Efficacy of Irrigation Interval after Anthesis on Grain Quality, Alkali Digestion, and Gel Consistency of Rice

The management of amylose and protein contents and cooking quality are the main challenges in rice macronutrients and quality improvement. This experiment was conducted to examine the rice grain quality, alkali digestion, and gel consistency responses to irrigation interval after anthesis. Three rice varieties (K1, K3, and K4) were subjected to different irrigation intervals (1, 2, and 3 d) after anthesis. The findings of this study showed that the protein content was markedly increased from 6.53–6.63% to 9.93–10.16%, whilst the amylose content was decreased significantly from 22.00–22.43% to 16.33–17.56% under stressed treatments at irrigation intervals, whilst the quantity of fatty acids was not affected. The 3-d irrigation interval recorded the highest protein content but the lowest amylose value. In addition, this treatment shows lower gelatinization temperature, but it is negatively associated with hard gel consistency under irrigation interval. This study highlights that the water management following a 3-d irrigation interval from anthesis is a useful and simple treatment to improve rice nutrients and grain cooking quality.

Exploration of Possibilities to Identify Heterotic Cross Combinations in Aromatic Rice (Oryza sativa L.) for Grain Yield and Quality Parameters

Twenty eight crosses generated using eight aromatic rice varieties crossed in half diallel fashion were evaluated and analyzed along with parents to investigate combining ability and gene action for grain yield and various grain quality traits. The general combining ability and specific combining ability variances were significant for all the traits that indicated the role of both additive and non-additive genetic components. Ratio of σ2gca/σ2sca< 1 indicated preponderance of non-additive gene action in the expression of these traits. Pusa Basmati-1 was the good general combiner showing significantly high GCA effect for a maximum of seven-grain quality traits viz., milling recovery (0.81), kernel length (0.28), kernel breadth (-0.05), kernel length/breadth ratio (0.26), cooked kernel length (0.79), alkali digestion value (0.67) and amylose content (0.60) but not for yield. Cross PSD-15×Pant Basmati-1 (P7×P8) was the good specific combiner showing high SCA effects for a maximum of eight grain quality traits viz. hulling recovery (2.76), milling recovery (2.06), kernel length (0.89), kernel length/breadth ratio (0.69), cooked kernel length (3.06), kernel elongation ratio (0.12), alkali digestion value (1.11) and amylose content (1.01) but not yield. None of the top three crosses (Pusa Sugandh-6×PSD-15, Pusa Basmati-1×PSD-15 and Pusa Sugandh-4×Basmati-370) based on high SCA effect for grain yield plant-1exhibited as high SCA effect to fall within top three crosses on that basis for any of the grain quality traits.

The Preparation of Polysaccharide in Froth Flotation

This paper reviews all possible traditional methods to digest natural polysaccharides, which have been widely used as depressants or flocculants in flotation. Its characteristics of environmental friendly, highly selectivity and availability helps a lot in its application either in food or mining industries. The common digestion methods in flotation of polysaccharides, such as starch or dextrin, include thermal treatment at different temperatures or alkali-digestion at different concentrations.

Synergy of the Combination of Titanate Nanotubes with Titania Nanoparticles for the Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation from Water-Methanol Mixture Using Simulated Sunlight

Alkali digestion of titanium nanoparticles leads, after neutralization, to the formation of titanate nanotubes with long aspect ratio. One salient change in the formation of titanate nanotubes is the observation of an extended visible absorption band up to 550 nm, responsible for their brown colour. Combination of titanate nanotubes with commercial titanium dioxide nanoparticles, either Evonik P25 or Millennium PC500, results in an enhanced photocatalytic activity for hydrogen generation from water-methanol mixtures. This synergy between the two titanium semiconductors has an optimum for a certain proportion of the two components and is observed in both the absence and the presence of platinum or gold nanoparticles. The best efficiency under simulated sunlight irradiation was for a combination of 12 wt.% titanate nanotubes containing 0.32 wt.% platinum in 88 wt.% Millennium PC500, where a two-time increase in the hydrogen generation is observed versus the activity of Millennium PC500 containing platinum. This synergy is proposed to derive from the interfacial electron transfer from titanate nanotubes undergoing photoexcitation at wavelengths in which Millennium PC500 does not absorb this form of titania nanoparticles. Our results illustrate how the combination of several titanium semiconductors can result in an enhancement efficiency with respect to their individual components.