Grain setting defect1, Encoding a Remorin Protein, Affects the Grain Setting in Rice through Regulating Plasmodesmatal Conductance1[W

PubMed Central

Gui, Jinshan; Liu, Chang; Shen, Junhui; Li, Laigeng

2014-01-01

Effective grain filling is one of the key determinants of grain setting in rice (Oryza sativa). Grain setting defect1 (GSD1), which encodes a putative remorin protein, was found to affect grain setting in rice. Investigation of the phenotype of a transfer DNA insertion mutant (gsd1-Dominant) with enhanced GSD1 expression revealed abnormalities including a reduced grain setting rate, accumulation of carbohydrates in leaves, and lower soluble sugar content in the phloem exudates. GSD1 was found to be specifically expressed in the plasma membrane and plasmodesmata (PD) of phloem companion cells. Experimental evidence suggests that the phenotype of the gsd1-Dominant mutant is caused by defects in the grain-filling process as a result of the impaired transport of carbohydrates from the photosynthetic site to the phloem. GSD1 functioned in affecting PD conductance by interacting with rice ACTIN1 in association with the PD callose binding protein1. Together, our results suggest that GSD1 may play a role in regulating photoassimilate translocation through the symplastic pathway to impact grain setting in rice. PMID:25253885

Serine carboxypeptidase 46 Regulates Grain Filling and Seed Germination in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

PubMed Central

Li, Zhiyong; Tang, Liqun; Qiu, Jiehua; Zhang, Wen; Wang, Yifeng; Tong, Xiaohong; Wei, Xiangjin; Hou, Yuxuan

2016-01-01

Serine carboxypeptidase (SCP) is one of the largest groups of enzymes catalyzing proteolysis for functional protein maturation. To date, little is known about the function of SCPs in rice. In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of the gene structure and expression profile of 59 rice SCPs. SCP46 is dominantly expressed in developing seeds, particularly in embryo, endosperm and aleurone layers, and could be induced by ABA. Functional characterization revealed that knock-down of SCP46 resulted in smaller grain size and enhanced seed germination. Furthermore, scp46 seed germination became less sensitive to the ABA inhibition than the Wild-type did; suggesting SCP46 is involved in ABA signaling. As indicated by RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis, numerous grain filling and seed dormancy related genes, such as SP, VP1 and AGPs were down-regulated in scp46. Yeast-two-hybrid assay also showed that SCP46 interacts with another ABA-inducible protein DI19-1. Taken together, we suggested that SCP46 is a master regulator of grain filling and seed germination, possibly via participating in the ABA signaling. The results of this study shed novel light into the roles of SCPs in rice. PMID:27448032

iTRAQ-based proteome profile analysis of superior and inferior Spikelets at early grain filling stage in japonica Rice.

PubMed

You, Cuicui; Chen, Lin; He, Haibing; Wu, Liquan; Wang, Shaohua; Ding, Yanfeng; Ma, Chuanxi

2017-06-07

Large-panicle rice varieties often fail to achieve their yield potential due to poor grain filling of late-flowering inferior spikelets (IS). The physiological and molecular mechanisms of poor IS grain filling, and whether an increase in assimilate supply could regulate protein abundance and consequently improve IS grain filling for japonica rice with large panicles is still partially understood. A field experiment was performed with two spikelet removal treatments at anthesis in the large-panicle japonica rice line W1844, including removal of the top 1/3 of spikelets (T1) and removal of the top 2/3 of spikelets (T2), with no spikelet removal as a control (T0). The size, weight, setting rate, and grain filling rate of IS were significantly increased after spikelet removing. The biological functions of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between superior and inferior spikelets as well as the response of IS to the removal of superior spikelets (SS) were investigated by using iTRAQ at 10 days post anthesis. A total of 159, 87, and 28 DEPs were identified from group A (T0-SS/T0-IS), group B (T0-SS/T2-IS), and group C (T2-IS/T0-IS), respectively. Among these, 104, 63, and 22 proteins were up-regulated, and 55, 24, and 6 proteins were down-regulated, respectively. Approximately half of these DEPs were involved in carbohydrate metabolism (sucrose-to-starch metabolism and energy metabolism) and protein metabolism (protein synthesis, folding, degradation, and storage). Reduced endosperm cell division and decreased activities of key enzymes associated with sucrose-starch metabolism and nitrogen metabolism are mainly attributed to the poor sink strength of IS. In addition, due to weakened photosynthesis and respiration, IS are unable to obtain a timely supply of materials and energy after fertilization, which might be resulted in the stagnation of IS development. Finally, an increased abundance of 14-3-3 protein in IS could be involved in the inhibition of starch synthesis. The removal of SS contributed to transfer of assimilates to IS and enhanced enzymatic activities of carbon metabolism (sucrose synthase, starch branching enzyme, soluble starch synthase, and pullulanase) and nitrogen metabolism (aspartate amino transferase and alanine amino transferase), promoting starch and protein synthesis in IS. In addition, improvements in energy metabolism (greater abundance of pyrophosphate-fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase) might be played a vital role in inducing the initiation of grain filling. These results collectively demonstrate that carbohydrate supply is the main cause of poor IS grain filling.

Metabolic and transcriptional transitions in barley glumes reveal a role as transitory resource buffers during endosperm filling.

PubMed

Kohl, Stefan; Hollmann, Julien; Erban, Alexander; Kopka, Joachim; Riewe, David; Weschke, Winfriede; Weber, Hans

2015-03-01

During grain filling in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Barke) reserves are remobilized from vegetative organs. Glumes represent the vegetative tissues closest to grains, senesce late, and are involved in the conversion of assimilates. To analyse glume development and metabolism related to grain filling, parallel transcript and metabolite profiling in glumes and endosperm were performed, showing that glume metabolism and development adjusts to changing grain demands, reflected by specific signatures of metabolite and transcript abundances. Before high endosperm sink strength is established by storage product accumulation, glumes form early, intermediary sink organs, shifting then to remobilizing and exporting source organs. Metabolic and transcriptional transitions occur at two phases: first, at the onset of endosperm filling, as a consequence of endosperm sink activity and assimilate depletion in endosperm and vascular tissues; second, at late grain filling, by developmental ageing and senescence. Regulation of and transition between phases are probably governed by specific NAC and WRKY transcription factors, and both abscisic and jasmonic acid, and are accompanied by changed expression of specific nitrogen transporters. Expression and metabolite profiling suggest glume-specific mechanisms of assimilate conversion and translocation. In summary, grain filling and endosperm sink strength coordinate phase changes in glumes via metabolic, hormonal, and transcriptional control. This study provides a comprehensive view of barley glume development and metabolism, and identifies candidate genes and associated pathways, potentially important for breeding improved grain traits. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Involvement of ethylene and polyamines biosynthesis and abdominal phloem tissues characters of wheat caryopsis during grain filling under stress conditions

PubMed Central

Yang, Weibing; Li, Yanxia; Yin, Yanping; Qin, Zhilie; Zheng, Mengjing; Chen, Jin; Luo, Yongli; Pang, Dangwei; Jiang, Wenwen; Li, Yong; Wang, Zhenlin

2017-01-01

Severe water deficit (SD) severely limited the photo-assimilate supply during the grain-filling stages. Although the ethylene and polyamines (PAs) have been identified as important signaling molecules involved in stress tolerance, it is yet unclear how 1-Aminocylopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and PA biosynthesis involving wheat abdominal phloem characters mitigate SD-induced filling inhibition. The results obtained indicated that the SD down-regulated the TaSUT1 expression and decreased the activities of sucrose synthase (SuSase, EC2.4.1.13), ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase, EC2.7.7.27), soluble starch synthase (SSSase, EC2.4.1.21), then substantially limited grain filling. As a result, increased ACC and putrescine (Put) concentrations and their biosynthesis-related gene expression reduced spermidine (Spd) biosynthesis under SD condition. And, the ACC and PA biosynthesis in inferior grains was more sensitive to SD than that in superior grains. Intermediary cells (ICs) of caryopsis emerged prematurely under SD to compensate for the weakened photo-assimilate transport functions of sieve elements (SEs). Finally, plasmolysis and nuclear chromatin condensation of phloem parenchyma cells (PPC) and membrane degradation of SEs, as well as the decreased ATPase activity on plasma membranes of ICs and PPC at the later filling stage under SD were responsible for the considerably decreased weight of inferior grains. PMID:28383077

Proteomics analysis of maize (Zea mays L.) grain based on iTRAQ reveals molecular mechanisms of poor grain filling in inferior grains.

PubMed

Yu, Tao; Li, Geng; Liu, Peng; Dong, Shuting; Zhang, Jiwang; Zhao, Bin

2017-06-01

In maize, inferior grains (IG) located on the upper part of the ear have poor grain filling process compared to superior grains (SG) located on the middle and lower parts of the ear. This difference limits satisfactory yield and quality; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, using the isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technology, the proteomes of IG and SG during early and middle grain filling stages were investigated. In total, 4720 proteins were identified in maize grain and 305 differentially accumulated proteins (DiAPs) were detected between IG and SG. These DiAPs were involved in diverse cellular and metabolic processes with preferred distribution in protein synthesis/destination and metabolism. Compared to SG, DiAPs related to cell growth/division and starch synthesis were lag-accumulated and down-regulated in IG, respectively, resulting in smaller sink sizes and lower sink activities in IG. Meanwhile, impediment of the glycolysis pathway in IG may lead to reduce energy supply and building materials for substance synthesis. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and the defense system were disturbed in IG, which might lead to reduce protection against various environmental stresses. The present study provides new information on the proteomic differences between IG and SG, and explains possible molecular mechanisms for poor grain filling in IG. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Comparative transcriptional profiling of two wheat genotypes, with contrasting levels of minerals in grains, shows expression differences during grain filling.

PubMed

Singh, Sudhir P; Jeet, Raja; Kumar, Jitendra; Shukla, Vishnu; Srivastava, Rakesh; Mantri, Shrikant S; Tuli, Rakesh

2014-01-01

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. To identify the candidate genes for mineral accumulation, it is important to examine differential transcriptome between wheat genotypes, with contrasting levels of minerals in grains. A transcriptional comparison of developing grains was carried out between two wheat genotypes- Triticum aestivum Cv. WL711 (low grain mineral), and T. aestivum L. IITR26 (high grain mineral), using Affymetrix GeneChip Wheat Genome Array. The study identified a total of 580 probe sets as differentially expressed (with log2 fold change of ≥2 at p≤0.01) between the two genotypes, during grain filling. Transcripts with significant differences in induction or repression between the two genotypes included genes related to metal homeostasis, metal tolerance, lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis, amino acid and protein transport, vacuolar-sorting receptor, aquaporins, and stress responses. Meta-analysis revealed spatial and temporal signatures of a majority of the differentially regulated transcripts.

Comparative Transcriptional Profiling of Two Wheat Genotypes, with Contrasting Levels of Minerals in Grains, Shows Expression Differences during Grain Filling

PubMed Central

Singh, Sudhir P.; Jeet, Raja; Kumar, Jitendra; Shukla, Vishnu; Srivastava, Rakesh; Mantri, Shrikant S.; Tuli, Rakesh

2014-01-01

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. To identify the candidate genes for mineral accumulation, it is important to examine differential transcriptome between wheat genotypes, with contrasting levels of minerals in grains. A transcriptional comparison of developing grains was carried out between two wheat genotypes- Triticum aestivum Cv. WL711 (low grain mineral), and T. aestivum L. IITR26 (high grain mineral), using Affymetrix GeneChip Wheat Genome Array. The study identified a total of 580 probe sets as differentially expressed (with log2 fold change of ≥2 at p≤0.01) between the two genotypes, during grain filling. Transcripts with significant differences in induction or repression between the two genotypes included genes related to metal homeostasis, metal tolerance, lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis, amino acid and protein transport, vacuolar-sorting receptor, aquaporins, and stress responses. Meta-analysis revealed spatial and temporal signatures of a majority of the differentially regulated transcripts. PMID:25364903

Hormonal Changes in the Grains of Rice Subjected to Water Stress during Grain Filling1

PubMed Central

Yang, Jianchang; Zhang, Jianhua; Wang, Zhiqing; Zhu, Qingsen; Wang, Wei

2001-01-01

Lodging-resistant rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars usually show slow grain filling when nitrogen is applied in large amounts. This study investigated the possibility that a hormonal change may mediate the effect of water deficit that enhances whole plant senescence and speeds up grain filling. Two rice cultivars showing high lodging resistance and slow grain filling were field grown and applied with either normal or high amount nitrogen (HN) at heading. Well-watered and water-stressed (WS) treatments were imposed 9 days post anthesis to maturity. Results showed that WS increased partitioning of fixed 14CO2 into grains, accelerated the grain filling rate but shortened the grain filling period, whereas the HN did the opposite way. Cytokinin (zeatin + zeatin riboside) and indole-3-acetic acid contents in the grains transiently increased at early filling stage and WS treatments hastened their declines at the late grain filling stage. Gibberellins (GAs; GA1 + GA4) in the grains were also high at early grain filling but HN enhanced, whereas WS substantially reduced, its accumulation. Opposite to GAs, abscisic acid (ABA) in the grains was low at early grain filling but WS remarkably enhanced its accumulation. The peak values of ABA were significantly correlated with the maximum grain filling rates (r = 0.92**, P < 0.01) and the partitioning of fixed 14C into grains (r = 0.95**, P < 0.01). Exogenously applied ABA on pot-grown HN rice showed similar results as those by WS. Results suggest that an altered hormonal balance in rice grains by water stress during grain filling, especially a decrease in GAs and an increase in ABA, enhances the remobilization of prestored carbon to the grains and accelerates the grain filling rate. PMID:11553759

Route and Regulation of Zinc, Cadmium, and Iron Transport in Rice Plants (Oryza sativa L.) during Vegetative Growth and Grain Filling: Metal Transporters, Metal Speciation, Grain Cd Reduction and Zn and Fe Biofortification

PubMed Central

Yoneyama, Tadakatsu; Ishikawa, Satoru; Fujimaki, Shu

2015-01-01

Zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) are essential but are sometimes deficient in humans, while cadmium (Cd) is toxic if it accumulates in the liver and kidneys at high levels. All three are contained in the grains of rice, a staple cereal. Zn and Fe concentrations in rice grains harvested under different levels of soil/hydroponic metals are known to change only within a small range, while Cd concentrations show greater changes. To clarify the mechanisms underlying such different metal contents, we synthesized information on the routes of metal transport and accumulation in rice plants by examining metal speciation, metal transporters, and the xylem-to-phloem transport system. At grain-filling, Zn and Cd ascending in xylem sap are transferred to the phloem by the xylem-to-phloem transport system operating at stem nodes. Grain Fe is largely derived from the leaves by remobilization. Zn and Fe concentrations in phloem-sap and grains are regulated within a small range, while Cd concentrations vary depending on xylem supply. Transgenic techniques to increase concentrations of the metal chelators (nicotianamine, 2′-deoxymugineic acid) are useful in increasing grain Zn and Fe concentrations. The elimination of OsNRAMP5 Cd-uptake transporter and the enhancement of root cell vacuolar Cd sequestration reduce uptake and root-to-shoot transport, respectively, resulting in a reduction of grain Cd accumulation. PMID:26287170

Route and Regulation of Zinc, Cadmium, and Iron Transport in Rice Plants (Oryza sativa L.) during Vegetative Growth and Grain Filling: Metal Transporters, Metal Speciation, Grain Cd Reduction and Zn and Fe Biofortification.

PubMed

Yoneyama, Tadakatsu; Ishikawa, Satoru; Fujimaki, Shu

2015-08-13

Zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) are essential but are sometimes deficient in humans, while cadmium (Cd) is toxic if it accumulates in the liver and kidneys at high levels. All three are contained in the grains of rice, a staple cereal. Zn and Fe concentrations in rice grains harvested under different levels of soil/hydroponic metals are known to change only within a small range, while Cd concentrations show greater changes. To clarify the mechanisms underlying such different metal contents, we synthesized information on the routes of metal transport and accumulation in rice plants by examining metal speciation, metal transporters, and the xylem-to-phloem transport system. At grain-filling, Zn and Cd ascending in xylem sap are transferred to the phloem by the xylem-to-phloem transport system operating at stem nodes. Grain Fe is largely derived from the leaves by remobilization. Zn and Fe concentrations in phloem-sap and grains are regulated within a small range, while Cd concentrations vary depending on xylem supply. Transgenic techniques to increase concentrations of the metal chelators (nicotianamine, 2'-deoxymugineic acid) are useful in increasing grain Zn and Fe concentrations. The elimination of OsNRAMP5 Cd-uptake transporter and the enhancement of root cell vacuolar Cd sequestration reduce uptake and root-to-shoot transport, respectively, resulting in a reduction of grain Cd accumulation.

Physiology and transcriptomics of water-deficit stress responses in wheat cultivars TAM 111 and TAM 112.

PubMed

Reddy, Srirama Krishna; Liu, Shuyu; Rudd, Jackie C; Xue, Qingwu; Payton, Paxton; Finlayson, Scott A; Mahan, James; Akhunova, Alina; Holalu, Srinidhi V; Lu, Nanyan

2014-09-01

Hard red winter wheat crops on the U.S. Southern Great Plains often experience moderate to severe drought stress, especially during the grain filling stage, resulting in significant yield losses. Cultivars TAM 111 and TAM 112 are widely cultivated in the region, share parentage and showed superior but distinct adaption mechanisms under water-deficit (WD) conditions. Nevertheless, the physiological and molecular basis of their adaptation remains unknown. A greenhouse study was conducted to understand the differences in the physiological and transcriptomic responses of TAM 111 and TAM 112 to WD stress. Whole-plant data indicated that TAM 112 used more water, produced more biomass and grain yield under WD compared to TAM 111. Leaf-level data at the grain filling stage indicated that TAM 112 had elevated abscisic acid (ABA) content and reduced stomatal conductance and photosynthesis as compared to TAM 111. Sustained WD during the grain filling stage also resulted in greater flag leaf transcriptome changes in TAM 112 than TAM 111. Transcripts associated with photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, phytohormone metabolism, and other dehydration responses were uniquely regulated between cultivars. These results suggested a differential role for ABA in regulating physiological and transcriptomic changes associated with WD stress and potential involvement in the superior adaptation and yield of TAM 112. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Diamine oxidase is involved in H(2)O(2) production in the chalazal cells during barley grain filling.

PubMed

Asthir, Bavita; Duffus, Carol M; Smith, Rachel C; Spoor, William

2002-04-01

The localization and activities of diamine oxidase (DAO, EC 1.4.3.6) and polyamine oxidase (PAO, EC 1.4.3.4) together with polyamine levels have been investigated in developing grains of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). DAO (pH 7.5) is present mainly in vascular tissue and its neighbouring cells, namely chalazal cells and nucellar projection, while PAO (pH 6.0) is mainly localized in the chlorenchymatous cells of the crease and at the base of the vascular tissue. Activities of both these enzymes appear to be independently-regulated, as DAO activity increased steadily throughout grain development while PAO activity was higher during the early stages of grain filling, declined thereafter and again increased towards maturity. The maximum activities of DAO coincided with the maximum content of putrescine while the levels of PAO did not seem to be directly correlated with spermidine or spermine contents. Isoelectric focusing (IEF) of DAO and PAO activities revealed the presence of bands at 30 and 45 DPA. The possible involvement of DAO and PAO in the supply of H(2)O(2) to peroxidase-catalysed reactions in the chalazal cells during grain filling is discussed.

Dynamic Analysis of Gene Expression in Rice Superior and Inferior Grains by RNA-Seq

PubMed Central

Sun, Hongzheng; Peng, Ting; Zhao, Yafan; Du, Yanxiu; Zhang, Jing; Li, Junzhou; Xin, Zeyu; Zhao, Quanzhi

2015-01-01

Poor grain filling of inferior grains located on lower secondary panicle branch causes great drop in rice yield and quality. Dynamic gene expression patterns between superior and inferior grains were examined from the view of the whole transcriptome by using RNA-Seq method. In total, 19,442 genes were detected during rice grain development. Genes involved in starch synthesis, grain storage and grain development were interrogated in particular in superior and inferior grains. Of the genes involved in sucrose to starch transformation process, most were expressed at lower level in inferior grains at early filling stage compared to that of superior grains. But at late filling stage, the expression of those genes was higher in inferior grains and lower in superior grains. The same trends were observed in the expression of grain storage protein genes. While, evidence that genes involved in cell cycle showed higher expression in inferior grains during whole period of grain filling indicated that cell proliferation was active till the late filling stage. In conclusion, delayed expression of most starch synthesis genes in inferior grains and low capacity of sink organ might be two important factors causing low filling rate of inferior grain at early filling stage, and shortage of carbohydrate supply was a limiting factor at late filling stage. PMID:26355995

Carpel size, grain filling, and morphology determine individual grain weight in wheat

PubMed Central

Xie, Quan; Mayes, Sean; Sparkes, Debbie L.

