Comparative Efficiency of Mineral, Chelated and Nano Forms of Zinc and Iron for Improvement of Zinc and Iron in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) through Biofortification

Nanoparticles (NPs), due to their tailored properties, serve as potential sources of nutrients for the biofortification of edible grains. Chickpeas are a valued legume crop, widely consumed in developing countries. Thus, to improve the Zn and Fe content in chickpeas, a two-year study was conducted to examine the potential of the foliar application of mineral (0.5% Zn and Fe), chelated (0.3% Zn and Fe) and nanoforms (0.5% ZFN) of fertilizers to enhance Zn and Fe content in chickpea. The foliar application of 0.5% ZnO NPs + 0.5% Fe2O3 NPs (ZFN) at the pre-flowering stage showed the highest potential to increase grain yield, Zn and Fe content and their uptake as a single foliar application of nano-fertilizers showed comparable results to two foliar applications of mineral and chelated forms. The grain and straw yield (14.07 and 33.04 q ha−1, respectively) under ZFN treatment was significantly higher over the control (9.20 and 27.49 q ha−1, respectively). A similar trend was observed for Zn and Fe content in grain (42.29 and 86.51 mg kg−1, respectively). For nutrient uptake, ZFN treatment showed the highest uptake of Zn and Fe in grain (604.49 and 1226.22 g ha−1, respectively) and straw (729.55 and 9184.67 g ha−1, respectively). Thus, nano-fertilizers, due to their altered structural properties, demonstrated higher translocation over the mineral and chelated forms of nutrient fertilizers and thus improved yield and nutrient content to a greater extent. Thus, the foliar application of 0.5% ZnO NPs + 0.5% Fe2O3 NPs may prove to be a feasible option for the enrichment of chickpeas with Zn and Fe to ameliorate malnutrition in burgeoning human populations.

Wheat Grain Width: A Clue for Re-Exploring Visual Indicators of Grain Weight

Background Mean grain weight (MGW) is among the most frequently measured parameters in wheat breeding and physiology. Although in the recent decades, various wheat grain analyses (e.g. counting, and determining the size, color, or shape features) have been facilitated thanks to the automated image processing systems, MGW estimations has been limited to using few number of image-derived indices; i.e. mainly the linear or power models developed based on the projected area (Area). Following a preliminary observation which indicated the potential of grain width in improving the predictions, the present study was conducted to explore potentially more efficient indices for increasing the precision of image-based MGW estimations. For this purpose, an image archive of the grains was processed, which was harvested from a two-year field experiment carried out with 3 replicates under two irrigation conditions and included 15 cultivar mixture treatments (so the archive was consisted of 180 images taken from an overall number of more than 72000 grains). Results It was observed that among the more than 30 evaluated indices of grain size and shape, indicators of grain width (i.e. Minor & MinFeret) along with 8 other empirical indices had a higher correlation with MGW, compared with Area. The most precise MGW predictions were obtained using the Area×Circularity, Perimeter×Circularity, and Area/Perimeter indices. In general, two main common factors were detected in the structure of the major indices, i.e. either grain width or the Area/Perimeter ratio. Moreover, comparative efficiency of the superior indices almost remained stable across the 4 environmental conditions. Eventually, using the selected indices, ten simple linear models were developed and validated for MGW prediction, which indicated a relatively higher precision than the current Area-based models. The considerable effect of enhancing image resolution on the precision of the models has been also evidenced. Conclusions It is expected that the findings of the present study, along with the simple predictive linear models developed and validated using the new image-derived indices, could improve the precision of the image-based MGW estimations, and consequently facilitate wheat breeding and physiological assessments.

