Urea briquette applicator for transplanted rice

A plunger-type, completely hand-operated applicator prototype, made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), for deep placement of urea briquettes (UB), i.e., pillow-shaped urea supergranules with edges, in line transplanted rice has been developed for use by small-scale rice farmers. The field evaluation of the applicator was conducted in the Philippines during the 1989 dry season. The applicator consistently placed UB at proper depth (7 to 8 cm), which resulted in low concentrations of urea N (<7 ppm) in about 4 cm of floodwater 1 day after placement. These findings indicated that the prototype worked properly. Average work output of the applicator was 0.20 ha workday^–1 and may increase with practice. The yields of irrigated transplanted rice in the field trials show that agronomic efficiencies of hand-placed UB and applicator-placed UB were equal and were superior to those of split-applied prilled urea.     

Mechanical properties and thermal stability of rice husk ash filled epoxy foams

Mechanical properties and thermal stability of epoxy foams filled with white and black rice husk ash were studied. Epoxy foams were prepared from a commercial system and filled with different amounts of both the ashes (0, 6.8, 12.8, 18.0, and 22.7 wt %). The incorporation of both the ashes modified the final morphology of the foam, decreasing the average cell size and increasing the number of cells per volume unit. For all filler percentages used, the specific modulus and strength results showed that the white ash is more effective as reinforcing agent than the black ash. The initial degradation temperature was not affected by the content and type of ash used as the filler. The integral procedure decomposition temperature, weight loss, and char residue results were related to the ash type and atmosphere used in the thermogravimetric analysis. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

中性红的光谱电化学研究

用ＦＯＳＥＣＳ研究了中性红的光谱电化学特性，测定了它的热力学函数、条件平衡常数和参加电极反应的Ｈ＾＋数，其结果与文献值一致。     

Prediction of venturi scrubber efficiency used in an updraft gasifier cleaning train

The performance of a venturi scrubber in the removal of tar from gas in updraft gasification has been studied. The gasifier has been operated with a husk feed rate of 1.6 × 10^?4 kg/s. The venturi scrubber has been operated at a superficial gas velocity of 56.4 m/s at the throat. A wide variety of scrubbing liquids having surface tensions ranging from 0.026 to 0.072 N/m have been used. The Q_g/Q_l, has been varied in the range of 1000–8000. The tar separation efficiency η has been found to vary from 51 to 98.5%. A mathematical model, assuming steady-state operation, has been developed considering very high pseudosolubility of tar in the scrubbing liquids. The predicted values of η have been compared with experimental results. The model satisfactorily explains the tar removal efficiency of the venturi for Q_g/Q_l values ranging from 4000 to 8000 for all scrubbing liquids. The following correlation has been developed for predicting venturi scrubber efficiency: .     

Structural Investigation and Molecular Modeling Studies of Strobilurin-Based Fungicides Active against the Rice Blast Pathogen Pyricularia oryzae

The increasing emergence of fungicide-resistant pathogens requires urgent solutions for crop disease management. Here, we describe a structural investigation of new fungicides obtained by combining strobilurin and succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor pharmacophores. We identified compounds endowed with very good activity against wild-type Pyricularia oryzae, combined in some cases with promising activity against strobilurin-resistant strains. The first three-dimensional model of P. oryzae cytochrome bc1 complex containing azoxystrobin as a ligand was developed. The model was validated with a set of commercially available strobilurins, and it well explains both the resistance mechanism to strobilurins mediated by the mutation G143A and the activity of metyltetraprole against strobilurin-resistant strains. The obtained results shed light on the key recognition determinants of strobilurin-like derivatives in the cytochrome bc1 active site and will guide the further rational design of new fungicides able to overcome resistance caused by G143A mutation in the rice blast pathogen.     

Formation of Proto-Kranz in C3 Rice Induced by Spike-Stalk Injection Method

Introduction of C4 photosynthetic traits into C3 crops is an important strategy for improving photosynthetic capacity and productivity. Here, we report the research results of a variant line of sorghum–rice (SR) plant with big panicle and high spikelet density by introducing sorghum genome DNA into rice by spike-stalk injection. The whole-genome resequencing showed that a few sorghum genes could be integrated into the rice genome. Gene expression was confirmed for two C4 photosynthetic enzymes containing pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Exogenous sorghum DNA integration induced a series of key traits associated with the C4 pathway called “proto-Kranz” anatomy, including leaf thickness, bundle sheath number and size, and chloroplast size in bundle sheath cells. Significantly, transgenic plants exhibited enhanced photosynthetic capacity resulting from both photosynthetic CO₂-concentrating effect and improved energy balance, which led to an increase in carbohydrate levels and productivity. Furthermore, such rice plant exhibited delayed leaf senescence. In summary, this study provides a proof for the feasibility of inducing the transition from C3 leaf anatomy to proto-Kranz by spike-stalk injection to achieve efficient photosynthesis and increase productivity.     