2015-01-01

Individual grain weight is a major yield component in wheat. To provide a comprehensive understanding of grain weight determination, the carpel size at anthesis, grain dry matter accumulation, grain water uptake and loss, grain morphological expansion, and final grain weight at different positions within spikelets were investigated in a recombinant inbred line mapping population of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)×spelt (Triticum spelta L.). Carpel size, grain dry matter and water accumulation, and grain dimensions interacted strongly with each other. Furthermore, larger carpels, a faster grain filling rate, earlier and longer grain filling, more grain water, faster grain water absorption and loss rates, and larger grain dimensions were associated with higher grain weight. Frequent quantitative trait locus (QTL) coincidences between these traits were observed, particularly those on chromosomes 2A, 3B, 4A, 5A, 5DL, and 7B, each of which harboured 16−49 QTLs associated with >12 traits. Analysis of the allelic effects of coincident QTLs confirmed their physiological relationships, indicating that the complex but orderly grain filling processes result mainly from pleiotropy or the tight linkages of functionally related genes. After grain filling, distal grains within spikelets were smaller than basal grains, primarily due to later grain filling and a slower initial grain filling rate, followed by synchronous maturation among different grains. Distal grain weight was improved by increased assimilate availability from anthesis. These findings provide deeper insight into grain weight determination in wheat, and the high level of QTL coincidences allows simultaneous improvement of multiple grain filling traits in breeding. PMID:26246614

Engineering α-amylase levels in wheat grain suggests a highly sophisticated level of carbohydrate regulation during development

PubMed Central

Whan, Alex; Dielen, Anne-Sophie; Mieog, Jos; Bowerman, Andrew F.; Robinson, Hannah M.; Byrne, Keren; Colgrave, Michelle; Larkin, Philip J.; Howitt, Crispin A.; Morell, Matthew K.; Ral, Jean-Philippe

2014-01-01

Wheat starch degradation requires the synergistic action of different amylolytic enzymes. Our spatio-temporal study of wheat α-amylases throughout grain development shows that AMY3 is the most abundant isoform compared with the other known α-amylases. Endosperm-specific over-expression of AMY3 resulted in an increase of total α-amylase activity in harvested grains. Unexpectedly, increased activity did not have a significant impact on starch content or composition but led to an increase of soluble carbohydrate (mainly sucrose) in dry grain. In AMY3 overexpression lines (A3OE), germination was slightly delayed and triacylglycerol (TAG) content was increased in the endosperm of mature grain. Despite increased AMY3 transcript and protein content throughout grain development, alterations of α-amylase activity and starch granule degradation were not detected until grain maturation, suggesting a post-translational inhibition of α-amylase activity in the endosperm during the starch filling period. These findings show unexpected effects of a high level of α-amylase on grain development and composition, notably in carbon partitioning and TAG accumulation, and suggest the presence of a hitherto unknown regulatory pathway during grain filling. PMID:25053646

Carpel size, grain filling, and morphology determine individual grain weight in wheat.

PubMed

Xie, Quan; Mayes, Sean; Sparkes, Debbie L

2015-11-01

Individual grain weight is a major yield component in wheat. To provide a comprehensive understanding of grain weight determination, the carpel size at anthesis, grain dry matter accumulation, grain water uptake and loss, grain morphological expansion, and final grain weight at different positions within spikelets were investigated in a recombinant inbred line mapping population of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)×spelt (Triticum spelta L.). Carpel size, grain dry matter and water accumulation, and grain dimensions interacted strongly with each other. Furthermore, larger carpels, a faster grain filling rate, earlier and longer grain filling, more grain water, faster grain water absorption and loss rates, and larger grain dimensions were associated with higher grain weight. Frequent quantitative trait locus (QTL) coincidences between these traits were observed, particularly those on chromosomes 2A, 3B, 4A, 5A, 5DL, and 7B, each of which harboured 16-49 QTLs associated with >12 traits. Analysis of the allelic effects of coincident QTLs confirmed their physiological relationships, indicating that the complex but orderly grain filling processes result mainly from pleiotropy or the tight linkages of functionally related genes. After grain filling, distal grains within spikelets were smaller than basal grains, primarily due to later grain filling and a slower initial grain filling rate, followed by synchronous maturation among different grains. Distal grain weight was improved by increased assimilate availability from anthesis. These findings provide deeper insight into grain weight determination in wheat, and the high level of QTL coincidences allows simultaneous improvement of multiple grain filling traits in breeding. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Engineering α-amylase levels in wheat grain suggests a highly sophisticated level of carbohydrate regulation during development.

PubMed

Whan, Alex; Dielen, Anne-Sophie; Mieog, Jos; Bowerman, Andrew F; Robinson, Hannah M; Byrne, Keren; Colgrave, Michelle; Larkin, Philip J; Howitt, Crispin A; Morell, Matthew K; Ral, Jean-Philippe

2014-10-01

Wheat starch degradation requires the synergistic action of different amylolytic enzymes. Our spatio-temporal study of wheat α-amylases throughout grain development shows that AMY3 is the most abundant isoform compared with the other known α-amylases. Endosperm-specific over-expression of AMY3 resulted in an increase of total α-amylase activity in harvested grains. Unexpectedly, increased activity did not have a significant impact on starch content or composition but led to an increase of soluble carbohydrate (mainly sucrose) in dry grain. In AMY3 overexpression lines (A3OE), germination was slightly delayed and triacylglycerol (TAG) content was increased in the endosperm of mature grain. Despite increased AMY3 transcript and protein content throughout grain development, alterations of α-amylase activity and starch granule degradation were not detected until grain maturation, suggesting a post-translational inhibition of α-amylase activity in the endosperm during the starch filling period. These findings show unexpected effects of a high level of α-amylase on grain development and composition, notably in carbon partitioning and TAG accumulation, and suggest the presence of a hitherto unknown regulatory pathway during grain filling. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Brassinosteroid insensitive 1-associated kinase 1 (OsI-BAK1) is associated with grain filling and leaf development in rice.

PubMed

Khew, Choy-Yuen; Teo, Chin-Jit; Chan, Wai-Sun; Wong, Hann-Ling; Namasivayam, Parameswari; Ho, Chai-Ling

2015-06-15

Brassinosteroid Insensitive 1 (BRI1)-Associated Kinase I (BAK1) has been reported to interact with BRI1 for brassinosteroid (BR) perception and signal transduction that regulate plant growth and development. The aim of this study is to investigate the functions of a rice OsBAK1 homologue, designated as OsI-BAK1, which is highly expressed after heading. Silencing of OsI-BAK1 in rice plants produced a high number of undeveloped green and unfilled grains compared to the untransformed plants. Histological analyses demonstrated that embryos were either absent or retarded in their development in these unfilled rice grains of OsI-BAK1 RNAi plants. Down regulation of OsI-BAK1 caused a reduction in cell number and enlargement in leaf bulliform cells. Furthermore, transgenic rice plants overexpressing OsI-BAK1 were demonstrated to have corrugated and twisted leaves probably due to increased cell number that caused abnormal bulliform cell structure which were enlarged and plugged deep into leaf epidermis. The current findings suggest that OsI-BAK1 may play an important role in the developmental processes of rice grain filling and leaf cell including the bulliform cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Effects of Favorable Alleles for Water-Soluble Carbohydrates at Grain Filling on Grain Weight under Drought and Heat Stresses in Wheat

PubMed Central

Chang, Xiaoping; Li, Runzhi; Jing, Ruilian

2014-01-01

Drought, heat and other abiotic stresses during grain filling can result in reductions in grain weight. Conserved water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) at early grain filling play an important role in partial compensation of reduced carbon supply. A diverse population of 262 historical winter wheat accessions was used in the present study. There were significant correlations between 1000-grain weight (TGW) and four types of WSC, viz. (1) total WSC at the mid-grain filling stage (14 days after flowering) produced by leaves and non-leaf organs; (2) WSC contributed by current leaf assimilation during the mid-grain filling; (3) WSC in non-leaf organs at the mid-grain filling, excluding the current leaf assimilation; and (4) WSC used for respiration and remobilization during the mid-grain filling. Association and favorable allele analyses of 209 genome-wide SSR markers and the four types of WSC were conducted using a mixed linear model. Seven novel favorable WSC alleles exhibited positive individual contributions to TGW, which were verified under 16 environments. Dosage effects of pyramided favorable WSC alleles and significantly linear correlations between the number of favorable WSC alleles and TGW were observed. Our results suggested that pyramiding more favorable WSC alleles was effective for improving both WSC and grain weight in future wheat breeding programs. PMID:25036550

Testing the responses of four wheat crop models to heat stress at anthesis and grain filling.

PubMed

Liu, Bing; Asseng, Senthold; Liu, Leilei; Tang, Liang; Cao, Weixing; Zhu, Yan

2016-05-01

Higher temperatures caused by future climate change will bring more frequent heat stress events and pose an increasing risk to global wheat production. Crop models have been widely used to simulate future crop productivity but are rarely tested with observed heat stress experimental datasets. Four wheat models (DSSAT-CERES-Wheat, DSSAT-Nwheat, APSIM-Wheat, and WheatGrow) were evaluated with 4 years of environment-controlled phytotron experimental datasets with two wheat cultivars under heat stress at anthesis and grain filling stages. Heat stress at anthesis reduced observed grain numbers per unit area and individual grain size, while heat stress during grain filling mainly decreased the size of the individual grains. The observed impact of heat stress on grain filling duration, total aboveground biomass, grain yield, and grain protein concentration (GPC) varied depending on cultivar and accumulated heat stress. For every unit increase of heat degree days (HDD, degree days over 30 °C), grain filling duration was reduced by 0.30-0.60%, total aboveground biomass was reduced by 0.37-0.43%, and grain yield was reduced by 1.0-1.6%, but GPC was increased by 0.50% for cv Yangmai16 and 0.80% for cv Xumai30. The tested crop simulation models could reproduce some of the observed reductions in grain filling duration, final total aboveground biomass, and grain yield, as well as the observed increase in GPC due to heat stress. Most of the crop models tended to reproduce heat stress impacts better during grain filling than at anthesis. Some of the tested models require improvements in the response to heat stress during grain filling, but all models need improvements in simulating heat stress effects on grain set during anthesis. The observed significant genetic variability in the response of wheat to heat stress needs to be considered through cultivar parameters in future simulation studies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

HvPap-1 C1A Protease and HvCPI-2 Cystatin Contribute to Barley Grain Filling and Germination1

PubMed Central

Velasco-Arroyo, Blanca; Cambra, Ines; Gonzalez-Melendi, Pablo; Lopez-Gonzalvez, Angeles; Garcia, Antonia

2016-01-01

Proteolysis is an essential process throughout the mobilization of storage proteins in barley (Hordeum vulgare) grains during germination. It involves numerous types of enzymes, with C1A Cys proteases the most abundant key players. Manipulation of the proteolytic machinery is a potential way to enhance grain yield and quality, and it could influence the mobilization of storage compounds along germination. Transgenic barley plants silencing or over-expressing the cathepsin F-like HvPap-1 Cys protease show differential accumulation of storage molecules such as starch, proteins, and free amino acids in the grain. It is particularly striking that the HvPap-1 artificial microRNA lines phenotype show a drastic delay in the grain germination process. Alterations to the proteolytic activities in the over-expressing and knock-down grains associated with changes in the level of expression of several C1A peptidases were also detected. Similarly, down-regulating cystatin Icy-2, one of the proteinaceous inhibitors of the cathepsin F-like protease, also has important effects on grain filling. However, the ultimate physiological influence of manipulating a peptidase or an inhibitor cannot be always predicted, since the plant tries to compensate the modified proteolytic effects by modulating the expression of some other peptidases or their inhibitors. PMID:26912343

Permeability of Granite Including Macro-Fracture Naturally Filled with Fine-Grained Minerals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nara, Yoshitaka; Kato, Masaji; Niri, Ryuhei; Kohno, Masanori; Sato, Toshinori; Fukuda, Daisuke; Sato, Tsutomu; Takahashi, Manabu

2018-03-01

Information on the permeability of rock is essential for various geoengineering projects, such as geological disposal of radioactive wastes, hydrocarbon extraction, and natural hazard risk mitigation. It is especially important to investigate how fractures and pores influence the physical and transport properties of rock. Infiltration of groundwater through the damage zone fills fractures in granite with fine-grained minerals. However, the permeability of rock possessing a fracture naturally filled with fine-grained mineral grains has yet to be investigated. In this study, the permeabilities of granite samples, including a macro-fracture filled with clay and a mineral vein, are investigated. The permeability of granite with a fine-grained mineral vein agrees well with that of the intact sample, whereas the permeability of granite possessing a macro-fracture filled with clay is lower than that of the macro-fractured sample. The decrease in the permeability is due to the filling of fine-grained minerals and clay in the macro-fracture. It is concluded that the permeability of granite increases due to the existence of the fractures, but decreases upon filling them with fine-grained minerals.

HvPap-1 C1A Protease and HvCPI-2 Cystatin Contribute to Barley Grain Filling and Germination.

PubMed

Diaz-Mendoza, Mercedes; Dominguez-Figueroa, Jose D; Velasco-Arroyo, Blanca; Cambra, Ines; Gonzalez-Melendi, Pablo; Lopez-Gonzalvez, Angeles; Garcia, Antonia; Hensel, Goetz; Kumlehn, Jochen; Diaz, Isabel; Martinez, Manuel

2016-04-01

Proteolysis is an essential process throughout the mobilization of storage proteins in barley (Hordeum vulgare) grains during germination. It involves numerous types of enzymes, with C1A Cys proteases the most abundant key players. Manipulation of the proteolytic machinery is a potential way to enhance grain yield and quality, and it could influence the mobilization of storage compounds along germination. Transgenic barley plants silencing or over-expressing the cathepsin F-like HvPap-1 Cys protease show differential accumulation of storage molecules such as starch, proteins, and free amino acids in the grain. It is particularly striking that the HvPap-1 artificial microRNA lines phenotype show a drastic delay in the grain germination process. Alterations to the proteolytic activities in the over-expressing and knock-down grains associated with changes in the level of expression of several C1A peptidases were also detected. Similarly, down-regulating cystatin Icy-2, one of the proteinaceous inhibitors of the cathepsin F-like protease, also has important effects on grain filling. However, the ultimate physiological influence of manipulating a peptidase or an inhibitor cannot be always predicted, since the plant tries to compensate the modified proteolytic effects by modulating the expression of some other peptidases or their inhibitors. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Signal transduction during wheat grain development.

PubMed

Kong, Lingan; Guo, Honghai; Sun, Mingze

2015-04-01

This review examines the signaling pathways from the developmental and environmental point of view and the interactions among external conditions, hormonal regulations, and sugarsensing in wheat. Grain development is the key phase of reproductive growth that is closely associated with vegetative organ senescence, initiation of grain filling, pre-stored assimilates remobilization, and maturation. Senescence is characterized by loss of chlorophyll and the degradation of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids as well as nutrient exports to the sink. The initiation and progression of vegetative organ senescence are under the control of an array of environmental signals (such as biotic and abiotic stresses, darkness, and nutrient availability) and endogenous factors (including aging, multiple hormones, and sugar availability). This review will discuss the major breakthroughs in signal transduction for the wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain development achieved in the past several years, with focuses on the regulation of senescence, reserves remobilization and biosynthesis of main components of the grain. Different mechanisms of diverse signals in controlling different phrases of wheat grain development, and cross talks between different signaling pathways will also be discussed. For perspectives, key signaling networks for grain development remain to be elucidated, including cross talks and the interactions between various environmental factors and internal signals.

Phloem Transport Of Arsenic Species From Flag Leaf To Grain During Grain Filling

EPA Science Inventory

Strategies to reduce arsenic (As) in rice grain, below concentrations that represent a serious human health concern, require that the mechanisms of As accumulation within grain be established. Therefore, retranslocation of As species from flag leaves into filling rice grain was ...

Field application of benzothiadiazole (BTH) to oats (Avena sativa): Effects on crown rust resistance and avenanthramide production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plant defense activators such as benzothiadiazole (BTH) are known to elicit the biosynthesis of plant phytoalexins. In oat, BTH treatment was shown to up-regulate avenanthramide production in both the vegetative tissue and filling grain in greenhouse studies. Avenanthramides are phenolic antioxidant...

Modelling fungal sink competitiveness with grains for assimilates in wheat infected by a biotrophic pathogen

PubMed Central

Bancal, Marie-Odile; Hansart, Amandine; Sache, Ivan; Bancal, Pierre

2012-01-01

Background and Aims Experiments have shown that biotrophic fungi divert assimilates for their growth. However, no attempt has been made either to account for this additional sink or to predict to what extent it competes with both grain filling and plant reserve metabolism for carbon. Fungal sink competitiveness with grains was quantified by a mixed experimental–modelling approach based on winter wheat infected by Puccinia triticina. Methods One week after anthesis, plants grown under controlled conditions were inoculated with varying loads. Sporulation was recorded while plants underwent varying degrees of shading, ensuring a range of both fungal sink and host source levels. Inoculation load significantly increased both sporulating area and rate. Shading significantly affected net assimilation, reserve mobilization and sporulating area, but not grain filling or sporulation rates. An existing carbon partitioning (source–sink) model for wheat during the grain filling period was then enhanced, in which two parameters characterize every sink: carriage capacity and substrate affinity. Fungal sink competitiveness with host sources and sinks was modelled by representing spore production as another sink in diseased wheat during grain filling. Key Results Data from the experiment were fitted to the model to provide the fungal sink parameters. Fungal carriage capacity was 0·56 ± 0·01 µg dry matter °Cd−1 per lesion, much less than grain filling capacity, even in highly infected plants; however, fungal sporulation had a competitive priority for assimilates over grain filling. Simulation with virtual crops accounted for the importance of the relative contribution of photosynthesis loss, anticipated reserve depletion and spore production when light level and disease severity vary. The grain filling rate was less reduced than photosynthesis; however, over the long term, yield loss could double because the earlier reserve depletion observed here would shorten the duration of grain filling. Conclusions Source–sink modelling holds the promise of accounting for plant–pathogen interactions over time under fluctuating climatic/lighting conditions in a robust way. PMID:22589327

Soil and water warming accelerates phenology and down-regulation of leaf photosynthesis of rice plants grown under free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE).

PubMed

Adachi, Minaco; Hasegawa, Toshihiro; Fukayama, Hiroshi; Tokida, Takeshi; Sakai, Hidemitsu; Matsunami, Toshinori; Nakamura, Hirofumi; Sameshima, Ryoji; Okada, Masumi

2014-02-01

To enable prediction of future rice production in a changing climate, we need to understand the interactive effects of temperature and elevated [CO2] (E[CO2]). We therefore examined if the effect of E[CO2] on the light-saturated leaf photosynthetic rate (Asat) was affected by soil and water temperature (NT, normal; ET, elevated) under open-field conditions at the rice free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility in Shizukuishi, Japan, in 2007 and 2008. Season-long E[CO2] (+200 µmol mol(-1)) increased Asat by 26%, when averaged over two years, temperature regimes and growth stages. The effect of ET (+2°C) on Asat was not significant at active tillering and heading, but became negative and significant at mid-grain filling; Asat in E[CO2]-ET was higher than in ambient [CO2] (A[CO2])-NT by only 4%. Photosynthetic down-regulation at E[CO2] also became apparent at mid-grain filling; Asat compared at the same [CO2] in the leaf cuvette was significantly lower in plants grown in E[CO2] than in those grown in A[CO2]. The additive effects of E[CO2] and ET decreased Asat by 23% compared with that of A[CO2]-NT plants. Although total crop nitrogen (N) uptake was increased by ET, N allocation to the leaves and to Rubisco was reduced under ET and E[CO2] at mid-grain filling, which resulted in a significant decrease (32%) in the maximum rate of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylation on a leaf area basis. Because the change in N allocation was associated with the accelerated phenology in E[CO2]-ET plants, we conclude that soil and water warming accelerates photosynthetic down-regulation at E[CO2].

Reactive oxygen species induced by heat stress during grain filling of rice (Oryza sativa L.) are involved in occurrence of grain chalkiness.

PubMed

Suriyasak, Chetphilin; Harano, Keisuke; Tanamachi, Koichiro; Matsuo, Kazuhiro; Tamada, Aina; Iwaya-Inoue, Mari; Ishibashi, Yushi

2017-09-01

Heat stress during grain filling increases rice grain chalkiness due to increased activity of α-amylase, which hydrolyzes starch. In rice and barley seeds, reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced after imbibition induce α-amylase activity via regulation of gibberellin (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) levels during seed germination. Here, we examined whether ROS is involved in induction of grain chalkiness by α-amylase in developing rice grains under heat stress. To elucidate the role of ROS in grain chalkiness, we grew post-anthesis rice plants (Oryza sativa L. cv. Koshihikari) under control (25°C) or heat stress (30°C) conditions with or without antioxidant (dithiothreitol) treatment. The developing grains were analyzed for expression of NADPH oxidases, GA biosynthesis genes (OsGA3ox1, OsGA20ox1), ABA catabolism genes (OsABA8'OH1, OsABA8'OH2) and an α-amylase gene (OsAmy3E), endogenous H 2 O 2 content and the grain quality. In grains exposed to heat stress, the expression of NADPH oxidase genes (especially, OsRbohB, OsRbohD, OsRbohF and OsRbohI) and the ROS content increased. Heat stress also increased the expression of OsGA3ox1, OsGA20ox1, OsABA8'OH1, OsABA8'OH2 and OsAmy3E. On the other hand, dithiothreitol treatment reduced the effects of heat stress on the expression of these genes and significantly reduced grain chalkiness induced by heat stress. These results suggest that, similar to cereal seed germination mechanism, ROS produced under heat stress is involved in α-amylase induction in maturating rice grains through GA/ABA metabolism, and consequently caused grain chalkiness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Impact of high temperature stress on floret fertility and individual grain weight of grain sorghum: sensitive stages and thresholds for temperature and duration

PubMed Central

Prasad, P. V. V.; Djanaguiraman, Maduraimuthu; Perumal, Ramasamy; Ciampitti, Ignacio A.

