In vitro regeneration of soybean (a review)

This is an overview of contemporary published works dedicated to the ability of soybean plants to regenerate in vitro and the techniques to achieve high regeneration rates, which is a necessary condition for the inclusion of soybean genotypes in genome editing programs. The main factors that determine the regenerative capacity of explants from various soybean accessions are considered. The greatest effect on the efficiency of regeneration is exerted by the conditions of in vitro culture initiation, type of explant, composition of the nutrient medium, shelf life of seeds, and genotypic characteristics of soybean accessions.

Optimized Cooling Power of a Vuilleumier Refrigerator with Limited Regeneration

Vuilleumier refrigerators provide cooling power by utilizing a heat source at temperatures above the ambient. This is particularly helpful in situations where waste heat is available and other power sources are limited. Vuilleumier refrigerators come in different technical configurations; here we analyze the thermodynamic performance of a configuration utilizing two displacer pistons with integrated regenerators. More specifically, we optimize the cooling power by optimizing the piston movement for a range of operation speeds. The optimization is based on the AS motion class for cyclic dynamics and uses an endoreversible model for the refrigerator. Our focus is on the influence of the regeneration extent present, and we find performance gains of about 17% for high regeneration extent and of about 28% for lower regeneration extent.

Use of Biotechnological Methods to Support the Production of New Peach Hybrids

Peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] is among the most demanded fruit crops in the world. Biotechnological methods help to originate new hybrid forms in order to increase the cultivar diversity and create new valuable genotypes. Cross combinations between the cultivars Clyde Wilson, Jerseyglo, Loadel, Summerglo and the promising cultivar ‘Nikitskiy Podarok’ have been done. The embryos of these hybrids germinated and formed plantlets after stratification at 4 °C for 45–60 days. The best regeneration rates in the hybrids ‘Loadel’ × ‘Nikitskiy Podarok’ and ‘Summerglo’ × ‘Nikitskiy Podarok’ (96.30% and 92.59%, respectively) were noted on hormone-free Monnier culture medium supplemented with 400.0 mg L−1 casein hydrolyzate. When the newly formed plantlets had necrosis of the shoot apex or immature roots, nodal shoot segments were used. At the same time, a high regeneration capacity was noted in the hybrids ‘Summerglo’ × ‘Nikitskiy Podarok’ and ‘Loadel’ × ‘Nikitskiy Podarok’ on B5 culture medium with 0.75 mg L−1 6–benzyl–aminopurine (BAP) + 0.1 mg L−1 indole–3–butyric acid (IBA). After the second subculture, the number of new adventitious shoots was 5.18 ± 0.18 and 4.95 ± 0.18 shoots per explant, respectively. The plants obtained from the hybrid embryos in a soil mixture soil: peat: sand (3:1:1) were adapted. The main morphological and anatomical features of the leaf blades in newly originated peach hybrids have been studied: the thickness of their tissues and the distribution of stomatal apparatus, as well as the physiological parameters of the photosystem II activity in regenerants cultured in vitro and during their in vivo acclimatization. The high capacity to post aseptic adaptation in the obtained hybrids has been shown.

Enanced removal of scaling cations from oilfield produced water by carrier mineral floatation

This work reports a novel carrier flotation protocol for removing scaling cations from an oilfield produced water source which significantly reduces the collector consumption by employing natural minerals such as quartz, montmorillonite and talcum as the scaling cations carriers. The scaling cations uptake onto all carrier minerals exhibited homogeneous and monolayer adsorption, which was mainly dominated by physisorption. After adding oleate collector, the scaling cations removal rate was further enhanced, which was attributed to its high affinity with the scaling cations. Notably, the talcum flotation process simultaneously offered high scaling cations removal rate (76.1%) and mineral recovery rate (98.3%), which achieved a sediment yield reduction of 72.2%. By summarizing the characterization results, the scaling cations removal mechanisms were also proposed. Moreover, high regeneration efficiencies (86.1% and 84.8% for quartz and talcum regeneration within 3 cycles) were achieved by the proposed regeneration protocol. This carrier flotation protocol with its low collector consumption offered technical promise for scaling cations removal from oilfield produced water.

Theoretical Study on a Novel Temperature Breakpoint Cyclic Operation to Enhance Desiccant Packed Bed Performance

In a conventional desiccant packed bed dehumidification, the adsorption and desorption operations switched at a constant cycle. However, this Conventional Steady Cyclic (CSC) operation was not performed well under disturbances. Therefore, a Temperature Breakpoint Cyclic (TBC) operation is proposed. A numerical model of the desiccant packed bed dehumidification system has been constructed and validated. The model was then used to assess the desiccant packed bed dehumidification performances in term of moisture removal capacity (MRC) and dehumidification coefficient of performance (DCOP) under various cycle times and temperature factors. The calculation results showed that under CSC, larger amounts of energy were required in the desorption operation, while the TBC exhibited higher performances in term of both MRC and DCOP. Notably, at a high regeneration temperature, the MRC of the TBC was 10% higher than the CSC’s; moreover, the DCOP of the TBC was twice higher than the CSC’s. In other words, at high recovery temperature, both operations exhibited comparable capacities while the energy cost was halved under TBC operation.

