ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY AND ETHANOL RELEASE TO ASSESS RED RICE SEED VIGOR1

ABSTRACT To evaluate seed vigor, electrical conductivity and ethanol tests are fast and efficient methodologies. They have the potential to be used in several species, such as red rice. However, there are no protocols or information about their efficiency. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the efficiency, and define parameters of execution for electrical conductivity and ethanol tests, to evaluate the vigor of red rice seeds. The study was conducted using four lots of ‘BRS 901’ red rice, which was subjected to a germination test, as well as first count, accelerated aging, and field seedling emergence tests. The electrical conductivity test was performed with 25, 50, and 100 seeds soaked in 50 mL and 75 mL of water, at 25 °C and 30 °C, for 3, 6, 20, and 24 hours, respectively. The ethanol test was performed with 50 and 100 seeds soaked in a volume of water equivalent to 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0× the mass of the seed sample. To assess the vigor of red rice seeds, the electrical conductivity test is an efficient method when conducted with 50 seeds soaked in 50 mL of water at 25 °C for 20 hours. Meanwhile, the ethanol test is most effective when performed with 50 seeds, in a volume of water that is 2.5× the mass of the sample, at 40 °C for 24 hours.

Phytochemistry and Antioxidant Activity of Irvingiagabonensis (Bush mango) Seed Sample

Phytochemistry and antioxidant activity of Irvingiagabonensis (Bush mango) seed sample were evaluated. Dried milled seeds of I.gabonensis popularly known as “ogbono” passed through phytochemical screening, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and antioxidant studies. Tannins, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, and reducing sugars were among the phytochemicals found present after screening. About 20 constituents were revealed by the GC-MS analysis out of which 1,3-O-Benzylidine glyceryl-2-myristate had the highest molecular weight, 2-Undecanone had the highest peak area of 45.39% whereas 3-Dibenzofuranamine had the highest retention time. Some of these constituents could have one or two applications in medicinal, food or cosmetic industries. I.gabonensis seeds showed better antioxidant activity against the control at concentrations considered in this study. Some of these constituents as well could be behind the observed antioxidant activity. This study has evaluated the phytochemistry and antioxidant activity of I.gabonensis (Bush mango) seed sample.

Application of the Best Techniques to Reduce the Percentage of Storage Fungi in Peanut Seeds Arachis hypogaea

This study was conducted during the season 2019-2020 with the aim of testing the efficiency of some techniques to eliminate or reduce the frequency of storage fungi, namely Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, and Penicillium italicum naturally contaminating peanuts seeds. The seed sample was treated by soaking in hot water (50˚c, 60˚c, 70˚c), soaking in salt water at concentrations 10%, 15%, 20%, roasting in an ordinary oven at 150˚c for 10, 20 and 30 min, and roasting in a microwave oven at 100˚c for 1, 3, 5 and 7 min. The frequency of fungi occurrence percentage was estimated in seeds after treatments and incubation on the nutrient medium Potato Sucrose Agar (PSA). The results indicated the efficiency of all the techniques used in reducing the frequency of fungi in the treated seeds, as the fungus P. italicum was the most sensitive fungus under all techniques, and the study proved the superiority of the treatment by microwave roasting over the rest of the techniques, as it eliminated all the fungi carried in the seed by 100% when the duration of time used is 5 minutes.

AGNES-SMOTE: An Oversampling Algorithm Based on Hierarchical Clustering and Improved SMOTE

Aiming at low classification accuracy of imbalanced datasets, an oversampling algorithm—AGNES-SMOTE (Agglomerative Nesting-Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique) based on hierarchical clustering and improved SMOTE—is proposed. Its key procedures include hierarchically cluster majority samples and minority samples, respectively; divide minority subclusters on the basis of the obtained majority subclusters; select “seed sample” based on the sampling weight and probability distribution of minority subcluster; and restrict the generation of new samples in a certain area by centroid method in the sampling process. The combination of AGNES-SMOTE and SVM (Support Vector Machine) is presented to deal with imbalanced datasets classification. Experiments on UCI datasets are conducted to compare the performance of different algorithms mentioned in the literature. Experimental results indicate AGNES-SMOTE excels in synthesizing new samples and improves SVM classification performance on imbalanced datasets.

Exposure Assessment of Multiple Mycotoxins in Black and White Sesame Seeds Consumed in Thailand

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of 16 well-recognized and emerging mycotoxins in black and white sesame seed samples sold in Thailand and to evaluate possible health risks to consumers. Samples were extracted and cleaned with a modified QuEChERS procedure. Multiple mycotoxins in sesame seed samples were analyzed with a validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method. The risk of mycotoxin exposure via dietary intake of sesame seeds was evaluated based on the hazard quotient, margin of exposure (MOE), and quantitative liver cancer risk established by European Food Safety Authority, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Health Organization. Of the 200 samples, 21.5% were contaminated with mycotoxins, 19.5% were contaminated with a single mycotoxin, and 2% were contaminated with multiple mycotoxins. Although 9% of total samples were contaminated with aflatoxins (AFs), only one black sesame seed sample and one white sesame seed sample were above the regulatory limits for the European Union (2 μg/kg). The MOE values derived from consumption of black and white sesame seeds were generally <10,000, especially in the group consuming the most. The number of liver cancer cases over a lifetime associated with AFB1 exposure based on the upper bound values for the group consuming high level of black and white sesame seeds (97.5 percentile) was estimated at more than 1 case per one million persons. Therefore, a potential risk to consumer health exists through the consumption of black and white sesame seeds and subsequent exposure to AFB1. However, further evaluation with larger sample sizes is necessary for more accurate calculations. Continuous monitoring of mycotoxin contamination in sesame seeds with risk assessments is recommended. HIGHLIGHTS

