Deciphering the effect of different nitrogen doses on grain protein content, quality attributes and yield related traits of rice

Understanding the gravity of nutritional significance of rice (Oryza sativa L.) protein, an experiment conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) involving effect of nitrogen (N) rates i.e.,140 kg N/ha, 120 kg N/ha, 100 kg N/ha and 80 kg N/ha on grain protein content, yield parameters and cooking characteristics of polished rice from eight rice genotypes was conducted. N application significantly affected the grain protein content, grain yield, head rice recovery, plant height and effective tillers. In high protein cultivars substantially low to intermediate amylose content and more cooking time was recorded while in low protein counterpart amylose content was comparatively high with low cooking time. Maximum cooking time in polished rice was of 25 min at 180 kg N/ha dose and highest amylose content of about 27% at 80 kg N/ha. Gumminess and hardness of cooked rice and cooking time significantly elevated with increase in N dose. The substantial differences in grain protein content in brown, polished and cooked rice was observed. Cooking revealed the significant increase in protein content ranged from 50%-70% in low protein to high protein genotypes. R-RGM-ATN-47 with highest grain yield of 62.13 q/ha, grain protein content of 10.00 % in polished rice and intermediate amylose appears to be the most promising candidate.

Evaluation of resources in the study of industrial and culinary properties for the varietal characterization of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Different physicochemical tests have been used over time in the Oryza sativa species for the study of industrial and culinary properties. In this study, nine attributes were compared: amylose content, total whiteness, thousand grain weight, grain length and width, gelatinization time, apparent water absorption, expansion ratio, and gelatinization temperature. However, there is no single attribute that allows defining the concept of “culinary quality” in rice, since it depends on its behavior after cooking. The two varieties of long fine polished rice used for this study were: IRGA 424 (Rio Grandense Rice Institute) and Tranquilo FL INTA (National Institute of Agricultural Technology) and a mixture of both. In this work, the characterization of industrial and culinary properties of the rice varieties mentioned above was achieved by evaluating five attributes using simple and low-cost physical-chemical techniques in two of the rice varieties most in demand by producers in the province of Corrientes. This finding would allow the study of rice varieties to be approached by optimizing: equipment, reagents and time in future trials.

Effects of Selenium Fertilizer Application on Yield and Selenium Accumulation Characteristics of Different Japonica Rice Varieties

In this study, three japonica rice varieties—Nanjing 9108, Jiahua 1 and Wuyunjing 29—were supplied with different levels of nano-foliar selenium fertilizers (0, 40 and 80 kg Se ha−1) under field conditions. Their rice yield and absorption, accumulation, transportation and utilization of selenium were studied to find suitable selenium-rich rice cultivars and optimal selenium supply levels, while providing references for the development of selenium-rich rice. On an average basis, the Nanjing 9108, Jiahua 1 and Wuyunjing 29 yielded 8755 ± 190, 8200 ± 317 and 9098 ± 72.7 kg ha−1, respectively. The selenium content in polished rice of the three rice varieties is between 0.210 and 0.933 mg kg−1. When 40 g Se ha−1 nano-selenium fertilizer was used, the selenium accumulation in the shoots of Nanjing 9108, Jiahua 1 and Wuyunjing 29 was, respectively, 11.4 g Se ha−1, 12.3 g Se ha−1 and 12.2 g Se ha−1, and when 80 g Se ha−1 selenium fertilizer was applied, the total selenium accumulation of three rice varieties was, respectively, 2.45, 1.75 and 2.40 times that of 40 g Se ha−1 selenium fertilizer. No evident diversity was observed in the selenium transport coefficient and the apparent utilization rate of selenium among the three varieties. The three rice varieties in this experiment had a strong selenium enrichment capacity, and they could be planted as selenium-enriched and high-yield rice varieties. Further, the amount of selenium fertilizer should not exceed 40 g Se ha−1.

Pri smORF Peptides Are Wide Mediators of Ecdysone Signaling, Contributing to Shape Spatiotemporal Responses

There is growing evidence that peptides encoded by small open-reading frames (sORF or smORF) can fulfill various cellular functions and define a novel class regulatory molecules. To which extend transcripts encoding only smORF peptides compare with canonical protein-coding genes, yet remain poorly understood. In particular, little is known on whether and how smORF-encoding RNAs might need tightly regulated expression within a given tissue, at a given time during development. We addressed these questions through the analysis of Drosophila polished rice (pri, a.k.a. tarsal less or mille pattes), which encodes four smORF peptides (11–32 amino acids in length) required at several stages of development. Previous work has shown that the expression of pri during epidermal development is regulated in the response to ecdysone, the major steroid hormone in insects. Here, we show that pri transcription is strongly upregulated by ecdysone across a large panel of cell types, suggesting that pri is a core component of ecdysone response. Although pri is produced as an intron-less short transcript (1.5 kb), genetic assays reveal that the developmental functions of pri require an unexpectedly large array of enhancers (spanning over 50 kb), driving a variety of spatiotemporal patterns of pri expression across developing tissues. Furthermore, we found that separate pri enhancers are directly activated by the ecdysone nuclear receptor (EcR) and display distinct regulatory modes between developmental tissues and/or stages. Alike major developmental genes, the expression of pri in a given tissue often involves several enhancers driving apparently redundant (or shadow) expression, while individual pri enhancers can harbor pleiotropic functions across tissues. Taken together, these data reveal the broad role of Pri smORF peptides in ecdysone signaling and show that the cis-regulatory architecture of the pri gene contributes to shape distinct spatial and temporal patterns of ecdysone response throughout development.

Rice Compounds with Impact on Diabetic Control

Rice is one of the most cultivated and consumed cereals worldwide. It is composed of starch, which is an important source of diet energy, hypoallergenic proteins, and other bioactive compounds with known nutritional functionalities. Noteworthy is that the rice bran (outer layer of rice grains), a side-stream product of the rice milling process, has a higher content of bioactive compounds than white rice (polished rice grains). Bran functional ingredients such as γ-oryzanol, phytic acid, ferulic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, tocopherols, and tocotrienols (vitamin E) have been linked to several health benefits. In this study, we reviewed the effects of rice glycemic index, macronutrients, and bioactive compounds on the pathological mechanisms associated with diabetes, identifying the rice compounds potentially exerting protective activities towards disease control. The effects of starch, proteins, and bran bioactive compounds for diabetic control were reviewed and provide important insights about the nutritional quality of rice-based foods.

Residual characteristics of etofenprox in the processing stages of rice cakes and cookies

The changes in residual amounts of an insecticide (etofenprox) in processed rice cakes and cookies were investigated in this study. Test samples were sprayed with etofenprox during rice cultivation, and brown rice samples were dipped in a pesticide solution to investigate the effects of washing and processing. A multiresidue method for multiclass pesticides was employed for etofenprox analysis using a high-performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet detector setup. Etofenprox was not detected in polished rice that was processed into rice cakes and cookies. The etofenprox residue levels were 2.13 mg/kg in each processing stage of brown rice products that were dipped in 400 mg/kg etofenprox solutions. The residual amounts of etofenprox in washed/polished rice and rice flour obtained by grinding were 1.25 and 0.77 mg/kg, respectively. The residual levels were 0.38 mg/kg in rice cakes prepared by cooking rice flour in a steamer for 20 min (a decrease of 82.1% compared to that in polished rice), 0.47 mg/kg in rice cookies baked in an oven for 20 min (a decrease of 78.0%), and 0.21 mg/kg in fried rice cookies (a decrease of 90.2%). Overall, the residual levels of etofenprox decreased in a range of 40–100% during the processing of rice cakes and cookies.