Genome-Wide Analysis Identified a Set of Conserved lncRNAs Associated with Domestication-Related Traits in Rice

Crop domestication, which gives rise to a number of desirable agronomic traits, represents a typical model system of plant evolution. Numerous genomic evidence has proven that noncoding RNAs such as microRNAs and phasiRNAs, as well as protein-coding genes, are selected during crop domestication. However, limited data shows plant long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are also involved in this biological process. In this study, we performed strand-specific RNA sequencing of cultivated rice Oryza sativa ssp. japonica and O. sativa ssp. indica, and their wild progenitor O. rufipogon. We identified a total of 8528 lncRNAs, including 4072 lncRNAs in O. rufipogon, 2091 lncRNAs in japonica rice, and 2365 lncRNAs in indica rice. The lncRNAs expressed in wild rice were revealed to be shorter in length and had fewer exon numbers when compared with lncRNAs from cultivated rice. We also identified a number of conserved lncRNAs in the wild and cultivated rice. The functional study demonstrated that several of these conserved lncRNAs are associated with domestication-related traits in rice. Our findings revealed the feature and conservation of lncRNAs during rice domestication and will further promote functional studies of lncRNAs in rice.     

A replacement of traditional insulation refractory brick by a waste-derived lightweight refractory castable

Lightweight insulation refractories are essential for high-temperature performance to reduce energy consumption. This study investigates a new insulation material, that is, solid waste rice husk ash (RHA) derived lightweight refractory castable, replacing traditional insulation refractory brick. The RHA is generated after the burning of rice husk as biomass fuel. The RHA is used as an aggregate and alkali-extracted silica sol from RHA as a binder to fabricate the insulation castable. The nanosilica containing (~30 wt%) sol is employed to synthesize the refractory castable by varying the sol amount (2.5-12.5 wt% silica from sol). The castable specimens are cast by a vibro-caster and fired at 900-1200°C in a muffle furnace. The physic-mechanical and thermal conductivity (κ) of the castable is investigated. At 1100°C with 10 wt% dry sol retaining sample shows an excellent apparent porosity (~65%), low bulk density (~ 0.8 g/cm³), and κ (0.136 W/m k) with sustainable compressive strength (6 MPa). The acquired results are a good match with the literature (other wastes-derived insulation materials) and industrial (silica insulation brick) obtained data. These promising outcomes may inspire the refractory industries for using RHA as an aggregate and RHA extracted sol as a binder for making insulation castable.     

Crude Wax Extracted from Rice Bran Oil Improves Oleogel Properties and Oxidative Stability

Crude wax extracted from rice bran oil (RBO) is used to improve the oleogel properties and oxidative stability of RBO. The effect of crude rice bran wax (CrBW) on the formation characteristics and oxidative stability of oleogels is discussed. The results show that oleogels can be formed with 7.0 wt% CrBW at 20 °C. As the concentration of CrBW increases from 7.0 to 11.0 wt%, the hardness and solid fat content (SFC) of the oleogels increase significantly, and the oleogels are primarily β' crystals. Moreover, oleogel crystals formed with 5 and 7 wt% CrBW are flocculent; when the amount included is 9%, the oleogel crystals are transformed into long dendrites, and the density rises. After 90 days of storage at 20 °C, the peroxide value of oleogels formed with 9.0 wt% CrBW slowly rises from 3.21 to 6.52 mmol kg⁻¹. Practical Applications: Oleogels prepared here by CrBW and RBO are an innovative structural lipid without trans fats. Useful information on the rich fats and nutrients in CrBW is provided, which reduces the production cost and improves the industrial production capacity.     

稻草净防除稻田杂草试验

稻草净亩用５０￣１００克对稻田眼子菜、鸭舌草、甲叶薄等阔叶杂草有很好的防效，并用明显的增产作用。大田移载后１５天一次施药可以控制水稻田整个生育期的阔叶杂草。