Wheat is threatened by global warming. This study aimed to characterize based on DNA profile and identify heat-tolerant wheat genotypes. Fifteen wheat genotypes were sown in Nov 21 and Dec 21 and evaluated within 13 SSR markers. A dendrogram classified the genotypes into two main groups. The highest genetic distances (0.93) were drawn between BAW 1290 and BARI Gom 28, and the lowest one between Nadi 2 and BAW 1147. Heat susceptibility index (HSI) values for 1000-grain weight (TGW) and grain yield indicated moderate heat tolerance in Cluster I genotypes (HSI 0.50-1.00), closely matching Group A's Cluster II members. In Group B, Cluster III genotypes had higher HSI (1.04-1.23) and significant reductions in TGW and grain yield under heat stress, indicating heat susceptibility. The varieties BARI Gom 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 were identified as heat-stress tolerant. This research provides insights for future heat stress-molecular breeding programs.

Bangladesh faces significant wheat grain deficiency compared to its demand due to the lengthy process (10-12 years) required to release a variety through a conventional breeding approach. Traditional breeding methods involve several years of various types of crosses between male and female parents and/or progenies, along with recurrent selection-crossing to obtain a homozygous line (F₁ to F₆ generations) with desired traits within almost 10 years. The double haploid (DH) method is also a time-saving, easier, and more reliable technique to achieve the desired traits in homozygous lines within 2-3 years. DH lines were produced by crossing two F₁ hybrids of spring wheat with maize. 0.1% solution of colchicine was applied to produce DH of F₂ progeny of wheat in the study. 80.8% (340) of the 421 pollinated florets from the two F₁ wheat hybrids were produced as green parthenocarpic caryopses (GPCs) (F₂). 35 of the 70 rescued embryos (or 20.6% of the GPCs) germinated. The germinated embryos regenerated 10 haploid green plants (14.3% of total embryos). After being applied colchicine, 8 of the regenerated haploid (H₁) plants made it. Out of the 8 plants that made it through, only one developed homozygous double haploid seed (DH₁ seed). These seeds were multiplied to produce DH₂, used in the preliminary yield in the next year. The results demonstrated the potential of this method to produce a homozygous line within a short period (2-3 years) by doubling the haploid line generated through pollination of spring bread wheat F₁ with maize.

Worldwide the severity of abiotic stress like heat, drought, salinity, cold, waterlogging, etc. are being increased because of global warming. Wheat crops must adapt to harsh environments through physiological, molecular, and genetic manipulation. Because of abiotic stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) produced in wheat plants break down DNA and RNA bases, protein, lipid, and other macro- and micromolecules, resulting in stunted growth and yield decline. Abiotic stress also induces the crop's molecular functions, physiological, biological, and cellular processes, and their compositions. Different stressors like high light intensity, heat, drought, and salinity also impair photosynthesis damaging various pigments. Antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), etc. synthesized in harsh environments can ameliorate ROS/RNS produced in oxidative stress. Under abiotic stress, heat shock proteins (HSPs) heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) in heat stress, and dehydration-responsive element binding proteins (DREBs) in drought stress are activated to synthesize proteins to mitigate the deleterious effects of those stressors. Na⁺ exclusive genes (NAX1, NAX2) and Na⁺/H⁺ (K⁺) antiporter genes (NHX1, NHX2) hinder those ions from uptake into leaf sheaths and blades of wheat resulting in the declination of salinity in plants. Exogenous hormones like gibberellic acid, salicylic acid, and melatonin, etc., and osmoprotectants like proline, and gene manipulation in plants through genetic engineering are being employed to mitigate the toxic effects of abiotic stress on plants, as portrayed in many literatures. The review depicts how abiotic stress affects phenotypic, physiological, and molecular structures and functions of wheat crops, and their mitigation strategies to lessen their noxious effects on wheat.

Over 3.0 billion people of the 7.75 billion globally suffer from malnutrition due to deficiencies in micronutrients, particularly iron, zinc, and vitamins (such as vitamin A, B complex, E, and folate, etc.). In response, there is growing consumer interest in foods that provide traditional nutrients and contain additional compounds beneficial to health and well-being. Wheat is the most important cereal crop in terms of both production and consumption, contributing about 30% of total cereal consumption worldwide. It provides a significant source of carbohydrates and gluten protein (around 12-14% protein), which supply substantial energy. Wheat grain is also rich in various nutrients, such as macro-elements like phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg); microelements like iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and vitamins B complex: thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9), additionally soluble fiber and other trace minerals which are higher than in other major cereals. The inner bran coats, phosphates, and other mineral salts in wheat contribute to its beneficial effects on bowel movements. Despite its nutritional benefits, the quality of wheat's nutrients is a topic of ongoing discussion. Exploring ways to enhance the nutritional quality of wheat could provide valuable insights for scientists working to improve global nutrition status.

Keywords: Biomass pyrolysis, Chemical Looping Combustion, Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Impacts, Carbon Footprint.

A model for enabling the production of lower carbon cement paste is proposed in this research. The model is based on predicting the strength of cement pastes with partial replacement of wheat straw ash (WSA) and silica fume (SF), two major wastes of agricultural and industrial production. The model is set up based on response surface methodology and Box-Behnken design, and included a suite of mechanical tests with distinct replacements following a micro an meso characterization. The model shows capability for predicting strength of any cement paste, including partial substitution of WSA and/or SF at any combination level with excellent accuracy, which is verified with three validation mixtures demonstrating maximum errors of less than 6% at the three ages. The analysis of the response surface evidences that any cement replacement in the range of 0-20% WSA and above 5% SF allows the reduction of the carbon footprint by maximizing the incorporation of both wastes. The proposed model can be used by setting the required strength of cement paste and calculating the maximum possible replacement, which should contribute to making the construction industry more sustainable by utilizing local waste.

Wheat straw (WS) is a promising substrate for biogas production by anaerobic digestion (AD) due to its high carbohydrate content. An estimated 0.603 million t yr-1 of WS are generated from wheat production systems in South Africa. This is equivalent to an energy potential of 11 PJ. Despite, WS is still undervalued as a bioenergy resource in South Africa due to its structural complexity and low nitrogen content. WS disposal methods, such as use in livestock bedding, burning and burying into the soil, inter alia, are not sustainable and may contribute to global warming and climate change. Commercialization of the AD of WS needs to be further developed and promoted. Pre-treatment (i.e. physical, chemical, biological and hybrid methods) and anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) are novel strategies that can support the conversion of WS into biogas and other value-added products. Current and future research should focus on optimizing pre-treatment and AcoD conditions towards industrialization of WS into valuable products. This paper focuses on the potential use of WS for biogas production by AD in South Africa. The aim is to create information that will promote research and development, and encourage policy makers and stakeholder participation and investment in WS biogas technology.

To better understand effects of agronomic practices on yield-nutrition relationships in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grains for Zn biofortification while improving yields simultaneously, effects of different soil fertilization and different drone-based foliar spraying treatments were investigated. The mixture of Zn or increasing N but simultaneously reducing P in compound fertilizers were all practical to increase grain yields and Zn concentrations in calcareous soils tested. However, the overall effects are limited, with a maximal yield increase by only 7.0% and a maximal increase of the grain Zn density from 19.4 to 27.0 mg/kg, which is far below the target biofortification value of 40-50 mg/kg. Unfortunately, there was a negative side effect, which decreased Fe and Mn concentrations and the Fe bioavailability. Notably, grain yields and Zn concentrations were significantly increased by drone-based foliar Zn sprayings from 7.5 to 8.6~8.8 t/ha by 12.0-17.3% and from 33.5 to 41.9~43.6 mg/kg by 25.1~30.1%, respectively, indicating a double-win in yield and nutrition. A spraying of ZnSO4·7H2O increased grain Zn concentrations and accumulation more so than ZnO, indicating the importance of chemical Zn forms in determining the effectiveness of foliar spraying. Moreover, foliar Zn sprayings simultaneously increased grain concentrations and accumulation of Fe, Mn and Cu, demonstrating multiple benefits. There were positive correlations between Zn and Fe, Mn or Cu, indicating synergistic but not antagonistic interactions. Compared to micronutrients, concentrations of grain macro- and medium nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) were less affected. Thus, a double-win in grain yields and micronutrient (particulaly for Zn) nutrition could be effectively achieved through appropriate soil fertilization and foliar Zn spraying. These results provide a better understanding of the yield-nutrition relationship among wheat grain yields, Zn and other nutrient elements for a better integrated manipulation to achieve a win-win situation in yield and nutrition.

To realize the energy recovery of wheat straw, the pyrolysis behavior of wheat straw was studied at three heating rates (10, 20, and 30 K/min) based on thermogravimetric analysis (TG–DTG). Kinetics and thermodynamics were analyzed using Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) model-free methods, and reaction mechanism was determined using Coats–Redfern (CR) model-fitting method. The results show that there are three weightlessness stages in the pyrolysis process, of which the second stage was the main weightlessness stage and two distinct peaks of weightlessness were observed in this stage. With increasing heating rate, the main pyrolytic weightlessness peaks of DTG curve shifts to higher temperature. The pyrolysis activation energy calculated by FWO and KAS methods are 165.17–440.02 kJ/mol and 163.72–452.07 kJ/mol, and the pre-exponential factor vary in the range of 2.58×1012–7.45×1036 s-1 and 1.91×1012–8.66×1037 s-1, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters indicates that wheat straw has the favorable conditions for product formation and containes potential energy to be utilized for bioenergy production, its pyrolysis reaction was non-spontaneous and the energy output is stable. CR method analysis shows that the A1/3 random nucleation model is the most suitable mechanism to characterize the pyrolysis process, and random nucleation may be in charge of the main pyrolysis stage. This study can provide a theoretical basis for the thermochemical conversion and utilization of wheat straw.

The present study evaluates mold fungal resistance of newly developed loose-fill thermal insulation materials from wheat straw, corn stalk and water reed. Three different processing methods of raw materials was performed by mechanical crushing (Raw, ≤ 20 mm), thermal-mechanical pulping (TMP) using 4% NaOH and steam explosion pulping (SEP). An admixture of boric acid (8%) and tetraborate (7%) was applied to all processed substrates due to their anti-fungal properties. Additionally, the fourth sample group was prepared from SEPs of all raw species without boric acid and tetraborate (SEP*) as control. Samples from all treatments were separately inoculated by 5 different fungal species and incubated in darkness for 28 days at 28 ℃ and RH >90%. The highest resistance to the colonization of mold fungi was achieved by TMP and SEP processing coupled with addition of boric acid and tetraborate, where molds infest only around 35% to 40% of the inoculated sample area. The lowest mold fungi resistance was detected for Raw and SEP* samples, each ~75% that was affected by rich amount of accessible nutrients, suggesting that boric acid and tetraborate additives alone did not prevent mold fungal growth as effective as in combination with TMP and SEP treatments. Together, the achieved fungal colonization scores after combined fungicide and pulping treatments are acceptable for the application of various renewable materials in future thermal insulation product development.

Powdery mildew is a severe disease causing substantial yield losses in wheat production worldwide. The Chinese wheat landrace Changanhongmai (CAHM) exhibits high resistance to the physiological race E09 of powdery mildew. This study aims to characterize the powdery mildew resistance gene in CAHM, and develop molecular markers for marker-assisted selection of wheat. To investigate the genetic characteristics of this resistant gene, we developed F1 plants, F2 generation population, and F2:3 families from a cross between CAHM and SY225. Genetic analysis demonstrated that all F1 plants were resistant to the disease, while the ratio of resistant to susceptible plants was 3: 1 in both the F2 population and F2:3 families, indicating that CAHM is inherited in a manner of single dominant powdery mildew resistance gene, which was tentatively designated as PmCAHM. By using bulk segregation analysis, we constructed a genetic map encompassing Xgwm273, Xwmc626, Xgwm11, Xgwm18, Xgdm28, Xgpw7812, Xgpw5195, Xwmc694 and PmCAHM. Among these markers, Xgpw7812 and Xgpw5195 were flanking markers tightly linked to PmCAHM at a genetic distance of 2.5 cM and 8.4 cM, respectively. Furthermore, nullisomic-tetrasomic analysis revealed that PmCAHM is located on chromosome 1B. These results indicate that PmCAHM differs from the internationally recognized powdery mildew resistance genes in both location and source. In addition, a new germplasm/line NW1748 with large seeds and powdery mildew resistance was developed from the cross and back cross populations of Fengyou 1718 (FY1718)/CAHM//FY 1718. Therefore, PmCAHM can serve as a novel powdery mildew resistance source for breeding of wheat by using NW1748 as the donor in the future.

This research paper presents a comprehensive study on the gasification of wheat straw pellets in a 10-kW fixed bed gasifier through a combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation and experimental validation. The developed 2D CFD model in ANSYS meshing simulates the gasification process in ANSYS Fluent software. The investigation evaluates key parameters such as equivalence ratio, higher heating value, and temperature distribution within the gasifier to enhance syngas production efficiency. The simulated results exhibit a noteworthy agreement with experimental data obtained from gasification. The impact of the equivalence ratio on gas production and lower heating value (LHV) is systematically explored, revealing that an equivalence ratio of 0.35 is optimal for syngas production. The resulting producer gas composition at this optimum condition includes CO (~27.67%), CH4 (~3.29%), CO2 (~11.09%), H2 (~11.09%), and N2 (~51%). The study further investigates the positive influence of reactor temperature on increasing syngas quantity while considering the uneven shape of the reactor and various thermal reactions affecting temperature, static pressure, velocity, and density. The findings contribute valuable insights to improve the efficiency of fixed-bed gasifiers, offering essential information on performance parameters for sustainable and optimized syngas production.

Conservation agriculture and conservation tillage have drawn the attention not only of scientists but of politicians and societies worldwide. This paper aims to present a method for selecting re-search studies on conservation agriculture, conservation tillage, and the role of straw residues on soil health and soil stability against climatic hazards. VOSviewer version 1.6.18 free software tool was used in this study to achieve the bibliometric and mapping approach for studies on the effects of climate change in terms of conservation, tillage, soil health, and straw and microbe or straw and climate interaction or other paradigms. Scopus database (accessed July 7, 2023) indexed a total of 752.2018 bibliographic items classified into 15 paradigms e.g., Carbon (AND Straw) or Microbes (AND Straw). From the examination of the selected papers, it was concluded that straw residue has an impact on soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties and the environment in general.

Biomass is an attractive energy source that can be used for production of heat, power, and transport fuels, and when produced and used on a sustainable basis, can make a large contribution to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a suitable technology for reducing organic matter and generating bioenergy in the form of biogas. This study investigates the factors allowing the optimization of the process of biogas production from the co-digestion of wheat straw (WS) and bovine manure. The statistical analysis of the experiments carried out show that ultrasonic processing plays a fundamental role by sonication density and solids concentration leading to improved characteristics of WS by reducing particle size and increasing concentration of soluble chemical oxygen demand. The higher the sonicating power used, the more the waste particles are disrupted. The optimality obtained under mesophilic conditions for WS pretreated with 4% w/w (weight by weight) H2O2 at temperature 36 °C under 10 minutes of ultrasonication at 25 kHz improves the methane yield by 64%.