Comparative Efficiency of Native Insect Pollinators in Reproductive Performance of Medicago sativa L. in Pakistan

Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is a cross-pollinated crop and requires entomophilous pollination for tripping of flowers and subsequent pod and seed set. To discover the best pollinators for lucerne seed production, a two-year field trial was carried out at the research farm of MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan. Abundance and diversity of insect pollinators along with the foraging behavior were recorded in terms of tripping efficiency, stay time, visitation rate and pollen harvest. The single-visit efficiency of abundant insect pollinators was also evaluated in terms of number of seeds and seed weight per raceme along with germination percentage. Ten most abundant floral visitors (five solitary bee species, three honeybee species and two syrphid fly species) were tested for their pollination efficiency. Honeybees were most abundant in both the years followed by the solitary bees and syrphid flies. Single-visit efficacy in terms of number of pods of raceme, number of seeds per raceme, 1000 seed weight and germination percentage revealed Megachile cephalotes as the most efficient insect pollinator followed by Megachile hera and Amigella sp. Future studies should investigate the biology and ecology of these bee species with special emphasis on their nesting behavior and seasonality.

Evaluation of the Comparative Efficiency of CCGT in Variable Modes

The purpose of the research is to select the priorities for the development of various types of power plants and to substantiate the structure of generating capacities. An improved method has been developed for the selection of priorities for the development of various types of power plants, taking into account the service life and economic performance of the main equipment of power plants in variable modes based on equivalent operating hours. The influence of variable modes of combined-cycle gas installations on the service life of the main equipment (steam and gas turbines) is studied. The comparative efficiency of CCGT-450 in variable modes is calculated, taking into account the wear of the main equipment. As a result of calculations, it was found that with the minimum forecast prices for natural gas, the most efficient power plant (among those considered) is combined cycle power plant, which provides the lowest prime cost of electricity when operating in the base mode and the least increase in the prime cost of electricity when operating in an alternating mode.

Comparative Efficiency Evaluation of Hydrogen Energy Complexes Based on Reversible Fuel Cells and Hydrogen-Thermal Storage When Combined with Nuclear Power Plants

This work evaluates the technical and economic efficiency of combining NPPs with a system based on reversible fuel cells (RFC) in comparison with the well-known approach of hydrogen-thermal accumulation (HTA) using an additional low-power steam turbine unit. One of the main advantages of RFC is its ability to alternately operate both in the electrolysis mode in order to accumulate off-peak electricity, and in the fuel cell mode to generate peak electricity without converting hydrogen fuel energy into thermal or mechanical energy. The authors developed a schematic diagram and methodology for assessing efficiency of using RFC at NPPs. The calculations have shown that at the present stage of technology development, the use of RFC is less effective in comparison with the system based on HTA. At the same time, until 2035the advantage of the HTA will grow from 9.68%, excluding the economic effect from preventing unloading of the NPP, up to 25.31% in the current scenario, taking into account the economic effect from preventing unloading of the NPP. The target level of base specific capital investments in the proposed RFC system (units with a unit capacity of 250 kW) has been determined, providing equal technical and economic efficiency in comparison with HTA, which amounted to 1079-1134 $/kW

Evaluating the efficiency of investments in transport infrastructure in the subjects of the Russian Federation based on the DEA methodology

Subject. The article addresses comprehensive comparative assessment of return on investment in transport infrastructure in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation for 2017–2019, based on the DEA methodology. Objectives. We determine leaders and outsiders among regions, based on the DEA-analysis of investment performance in the transport sector, rank them on the basis of aggregated estimates of comparative efficiency. Methods. The research draws on the methods of systems analysis, mathematical, economic, statistical analysis, decomposition, and aggregation. We employ the data of Rosstat and the Ministry of Transport on constituent entities of the Russian Federation for 2017–2019. Results. The aggregated estimates of comparative efficiency of investments in transport infrastructure, taking into account the variable effect (VRS), have been determined for the first time. We rank the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, depending on the efficiency of investments in transport infrastructure. Conclusions. The performed analysis creates information basis for assessing and improving the regional transport policy, developing and implementing a set of measures, aimed at increasing transport accessibility and highway capacity. The findings may enable to monitor and enhance the efficiency of budgetary spending on transport infrastructure facilities.