lines with contrast micronutrients for heat tolerance using infrared thermal imaging, a rapid proxy-canopy (panicle and flag leaf) temperature measurement. Results showed the highly significant genotypic differences between high-Fe and low-Fe genotypes for grain Fe and Zn densities and agronomic traits. Both high-Fe and low-Fe group genotypes differed significantly for panicle temperature depression (PTD) during high- vapor deficit (VPD) at stigma stage (3.0 to 6.73°C). PTD values were positive across all genotypes during stigma stage and were very low or negative during the low-VPD. Cooler canopy temperature (high-PTD) was observed during stigma stage rather than seed-set stage at higher-VPD in both high-Fe and low-Fe genotypes. The cooler temperature achieved by panicle might be helpful in maintaining stigma receptivity for longer periods in the female parents, whereas in male parents it might be helpful in maintaining pollen viability for longer periods. Flag leaf temperature (FTD) was cooler than PTD at both high-VPD and low-VPD as well in both stigma (less by 2.1°C) and grain-filling stage (less by 2.7°C), again signifying that the reproductive parts are more prone to heat stress as compared to vegetative parts. Since, thermal imaging discriminates the heat stress and non-stress canopies, this can serve as a proxy canopy temperature tool for heat stress tolerance screening in pearl millet

Physiological and genetic deciphering of water, salinity and relative humidity stress in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an important cool-season, food legume crop, is known to be sensitive to several abiotic stresses: drought, salinity and heat. The yield losses caused by these stresses are accounted to 6.4 million tonnes (t)/ year on global production. To improve any existing cultivar and harness the genetic regions involved in the tolerance it is important to understand the genetic and physiological mechanisms that underlie any tolerance. The objectives of this study were to (i) understanding the effect of either water deficit or salt stress on the reproductive biology of genotypes know to contrast for either salt or drought stress and (ii) construction of genetic map and identification of QTLs and candidate genes for salinity tolerance in 188 RILs derived from the ICCV 2 × JG 11 cross. In the water deficit study conducted in two consecutive years, ten genotypes with contrasting yields under terminal drought stress in the field were exposed to a gradual, but similar, water stress in the glasshouse. Nine parameters related to yield were recorded in wellwatered plants (WW) and in water-stressed plants (WS) when the level of deficit was mild (phase I), and when the stress was severe (phase II). The WS treatment reduced seed yield, seed and pod number, but not flower + pod + seed abortion percentage or 100-seed weight. The controlled drought imposition in glass house conditions revealed genotypic differences inthe sensitivity of the reproductive process to drought. The seed yield differences in chickpea were largely related to the capacity to produce a large number of flowers and to set seeds, especially when the degree of water deficit was mild. In the salinity experiments, fourteen genotypes of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) were used to study yield parameters, and eight genotypes were selected for ion analysis after being grown in soil treated with 0 mM and 80 mM NaCl, to assess any possible relationship between salt ion accumulation in different plant tissues and yield reduction. Salinity delayed flowering and the delay was greater in sensitive than tolerant genotypes under salt stress. Filled pod and seed numbers, but not seed size, were associated with seed yield in saline conditions, suggesting that salinity impaired reproductive success more in sensitive than tolerant lines. The delay in flowering was associated with higher concentrations of Na+ in the laminae of fully expanded young leaves (R2=0.61) and old green leaves (R2=0.51). Na+ accumulation in leaves was associated with delayed flowering that in turn could have played a role of the lower reproductive success in the sensitive lines. In QTL mapping for salinity tolerance, yield and components were assessed in 188 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from cross ICCV 2 × JG 11, in soil treated with either 0 mM NaCl (control) or 80 mM NaCl (salinity) over two consecutive years. Salinity significantly (P<0.05) affected almost all traits across years. The mean yield reduction under salinity compared to control was around 40% across years. A genetic map was constructed using 56 (SSR, SNP) polymorphic markers. The QTL analysis revealed two key genomic regions on CaLG05 (28.6 cM) and on CaLG07 (19.4 cM) that harboured QTLs for salinity tolerance associated traits. Two major QTLs for higher yield in the salinity treatment (explaining 12 and 17% of the phenotyping variation) wereidentified within the two key genomic regions. Comparison with already published chickpea genetic maps showed that these regions conferred salinity tolerance across two other populations and the markers can be deployed for enhancing salinity tolerance in chickpea. Based on gene ontology annotation 48 putative candidate genes responsive to salinity stress were found. Most of them were believed to be involved in achieving osmoregulation under stress conditions. In the relative humidity stress study, five genotypes that contrasting for yield under heat stress were studied. The plants were grown in three different vapor pressure deficit conditions (2.5, 3.0, 3.4 kPa) where the temperature was maintained constant (30°C) and the RH varied as 40, 30, 20% respectively. Genotypic variation found for almost all traits across treatments. The traits seed number and seed weight differentiated tolerant and sensitive group significantly at VPD conditions 2.5 and 3.0 but not in 3.4 kPa. Seed size was unaffected under 2.5 and 3.0 kPa VPD regimes but did get reduced upto 45% under 3.4 kPa treatment compared to 2.5 kPa treatment. The lowest RH treatment, even under fully well-watered condition, as any other abiotic stress reduced yield. Thus, it is important to consider the effect of low RH and the mechanisms behindits tolerance and sensitivity in future heat tolerance studies. The pollen viability or pollen in vivo germination was unaffected in this study. All the four studies have revealed that certain parameters can be used for achieving water deficit, salinity and relative humidity stress tolerance in future chickpea improvement programs

