Effect of Preharvest Application of CPPU and Perforated Packaging on the Postharvest Quality of Red-Fleshed Pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus sp.) Fruit

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the preharvest application of forchlorfenuron (CPPU) and perforated polyethylene bag packaging (PPE) on maintaining the postharvest quality of red-fleshed cv. ‘Da-Hong’ pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus sp.) fruit. On the flowering day, 100 mg·L−1 CPPU was sprayed on the bracts and water was used as the control. After harvest, all fruits were divided into three package treatments, which were packed without bags, packed with and without PPE bags, and stored at 5 ± 0.5 °C and 90 ± 5% relative humidity for 21 days, followed by 7 days at 20 °C and 75 ± 5% relative humidity without bags for quality evaluation. Significantly higher bract thickness (2.26 vs. 1.44 mm), longer fruit length (120.5 vs. 109.04 mm), and greater firmness (1.56 vs. 1.04 kg·cm−2) were recorded for the CPPU treated fruit at harvest. Preharvest application of CPPU with perforated packaging resulted in significantly greener bracts, a lower yellow index, fewer chilling incidences, and a lower decay ratio, but there was a slight decrease in respiration rate during cold storage at 5 °C for 21 days. However, all criteria reached the threshold when fruits were transferred to 20 °C for 7 days. In conclusion, preharvest CPPU application plus perforated packaging is the best combination for the long-term storage of red-fleshed pitaya fruit at 5 °C.

Developing a New Method to Identify Flowering Dynamics of Rapeseed Using Landsat 8 and Sentinel-1/2

Identifying the rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) flowering dates are important for planting area estimation, growth monitoring, and yield estimation. However, there is currently a lack of data on rapeseed flowering dates at the parcel scale. In this study, a new spectral index (Normalized Rapeseed Flowering Index, NRFI) is proposed to detect rapeseed flowering dates from time series data generated from Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-2 sensors. This study also analyzed the feasibility of using the backscattering coefficients (VV, VH, and VV/VH) of Sentinel-1 to detect the flowering dates of rapeseed at the parcel scale. Based on the spectral and polarization characteristics of 718 rapeseed parcels collected in 2018, we developed a method to automatically identify peak flowering dates by the local maximum of NRFI series and the local minimum of VH and VV, along with the maximum of VV/VH. The results show that most of the peak flowering dates derived from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 can be confirmed by the in-situ phenological observations at the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) stations in Germany. The NRFI outperforms the Normalized Difference Yellow Index (NDYI) in identifying the peak flowering dates from Landsat 8. The derived medians of peak flowering dates by NRFI, NDYI (Sentinel-2), and VH are similar, while a systematic delay is observed by NDYI (Landsat 8). The method with the spectrum and backscattering coefficients will be a potential tool to identify crop flowering dynamics and map crop planting area.

Effect of Animal ByProducts Fertilization on Durum Wheat in Mediterranean Conditions: Preliminary Results

This study aims to evaluate the effects of new-BioFertilizing Amendments (BFAs) deriving from fast organic matter decomposition of Animal ByProducts (ABPs) in comparison with ordinary soil organic amendments (compost), mineral N-fertilizers and no fertilization, on durum wheat development and production in a field trial under Mediterranean conditions. Results showed taller plants with heavier spikes and greater vigor in plots fertilized with BFAs when compared to no fertilization and N-fertilization, respectively. Likewise, BFAs fertilization resulted in higher protein content, gluten content, protein yields and higher values of yellow index with respect to no fertilization and N-fertilization. In contrast, lower values for test weight in correspondence of BFAs fertilization as well as no statistically significant differences on grain yield and gluten index were found. These preliminary results suggest that replacing N-fertilization with BFAs can be effective to ensure crop quality and yield stability in Mediterranean conditions.