In this work, dry and hydrothermal carbonization (DC and HTC) of RDF pellets were conducted to evaluate the physical, chemical, and fuel properties of the produced chars. In the dry carbonization tests, biomass sawdust was incorporated in different proportions on the samples to minimize agglomeration caused by the melting of the plastic fraction. The experiments were carried out in a temperature of 400°C (DC) and 250-300°C (HTC), in a residence time of 30 minutes. The respective chars and hydrochars were characterized according to their mass yield, apparent density, proximate, elemental, and mineral composition, chlorine content, high heating value, thermogravimetric profile, and surface functional groups. The results showed that dry carbonization of RDF pellets with biomass incorporation, followed by a washing step, resulted in the production of chars with improved properties such as higher fixed carbon and HHV (25-26 MJ/kg) and lower ash and chlorine content. Additionally, the HTC experiments demonstrated that hydrochars showed improved properties without the need for biomass addition and washing, however, with no significant difference in the HHV (20-21 MJ/kg). Therefore, DC of RDF pellets with 10% biomass incorporation seems to be a promising option to overcome the constraints of RDF utilization as an alternative fuel.

The anaerobic digestion (AD) of rumen residues and wheat straw in different proportions of inoculum (66.67, 50, 33.33 %V/V) to substrate and their co-digestion potential have been exhaustively studied in this research. It explores variation of feedstock characteristics such as biodegradability and methane potential during AD and anaerobic co-digestion (ACoD) of rumen residues (RR) with wheat straw (WS), under mesophilic conditions. Comparative performance was made with a organic load rate of 18 gVS/L (with 2:1, 1:1 and 1:2 g/g VS of inoculum to substrate). Among different kinetic models studied (modified Gompertz model, transfer model and logistic function), the AD and ACoD of substrates showed better fit to Gompertz model (R2: 0.977–0.997) indicating variation in lag phase and methane production rate depending on the substrate characteristics. During AD, the methane yield improved as the inoculum ratio increased, however, there was no significant difference in ACoD yield from RR to WS for the inoculum to substrate ratios studied, due to the synergistic effect as a result. of greater biodegradability and optimal conditions (such as the C/N ratio). A comparison of methane generation means indicated that maximum methane production can be achieved by mixing rumen residue (75 %) and wheat straw (25 %) with a C/N ratio of (38.15).

Hay and straw are commonly used materials in agriculture. They are organic materials and therefore flammable. This article examines the behaviour of hay and straw when exposed to radiant heat. The objective of this study is to experimentally determine the ignition temperature of hay and straw under the influence of radiant heat. The research investigates the effects of sample type (hay and straw) and sample quantity on the thermal degradation process, temperature increase within the samples, and ignition temperature of the samples as a function of time. The ignition temperature of hay was determined to be higher (407°C) compared to straw (380°C). The results did not demonstrate a significant correlation between sample type and the thermal degradation process or the ignition temperature of hay and straw.

In order to explore the yield-increasing mechanism of mechanized potato planting with corn straw mulching, a two-year ( 2021 and 2022 ) field experiment was conducted to study the effects of mechanized no-tillage with straw mulching on potato yield and water use efficiency. This experiment included corn straw mulching potato mechanized no-tillage planting ( JG ), plastic film mulching ( HM ) and open flat planting ( CK ). The results showed that mechanical no-tillage with straw mulching had significant effects on soil water content, yield and water use efficiency in 0-100 cm soil layer (p< 0.05). There was no significant difference in yield between JG and HM, but it was significantly higher than that of CK. The yield of JG was 3.09 %~12.27 % higher than that of CK. The yield increase was mainly achieved by increasing the potato weight per plant ( 0.697 ~ 0.862** ) and the average single potato weight ( 0.048 ~ 0.631 ). The tuber weight per plant was positively correlated with the plant height at seedling stage ( 0.03 ~ 0.92** ), and positively correlated with the dry weight of stems and leaves at tuber expansion stage and starch accumulation stage ( 0.74** ~ 0.95**). It was negatively correlated with the number of branches at tuber formation stage ( -0.33 ~ -0.88** ). Compared with CK, JG could significantly improve the water use efficiency of potato and reduce the water consumption during the whole growth period of crops. In 2021, JG was 6.5 % higher than CK, and HM was 6.88 % lower than CK. In 2022, JG and HM increased water use efficiency by 26.17 % and 14.50 % compared with CK. It can be seen that JG is a green and efficient mechanized potato cultivation technology suitable for dry farming areas.

In this study the effects of three different main preparatory tillage operations [ploughing at 0.4 m (P40) and 0.20 m (P20) depth and minimum tillage at 0.20 m depth (MT) each of them carried out at two different soil water contents (WC) [low, 58% (LH) and high, 80% (HH) of field capacity] were investigated. The results obtained in this research show high values of soil strength in term of Penetration resistance (CI) and shear strength (SS) particularly in deeper soil layers at lower water content. Fossil-fuel energy requirements both for P40 LH and P20 LH were 25 and 35% higher with respect to the HH treatments and tractor slip were very high (P40 LH = 32.4%) with respect to the P40 HH treatment (16%). Therefore soil water content had significantly influenced tractor performance during soil ploughing, particularly at 0.40 m depth while MT was not influenced at all. A significant correlation between grain yield and soil penetration resistance was found highlighting how soil strength may be good indicator of its productivity. Obtained results during these field tests allowed considering MT and P20 treatments more suitable for this type of soil in climate change scenarios.

This research explores the enhancement of bio-oil quality through upgrading with the magnetic bimetallic oxide (CuO-Fe3O4) catalysts supported on the activated rice straw biochar (AcB). These catalysts were employed in a supercritical ethanol-based upgrading process. Various characterization techniques, including elemental analysis, XRD, BET, TGA, and SEM, were utilized to characterize the prepared catalyst. The study revealed significant improvements in the physical characteristics and chemical composition of the bio-oil, with higher heating value (HHV) increasing from 21.3 to 32.1 MJ/kg. Esterification and transesterification were identified as key reactions contributing to this improvement. Notably, the pH of bio-oil increased from 4.3 (raw bio-oil) to 5.63 (after upgrading), signifying reduced acidity. The analysis of the bio-oil's chemical composition highlighted a decrease in oxygen content and an increase in carbon and hydrogen content. At the optimum conditions, the application of supercritical ethanol proved to be an efficient method for enhancing the bio-oil's properties. A crucial transformation occurred during the upgrading process and more than 90% % of carboxylic acids were converted into esters, primarily ethyl acetate at the optimal conditions. This study has demonstrated the effective enhancement of raw bio-oil from rice straw through the utilization of carbon-based bimetallic oxide catalysts in a supercritical upgrading procedure.

To examine the hydrophobicity of torrefied wood fuel, the water resistances of torrefied pellets prepared by two different methods were evaluated using exposure tests under indoor and outdoor conditions. Torrefied pellets from the xylem of Japanese cedar (Sugi, Cryptomeria japonica) and oak (Konara, Quercus serrata) were prepared by two methods: the torrefaction of wood chips followed by pelletization and the pelletization of wood chips followed by torrefaction. It was found that the pellets prepared by pelletization followed by torrefaction had much lower moisture levels than those prepared by the other method and they showed almost no change in diameter after an outdoor weathering test. These characteristics are unique and indicate that the pellets can be applied not only for industrial use but also for residential and commercial purposes.

Usually in the manufacture of beer by fermentation of barley, in both industrialized and developing countries significant amounts of organic solid waste are produced from barley straw. These possibly have an impact on the carbon footprint with an effect on global warming. According to this, it is important to reduce environmental impact of these solid residues, and an adequate way is the recycling using them as raw material for the elaboration of handmade paper. Therefore, it is required to manage this type of waste by analyzing the environmental impact, and thus be able to identify sustainable practices for the treatment of this food waste, evaluating its life cycle, which is a useful methodology to estimate said environmental impacts. It is because of this work shows the main results obtained using the life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology, to evaluate the possible environmental impacts during the waste treatment of a brewery located in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. The residues evaluated were barley straw, malt residues and spent grain, and at the end, barley straw was selected to determine in detail its environmental impact and its reuse, the sheets analyzed presented a grammage that varies from 66 g/m2 and 143 g/m2, resistance to burst was 117 to 145 kpa, with a crystallinity of 34.4% to 37.1%.

There are some controversies about 2G bioethanol and it is in need of a reliable test data in order to make a further analysis and proof. In collecting basic data from three classes of typical raw materials, such as wheat, maize stalk juice, and straw, it was found that 4.32 tons straw or 3.358 tons wheat is needed to produce 1-ton bioethanol. Using the coefficient of variation calculation and analysis method, it is able to obtain the C.V. value of straw fermentation efficiency 0.08932<0.15, indicating the fermentation technology and process of 2G bioethanol is already quite mature and reliable, without risk, and also with a raw material cost advantage. There is a problem in that the C.V. value of straw volume is 1.2648>0.95, indicating 2G bioethanol is in an extremely high-risk area. Using the straw volume calculation method, building and its costs – capital expenditure of 2G bioethanol plant is approximately seven times that of a wheat ethanol plant. This should be some of the important reasons why it is noncompetitive, extremely high price, and requiring government subsidies. Straw volume data study has caused the 2G bioethanol plant to require more cement, steel, equipment, and other materials. Thus, there are ample reasons to question the CO2 emissions and its carbon footprint of 2G bioethanol plant. Actually, the volume is not the only existing problem, it is necessary to re-evaluate and discuss the definition of 2G bioethanol and its future.

IgE-mediated wheat allergy is a gluten-related disorder. Wheat is one of the five most common food allergens in children. However, the natural history of IgE-mediated wheat allergy has seldom been described in the research literature. This study presents the current state of knowledge about the IgE-mediated wheat allergy in children.

For this research we are selected three indicators of wheat: yield (t/ha), producer price (USD/t) and share of the harvested area under wheat in relation to the total land area of country (%). The mentioned indicators were analyzed for the period 2006-2021 in thirty-two European countries. The purpose of the research is to determine which of the mentioned indicators achieve average annual growth/decrease rates, what is the correlation between them, how European countries are grouped with their similarities and differences. The research examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mentioned indicators in a two time phases: Phase I, before the pandemic (2006-2019); Phase II, during the pandemic (2020-2021). The methodological approach to the research topic involved the application of descriptive statistics, as the method of principal components analysis (abbr. PCA) with graphics. A positive correlation exists only between the yield of wheat and the share of the harvested area under wheat in the total area of the land (0.291). PCA method showed that countries are grouped differently depending on the observed indicator and the analyzed time phase.

Elevated carbon dioxide (eCO₂) stimulates wheat grain yield, but simultaneously reduces protein (N) concentration. Also other essential nutrients are subject to change. This study is a comprehensive synthesis of wheat experiments with eCO₂, estimating effects on N, minerals (B, Ca, Cd, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Zn), and starch. Analysis was made by i) deriving response functions for the relative effect on element concentration in relation to CO₂ concentration, ii) meta-analysis to test the magnitude and significance of observed effects, and iii) relating CO₂ effects on minerals to effects on N and grain yield. Responses range from zero to strong negative effects of eCO₂ on mineral concentration, with largest reductions for the nutritionally important elements N, Fe, S, Zn and Mg. Together with the positive but small and non-significant effect on starch concentration, the large variation in effects suggests that CO₂-induced responses cannot be explained by a simple dilution model. To explain the observed pattern, uptake and transport mechanisms may have to be considered, along with the link of different elements to N uptake. Our study shows that eCO₂ has a significant effect on wheat grain stoichiometry, with implications for human nutrition in a world of rising CO₂.

The criteria of “Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability” as well as a high "overall quality index” are used to register the Italian modern varieties to the national register. Differently, local conservation varieties can be certified under different EU Directives having, as overall objective, the preservation of biodiversity and the containment of genetic erosion. In recent years, products derived from an-cient grains are perceived to be healthier and more sustainable by consumer, especially in Italy, with consequent higher market prices. Ancient tetraploid wheat varieties registered in the national reg-ister of conservation varieties are 28, 24 of which are Sicilian. They are supposed to have a wide genetic variability compared to modern ones, making them vulnerable of fraud because they are difficult to trace. It is therefore important to have tools able to discriminate the autochthonous Si-cilian varieties. This can be done by gluten proteins composition, which also gives information on the technological properties of derived products. Fifty-one accessions belonging to 22 ancient va-rieties of Sicilian tetraploid (mostly durum) wheat were analyzed. Although a wide intra-accession and intra-varietal variability was assessed, the gliadin pattern of bulks of seeds belonging to each variety was discriminatory. Moreover, differences in technological attitudes were found between landraces. This paves the way to use gluten protein patterns for traceability allowing local farmers and producers to valorize their products and assure consumers about the transparency of the entire supply chain.

Improving the quality of natural water purification is one of the priority areas in the research of scientific communities in the field of ecology. At the same time, the task is to achieve optimal efficiency at a low cost of the technological process. The solution in this case is the use of materials necessary for cleaning, in particular, sorbents from natural raw materials, including agricultural waste. At present, a sufficient number of research results have been published confirming the effectiveness of the sorbent from biochar of various agricultural wastes, as well as from rice straw biochar. This article proposes an innovative method for modifying biochar from rice straw, which allows the use of the material as a sorbent with a disinfecting effect. The method consists in processing biochar in a process activation apparatus (PAP) in a solution of silver nitrate with the release in the form of a carbon nanomaterial with attached metallic silver ions on the surface of biochar particles. Rice straw biochar was mixed in distilled water with silver nitrate AgNO3 and placed in the AAP in a replaceable insert with ferromagnetic particles that have a magnetostrictive effect under the influence of an electromagnetic field. Next, the contact of biochar impregnated with a solution of silver nitrate and ferromagnetic particles was carried out for 2 minutes under electromagnetic influence, after which the treated sample was dried in an oven for 4 hours at t=105ºС, followed by calcination in a muffle furnace at 450ºС for 3 hours. The resulting silver-containing sorbent was subjected to a physicochemical analysis of its properties, photographs of electron microscopy were also obtained, and a bacteriological analysis of the effectiveness of the sorbent on natural water was carried out. According to the results of the analyzes, the silver-containing sorbent is a mesoporous nanomaterial with an average mesopore diameter for desorption of 196 Å, a relative volume of pores with a diameter of up to 900 Å 0.034 cm³/g,, specific surface 7.45 m²/g and a content of metallic silver ions on the surface of the sorbent particles of (Ag) 16.7%, oxygen (O) 54.9%, unexpectedly (С) 13.7%, silicon (Si) 8.1%. Laboratory studies for the bacteriological analysis of natural water consisted in the sorption processing of the selected samples in the carbonization mode, followed by sedimentation after the introduction of the reagent (a mixture of coagulant and flocculant). The analysis was carried out on three indicators - total microbial count (TMC), total coliform bacteria (TCB) and thermotolerant coliform bacteria (TCB). According to the research results, the sorbent showed its disinfecting properties and confirmed its high efficiency (90,48%-100%).