Higher flower and seed number leads to higher yield under water stress conditions imposed during reproduction in chickpea

The reproductive phase of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is more sensitive to water deficits than the vegetative phase. The characteristics that confer drought tolerance to genotypes at the reproductive stage are not well understood; especially which characteristics are responsible for differences in seed yield under water stress. In two consecutive years, 10 genotypes with contrasting yields under terminal drought stress in the field were exposed to a gradual, but similar, water stress in the glasshouse. Flower number, flower + pod + seed abortion percentage, pod number, pod weight, seed number, seed yield, 100-seed weight (seed size), stem + leaf weight and harvest index (HI) were recorded in well watered plants (WW) and in water-stressed plants (WS) when the level of deficit was mild (phase I), and when the stress was severe (phase II). The WS treatment reduced seed yield, seed and pod number, but not flower + pod + seed abortion percentage or 100-seed weight. Although there were significant differences in total seed yield among the genotypes, the ranking of the seed yield in the glasshouse differed from the ranking in the field, indicating large genotype × environment interaction. Genetic variation for seed yield and seed yield components was observed in the WW treatment, which also showed differences across years, as well as in the WS treatment in both the years, so that the relative seed yield and relative yield components (ratio of values under WS to those under WW) were used as measures of drought tolerance. Relative total seed yield was positively associated with relative total flower number (R2 = 0.23 in year 2) and relative total seed number (R2 = 0.83, R2 = 0.79 in years 1 and 2 respectively). In phase I (mild stress), relative yield of seed produced in that phase was found to be associated with the flower number in both the years (R2 = 0.69, R2 = 0.76 respectively). Therefore, the controlled drought imposition that was used, where daily water loss from the soil was made equal for all plants, revealed genotypic differences in the sensitivity of the reproductive process to drought. Under these conditions, the seed yield differences in chickpea were largely related to the capacity to produce a large number of flowers and to set seeds, especially in the early phase of drought stress when the degree of water deficit was mild

Salt Stress Delayed Flowering and Reduced Reproductive Success of Chickpea (Cicer arietinumL.), A Response Associated with Na+Accumulation in Leaves

Salinity is known to reduce chickpea yields in several regions of the world. Although ion toxicity associated with salinity leads to yield reductions in a number of other crops, its role in reducing yields in chickpea growing in saline soils is unclear. The purpose of this study was to (i) identify the phenological and yield parameters associated with salt stress tolerance and sensitivity in chickpea and (ii) identify any pattern of tissue ion accumulation that could relate to salt tolerance of chickpea exposed to saline soil in an outdoor pot experiment. Fourteen genotypes of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) were used to study yield parameters, of which eight were selected for ion analysis after being grown in soil treated with 0 and 80 mm NaCl. Salinity delayed flowering and the delay was greater in sensitive than tolerant genotypes under salt stress. Filled pod and seed numbers, but not seed size, were associated with seed yield in saline conditions, suggesting that salinity impaired reproductive success more in sensitive than tolerant lines. Of the various tissues measured for concentrations of Cl−, Na+ and K+, higher seed yields in saline conditions were positively correlated with higher K+ concentration in seeds at the mid-filling stage (R2 = 0.55), a higher K+/Na+ ratio in the laminae of fully expanded young leaves (R2 = 0.50), a lower Na+ concentration in old green leaves (R2 = 0.50) and a higher Cl− concentration in mature seeds. The delay in flowering was associated with higher concentrations of Na+ in the laminae of fully expanded young leaves (R2 = 0.61) and old green leaves (R2 = 0.51). We conclude that although none of the ions appeared to have any toxic effect, Na+ accumulation in leaves was associated with delayed flowering that in turn could have played a role in the lower reproductive success in the sensitive lines

Large number of flowers and tertiary branches, and higher reproductive success increase yields under salt stress in chickpea

