Rapeseed as an Ornamental

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is one of the most important oil crops worldwide. However, an intriguing new use for rapeseed has recently developed: as an ornamental. Tourism based on blossoming fields of these yellow flowers has become a new economic growth opportunity in China. From a breeding perspective, two main problems currently limit the potential of rapeseed as an ornamental. First, the flowering period is quite short (30 days on average), which limits economic income; second, the flower color in commercial cultivars is currently limited to bright yellow, which may pall quickly for sightseers. This review summarizes the possible problems of using rapeseed as an ornamental, and details factors affecting the flowering period, how the flowering period can be prolonged by integrating optimal cultivation measures or/and spraying with chemical reagents, and ways of creating and breeding rapeseed with diverse flower colors.

Melatonin Protects Tobacco Suspension Cells against Pb-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Recent studies have shown that melatonin is an important molecule in plant physiology. It seems that the most important is that melatonin effectively eliminates oxidative stress (direct and indirect antioxidant) and switches on different defence strategies (preventive and interventive actions) during environmental stresses. In the presented report, exogenous melatonin potential to protect Nicotiana tabacum L. line Bright Yellow 2 (BY-2) exposed to lead against death was examined. Analyses of cell proliferation and viability, the level of intracellular calcium, changes in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) as well as possible translocation of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol and subsequent caspase-like proteolytic activity were conducted. Our results indicate that pretreatment BY-2 with melatonin protected tobacco cells against mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase-like activation caused by lead. The findings suggest the possible role of this indoleamine in the molecular mechanism of mitochondria, safeguarding against potential collapse and cytochrome c release. Thus, it seems that applied melatonin acted as an effective factor, promoting survival and increasing plant tolerance to lead.

Mononuclear Copper(I) 3-(2-pyridyl)pyrazole Complexes: The Crucial Role of Phosphine on Photoluminescence

A series of emissive Cu(I) cationic complexes with 3-(2-pyridyl)-5-phenyl-pyrazole and various phosphines: dppbz (1), Xantphos (2), DPEPhos (3), PPh3 (4), and BINAP (5) were designed and characterized. Complexes obtained exhibit bright yellow-green emission (ca. 520–650 nm) in the solid state with a wide range of QYs (1–78%) and lifetimes (19–119 µs) at 298 K. The photoluminescence efficiency dramatically depends on the phosphine ligand type. The theoretical calculations of buried volumes and excited states explained the emission behavior for 1–5 as well as their lifetimes. The bulky and rigid phosphines promote emission efficiency through the stabilization of singlet and triplet excited states.

Utilization of Betadine as an Indicator of the Presence of Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) In Fruits and Vegetables

This study aims to find out whether or not there is a content of vitamin C in tomatoes, cucumbers, chayote, spinach, lime and bilimbi by reacting with betadine containing povidone iodine 10% w/v, which is equivalent to 1% iodine. If iodine reacts with vitamin C, then the color of iodine will disappear. Each extract of fruits and vegetables is added to a glass containing aqua that has been added 25 drops of betadine with a solution color that is reddish brown. Obtained discoloration from each addition of fruit and vegetable extract: a) Cucumbers change color to solid bright yellow, b) Tomatoes change color to clear bright yellow, c) Chayote change color to white, d) Spinach changes color to dark green, e) Lime changes color to brownish orange and f) Bilimbi changes color to orange. The discoloration that occurs indicates that tomatoes, cucumbers, chayote, spinach, lime and bilimbi contain vitamin C.

Variations of Hawk Mimicry Traits in the Four Sympatric Cuculus Cuckoos

A well-known visual signal, hawk-like features such as yellow eyes and feet, and barred underparts have been recognized as coevolutionary traits obtained against host defense in Cuculus cuckoos. However, the variation of these traits within and among species remains poorly understood because empirical studies quantifying these traits are limited in terms of the number of studies and the number of species concerned, and mostly depend on museum collections. In this study, we quantified and compared these traits as well as other new features (e.g., inner wing spot and underpart background color) in the four sympatric Cuculus cuckoos (Cuculus poliocephalus, Cuculus micropterus, Cuculus optatus, and Cuculus canorus) that were wild-captured in South Korea. We found that the yellow color of the eye ring and feet was fairly consistent across the four species. However, the iris color appeared to vary within a species (e.g., between sexes) and varied more substantially among species from nearly black in C. micropterus to bright yellow in C. canorus. In addition, there were significant differences among species with respect to the thickness of the underpart bars, from the thinnest in C. canorus to the thickest in C. micropterus. We also found that the underpart color (pure white versus yellowish brown) and the number of inner wing spots varied within and among species. These results indicate that although hawk-like traits are widely present in Cuculus cuckoos, detailed quantitative features of these traits vary across species. We discuss the potential reasons that generate such variations and suggest future directions to increase our understanding of visual signals in avian brood parasitism.

Erratum: Tran et al. Early Cellular Responses Induced by Sedimentary Calcite-Processed Particles in Bright Yellow 2 Tobacco Cultured Cells. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 4279

The authors would like to remove the scientific consortium ‘Camille Nous’ from the author list and the Author Contributions section in the published paper [...]

Bunch bagging with triple protection reduce chilling injury of banana fruit ‘Nanica’ (Cavendish AAA sub-group) / Ensacamento do cacho com proteção tripla reduz a injúria pelo frio em frutos de banana ‘Nanica’ (Cavendish subgrupo AAA)

The bagging of banana bunch can control chilling injury (CI) in the field, which causes browning of fruit peel. The investigation aimed to evaluate the reduce chilling injury in 'Nanica' banana bunches with the use de triple protection. The experiment was conducted in Jacupiranga, SP, Brazil, in a design was completely randomized with two treatments, bunch without protection (no protection) and triple protection, with thirteen replications. Triple protection consisted of brown paper with polythene coating (layer closest to the fruit), blue transparent polyethylene (median layer) and black opaque polyethylene (outermost layer).The bagging was made before of opening of the bracts of inflorescence. In the coldest day, when the temperature inside the canopy reached 4.23oC, the triple protection raised the temperature the surface of the peel by 3.06oC in relation to no protection fruits. On the hottest day, triple protection did not increase the temperature of the skin of the fruit excessively. There were no losses from sunburn fruits. Bunches with triple protection and no protection did not differ in terms of mass that had an average value of 30.87 Kg planta-1. No protection bunches were harvested an average of ten days. There were differences between unprotected fruits and triple protection in terms of chilling injury index (CI index), brightness (L*) and hue angle (ho) of peel. Triple protection reduced CI index and promoted fruits with bright green peel at harvest and bright yellow at ripening. The materials used in triple protection can be recycled or reused.