Biomass fuel pellets exhibit variations in quality due to differences in feedstock sources. Moni-toring processing parameters is crucial for converting biomass into high-quality energetic pellets. This study examined the effects of selected parameters on the properties of cocoa pod husk pellets produced using a modified pelleting machine. The pellets were produced by varying the com-pression ratio (0.8, 1.0, 1.2), moisture content (10, 15, 20%) and binder quantity (0, 2.5, 5 wt%). A Box-Behnken design was employed to structure the experiment. The pellets were analyzed for density, proximate composition (moisture, volatile matter, fixed carbon, and ash contents), and higher heating value to assess their quality. The results were subjected to ANOVA at a 95% con-fidence level. The cocoa pod husk pellets had a bulk density of 0.28-0.41 g/cm³, moisture content of 13.22-19.30% (db), volatile matter of 48.61-57.83%, fixed carbon of 21.25-23.10%, ash content of 3.49-12.99%, and higher heating values of 18.28-19.30 MJ/kg. Significant differences were observed at the 95% confidence level (p≤0.05). Compression ratio, binder quantity and moisture content were found to affect the physicochemical properties of the pellets.

Reducing fertilizer-N rate, applying nitrification inhibitor (NI), and incorporating straw are widely recommended to improve N use efficiency of crops and decrease N losses. However, how these practices affect crop N uptake by regulating the fertilizer-N fate during the growing season is not well understood. We conducted a field 15N tracer study to explore the effectiveness of reduced N application, NI, and straw incorporation on fertilizer-N fates for maize cultivation in Northeast China. The following six treatments were used: 1) no N fertilization (control); 2) 200 kg urea-N ha−1 (100%N); 3) 200 kg urea-N ha−1 and 2400 kg dry-straw ha−1 (100%N+S); 4) 160 kg urea-N ha−1 (80%N, i.e., 20% reduction of N fertilization); 5) 160 kg urea-N ha−1 and nitrification inhibitor (Nitrapyrin) (80%N+NI); 6) 160 kg urea-N ha−1, nitrification inhibitor and 2400 kg dry-straw ha−1 (80%N+NI+S). Our results showed that the five N fertilization treatments yielded 16%–25% more grain and 39%–60% more crop N uptake than the control receiving no N fertilizer, but the differences among the five treatments were not statistically significant. In contrast to plant growth, changes in fertilizer-N fates in soil and plant pools were more pronounced. Compared with the 100%N treatment, 20% fertilizer-N reduction (80%N) decreased 15N concentration in topsoil and plant pools but increased the proportion of plant 15N recovery at harvesting (N use efficiency, NUE15N, 60% vs. 50%) (P &lt; 0.05). Nitrapyrin co-application (80%N+NI) delayed soil nitrification and increased soil 15N retention at harvesting (52% vs. 36%), thereby decreasing NUE15N significantly (P &lt; 0.05). Straw incorporation (100%N+S) decreased fertilizer-N retention compared with NI co-application because it promoted NUE15N significantly (P &lt; 0.05). The combined application of NI and straw (80%N+NI+S) was more conducive to fertilizer-N retention in soil. Our findings demonstrate that NI and straw additions are efficient strategies for stabilizing fertilizer-N in soils and potentially minimizing N loss; however, their effects on NUE15N vary and the related mechanism must be further clarified in long-term trials.

Wheat is used for making many food products due to its diverse quality profile found among different wheat classes. Since laboratory analysis of these end-use quality traits is costly and time-consuming, genetic dissection of the traits is preferential. This study used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 10 end-use quality traits, including kernel protein, flour protein, flour yield, softness equivalence, solvent’s retention capacity, cookie diameter, and top-grain, in soft red winter wheat (SRWW) adapted to US southeast. The GWAS study included 266 SRWW genotypes that were evaluated in two locations over two years (2020-2022). A total of 27,466 single nucleotide markers were used and a total of 80 significant marker-trait associations were identified. There were 13 major effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) explaining &gt; 10% phenotypic variance out of which 12 were considered as novel. Five of the major effect QTLs were found to be stably expressed across multiple datasets, and four showed associations with multiple traits. Candidate genes were identified for eight of the major-effect QTLs including genes associated with starch biosynthesis and nutritional homeostasis in plants. These findings increase genetic comprehension of these end-use quality traits and could potentially be used for improving the quality of SRWW.

Abiotic stress is responsible for significant reduction in crop plant productivity worldwide. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a natural component of sunlight and a permanent environmental stimulus. This study investigated the distinct responses of young wheat and einkorn plants to excessive UV-B radiation (180 min at λmax 312 nm) following foliar pretreatment with 1 µM synthetic cytokinin 4PU-30. Results demonstrated that UV radiation significantly amplified hydrogen peroxide levels in both wheat and einkorn, with einkorn exhibiting more pronounced increase compared to wheat. This elevation indicated the induction of oxidative stress by UV radiation in the two genotypes. Intensified antioxidant enzyme activities and increased accumulation of typical stress markers and non-enzyme protectants were evidenced. Transcriptional activity of genes encoding key antioxidant enzymes was also investigated aiming to elucidate the genetic regulation of the antioxidant systems in both wheat and einkorn seedlings. Our results suggested a role for POX1 and POX7 genes in the UV-B tolerance of the two wheat species as well as a cytokinin stimulated UV-B stress response in einkorn mediated through upregulation of the tau subfamily gene GSTU6. Based on these findings it could be concluded that 4PU-30 had the potential of alleviating oxidative stress by attenuating the symptoms of superfluous UV-B illumination in the two examined plant species.

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is an annual spring-emerging crop that is classified among dicotyledons, yet due to the manner of its cultivation, use, and chemical composition of seeds. The use of buckwheat straw for energy purposes, for example, for the production of second generation bioethanol might enable its wider application and increase the cost-effectiveness of tillage. In this study, we examined the usability of buckwheat straw for the production of bioethanol. We pretreated the raw material with using ionic liquids and subsequently performed enzymatic hydrolysis and alcoholic fermentation. The obtained chemometric data was analyzed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression model. PLS regression in combination with the spectral analysis within near-infrared (NIR) spectrum allowed for the rapid determination of amount of cellulose in the raw material and also provided information on the changes taking place in its structure. According to our results, we obtained good results for the combination of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate as the ionic liquid and Cellic CTec2 and the enzymatic preparation for the pretreatment of buckwheat straw. The highest concentration of glucose following 72 hours of enzymatic hydrolysis was found to be around 5.5 g/dm3. The highest concentration of ethanol (3.31 g/dm3) was obtained with the combination of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate for the pretreatment and the cellulase from Trichoderma reesei for enzymatic hydrolysis. In summary, the efficiency of the fermentation process is strictly associated with the pool of available fermenting sugars, and it depends on the type of ionic liquid used during the pretreatment and on the enzymatic preparation. It is possible to obtain bioethanol from buckwheat straw using ionic liquid for the pretreatment of the raw material prior to the enzymatic hydrolysis and alcoholic fermentation of the material.

Current agriculture intensifies crop cultivation to meet food demand, leading to unsustainable use of chemical fertilizers. This study investigates a few physiological and agronomic responses of common wheat following the inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria to reduce nitrogen inputs. A field trial was conducted in 2022-23, in Legnago (Verona, Italy) on Triticum aestivum var. LG-Auriga comparing full (180 kg ha-1) and reduced (130 kg ha-1) N doses, both with and without foliar application at end tillering of the N-fixing bacterium Methylobacterium symbioticum. Biofertilization did not improve shoot growth, while it seldom increased root length density in the arable layer. It delayed leaf senescence, prolonged photosynthetic activity, amplified stomatal conductance and PSII efficiency under reduced N dose. Appreciable ACC-deaminase activity of such bacterium disclosed augmented nitrogen retrieval and reduced ethylene production, explaining ameliorated stay-green. Yield and testing weight were unaffected by biofertilization, while both glutenin-to-gliadin and HMW-to-LMW ratios increased together with dough tenacity. It is concluded that Methylobacterium symbioticum can amplify nitrogen metabolism at reduced nitrogen dose, offering a viable approach to reduce chemical fertilization under suboptimal growing conditions for achieving a more sustainable agriculture. Further research over multiple growing seasons and soil types is necessary to corroborate these preliminary observations.

Rice cultivation is the main agricultural activity in Asia, and it results in an enormous amount of agricultural waste, that are usually disposed-off by burning, causing serious environmental health and climate problems. Pakistan is the tenth largest producer in the world and the fourth exporter of rice in the world. To date, there are no studies targeting Pakistan’s profile monitoring its contribution in open burning emissions from rice straw waste. This study presents the characterization of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PAHs emissions from three samples of rice straw collected from the main rice cultivation regions of Pakistan (Punjab, Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir) in relation to the role of metal-based agricultural additives. PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PAHs emissions were quantified using a fixed grid system biomass plant and measuring the macro-pollutants online and sampling the organic micro-pollutants and metals in isokinetic mode, followed by ISO and CEN standards methods. In addition, role of agrochemicals was monitored in terms of metal catalysis resulted in POPs emissions. This study provides the characterization of most relevant group of pollutants (metals, PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PAHs) as a result of agricultural waste combustion. The rice straw samples from AJK showed high values of organochlorine micro-pollutants compared to the values followed by samples from Punjab and Sindh, i.e., respectively, ∑PCDD/F (2594>1493>856 pg/Nm³) and ∑PCB (41>38>30 pg/Nm³). Whereas the organic micro-pollutants ∑PAH, indicators of incomplete combustion (PICs), were recorded high in the samples from Sindh followed by Punjab and AJK. This study supports the idea that the phenomena that lead to the formation of PCDD/F and PCB are influenced not only by poor combustion but also by the presence of metal catalysts or precursors in the burned fuel.

Accurate forecasting of crop yields holds paramount importance in guiding decision-making processes related to breeding efforts. This study focused on the application of multi-sensor data fusion and machine learning algorithms based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in wheat yield prediction. Five machine learning (ML) algorithms namely random forest (RF), partial least squares (PLS), ridge regression (RR), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) and eXtreme Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (XGboost) were utilized for multi-sensor data fusion, and three ensemble methods including the second-level ensemble methods (stacking and feature-weighted) and the third-level ensemble method (simple average) for wheat yield prediction. The 270 wheat hybrids were used as planting materials under full and limited irrigation treatments. A cost-effective multi-sensor UAV platform, equipped with red–green–blue (RGB), multispectral (MS), and thermal infrared (TIR) sensors, was utilized to gather remote sensing data. The results revealed that the XGboost algorithm exhibited outstanding performance in multi-sensor data fusion, with the RGB+MS+Texture+TIR combination demonstrating the highest fusion performance (R2=0.660, RMSE= 0.754). Compared with the single ML model, the employment of three ensemble methods significantly enhanced the prediction accuracy of wheat yield. Notably, the third-layer simple average ensemble method demonstrated superior performance (R2 = 0.733, RMSE= 0.668 t ha-1). It significantly outperformed both the second-layer ensemble methods of Stacking (R2= 0.668, RMSE= 0.673 t ha-1) and feature-weighted (R2= 0.667, RMSE= 0.674 t ha-1), thereby exhibiting superior predictive capabilities. This finding demonstrated that the third-layer ensemble method not only augments the predictive ability of the model but also fine-tuned the accuracy of wheat yield prediction through the employment of simple average ensemble learning. Consequently, it offers a novel perspective for crop yield prediction and breeding selection.

Crop rotation diversification using legumes has been advocated as one of the solutions to improve the resilience of the crop system to various environmental stresses and the use of nitrogen resources. However, when forage legumes or grass-legumes are ploughed, there is a high risk of nitrate leaching, especially in sandy soils. The aim of the study was to determine the effect strip tillage intercropping management on soil mineral nitrogen (SMN), water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) content and winter wheat (WW, Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield compared to forage legume and WW monocropping with conventional tillage. In intercropping was used winter wheat - black medick (Medicago lupulina L.) WW+BM, winter wheat - white clover (Trifolium repens L.) WW+WC, and winter wheat - Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) WW+EC. Research was repeated in two experiments. The results showed that after strip tillage and WW sowing less or similar SMN content cud be detected, as in conventional tillage and WW + forage legumes intercropping. WW grain yield in intercrops decreased, compared to the grasses monocultures that were ploughed before WW sowing. The highest amount of WEOC was in intercropping soil growing WW+WC or in all fields (except WW+EC) after applying strip tillage. During the research period, the amounts of mobile humic substances (HSs) and mobile humic acids (HAs) changed analogously. Their content increased substantially in fields with WC and EC, regardless of whether the grasses were ploughed or grown with WW.

Open-cell metallic foams used as catalyst supports exhibit excellent transport properties. In this work, a unique application of metallic foam, as pelletized catalyst in a packed bed reactor, is examined. By using a wall-segment Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) setup, parametric analyses are carried out to investigate the influence of foam morphologies (cell size ϕ=0.45-3 mm and porosity ε=0.55-0.95) and intrinsic conductivity on flow and heat transport characteristics in a slender packed bed (N=Ddp=6.78) made of cylindrical metallic foam pellets. The transport processes have been modeled using an extended version of conventional particle-resolved CFD, i.e., flow and energy in inter-particle spaces are fully resolved, whereas porous-media model is used for the effective transport processes inside highly-porous foam pellets. Simulation inputs include the processing parameters relevant to Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), analyzed for low (Rep~100) and high (Rep~5000) flow regimes. The effect of foam morphologies on packed beds has shown that the desired requirements contradict each other, i.e., increase in cell size and porosity favor the reduction in pressure drop, however lowering the heat transfer efficiency. A design study is also conducted to find the optimum foam morphology of a cylindrical foam pellet at higher Rep~5000, which yields ϕ = 0.45, ε = 0.8. Suitable correlations to predict the friction factor and the overall heat transfer coefficient in a foam packed bed have been presented, which considers the effect of different foam morphologies over a range of particle Reynolds number, 100≤Rep≤5000.