2015-01-01

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] yield formation is severely affected by high temperature stress during reproductive stages. This study pursues to (i) identify the growth stage(s) most sensitive to high temperature stress during reproductive development, (ii) determine threshold temperature and duration of high temperature stress that decreases floret fertility and individual grain weight, and (iii) quantify impact of high daytime temperature during floret development, flowering and grain filling on reproductive traits and grain yield under field conditions. Periods between 10 and 5 d before anthesis; and between 5 d before- and 5 d after-anthesis were most sensitive to high temperatures causing maximum decreases in floret fertility. Mean daily temperatures >25°C quadratically decreased floret fertility (reaching 0% at 37°C) when imposed at the start of panicle emergence. Temperatures ranging from 25 to 37°C quadratically decreased individual grain weight when imposed at the start of grain filling. Both floret fertility and individual grain weights decreased quadratically with increasing duration (0–35 d or 49 d during floret development or grain filling stage, respectively) of high temperature stress. In field conditions, imposition of temperature stress (using heat tents) during floret development or grain filling stage also decreased floret fertility, individual grain weight, and grain weight per panicle. PMID:26500664

Limitation of Unloading in the Developing Grains Is a Possible Cause Responsible for Low Stem Non-structural Carbohydrate Translocation and Poor Grain Yield Formation in Rice through Verification of Recombinant Inbred Lines

PubMed Central

Li, Guohui; Pan, Junfeng; Cui, Kehui; Yuan, Musong; Hu, Qiuqian; Wang, Wencheng; Mohapatra, Pravat K.; Nie, Lixiao; Huang, Jianliang; Peng, Shaobing

2017-01-01

Remobilisation of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) from leaves and stems and unloading into developing grains are essential for yield formation of rice. In present study, three recombinant inbred lines of rice, R91, R156 and R201 have been tested for source-flow-sink related attributes determining the nature of NSC accumulation and translocation at two nitrogen levels in the field. Compared to R91 and R156, R201 had lower grain filling percentage, harvest index, and grain yield. Meanwhile, R201 had significantly lower stem NSC translocation during grain filling stage. Grain filling percentage, harvest index, and grain yield showed the consistent trend with stem NSC translocation among the three lines. In comparison with R91 and R156, R201 had similarity in leaf area index, specific leaf weight, stem NSC concentration at heading, biomass, panicles m-2, spikelets per panicle, remobilization capability of assimilation in stems, sink capacity, sink activity, number and cross sectional area of small vascular bundles, greater number and cross sectional area of large vascular bundles, and higher SPAD, suggesting that source, flow, and sink were not the limiting factors for low stem NSC translocation and grain filling percentage of R201. However, R201 had significant higher stem and rachis NSC concentrations at maturity, which implied that unloading in the developing grains might result in low NSC translocation in R201. The results indicate that stem NSC translocation could be beneficial for enhancement of grain yield potential, and poor unloading into caryopsis may be the possible cause of low stem NSC translocation, poor grain filling and yield formation in R201. PMID:28848573

Fine-grained sediment dispersal along the California coast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warrick, Jonathan A.; Storlazzi, Curt D.

2013-01-01

Fine-grained sediment (silt and clay) enters coastal waters from rivers, eroding coastal bluffs, resuspension of seabed sediment, and human activities such as dredging and beach nourishment. The amount of sediment in coastal waters is an important factor in ocean ecosystem health, but little information exists on both the natural and human-driven magnitudes of fine-grained sediment delivery to the coastal zone, its residence time there, and its transport out of the system—information upon which to base environmental assessments. To help fill these information gaps, the U.S. Geological Survey has partnered with Federal, State, and local agencies to monitor fine-grained sediment dispersal patterns and fate in the coastal regions of California. Results of these studies suggest that the waves and currents of many of the nearshore coastal settings of California are adequately energetic to transport fine-grained sediment quickly through coastal systems. These findings will help with the management and regulation of fine-grained sediment along the U.S. west coast.

[Effects of postponing nitrogen application on photosynthetic characteristics and grain yield of winter wheat subjected to water stress after heading stage].

PubMed

Yang, Ming-da; Ma, Shou-chen; Yang, Shen-jiao; Zhang, Su-yu; Guan, Xiao-kang; Li, Xue-mei; Wang, Tong-chao; Li, Chun-xi

2015-11-01

A pot culture experiment was conducted to study the effects of postponing nitrogen (N) application on photosynthetic characteristics and grain yield of winter wheat subjected to water stress after heading stage. Equal in the total N rate in winter wheat growth season, N application was split before sowing, and/or at jointing and /or at anthesis at the ratio of 10:0:0 (N1), 6:4:0 (N2) and 4:3:3 (N3), combined with unfavorable water condition (either waterlogged or drought) with the sufficient water condition as control. The results showed that, under each of the water condition, both N2 and N3 treatments significantly improved the leaf photosynthetic rate and the SPAD value of flag leaf compared with N1 treatment during grain filling stage, and also the crop ear number, grain number per spike and above-ground biomass were increased. Although postponing nitrogen application increased water consumption, both grain yield and water use efficiency were increased. Compared with sufficient water supply, drought stress and waterlogging stress significantly reduced the photosynthetic rate of flag leaves at anthesis and grain filling stages, ear number, 1000-grain mass and yield under all of the N application patterns. The decline of photosynthetic rate under either drought stress or waterlogging stress was much less in N2 and N3 than in N1 treatments, just the same as the grain yield. The results indicated that postponing nitrogen application could regulate winter wheat yield as well as its components to alleviate the damages, caused by unfavorable water stress by increasing flag leaf SPAD and maintaining flag leaf photosynthetic rate after anthesis, and promoting above-ground dry matter accumulation.

Turgor-responsive starch phosphorylation in Oryza sativa stems: A primary event of starch degradation associated with grain-filling ability.

PubMed

Wada, Hiroshi; Masumoto-Kubo, Chisato; Tsutsumi, Koichi; Nonami, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Fukuyo; Okada, Haruka; Erra-Balsells, Rosa; Hiraoka, Kenzo; Nakashima, Taiken; Hakata, Makoto; Morita, Satoshi

2017-01-01

Grain filling ability is mainly affected by the translocation of carbohydrates generated from temporarily stored stem starch in most field crops including rice (Oryza sativa L.). The partitioning of non-structural stem carbohydrates has been recognized as an important trait for raising the yield ceiling, yet we still do not fully understand how carbohydrate partitioning occurs in the stems. In this study, two rice subspecies that exhibit different patterns of non-structural stem carbohydrates partitioning, a japonica-dominant cultivar, Momiroman, and an indica-dominant cultivar, Hokuriku 193, were used as the model system to study the relationship between turgor pressure and metabolic regulation of non-structural stem carbohydrates, by combining the water status measurement with gene expression analysis and a dynamic prefixed 13C tracer analysis using a mass spectrometer. Here, we report a clear varietal difference in turgor-associated starch phosphorylation occurred at the initiation of non-structural carbohydrate partitioning. The data indicated that starch degradation in Hokuriku 193 stems occurred at full-heading, 5 days earlier than in Momiroman, contributing to greater sink filling. Gene expression analysis revealed that expression pattern of the gene encoding α-glucan, water dikinase (GWD1) was similar between two varieties, and the maximum expression level in Hokuriku 193, reached at full heading (4 DAH), was greater than in Momiroman, leading to an earlier increase in a series of amylase-related gene expression in Hokuriku 193. In both varieties, peaks in turgor pressure preceded the increases in GWD1 expression, and changes in GWD1 expression was correlated with turgor pressure. Additionally, a threshold is likely to exist for GWD1 expression to facilitate starch degradation. Taken together, these results raise the possibility that turgor-associated starch phosphorylation in cells is responsible for the metabolism that leads to starch degradation. Because the two cultivars exhibited remarkable varietal differences in the pattern of non-structural carbohydrate partitioning, our findings propose that the observed difference in grain-filling ability originated from turgor-associated regulation of starch phosphorylation in stem parenchyma cells. Further understanding of the molecular mechanism of turgor-regulation may provide a new selection criterion for breaking the yield barriers in crop production.

Turgor-responsive starch phosphorylation in Oryza sativa stems: A primary event of starch degradation associated with grain-filling ability

PubMed Central

Tsutsumi, Koichi; Nonami, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Fukuyo; Okada, Haruka; Erra-Balsells, Rosa; Hiraoka, Kenzo; Nakashima, Taiken; Hakata, Makoto; Morita, Satoshi

2017-01-01

Grain filling ability is mainly affected by the translocation of carbohydrates generated from temporarily stored stem starch in most field crops including rice (Oryza sativa L.). The partitioning of non-structural stem carbohydrates has been recognized as an important trait for raising the yield ceiling, yet we still do not fully understand how carbohydrate partitioning occurs in the stems. In this study, two rice subspecies that exhibit different patterns of non-structural stem carbohydrates partitioning, a japonica-dominant cultivar, Momiroman, and an indica-dominant cultivar, Hokuriku 193, were used as the model system to study the relationship between turgor pressure and metabolic regulation of non-structural stem carbohydrates, by combining the water status measurement with gene expression analysis and a dynamic prefixed 13C tracer analysis using a mass spectrometer. Here, we report a clear varietal difference in turgor-associated starch phosphorylation occurred at the initiation of non-structural carbohydrate partitioning. The data indicated that starch degradation in Hokuriku 193 stems occurred at full-heading, 5 days earlier than in Momiroman, contributing to greater sink filling. Gene expression analysis revealed that expression pattern of the gene encoding α-glucan, water dikinase (GWD1) was similar between two varieties, and the maximum expression level in Hokuriku 193, reached at full heading (4 DAH), was greater than in Momiroman, leading to an earlier increase in a series of amylase-related gene expression in Hokuriku 193. In both varieties, peaks in turgor pressure preceded the increases in GWD1 expression, and changes in GWD1 expression was correlated with turgor pressure. Additionally, a threshold is likely to exist for GWD1 expression to facilitate starch degradation. Taken together, these results raise the possibility that turgor-associated starch phosphorylation in cells is responsible for the metabolism that leads to starch degradation. Because the two cultivars exhibited remarkable varietal differences in the pattern of non-structural carbohydrate partitioning, our findings propose that the observed difference in grain-filling ability originated from turgor-associated regulation of starch phosphorylation in stem parenchyma cells. Further understanding of the molecular mechanism of turgor-regulation may provide a new selection criterion for breaking the yield barriers in crop production. PMID:28727805

Adapting to warmer climate through prolonged maize grain filling period in the US Midwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, P.; Zhuang, Q.; Jin, Z.

2017-12-01

Climate warming is expected to negatively impact the US food productivity. How to adapt to the future warmer environment and meet the rising food requirement becomes unprecedented urgent. Continuous satellite observational data provides an opportunity to examine the historic responses of crop plants to climate variation. Here 16 years crop growing phases information across US Midwest is generated based on satellite observations. We found a prolonged grain-filling period during 2000-2015, which could partly explain the increasing trend in Midwest maize yield. This longer grain-filling period might be resulted from the adoption of longer maturity group varieties or more resistant varieties to temperature variation. Other management practice changes like advance in planting date could be also an effective way of adapting future warmer climate through lowering the possibility of exposure to heat and drought stresses. If the progress in breeding technology enables the maize grain-filling period to prolong with the current rate, the maize grain filling length could be longer and maize yield in Midwest could adapt to future climate despite of the warming.

Phosphorus uptake, partitioning and redistribution during grain filling in rice

PubMed Central

Julia, Cécile; Wissuwa, Matthias; Kretzschmar, Tobias; Jeong, Kwanho; Rose, Terry

2016-01-01

Backgrounds and Aims In cultivated rice, phosphorus (P) in grains originates from two possible sources, namely exogenous (post-flowering root P uptake from soil) or endogenous (P remobilization from vegetative parts) sources. This study investigates P partitioning and remobilization in rice plants throughout grain filling to resolve contributions of P sources to grain P levels in rice. Methods Rice plants (Oryza sativa ‘IR64’) were grown under P-sufficient or P-deficient conditions in the field and in hydroponics. Post-flowering uptake, partitioning and re-partitioning of P was investigated by quantifying tissue P levels over the grain filling period in the field conditions, and by employing 33P isotope as a tracer in the hydroponic study. Key Results Post-flowering P uptake represented 40–70 % of the aerial plant P accumulation at maturity. The panicle was the main P sink in all studies, and the amount of P potentially remobilized from vegetative tissues to the panicle during grain filling was around 20 % of the total aerial P measured at flowering. In hydroponics, less than 20 % of the P tracer taken up at 9 d after flowering (DAF) was found in the above-ground tissues at 14 DAF and half of it was partitioned to the panicle in both P treatments. Conclusions The results demonstrate that P uptake from the soil during grain filling is a critical contributor to the P content in grains in irrigated rice. The P tracer study suggests that the mechanism of P loading into grains involves little direct transfer of post-flowering P uptake to the grain but rather substantial mobilization of P that was previously taken up and stored in vegetative tissues. PMID:27590335

Finite element modelling of creep cavity filling by solute diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Versteylen, C. D.; Szymański, N. K.; Sluiter, M. H. F.; van Dijk, N. H.

2018-04-01

In recently discovered self healing creep steels, open-volume creep cavities are filled by the precipitation of supersaturated solute. These creep cavities form on the grain boundaries oriented perpendicular to the applied stress. The presence of a free surface triggers a flux of solute from the matrix, over the grain boundaries towards the creep cavities. We studied the creep cavity filling by finite element modelling and found that the filling time critically depends on (i) the ratio of diffusivities in the grain boundary and the bulk, and (ii) on the ratio of the intercavity distance and the cavity size. For a relatively large intercavity spacing 3D transport is observed when the grain boundary and volume diffusivities are of a similar order of magnitude, while a 2D behaviour is observed when the grain boundary diffusivity is dominant. Instead when the intercavity distance is small, the transport behaviour tends to a 1D behaviour in all cases, as the amount of solute available in the grain boundary is insufficient. A phase diagram with the transition lines is constructed.

Elevated CO2 Reduced Floret Death in Wheat Under Warmer Average Temperatures and Terminal Drought

PubMed Central

Dias de Oliveira, Eduardo; Palta, Jairo A.; Bramley, Helen; Stefanova, Katia; Siddique, Kadambot H. M.

2015-01-01

Elevated CO2 often increases grain yield in wheat by enhancing grain number per ear, which can result from an increase in the potential number of florets or a reduction in the death of developed florets. The hypotheses that elevated CO2 reduces floret death rather than increases floret development, and that grain size in a genotype with more grains per unit area is limited by the rate of grain filling, were tested in a pair of sister lines contrasting in tillering capacity (restricted- vs. free-tillering). The hypotheses were tested under elevated CO2, combined with +3°C above ambient temperature and terminal drought, using specialized field tunnel houses. Elevated CO2 increased net leaf photosynthetic rates and likely the availability of carbon assimilates, which significantly reduced the rates of floret death and increased the potential number of grains at anthesis in both sister lines by an average of 42%. The restricted-tillering line had faster grain-filling rates than the free-tillering line because the free-tillering line had more grains to fill. Furthermore, grain-filling rates were faster under elevated CO2 and +3°C above ambient. Terminal drought reduced grain yield in both lines by 19%. Elevated CO2 alone increased the potential number of grains, but a trade-off in yield components limited grain yield in the free-tillering line. This emphasizes the need for breeding cultivars with a greater potential number of florets, since this was not affected by the predicted future climate variables. PMID:26635837

Study of water stress effects in different growth stages on yield and yield components of different rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars.

PubMed

Sarvestani, Zinolabedin Tahmasebi; Pirdashti, Hemmatollah; Sanavy, Seyed Ali Mohammad Modarres; Balouchi, Hamidreza

2008-05-15

A field experiment was conducted during 2001-2003 to evaluate the effect of water stress on the yield and yield components of four rice cultivars commonly grown in Mazandaran province, Iran. In northern Iran irrigated lowland rice usually experiences water deficit during the growing season include of land preparation time, planting, tillering stage, flowering and grain filing period. Recently drought affected 20 of 28 provinces in Iran; with the southeastern, central and eastern parts of the country being most severely affected. The local and improved cultivars used were Tarom, Khazar, Fajr and Nemat. The different water stress conditions were water stress during vegetative, flowering and grain filling stages and well watered was the control. Water stress at vegetative stage significantly reduced plant height of all cultivars. Water stress at flowering stage had a greater grain yield reduction than water stress at other times. The reduction of grain yield largely resulted from the reduction in fertile panicle and filled grain percentage. Water deficit during vegetative, flowering and grain filling stages reduced mean grain yield by 21, 50 and 21% on average in comparison to control respectively. The yield advantage of two semidwarf varieties, Fajr and Nemat, were not maintained under drought stress. Total biomass, harvest index, plant height, filled grain, unfilled grain and 1000 grain weight were reduced under water stress in all cultivars. Water stress at vegetative stage effectively reduced total biomass due to decrease of photosynthesis rate and dry matter accumulation.

Polyamines and ethylene interact in rice grains in response to soil drying during grain filling.

PubMed

Chen, Tingting; Xu, Yunji; Wang, Jingchao; Wang, Zhiqin; Yang, Jianchang; Zhang, Jianhua

2013-05-01

This study tested the hypothesis that the interaction between polyamines and ethylene may mediate the effects of soil drying on grain filling of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Two rice cultivars were pot grown. Three treatments, well-watered, moderate soil drying (MD), and severe soil drying (SD), were imposed from 8 d post-anthesis until maturity. The endosperm cell division rate, grain-filling rate, and grain weight of earlier flowering superior spikelets showed no significant differences among the three treatments. However, those of the later flowering inferior spikelets were significantly increased under MD and significantly reduced under SD when compared with those which were well watered. The two cultivars showed the same tendencies. MD increased the contents of free spermidine (Spd) and free spermine (Spm), the activities of S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase and Spd synthase, and expression levels of polyamine synthesis genes, and decreased the ethylene evolution rate, the contents of 1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and hydrogen peroxide, the activities of ACC synthase, ACC oxidase, and polyamine oxidase, and the expression levels of ethylene synthesis genes in inferior spikelets. SD exhibited the opposite effects. Application of Spd, Spm, or an inhibitor of ethylene synthesis to rice panicles significantly reduced ethylene and ACC levels, but significantly increased Spd and Spm contents, grain-filling rate, and grain weight of inferior spikelets. The results were reversed when ACC or an inhibitor of Spd and Spm synthesis was applied. The results suggest that a potential metabolic interaction between polyamines and ethylene biosynthesis responds to soil drying and mediates the grain filling of inferior spikelets in rice.

Starch granule formation and protein deposition in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) starchy endosperm cells is altered by high temperature during grain fill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurkman, William J.; Wood, Delilah F.

2010-06-01

High temperatures during wheat grain fill decrease starch and protein levels, adversely affecting wheat yield and flour quality. To determine the effect of high temperature on starchy endosperm cell development, grain (Triticum aestivum L. 'Butte 86') was produced under a 24/17°C or 37/28°C day/night regimen imposed from flowering to maturity and starch and protein deposition examined using scanning electron microscopy. The high temperature regimen shortened the duration of grain fill from 40 to 18 days. Under the 37/28°C regimen, A- and B-type starch granules decreased in size. A-type starch granules also exhibited pitting, suggesting enhanced action of starch degradative enzymes. Under both temperature regimens, protein bodies originated early in development and coalesced during mid to late development to form a continuous protein matrix surrounding the starch granules. Under the 37/28°C regimen, the proportion of protein matrix increased in endosperm cells of mature grain. Taken together, the changes in starch granule number and size and in protein matrix amount provide clues for understanding how high temperature during grain fill can affect end use properties of wheat flour.

Phosphorus uptake, partitioning and redistribution during grain filling in rice.

PubMed

Julia, Cécile; Wissuwa, Matthias; Kretzschmar, Tobias; Jeong, Kwanho; Rose, Terry

2016-11-01

In cultivated rice, phosphorus (P) in grains originates from two possible sources, namely exogenous (post-flowering root P uptake from soil) or endogenous (P remobilization from vegetative parts) sources. This study investigates P partitioning and remobilization in rice plants throughout grain filling to resolve contributions of P sources to grain P levels in rice. Rice plants (Oryza sativa 'IR64') were grown under P-sufficient or P-deficient conditions in the field and in hydroponics. Post-flowering uptake, partitioning and re-partitioning of P was investigated by quantifying tissue P levels over the grain filling period in the field conditions, and by employing 33 P isotope as a tracer in the hydroponic study. Post-flowering P uptake represented 40-70 % of the aerial plant P accumulation at maturity. The panicle was the main P sink in all studies, and the amount of P potentially remobilized from vegetative tissues to the panicle during grain filling was around 20 % of the total aerial P measured at flowering. In hydroponics, less than 20 % of the P tracer taken up at 9 d after flowering (DAF) was found in the above-ground tissues at 14 DAF and half of it was partitioned to the panicle in both P treatments. The results demonstrate that P uptake from the soil during grain filling is a critical contributor to the P content in grains in irrigated rice. The P tracer study suggests that the mechanism of P loading into grains involves little direct transfer of post-flowering P uptake to the grain but rather substantial mobilization of P that was previously taken up and stored in vegetative tissues. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Nitrogen Nutrition Improves the Potential of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to Alleviate the Effects of Drought Stress during Vegetative Growth Periods.

PubMed

Abid, Muhammad; Tian, Zhongwei; Ata-Ul-Karim, Syed Tahir; Cui, Yakun; Liu, Yang; Zahoor, Rizwan; Jiang, Dong; Dai, Tingbo

2016-01-01

Efficient nitrogen (N) nutrition has the potential to alleviate drought stress in crops by maintaining metabolic activities even at low tissue water potential. This study was aimed to understand the potential of N to minimize the effects of drought stress applied/occur during tillering (Feekes stage 2) and jointing (Feekes stage 6) growth stages of wheat by observing the regulations and limitations of physiological activities, crop growth rate during drought periods as well as final grain yields at maturity. In present study, pot cultured plants of a wheat cultivar Yangmai-16 were exposed to three water levels [severe stress at 35-40% field capacity (FC), moderate stress at 55-60% FC and well-watered at 75-80% FC] under two N rates (0.24 g and 0.16 g/kg soil). The results showed that the plants under severe drought stress accompanied by low N exhibited highly downregulated photosynthesis, and chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence during the drought stress periods, and showed an accelerated grain filling rate with shortened grain filling duration (GFD) at post-anthesis, and reduced grain yields. Severe drought-stressed plants especially at jointing, exhibited lower Chl and Rubisco contents, lower efficiency of photosystem II and greater grain yield reductions. In contrast, drought-stressed plants under higher N showed tolerance to drought stress by maintaining higher leaf water potential, Chl and Rubisco content; lower lipid peroxidation associated with higher superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase activities during drought periods. The plants under higher N showed delayed senescence, increased GFD and lower grain yield reductions. The results of the study suggested that higher N nutrition contributed to drought tolerance in wheat by maintaining higher photosynthetic activities and antioxidative defense system during vegetative growth periods.