Comparative Effect of Fungicides against Blast Disease of Rice

Keeping in view the importance of rice blast disease, an experiment was conducted in the Laboratory of the department of Plant Pathology & Seed Science, Sylhet Agricultural University, and at the field of regional BADC Seed Production farm, Khadimnagar, Sylhet, Bangladesh, to evaluate see health status of the collected samples and effectiveness of fungicides against the blast disease of rice. Treatments viz T1: Edifen 50 EC (Edifenphos), T2: Karisma 28 SC (Azoxystrobin 20% + Cyproconazole 8%), T3: Nativo 75 WP (Tebuconazole 50% +Trifloxystrobin 25%), T4: Trooper 75WP (Tricyclazole), T5: Stanza 75WP (Imidazole), T6: Amister top (Azoxystobin 20% + Difenoconazole 12.5%), T7: Control (water) were used both in laboratory and field condition. In laboratory, different seed borne fungi, like Aspergillus, Fusarium, Curvularia, Penicillium, Pyricularia, Bipolaris, Alternaria, were detected from the collected seed sample by blotter method. In the field, treatments were applied as foliar sprays for three times with ten days interval. The lowest blast disease incidence (34.0%), lowest severity (31.6%) was found in T2: Karisma 28 SC treated plots, and gave best result in term of yield (6.3 ton/ha) in comparison to other treatments. The results of the present studies suggested that use of Karisma 28 SC is the best choice against rice blast with lowest disease incidence and highest yield.

Perbanyakan Tanaman Jeruk Siam (Citrus nobilis L.) dengan Teknik Kultur in vitro Menggunakan Biji Tanaman Terinfeksi Penyakit Citrus Vein Phloem Degeneration (CVPD)

Citrus (Citrus nobilis L.) Propagation Through Culture In Vitro Using Seed From Infected Plants Of Citrus Vein Phloem Degeneration (CVPD) Disease. The sample was taken in Belancan Village, Kintamani District, Bangli Regency, and invitro culture was conducted in UPT. Genetics Resource and Molecular Biology Laboratory in February to June 2018. This research purposes were to get the new citrus plant from citrus seed infected of CVPD disease explants with culture in vitro and found the presence of the bacterium Liberobacter asiaticus in results of citrus plants culture in vitro. The sampling method is using plants appearance. Obtained sample 1 is a plant that shows severe symptoms of CVPD disease and sample 2 plants that show no symptoms of CVPD disease. Seed Sample is cultured with MS0 medium for 8 WAP then proceed to acclimatization. The results of this research showed that the seed explants from both samples were able to grow well and did not have the characteristic of CVPD disease, but explant seed sample 2 in vitro culture result showed that the bacterial DNA bacterium Liberobacter asiaticus pathogen CVPD disease does exist in length 1160bp, so it cannot be expected to produce CVPD-free crops.

Genetic assessment of three Fagaceae species in forest restoration trials

Restoring isolated patches of forest ecosystems in degraded landscapes could potentially lead to genetic loss and inbreeding. Therefore, this study determined the occurrence of genetic diversity among the tree species Castanopsis tribuloides, C. calathiformis, and Lithocarpus polystachyus all of which were proven previously to be effective native tree species in the restoration of upland evergreen forests in northern Thailand when using the seed sample collection method. We tested our hypothesis as to whether the genetic diversity of a plant population that had been planted from the seeds of 4–6 adult trees would be lower and whether incidences of fixation index (Fis) would be higher among the second generation seedlings of these three Fagaceae species in isolated forest restoration trial plots. Microsatellite primers were selected from the entire genome sequence of C. tribuloides and the genetic sequences of C. tribuloides, L. polystachyus, and C. calathiformis were analyzed. Our results indicated a high degree of genetic diversity (He) in C. tribuloides (0.736) and C. calathiformis (0.481); however, a low level of genetic diversity was observed in L. polystachyus (0.281) within the restored forest. The fixation index for the second generation of L. polystachyus and C. calathiformis in the restored forest showed evidence of inbreeding. These results imply the efficiency of the seed sample collection method and verify that it does not reduce the level of genetic diversity in C. tribuloides and C. calathiformis. However, it may result in incidences of an inbreeding phenomena, suggesting the need to increase the number of adult trees used at the seed collection stage.

Effect of Seed Orientation, Acid Delinting, Moisture Level, and Sample Type on Cottonseed Fracture Resistance

Cottonseed damage during processing is a growing concern for cotton ginners and cottonseed oil processors. A test to evaluate the durability of seed samples would be beneficial to breeders and ginners to help reduce problems associated with seed damage. Toward this goal, cottonseed fracture resistance was studied with a tensile tester fitted with an adapter to apply compressive force. Seeds cracked with more compressive force when oriented vertically in the tester than when oriented horizontally. Seeds had a greater fracture resistance when they were drier. Even differences in environmental relative humidity (35% to 65%) were enough to affect the testing, indicating that cottonseed requires conditioning to obtain consistent results. Treating the seed with sulfuric acid to remove surface linters did not affect the seed’s tendency to fracture, but significant differences were discernible among seed samples with different genetic backgrounds and production histories. Because several individual seeds needed to be tested to achieve representative results, the compressive fracture resistance may not be the most convenient tool for determining the potential for seed damage during processing. A better test might be some form of mechanical damaging device (e.g., a shaker or roller mill) that would allow faster analysis of a representative seed sample. Keywords: Cottonseed, Ginning, Seed damage, Seed fracture resistance.