Durum wheat (DW) is one of the major crops grown in the Mediterranean area, a climate-vulnerable region where the increase in day/night (d/n) temperature are severely threatening DW yield stability. In order to improve DW heat tolerance, the introgression of chromosomal segments derived from the wild gene pool is a promising strategy. Here, four DW-Thinopyrum spp. near-isogenic recombinant lines (NIRLs) were assessed for their physiological response and productive performance after an intense heat stress (IH, 37/27°C d/n) applied for 3 days at anthesis. The NIRLs included two primary types (R5, R112), carriers (+) of a differently sized Th. ponticum 7el1L segment on DW 7AL arm, and two corresponding secondary types (R69-9/R5, R69-9/R112), possessing a Th. elongatum 7EL segment distally inserted into the 7el1L ones. Their response to the IH stress was compared to that of corresponding non-carrier sib lines (−) and of the heat tolerant cv. Margherita. Overall, the R112+, R69-9/R5+ and R69-9/R112+ NIRLs exhibited a tolerant behaviour towards the applied stress, standing out for maintenance of leaf relative water content, but also for accumulation of proline and soluble sugars in flag leaf and for preservation of photosynthetic efficiency. As a result, all the above three NIRLs (R112+ > R69-9/R5+ > R69-9/R112+) displayed good yield stability under the IH, also in comparison with cv. Margherita, R112+ particularly relying on strength of spike fertility/grain number traits, R69-9/R5+ on efficient compensation by grain weight increase. This work largely confirmed and further substantiated the value of exploiting the wild germplasm of Thinopyrum species as useful source for the improvement of DW tolerance to even extreme abiotic stress conditions, such as the severe heat treatment throughout day- and night-time applied here.

The stability and composting behaviour of monolayers and laminates of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and starch with and without active extracts and cellulose fibres from rice straw (RS) were evaluated. The retrogradation of the starch throughout storage (1, 5, and 10 weeks) gave rise to stiffer and less extensible monolayers, with lower water vapour barrier capacity. In contrast, the PLA monolayers, with or without extract, did not show marked changes with storage. However, these changes were more attenuated in the bilayers that gained water vapour and oxygen barrier capacity during storage, maintaining the values of the different properties close to the initial range. The bioactivity of the active films exhibited a slight decrease during the storage, the antioxidant capacity being better preserved in the bilayers. All monolayer and bilayer films were fully composted within 90 days, but with different behaviour. The bilayer assembly enhanced the biodegradation of PLA whose monolayer exhibited a lag period of about 35 days. The active extract reduced biodegradation rate of both mono and bilayers but does not limit the material biodegradation within the time stablished in the Standard. Therefore, PLA-starch laminates, with or without the valorised fractions from RS, can be considered as biodegradable and stable materials for food packaging applications.

Alternative fertilizations are essential to minimize the deteriorating effects of chemical fertilizers on soil and water quality/health. Accordingly, the present work investigated the effects of combined organic-inorganic fertilization (COIF) on wheat and rice yields, soil nutrients, and soil Cd accumulation. Hence, seven different treatments were set up: control (CK); conventional fertilization (CF); optimized fertilization (OF); organic fertilizer replacing 25% (T1) and 50% (T2) of OF; and organic nitrogen (N) replacing 25% (M1) and 50% (M2) of OF-N. Overall, significant increases occurred in the yields of COIF crops. Compared with the CF, the highest wheat and rice yields happened in M1 treatment (approximately by18.5%) (P &lt; 0.05). COIF slightly alleviated soil acidification, and improved the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the study soils. Besides, COIF treatments significantly increased the contents of total phosphorus, total potassium, available phosphorus, and available potassium by 6.35 to 16.9 %, 3.17 to 10.9 %, 5.53 to 28.7 %, and 2.6 to 12 %, respectively (P &lt;0.05). Nevertheless, negligible increases took place in Cd content of COIF soils compared with the CK. Altogether, our results concluded on 25% replacement of OF-N by organic N (M1) to effectively improve the fertility/ecological sustainability of the study soils.

The need for solvating and encapsulating hydro-sensitive molecules drives noticeable trends in the applications of cyclodextrins in pharmaceutical industry, food, polymer, materials, and agricultural science. Among them, β-cyclodextrin is one of the most used for the entrapment of phenolic acid compounds to mask the bitterness of wheat bran. In this regard, there is still a need for a good predictive model that assesses β-cyclodextrin bitterness masking capabilities for various phenolic compounds. This study uses a dataset of 20 phenolic acids docked to the β-cyclodextrin cavity to generate three different binding constants. The data from docking study were combined with topological, topographical and quantum-chemical features from the ligands in a machine learning-based structure-activity relationship study. Three different models for each binding constant were computed using a combination of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) approaches. The developed ML/QSAR models showed a very good performance, with high predictive ability and correlation coefficients of 0.969 and 0.984, for training and test sets, respectively. The models revealed several factors responsible for a binding with cyclodextrin, showing positive contributions toward the binding affinity values, including such features as presence of six-membered rings in the molecule, branching, electronegativity values, and polar surface area.

Wheat is widely grown in the Mediterranean region, where plants frequently face water shortages. Recently, more attention to rationalizing irrigation water has been increased due to the adoption of sustainable agricultural systems. Therefore, two field trials were conducted at the Agriculture Research Station of Nubaria, Egypt, in two consecutive seasons (2017/2018 and 2018/2019) to examine three irrigation regimes' effects, i.e., 60, 80, and 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) combined with foliar ascorbic acid (AsA) or vitamin B2 (VB2) on yield and water productivity of wheat in two separate experiments. A split-plot design was used with three replicates. Irrigation treatments occupied the main plots, while the subplot in the first experiment was placed by ascorbic acid (AsA) and vitamin B2 in the second experiment. Results indicated that 100% ETc produced higher wheat yield and its attributes and insignificantly surpassed 80% ETc. Compared to the unsprayed plots, the foliar application of 6 mM ascorbic acid or 2.0 mM vitamin B2 significantly increased grain yield, components, and water use efficiency. The interaction between irrigation regimes (100% ETc or 80% ETc) and foliar application of 6.0 mM ascorbic acid or 2.0 mM vitamin B2 resulted in the highest values with no significant difference. Foliar application of ascorbic acid or vitamin B2 saved 20% of irrigation water while yielding a reduction that did not exceed 10%. The biplot graph of treatments x traits (TT) was a useful statistical tool for examining the impact of treatments on yield and its characteristics and identifying the links between these factors. Results suggest that riboflavin or ascorbic acid may have a potential role as an effective antioxidant for enhancing the tolerance for drought stress in wheat.

A combination of straw filtration and nanofiltration was investigated for the first time as a sus-tainable approach aimed at valorizing olive mills wastewaters (OMWs) within a circular economy strategy. Ground straw filters with different granulometry (120, 250 and 500 m) were tested in the first step to clarify the raw wastewater. The 500m filter offered the best performance due to a lower exposed surface of the filtering fibers and a shorter filtering time allowing to reduce about 70% of the COD of the raw wastewater. Three different commercial membranes in flat-sheet con-figuration with molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) in the range 150-500 Da were tested to frac-tionate the clarified wastewater according to a dead-end configuration. Among the investigated membranes the NFA-12A membrane exhibited the highest productivity in selected operating conditions (steady-state values of 11.4 L/m2h at 20 bar and 24 ± 2 °C). In addition, flux decays for this membrane resulted lower than the other two tested membranes indicating a lower propensity to fouling phenomena. Higher rejections towards total polyphenols and TAA (76.6% and 73.2%, respectively) were also observed for this membrane. Flavanols and hydroxycinnamic acids were retained for more than 99%. The combination of straw filtration and NF with NFA-12A membrane allowed to reduce the COD of raw OMWs up to 97.6%. The retentate fraction of this membrane exhibited a TAA of 18.9 ± 0.7 mM Trolox supporting its propensity for the development of inno-vative formulations of interest in food and nutraceutical applications.

This study chose the indoor soil column test as the main method and the field test as the validation test to investigate the effects of various straw mulching techniques (surface, deep and straw mulching + deep burial) on evaporation and salt dynamics in saline soils. The results showed that straw mulching treatment could effectively reduce soil water evaporation, promote desalination in the stage of leaching infiltration and alleviate salt return in the stage of water evaporation, and the effect of straw mulching + deep burial treatment was better than that of single-layer straw mulching treatment. The indoor soil column test showed that S2D1 treatment (a 2:1 ratio of soil surface cover to the amount of straw buried 40cm below the soil surface) had the best effect on the suppression of soil moisture evaporation, and the cumulative evaporation of soil moisture was reduced by 65.85% compared with that of the CK, and the rate of salinity return in the evaporation stage was effectively reduced by 92.04% compared with that of the CK. In addition, there is a significant positive correlation between cumulative evaporation of soil moisture and cumulative soil salinity, which implies that cumulative soil salinity increases with cu-mulative evaporation of soil moisture. The results of the field experiment were consistent with the soil column test, and the S2D1 treatment was able to maintain high soil moisture content in all soil layers in all periods of the experiment and kept soil salinity in the 0-40 cm soil layer at a low level. However, in the 40-80 cm soil layer, the soil salinity suppression effect of DB treatment (straw buried at 40 cm below soil surface) was the best. So in summary, the S2D1 treatment had the best salinity and evapo-transpiration suppression effect in saline soils. This study is of great significance for the resource uti-lization of straw waste, improvement of water utilization and efficiency, and soil salinization manage-ment.

Air pollution and the increasing production of greenhouse gases has prompted greater use of renewable energy sources; the EU has set the use of green energy at 32 percent by 2030. With this in mind, in the last 10 years the demand for pellets in Italy has more than doubled making Italy the second largest consumer in Europe. The quality of the pellets burned in stoves is crucial to indoor and outdoor pollution. Among other parameters, moisture and ash are used to classify pellets according to EN ISO 17225:2014. This work involved the analysis of the organic and inorganic fraction of both some finished products on the Italian market and some raw materials (e.g., wood chips) sampled according to the technical standard EN 14778:2011. The analytical results showed the presence of some substances potentially harmful to human health such as formaldehyde, acetone, toluene and styrene for the organic fraction and nickel, lead and vanadium for the inorganic fraction. The chemometric approach showed that it is the inorganic fraction which is most responsible for the diversification of the samples under study. The detection of some substances may be a warning bell about the impact of such materials both for the environment and for the human health.

Developing advanced carbon materials by utilizing biomass waste has attracted much attention. Herein, a N-doped carbon material (RSM-0.33-550) was prepared by directly pyrolyzing reed straw and melamine. The as-prepared RSM-0.33-550 possessed a N content of 6.02% and a specific surface area of 547.1 m2 g-1. As the anode for supercapacitors (SCs), in 6 M KOH, such RSM-0.33-550 exhibited a capacitance of 202.8 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1. At a high current density of 20 A g-1, it still remained a capacitance of 158 F g-1. Notably, it delivered an excellent stability with capacity retention of 96.3% at 20 A g-1 after 5000 cycles. This work not only offer a new electrode material for SCs, but also gives a new insight for rationally utilizing the biomass waste for energy storage.

Global energy scenario is becoming vital for the sustainable economic development of a region or country. Current changes in energy production, mainly due to scarcity and geopolitical factors, have proven the need for changes in energy mix towards a lower energy dependence. In that sense, a considerable amount of biomass waste is generated in many regions, because of agro-industrial activities, whose management could contribute to energy production. The aim of this work was to study the determination of combustion conditions in a biomass stove by using different raw materials as fuels, such as pine, poplar, and plum tree pellets. For that purpose, power, excess air, and biomass content were optimized, among other parameters, and fumes were analyzed with a Testo 335 analyzer, recording temperatures with temperature probes. As a conclusion, high yields were found for the optimized parameters of the studied biomass (ranging from 91.1 % for poplar pellet to 92.34 % for pine pellet), making these three biomass fuels suitable for combustion in the abovementioned stove. Also, increasing biomass flow by 25 % in the stove contributed to a higher efficiency of the process, especially in the case of plum tree pellets.

Ammonium sulfate has been utilized in agriculture; however, there is a dearth of research on its application in maize cultivation subsequent to the implementation of nitrification inhibitors or coating. This study aims to analyze the impacts of various combinations of ammonium sulfate fertilizers on soil nutrients, plant nutrient uptake, yield, and fertilizer utilization efficiency in maize cultivation to ascertain the optimal and stabilized disposal method for ammonium sulfate. A completely randomized design was employed with five treatments (AU, the control using urea; AS, treatment using ammonium sulfate; ASN, treatment using ammonium sulfate with a nitrification inhibitor; ASG, treatment using oil-coated ammonium sulfate; ASD, treatment using oil-humic acid-coated ammonium sulfate). Results showed that: (1) Compared with AU and AS, ASN, ASG and ASD decreased the leaching rates of TN, NH4+-N and NO3-N to the 10-20 cm soil layer, and more residual N was obtained in 0-10 cm soil layer. The first-order kinetic equation Nt=N0(1-e-kt) can better fit the process of nitrogen accumulation and release, and the N release rate constant is AU>CK>AS>ASH>ASN>ASD; (2) Compared with AU and AS treatments, the plant dry weight, grain dry weight, spike width, spike length, and yields of maize increased by 8.85-11.08%, 12.98-14.15%, 2.95-3.52%, 5.50-5.65%, and 43.21-51.10% under ASG treatment respectively. The impact of effective spike number on maize yield was found to be significant, as demonstrated by the path analysis conducted in this study. Furthermore, the accumulation levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium within above-ground plants significantly increased under the ASG treatment compared to the AU and AS treatments. The partial productivity of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium increased by 1.43-1.51-fold under ASG treatment, while grain nitrogen balance, grain phosphorus balance, and grain potassium balance increased by 1.41-1.58-fold, 1.51-1.95-fold, and 1.15-l.96-fold respectively. The oil-coated ammonium sulfate, therefore, exhibited the optimal slow-release effect of nutrients, thereby achieving superior performance in enhancing maize production and efficiency.

Wheat, a component of the staple diet globally, is a common food allergen in children. The symptoms of wheat allergy (WA) range from skin rash to shortness of breath, significantly impairing quality of life. Following initial clinical suspicion, individuals may undergo wheat allergen-specific skin prick test (SPT), blood test for serum immunoglobulin E (sIgE) levels or oral food challenge. Conventional management of WA lies in wheat avoidance, yet accidental consumption may be inevitable owing to the ubiquity of wheat in various food products. This article aims to provide an overview of the immunologic pathway of WA, followed by its novel diagnostic methods, namely alcohol-soluble SPT extracts, component-resolved diagnosis and basophil activation test (BAT). The mechanisms underlying wheat allergen-specific oral immunotherapy (OIT) as well as a summary of the efficacy, tolerability and safety of related clinical trials will then be discussed.

Reticulate evolution through the interchanging of genetic components across organisms can impact significantly on the fitness and adaptation of species. Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum) is one of the most important crops in the world. Allopolyploid speciation, frequent hybridization, extensive introgression, and occasional horizontal gene transfer (HGT) have been shaping a typical paradigm of reticulate evolution in bread wheat and its wild relatives, which is likely to have a substantial influence on phenotypic traits and environmental adaptability of bread wheat. In this review, we outlined the evolutionary history of bread wheat and its wild relatives with a highlight on the interspecific hybridization events, demonstrating the reticulate relationship between species/subspecies in the genera Triticum and Aegilops. Furthermore, we discussed the genetic mechanisms and evolutionary significance underlying the introgression of bread wheat and its wild relatives. An in-depth understanding of the evolutionary process of Triticum species should be beneficial to future genetic study and breeding of bread wheat.