Employing Lead Thiocyanate Additive to Reduce the Hysteresis and Boost the Fill Factor of Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ke, Weijun; Xiao, Chuanxiao; Wang, Changlei

2016-05-04

Lead thiocyanate in the perovskite precursor can increase the grain size of a perovskite thin film and reduce the conductivity of the grain boundaries, leading to perovskite solar cells with reduced hysteresis and enhanced fill factor. A planar perovskite solar cell with grain boundary and interface passivation achieves a steady-state efficiency of 18.42%.

[Flag leaf photosynthetic characteristics, change in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and their relationships with yield of winter wheat sowed in spring].

PubMed

Xu, Lan; Gao, Zhi-qang; An, Wei; Li, Yan-liang; Jiao, Xiong-fei; Wang, Chuang-yun

2016-01-01

With five good winter wheat cultivars selected from the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River and Southwest China as test materials, a field experiment in Xinding basin area of Shanxi Province was conducted to study the photosynthetic characteristics, chlorophyll content, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of flag leaf at different sowing dates, as well as the correlations between these indices and yield for two years (2013-2014). The results showed that the difference in most fluorescence parameters except chlorophyll content among cultivars was significant. The correlations between these fluorescence parameters and yield were significant. The variation coefficient of chlorophyll (Chl) content was low (0.12-0.17), and that of performance index based on absorption (PIabs) was high (0.32-0.39), with the partial correlation coefficients of them with grain yield from 2013 to 2014 ranged in 0.70-0.81. Under the early sowing condition, the grain yield positively correlated with PIabs at flowering and filling stages and chlorophyll content at grain filling stage, but negatively correlated with the relative variable fluorescence at I point (Vi) at grain filling stage. About 81.1%-82.8% of grain yield were determined by the variations of PIabs, Chl, and Vi. Wheat cultivars had various performances in the treatments with different sowing dates and a consistent trend was observed in the two experimental years. Among these 5 cultivars, Yangmai 13 was suitable for early sowing, with the flag leaf photosynthetic rate (Pn), Chl, most fluorescence parame-ters, and grain yield showed obviously high levels. In conclusion, under early sowing condition chlorophyll content at grain filling stages, PIabs at flowering and filling stages, and Pn were important indices for selecting wheat cultivars with high photosynthetic efficiency.

Effect of high temperature on grain filling period, yield, amylose content and activity of starch biosynthesis enzymes in endosperm of basmati rice.

PubMed

Ahmed, Nisar; Tetlow, Ian J; Nawaz, Sehar; Iqbal, Ahsan; Mubin, Muhammad; Nawaz ul Rehman, Muhammad Shah; Butt, Aisha; Lightfoot, David A; Maekawa, Masahiko

2015-08-30

High temperature during grain filling affects yield, starch amylose content and activity of starch biosynthesis enzymes in basmati rice. To investigate the physiological mechanisms underpinning the effects of high temperature on rice grain, basmati rice was grown under two temperature conditions - 32 and 22 °C - during grain filling. High temperature decreased the grain filling period from 32 to 26 days, reducing yield by 6%, and caused a reduction in total starch (3.1%) and amylose content (22%). Measurable activities of key enzymes involved in sucrose to starch conversion, sucrose synthase, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch phosphorylase and soluble starch synthase in endosperms developed at 32 °C were lower than those at 22 °C compared with similar ripening stage on an endosperm basis. In particular, granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) activity was significantly lower than corresponding activity in endosperms developing at 22 °C during all developmental stages analyzed. Results suggest changes in amylose/amylopectin ratio observed in plants grown at 32 °C was attributable to a reduction in activity of GBSS, the sole enzyme responsible for amylose biosynthesis. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Physiology and biochemistry of source-regulated protein accumulation in the wheat grain.

PubMed

Barneix, Atilio J

2007-05-01

Wheat is unique among cereals for the baking qualities of its flour, which are dependent upon the type and concentration of its proteins. As a consequence, the grain protein concentration (GPC) is one of the main determinants of wheat international market price. More than 50-70% of the final grain N is accumulated before flowering and later remobilized to the grain, N fertilization being the common practice used to produce high GPC. However, after incremental additions of N fertilizer, GPC reaches a maximum and then remains constant, without any increase in N uptake or remobilization by the crop, thus decreasing the efficiency of N fertilizer. Although, the genetic and molecular mechanisms that regulate N uptake by the roots are being clarified quickly, the regulation and physiology of N transport from the leaves to the grain remains less clear. In this review, the possible regulatory points involved in N transport to the grain and the difficulties for increasing GPC are discussed. It has been demonstrated that protein synthesis in the grain is source-limited, and that the grain can accumulate protein limited only by the amino acids provided by the phloem. It has also been shown that there is no limitation in the amino acid/sugar ratios that can be exported to the phloem. On the other hand, NO(3)(-) uptake transporters are depressed when the plant concentration of some amino acids, such as glutamine, is high. It has also been shown that a high N supply increases cytokinins concentration, preventing leaf senescence and proteolysis. Based on this information, it is postulated that there are two main regulatory points during grain filling when plant N status is ample. On the one hand, the N uptake transporters in the roots are depressed due to the high amino acids concentration in the tissues, and N uptake is low. On the other, a high amino acids concentration keeps the cytokinins level high, repressing leaf protein degradation and decreasing amino acid export to the phloem. As a consequence, GPC cannot be increased despite the ample N supply.

Employing Lead Thiocyanate Additive to Reduce the Hysteresis and Boost the Fill Factor of Planar Perovskite Solar Cells.

PubMed

Ke, Weijun; Xiao, Chuanxiao; Wang, Changlei; Saparov, Bayrammurad; Duan, Hsin-Sheng; Zhao, Dewei; Xiao, Zewen; Schulz, Philip; Harvey, Steven P; Liao, Weiqiang; Meng, Weiwei; Yu, Yue; Cimaroli, Alexander J; Jiang, Chun-Sheng; Zhu, Kai; Al-Jassim, Mowafak; Fang, Guojia; Mitzi, David B; Yan, Yanfa

2016-07-01

Lead thiocyanate in the perovskite precursor can increase the grain size of a perovskite thin film and reduce the conductivity of the grain boundaries, leading to perovskite solar cells with reduced hysteresis and enhanced fill factor. A planar perovskite solar cell with grain boundary and interface passivation achieves a steady-state efficiency of 18.42%. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A proteomics survey on wheat susceptibility to Fusarium head blight during grain development

PubMed Central

Chetouhi, Cherif; Lecomte, Philippe; Cambon, Florence; Merlino, Marielle; Biron, David Georges

2014-01-01

The mycotoxigenic fungal species Fusarium graminearum is able to attack several important cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. By causing Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) disease, F. graminearum induces yield and quality losses and poses a public health concern due to in planta mycotoxin production. The molecular and physiological plant responses to FHB, and the cellular biochemical pathways used by F. graminearum to complete its infectious process remain still unknown. In this study, a proteomics approach, combining 2D-gel approach and mass spectrometry, has been used to determine the specific protein patterns associated with the development of the fungal infection during grain growth on susceptible wheat. Our results reveal that F. graminearum infection does not deeply alter the grain proteome and does not significantly disturb the first steps of grain ontogeny but impacts molecular changes during the grain filling stage (impact on starch synthesis and storage proteins). The differentially regulated proteins identified were mainly involved in stress and defence mechanisms, primary metabolism, and main cellular processes such as signalling and transport. Our survey suggests that F. graminearum could take advantage of putative susceptibility factors closely related to grain development processes and thus provide new insights into key molecular events controlling the susceptible response to FHB in wheat grains. PMID:25663750

Constitutive expression and silencing of a novel seed specific calcium dependent protein kinase gene in rice reveals its role in grain filling.

PubMed

Manimaran, P; Mangrauthia, Satendra K; Sundaram, R M; Balachandran, S M

2015-02-01

Ca(2+) sensor protein kinases are prevalent in most plant species including rice. They play diverse roles in plant signaling mechanism. Thirty one CDPK genes have been identified in rice and some are functionally characterized. In the present study, the newly identified rice CDPK gene OsCPK31 was functionally validated by overexpression and silencing in Taipei 309 rice cultivar. Spikelets of overexpressing plants showed hard dough stage within 15d after pollination (DAP) with rapid grain filling and early maturation. Scanning electron microscopy of endosperm during starch granule formation confirmed early grain filling. Further, seeds of overexpressing transgenic lines matured early (20-22 DAP) and the average number of maturity days reduced significantly. On the other hand, silencing lines showed more number of unfilled spikelet without any difference in maturity duration. It will be interesting to further decipher the role of OsCPK31 in biological pathways associated with distribution of photosynthetic assimilates during grain filling stage. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

High day- and night-time temperatures affect grain growth dynamics in contrasting rice genotypes.

PubMed

Shi, Wanju; Yin, Xinyou; Struik, Paul C; Solis, Celymar; Xie, Fangming; Schmidt, Ralf C; Huang, Min; Zou, Yingbin; Ye, Changrong; Jagadish, S V Krishna

2017-11-02

Rice grain yield and quality are predicted to be highly vulnerable to global warming. Five genotypes including heat-tolerant and susceptible checks, a heat-tolerant near-isogenic line and two hybrids were exposed to control (31 °C/23 °C, day/night), high night-time temperature (HNT; 31 °C/30 °C), high day-time temperature (HDT; 38 °C/23 °C) and high day- and night-time temperature (HNDT; 38 °C/30 °C) treatments for 20 consecutive days during the grain-filling stage. Grain-filling dynamics, starch metabolism enzymes, temporal starch accumulation patterns and the process of chalk formation were quantified. Compensation between the rate and duration of grain filling minimized the impact of HNT, but irreversible impacts on seed-set, grain filling and ultimately grain weight were recorded with HDT and HNDT. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated irregular and smaller starch granule formation affecting amyloplast build-up with HDT and HNDT, while a quicker but normal amylopast build-up was recorded with HNT. Our findings revealed temporal variation in the starch metabolism enzymes in all three stress treatments. Changes in the enzymatic activity did not derail starch accumulation under HNT when assimilates were sufficiently available, while both sucrose supply and the conversion of sucrose into starch were affected by HDT and HNDT. The findings indicate differential mechanisms leading to high day and high night temperature stress-induced loss in yield and quality. Additional genetic improvement is needed to sustain rice productivity and quality under future climates. © Society for Experimental Biology 2017.

Zinc allocation and re-allocation in rice.

PubMed

Stomph, Tjeerd Jan; Jiang, Wen; Van Der Putten, Peter E L; Struik, Paul C

2014-01-01

Agronomy and breeding actively search for options to enhance cereal grain Zn density. Quantifying internal (re-)allocation of Zn as affected by soil and crop management or genotype is crucial. We present experiments supporting the development of a conceptual model of whole plant Zn allocation and re-allocation in rice. Two solution culture experiments using (70)Zn applications at different times during crop development and an experiment on within-grain distribution of Zn are reported. In addition, results from two earlier published experiments are re-analyzed and re-interpreted. A budget analysis showed that plant zinc accumulation during grain filling was larger than zinc allocation to the grains. Isotope data showed that zinc taken up during grain filling was only partly transported directly to the grains and partly allocated to the leaves. Zinc taken up during grain filling and allocated to the leaves replaced zinc re-allocated from leaves to grains. Within the grains, no major transport barrier was observed between vascular tissue and endosperm. At low tissue Zn concentrations, rice plants maintained concentrations of about 20 mg Zn kg(-1) dry matter in leaf blades and reproductive tissues, but let Zn concentrations in stems, sheath, and roots drop below this level. When plant zinc concentrations increased, Zn levels in leaf blades and reproductive tissues only showed a moderate increase while Zn levels in stems, roots, and sheaths increased much more and in that order. In rice, the major barrier to enhanced zinc allocation towards grains is between stem and reproductive tissues. Enhancing root to shoot transfer will not contribute proportionally to grain zinc enhancement.

Zinc allocation and re-allocation in rice

PubMed Central

Stomph, Tjeerd Jan; Jiang, Wen; Van Der Putten, Peter E. L.; Struik, Paul C.

2014-01-01

Aims: Agronomy and breeding actively search for options to enhance cereal grain Zn density. Quantifying internal (re-)allocation of Zn as affected by soil and crop management or genotype is crucial. We present experiments supporting the development of a conceptual model of whole plant Zn allocation and re-allocation in rice. Methods: Two solution culture experiments using 70Zn applications at different times during crop development and an experiment on within-grain distribution of Zn are reported. In addition, results from two earlier published experiments are re-analyzed and re-interpreted. Results: A budget analysis showed that plant zinc accumulation during grain filling was larger than zinc allocation to the grains. Isotope data showed that zinc taken up during grain filling was only partly transported directly to the grains and partly allocated to the leaves. Zinc taken up during grain filling and allocated to the leaves replaced zinc re-allocated from leaves to grains. Within the grains, no major transport barrier was observed between vascular tissue and endosperm. At low tissue Zn concentrations, rice plants maintained concentrations of about 20 mg Zn kg−1 dry matter in leaf blades and reproductive tissues, but let Zn concentrations in stems, sheath, and roots drop below this level. When plant zinc concentrations increased, Zn levels in leaf blades and reproductive tissues only showed a moderate increase while Zn levels in stems, roots, and sheaths increased much more and in that order. Conclusions: In rice, the major barrier to enhanced zinc allocation towards grains is between stem and reproductive tissues. Enhancing root to shoot transfer will not contribute proportionally to grain zinc enhancement. PMID:24478788

Hydrogeologic framework and estimates of groundwater storage for the Hualapai Valley, Detrital Valley, and Sacramento Valley basins, Mohave County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Truini, Margot; Beard, L. Sue; Kennedy, Jeffrey; Anning, Dave W.

2013-01-01

We have investigated the hydrogeology of the Hualapai Valley, Detrital Valley, and Sacramento Valley basins of Mohave County in northwestern Arizona to develop a better understanding of groundwater storage within the basin fill aquifers. In our investigation we used geologic maps, well-log data, and geophysical surveys to delineate the sedimentary textures and lithology of the basin fill. We used gravity data to construct a basin geometry model that defines smaller subbasins within the larger basins, and airborne transient-electromagnetic modeled results along with well-log lithology data to infer the subsurface distribution of basin fill within the subbasins. Hydrogeologic units (HGUs) are delineated within the subbasins on the basis of the inferred lithology of saturated basin fill. We used the extent and size of HGUs to estimate groundwater storage to depths of 400 meters (m) below land surface (bls). The basin geometry model for the Hualapai Valley basin consists of three subbasins: the Kingman, Hualapai, and southern Gregg subbasins. In the Kingman subbasin, which is estimated to be 1,200 m deep, saturated basin fill consists of a mixture of fine- to coarse-grained sedimentary deposits. The Hualapai subbasin, which is the largest of the subbasins, contains a thick halite body from about 400 m to about 4,300 m bls. Saturated basin fill overlying the salt body consists predominately of fine-grained older playa deposits. In the southern Gregg subbasin, which is estimated to be 1,400 m deep, saturated basin fill is interpreted to consist primarily of fine- to coarse-grained sedimentary deposits. Groundwater storage to 400 m bls in the Hualapai Valley basin is estimated to be 14.1 cubic kilometers (km3). The basin geometry model for the Detrital Valley basin consists of three subbasins: northern Detrital, central Detrital, and southern Detrital subbasins. The northern and central Detrital subbasins are characterized by a predominance of playa evaporite and fine-grained clastic deposits; evaporite deposits in the northern Detrital subbasin include halite. The northern Detrital subbasin is estimated to be 600 m deep and the middle Detrital subbasin is estimated to be 700 m deep. The southern Detrital subbasin, which is estimated to be 1,500 m deep, is characterized by a mixture of fine- to coarse-grained basin fill deposits. Groundwater storage to 400 m bls in the Detrital Valley basin is estimated to be 9.8 km3. The basin geometry model for the Sacramento Valley basin consists of three subbasins: the Chloride, Golden Valley, and Dutch Flat subbasins. The Chloride subbasin, which is estimated to be 900 m deep, is characterized by fine- to coarse-grained basin fill deposits. In the Golden Valley subbasin, which is elongated north-south, and is estimated to be 1,300 m deep, basin fill includes fine-grained sedimentary deposits overlain by coarse-grained sedimentary deposits in much of the subbasin. The Dutch Flat subbasin is estimated to be 2,600 m deep, and well-log lithologic data suggest that the basin fill consists of interlayers of gravel, sand, and clay. Groundwater storage to 400 m bls in the Sacramento Valley basin is estimated to be 35.1 km3.

CN-Wheat, a functional–structural model of carbon and nitrogen metabolism in wheat culms after anthesis. II. Model evaluation

PubMed Central

Barillot, Romain; Chambon, Camille; Andrieu, Bruno

2016-01-01

Background and Aims Simulating resource allocation in crops requires an integrated view of plant functioning and the formalization of interactions between carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) metabolisms. This study evaluates the functional–structural model CN-Wheat developed for winter wheat after anthesis. Methods In CN-Wheat the acquisition and allocation of resources between photosynthetic organs, roots and grains are emergent properties of sink and source activities and transfers of mobile metabolites. CN-Wheat was calibrated for field plants under three N fertilizations at anthesis. Model parameters were taken from the literature or calibrated on the experimental data. Key Results The model was able to predict the temporal variations and the distribution of resources in the culm. Thus, CN-Wheat accurately predicted the post-anthesis kinetics of dry masses and N content of photosynthetic organs and grains in response to N fertilization. In our simulations, when soil nitrates were non-limiting, N in grains was ultimately determined by availability of C for root activity. Dry matter accumulation in grains was mostly affected by photosynthetic organ lifespan, which was regulated by protein turnover and C-regulated root activity. Conclusions The present study illustrates that the hypotheses implemented in the model were able to predict realistic dynamics and spatial patterns of C and N. CN-Wheat provided insights into the interplay of C and N metabolism and how the depletion of mobile metabolites due to grain filling ultimately results in the cessation of resource capture. This enabled us to identify processes that limit grain mass and protein content and are potential targets for plant breeding. PMID:27497243

The composition, functional components, and physical characteristics of grain from staygreen and senescent sorghum lines grown under variable water availability

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The inclusion of sorghum into human food and feed is limited by its low digestibility compared to corn, which has been linked to the higher total kafirin levels in sorghum grain. Water stress after pollination reduced grain filling, affects the grain composition, functional components and grain phys...

Remobilisation of phosphorus fractions in rice flag leaves during grain filling: Implications for photosynthesis and grain yields.

PubMed

Jeong, Kwanho; Julia, Cecile C; Waters, Daniel L E; Pantoja, Omar; Wissuwa, Matthias; Heuer, Sigrid; Liu, Lei; Rose, Terry J

2017-01-01

Phosphorus (P) is translocated from vegetative tissues to developing seeds during senescence in annual crop plants, but the impact of this P mobilisation on photosynthesis and plant performance is poorly understood. This study investigated rice (Oryza sativa L.) flag leaf photosynthesis and P remobilisation in a hydroponic study where P was either supplied until maturity or withdrawn permanently from the nutrient solution at anthesis, 8 days after anthesis (DAA) or 16 DAA. Prior to anthesis, plants received either the minimum level of P in nutrient solution required to achieve maximum grain yield ('adequate P treatment'), or received luxury levels of P in the nutrient solution ('luxury P treatment'). Flag leaf photosynthesis was impaired at 16 DAA when P was withdrawn at anthesis or 8 DAA under adequate P supply but only when P was withdrawn at anthesis under luxury P supply. Ultimately, reduced photosynthesis did not translate into grain yield reductions. There was some evidence plants remobilised less essential P pools (e.g. Pi) or replaceable P pools (e.g. phospholipid-P) prior to remobilisation of P in pools critical to leaf function such as nucleic acid-P and cytosolic Pi. Competition for P between vegetative tissues and developing grains can impair photosynthesis when P supply is withdrawn during early grain filling. A reduction in the P sink strength of grains by genetic manipulation may enable leaves to sustain high rates of photosynthesis until the later stages of grain filling.

Exogenously Applied Plant Growth Regulators Enhance the Morpho-Physiological Growth and Yield of Rice under High Temperature.

PubMed

Fahad, Shah; Hussain, Saddam; Saud, Shah; Hassan, Shah; Ihsan, Zahid; Shah, Adnan N; Wu, Chao; Yousaf, Muhammad; Nasim, Wajid; Alharby, Hesham; Alghabari, Fahad; Huang, Jianliang

2016-01-01

A 2-year experiment was conducted to ascertain the effects of exogenously applied plant growth regulators (PGR) on rice growth and yield attributes under high day (HDT) and high night temperature (HNT). Two rice cultivars (IR-64 and Huanghuazhan) were subjected to temperature treatments in controlled growth chambers and four different combinations of ascorbic acid (Vc), alpha-tocopherol (Ve), brassinosteroids (Br), methyl jasmonates (MeJA), and triazoles (Tr) were applied. High temperature severely affected rice morphology, and also reduced leaf area, above-, and below-ground biomass, photosynthesis, and water use efficiency, while increased the leaf water potential of both rice cultivars. Grain yield and its related attributes except number of panicles, were reduced under high temperature. The HDT posed more negative effects on rice physiological attributes, while HNT was more detrimental for grain formation and yield. The Huanghuazhan performed better than IR-64 under high temperature stress with better growth and higher grain yield. Exogenous application of PGRs was helpful in alleviating the adverse effects of high temperature. Among PGR combinations, the Vc+Ve+MejA+Br was the most effective treatment for both cultivars under high temperature stress. The highest grain production by Vc+Ve+MejA+Br treated plants was due to enhanced photosynthesis, spikelet fertility and grain filling, which compensated the adversities of high temperature stress. Taken together, these results will be of worth for further understanding the adaptation and survival mechanisms of rice to high temperature and will assist in developing heat-resistant rice germplasm in future.

Expression of Arabidopsis glycine-rich RNA-binding protein AtGRP2 or AtGRP7 improves grain yield of rice (Oryza sativa) under drought stress conditions.

