Design and Development of Foot Operated Areca-Nut Leaf Plate Manufacturing Machine

This paper describes the techniques for design and development of areca-nut leaf plate making machine which uses manual power (foot operated) as the main power source. The primary purpose of this research is the utilization of generally wasted areca-nut leaf sheath for the production of bio-degradable areca-nut leaf plates by the development of machine, which can be operated easily at home. This machine mainly uses mild steel for the development of the parts such as lower and upper die, frame, pedal, connecting links and shafts. The force applied at the pedal is transferred to moving upper die, which then presses the areca-nut leaf sheath placed above the fixed lower die, resulting areca-nut leaf sheath plates within 15 seconds of pressing. Keywords: Areca-nut leaf, Bio degradable, Foot operated

Recombinant inbred lines and next-generation sequencing enable rapid identification of candidate genes involved in morphological and agronomic traits in foxtail millet

We constructed recombinant inbred lines (RILs) between a Japanese and a Taiwanese landrace of foxtail millet and employed next-generation sequencing, such as flexible ddRAD-seq and Nanopore sequencing to identify the candidate genes involved in the crop evolution of foxtail millet. We successfully constructed a linkage map using flexible ddRAD-seq with parents and RILs and detected major QTLs for each of three traits: leaf sheath colors, spikelet-tipped bristles (stb), and days to heading (DTH). (1) For leaf sheath colors, we identified the C gene on chromosome IV. (2) We identified a homeobox (HOX14) gene for stb on chromosome II, which shows homology with HvVrs1 in barley. (3) Finally, we identified a QTL with a large effect on DTH on chromosome II. A parent of the RILs from Taiwan and Yugu1 had a Harbinger-like TE in intron 3 of this gene. We also investigated the geographical distribution of the TE insertion type of this gene and found that the insertion type is distributed in the northern part of East Asia and intensively in South and Southeast Asia, suggesting that loss/reduction of function of this gene plays an important role in spreading into the northern part of East Asia and subtropical and tropical zones.

Characterization and Comparison of Areca Sheath Ash (ASA) and Rice Husk Ash (RHA) for Silica Potential

Utilization of agricultural by products as a reinforcement which offers a effective consequences on composite materials in the present days. Also a number of the agro waste substances as an ash are secondary filler material for Metal matrix composite materials. In this paper observe changed into achieved on characterization of agriculture waste ashes like Rice husk ash (RHA) and ASA (Areca sheath ash), burned at Controlled temperatures at 650°C in a metallurgical furnace at 3 exceptional durations of instances like 1hr, 2hr, and 3hr. Also each ashes were chemically and physically characterized, consequently decide the proportion of composition. The ensuing ashes have been analyzed the use of chemical evaluation via XRF and volumetric, gravimetric and instrumental test, SEM and EDS to determine their chemical composition which may be similarly used as reinforcement with metal matrix composites. Results acquired that impact of burning temperature and time on Chemical composition, Physical property, Loss of ignition (LOI) and Density. The ashes have been discovered to include excessive percent of silica content of 90% to 92% in Rice husk ash and 74% to 78% in Areca palm leaf sheath ash, after which accompanied through alumina content of 0.89% to 0.98% in each substances at 650oc temperatures respectively, additionally density of 0.98gm/cc for RHA and 1.12gm/cc Areca palm leaf sheath ash. Loss on ignition (LOI) of 4.5% to5.5% acquired on the equal temperature. These consequences suggests that rice husk ash and Areca sheath ash include excessive percent silica and a few alumina and may be utilized in chemical formulations requiring silica which include in metal matrix composites.

OsBIC1 Directly Interacts with OsCRYs to Regulate Leaf Sheath Length through Mediating GA-Responsive Pathway

Cryptochrome 1 and 2 (CRY1 and CRY2) are blue light receptors involved in the regulation of hypocotyl elongation, cotyledon expansion, and flowering time in Arabidopsisthaliana. Two cryptochrome-interacting proteins, Blue-light Inhibitor of Cryptochrome 1 and 2 (BIC1 and BIC2), have been found in Arabidopsis. BIC1 plays critical roles in suppressing the physiological activities of CRY2, which include the blue light-dependent dimerization, phosphorylation, photobody formation, and degradation process, but the functional characterization of BIC protein in other crops has not yet been performed. To investigate the function of BIC protein in rice (Oryza sativa), two homologous genes of Arabidopsis BIC1 and BIC2, namely OsBIC1 and OsBIC2 (OsBICs), were identified. The overexpression of OsBIC1 and OsBIC2 led to increased leaf sheath length, whereas mutations in OsBIC1 displayed shorter leaf sheath in a blue light intensity-dependent manner. OsBIC1 regulated blue light-induced leaf sheath elongation through direct interaction with OsCRY1a, OsCRY1b, and OsCRY2 (OsCRYs). Longitudinal sections of the second leaf sheath demonstrated that OsBIC1 and OsCRYs controlled leaf sheath length by influencing the ratio of epidermal cells with different lengths. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis further proved that OsBIC1 and OsCRYs regulated similar transcriptome changes in regulating Gibberellic Acids (GA)-responsive pathway. Taken together, these results suggested that OsBIC1 and OsCRYs worked together to regulate epidermal cell elongation and control blue light-induced leaf sheath elongation through the GA-responsive pathway.