Aluminum (Al) toxicity and low phosphorus availability (LP) are the top two co-existing edaphic constraints limiting agriculture productivity in acid soils. Plants have evolved versatile mechanisms to cope with the two stresses alone or simultaneously. However, the specific and common molecular mechanisms, especially those on flavonoids and carbohydrate metabolism, are still unclear. Laboratory studies were conducted on two wheat genotypes, Fielder (Al-tolerant and P-efficient) and Ardito (Al-sensitive and P-inefficient), exposed to 50 μM Al and 2 μM Pi (LP) in hydroponic solutions. After 4 days of stress, wheat roots were analyzed via transcriptomic and targeted metabolomic techniques. A total of 2296 differentially expressed genes (DEGs, 1535 up and 761 down) under Al and 3029 DEGs (1591 up and 1438 down) under LP were identified in Fielder. Similarly, 4404 DEGs (3191 up and 1213 down) under Al and 1430 DEGs (1176 up and 254 down) under LP were identified in Ardito. The GO annotation analysis results that 4079 DEGs annotated to the metabolic processes term. These DEGs were significantly enriched in the phenylpropanoid, flavonoid, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and carbohydrate metabolism pathways by performing the KEGG enrichment analysis. The targeted metabolome analysis detected 19 flavonoids and 15 carbohydrate components in Fielder and Ardito under Al and LP. More responsive genes and metabolites were involved in flavonoid metabolism under LP than Al in the Fielder, while an opposite trend in the Ardito. In the carbohydrate metabolism pathway, the genes and metabolites were higher in Fielder than in Ardito. The combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed that the flavonoid and carbohydrate genes and metabolites differed between Fielder and Ardito under Al and LP, which may be an important reason for Fielder’s high Al and LP resistance. The results of this study lay a foundation for pyramiding genes and breeding multi-resistance varieties.

The nutrient absorption and utilization efficiency in the roots of seedlings are beneficial for increasing crop yield. Creating marker assisted selection for wheat root traits can assist wheat breeders in choosing robust roots to maximize nutrient uptake. Exploring and identifying the effect of different nitrogen applications on RSA is of great significance for breeding nitrogen efficient wheat varieties. In this study, A total of 243 wheat varieties native to the Yellow and Huai Valley regions of China were utilized for genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Furthermore, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 123 lines derived from the cross between Avocet and Chilero was utilized for linkage examination and confirmation of the hereditary loci distinguished by GWAS. Five RSA traits include the relative number of root tips (RNRT); relative total root length (RTRL); relative total root surface area (RTRS); relative total root volume (RTRV) and relative average root diameter (RARD) where evaluated under two N conditions—normal N (NN) supply and low N (LN)—to characterize the NUE of each accession. GWAS and linkage analysis were performed by integrating data from the wheat 660k single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip and diversity arrays technology (DArT) to identify genetic loci associated with RSA. The results showed that based on the ratio of RSA related traits under two N supply conditions, a total of 598 SNP markers, which are significantly associated with RSA related traits, were detected at 160 genetic loci by GWAS. A total of 10 QTL loci related to RSA were dis-covered and identified by linkage mapping. In which, three significant RSA related Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) were identified, namely qRtrl-3D, qRnrt-3D, and qRtrl-7D. The study has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of selecting root traits in wheat breeding programs, offering valuable insights into the genetic underpinnings of nitro-gen use efficiency (NUE) in wheat. This could lead to the creation of NUE wheat varieties by implementing focused breeding strategies.

One of the operational challenges for the use of bentonite pellets as a sealing material in the abandonment of offshore fields consists in their disposition inside the well. This study aims to analyze the interaction of fluid media, consisting of saline solutions (NaCl, CaCl2 and KCl) and organic compounds (diesel, glycerin and olefin), with bentonite pellets, aiming its application as displacement fluid in offshore oil well abandonment operations. The physical integrity of the bentonite pellets in contact with the fluids was verified through visual inspections and dispersibility tests. Linear swelling tests were also performed to evaluate the potential for swelling of pellets in deionized water after contact with the fluid media. The results indicated that NaCl, CaCl2 and KCl solutions completely compromise the physical integrity of the pellets, while diesel and olefin showed the best responses regarding the structural preservation. Futhermore, the linear swelling tests showed that, even after the contact with diesel and olefin for 1 hour, bentonite pellets have reached a total swelling in water of 78%, after 24 hours. In this way, diesel and olefin proved to be highly promising alternatives to be used as displacement fluids for bentonite pellets in wells to be abandoned in a submarine environment.

Genetic enhancement of grain production and quality is a priority in wheat breeding projects. In this study, we assessed two key agronomic traits - grain protein content (GPC) and thousand kernel weight (TKW) - across 179 Bulgarian contemporary and historic varieties, and landraces in three growing seasons. Significant phenotypic variation existed for both traits among genotypes and seasons, and no discernible difference was evident between the old and modern accessions. To understand the genetic basis of the traits, we conducted a genome-wide association study with MLM using phenotypic data from the crop seasons, best linear unbiased estimators, genotypic data from the 25K Infinium iSelect array, and a Bonferroni-adjusted p-value. As a result, 776 significant quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) organized into quantitative trait loci were discovered, including 25 loci associated with GPC, and 35 loci linked to TKW. Additionally, 14 environmentally stable QTNs were identified for TKW. Certain loci on chromosomes 2A, 3A, and 6B favorably in-fluenced GPC, while the locus on chromosome 6D impacted TKW positively. These loci may reflect novel associations to the two traits. Annotations for proteins involved in the remobilization of carbon and nitrogen from vegetative tissues to developing grain during senescence, as well as in the following buildup of resources required for seed germination, have been found for selected pu-tative candidate genes. These include genes coding for 11S globulin seed storage protein, glutamine synthetase, metalloendopeptidase, components of the ubiquitin/proteasome system, sucrose transporter, alpha-amylase, NAC and bZIP transcription factors. Our findings highlight promising genomic regions for targeted breeding programs aimed at improving grain yield and protein content.

The Eucalyptus genus is the most planted forest crop in the world, with Brazil being one of the countries with the greatest productive potential. However, the occurrence of weeds can cause losses in productivity. Chemical control is widely used, but the efficiency of herbicides depends on factors such as the presence of straw in the soil and the occurrence of rainfall. Due to the scarcity of results regarding the interaction between herbicide, straw, and water depth in the forest sector, the objective of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of S-metolachlor + glyphosate in the control of grasses in different densities of eucalyptus straw and with simulated rain after the application of the product. The experiment was conducted in DBC, factorial 3×3×2, with four replications. The first factor represented 0, 50 and 100% of the commercial dose of S-metolachlor + glyphosate, the second 0, 5, and 10 ton ha-2 of straw, and the third 25 and 50mm of water depth applied in soil with a mix of grasses previously sowed. The rainfall simulation was performed 24 hours after herbicide application on each straw volume. The fresh mass of the aerial part of the grasses was collected 43 days after sowing and dried in an oven to determine the dry mass. Visual analyzes of the percentage of control were performed with scales ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 represents no control and 100 efficient control. The fresh and dry mass and the grasses' dry mass/water ratio decreased with increasing herbicide dosage and straw density. The dosage of 2.12 + 1.59 kg i.a. ha-1 of S-metolachlor + glyphosate resulted in greater control of grasses, and the treatments without straw and with the application of the herbicide had the highest percentages of control. Applying different water depths (25 mm or 50 mm) did not influence the control. Despite the control of grasses, the efficiency of the herbicide mixture was affected by the presence of vegetation cover.

The decomposition of straw is a dynamic process, which is reflected in the decomposing microbial consortia, however, this process is poorly understood. Here we performed an experiment on the gradual colonization of oat straw by the soil microbial community. The results showed that soil respiration and bacterial diversity were negatively correlated – while the first decreased, the latter increased. In accordance with the dynamics of diversity and respiration, succession was divided into early, middle, and late decomposition phases. Analysis of 16S rRNA and ITS2 amplicon sequencing data revealed three jointly changing groups of phylotypes, corresponding with distinguished phases of decomposition. The presence of cellulolytic members of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteriota for bacteria and Ascomycota for fungi had been detected since the early phase, but most of the initial phylotypes were gone by the end of the phase. The second phase marked the functional core with a constant set of other phylotypes from these phyla, persisting in the community. Full metagenome sequencing of the microbial community from the end of the middle phase confirmed that major members of this consortium had GH genes, connected to cellulose and chitin degradation. The appearance of non-cellulolytic members from Bdellovibrio, Myxococcota, Chloroflexi, and Crenarchaeota characterized the last phase of the mature community.

Malaysia generates significant quantities of lignocellulosic wastes through the production of crude palm oil (CPO). Over the years, the accumulation of the oil palm wastes (OPW) have become an environmental burden. These problems can be addressed by pretreatment and valorisation of OPW in bioenergy as envisioned in the National Biomass Strategy (NBS-2020). However, current strategies for the OPW valorisation are inefficient and unsustainable resulting in increased environmental challenges. Therefore, this paper proposes the pelletization and torrefaction of oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB). Furthermore, the thermal degradation behaviour and potential product yields from OPEFB pellet torrefaction will be examined. The results revealed that the mass yield (M_Y) decreased from 67.89% to 33.11%, whereas energy yield (E_Y) decreased from 88.29% to 49.18% as the torrefaction temperature increased from 250 °C to 350 °C. However, the energy density (D_E) increased from 1.30 to 1.49 due to the increase in higher heating value (HHV) from 22.85 MJ/kg to 26.10 MJ/kg. Likewise, the severity factor (S_F) increased from 5.89 to 8.84 with increasing torrefaction temperature. The results also revealed that effect of temperature on the torrefaction parameters; M_Y, E_Y, D_E, and HHV are slightly reduced after 300 °C. Overall, the findings demonstrate that torrefaction improved the fuel properties and energy recovery potential of the OPEFB pellets.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding programs can take over a decade to release a new variety. However, new methods of selection such as genomic selection (GS) must be integrated to decrease the time it takes to release new varieties to meet the demand of a growing population. The implementation of GS into breeding programs is still being explored, with many studies showing its potential to change wheat breeding through achieving higher genetic gain. In this review, we explore the integration of GS for a wheat breeding program by redesigning the traditional breeding pipeline to implement GS. We propose implementing a two-part breeding strategy by differentiating between population improvement and product development. The implementation of GS in the product development pipeline can be integrated into most stages and can predict within and across breeding cycles. Additionally, we explore optimizing the population improvement strategy through GS recurrent selection schemes to reduce crossing cycle time and significantly increase genetic gain. The recurrent selection schemes can be optimized for parental selection, maintenance of genetic variation, and optimal cross-prediction. Overall, we outline the ability to increase the genetic gain of a breeding program by implementing GS and a two-part breeding strategy.

Although wheat is a staple food for most of human population, some of its components trigger adverse reactions. Among wheat components, the alpha-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATI) are important triggers of several allergies and activators of innate immunity. ATI are a group of exogenous protease inhibitors and include several polypeptides. The three ATI polypeptides named CM3, CM16 and 0.28 are considered major allergens, and might also play a role in other common wheat-related pathologies, such as Non Celiac Wheat Sensitivity and even Celiac Disease. On this basis, we pointed to obtain high amounts of them in purity and evaluating their allergenicity potential. We thus isolated the mRNA corresponding to the three ATI genes CM3, CM16 and 0.28 from 28 days post-anthesis wheat kernels and the corresponding cDNAs were used for heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris. The three purified proteins were tested in degranulation assay against human sera of patients with food allergy to wheat. A large range of degranulation values was observed for each protein according to the sera tested. All the three purified proteins CM3, CM16 and 0.28 were active as allergens because able to induce basophils degranulation on wheat allergic patients’ sera, but the highest values of β-hexosaminidase release were observed for CM3 protein.

The study aimed to evaluate for the first time the degree of contamination of soil and crops with major and trace elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, F, Na, Mg, Si, P, Cl, Fe, Al) in agricultural lands situated in the Lower Danube Basin, Galati and Braila counties (SE Romania), impacted by the steel industry. Soil samples from two depths (0–5 cm and 5–30 cm), as well as leaves and seeds of wheat, corn, and sunflower, were collected from 11 different sites. Along with elemental and mineralogical analysis, performed by HR-CS AAS, PIGE, SEM-EDX and ATR-FTIR, the soil pH, texture, organic matter, electric conductivity and CaCO3 content were investigated. The results showed that the levels of Cr (83.270–383.100 mg kg-1), Cu (17.110–68.151 mg kg-1), Ni (30.157–55.656 mg kg-1), and F (319–544 mg kg-1) in soil exceeded the Romanian regulations for sensitive use of the land. The pollution indices (Igeo, EF, PI, PERI) indicate that the soil is moderate to highly contaminated with Cr, Ni and Cu, while CSI and mERMQ indices suggested a relatively low risk for metal contamination. The concentrations of elements in plant tissues and bioaccumulation factors (BFs) show the soil-plant relation and health risk, but also the elemental selectivity of vegetal compartments. Thus, the results showed that wheat plants tend to exclude the bioaccumulation of certain elements in their tissues, while for Zn and Cu, the bioaccumulation pattern is different. In the case of corn, most BFs were below 1, indicating limited phytoaccumulation capacity. However, exceptions were observed for Cd, Zn, and Cu. Sunflower BFs indicate higher bioconcentration of Cu, Cd, and Zn in both the leaves and seeds compared to other elements. Chromium (Cr) contributes to non-carcinogenic dermal contact and ingestion hazards, with children being more susceptible to the adverse effects of this contaminant.

Climate change, growing world population and increasing food demand require higher yields and adaptability of crops, including spring bread wheat. Modern plant breeding based on achievements of genetics has a significant impact on plant resistance to diseases, climate variability and other factors. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) is one of genetics tools for mining of genome loci associated with economically important traits. In the current study, we applied GWAS to reveal QTL for spike productivity and grain quality using a panel of spring varieties of Triticum aestivum L. bred in different decades of the last century in Russia and Germany. The study has enabled to find new genetic markers associated with grain yield and quality. Studying genetic basis of grain yield and quality by comparison of wheat varieties from different breeding periods, including landraces preserved as the source of valuable genetic diversity for breeding and genetic studies, makes it possible not only to understand selection processes in the past, but also to develop strategies for future breeding work.

The straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and is widely hunted for bushmeat. It is known to harbour a range of paramyxoviruses, including rubuloviruses and henipaviruses, but the zoonotic potential of these is unknown. We previously found a diversity of paramyxoviruses within a small, captive colony of E. helvum after it had been closed to contact with other bats for five years. In this study, we used under-roost urine collection to further investigate the paramyxovirus diversity and ecology in this colony, which had been closed to the outside for ten years at the time of sampling. By sampling urine weekly throughout an entire year, we investigated possible seasonal patterns of shedding of virus or viral RNA. Using a generic paramyxovirus L-gene PCR, we detected eight distinct paramyxovirus RNA sequences. Six distinct sequences were detected using a Henipavirus-specific PCR which targeted a different region of the L-gene. Sequence detection had a bi-annual pattern, with the greatest peak in July, although different RNA sequences appeared to have different shedding patterns. No significant associations were detected between sequence detection and birthing season, environmental temperature or humidity, and no signs of illness were detected in any of the bats in the colony during the period of sample collection.