PubMed

Yang, Deok Hee; Kwak, Kyung Jin; Kim, Min Kyung; Park, Su Jung; Yang, Kwang-Yeol; Kang, Hunseung

2014-01-01

Although posttranscriptional regulation of RNA metabolism is increasingly recognized as a key regulatory process in plant response to environmental stresses, reports demonstrating the importance of RNA metabolism control in crop improvement under adverse environmental stresses are severely limited. To investigate the potential use of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in developing stress-tolerant transgenic crops, we generated transgenic rice plants (Oryza sativa) that express Arabidopsis thaliana glycine-rich RBP (AtGRP) 2 or 7, which have been determined to harbor RNA chaperone activity and confer stress tolerance in Arabidopsis, and analyzed the response of the transgenic rice plants to abiotic stresses. AtGRP2- or AtGRP7-expressing transgenic rice plants displayed similar phenotypes comparable with the wild-type plants under high salt or cold stress conditions. By contrast, AtGRP2- or AtGRP7-expressing transgenic rice plants showed much higher recovery rates and grain yields compared with the wild-type plants under drought stress conditions. The higher grain yield of the transgenic rice plants was due to the increases in filled grain numbers per panicle. Collectively, the present results show the importance of posttranscriptional regulation of RNA metabolism in plant response to environmental stress and suggest that GRPs can be utilized to improve the yield potential of crops under stress conditions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of a Novel Allele of TaCKX6a02 Associated with Grain Size, Filling Rate and Weight of Common Wheat

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hai-Ping; Wang, Sheng-Xing; Sun, Genlou; Xiao, Shi-He; Ma, Chuan-Xi

2015-01-01

Cytokinin oxidase (CKX) plays a crucial role in plant growth and development by reversibly inactivating cytokinin (CTK). Twenty-four primer pairs, designed from ESTs of the TaCKX genes family of common wheat, were used to identify their allelic variations associated with grain size, weight, and filling rate in 169 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from Jing 411 × Hongmangchun 21. TaCKX6a02, a member of TaCKX gene family, amplified by primer pair T31–32, showed a close association with grain traits in this RIL population. Statistical analysis indicated that allelic variation of TaCKX6a02 had significant correlation with grain size, weight, and filling rate (GFR; P < 0.001) under varied environments. The TaCKX6a02-D1a allele from Jing411 significantly increased grain size, weight and grain filling rate, compared with TaCKX6a02-D1b from Hongmangchun 21. TaCKX6a02 was located on chromosome 3DS in the interval of Xbarc1119 and Xbarc1162, with a genetic distance of 1.4 cM. The location was further confirmed using Chinese Spring nulli–tetrasomic lines. A major QTL (quantitative trait locus) tightly linked to TaCKX6a02 was detected in the RIL population, explaining 17.1~38.2% of phenotype variations for grain size, weight, GFRmax and GFRmean in different environments. In addition, significant effects of variations of TaCKX6a02 on grain weight and GFR were further validated by association analysis among 102 wheat varieties in two cropping seasons. 12.8~35.1% of phenotypic variations were estimated for these genotypes. A novel 29-bp InDel behind the stop codon was detected by DNA sequence analysis between the two alleles of TaCKX6a02-D1. The gene-specific marker, TKX3D, was designed according to the novel variation, and can be used in marker-assisted selection (MAS) for grain size, weight, and GFR in common wheat. PMID:26657796

Relative contribution of shoot and ear photosynthesis to grain filling in wheat under good agronomical conditions assessed by differential organ δ13C

PubMed Central

Sanchez-Bragado, Rut; Molero, Gemma; Reynolds, Matthew P.; Araus, Jose Luis

2014-01-01

During grain filling in C3 cereals, the shoot (particularly the flag leaf) and the ear are believed to play major roles as sources of assimilates. However, both the cost and the intrusive nature of most of the methodologies available to investigate this have prevented conclusive results being obtained. This study compared the carbon isotope composition (δ13C) in its natural abundance in mature kernels with the δ13C of the water-soluble fraction of the peduncle, glumes, and awns to assess the relative contribution of the shoot (understood as the whole set of photosynthetic organs below the peduncle) and ear to grain filling in a set of highly productive wheat lines from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico, under good agronomic conditions. In overall terms, the contribution of the ear was greater in comparison with that of the shoot. The specific contribution of the flag leaf blade to grain filling was also assessed by comparing the δ13C of grains with the δ13C of the water-soluble fraction of the flag leaf and the awns. The contribution of the flag leaf was minor, ranging between 3 and 18%. Complementary analyses performed such as gas-exchange rates and the accumulated water-soluble carbohydrates in both organs and light intercepted by the canopy at different strata suggested that the ear has a photosynthetic capacity at least comparable to that of the flag leaf. In this sense, selection for a higher contribution of ear photosynthesis to grain yield in breeding programmes could be addressed with the use of stable isotopes. PMID:25053645

Genetic dissection of grain traits in Yamadanishiki, an excellent sake-brewing rice cultivar.

PubMed

Okada, Satoshi; Suehiro, Miki; Ebana, Kaworu; Hori, Kiyosumi; Onogi, Akio; Iwata, Hiroyoshi; Yamasaki, Masanori

2017-12-01

The grain traits of Yamadanishiki, an excellent sake-brewing rice cultivar in Japan, are governed by multiple QTLs, namely, a total of 42 QTLs including six major QTLs. Japanese rice wine (sake) is produced using brewing rice (Oryza sativa L.) that carries traits desirable for sake-brewing, such as a larger grain size and higher white-core expression rate (WCE) compared to cooking rice cultivars. However, the genetic basis for these traits in brewing rice cultivars is still unclear. We performed analyses of quantitative trait locus (QTL) of grain and days to heading over 3 years on populations derived from crosses between Koshihikari, a cooking rice, and Yamadanishiki, an excellent sake-brewing rice. A total of 42 QTLs were detected for the grain traits, and the Yamadanishiki alleles at 16 QTLs contributed to larger grain size. Two major QTLs essential for regulating both 100-grain weight (GWt) and grain width (GWh) were harbored in the same regions on chromosomes 5 and 10. An interaction was noted between the environment and the QTL associated with WCE on chromosome 6, which was detected in two of 3 years. In addition, two QTLs for WCE on chromosomes 3 and 10 overlapped with the QTLs for GWt and GWh, suggesting that QTLs associated with grain size also play an important role in the formation of white-core. Despite differences in the rate of grain growth in both Koshihikari and Yamadanishiki across 2 years, the WCE in Yamadanishiki remained consistent, thus demonstrating that the formation of white-core does not depend on grain filling speed. These data can be informative for programs involved in breeding better cooking and brewing rice cultivars.

OsAGSW1, an ABC1-like kinase gene, is involved in the regulation of grain size and weight in rice.

PubMed

Li, Tao; Jiang, Jieming; Zhang, Shengchun; Shu, Haoran; Wang, Yaqin; Lai, Jianbin; Du, Jinju; Yang, Chengwei

2015-09-01

Grain shape and weight are two determining agronomic traits of rice yield. ABC1 (Activity of bc1 complex) is a newly found atypical kinase in plants. Here, we report on an ABC1 protein kinase gene, OsAGSW1 (ABC1-like kinase related to Grain size and Weight). Expression of OsAGSW1-GFP in rice revealed that OsAGSW1 is localized to the chloroplasts in rice. Analysis of OsAGSW1 promoter::β-glucuronidase transgenic rice indicated that this gene was highly expressed in vascular bundles in shoot, hull and caryopsis. Furthermore, OsAGSW1-RNAi and overexpressed transgenic rice lines were generated. Stable transgenic lines overexpressing OsAGSW1 exhibited a phenotype with a significant increase in grain size, grain weight, grain filling rate and 1000-grain weight compared with the wild-type and RNAi transgenic plants. Microscopy analysis showed that spikelet hulls just before heading were different in the OsAGSW1-overexpressed plants compared with wild-type and OsAGSW1 RNAi rice. Further cytological analysis showed that the number of external parenchyma cells in rice hulls of OsAGSW1-overexpressed plants increased, leading to wider and longer spikelet hulls than those of the wild-type and OsAGSW1-RNAi plants. The vascular cross-sectional area in lemma, carpopodium and ovules also strikingly increased and area of both xylem and phloem were enlarged in the OsAGSW1-overexpressed plants. Thus, our results demonstrated that OsAGSW1 plays an important role in seed shape and size of rice by regulating the number of external parenchyma cells and the development of vascular bundles, providing a new insight into the functions of ABC1 genes in plants. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

13. Interior view, grain tanks (bins). Barrel view of overhead ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. Interior view, grain tanks (bins). Barrel view of overhead (fill) conveyor gallery bridge extending through tops of tanks just below roofs. Grain tripper straddles belt conveyor at mid-view. - Saint Anthony Elevator No. 3, 620 Malcom Avenue, Southeast, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN

Strategy for Texture Management in Metals Additive Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kirka, Michael M.; Lee, Yousub; Greeley, Duncan A.

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have long been recognized for their ability to fabricate complex geometric components directly from models conceptualized through computers, allowing for complicated designs and assemblies to be fabricated at lower costs, with shorter time to market, and improved function. Lacking behind the design complexity aspect is the ability to fully exploit AM processes for control over texture within AM components. Currently, standard heat-fill strategies utilized in AM processes result in largely columnar grain structures. Here, we propose a point heat source fill for the electron beam melting (EBM) process through which the texture in AM materials canmore » be controlled. Using this point heat source strategy, the ability to form either columnar or equiaxed grain structures upon solidification through changes in the process parameters associated with the point heat source fill is demonstrated for the nickel-base superalloy, Inconel 718. Mechanically, the material is demonstrated to exhibit either anisotropic properties for the columnar-grained material fabricated through using the standard raster scan of the EBM process or isotropic properties for the equiaxed material fabricated using the point heat source fill.« less

Strategy for Texture Management in Metals Additive Manufacturing

DOE PAGES

Kirka, Michael M.; Lee, Yousub; Greeley, Duncan A.; ...

2017-01-31

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have long been recognized for their ability to fabricate complex geometric components directly from models conceptualized through computers, allowing for complicated designs and assemblies to be fabricated at lower costs, with shorter time to market, and improved function. Lacking behind the design complexity aspect is the ability to fully exploit AM processes for control over texture within AM components. Currently, standard heat-fill strategies utilized in AM processes result in largely columnar grain structures. Here, we propose a point heat source fill for the electron beam melting (EBM) process through which the texture in AM materials canmore » be controlled. Using this point heat source strategy, the ability to form either columnar or equiaxed grain structures upon solidification through changes in the process parameters associated with the point heat source fill is demonstrated for the nickel-base superalloy, Inconel 718. Mechanically, the material is demonstrated to exhibit either anisotropic properties for the columnar-grained material fabricated through using the standard raster scan of the EBM process or isotropic properties for the equiaxed material fabricated using the point heat source fill.« less

[Effects of cropping patterns on photosynthesis characteristics of summer maize and its utilization of solar and heat resources].

PubMed

Zhu, Yuan-Gang; Dong, Shu-Ting; Zhang, Ji-Wang; Liu, Peng; Yang, Jin-Sheng; Jia, Chun-Lan; Liu, Jing-Guo; Li, Deng-Hai

2010-06-01

In order to investigate the effects of interplanting and direct seeding on the photosynthesis characteristics of summer maize and its utilization of solar and heat resources, two summer maize cultivars (Zhengdan 958 and Denghai 661) were planted in the farmlands of Denghai Seed Co. Ltd in Laizhou City of Shandong Province, with 67500 plants x hm(-2) and three sowing dates. The above-ground biomass, plant growth rate, leaf area index, and net photosynthetic rate per ear leaf were measured to reveal the photosynthesis characteristics of test cultivars. In the meantime, the characters of grain-filling were simulated by Richards' model, and the solar resource utilization efficiency of the cultivars was calculated, in combining with meteorological data. Comparing with interplanting, direct seeding increased the grain yield by 1.17%-3.33%, but decreased the thousand-grain weight significantly. Growth stages were extended under earlier sowing. The leaf area index and net photosynthetic rate from flowering to 30 d after anthesis were significantly higher under direct seeding than under interplanting, but after then, they decreased faster. Direct seeding induced a higher accumulation of dry matter and a faster plant growth rate before and after flowering. Under direct seeding, the maximum grain-filling rate reached earlier, the starting potential was higher, but the grain-filling period, active grain-filling period, and W(max) were lower, compared with those under interplanting. Also under direct seeding, the total accumulative temperature and solar radiation during growth period decreased by 150-350 degrees C x d and 200-400 MJ x m(-2), respectively, but the solar resource utilization efficiency of grain increased by 10.5%-24.7%. All the results suggested that direct seeding was superior to interplanting for the summer maize production under field condition. In order to enhance solar and heat utilization efficiency and excavate yield potential, it would be essential to improve the leaf photosynthesis efficiency and postpone leaf aging.

Heat tolerance around flowering in wheat identified as a key trait for increased yield potential in Europe under climate change

PubMed Central

Stratonovitch, Pierre; Semenov, Mikhail A.

2015-01-01

To deliver food security for the 9 billon population in 2050, a 70% increase in world food supply will be required. Projected climatic and environmental changes emphasize the need for breeding strategies that delivers both a substantial increase in yield potential and resilience to extreme weather events such as heat waves, late frost, and drought. Heat stress around sensitive stages of wheat development has been identified as a possible threat to wheat production in Europe. However, no estimates have been made to assess yield losses due to increased frequency and magnitude of heat stress under climate change. Using existing experimental data, the Sirius wheat model was refined by incorporating the effects of extreme temperature during flowering and grain filling on accelerated leaf senescence, grain number, and grain weight. This allowed us, for the first time, to quantify yield losses resulting from heat stress under climate change. The model was used to optimize wheat ideotypes for CMIP5-based climate scenarios for 2050 at six sites in Europe with diverse climates. The yield potential for heat-tolerant ideotypes can be substantially increased in the future (e.g. by 80% at Seville, 100% at Debrecen) compared with the current cultivars by selecting an optimal combination of wheat traits, e.g. optimal phenology and extended duration of grain filling. However, at two sites, Seville and Debrecen, the grain yields of heat-sensitive ideotypes were substantially lower (by 54% and 16%) and more variable compared with heat-tolerant ideotypes, because the extended grain filling required for the increased yield potential was in conflict with episodes of high temperature during flowering and grain filling. Despite much earlier flowering at these sites, the risk of heat stress affecting yields of heat-sensitive ideotypes remained high. Therefore, heat tolerance in wheat is likely to become a key trait for increased yield potential and yield stability in southern Europe in the future. PMID:25750425

Kinetic Modeling of Sunflower Grain Filling and Fatty Acid Biosynthesis

PubMed Central

Durruty, Ignacio; Aguirrezábal, Luis A. N.; Echarte, María M.

2016-01-01

Grain growth and oil biosynthesis are complex processes that involve various enzymes placed in different sub-cellular compartments of the grain. In order to understand the mechanisms controlling grain weight and composition, we need mathematical models capable of simulating the dynamic behavior of the main components of the grain during the grain filling stage. In this paper, we present a non-structured mechanistic kinetic model developed for sunflower grains. The model was first calibrated for sunflower hybrid ACA855. The calibrated model was able to predict the theoretical amount of carbohydrate equivalents allocated to the grain, grain growth and the dynamics of the oil and non-oil fraction, while considering maintenance requirements and leaf senescence. Incorporating into the model the serial-parallel nature of fatty acid biosynthesis permitted a good representation of the kinetics of palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids production. A sensitivity analysis showed that the relative influence of input parameters changed along grain development. Grain growth was mostly affected by the specific growth parameter (μ′) while fatty acid composition strongly depended on their own maximum specific rate parameters. The model was successfully applied to two additional hybrids (MG2 and DK3820). The proposed model can be the first building block toward the development of a more sophisticated model, capable of predicting the effects of environmental conditions on grain weight and composition, in a comprehensive and quantitative way. PMID:27242809

Increasing abscisic acid levels by immunomodulation in barley grains induces precocious maturation without changing grain composition.

PubMed

Staroske, Nicole; Conrad, Udo; Kumlehn, Jochen; Hensel, Götz; Radchuk, Ruslana; Erban, Alexander; Kopka, Joachim; Weschke, Winfriede; Weber, Hans

2016-04-01

Abscisic acid (ABA) accumulates in seeds during the transition to the seed filling phase. ABA triggers seed maturation, storage activity, and stress signalling and tolerance. Immunomodulation was used to alter the ABA status in barley grains, with the resulting transgenic caryopses responding to the anti-ABA antibody gene expression with increased accumulation of ABA. Calculation of free versus antibody-bound ABA reveals large excess of free ABA, increasing signficantly in caryopses from 10 days after fertilization. Metabolite and transcript profiling in anti-ABA grains expose triggered and enhanced ABA-functions such as transcriptional up-regulation of sucrose-to-starch metabolism, storage protein synthesis and ABA-related signal transduction. Thus, enhanced ABA during transition phases induces precocious maturation but negatively interferes with growth and development. Anti-ABA grains display broad constitutive gene induction related to biotic and abiotic stresses. Most of these genes are ABA- and/or stress-inducible, including alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases, peroxidases, chaperones, glutathione-S-transferase, drought- and salt-inducible proteins. Conclusively, ABA immunomodulation results in precocious ABA accumulation that generates an integrated response of stress and maturation. Repression of ABA signalling, occurring in anti-ABA grains, potentially antagonizes effects caused by overshooting production. Finally, mature grain weight and composition are unchanged in anti-ABA plants, although germination is somewhat delayed. This indicates that anti-ABA caryopses induce specific mechanisms to desensitize ABA signalling efficiently, which finally yields mature grains with nearly unchanged dry weight and composition. Such compensation implicates the enormous physiological and metabolic flexibilities of barley grains to adjust effects of unnaturally high ABA amounts in order to ensure and maintain proper grain development. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Increasing abscisic acid levels by immunomodulation in barley grains induces precocious maturation without changing grain composition

PubMed Central

Staroske, Nicole; Conrad, Udo; Kumlehn, Jochen; Hensel, Götz; Radchuk, Ruslana; Erban, Alexander; Kopka, Joachim; Weschke, Winfriede; Weber, Hans

2016-01-01

Abscisic acid (ABA) accumulates in seeds during the transition to the seed filling phase. ABA triggers seed maturation, storage activity, and stress signalling and tolerance. Immunomodulation was used to alter the ABA status in barley grains, with the resulting transgenic caryopses responding to the anti-ABA antibody gene expression with increased accumulation of ABA. Calculation of free versus antibody-bound ABA reveals large excess of free ABA, increasing signficantly in caryopses from 10 days after fertilization. Metabolite and transcript profiling in anti-ABA grains expose triggered and enhanced ABA-functions such as transcriptional up-regulation of sucrose-to-starch metabolism, storage protein synthesis and ABA-related signal transduction. Thus, enhanced ABA during transition phases induces precocious maturation but negatively interferes with growth and development. Anti-ABA grains display broad constitutive gene induction related to biotic and abiotic stresses. Most of these genes are ABA- and/or stress-inducible, including alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases, peroxidases, chaperones, glutathione-S-transferase, drought- and salt-inducible proteins. Conclusively, ABA immunomodulation results in precocious ABA accumulation that generates an integrated response of stress and maturation. Repression of ABA signalling, occurring in anti-ABA grains, potentially antagonizes effects caused by overshooting production. Finally, mature grain weight and composition are unchanged in anti-ABA plants, although germination is somewhat delayed. This indicates that anti-ABA caryopses induce specific mechanisms to desensitize ABA signalling efficiently, which finally yields mature grains with nearly unchanged dry weight and composition. Such compensation implicates the enormous physiological and metabolic flexibilities of barley grains to adjust effects of unnaturally high ABA amounts in order to ensure and maintain proper grain development. PMID:26951372

Pore-Scale Determination of Gas Relative Permeability in Hydrate-Bearing Sediments Using X-Ray Computed Micro-Tomography and Lattice Boltzmann Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiongyu; Verma, Rahul; Espinoza, D. Nicolas; Prodanović, Maša.

2018-01-01

This work uses X-ray computed micro-tomography (μCT) to monitor xenon hydrate growth in a sandpack under the excess gas condition. The μCT images give pore-scale hydrate distribution and pore habit in space and time. We use the lattice Boltzmann method to calculate gas relative permeability (krg) as a function of hydrate saturation (Shyd) in the pore structure of the experimental hydrate-bearing sand retrieved from μCT data. The results suggest the krg - Shyd data fit well a new model krg = (1-Shyd)·exp(-4.95·Shyd) rather than the simple Corey model. In addition, we calculate krg-Shyd curves using digital models of hydrate-bearing sand based on idealized grain-attaching, coarse pore-filling, and dispersed pore-filling hydrate habits. Our pore-scale measurements and modeling show that the krg-Shyd curves are similar regardless of whether hydrate crystals develop grain-attaching or coarse pore-filling habits. The dispersed pore filling habit exhibits much lower gas relative permeability than the other two, but it is not observed in the experiment and not compatible with Ostwald ripening mechanisms. We find that a single grain-shape factor can be used in the Carman-Kozeny equation to calculate krg-Shyd data with known porosity and average grain diameter, suggesting it is a useful model for hydrate-bearing sand.

Effects of high temperature after pollination on physicochemical properties of waxy maize flour during grain development.