Sorghum sheath blight caused by Fusarium spp. in Sinaloa, Mexico

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) leaf sheath blight was observed for the first time in Sinaloa, Mexico in the summer of 2020. Fungal isolates were obtained from symptomatic tissue in PDA. Fusarium spp. were associated with symptomatic plants in ten sampling sites under field conditions. No root and stalk rot were observed during the sampling period. Analysis of fragments of the EF-1a and RPB2 genes indicated that all isolates belong to the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC). Five groups were delineated from this complex: F. thapsinum, F. verticillioides, Fusarium sp. (four isolates), Fusarium sp. (Fus4), and Fusarium sp. (Fus16), which is closely related to Fusarium madaense. The morphological characteristics (colony color and morphometry of conidia) of isolates with sequence similarities to those of F. thapsinum and F. verticillioides were in the expected range for these species. The morphology of isolates Fus7a, Fus7b, Fus11 and Fus17, as well as Fus4 and Fus16, were similar to those of the FFSC, specially to F. andiyazi and F. madaense. Inoculations of sorghum with representative isolates of F. thapsinum, F. verticillioides and the unidentified Fusarium species resulted in reddish brown lesions similar to those observed under field conditions; the original isolates inoculated were reisolated fulfilling the Koch's postulates. Although leaf sheaths on sorghum plants were heavily damaged, root and stalk rot were not observed in the greenhouse inoculations or under field conditions. Future research should focus on determining the identity of the unknown Fusarium spp. in order to design control measures of the disease. This is the first report of Fusarium spp. causing sorghum leaf sheath blight in Mexico.

First Report of Fusarium solani Causing Leaf Sheath Rot of Bush lily in China

Bush lily (Clivia miniata) is an important indoor flower. It is the city flower of Changchun City and has important ornamental and medicinal value in China where it is culitvated on an area of 125 hectare. During the summer of 2018, symptoms of a leaf sheath rot disease were observed on bush lily in 103 greenhouses in Changchun city, Jilin Province. The disease incidence ranged from 25 to 60% in 11 surveyed greenhouses. At the early stage, the diseased plants displayed symptoms as initial leaf sheath lesions. Progressively, the whole leaves wilted, and even the plant ultimately died. Once a leaf exhibits leaf sheath lesions, the whole plant’s ornamental value significantly drops. To identify the pathogen, symptomatic leaves were cut into pieces, surface sterilized, placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated for 7 days at 25°C in the dark (Cao et al. 2013; the e-Xtra description for details). Fusarium single-spore isolates were obtained from characteristic colonies (Leslie et al. 2006). Two single-spore isolates were selected for further study. The isolates were identified as Fusarium spp. based on microscopic morphology on PDA. Fusarium-like colonies were white to slightly yellow with abundant cottony mycelia. Single or two-celled (single septum) microconidia were reniform or oval, 8.0 to 9.6×4.0 to 6.0m in size. The elongated conidiophores bearing microconidia in monophialides were observed (Summerbell et al. 2002). Macroconidia were abundant, sickle shaped, 18.8 to 34.8×6.4 to 6.8m, with one to three septa (Taylor et al. 2019). For molecular identification, five regions of ITS, EF1-α, RPB1, RPB2 and β-tubulin genes were amplified and sequenced. Sequences of five different regions exhibited at least 97.98% similiarity with the corresponding DNA sequences in F. solani species complex (FSSC) (the e-Xtra description for details). The phylogenetic analysis based on the EF1-α, RPB1, RPB2 and β-tubulin region sequences revealed that the isolated strain in this study was clustered with only F. solani species in the phylogenetic tree for each region. Based on morphological and molecular analysis, the isolated fungal strains were identified as F. solani. Pathogenicity was confirmed by injecting a conidial suspension (106 spores/mL) of the isolated strains in to surface surface-disinfested leaf sheath of 2-year-old potted healthy plants. As a negative control, four plants were injected with sterilized water. All plants were kept in a greenhouse with controlled conditions: 26°C, 50% to 75% relative humidity. The similar rot symptoms were observed on the leaf sheathes in the inoculated plants 30 days after inoculation whereas the control plants remained asymptomatic. The fungi reisolated from the experimental plants were confirmed to be F. solani by morphology and sequences analysis, thus completing Koch’s postulates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of F. solani causing leaf sheath rot of bush lily in China, where this pathogen has been reported to cause rot diseases of other economically important ornamental plants such as Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium according to the U.S. National Fungus Collections (Farr et al. 2020). In recent years, other Fusarium species have been reported to cause rot diseases on bush lily, including F. proliferatum and F. oxysporum (Farr et al. 2020). This study will also provide critical information on the causal agent for growers to implement disease management strategies.