Chitosan-Derived Magnetic Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Characterization, and Nitrite Adsorption in Water

Nitrite is one of the main pollutants in the water worldwide. In this study, we have applied the reverse suspension crosslinking methodology based on chitosan (CS) and Fe3O4 (FeO) to synthesize the novel magnetic nanomaterial of chitosan (CS-FeO). The physical and chemical properties of CS-FeO were further characterized by scanning electron microscopy, particle size distribution, thermogravimetry, fluxgate magnetometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Results revealed that CS-FeO showed high thermal stability in the temperature ranging from 50 to 200°C. CS-FeO showed high crystallinity and magnetism and was easily and quickly separated from aqueous solution in the presence of an external magnetic field. The molecular structure of CS-FeO showed that the core-shell structure of CS-FeO was established with FeO as the core and CS as the shell. Furthermore, the adsorption rate of nitrite by CS-FeO reached 65.83 ± 0.76 % under optimal conditions. Moreover, CS-FeO showed high regeneration capability with Na2SO4 used as the eluent. Our study demonstrated evidently that CS-FeO can be potentially used to remove nitrite from drinking water sources and industrial wastewater, suggesting the promising future of the application of CS-derived magnetic nanomaterials in the areas of environmental protections.

A Solar Assistant Dehumidifier Based on Porous Metal-Organic Framework

As an important factor to measure environmental comfort, humidity control is very important. However, previous dehumidification methods have many defects, such as condensation and adsorbents, which often require a lot of energy. The growing requirements of an indoor environment can stem from the development of living levels and technology. Humidity, as an important factor to measure environmental comfort, affects living and production, and indoor humidity control is an indispensable part of modern architecture. However, there are many defects in the previous dehumidification methods, such as condensation dehumidification, which often requires a lot of energy. Traditional adsorbents (such as zeolite silica and activated alumina) have problems with fragile structures or high regeneration temperatures. In this paper, an indoor dehumidification device based on the porous metal-organic framework {MOF-801, Zr6O4(OH)4(Fumarate)6}, can realize the indoor dehumidification process only by using a small amount of solar energy (1 kilowatt per square meter). The device is expected to remove 0.2113 kg/h of moisture per square meter MOF-801, only needs a few additional energy inputs.

Moringa (Moringa oleifera L.): An underutilized and traditionally valued tree holding remarkable potential

Moringa (Moringa oleifera L.) commonly known as “drumstick tree” belongs to the family Moringaceae. It is now grown worldwide but its native region is India. It is a fast-growing tree that responds to low inputs and has high regeneration potential after cutting. Its nutritional value and capacity to grow economically in different soils and environmental conditions make it a wonder tree. It is highly nutritious and each part is being utilized in various forms. It is widely cultivated for its young pods, flowers, and leaves for use as traditional herbal medicine and vegetable. It is also used by indigenous people in the tropics and sub-tropics as a source of remedies. The leaves are also used as a source of fodder in many countries of the world as they can sustain green fodder availability around the year without extra efforts. Various parts of this tree are good sources of ascorbic acid, calcium, iron, protein, and antioxidant compounds. Hence, its remarkable properties help to fight nutritional deficiency, human diseases and improve the performance of livestock.

Modulation of Organogenesis and Somatic Embryogenesis by Ethylene: An Overview

Ethylene is a plant hormone controlling physiological and developmental processes such as fruit maturation, hairy root formation, and leaf abscission. Its effect on regeneration systems, such as organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis (SE), has been studied, and progress in molecular biology techniques have contributed to unveiling the mechanisms behind its effects. The influence of ethylene on regeneration should not be overlooked. This compound affects regeneration differently, depending on the species, genotype, and explant. In some species, ethylene seems to revert recalcitrance in genotypes with low regeneration capacity. However, its effect is not additive, since in genotypes with high regeneration capacity this ability decreases in the presence of ethylene precursors, suggesting that regeneration is modulated by ethylene. Several lines of evidence have shown that the role of ethylene in regeneration is markedly connected to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as to hormonal-crosstalk, in particular with key regeneration hormones and growth regulators of the auxin and cytokinin families. Transcriptional factors of the ethylene response factor (ERF) family are regulated by ethylene and strongly connected to SE induction. Thus, an evident connection between ethylene, stress responses, and regeneration capacity is markedly established. In this review the effect of ethylene and the way it interacts with other players during organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis is discussed. Further studies on the regulation of ERF gene expression induced by ethylene during regeneration can contribute to new insights on the exact role of ethylene in these processes. A possible role in epigenetic modifications should be considered, since some ethylene signaling components are directly related to histone acetylation.

Morpho-Physiological Testing of NaCl Sensitivity of Tobacco Plants Overexpressing Choline Oxidase Gene

In this study the transgenic lines (TLs) of tobacco (Nicotianatabacum L.), which overexpress the heterologous gene encoding the bacterial enzyme choline oxidase were evaluated. The goal of our work is to study the effect of choline oxidase gene expression on the sensitivity of plant tissues to the action of NaCl. The regenerative capacity, rhizogenesis, the amount of photosynthetic pigments and osmotically active compounds (proline and glycine betaine) were assessed by in vitro cell culture methods using biochemical and morphological parameters. Transgenic lines with confirmed expression were characterized by high regeneration capacity from callus in the presence of 200 mmol NaCl, partial retention of viability at 400 mmol NaCl. These data correlated with the implicit response of regenerants and whole plants to the harmful effects of salinity. They turned out to be less sensitive to the presence of 200 mmol NaCl in the cultivation medium, in contrast to the WT plants.