PubMed

Lu, Dalei; Cai, Xuemei; Yan, Fabao; Sun, Xuli; Wang, Xin; Lu, Weiping

2014-05-01

Waxy maize is grown in South China, where high temperatures frequently prevail. The effect of high-temperature stress on grain development of waxy maize is not known. High temperature decreased the grain fresh weight and volume, and lowered the grain dry weight and water content after 22 days after pollination (DAP). Plants exposed to high temperature had low starch content, and high protein and soluble sugar contents at maturity. Starch iodine binding capacity and granule size were increased by heat stress at all grain-filling stages. The former parameter decreased, while the latter parameter increased gradually with grain development. High temperature increased the peak and breakdown viscosity before 30 DAP, but the value decreased at maturity. Pasting and gelatinization temperatures at different stages were increased by heat stress and gradually decreased with grain development under both high-temperature and control conditions. Gelatinization enthalpy increased initially but decreased after peaking at 22 DAP under both control and heat stress conditions. High temperature decreased gelatinization enthalpy after 10 DAP. Retrogradation percentage value increased with high temperature throughout grain development. High temperature after pollination changes the dynamics of grain filling of waxy maize, which may underlie the observed changes in its pasting and thermal properties. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

In Silico Analysis of Expression Data for Identification of Genes Involved in Spatial Accumulation of Calcium in Developing Seeds of Rice

PubMed Central

Goel, Anshita; Gaur, Vikram S.; Arora, Sandeep; Gupta, Sanjay

2012-01-01

Abstract The calcium (Ca2+) transporters, like Ca2+ channels, Ca2+ ATPases, and Ca2+ exchangers, are instrumental for signaling and transport. However, the mechanism by which they orchestrate the accumulation of Ca2+ in grain filling has not yet been investigated. Hence the present study was designed to identify the potential calcium transporter genes that may be responsible for the spatial accumulation of calcium during grain filling. In silico expression analyses were performed to identify Ca2+ transporters that predominantly express during the different developmental stages of Oryza sativa. A total of 13 unique calcium transporters (7 from massively parallel signature sequencing [MPSS] data analysis, and 9 from microarray analysis) were identified. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed differential expression of the transporters across tissues, and principal component analysis (PCA) exhibited their seed-specific distinctive expression profile. Interestingly, Ca2+ exchanger genes are highly expressed in the initial stages, whereas some Ca2+ ATPase genes are highly expressed throughout seed development. Furthermore, analysis of the cis-elements located in the promoter region of the subset of 13 genes suggested that Dof proteins play essential roles in regulating the expression of Ca2+ transporter genes during rice seed development. Based on these results, we developed a hypothetical model explaining the transport and tissue specific distribution of calcium in developing cereal seeds. The model may be extrapolated to understand the mechanism behind the exceptionally high level of calcium accumulation seen in grains like finger millet. PMID:22734689

Proteomics of Durum Wheat Grain during Transition to Conservation Agriculture

PubMed Central

Galieni, Angelica; Stagnari, Fabio; Bonas, Urbana; Speca, Stefano; Faccini, Andrea; Pisante, Michele; Marmiroli, Nelson

2016-01-01

Nitrogen management in combination with sustainable agronomic techniques can have a great impact on the wheat grain proteome influencing its technological quality. In this study, proteomic analyses were used to document changes in the proportion of prolamins in mature grains of the newly released Italian durum wheat cv Achille. Such an approach was applied to wheat fertilized with urea (UREA) and calcium nitrate (NITRATE), during the transition to no-till Conservation Agriculture (CA) practice in a Mediterranean environment. Results obtained in a two-years field experiment study suggest low molecular weight glutenins (LMW-GS) as the fraction particularly inducible regardless of the N-form. Quantitative analyses of LMW-GS by 2D-GE followed by protein identification by LC-ESI-MS/MS showed that the stable increase was principally due to C-type LMW-GS. The highest accumulation resulted from a physiologically healthier state of plants treated with UREA and NITRATE. Proteomic analysis on the total protein fraction during the active phase of grain filling was also performed. For both N treatments, but at different extent, an up-regulation of different classes of proteins was observed: i) enzymes involved in glycolysis and citric acid cycles which contribute to an enhanced source of energy and carbohydrates, ii) stress proteins like heat shock proteins (HSPs) and antioxidant enzymes, such as peroxidases and superoxide dismutase which protect the grain from abiotic stress during starch and storage protein synthesis. In conclusion N inputs, which combined rate with N form gave high yield and improved quality traits in the selected durum wheat cultivar. The specific up-regulation of some HSPs, antioxidant enzymes and defense proteins in the early stages of grain development and physiological indicators related to fitness traits, could be useful bio-indicators, for wheat genotype screening under more sustainable agronomic conditions, like transition phase to no-till CA in Mediterranean environments. PMID:27281174

Participation of Green Organs to Grain Filling in Triticum turgidum var durum Grown under Mediterranean Conditions

PubMed Central

Monneveux, Philippe

2017-01-01

In wheat, flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns contribute to grain filling through photosynthesis and/or re-mobilization. Environmental and genetic effects on the relative contribution of each organ were examined by analyzing the consequences of sink-source manipulations (shading and excision) and by comparing carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) values in dry matter (at maturity) and sap (two weeks after anthesis) in six durum wheat genotypes grown in two contrasting seasons. The contribution of flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns to grain filling, estimated by sink-source manipulations, highly varied with the season. The contribution of ear photosynthesis and re-mobilization from the stem increased with post-anthesis water stress. They showed a large genetic variation that was, however, not clearly associated to morphological characteristics of ear and stem. Isotopic imprints of chaff on grain Δ were identified as a possible surrogate of the destructive and cumbersome sink-source manipulations to evaluate the contribution of carbon assimilated in ears or re-mobilized from stem. This might facilitate screening of genetic resources and allow the combining of favourable drought tolerance mechanisms in wheat. PMID:29295600

Toward an understanding of disequilibrium dihedral angles in mafic rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holness, Marian B.; Humphreys, Madeleine C.S.; Sides, Rachel; Helz, Rosalind T.; Tegner, Christian

2012-01-01

The median dihedral angle at clinopyroxene-plagioclase-plagioclase junctions in mafic rocks, Θcpp, is generally lower than equilibrium (109˚ {plus minus} 2˚). Observation of a wide range of mafic bodies demonstrates that previous work on systematic variations of Θcpp is incorrect in several important respects. Firstly, the spatial distribution of plagioclase compositional zoning demonstrates that the final geometry of three-grain junctions, and hence Θcpp, is formed during solidification (the igneous process): sub-solidus textural modification in most dolerites and gabbros, previously thought to be the dominant control on Θcpp, is insignificant. Θcpp is governed by mass transport constraints, the inhibiting effects of small pore size on crystallization, and variation in relative growth rates of pyroxene and plagioclase. During rapid cooling, pyroxene preferentially fills wider pores while the narrower pores remain melt-filled, resulting in an initial value of Θcpp of 78˚, rather than 60˚ which would be expected if all melt-filled pores were filled with pyroxene. Lower cooling rates create a higher initial Θcpp due to changes in relative growth rates of the two minerals at the nascent three-grain junction. Low Θcpp (associated with cuspate clinopyroxene grains at triple junctions) can also be diagnostic of infiltration of previously melt-free rocks by late-stage evolved liquids (the metasomatic process). Modification of Θcpp by sub-solidus textural equilibration (the metamorphic process) is only important for fine-grained mafic rocks such as chilled margins and intra-plutonic chill zones. In coarse-grained gabbros from shallow crustal intrusions the metamorphic process occurs only in the centres of oikocrysts, associated with rounding of chadacrysts.

Sedimentary controls on modern sand grain coat formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dowey, Patrick J.; Worden, Richard H.; Utley, James; Hodgson, David M.

2017-05-01

Coated sand grains can influence reservoir quality evolution during sandstone diagenesis. Porosity can be reduced and fluid flow restricted where grain coats encroach into pore space. Conversely pore-lining grain coats can restrict the growth of pore-filling quartz cement in deeply buried sandstones, and thus can result in unusually high porosity in deeply buried sandstones. Being able to predict the distribution of coated sand grains within petroleum reservoirs is thus important to help find good reservoir quality. Here we report a modern analogue study of 12 sediment cores from the Anllóns Estuary, Galicia, NW Spain, collected from a range of sub-environments, to help develop an understanding of the occurrence and distribution of coated grains. The cores were described for grain size, bioturbation and sedimentary structures, and then sub-sampled for electron and light microscopy, laser granulometry, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The Anllóns Estuary is sand-dominated with intertidal sand flats and saltmarsh environments at the margins; there is a shallowing/fining-upwards trend in the estuary-fill succession. Grain coats are present in nearly every sample analysed; they are between 1 μm and 100 μm thick and typically lack internal organisation. The extent of grain coat coverage can exceed 25% in some samples with coverage highest in the top 20 cm of cores. Samples from muddy intertidal flat and the muddy saltmarsh environments, close to the margins of the estuary, have the highest coat coverage (mean coat coverage of 20.2% and 21.3%, respectively). The lowest mean coat coverage occurs in the sandy saltmarsh (10.4%), beyond the upper tidal limit and sandy intertidal flat environments (8.4%), close to the main estuary channel. Mean coat coverage correlates with the concentration of clay fraction. The primary controls on the distribution of fine-grained sediment, and therefore grain coat distribution, are primary sediment transport and deposition processes that concentrate the clay fraction in the sediment towards the margins of the estuary. Bioturbation and clay illuviation/mechanical infiltration are secondary processes that may redistribute fine-grained sediment and produce grain coats. Here we have shown that detrital grain coats are more likely in marginal environments of ancient estuary-fills, which are typically found in the fining-upward part of progradational successions.

Photosynthesis in reproductive structures: costs and benefits

PubMed Central

Raven, John A.; Griffiths, Howard

2015-01-01

The role of photosynthesis by reproductive structures during grain-filling has important implications for cereal breeding, but the methods for assessing the contribution by reproductive structures to grain-filling are invasive and prone to compensatory changes elsewhere in the plant. A technique analysing the natural abundance of stable carbon isotopes in soluble carbohydrates has significant promise. However, it depends crucially on there being no more than two sources of organic carbon (leaf and ear/awn), with significantly different 13C:12C ratios and no secondary fractionation during grain-filling. The role of additional peduncle carbohydrate reserves represents a potential means for N remobilization, as well as for hydraulic continuity during grain-filling. The natural abundance of the stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen are also useful for exploring the influence of reproduction on whole plant carbon and water relations and have been used to examine the resource costs of reproduction in females and males of dioecious plants. Photosynthesis in reproductive structures is widespread among oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, including many clades of algae and embryophytes of different levels of complexity. The possible evolutionary benefits of photosynthesis in reproductive structures include decreasing the carbon cost of reproduction and ‘use’ of transpiratory loss of water to deliver phloem-immobile calcium Ca2+ and silicon [Si(OH)4] via the xylem. The possible costs of photosynthesis in reproductive structures are increasing damage to DNA from photosynthetically active, and hence UV-B, radiation and the production of reactive oxygen species. PMID:25871648

12. Interior view, grain tanks (bins). Profile view of overhead ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

12. Interior view, grain tanks (bins). Profile view of overhead (fill) conveyor gallery bridge extending through tops of tanks just below roofs. - Saint Anthony Elevator No. 3, 620 Malcom Avenue, Southeast, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN

Autonomous Filling of Grain-Boundary Cavities during Creep Loading in Fe-Mo Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S.; Fang, H.; Gramsma, M. E.; Kwakernaak, C.; Sloof, W. G.; Tichelaar, F. D.; Kuzmina, M.; Herbig, M.; Raabe, D.; Brück, E.; van der Zwaag, S.; van Dijk, N. H.

2016-10-01

We have investigated the autonomous repair of creep damage by site-selective precipitation in a binary Fe-Mo alloy (6.2 wt pct Mo) during constant-stress creep tests at temperatures of 813 K, 823 K, and 838 K (540 °C, 550 °C, and 565 °C). Scanning electron microscopy studies on the morphology of the creep-failed samples reveal irregularly formed deposits that show a close spatial correlation with the creep cavities, indicating the filling of creep cavities at grain boundaries by precipitation of the Fe2Mo Laves phase. Complementary transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography have been used to characterize the precipitation mechanism and the segregation at grain boundaries in detail.

Changes in Whole-Plant Metabolism during the Grain-Filling Stage in Sorghum Grown under Elevated CO2 and Drought.

PubMed

De Souza, Amanda P; Cocuron, Jean-Christophe; Garcia, Ana Carolina; Alonso, Ana Paula; Buckeridge, Marcos S

2015-11-01

Projections indicate an elevation of the atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) concomitant with an intensification of drought for this century, increasing the challenges to food security. On the one hand, drought is a main environmental factor responsible for decreasing crop productivity and grain quality, especially when occurring during the grain-filling stage. On the other hand, elevated [CO2] is predicted to mitigate some of the negative effects of drought. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a C4 grass that has important economical and nutritional values in many parts of the world. Although the impact of elevated [CO2] and drought in photosynthesis and growth has been well documented for sorghum, the effects of the combination of these two environmental factors on plant metabolism have yet to be determined. To address this question, sorghum plants (cv BRS 330) were grown and monitored at ambient (400 µmol mol(-1)) or elevated (800 µmol mol(-1)) [CO2] for 120 d and subjected to drought during the grain-filling stage. Leaf photosynthesis, respiration, and stomatal conductance were measured at 90 and 120 d after planting, and plant organs (leaves, culm, roots, prop roots, and grains) were harvested. Finally, biochemical composition and intracellular metabolites were assessed for each organ. As expected, elevated [CO2] reduced the stomatal conductance, which preserved soil moisture and plant fitness under drought. Interestingly, the whole-plant metabolism was adjusted and protein content in grains was improved by 60% in sorghum grown under elevated [CO2]. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Changes in Whole-Plant Metabolism during the Grain-Filling Stage in Sorghum Grown under Elevated CO2 and Drought1[OPEN

PubMed Central

De Souza, Amanda P.; Cocuron, Jean-Christophe; Garcia, Ana Carolina; Alonso, Ana Paula; Buckeridge, Marcos S.

2015-01-01

Projections indicate an elevation of the atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) concomitant with an intensification of drought for this century, increasing the challenges to food security. On the one hand, drought is a main environmental factor responsible for decreasing crop productivity and grain quality, especially when occurring during the grain-filling stage. On the other hand, elevated [CO2] is predicted to mitigate some of the negative effects of drought. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a C4 grass that has important economical and nutritional values in many parts of the world. Although the impact of elevated [CO2] and drought in photosynthesis and growth has been well documented for sorghum, the effects of the combination of these two environmental factors on plant metabolism have yet to be determined. To address this question, sorghum plants (cv BRS 330) were grown and monitored at ambient (400 µmol mol−1) or elevated (800 µmol mol−1) [CO2] for 120 d and subjected to drought during the grain-filling stage. Leaf photosynthesis, respiration, and stomatal conductance were measured at 90 and 120 d after planting, and plant organs (leaves, culm, roots, prop roots, and grains) were harvested. Finally, biochemical composition and intracellular metabolites were assessed for each organ. As expected, elevated [CO2] reduced the stomatal conductance, which preserved soil moisture and plant fitness under drought. Interestingly, the whole-plant metabolism was adjusted and protein content in grains was improved by 60% in sorghum grown under elevated [CO2]. PMID:26336093

A QTL on the short arm of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) chromosome 3B affects the stability of grain weight in plants exposed to a brief heat shock early in grain filling.

PubMed

Shirdelmoghanloo, Hamid; Taylor, Julian D; Lohraseb, Iman; Rabie, Huwaida; Brien, Chris; Timmins, Andy; Martin, Peter; Mather, Diane E; Emebiri, Livinus; Collins, Nicholas C

2016-04-22

Molecular markers and knowledge of traits associated with heat tolerance are likely to provide breeders with a more efficient means of selecting wheat varieties able to maintain grain size after heat waves during early grain filling. A population of 144 doubled haploids derived from a cross between the Australian wheat varieties Drysdale and Waagan was mapped using the wheat Illumina iSelect 9,000 feature single nucleotide polymorphism marker array and used to detect quantitative trait loci for heat tolerance of final single grain weight and related traits. Plants were subjected to a 3 d heat treatment (37 °C/27 °C day/night) in a growth chamber at 10 d after anthesis and trait responses calculated by comparison to untreated control plants. A locus for single grain weight stability was detected on the short arm of chromosome 3B in both winter- and autumn-sown experiments, determining up to 2.5 mg difference in heat-induced single grain weight loss. In one of the experiments, a locus with a weaker effect on grain weight stability was detected on chromosome 6B. Among the traits measured, the rate of flag leaf chlorophyll loss over the course of the heat treatment and reduction in shoot weight due to heat were indicators of loci with significant grain weight tolerance effects, with alleles for grain weight stability also conferring stability of chlorophyll ('stay-green') and shoot weight. Chlorophyll loss during the treatment, requiring only two non-destructive readings to be taken, directly before and after a heat event, may prove convenient for identifying heat tolerant germplasm. These results were consistent with grain filling being limited by assimilate supply from the heat-damaged photosynthetic apparatus, or alternatively, accelerated maturation in the grains that was correlated with leaf senescence responses merely due to common genetic control of senescence responses in the two organs. There was no evidence for a role of mobilized stem reserves (water soluble carbohydrates) in determining grain weight responses. Molecular markers for the 3B or 6B loci, or the facile measurement of chlorophyll loss over the heat treatment, could be used to assist identification of heat tolerant genotypes for breeding.

Whole-Plant Dynamic System of Nitrogen Use for Vegetative Growth and Grain Filling in Rice Plants (Oryza sativa L.) as Revealed through the Production of 350 Grains from a Germinated Seed Over 150 Days: A Review and Synthesis

PubMed Central

Yoneyama, Tadakatsu; Tanno, Fumio; Tatsumi, Jiro; Mae, Tadahiko

2016-01-01

A single germinated rice (Oryza sativa L) seed can produce 350 grains with the sequential development of 15 leaves on the main stem and 7–10 leaves on four productive tillers (forming five panicles in total), using nitrogen (N) taken up from the environment over a 150-day growing season. Nitrogen travels from uptake sites to the grain through growing organ-directed cycling among sequentially developed organs. Over the past 40 years, the dynamic system for N allocation during vegetative growth and grain filling has been elucidated through studies on N and 15N transport as well as enzymes and transporters involved. In this review, we synthesize the information obtained in these studies along the following main points: (1) During vegetative growth before grain-filling, about half of the total N in the growing organs, including young leaves, tillers, root tips and differentiating panicles is supplied via phloem from mature source organs such as leaves and roots, after turnover and remobilization of proteins, whereas the other half is newly taken up and supplied via xylem, with an efficient xylem-to-phloem transfer at stem nodes. Thus, the growth of new organs depends equally on both N sources. (2) A large fraction (as much as 80%) of the grain N is derived largely from mature organs such as leaves and stems by degradation, including the autophagy pathway of chloroplast proteins (e.g., Rubisco). (3) Mobilized proteinogenic amino acids (AA), including arginine, lysine, proline and valine, are derived mainly from protein degradation, with AA transporters playing a role in transferring these AAs across cell membranes of source and sink organs, and enabling their efficient reutilization in the latter. On the other hand, AAs such as glutamine, glutamic acid, γ-amino butyric acid, aspartic acid, and alanine are produced by assimilation of newly taken up N by roots and and transported via xylem and phloem. The formation of 350 filled grains over 50 days during the reproductive stage is ascribed mainly to degradation and remobilization of the reserves, previously accumulated over 100 days in the sequentially developed vegetative organs. PMID:27536309

Hydraulic conductivity of the streambed, east branch Grand Calumet River, northern Lake County, Indiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duwelius, R.F.

1996-01-01

The hydraulic conductivity of the streambed generally was dependant on the type of sediments in the part of the streambed that was tested. Although most of the streambed contained soft, fine-grained sediments, parts of the streambed also contained fill materials including coal, cinders, and concrete and asphalt rubble. The highest values of horizontal hydraulic conductivity generally were calculated from data collected at locations where the streambed contained fill materials, particularly concrete and asphalt rubble. Horizontal hydraulic conductivities determined for 11 hydraulic tests in predominantly fill materials ranged from 1.2x1O+1 to 1.2x1O+3 feet per day and averaged 5.6x1O+2 feet per day. The lowest values of horizontal hydraulic conductivity were calculated from data collected at locations where the streambed contained fine-grained sediments. Horizontal hydraulic conductivities determined for 36 hydraulic tests in predominantly fine-grained sediments ranged from 1.Ox1O-2 to 2.4x1O+2 feet per day and averaged 1.5x1O+1 feet per day.

Knockdown of an inflorescence meristem-specific cytokinin oxidase - OsCKX2 in rice reduces yield penalty under salinity stress condition.

PubMed

Joshi, Rohit; Sahoo, Khirod Kumar; Tripathi, Amit Kumar; Kumar, Ritesh; Gupta, Brijesh Kumar; Pareek, Ashwani; Singla-Pareek, Sneh Lata

2018-05-01

Cytokinins play a significant role in determining grain yield in plants. Cytokinin oxidases catalyse irreversible degradation of cytokinins and hence modulate cellular cytokinin levels. Here, we studied the role of an inflorescence meristem-specific rice cytokinin oxidase - OsCKX2 - in reducing yield penalty under salinity stress conditions. We utilized an RNAi-based approach to study the function of OsCKX2 in maintaining grain yield under salinity stress condition. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-based estimation revealed a significant increase in cytokinins in the inflorescence meristem of OsCKX2-knockdown plants. To determine if there exists a correlation between OsCKX2 levels and yield under salinity stress condition, we assessed the growth, physiology and grain yield of OsCKX2-knockdown plants vis-à-vis the wild type. OsCKX2-knockdown plants showed better vegetative growth, higher relative water content and photosynthetic efficiency and reduced electrolyte leakage as compared with the wild type under salinity stress. Importantly, we found a negative correlation between OsCKX2 expression and plant productivity as evident by assessment of agronomical parameters such as panicle branching, filled grains per plant and harvest index both under control and salinity stress conditions. These results suggest that OsCKX2, via controlling cytokinin levels, regulates floral primordial activity modulating rice grain yield under normal as well as abiotic stress conditions. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Expression of TaRca2-α Gene Associated with Net Photosynthesis Rate, Biomass and Grain Yield in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Field Conditions

PubMed Central

Saeed, Iqbal; Bachir, Daoura Goudia; Chen, Liang; Hu, Yin-Gang

2016-01-01

Improvement in activation of Rubisco by Rubisco activase can potentially enhance CO2 assimilation and photosynthetic efficiency in plants. The three homoeologous copies of TaRca2-α were identified on chromosomes 4AL, 4BS and 4DS (TaRca2-α-4AL, TaRca2-α-4BS, and TaRca2-α-4DS) in bread wheat. Expression patterns of the three copies at heading (Z55), anthesis (Z67) and grain-filling (Z73) stages were investigated through qRT-PCR analyses in a panel of 59 bread wheat genotypes and their effects on net photosynthesis rate (Pn), biomass plant-1 (BMPP) and grain yield plant-1 (GYPP) were further explored. Different but similar expression patterns were observed for the three copies of TaRca2-α at the three growth stages with highest expression at grain-filling stage. TaRca2-α-4BS expressed higher at the three stages than TaRca2-α-4AL and TaRca2-α-4DS. The 59 genotypes could be clustered into three groups as high (7 genotypes), intermediate (41 genotypes) and low (11 genotypes) expression based on the expression of the three copies of TaRca2-α at three growth stages. Significant variations (P<0.01) were observed among the three groups of bread wheat genotypes for Pn, BMPP and GYPP. Generally, the genotypes with higher TaRca2-α expression also showed higher values for Pn, BMPP and GYPP. The expressions of the three copies of TaRca2-α at heading, anthesis and grain-filling stages were positively correlated with Pn, BMPP and GYPP (P<0.01) with stronger association for TaRca2-α-4BS at grain-filling stage. These results revealed that the expression of TaRca2-α contribute substantially to Pn, BMPP and GYPP, and suggested that manipulating TaRca-α expression may efficiently improve Pn, BMPP and GYPP in bread wheat and detecting TaRca-α expression levels with emphasis on TaRca2-α-4BS may be a positive strategy for selection in improving photosynthetic efficiency and grain yield of bread wheat. PMID:27548477

The structural and photosynthetic characteristics of the exposed peduncle of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): an important photosynthate source for grain-filling.