In this paper, the effect of Bi₂O₃ doping on the mechanical properties of PbO ceramic pellets was studied. For this purpose, different ratios of Bi2O3/PbO (i.e., xBi2O3–(1-x)PbO, where x is 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 wt%) were fabricated and sintered at 570, 620, and 670°C. Mechanical properties including density, hardness, flexural strength, and sintering of PbO were studied for the aforementioned compositions. Phase compositions, microstructures, and worn surfaces of the composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD analysis revealed that a solid solution formed in the composite ceramic. The best suited conditions of temperature and doping of Bi₂O₃ for optimal sintering are 620°C and 3 wt%, respectively. The hardness of the 3 wt% Bi2O3–97 wt% PbO ceramic was 717 MPa, which is about four times higher than the hardness of pure PbO; in addition, the strength of the composites was 43 MPa, which is two times higher than that of pure PbO. The integrity of the composites was verified using the lead–bismuth eutectic alloy flushing experiment. Results of this research paper are important for future studies of oxygen control in the lead–bismuth eutectic alloy of lead-cooled fast reactors.

Conservation agriculture (CA) could be very effective for agricultural sustainability under Mediterranean environments, where farmers rely on short rotation based on durum wheat. In this work we investigated the effect of different combination of tillage treatments and crop sequence (conventional tillage and wheat monocropping, CT-WW; conventional tillage, and wheat following faba-bean, CT-WF; zero tillage and wheat monocropping, ZT-WW; zero tillage and wheat following faba-bean, ZT-WF) on yield, grain quality traits as well as on diseases incidence and severity in durum wheat (var. Saragolla). The results of a two-years of data of a long-term experiment (7-year experiment; split-plot design) are discussed. The CA approach (ZT+WF), which induced always the highest grain yields (6.1 t ha-1 and 3.3 t ha-1 in 2016 and 2017) thanks to an increased number of spikes m-2 (296 vs 269 and 303 vs 287 spikes m-2 in 2016 and 2017, respectively) as well as to a more pronounced ear length, demonstrated significant positive influences in terms of grain quality. It promoted grain protein accumulation (12.1% for ZT+WF versus 11.4% for ZT+WW and 12.4% for ZT+WF versus 10.6% for ZT+WW in 2016 and 2017), improved gluten quality (in terms of SDS sedimentation test) and colour of the grain. The abundance of crop residues determined a higher incidence and severity of Zymoseptoria tritici leaf symptoms under CA system; nevertheless the late appearance of infection was the main reason of not affecting yield and quality traits. The presence of faba-bean (WF) in the rotation significantly reduced leaf symptoms of Z. tritici.

The Australian dairy sheep industry is small and mostly based on a natural grass grazing system which can limit productivity. The current study tested different plant oil-infused and rumen protected polyunsaturated fats and their interactions with sire breeds to improve lactation traits and body condition score (BCS) of ewes grazing low quality pastures. It was hypothesised that supplementing lactating ewe diets plant-derived polyunsaturated oils will improve milk production and composition without compromising BCS. Sixty ewes (n=10/treatment) in mid-lactation, balanced by sire breed, parity, milk yield, body condition score, and liveweight were supplemented with: 1) control: wheat-based pellets without oil inclusion; wheat-based pellets including 2) canola oil (CO); 3) rice bran oil (RBO); 4) flaxseed oil (FSO), 5); safflower oil (SFO) and 6) rumen protected fat containing eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (RPO). Except for the control group, all supplementary diets included the same level of 50 ml/kg DM of oil and all diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Experimental animals were grazed in the same paddock with ad libitum access to pasture, hay and water during the 10-week study. RPO was the most effective diet that enhanced milk, fat and protein yields by approximately 30, 13, and 31% respectively (P<0.0001). Significant increase in milk production was also observed in CO, RBO, and SFO (P<0.0001). Breed significantly influenced animal performance with higher milk yield recorded for crossbred Awassi x East Friesian (AW x EF) (578 g/day) vs purebred Awassi (452 g/day) (P<0.0001). This study provides empirical evidence for the use of rumen-protected and plant-derived oil-infused pellets as supplements under low quality pasture grazing conditions, to improve production performance of purebred Awassi and crossbred AW x EF ewes.

China is out of extreme poverty in 2020 on schedule and one decade in advance to fulfill the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and became the first developing country to alleviate poverty in half century. Therefore, a large numbers of effective approaches are emerging, and the intellectual’s technology-led poverty reduction, which locally known as the “Straw Hat University”initiated by “Farmer's professor”mode, is the most tried and tested approach motivated by the intellectual’s “Serve the people” tradition and supported by the all nation. This research conduct case analysis with three most remarkable organic intellectuals as Agronomist Yuan longping, Mycologist Lin Zhanxi and Plant pathologist Zhu Youyong with their bridging gaps in food security, regional imbalance and ethnic disparity respectively to sort out the sustainable modules and universal experiences. The conclusion indicates that“Farmer's Professor” Initiated “Straw Hat University” is an effective approach to solve human beings’ development problems and benefit the livelihoods, especially in the under development regions; and the authentic down to earth experiments into productivity as well as the Intellectual property transformation is the perfect path to deploy offline and online resources building the effective production and supply chain to integrate industries by intellectual’s critical innovation.

To evaluate dryland wheat genotypes' performance to different pre-crop and residue management under dryland conditions, a split-split plot experiment based on RCB design with three replications was conducted for two years (2017-2018 and 2018-2019). The site of study's long-term average precipitation, temperature, and relative humidity are 376 mm, 9 ◦C, and 50%, respectively. Wheat-wheat and vetch-wheat cropping systems were considered in the main plots, different wheat and vetch residue levels including 0, 2, and 4 t ha-1 were located in subplots, and five dryland wheat genotypes including Sadra, Hashtroud, Baran, Varan, and Ohadi were allocated in sub-sub plots. Results indicated that leaf chlorophyll content index (CCI) and stomatal conductance (gs) were greater in the vetch-wheat cropping system compared to the wheat monoculture system for all genotypes. Normalized differences vegetative index (NDVI) of genotypes improved by applying the crop residue. Over two years, the application of crop residues resulted in higher variable fluorescence at J and I steps as well as an increase in the photosynthesis performance index (PI). Varan and Baran genotypes stood out as the superior genotype, exhibiting the highest values physiological characteristics and grain yield under the application of 4 t ha-1 of vetch residue. Grain filling rate (GFR) was reduced, while grain filling duration (GFD) was increased with increasing the crop residue levels. The enhanced grain yield of wheat genotypes grown under vetch residue attributed to the factors such as improvement in leave pigments and photosynthetic efficiency which facilitate longer grain filling duration with high grain weight. As a result, it is advisable to adopt a vetch-wheat cropping system with a high proportion of crop residue in dryland regions to achieve increased and sustainable wheat production.

Drought stress severely affects the normal growth and development of wheat, leading to reduced yields and quality. To address the lag and limitations of traditional drought monitoring methods, this paper proposes a drought stress monitoring model for winter wheat during critical growth stages based on deep learning. By acquiring drought stress images of winter wheat during three critical growth stages: rise-jointing, heading-flowering and flowering-maturity, a dataset correlating these images with soil moisture monitoring data was established. The DenseNet121 network model was selected as the base network to extract phenotypic features of winter wheat under drought stress. Variables such as the model's training approach, changes in learning rate, and whether an attention mechanism was included, were used to conduct eight sets of model training and optimization strategy experiments. A drought stress monitoring model for winter wheat during critical growth stages based on an improved DenseNet-121 was constructed. The results showed that the average recognition accuracy of the eighth group in the test set reached 94.67%, indicating good application prospects in the recognition of drought stress levels during critical growth stages of wheat.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential macro nutrient for crop growth; therefore, N deficit can greatly limit crop growth and production. In the North China Plain (NCP), winter wheat is one of the main food crops, and its yield has increased from approximately 4000 kg ha-1 to 6000 kg ha-1 in the last two decades. Determining the proper N application rates at different growth stages and in all seasons is very important for the sustainable and high production of wheat in the NCP. A field experiment with five N application rates (250, 200, 150, 100, and 40 kgN·ha-1, designated as N250, N200, N150, N100, and N40, respectively) was conducted during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 winter wheat seasons to investigate the effects of the N application rate on water- and fertiliz-er-utilization efficiency, and on the crop growth and yield of winter wheat under sprinkler fer-tigation conditions. The results showed that, in the N application range of 40-200 kg ha-1, crop yield and water- and fertilizer-use efficiencies increased as the N application rate increased; however, further increases in the N application rate did not have additional benefits. The N up-take after regreening of winter wheat linearly increased with crop growth. Considering the wheat yield and N-use efficiency, the optimal N application range was 200 kg ha-1, and the best top-dressing strategy was equal amounts of N applied at the regreening, jointing, and grain-filling stages. The results of this study will be useful for optimizing field N management to achieve high wheat yield production in the NCP and in regions with similar climatic and soil environment conditions.

In recent years, there has been an intensification of weather variability worldwide as a result of climate change. Some regions have been affected by drought, while others have experienced more intense rainfall. The incidence and severity of mouldy grain and mycotoxin contamination during the growing and harvesting seasons have increased as a result of these weather conditions. Addi-tionally, torrential rains and wet conditions may cause delays in grain drying, leading to mold growth in the field. In July 2023, a wheat field in Lecco (Lombardy, Italy) was affected by torren-tial rains that led to the development of the Claviceps fungi. In the field, dark sclerotia were identi-fied on some ears. Wheat ears, kernels and sclerotia were collected and analyzed by LC-MS/MS at IZSLER, Food Chemical Department, in Bologna. The wheat ears, kernels and sclerotia were ana-lyzed for 12 ergot alkaloids (EAs) according to (EU) Regulation 2023/915 (er-gocornine/ergocorninine; ergocristine/ergocristinine; ergocryptine/ergocryptinine; ergome-trine/ergometrinine; ergosine/ergosinine; ergotamine/ergotaminine), after QuEChERS (Z-Sep/C18) purification. The analyzed sclerotia showed significant differences in total alkaloids content that varies between 0.01-0.5% (w/w), according to the results of 2017 EFSA scientific report. EAs de-tected in sclerotia were up to 4951 mg/kg, in wheat ears up to 33 mg/kg, and in kernels were 1 mg/kg. Additional mycotoxins including ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisins, T2-HT2 toxins, and aflatoxins were investigated in wheat kernels, after purification with immu-noaffinity columns (IAC). The analysis revealed the presence of deoxynivalenol in wheat kernels at a concentration of 2251 µg/kg. It is expected that climate change will increase the frequency of extreme weather events. In order to mitigate the potential risks associated with mycotox-in-producing fungi and to ensure the protection of human health, it is suggested to implement of-ficial controls in the field.

Wheat pollen, characterized by its short lifespan, exhibits rapid germination after anthesis. The preservation of wheat pollen is contingent upon environmental factors, including temperature, relative humidity, light, and wind. The objective is to develop a method for preserving wheat pollen effectively, specifically for the purpose of breeding. The short longevity of wheat pollen grains renders it impractical to conduct tests for pollen viability and in vitro germination on a large scale. Herein, the impact of storage temperatures and duration was assessed on pollen viability and in vitro germination to optimize storage conditions for preserving pollen viability. Pollen grains from 50 diverse spring wheat genotypes, each with three replicates, were harvested and stored at temperatures of 22°C, -20°C, and 4°C. Subsequently, pollen viability and in vitro germination rates were determined after storage of 1, 3, and 6 days. The results revealed that storage temperatures, durations, genotypes, and their interactions had a statistically significant impact on both pollen viability and in vitro germination. Notably, when pollen was kept at 22°C, almost all genotypes exhibited a loss of pollen viability and in vitro germination after 1, 3, and 6 days of storage. Likewise, storage at -20°C failed to extend pollen germination. However, at a storage temperature of 4°C, the pollen of 36 wheat genotypes exhibited a range of 6-14% in vitro pollen germination and remained viable even for 6 days. Simple linear regression analysis further revealed a significant negative correlation between pollen viability, in vitro germination, and storage time and temperature. In conclusion, our findings underscore 4°C as the optimal temperature for preserving pollen viability and in vitro pollen germination in spring wheat for up to 6 days. The results of the present study suggests that pollen viability of wheat is genotype de-pendent, storage temperature and storage duration. Thus, the 36 wheat genotypes identified during the present work could be efficiently maintained at 4◦C for short-term storage (6 days) and could be further used for genetics and breeding purposes.

Selecting drought-tolerant and more water-efficient wheat genotypes is a research priority, spe-cifically in regions with irregular rainfall or areas where climate change is expected to result in reduced water availability. The objective of this work was to use high-throughput measurements with morphophysiological traits to characterize wheat genotypes in relation to water stress. Field experiments were conducted from May to September 2018 and 2019, using a sprinkler bar irriga-tion system to control water availability to eighteen wheat genotypes: BRS 254; BRS 264; CPAC 01019; CPAC 01047; CPAC 07258; CPAC 08318; CPAC 9110; BRS 394 (irrigated biotypes) and Aliança; BR 18_Terena; BRS 404; MGS Brilhante; PF 020037; PF 020062; PF 120337; PF 100368; PF 080492; TBIO Sintonia (rainfed biotypes). The water regimes varied from 22 to 100% of the crop evapotranspiration replacement. Water stress negatively affected gas exchange, vegetation indices and grain yield. High throughput variables TCARI, NDVI, OSAVI, SAVI, PRI, NDRE and GNDVI had higher correlation with yield and morphophysiological measurements. The drought re-sistance index indicated that genotypes Aliança BRS 254, BRS 404, CPAC 01019, PF 020062, and PF 080492 were more drought tolerant.

Sunn pest is one of the most crucial noxious species in agriculture. As the sunn pest penetrates and makes damage to the grains, they can no longer be utilized to make bakery goods like bread, pasta, and other baked foods since they become unusable. Therefore, analysis and detection of damaged wheat grains are necessary for production to continue. We recommend that the dataset could be used for analysis and segmentation of the wheat grains, detection of the sunn pest damage condition, and classification of the 6 species of which the dataset consists. As mentioned, in our dataset, there are 6 different species of wheat, including Bezostaja, Müfitbey, Nacibey, Sönmez-2001, Tosunbey, and Ekiz, which are the species that were made in Türkiye. Our dataset differs from the others due to its various species and the condition, whether it is healthy or sunn pest damaged or broken wheat grain, and because the dataset is a multiclass one, it can be used for the classification of the varieties. On the other hand, when the sunn pest damage condition is taken into account, the dataset is suitable for the detection of the sunn pest damage. In addition to that, the dataset includes grains that touch each other which makes it more applicable to problems that arise in real-life. The dataset consists of 83 sunn pest damaged and 87 healthy wheat images. In addition, there are 170 images that contain 3565 wheat grains. As can be observed, the dataset contains a variety of wheat species with sunn pest affected which displays that the promised dataset is suitable for numerous machine learning problems such as classification, segmentation, and detection.