Morphological and anatomical features of winter rye leaves development

Differences of rye varieties in the length of lamina and sheath 1 - 6 from spike of the lamina and leaf sheath, width and area of the lamina were shown. The highest values of the studied leaf parameters were peculiar to the alien varieties of winter rye. It was found that foreign varieties were characterized by a smaller proportion of the plate area of the three upper leaves and a larger proportion for the 4th and 5th leaves (in % of the total leaf plate area). A characteristic feature of the laminae of the upper two leaves of winter rye is the absence of trichomes, instead of them there are spines 12 µm long, which are located above the conductive bundles on the adaxial side of the lamina. Stomata were located on both sides of the leaf, but there were more of them on the adaxial side of the lamina, where they were arranged in one or two rows on the flanks of the conductive bundles. Strong sclerification of conductive bundles was noted. In the most developed conducting bundles, sclerenchyma fibers were observed on both sides of the leaf lamina. The presence of stomata at the leaf sheath on both adaxial and abaxial sides is revealed. It was shown that the contribution of each leaf of upper and middle phytomeres to the total leaf area of winter rye varieties under study is different, which is important to consider when assessing their importance in the photosynthetic potential of plants.

Diffusion of water in palm leaf materials

Diffusion of water into plant materials is known to decrease their mechanical strength and stiffness but improve formability. Here, we characterize water diffusion through areca palm leaf-sheath—a model plant material, with hierarchical structure, used in eco-friendly foodware. The diffusion process is studied using mass gain measurements and in situ imaging of water transport. By treating the areca sheath as homogeneous ensemble, and incorporating effects of material swelling due­ to water absorption, a factor typically neglected in prior studies, the diffusion coefficient D w for water is estimated as (6.5 ± 2.2) × 10 −4 mm 2 s −1 . It is shown that neglecting the swelling results in gross underestimation of D w . Microstructural effects (e.g. fibre, matrix) on the diffusion are characterized using in situ imaging of the water transport at high resolution. The observations show that the water diffuses an order of magnitude faster in the matrix (8.63 × 10 −4 mm 2 s −1 ) than in the fibres (7.19 × 10 −5 mm 2 s −1 ). This non-uniformity is also reflected in the swelling-induced strain in the leaf, mapped by image correlation. Lastly, we vary salt concentration by controlled additions of NaCl and note a non-monotonic dependence of the diffusion on concentration. Implications of the results for improving foodware manufacturing processes and product life are discussed.

A simple method for the application of exogenous phytohormones to the grass leaf base protodermal zone to improve grass leaf epidermis development research

Background The leaf epidermis functions to prevent the loss of water and reduce gas exchange. As an interface between the plant and its external environment, it helps prevent damage, making it an attractive system for studying cell fate and development. In monocotyledons, the leaf epidermis grows from the basal meristem that contains protodermal cells. Leaf protoderm zone is covered by the leaf sheath or coleoptile in maize and wheat, preventing traditional exogenous phytohormone application methods, such as directly spraying on the leaf surface or indirectly via culture media, from reaching the protoderm areas directly. The lack of a suitable application method limits research on the effect of phytohormone on the development of grass epidermis. Results Here, we describe a direct and straightforward method to apply exogenous phytohormones to the leaf protoderms of maize and wheat. We used the auxin analogs 2,4-D and cytokinin analogs 6-BA to test the system. After 2,4-D treatment, the asymmetrical division events and initial stomata development were decreased, and the subsidiary cells were induced in maize, the number of GMC (guard mother cell), SMC (subsidiary mother cell) and young stomata were increased in wheat, and the size of the epidermal cells increased after 6-BA treatment in maize. Thus, the method is suitable for the application of phytohormone to the grass leaf protodermal areas. Conclusions The method to apply hormones to the mesocotyls of maize and wheat seedlings is simple and direct. Only a small amount of externally applied substances are needed to complete the procedure in this method. The entire experimental process lasts for ten days generally, and it is easy to evaluate the phytohormones’ effect on the epidermis development.

Amomum xizangense (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Xizang, China

Amomum xizangense (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Xizang, China, is described and illustrated. It is similar to A. maximum and A. subcapitatum, but differs in having purple-red leaf sheath, purple-red or reddish-green petiole, lamina with purple-red midvein, persistent bracts and bracteoles, yellowish-white calyx, yellowish corolla, yellow anther with trilobed and yellow crest and globose fruit.