PubMed

Kong, Lingan; Wang, Fahong; Feng, Bo; Li, Shengdong; Si, Jisheng; Zhang, Bin

2010-07-11

In wheat (Triticum aestivum L), the flag leaf has been thought of as the main source of assimilates for grain growth, whereas the peduncle has commonly been thought of as a transporting organ. The photosynthetic characteristics of the exposed peduncle have therefore been neglected. In this study, we investigated the anatomical traits of the exposed peduncle during wheat grain ontogenesis, and we compared the exposed peduncle to the flag leaf with respect to chloroplast ultrastructure, photosystem II (PSII) quantum yield, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase; EC 4.1.1.31) activity. Transmission electron microscope observations showed well-developed chloroplasts with numerous granum stacks at grain-filling stages 1, 2 and 3 in both the flag leaf and the exposed peduncle. In the exposed peduncle, the membranes constituting the thylakoids were very distinct and plentiful, but in the flag leaf, there was a sharp breakdown at stage 4 and complete disintegration of the thylakoid membranes at stage 5. PSII quantum yield assays revealed that the photosynthetic efficiency remained constant at stages 1, 2 and 3 and then declined in both organs. However, the decline occurred more dramatically in the flag leaf than in the exposed peduncle. An enzyme assay showed that at stages 1 and 2 the PEPCase activity was lower in the exposed peduncle than in the flag leaf; but at stages 3, 4 and 5 the value was higher in the exposed peduncle, with a particularly significant difference observed at stage 5. Subjecting the exposed part of the peduncle to darkness following anthesis reduced the rate of grain growth. Our results suggest that the exposed peduncle is a photosynthetically active organ that produces photosynthates and thereby makes a crucial contribution to grain growth, particularly during the late stages of grain-filling.

Genotypic variation in the uptake, partitioning and remobilisation of nitrogen during grain-filling in wheat☆

PubMed Central

Barraclough, Peter B.; Lopez-Bellido, Rafael; Hawkesford, Malcolm J.

2014-01-01

Twenty elite varieties of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), primarily winter wheat, were grown with low and high supplies of nitrogen (N) in a field experiment at Rothamsted, southern England, in the season 2004–05. The aim was to quantify genetic variation in the uptake, partitioning and remobilisation of N in individual plant organs at extreme rates of N supply. The biggest contibutor to variation in plant and crop performance was ‘N-rate’ followed by ‘growth stage’ and then ‘genotype’. At both N-rates, there was significant genetic variation in crop performance (grain yield, grain %N, total N-uptake and post-anthesis N-uptake), and in N contents of individual organs at anthesis and maturity, and in N remobilised from individual vegetative organs to the grain during grain-fill. Nitrogen was remobilised from all vegetative organs with very high levels of efficiency by all varieties (80–85%). Stem-N was a major N pool at anthesis probably due to the amounts of soluble N compounds in transit in the vascular system at this time. Despite the genetic variation in N-related plant parameters including stem-N, there were no strong correlations with grain yield and grain %N at a given N-rate. This was probably due to the narrow gene pool employed in this single-season study. PMID:26412936

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index as a Tool for Wheat Yield Estimation: A Case Study from Faisalabad, Pakistan

PubMed Central

Sultana, Syeda Refat; Ali, Amjed; Ahmad, Ashfaq; Mubeen, Muhammad; Zia-Ul-Haq, M.; Ahmad, Shakeel; Ercisli, Sezai; Jaafar, Hawa Z. E.

2014-01-01

For estimation of grain yield in wheat, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is considered as a potential screening tool. Field experiments were conducted to scrutinize the response of NDVI to yield behavior of different wheat cultivars and nitrogen fertilization at agronomic research area, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) during the two years 2008-09 and 2009-10. For recording the value of NDVI, Green seeker (Handheld-505) was used. Split plot design was used as experimental model in, keeping four nitrogen rates (N1 = 0 kg ha−1, N2 = 55 kg ha−1, N3 = 110 kg ha−1, and N4 = 220 kg ha−1) in main plots and ten wheat cultivars (Bakkhar-2001, Chakwal-50, Chakwal-97, Faisalabad-2008, GA-2002, Inqlab-91, Lasani-2008, Miraj-2008, Sahar-2006, and Shafaq-2006) in subplots with four replications. Impact of nitrogen and difference between cultivars were forecasted through NDVI. The results suggested that nitrogen treatment N4 (220 kg ha−1) and cultivar Faisalabad-2008 gave maximum NDVI value (0.85) at grain filling stage among all treatments. The correlation among NDVI at booting, grain filling, and maturity stages with grain yield was positive (R 2 = 0.90; R 2 = 0.90; R 2 = 0.95), respectively. So, booting, grain filling, and maturity can be good depictive stages during mid and later growth stages of wheat crop under agroclimatic conditions of Faisalabad and under similar other wheat growing environments in the country. PMID:25045744

Deep rooting conferred by DEEPER ROOTING 1 enhances rice yield in paddy fields.

PubMed

Arai-Sanoh, Yumiko; Takai, Toshiyuki; Yoshinaga, Satoshi; Nakano, Hiroshi; Kojima, Mikiko; Sakakibara, Hitoshi; Kondo, Motohiko; Uga, Yusaku

2014-07-03

To clarify the effect of deep rooting on grain yield in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in an irrigated paddy field with or without fertilizer, we used the shallow-rooting IR64 and the deep-rooting Dro1-NIL (a near-isogenic line homozygous for the Kinandang Patong allele of DEEPER ROOTING 1 (DRO1) in the IR64 genetic background). Although total root length was similar in both lines, more roots were distributed within the lower soil layer of the paddy field in Dro1-NIL than in IR64, irrespective of fertilizer treatment. At maturity, Dro1-NIL showed approximately 10% higher grain yield than IR64, irrespective of fertilizer treatment. Higher grain yield of Dro1-NIL was mainly due to the increased 1000-kernel weight and increased percentage of ripened grains, which resulted in a higher harvest index. After heading, the uptake of nitrogen from soil and leaf nitrogen concentration were higher in Dro1-NIL than in IR64. At the mid-grain-filling stage, Dro1-NIL maintained higher cytokinin fluxes from roots to shoots than IR64. These results suggest that deep rooting by DRO1 enhances nitrogen uptake and cytokinin fluxes at late stages, resulting in better grain filling in Dro1-NIL in a paddy field in this study.

Enhanced efficiency fertilizers: Effects on agronomic performance of corn in Iowa

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Management of N in corn (Zea mays L.) production systems attempts to increase crop yields and minimize environment impact. This study evaluated enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) compared to their non-EEF forms on grain yield and corn biomass at the beginning of the grain-filling period, leaf ch...

Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of early seed development in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

PubMed

Qiu, Jiehua; Hou, Yuxuan; Tong, Xiaohong; Wang, Yifeng; Lin, Haiyan; Liu, Qing; Zhang, Wen; Li, Zhiyong; Nallamilli, Babi R; Zhang, Jian

2016-02-01

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) seed serves as a major food source for over half of the global population. Though it has been long recognized that phosphorylation plays an essential role in rice seed development, the phosphorylation events and dynamics in this process remain largely unknown so far. Here, we report the first large scale identification of rice seed phosphoproteins and phosphosites by using a quantitative phosphoproteomic approach. Thorough proteomic studies in pistils and seeds at 3, 7 days after pollination resulted in the successful identification of 3885, 4313 and 4135 phosphopeptides respectively. A total of 2487 proteins were differentially phosphorylated among the three stages, including Kip related protein 1, Rice basic leucine zipper factor 1, Rice prolamin box binding factor and numerous other master regulators of rice seed development. Moreover, differentially phosphorylated proteins may be extensively involved in the biosynthesis and signaling pathways of phytohormones such as auxin, gibberellin, abscisic acid and brassinosteroid. Our results strongly indicated that protein phosphorylation is a key mechanism regulating cell proliferation and enlargement, phytohormone biosynthesis and signaling, grain filling and grain quality during rice seed development. Overall, the current study enhanced our understanding of the rice phosphoproteome and shed novel insight into the regulatory mechanism of rice seed development.

Granular gases of rod-shaped grains in microgravity.

PubMed

Harth, K; Kornek, U; Trittel, T; Strachauer, U; Höme, S; Will, K; Stannarius, R

2013-04-05

Granular gases are convenient model systems to investigate the statistical physics of nonequilibrium systems. In the literature, one finds numerous theoretical predictions, but only few experiments. We study a weakly excited dilute gas of rods, confined in a cuboid container in microgravity during a suborbital rocket flight. With respect to a gas of spherical grains at comparable filling fraction, the mean free path is considerably reduced. This guarantees a dominance of grain-grain collisions over grain-wall collisions. No clustering was observed, unlike in similar experiments with spherical grains. Rod positions and orientations were determined and tracked. Translational and rotational velocity distributions are non-Gaussian. Equipartition of kinetic energy between translations and rotations is violated.

The OsmiR396c-OsGRF4-OsGIF1 regulatory module determines grain size and yield in rice.

PubMed

Li, Shuangcheng; Gao, Fengyan; Xie, Kailong; Zeng, Xiuhong; Cao, Ye; Zeng, Jing; He, Zhongshan; Ren, Yun; Li, Wenbo; Deng, Qiming; Wang, Shiquan; Zheng, Aiping; Zhu, Jun; Liu, Huainian; Wang, Lingxia; Li, Ping

2016-11-01

Grain weight is the most important component of rice yield and is mainly determined by grain size, which is generally controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Although numerous QTLs that regulate grain weight have been identified, the genetic network that controls grain size remains unclear. Herein, we report the cloning and functional analysis of a dominant QTL, grain length and width 2 (GLW2), which positively regulates grain weight by simultaneously increasing grain length and width. The GLW2 locus encodes OsGRF4 (growth-regulating factor 4) and is regulated by the microRNA miR396c in vivo. The mutation in OsGRF4 perturbs the OsmiR396 target regulation of OsGRF4, generating a larger grain size and enhanced grain yield. We also demonstrate that OsGIF1 (GRF-interacting factors 1) directly interacts with OsGRF4, and increasing its expression improves grain size. Our results suggest that the miR396c-OsGRF4-OsGIF1 regulatory module plays an important role in grain size determination and holds implications for rice yield improvement. © 2016 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Gene expression profiling of drought stress responses in widely adapted wheat cutlivars TAM 111 and TAM 112

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Water deficit stress between the booting and grain filling stages significantly affect grain yield and quality of hard red winter wheat. Several stress tolerant cultivars with different adaptation mechanisms have been released and are widely cultivated on the Southern Great Plains of the US. How...

Canopy temperature for simulation of heat stress in irrigated wheat in a semi-arid environment: a multi-model comparison

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mounting evidence suggests that even brief periods of high temperatures occurring around flowering and during grain filling can severely reduce grain yield in cereals, a phenomenon referred to as heat stress. Recently, ecophysiological models of crops models have begun to represent such phenomena. M...

Perspectives to breed for improved baking quality wheat varieties adapted to organic growing conditions.

PubMed

Osman, Aart M; Struik, Paul C; van Bueren, Edith T Lammerts

2012-01-30

Northwestern European consumers like their bread to be voluminous and easy to chew. These attributes require a raw material that is rich in protein with, among other characteristics, a suitable ratio between gliadins and glutenins. Achieving this is a challenge for organic growers, because they lack cultivars that can realise high protein concentrations under the relatively low and variable availability of nitrogen during the grain-filling phase common in organic farming. Relatively low protein content in wheat grains thus needs to be compensated by a high proportion of high-quality protein. Organic farming therefore needs cultivars with genes encoding for optimal levels of glutenins and gliadins, a maximum ability for nitrogen uptake, a large storage capacity of nitrogen in the biomass, an adequate balance between vegetative and reproductive growth, a high nitrogen translocation efficiency for the vegetative parts into the grains during grain filling and an efficient conversion of nitrogen into high-quality proteins. In this perspective paper the options to breed and grow such varieties are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Planting Patterns and Deficit Irrigation Strategies to Improve Wheat Production and Water Use Efficiency under Simulated Rainfall Conditions

PubMed Central

Ali, Shahzad; Xu, Yueyue; Ma, Xiangcheng; Ahmad, Irshad; Kamran, Muhammad; Dong, Zhaoyun; Cai, Tie; Jia, Qianmin; Ren, Xiaolong; Zhang, Peng; Jia, Zhikuan

2017-01-01

The ridge furrow (RF) rainwater harvesting system is an efficient way to enhance rainwater accessibility for crops and increase winter wheat productivity in semi-arid regions. However, the RF system has not been promoted widely in the semi-arid regions, which primarily exist in remote hilly areas. To exploit its efficiency on a large-scale, the RF system needs to be tested at different amounts of simulated precipitation combined with deficit irrigation. Therefore, in during the 2015–16 and 2016–17 winter wheat growing seasons, we examined the effects of two planting patterns: (1) the RF system and (2) traditional flat planting (TF) with three deficit irrigation levels (150, 75, 0 mm) under three simulated rainfall intensity (1: 275, 2: 200, 3: 125 mm), and determined soil water storage profile, evapotranspiration rate, grain filling rate, biomass, grain yield, and net economic return. Over the two study years, the RF treatment with 200 mm simulated rainfall and 150 mm deficit irrigation (RF2150) significantly (P < 0.05) increased soil water storage in the depth of (200 cm); reduced ET at the field scale by 33%; increased total dry matter accumulation per plant; increased the grain-filling rate; and improved biomass (11%) and grain (19%) yields. The RF2150 treatment thus achieved a higher WUE (76%) and RIWP (21%) compared to TF. Grain-filling rates, grain weight of superior and inferior grains, and net economic profit of winter wheat responded positively to simulated rainfall and deficit irrigation under both planting patterns. The 200 mm simulated rainfall amount was more economical than other precipitation amounts, and led to slight increases in soil water storage, total dry matter per plant, and grain yield; there were no significant differences when the simulated rainfall was increased beyond 200 mm. The highest (12,593 Yuan ha−1) net income profit was attained using the RF system at 200 mm rainfall and 150 mm deficit irrigation, which also led to significantly higher grain yield, WUE, and RIWP than all other treatments. Thus, we recommend the RF2150 treatment for higher productivity, income profit, and improve WUE in the dry-land farming system of China. PMID:28878787

Anther development of maize (Zea mays) and longstamen rice (Oryza longistaminata) revealed by cryo-SEM, with foci on locular dehydration and pollen arrangement.

PubMed

Tsou, Chih-Hua; Cheng, Ping-Chin; Tseng, Chiung-Maan; Yen, Hsiao-Jung; Fu, Yu-Lan; You, Tien-Rong; Walden, David B

2015-03-01

Key message: Pollen maturation in Poaceae. Another development has been extensively examined by various imaging tools, including transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and light microscopy, but none is capable of identifying liquid water. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy with high-pressure rapid freeze fixation is excellent in preserving structures at cellular level and differentiating gas- versus liquid-filled space, but rarely used in anther study. We applied this technique to examine anther development of Poaceae because of its economic importance and unusual peripheral arrangement of pollen. Maize and longstamen rice were focused on. Here, we report for the first time that anthers of Poaceae lose the locular free liquid during late-microspore to early pollen stages; the majority of pollen grains arranged in a tight peripheral whorl develops normally and reaches maturity in the gas-filled loculus. Occasionally, pollen grains are found situated in the locular cavity, but they remain immature or become shrunk at anthesis. At pollen stage, microchannels and cytoplasmic strands are densely distributed in the entire pollen exine and intine, respectively, suggesting that nutrients are transported into the pollen from the entire surface. We propose that in Poaceae, the specialized peripheral arrangement of pollen grains is crucial for pollen maturation in the gas-filled loculus, which enables pollen achieving large surface contact area with the tapetum and neighboring grains to maintain sufficient nutrient flow. This report also shows that the single aperture of pollen in Poaceae usually faces the tapetum, but other orientation is also common; pollen grains with different aperture orientations show no morphological differences.

Study on Warm Forging Prosess of 45 Steel Asymmetric Gear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Yushi; Du, Zhiming; Sun, Hongsheng; Chen, Lihua; Wang, Changshun

2017-09-01

Asymmetric gear has complex structure, so using plastic forming technology to process the gear has problems of large forming load, short die life, bad tooth filling, and so on. To solve these problems, this paper presents a radial warm extrusion process of asymmetric gear to reduce the forming load and improve the filling in the toothed corner portion. Using the new mold and No. 45 steel to conducting forming experiments under the optimal forming parameters: billet temperature is 800°C, mold temperature is 250°C, the forming speed is 30mm/s, and the friction coefficient is 0.15, we can obtain the complete asymmetric gear with better surface and tooth filling. Asymmetric gears’ microstructure analysis and mechanical testing showed that the small grain evenly distributed in the region near the addendum circle with high strength; the area near the central portion of the gear had a coarse grain size, uneven distribution and low strength. Significant metal flow lines at the corner part of the gear indicated that a large number of late-forming metal flowed into the tooth cavity filling the corner portion.

An atypical bHLH protein encoded by POSITIVE REGULATOR OF GRAIN LENGTH 2 is involved in controlling grain length and weight of rice through interaction with a typical bHLH protein APG.

PubMed

Heang, Dany; Sassa, Hidenori

2012-06-01

Grain size is an important yield component in rice, however, genes controlling the trait remain poorly understood. Previously, we have shown that an antagonistic pair of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins, POSITIVE REGULATOR OF GRAIN LENGTH 1 (PGL1) and ANTAGONIST OF PGL1 (APG), is involved in controlling rice grain length. Here, we report the involvement of another atypical bHLH protein gene, POSITIVE REGULATOR OF GRAIN LENGTH 2 (PGL2), in the regulation of rice grain length. Over-expression of PGL2 in the lemma/palea increased grain length and weight in correlation with the level of transgene expression. Observation of the inner epidermal cells of lemma of PGL2-overexpressing lines revealed that the long grain size is caused by an increase in cell length. PGL2 interacts with a typical bHLH protein APG, a negative regulator of rice grain length and weight, in vitro and in vivo. It was reported that overexpression of BU1 (BRASSINOSTEROID UPREGULATED 1), the closest homolog of PGL2, caused an increase in grain length. However, we detected no interaction between BU1 and APG. These findings suggest that PGL2 and PGL1 redundantly suppress the function of APG by forming heterodimers to positively regulate the rice grain length, while the pathway through which BU1, the closest homolog of PGL2, controls grain length is independent of APG.

An atypical bHLH protein encoded by POSITIVE REGULATOR OF GRAIN LENGTH 2 is involved in controlling grain length and weight of rice through interaction with a typical bHLH protein APG

PubMed Central

Heang, Dany; Sassa, Hidenori

2012-01-01

Grain size is an important yield component in rice, however, genes controlling the trait remain poorly understood. Previously, we have shown that an antagonistic pair of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins, POSITIVE REGULATOR OF GRAIN LENGTH 1 (PGL1) and ANTAGONIST OF PGL1 (APG), is involved in controlling rice grain length. Here, we report the involvement of another atypical bHLH protein gene, POSITIVE REGULATOR OF GRAIN LENGTH 2 (PGL2), in the regulation of rice grain length. Over-expression of PGL2 in the lemma/palea increased grain length and weight in correlation with the level of transgene expression. Observation of the inner epidermal cells of lemma of PGL2-overexpressing lines revealed that the long grain size is caused by an increase in cell length. PGL2 interacts with a typical bHLH protein APG, a negative regulator of rice grain length and weight, in vitro and in vivo. It was reported that overexpression of BU1 (BRASSINOSTEROID UPREGULATED 1), the closest homolog of PGL2, caused an increase in grain length. However, we detected no interaction between BU1 and APG. These findings suggest that PGL2 and PGL1 redundantly suppress the function of APG by forming heterodimers to positively regulate the rice grain length, while the pathway through which BU1, the closest homolog of PGL2, controls grain length is independent of APG. PMID:23136524

A Rare Allele of GS2 Enhances Grain Size and Grain Yield in Rice.