Due to increase demand of food grain in the world, assessment of yield before actual production is important in making policies and decisions in agricultural production system. For a large area, forecast models developed from vegetation indices derived from remote sensing satellite data possesses the potential to give quantitative and timely information on crops over large areas. Different vegetation indices are being made used for this purpose, however, their efficiency in estimating crop yield is needed to be certainly tested. In this study, wheat yield forecast was derived by regressing ground truthing yield data against time series of spatial vegetation indices for the 2013 to 2019 growing seasons. These spatial vegetation indices derived from Landsat 8 image data: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) were compared to evaluate the most appropriate index that performs better in forecasting wheat production at Karcag, Kunhegyes and Ecsegfalva settlements in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary. The best time for making wheat yield prediction with Landsat 8- SAVI and NDVI was found to be the beginning of ripening period (160th day of the year) with higher correlation between the vegetation indices and the wheat yield. The validation results revealed that the model from SAVI provides more consistent and accurate forecasts yield compared to NDVI. The SAVI model forecast yield for the validation years, 2018 and 2019 were within 6.00% and 4.41% of the final reported values while that of NDVI model were within 8.31% and 6.27%. Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency index is positive with E1= 0.99 for the model from SAVI and for NDVI, E1=0.57, which connote that the forecasting method developed and evaluated performs acceptable forecast efficiency.

Root research on field grown crops is hindered by the difficulty of estimating root biomass in soil. Root washing, the current standard method is laborious and expensive. Biochemical methods to quantify root biomass in soil, targeting species-specific DNA, have potential as a more efficient assay. We combined an efficient DNA extraction method, designed specifically to extract DNA from soil, with well-established quantitative PCR methods to estimate the root biomass of twenty-two wheat varieties grown in field trials over two seasons. We also developed an assay for estimating root biomass for black-grass, a common weed of wheat cultivation. Two robust qPCR assays were developed to estimate the quantity of plant root DNA in soil samples, one specific to wheat and barley, and a second specific to black-grass. The DNA qPCR method was comparable, with high correlations, with the results of root washing from soil cores taken from winter wheat field trials. The DNA qPCR assay showed both variety and depth as significant factors in the distribution of root biomass in replicated field trials. The results suggest that these DNA qPCR assays are a useful, high throughput tool for investigating the genetic basis of wheat root biomass distribution in field grown crops, and the impact of black-grass root systems on crop production.

Salinity, resulting from climate change and excessive mineral fertilization, burdens farmers and negatively impacts soil and water ecosystems in the Northeastern Nile Delta. Organic and biological approaches are crucial for addressing these issues. This study examined the effects of individual and combined inoculations with cyanobacteria, yeast, and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), with or without K-humate, on enhancing salinity tolerance, increasing yield, and improving crop quality of wheat and faba bean. The aim was to reduce NPK mineral fertilizer application rates to 25% of recommended doses. An economic evaluation was also conducted. In a preliminary laboratory experiment, the interactive effects of these microbiomes on the production of plant antioxidant enzymes and soil enzymes were investigated under salinity stress. Results showed that co-inoculation, especially with K-humate, yielded superior outcomes compared to individual inoculations. The laboratory experiment findings were confirmed by a field trial conducted in saline-alkaline soil in the Northeastern Nile Delta region. The study found that the integrated inoculation of cyanobacteria, yeast, and mycorrhizae with K-humate, along with 25% mineral NPK fertilization enhanced microbial activity, including AMF colonization, spore density, and total bacteria, cyanobacteria, and yeast counts in the plant rhizosphere. It also increased soil enzyme activity, improving soil fertility compared to individual or mineral control treatments. This integration resulted in wheat yields of 2.77 tons/ha and faba bean yields of 4.75 tons/ha. Crop quality improved, with higher levels of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and protein in wheat grains and faba bean seeds. Microbiomes inoculation increased potassium uptake over sodium, enhancing the potassium/sodium ratio and salt stress tolerance. This approach reduces reliance on costly mineral fertilizers by up to 75%, enabling economically viable cultivation in marginal lands. These sustainable practices optimize resource utilization, maximize economic efficiency, and preserve natural resources.

Genetic variability in rice breeding program plays the very crucial role. It provides outstanding pool of superior alleles governing better agronomic and quality characters through association mapping. For the understanding of population structure and genetic relationship among the different rice lines is indispensable prior to setting of correlation among dynamic alleles and traits. In the present investigation, genetic diversity and population structure of 116 rice accessions by using 64 polymorphic SSR markers was targeted for the evaluation of the genetic relatedness and diversity. Genotyping assessment based on SSR markers revealed a total of 225 alleles, with an average PIC value of 0.755. The germplasm lines were classified into three distinct subgroups through population structure analysis, utilizing both model and distance-based approaches. AMOVA analysis showed that 11% of the total variation could be attributed to differences between groups, while the remaining 89% of the variation was likely due to differences within groups. The study suggests that the population structure and genetic relatedness should be considered when working with the core collection of 116 rice germplasm lines for association mapping, aiming to establish marker-trait associations.

Barley straw was used to reinforce PHB in a discontinuous semi-industrial process. Four different fibres were used as reinforcing material : sawdust (SW), defibred (DFBF), delignified (DBF) and bleached (BBF) fibres. Looking at the mechanical properties, onlythe elastic moduli (Et) revealed an improvement. Oppositely, the strengths at break, under both tensile and bending assays, tended to decrease, evidencing a poor affinity between both components. Thanks to the mechani-cal treatment applied on the fibre, DFBF appeared as the most promising filler with the mechani-cal properties of the composites closest to those of neat PHB. DFBF-based composites were then produced by means of a process intensification using a twin-screw extruder, and then moulded into flowerpots. Mechanical results showed almost the same properties between the discontinuous and intensification processes. The suitability of the material to be used on agriculture flowerpots was demonstrated by simulation. . PHB-DFBF composite material can be considered an alterna-tive to replace petrol-based products for applications in agriculture and horticulture.

We studied the influence of lava meal, zeolite and top layer of sandy soil as bedding additives on gaseous C and N losses from a sloping-floor barn of naturally ventilated animal housing. We selected four barn units where eight young bulls’ group was reared in each barn. Chopped straw of wheat and barley applied daily at the rate of 5 kg per livestock unit (LU) in bedding areas where one LU consisted of 500 kg body mass of live bulls. Zeolite, lava meal and sandy soil (18% clay + silt) applied in barn at the rate of 10, 20 and 30% of straw dose, respectively. Static flux chamber was used to measure gases emissions from the barn unit and mass balance calculation was used to calculate straw manure total N (TN) losses during housing phase. On an average, all bedding additives decreased 85% of the NH₃ emission compared to control; however, they did not influence CH₄ emission. Zeolite decreased CO₂ (35%) and N₂O (37%) emission rates. Subsequently, lava meal, sandy soil and zeolite decreased 23, 37, and 50% of TN losses from barn manure, respectively. Overall, measured N emissions through NH₃-N and N₂O-N from the barns was 11% of calculated TN losses while remainder 89% was most probably attributed to di-nitrogen (N₂), a harmless gas. Hence, in straw-based cattle housings, zeolite could be a promising additive for reduction of CO₂, N₂O and NH₃ emissions and sandy soil can be considered as cheap and readily available resource for reducing NH₃ emission.

The Midwestern region of the United States has been experiencing periodic forage shortages due to frequent droughts, a growing livestock population, and reliance on traditional farming practices. This study evaluated the dry matter yield (DMY), forage nutritive value, water use efficiency (WUE), and economic viability of forage soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in a no-till winter wheat-based rainfed cropping system in the Midwest, USA. The research aimed to identify alternative summer forage crops that are drought-resilient, require lower inputs, mitigate seasonal gaps, and provide higher DMY and forage nutritive value compared to traditional forages. A four-year field experiment in a randomized complete block design with four replications assessed these parameters at various growth stages and planting dates. Results showed that forage soybean had a high DMY (~13 Mg ha-1), especially when optimally planted and harvested at the R3 stage. Forage nutritive value, including crude protein (CP), in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), and relative feed value (RFV), was highest at early vegetative stages (V2-V3), meeting livestock nutritional requirements. Forage soybean also demonstrated good WUE (21 kg ha-1 mm-1), making it suitable for water-limited regions. Economic analysis indicated substantial net profits ($322 per hectare), confirming its economic viability. The study concludes that forage soybean is a promising summer forage option for Midwest growers, offering high-quality forage, efficient water use, and economic benefits. Further research, particularly animal feeding trials, is recommended to validate its potential for widespread adoption in cropping systems.

Heat stress during the grain-filling period is the main abiotic stress factor limiting grain yield and quality in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, 64 wheat genotypes were exposed to heat stress during reproduction caused by delayed sowing in two growing seasons. Grain yield, 1000 grain weight (GW), grain hardness (GH), and grain-quality related traits were investigated using wholemeal flour. Heat stress caused a significant decrease in GW through reducing starch content (SC) and a non-compensating rise in protein content (PC), and thereby resulted in lower yield. In addition, significant increases in flour water absorption (WA), Zeleny sedimentation volume (ZT), ash content (AC), lipid content (LC), loaf volume (LV), wet gluten content (WG), dry gluten content (DG), gluten index (GI), and amylopectin content (APC) were found following heat stress. In contrast, decreases in grain moisture content (MC) and amylose content (AMC) induced by heat stress were observed. The heat-tolerant genotypes were superior in grain yield, GW, SC, AMC, and MC. While the sensitive genotypes contained higher PC, LV, GI and AMP. A group of wheat genotypes characterized with a higher yield, AMC, GW, and SC as well as lower PC, WA, GH, ZT, and LV; and was found to be the most heat tolerant by principal component analysis. Decreases in the ratio of carbohydrates to proteins induced by heat stress, and lower protein content of normal grown wheat genotypes were observed. Therefore, lighter weight and smaller grains produce a smaller starchy endosperm with lower quality (less amylose) and higher grain protein content in heat stress compared to normal conditions. Heat stress caused by delayed sowing improves some of the baking-quality related traits. Whether this improvement in grain quality attributes will translate into better human health outcomes requires further investigation.

High concentrations of sodium (Na+), chloride (Cl-), calcium (Ca2+), and sulphate (SO42-) are fre-quently found in saline soils. Crop plants cannot successfully develop and produce because salt stress impairs the uptake of calcium, potassium, and water into plant cells. Different intracellular and extracellular ionic concentration changes by salinity, including those of calcium, potassium, and protons. These cations serve as stress signaling molecules in addition to being essential for ionic homeostasis and nutrition. Maintaining an appropriate K+: Na+ ratio is one crucial plant mechanism for salt tolerance, which is a complicated trait. Another important mechanism is the ability for fast extrusion of Na+ from the cytosol. Calcium is established as a ubiquitous secondary messenger, which transmits various stress signals into metabolic alterations that cause adaptive responses. When plants are under stress, the cytosolic-free Ca2+ concentration can rise to 10 times or more from its resting level of 50-100 nanomolar. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are linked to the calcium alterations, and are produced by stress. Depending on the type, frequency and intensity of the stress, the cytosolic calcium signals oscillate, are transient, or persist for a longer period and exhibit specific "signatures". Both the input and efflux of Ca2+ from the cytosol affect the length and amplitude of the signal. According to several reports, under stress calcium alterations can occur not only in the cytoplasm of the cell but also in the cell walls, nucleus and other cell organelles and the calcium waves propagate through the whole plant. Here, we will focus on how wheat and other important crops absorb Na+, K+ and Cl- when plants are under salt stress, as well as how calcium, potassium, and pH cause intracellular signaling and homeostasis. Similar mechanisms in the model plant Arabidopsis will also be considered.

Here, a process for leaching vanadium from calcified roasting pellets (CPVC) of vanadium-titanium iron concentrate by a two-stage sulfuric acid cycle was proposed. When the silicon removal acid concentration of the pellet in the first stage was 1.5 mol/L, the solid-liquid ratio was 6: 1, the silicon removal acid concentration of the leaching solution was 3.0 mol/L, and the standing time was 48 h, the silica gel formation time was 23 h, the filtration time was 70 s, and the loss rates of vanadium and iron were 1.52% and 0.17%, respectively. When the acid concentration was 2 mol/L, at room temperature, using a leaching time of 28 days, and a solid-liquid ratio of 5: 1 in the second stage, the total leaching rates of vanadium and iron were 75.52% and 0.71%, respectively. The concentration of vanadium in the leaching solution reached 6.80 g/L, and vanadium was directly precipitated without extraction. After secondary roasting, the crushing strength of the pellets reached 2250 N, which met the requirement for blast furnace iron making. The Eh-pH diagrams of the V-Fe-H2O system at different temperatures were plotted. Thermodynamically, it was difficult to selectively leach vanadium and iron by changing the conventional acid leaching conditions. In addition, the pellets before and after leaching were analyzed. The grade of iron in the pellets increased slightly after leaching, and the main phases in the pellets remained as Fe2O3 and Fe9TiO15. The S in the sulfuric acid solution entered the leached pellets during the acid leaching reaction and was removed by the secondary roasting of the leached pellets.

Wheat dwarf disease (WDD) is an important disease of monocotyledonous species, including economically important cereals. The causative pathogen, the wheat dwarf virus (WDV), is a monopartite Mastrevirus that has a circular single-stranded (ss)DNA genome and is transmitted persistently and propagatively mainly by the leafhopper Psammotettix alienus. The disease can induce high yield losses in many European countries in a range of 20-100%. Due to climate change the periods of vector activity increased and the vectors spread to new habitats, leading to an increased importance of WDV in large parts of Europe. In the light of integrated pest management approaches cultivation practices and the use of resistant/tolerant host plants are currently the only effective methods for controlling WDV. To date, there is limited knowledge of the pathosystem and epidemiology of the disease. The few sources of genetic tolerance, indicate the need for further research. Considering the economic importance of the disease, and its likely increasing relevance in the coming decades, this review was prepared to compile and update knowledge on aspects of WDV.

This study evaluated the using of machine vision in combination with deep learning to identify weeds in real-time for wheat production system. PMAS-Arid Agriculture university research farm were selected for collection of images (6000 total images) of weeds and wheat crops under different weather condition. During growing season, the database was constructed to identify the weeds. For this study two framework were used TensorFlow and PyTorch under CNNs and Deep learning. Deep learning perfromed better with in PyTourch value as compared to another model in Tensorflow. comparing with other networks such as YOLOv4, we concluded that our network reaches a better result between speed and accuracy. Specifically, the maximum precision of weed and wheat plants were 0.89 and 0.91 respectively with 9.43 ms and 12.38 ms inference time per image (640 × 640) NVIDIA RTX2070 GPU.