Engineered Durum Wheat Germplasm with Multiple Alien Introgressions: Agronomic and Quality Performance

If genetic gains in wheat yield are to be achieved in today’s breeding, increasing the genetic variability of cultivated genotypes is an essential requisite to meet. To this aim, alien gene transfer through chromosome engineering (CE) is a validated and sound strategy. Attempts to incorporate more than one alien segment into cultivated wheat have been rare, particularly for tetraploid durum wheat. Here, we present the agronomic and quality performance of the first successful CE-mediated multiple introgression into the latter species. By assembling into 7AL, 3BS, and 1AS arms of a single genotype homoeologous segments of Thinopyrum ponticum 7el1L, Aegilops longissima 3SlS, and Triticum aestivum 1DS arms, respectively, we have stacked several valuable alien genes, comprising Lr19+Sr25+Yp (leaf and stem rust resistance and a gene increasing semolina yellowness), Pm13 (powdery mildew resistance), and Gli-D1/Glu-D3 (genes affecting gluten properties), respectively. Advanced progenies of single, double, and triple recombinants were field-tested across three years in a typical durum wheat growing area of central Italy. The results showed that not only all recombinants had normal phenotype and fertility, but also that one of the triple recombinants had the highest yield through all seasons compared with all other recombinants and control cultivars. Moreover, the multiple introgressions enhanced quality traits, including gluten characteristics and semolina yellow index. The presence of effective disease resistance genes confers additional breeding value to the novel and functional CE products, which can greatly contribute to crop security and safety.

A Novel 65-bp Indel in the GOLGB1 Gene Is Associated with Chicken Growth and Carcass Traits

Golgin subfamily B member 1 (GOLGB1) gene encodes the coat protein 1 vesicle inhibiting factor, giantin. Previous study showed that mutations of the GOLGB1 gene are associated with dozens of human developmental disorders and diseases. However, the biological function of GOLGB1 gene in chicken is still unclear. In this study, we detected a novel 65-bp insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphism in the chicken GOLGB1 intron 5. Association of this indel with chicken growth and carcass traits was analyzed in a yellow chicken population. Results showed that this 65-bp indel was significantly associated with chicken body weight (p < 0.05), highly significantly associated with neck weight, abdominal fat weight, abdominal fat percentage and the yellow index b of breast (p < 0.01). Analysis of genetic parameters indicated that “I” was the predominant allele. Except for the yellow index b of breast, II genotype individuals had the best growth characteristics, by comparison with the ID genotype and DD genotype individuals. Moreover, the mRNA expression of GOLGB1 was detected in the liver tissue of chicken with different GOLGB1 genotypes, where the DD genotype displayed high expression levels. These findings hinted that the 65-bp indel in GOLGB1 could be assigned to a molecular marker in chicken breeding and enhance production in the chicken industry.

Equibiaxially stretchable colorless and transparent polyimides for flexible display substrates

Abstract4,4′-(4,4′-isopropylidenediphenoxy)bis(phthalic anhydride) (BPADA) was reacted with three structurally different diamines to produce poly(amic acid)s, which were then imidized to produce colorless and transparent polyimide (CPI) films through stepwise thermal cyclization. The three amines used to synthesize CPI based on BPADA are: bis(3-aminophenyl)sulfone (APS), p-xylyenediamine (p-XDA), and bis[4-(3-aminophenoxy)-phenyl] sulfone (m-BAPS). The obtained CPI films were almost colorless and exhibited excellent optical transparencies. The solubility of the CPI films in various solvents was investigated, and all the CPI films were found to be soluble in common solvents such as chloroform, dichloromethane, N,N’-dimethyl acetamide, and pyridine. The thermo-optical properties and oxygen transmission rates (O2TRs) of the CPI films were examined for various biaxial stretching ratios in the range of 100–150%, and their properties were compared. When the stretching ratio changed from 100 to 150%, the glass transition temperature and yellow index did not show any significant change; however, the O2TR decreased for all CPI films.

Engineered Durum Wheat Germplasm with Multiple Alien Introgressions: Agronomic and Quality Performance

If genetic gains in wheat yield are to be achieved in today&rsquo;s breeding, increasing genetic variability of cultivated genotypes is an essential requisite to meet. To this aim, alien gene transfer through chromosome engineering (CE) is a validated and sound strategy. Attempts to incorporate more than one alien segment into cultivated wheat have been rare, particularly for tetraploid durum wheat. Here we present the agronomic and quality performance of the first successful CE-mediated multiple introgression into the latter species. By assembling into 7AL, 3BS and 1AS arms of a single genotype homoeologous segments of Thinopyrum ponticum 7el1L, Aegilops longissima 3SlS, and Triticum aestivum 1DS arms, respectively, we have stacked several valuable alien genes, comprising Lr19+Sr25+Yp (leaf and stem rust resistance and a gene increasing semolina yellowness), Pm13 (powdery mildew resistance) and Gli-D1/Glu-D3 (genes affecting gluten properties), respectively. Advanced progenies of single, double and triple recombinants were field-tested across three years in a typical durum wheat growing area of Central Italy. The results showed that not only all recombinants had normal phenotype and fertility, but also that one of the triple recombinants had the highest yield through all seasons compared with all other recombinants and control cultivars. Moreover, the multiple introgressions enhanced quality traits, including gluten characteristics and semolina yellow index. Presence of effective disease resistance genes confers additional breeding value to the novel and functional CE products, which can greatly contribute to crop security and safety.