Salinity is a major problem worldwide and improving salt tolerance of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) will allow expansion of production to more marginal areas. Plant reproduction suffers under salt stress in chickpea, but it remains unclear which process is most affected and what traits discriminate tolerant from sensitive lines. Three pot experiments were carried out to compare the effects of salt application (17 g NaCl kg−1 Alfisol) at sowing (SS) and at the start of flowering (SF) on growth, canopy transpiration, plant architecture, and flower, pod and seed development (timing, numbers, mass, abortion). Six pairs of tolerant/sensitive lines with similar flowering times within each pair, but different among the pairs, were used. Shoot biomass was similar in tolerant and sensitive lines in the SS and SF treatments, whereas the seed yield decreased more under SS and SF treatments in the sensitive lines. The flower, pod and seed numbers within all pairs was higher in the tolerant than in the sensitive lines in the non-saline controls, but the differences in numbers of seeds and pods further increased in both the SS and SF treatments. By contrast, neither the duration of flowering or podding, nor the percentage of flower or pod abortion, discriminated tolerant from sensitive lines. In non-saline controls the numbers of primary branches was 100% higher across the sensitive lines, whereas the number of tertiary branches was 8-fold higher across tolerant lines. The relative transpiration of the tolerant lines in the salt treatments was above that for the sensitive lines in three pairs of tolerant/sensitive lines, but did not differ within two pairs. Our results demonstrate that constitutive traits, i.e. numbers of flowers and tertiary branches, and adaptive traits, i.e. high number of seeds under salt stress, are both critical aspects of salinity tolerance in chickpea

Salinity tolerance and ion accumulation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) subjected to salt stress

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is considered a salt sensitive species, but some genetic variation for salinity tolerance exists. The present study was initiated to determine the degree of salt tolerance among chickpea genotypes, and the relationship between salt tolerance and ion accumulation in leaves and reproductive tissues. Methods Three experiments were conducted in a glasshouse in Perth, Western Australia, in which up to 55 genotypes of chickpea were subjected to 0, 40 or 60 mM NaCl added to the soil to determine the variation in salt tolerance, and the association between salt tolerance and reproductive success. Pod and seed numbers, seed yield and yield components, pollen viability, in vitro pollen germination and in vivo pollen tube growth, were used to evaluate reproductive success. Leaves, flowers and seeds were sampled in the reproductive phase to measure the concentrations of sodium, potassium and chloride ions in these organs. Results When grown in soil with 40 mM NaCl, a 27-fold range in seed yield was observed among the 55 chickpea genotypes. The increased salt tolerance, as measured by yield under salinity or relative yield under saline conditions, was positively associated with higher pod and seed numbers, and higher shoot biomass, but not with time to 50 % flowering nor with the number of filled pods in the non-saline treatment. Pod abortion was higher in the salt sensitive genotypes, but pollen viability, in vitro pollen germination and in vivo pollen tube growth were not affected by salinity in either the salt tolerant or salt sensitive genotypes. The concentrations of sodium and potassium ions, but not chloride, in the seed were significantly higher in the sensitive (106 μmol g−1 DM of sodium and 364 μmol g−1 DM of potassium) than in the tolerant (74 and 303 μmol g−1 DM, respectively) genotypes. Sodium and potassium, but particularly chloride, ions accumulated in leaves and in pod wall, whereas accumulation in the seed was much lower. Conclusions Considerable genotypic variation for salt tolerance exists in chickpea germplasm. Selection for genotypes with high pod and/or seed numbers that accumulate low concentrations of salt in the seed will be beneficial

Two key genomic regions harbour QTLs for salinity tolerance in ICCV 2 × JG 11 derived chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) recombinant inbred lines

Background Although chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an important food legume crop, is sensitive to salinity, considerable variation for salinity tolerance exists in the germplasm. To improve any existing cultivar, it is important to understand the genetic and physiological mechanisms underlying this tolerance. Results In the present study, 188 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the cross ICCV 2 × JG 11 were used to assess yield and related traits in a soil with 0 mM NaCl (control) and 80 mM NaCl (salinity) over two consecutive years. Salinity significantly (P < 0.05) affected almost all traits across years and yield reduction was in large part related to a reduction in seed number but also a reduction in above ground biomass. A genetic map was constructed using 56 polymorphic markers (28 simple sequence repeats; SSRs and 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs). The QTL analysis revealed two key genomic regions on CaLG05 (28.6 cM) and on CaLG07 (19.4 cM), that harboured QTLs for six and five different salinity tolerance associated traits, respectively, and imparting either higher plant vigour (on CaLG05) or higher reproductive success (on CaLG07). Two major QTLs for yield in the salinity treatment (explaining 12 and 17% of the phenotypic variation) were identified within the two key genomic regions. Comparison with already published chickpea genetic maps showed that these regions conferred salinity tolerance across two other populations and the markers can be deployed for enhancing salinity tolerance in chickpea. Based on the gene ontology annotation, forty eight putative candidate genes responsive to salinity stress were found on CaLG05 (31 genes) and CaLG07 (17 genes) in a distance of 11.1 Mb and 8.2 Mb on chickpea reference genome. Most of the genes were known to be involved in achieving osmoregulation under stress conditions. Conclusion Identification of putative candidate genes further strengthens the idea of using CaLG05 and CaLG07 genomic regions for marker assisted breeding (MAB). Further fine mapping of these key genomic regions may lead to novel gene identification for salinity stress tolerance in chickpea