Millions of people worldwide have an inadequate intake of selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn), and agronomic biofortification may minimise these problems. To evaluate the efficacy of combined foliar Se and Zn fertilisation in bread making wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), foliar Se (as NaSeO4) and soil and foliar Zn applications (as ZnSO4·7H2O) were tested individually and in all combinations. A 2-year field experiment was established in southern Spain under semiarid Mediterranean conditions, by following a split-split-plot design. The study year (2017/2018, 2018/2019) was considered as the main-plot factor, soil Zn application (50 kg Zn ha-1, nil Zn) as a subplot factor, and foliar application (nil, 10 g Se ha-1, 8 kg Zn ha-1, 10 g Se ha-1 + 8 kg Zn ha-1) as a sub-subplot factor. The best treatment to increase both Zn and Se concentration in both straw, 12.3- and 2.7-fold respectively, and grain, 1.2- and 4.1-fold respectively was the combined foliar application of Zn and Se. This combined Zn and Se application also increased on average the yield of grain, main product of this crop, by almost 26%. Therefore, bread-making wheat seems to be a very suitable crop to be used in biofortification programs with Zn and Se to alleviate their deficiency in both, people when using its grain and livestock when using its straw.

If genetic gains in wheat yield are to be achieved in today’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.

This work aims to investigate the effect of catalyst content and reaction time by catalytic upgrading from pyrolysis vapors of residual fat at 450 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, on the yields of reaction products, physicochemical properties (density, kinematic viscosity, refractive index, and acid value) and chemical composition of organic liquid products (OLP), over a catalyst fixed bed reactor, in semi pilot scale. Pellets of Red Mud chemically activated with 1.0 M HCl were used as catalysts. The experiments were carried out at 450 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, using a process schema consisting of a thermal cracking reactor of 2.0 L coupled to a catalyst fixed bed reactor of 53 mL, without catalyst and using 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0% (wt.) Red Mud pellets activated with 1.0 M HCl, in batch mode. Samples of liquid phase products were withdrawn during the course of reaction at 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 min in order to analyze the process kinetics. The physicochemical properties (density, kinematic viscosity, acid value, and refractive index) of OLP were determined by official methods. The chemical functions present in OLP determined by FT-IR and the chemical composition by GC-MS. The thermal catalytic cracking of residual fat show OLP yields from 54.4 to 84.88 (wt.%), aqueous phase yields between 2.21 and 2.80 (wt.%), solid phase yields (coke) between 1.30 and 8.60 (wt.%), and gas yields from 11.61 to 34.22 (wt.%). The yields of OLP increases with increasing catalyst content while those of aqueous, gaseous and solid phase decreases. For all the thermal and thermal catalytic cracking experiments, the density, kinematic viscosity, and acid value of OLP decreases with increasing reaction time. The GC-MS of liquid reaction products identified the presence of hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, cycloalkanes, and aromatics) and oxygenates (carboxylic acids, ketones, esters, alcohols, and aldehydes). For all the thermal and thermal catalytic cracking experiments, the hydrocarbon content within OLP increases with reaction time, while those of oxygenates decrease, reaching concentrations of hydrocarbons up to 95.35% (area.). The best results for the physicochemical properties (density, kinematic viscosity, and acid value) and the maximum hydrocarbon content of OLP were obtained at 450 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, using a catalyst fixed bed reactor, with 5.0% (wt.) Red Mud pellets activated with 1.0 M HCl as catalyst.

The depletion and environmental problems associated with fossil fuels have encouraged us to look for alternative feedstock that do not compromise food security and the environment. Sorghum is a fast-growing crop that can be harvested twice a year and produces both food and straw that can be utilized in the production of bio-based fuels. In this study, the production of bioethanol and the effects of fermentation parameters on ethanol yield are presented. A sequential pretreatment method was employed, using dilute sulfuric acid (1%) at 125 °C in the first stage and dilute sodium hydroxide (1.25 %) at 90 °C in the second stage. The residues left after the sequential pretreatment stage were hydrolyzed using acid hydrolysis. The sugar concentration of the hydrolysates was determined using the phenol sulfuric acid method, and three hydrolysates having sugar levels of 30.42 g/L, 31.79 g/L, and 32.9875 g/L were selected for fermentation. The ethanol yield was determined after 72 hours of fermentation at 30 °C with varying inoculum sizes (5%, 10%, and 15%) and pH (4.5, 5, and 5.5). With a maximum ethanol yield of 0.617 mL/g (48.742%) produced at a sugar content of 32.9875 g/L, pH of 5, and inoculum size of 15%, statistical analysis showed that all three independent parameters affected ethanol yield. According to these findings, while raising sugar content, inoculum amount, and pH all initially result in higher ethanol yields, doing so further reduces yield. So, in order to increase ethanol yield, fermentation conditions must be carefully managed while producing ethanol from sequential acidic-alkaline pretreated sorghum straw. The strategy followed by using sequential acidic-alkaline pretreatment of sorghum straw provides prospects for efficient and effective production of biofuels from alternative feedstock.

Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), the causal agent of wheat stem rust, poses a significant threat to global wheat production. Genetic resistance offers a cost-effective and sustainable solution. The durum wheat landrace PI 94701 was previously hypothesized to carry two stem rust resistance (Sr) genes, but their chromosomal locations were unknown. In this study, we mapped and characterized an all-stage Sr gene in PI 94701, temporarily designated as SrPI94701. In seedling tests, SrPI94701 was effective against all six Pgt races tested. Using a large segregating population (2,302 gametes), we mapped SrPI94701 within a 0.17-cM region flanked by markers pku69124 and pku69228, corresponding to 1.04- and 2.15-Mb genomic regions in the Svevo and Chinese Spring reference genomes. Within the candidate region, eight genes exhibited differential expression between the Pgt-inoculated resistant and susceptible plants. Among them, two NLR genes, TraesCS5B03G1334700 and TraesCS5B03G1335100, showed high polymorphism between parental lines, with upregulation observed in the resistant F4 line compared to its susceptible sister line. However, the flanking and completely linked markers developed in this study could not accurately predict the presence of SrPI94701 in uncharacterized wheat genotypes. SrPI94701 holds promise as a valuable component in breeding programs aimed at enhancing resistance against Pgt.

An in-depth understanding of the Se uptake and metabolism in plants is necessary for developing Se biofortification strategies. Thus, hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate the associated processes and mechanisms of organic Se [selenomethionine (SeMet) and selenomethionine-oxide (SeOMet)] uptake, translocation, transformation and their interaction in wheat, in comparison to inorganic Se. Results showed that Se uptake by roots and the root-to-shoot translocation factor under the SeMet treatment were higher than those under the selenite, selenate, and SeOMet treatments. The uptake and translocation of SeMet were higher than those of SeOMet within 72 h, although the differences gradually narrowed with time. The uptake of SeMet and SeOMet was also sensitive to the aquaporin inhibitor: AgNO3 addition resulted in 99.5% and 99.9% inhibition of Se in root in the SeMet and SeOMet treatments, respectively. Once absorbed by root, were rapidly assimilated to other Se forms, and SeMet and Se-methyl-selenocysteine (MeSeCys) were the dominant species in SeMet and SeOMet-treated plants, while notably, an unidentified Se form was also found in the root and xylem sap under the SeMet treatment. In addition, within 16 h, SeOMet inhibited the uptake and translocation of SeMet, while the interaction was weakened with longer treatment time. Taken together, the present study provides new insights for the uptake and transformation processes of organic Se within plants.

High gravity brewing (HGB) and adjunct use are common practices in industrial breweries. This work studied the impact of HGB and wheat adjuncts on beer characteristics. Parameters were evaluated in full-malt beer and beers prepared with 30 % wheat grits (WG) and wheat flakes (WF) in the grist and the effect of HGB was examined. Five beers were prepared; one control, two with different original gravity (OG) with WF and two with WG. Beers with higher OG were diluted to a lower OG and control beer was prepared too. The application of wheat adjuncts increased foam stability but HGB did not affect the beer foam. HGB beers had a remarkably higher ester concentration than other samples, and beers with WG also had a significantly higher ester content. Decreased higher alcohols to esters ratio in HGB beers affected the balanced flavour profile of the lager beer. There was a significantly lower content of unwanted volatiles such as vicinal diketones and dimethyl sulphide in HGB beers. The application of HGB mostly did not affect the beer ageing characteristics such as carbonyl compounds and thiobarbituric acid number.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic non–essential element to plants, and its accumulation in crops has significant adverse effects on human health. The cross–talk between copper (Cu) and Cd has been reported, but the molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, the function of wheat Cu transporter 3D (TaCOPT3D) in Cd tolerance was investigated. The TaCOPT3D transcripts significantly accumulated in wheat roots under Cd exposure. To test whether TaCOPT3D was involved in response to Cd stress, overexpressing lines with altered expression of TaCOPT3D transporters were compared to wild–type (WT) plants. The results showed that, under 20 μM Cd treatment, TaCOPT3D–overexpression lines exhibited more biomass and lower Cd accumulation in roots, shoots, and grains compared to WT plants. In addition, the TaCOPT3D–overexpression lines demonstrated less reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a greater amount of active antioxidant enzymes under Cd conditions than WT plants. Moreover, TaCOPT3D–overexpression lines highly reduced Cd accumulation under exposure to 20 μM Cu. The regulation pathway of TaCOPT3D in response to Cd stress was investigated, and transcription factor (TF) TaWRKY22, which targeted the TaCOPT3D promoter, was identified. Therefore, TaCOPT3D can serve as a candidate gene for decreasing Cd accumulation in wheat through genetic engineering.

Cold stress is a major environmental factor affecting the growth, development, and productivity of various crop species. With the current trajectory of global climate change, low temperatures are becoming more frequent and can significantly decrease crop yield. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the first crop to be domesticated and is the most popular cereal crop in the world. Due to a lack of systematic research on cold response pathways and gene regulatory networks, the underlying molecular mechanisms of cold signal transduction in wheat are poorly understood. This study reviews recent progress in wheat, including the ICE-CBF-COR signaling pathway in cold stress and the effects of cold stress on hormonal pathways, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and epigenetic regulation. This review also highlights outstanding issues that are crucial for understanding the interactions between wheat and low-temperature conditions.

Diseases of cereals caused by pathogenic fungi can significantly reduce crop yields. Many cultures are exposed to them. The disease is difficult to control on a large scale, thus one of the relevant approaches is the crop field monitoring, which helps to identify the disease at an early stage and take measures to prevent its spread. One of the effective control methods is disease identification based on the analysis of digital images with the possibility of obtaining them in field conditions using mobile devices. In this work, we propose a method for the recognition of five fungal diseases of wheat shoots (leaf rust, stem rust, yellow rust, powdery mildew, and septoria), both separately and in combination, with the possibility of identifying the stage of plant development. A set of 2414 images of wheat fungi diseases (WFD2020) was generated, for which expert labeling was performed by the type of disease. WFD2020 data are available freely at http://wfd.sysbio.ru/. In the process of creating this set, a method was applied to reduce the degeneracy of the training data based on the image hashing algorithm. The disease recognition algorithm is based on the convolutional neural network with the EfficientNet architecture. The best accuracy (0.942) was shown by a network with a training strategy based on augmentation and transfer of image styles. The recognition method was implemented by the authors as a bot on the Telegram platform, which allows assessing plants by lesions in the field conditions.

Wheat is the essential constituent of cereal-based diets and one of the most significant sources of calories. However, there is an inherently low bioavailability of proteins, mineral, and vitamins in modern wheat grains. Biofortification has earned recognition as an outstanding approach, at the same time as a cure for world hunger. The developments in the identifications of quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis and understanding of the physiological and molecular basis of QTLs controlling the biofortification traits in wheat has revealed new horizons for the improvement of modern wheat varieties. Within this review, we have compiled the information from the studies carried out in wheat using QTL mapping methodologies that is among the best methods for biofortification traits. We hope this review will serve as an essential reference for the QTLs identified for the several important biofortification traits in wheat.

Spike shape and morphometric characteristics are among the key characteristics of cultivated cereals associated with their productivity. Identification of the genes controlling these traits requires morphometric data at harvesting and analysis of numerous plants, which could be automatically done using technologies of digital image analysis. A method for wheat spike morphometry utilizing 2D image analysis is proposed. Digital images are acquired in two variants: a spike on a table (one projection) or fixed with a clip (four projections). The method identifies spike and awns in the image and estimates their quantitative characteristics (area in image, length, width, circularity, etc.). Section model, quadrilaterals, and radial model are proposed for describing spike shape. Parameters of these models are used to predict spike shape type (spelt, normal, or compact) by machine learning. The mean error in spike density prediction for the images in one projection is 4.61 (~18%) versus 3.33 (~13%) for the parameters obtained using four projections.

Spike shape and morphometric characteristics are among the key characteristics of cultivated cereals associated with their productivity. Identification of the genes controlling these traits requires morphometric data harvesting and analysis for numerous plants, which is automatable using technologies of digital image analysis. A method for wheat spike morphometry utilizing 2D image analysis is proposed. Digital images are acquired in two variants: a spike on a table (one projection) or fixed with a clip (four projections). The method identifies spike and awns in the image and estimates their quantitative characteristics (area in image, length, width, circularity, etc.). Models of sections, quadrilaterals, and radial model are proposed for describing spike shape. Parameters of these models are used to predict spike shape type (spelt, normal, or compact) by machine learning. The mean error in spike density prediction for the images in one projection is 4.61 (~18%) versus 3.33 (~13%) for the parameters obtained using four projections. F1 measure in automated spike classification into three types is 0.78 using logistic regression (one projection) and 0.85 using random forest method (four projections). The proposed method is implemented in Java; examples of images and user guide are available at http://wheatdb.org/werecognizer.

Abiotic stresses greatly influenced wheat productivity executed by environmental factors such as drought, salt, water submergence, and heavy metals. The effective management at molecular level is mandatory for thorough understanding of plant response to abiotic stress. The molecular mechanism of stress tolerance is complex and requires information at the omic level to understand it effectively. In this regard, enormous progress has been made in the omics field in the areas of genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. The emerging field of ionomics is also being employed for investigating abiotic stress tolerance in wheat. Omic approaches generate a huge amount of data, and adequate advancements in computational tools have been achieved for effective analysis. However, the integration of omic-scale information to address complex genetics and physiological questions is still a challenge. In this review, we have described advances in omic tools in the view of conventional and modern approaches being used to dissect abiotic stress tolerance in wheat. Emphasis was given to approaches such as quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and genomic selection (GS). Comparative genomics and candidate gene approaches are also discussed considering identification of potential genomic loci, genes, and biochemical pathways involved in stress tolerance mechanism in wheat. This review also provides a comprehensive catalog of available online omic resources for wheat and its effective utilization. We have also addressed the significance of phenomics in the integrated approaches and recognized high-throughput multi-dimensional phenotyping as a major limiting factor for the improvement of abiotic stress tolerance in wheat.