Effects of Pretreatment Methods on the Enamel Surface Improving Sealant Adhesion

Is PlasBeam pretreatment an efficient method to improve sealant adhesion onto the enamel surface?The aim of this study isto investigate the effects induced by three pretreatment techniques used to improve sealant adhesion on the enamel surface, respectively standard acid-etching, UV radiations and a new method based on plasma operating at atmospheric pressure, namely the PlasBeam method.The physical-chemical modifications induced onto the enamel surface by the above pretreatments were analyzed using Contact Angle Measurements and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy.The changes in the enamel surface morphology show that the acid-etching pretreatment is mostly efficient in increasing roughness, but this method stimulates the degradation processes that are well-known and turns down the brillianceof the treated surface. On the other hand, the PlasBeam treatment brings a higher roughness at the contact area between sealant and the enamel surface, compared to the UV radiations pretreatments.Moreover, the PlasBeam improves the hydrophilic character of enamel as a practical solution in enhancing the sealant adhesion to the surface. Related to other effects, it has been noticed that thePlasBeam method generates the most reflective enamel surface, whereas the White/Yellow index reaches the minimum level after a 10 second treatment.

Detection of Shoot Beetle Stress on Yunnan Pine Forest Using a Coupled LIBERTY2-INFORM Simulation

Yunnan pine shoot beetles (PSB), Tomicus yunnanensis and Tomicus minor have spread through southwestern China in the last five years, leading to millions of hectares of forest being damaged. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop an effective approach for accurate early warning and damage assessment of PSB outbreaks. Remote sensing is one of the most efficient methods for this purpose. Despite many studies existing on the mountain pine beetle (MPB), very little work has been undertaken on assessing PSB stress using remote sensing. The objective of this paper was to develop a spectral linear mixing model aided by radiative transfer (RT) and a new Yellow Index (YI) to simulate the reflectance of heterogeneous canopies containing damaged needles and quantitatively inverse their PSB stress. The YI, the fraction of dead needles, is a physically-explicit stress indicator that represents the plot shoots damage ratio (plot SDR). The major steps of this methods include: (1) LIBERTY2 was developed to simulate the reflectance of damaged needles using YI to linearly mix the green needle spectra with the dead needle spectra; (2) LIBERTY2 was coupled with the INFORM model to scale the needle spectra to the canopy scale; and (3) a look-up table (LUT) was created against Sentinel 2 (S2) imagery and inversed leaf chlorophyll content (LCC), green leaf area index (LAI) and plot SDR. The results show that (1) LIBERTY2 effectively simulated the reflectance spectral values on infested needles (mean relative error (MRE) = 1.4–18%), and the YI can indicate the degrees of needles damage; (2) the coupled LIBERTY2-INFORM model is suitable to estimate LAI (R2 = 0.73, RMSE = 0.17 m m−2, NRMSE = 11.41% and the index of agreement (IOA) = 0.92) and LCC (R2 = 0.49, RMSE = 56.24 mg m−2, NRMSE = 25.22% and IOA = 0.72), and is better than the original LIBERTY model (LAI: R2 = 0.38, RMSE = 0.43 m m−2, NRMSE = 28.85% and IOA = 0.68; LCC: R2 = 0.34, RMSE = 76.44 mg m−2, NRMSE = 34.23% and IOA = 0.57); and (3) the inversed YI is positively correlated with the measured plot SDR (R2 = 0.40, RMSE = 0.15). We conclude that the LIBERTY2 model improved the reflectance simulation accuracy of both the needles and canopies, making it suitable for assessing PSB stress. The YI has the potential to assess PSB damage.