PubMed

Hu, Jiang; Wang, Yuexing; Fang, Yunxia; Zeng, Longjun; Xu, Jie; Yu, Haiping; Shi, Zhenyuan; Pan, Jiangjie; Zhang, Dong; Kang, Shujing; Zhu, Li; Dong, Guojun; Guo, Longbiao; Zeng, Dali; Zhang, Guangheng; Xie, Lihong; Xiong, Guosheng; Li, Jiayang; Qian, Qian

2015-10-05

Grain size determines grain weight and affects grain quality. Several major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regulating grain size have been cloned; however, our understanding of the underlying mechanism that regulates the size of rice grains remains fragmentary. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a dominant QTL, grain size on chromosome 2 (GS2), which encodes Growth-Regulating Factor 4 (OsGRF4), a transcriptional regulator. GS2 localizes to the nucleus and may act as a transcription activator. A rare mutation of GS2 affecting the binding site of a microRNA, OsmiR396c, causes elevated expression of GS2/OsGRF4. The increase in GS2 expression leads to larger cells and increased numbers of cells, which thus enhances grain weight and yield. The introduction of this rare allele of GS2/OsGRF4 into rice cultivars could significantly enhance grain weight and increase grain yield, with possible applications in breeding high-yield rice varieties. Copyright © 2015 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Erosion and deposition by supercritical density flows during channel avulsion and backfilling: Field examples from coarse-grained deepwater channel-levée complexes (Sandino Forearc Basin, southern Central America)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Jörg; Brandes, Christian; Winsemann, Jutta

2017-03-01

Erosion and deposition by supercritical density flows can strongly impact the facies distribution and architecture of submarine fans. Field examples from coarse-grained channel-levée complexes from the Sandino Forearc Basin (southern Central America) show that cyclic-step and antidune deposits represent common sedimentary facies of these depositional systems and relate to the different stages of avulsion, bypass, levée construction and channel backfilling. During channel avulsion, large-scale scour-fill complexes (18 to 29 m deep, 18 to 25 m wide, 60 to > 120 m long) were incised by supercritical density flows. The multi-storey infill of the large-scale scour-fill complexes comprises amalgamated massive, normally coarse-tail graded or widely spaced subhorizontally stratified conglomerates and pebbly sandstones, interpreted as deposits of the hydraulic-jump zone of cyclic steps. The large-scale scour-fill complexes can be distinguished from small-scale channel fills based on the preservation of a steep upper margin and a coarse-grained infill comprising mainly amalgamated hydraulic-jump zone deposits. Channel fills include repeated successions deposited by cyclic steps with superimposed antidunes. The deposits of the hydraulic-jump zone of cyclic steps comprise regularly spaced scours (0.2 to 2.6 m deep, 0.8 to 23 m long) infilled by intraclast-rich conglomerates or pebbly sandstones, displaying normal coarse-tail grading or backsets. These deposits are laterally and vertically associated with subhorizontally stratified, low-angle cross-stratified or sinusoidally stratified sandstones and pebbly sandstones, which were deposited by antidunes on the stoss side of the cyclic steps during flow re-acceleration. The field examples indicate that so-called spaced stratified deposits may commonly represent antidune deposits with varying stratification styles controlled by the aggradation rate, grain-size distribution and amalgamation. The deposits of small-scale cyclic steps with superimposed antidunes form fining-upwards successions with decreasing antidune wavelengths, indicating waning flows. Such cyclic step-antidune successions form the characteristic basal infill of mid-fan channels, and are inferred to be related to successive supercritical high-density turbidity flows triggered by retrogressive slope failures.

Ensemble yield simulations: Using heat-tolerant and later-maturing varieties to adapt to climate warming.

PubMed

Zhang, Yi; Zhao, Yanxia

2017-01-01

The use of modern crop varieties is a dominant method of obtaining high yields in crop production. Efforts to identify suitable varieties, with characteristics that would increase crop yield under future climate conditions, remain essential to developing sustainable agriculture and food security. This work aims to evaluate potential genotypic adaptations (i.e., using varieties with increased ability to produce desirable grain numbers under high temperatures and with enhanced thermal time requirements during the grain-filling period) to cope with the negative impacts of climate change on maize yield. The contributions of different options were investigated at six sites in the North China Plain using the APSIM model and the outputs of 8 GCMs under RCP4.5 scenarios. It was found that without considering adaptation options, mean maize yield would decrease by 7~18% during 2010-2039 relative to 1976-2005. A large decrease in grain number relative to stabilized grain weight decreased maize yield under future climate scenarios. Using heat-tolerant varieties, maize yield could increase on average by 6% to 10%. Using later maturing varieties, e.g., enhanced thermal time requirements during the grain-filling period, maize yield could increase by 7% to 10%. The optimal adaptation options were site specific.

Ensemble yield simulations: Using heat-tolerant and later-maturing varieties to adapt to climate warming

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yi

2017-01-01

The use of modern crop varieties is a dominant method of obtaining high yields in crop production. Efforts to identify suitable varieties, with characteristics that would increase crop yield under future climate conditions, remain essential to developing sustainable agriculture and food security. This work aims to evaluate potential genotypic adaptations (i.e., using varieties with increased ability to produce desirable grain numbers under high temperatures and with enhanced thermal time requirements during the grain-filling period) to cope with the negative impacts of climate change on maize yield. The contributions of different options were investigated at six sites in the North China Plain using the APSIM model and the outputs of 8 GCMs under RCP4.5 scenarios. It was found that without considering adaptation options, mean maize yield would decrease by 7~18% during 2010–2039 relative to 1976–2005. A large decrease in grain number relative to stabilized grain weight decreased maize yield under future climate scenarios. Using heat-tolerant varieties, maize yield could increase on average by 6% to 10%. Using later maturing varieties, e.g., enhanced thermal time requirements during the grain-filling period, maize yield could increase by 7% to 10%. The optimal adaptation options were site specific. PMID:28459880

Photovoltaic effect in ferroelectric ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Epstein, D. J.; Linz, A.; Jenssen, H. P.

1982-01-01

The ceramic structure was simulated in a form that is more tractable to correlation between experiment and theory. Single crystals (of barium titanate) were fabricated in a simple corrugated structure in which the pedestals of the corrugation simulated the grain while the intervening cuts could be filled with materials simulating the grain boundaries. The observed photovoltages were extremely small (100 mv).

Canopy temperature depression at grain filling correlates to winter wheat yield in the U.S. southern high plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat breeding has improved drought tolerance over the years. However, our knowledge on drought tolerance in relation to the canopy temperature (CT) and grain yield is limited. A three-season wheat field study ending 2012, 2015, and 2016 was conducted at Bushland, Texas to investigate the relationsh...

7 CFR 800.195 - Delegations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... grain do not exceed, as determined by the Administrator, 5 per centum of the total amount of grain... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Delegations...

7 CFR 800.195 - Delegations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... grain do not exceed, as determined by the Administrator, 5 per centum of the total amount of grain... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Delegations...

7 CFR 800.195 - Delegations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... grain do not exceed, as determined by the Administrator, 5 per centum of the total amount of grain... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Delegations...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ronchi, C.; Sari, C.

Lenticular pore migration rates in oxide nuclear fuels were measured in out-of-pile heating experiments. It is deduced that those pores which are in part responsible for the formation of columnar grains, are only produced in the absence of relevant amourts of filling gas. Specimens containing important concentrations of He, produced by Pu alpha decay, show columnar grain restructuring by grain boundary migration. Some consequences are drawn concerning the possible role played by lenticular pores in the mechanisms of fission gas release from nuclear fuels. (5 figures) (auth)

Proteomic and Glycomic Characterization of Rice Chalky Grains Produced Under Moderate and High-temperature Conditions in Field System.

PubMed

Kaneko, Kentaro; Sasaki, Maiko; Kuribayashi, Nanako; Suzuki, Hiromu; Sasuga, Yukiko; Shiraya, Takeshi; Inomata, Takuya; Itoh, Kimiko; Baslam, Marouane; Mitsui, Toshiaki

2016-12-01

Global climate models predict an increase in global mean temperature and a higher frequency of intense heat spikes during this century. Cereals such as rice (Oryza sativa L.) are more susceptible to heat stress, mainly during the gametogenesis and flowering stages. During periods of high temperatures, grain filling often causes serious damage to the grain quality of rice and, therefore, yield losses. While the genes encoding enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism of chalky grains have been established, a significant knowledge gap exists in the proteomic and glycomic responses to warm temperatures in situ. Here, we studied the translucent and opaque characters of high temperature stressed chalky grains of 2009 and 2010 (ripening temperatures: 24.4 and 28.0 °C, respectively). Appearance of chalky grains of both years showed some resemblance, and the high-temperature stress of 2010 remarkably extended the chalking of grain. Scanning electron microscopic observation showed that round-shaped starch granules with numerous small pits were loosely packed in the opaque part of the chalky grains. Proteomic analyzes of rice chalky grains revealed deregulations in the expression of multiple proteins implicated in diverse metabolic and physiological functions, such as protein synthesis, redox homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and starch biosynthesis and degradation. The glycomic profiling has shown slight differences in chain-length distributions of starches in the grains of 2009-to-2010. However, no significant changes were observed in the chain-length distributions between the translucent and opaque parts of perfect and chalky grains in both years. The glucose and soluble starch contents in opaque parts were increased by the high-temperature stress of 2010, though those in perfect grains were not different regardless of the environmental changes of 2009-to-2010. Together with previous findings on the increased expression of α-amylases in the endosperm, these results suggested that unusual starch degradation rather than starch synthesis is involved in occurring of chalky grains of rice under the high-temperature stress during grain filling period.

7 CFR 800.60 - Deceptive actions and practices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Grain Handling... official personnel, any action or practice, including the loading, weighing, handling, or sampling of grain...

Activation of Big Grain1 significantly improves grain size by regulating auxin transport in rice.

PubMed

Liu, Linchuan; Tong, Hongning; Xiao, Yunhua; Che, Ronghui; Xu, Fan; Hu, Bin; Liang, Chengzhen; Chu, Jinfang; Li, Jiayang; Chu, Chengcai

2015-09-01

Grain size is one of the key factors determining grain yield. However, it remains largely unknown how grain size is regulated by developmental signals. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a dominant mutant big grain1 (Bg1-D) that shows an extra-large grain phenotype from our rice T-DNA insertion population. Overexpression of BG1 leads to significantly increased grain size, and the severe lines exhibit obviously perturbed gravitropism. In addition, the mutant has increased sensitivities to both auxin and N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid, an auxin transport inhibitor, whereas knockdown of BG1 results in decreased sensitivities and smaller grains. Moreover, BG1 is specifically induced by auxin treatment, preferentially expresses in the vascular tissue of culms and young panicles, and encodes a novel membrane-localized protein, strongly suggesting its role in regulating auxin transport. Consistent with this finding, the mutant has increased auxin basipetal transport and altered auxin distribution, whereas the knockdown plants have decreased auxin transport. Manipulation of BG1 in both rice and Arabidopsis can enhance plant biomass, seed weight, and yield. Taking these data together, we identify a novel positive regulator of auxin response and transport in a crop plant and demonstrate its role in regulating grain size, thus illuminating a new strategy to improve plant productivity.

Stover composition in maize and sorghum reveals remarkable genetic variation and plasticity for carbohydrate accumulation

DOE PAGES

Sekhon, Rajandeep S.; Breitzman, Matthew W.; Silva, Renato R.; ...

2016-06-08

Carbohydrates stored in vegetative organs, particularly stems, of grasses are a very important source of energy. We examined carbohydrate accumulation in adult sorghum and maize hybrids with distinct phenology and different end uses (grain, silage, sucrose or sweetness in stalk juice, and biomass). Remarkable variation was observed for nonstructural carbohydrates and structural polysaccharides during three key developmental stages both between and within hybrids developed for distinct end use in both species. At the onset of the reproductive phase (average 65 days after planting, DAP), a wide range for accumulation of non-structural carbohydrates (free glucose and sucrose combined), was observed inmore » internodes of maize (11-24%) and sorghum (7-36%) indicating substantial variation for transient storage of excess photosynthate during periods of low grain or vegetative sink strength. Remobilization of these reserves for supporting grain fill or vegetative growth was evident from lower amounts in maize (8-19%) and sorghum (9-27%) near the end of the reproductive period (average 95 DAP). At physiological maturity of grain hybrids (average 120 DAP), amounts of these carbohydrates were generally unchanged in maize (9-21%) and sorghum (16-27%) suggesting a loss of photosynthetic assimilation due to weakening sink demand. Nonetheless, high amounts of non-structural carbohydrates at maturity even in grain maize and sorghum (15-18%) highlight the potential for developing dual-purpose (grain/stover) crops. For both species, the amounts of structural polysaccharides in the cell wall, measured as monomeric components (glucose and pentose), decreased during grain fill but remained unchanged thereafter with maize biomass possessing slightly higher amounts than sorghum. In conclusion, availability of carbohydrates in maize and sorghum highlights the potential for developing energy-rich dedicated biofuel or dual-purpose (grain/stover) crops.« less

Stover composition in maize and sorghum reveals remarkable genetic variation and plasticity for carbohydrate accumulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sekhon, Rajandeep S.; Breitzman, Matthew W.; Silva, Renato R.

Carbohydrates stored in vegetative organs, particularly stems, of grasses are a very important source of energy. We examined carbohydrate accumulation in adult sorghum and maize hybrids with distinct phenology and different end uses (grain, silage, sucrose or sweetness in stalk juice, and biomass). Remarkable variation was observed for nonstructural carbohydrates and structural polysaccharides during three key developmental stages both between and within hybrids developed for distinct end use in both species. At the onset of the reproductive phase (average 65 days after planting, DAP), a wide range for accumulation of non-structural carbohydrates (free glucose and sucrose combined), was observed inmore » internodes of maize (11-24%) and sorghum (7-36%) indicating substantial variation for transient storage of excess photosynthate during periods of low grain or vegetative sink strength. Remobilization of these reserves for supporting grain fill or vegetative growth was evident from lower amounts in maize (8-19%) and sorghum (9-27%) near the end of the reproductive period (average 95 DAP). At physiological maturity of grain hybrids (average 120 DAP), amounts of these carbohydrates were generally unchanged in maize (9-21%) and sorghum (16-27%) suggesting a loss of photosynthetic assimilation due to weakening sink demand. Nonetheless, high amounts of non-structural carbohydrates at maturity even in grain maize and sorghum (15-18%) highlight the potential for developing dual-purpose (grain/stover) crops. For both species, the amounts of structural polysaccharides in the cell wall, measured as monomeric components (glucose and pentose), decreased during grain fill but remained unchanged thereafter with maize biomass possessing slightly higher amounts than sorghum. In conclusion, availability of carbohydrates in maize and sorghum highlights the potential for developing energy-rich dedicated biofuel or dual-purpose (grain/stover) crops.« less

Genetic Engineering of Maize (Zea mays L.) with Improved Grain Nutrients.

PubMed

Guo, Xiaotong; Duan, Xiaoguang; Wu, Yongzhen; Cheng, Jieshan; Zhang, Juan; Zhang, Hongxia; Li, Bei

2018-02-21

Cell-wall invertase plays important roles in the grain filling of crop plants. However, its functions in the improvement of grain nutrients have not been investigated. In this work, the stable expression of cell-wall-invertase-encoding genes from different plant species and the contents of total starch, protein, amino acid, nitrogen, lipid, and phosphorus were examined in transgenic maize plants. High expressions of the cell-wall-invertase gene conferred enhanced invertase activity and sugar content in transgenic plants, leading to increased grain yield and improved grain nutrients. Transgenic plants with high expressions of the transgene produced more total starch, protein, nitrogen, and essential amino acids in the seeds. Overall, the results indicate that the cell-wall-invertase gene can be used as a potential candidate for the genetic breeding of grain crops with both improved grain yield and quality.

The Role of Slope in the Fill and Spill Process of Linked Submarine Minibasins. Model Validation and Numerical Runs at Laboratory Scale.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastianon, E.; Viparelli, E.; Cantelli, A.; Imran, J.

2015-12-01

Primarily motivated by applications to hydrocarbon exploration, submarine minibasins have been widely studied during recent decades to understand the physical phenomenon that characterizes their fill process. Minibasins were identified in seismic records in the Gulf of Mexico, Angola, Trinidad and Tobago, Ireland, Nigeria and also in outcrops (e.g., Tres Pasos Formation, southern Chile). The filling of minibasis is generally described as the 'fill-and-spill' process, i.e. turbidity currents enter, are reflected on the minibasin flanks, pond and deposit suspended sediment. As the minibasin fills the turbidity current spills on the lowermost zone of the basin flank -spill point - and start filling the next basin downdip. Different versions of this simplified model were used to interpret field and laboratory data but it is still unclear how the minibasin size compared to the magnitude of the turbidity currents, the position of each basin in the system, and the slope of the minibasin system affects the characteristics of the deposit (e.g., geometry, grain size). Here, we conduct a numerical study to investigate how the 'fill-and-spill' model changes with increase in slopes of the minibasin system. First, we validate our numerical results against laboratory experiment performed on two linked minibasins located on a horizontal platform by comparing measured and simulated deposit geometries, suspended sediment concentration profiles and grain sizes. We then perform numerical simulations by increasing the minibasin system slope: deposit and flow characteristics are compared with the case of horizontal platform to identify how the depositional processes change. For the numerical study we used a three-dimensional numerical model of turbidity currents that solves the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for dilute suspensions. Turbulence is modeled by a buoyancy-modified k-ɛ closure. The numerical model has a deforming bottom boundary, to model the changes in the bed deposit due to erosion and deposition. Preliminary two dimensional simulations show that in the early stages of the fill process the suspended sediment concentration is higher in the first basin than in the second one, the coarse grain sizes are preferentially trapped in the updip basins and the fine sediment fractions spill into downdip basins.

7 CFR 800.98 - Weighing grain in combined lots.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Weighing grain in combined lots. 800.98 Section 800.98 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Weighing...

Thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cortes, Douglas D.; Martin, Ana I.; Yun, Tae Sup; Francisca, Franco M.; Santamarina, J. Carlos; Ruppel, Carolyn D.

2009-01-01

A thorough understanding of the thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments is necessary for evaluating phase transformation processes that would accompany energy production from gas hydrate deposits and for estimating regional heat flow based on the observed depth to the base of the gas hydrate stability zone. The coexistence of multiple phases (gas hydrate, liquid and gas pore fill, and solid sediment grains) and their complex spatial arrangement hinder the a priori prediction of the thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments. Previous studies have been unable to capture the full parameter space covered by variations in grain size, specific surface, degree of saturation, nature of pore filling material, and effective stress for hydrate-bearing samples. Here we report on systematic measurements of the thermal conductivity of air dry, water- and tetrohydrofuran (THF)-saturated, and THF hydrate–saturated sand and clay samples at vertical effective stress of 0.05 to 1 MPa (corresponding to depths as great as 100 m below seafloor). Results reveal that the bulk thermal conductivity of the samples in every case reflects a complex interplay among particle size, effective stress, porosity, and fluid-versus-hydrate filled pore spaces. The thermal conductivity of THF hydrate–bearing soils increases upon hydrate formation although the thermal conductivities of THF solution and THF hydrate are almost the same. Several mechanisms can contribute to this effect including cryogenic suction during hydrate crystal growth and the ensuing porosity reduction in the surrounding sediment, increased mean effective stress due to hydrate formation under zero lateral strain conditions, and decreased interface thermal impedance as grain-liquid interfaces are transformed into grain-hydrate interfaces.

Variability of bulk density of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) during gravity-driven discharge.

PubMed

Clementson, C L; Ileleji, K E

2010-07-01

Loading railcars with consistent tonnage has immense cost implications for the shipping of distillers' dried grains with soluble (DDGS) product. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the bulk density variability of DDGS during filling of railcar hoppers. An apparatus was developed similar to a spinning riffler sampler in order to simulate the filling of railcars at an ethanol plant. There was significant difference (P<0.05) between the initial and final measures of bulk density and particle size as the hoppers were emptied in both mass and funnel flow patterns. Particle segregation that takes place during filling of hoppers contributed to the bulk density variation and was explained by particle size variation. This phenomenon is most likely the same throughout the industry and an appropriate sampling procedure should be adopted for measuring the bulk density of DDGS stored silos or transported in railcar hoppers. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Update on Regulation of Sand Transport in the Colorado River by Changes in the Surface Grain Size of Eddy Sandbars over Multiyear Timescales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Topping, David J.; Rubin, David M.; Schmidt, John C.

2008-01-01

In settings where the transport of sand is partially or fully supply limited, changes in the upstream supply of sand are coupled to changes in the grain size of sand on the bed. In this manner, the transport of sand under the supply-limited case is ?grain-size regulated.? Since the closure of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, the downstream reach of the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons has exhibited evidence of sand-supply limitation. Sand transport in the river is now about equally regulated by changes in the discharge of water and changes in the grain sizes of sand on the channel bed and eddy sandbars. Previous work has shown that changes in the grain size of sand on the channel bed (driven by changes in the upstream supply of sand owing to both tributary floods and high dam releases) are important in regulating sand transport over timescales of days to months. In this study, suspended-sand data are analyzed in conjunction with bed grain-size data to determine whether changes in the sand grain size on the channel bed, or changes in the sand grain size on the surface of eddy sandbars, have been more important in regulating sand transport in the postdam Colorado River over longer, multiyear timescales. The results of this study show that this combined theory- and field-based approach can be used to deduce which environments in a complicated setting are most important for regulating sediment transport. In the case of the regulated Colorado River in Marble and upper Grand Canyons, suspended-sand transport has been regulated mostly by changes in the surface grain size of eddy sandbars.

Effects of short-term high temperature on grain quality and starch granules of rice (Oryza sativa L.) at post-anthesis stage.

PubMed

Chen, Jianlin; Tang, Liang; Shi, Peihua; Yang, Baohua; Sun, Ting; Cao, Weixing; Zhu, Yan

2017-03-01

High temperature causes negative effects on grain yield and quality of rice (Oryza sativa L.). In this study, the effects of short-term high temperature (SHT) on grain quality and starch granules were investigated in two rice cultivars Nanjing 41 (NJ41, heat-sensitive) and Wuxiangjing 14 (WJ14, heat-tolerant) at post-anthesis stage (anthesis and early grain-filling stage). The results of rice quality analysis showed that chalky rate and chalkiness increased while brown rice rate, milled rice rate, and head rice rate decreased in two rice cultivars with the increase of high temperature and prolonged duration. Moreover, SHT stress reduced the accumulation of amylose as well as starch accumulation. The starch accumulation and eating quality were more sensitive to SHT than the appearance and milling quality. The starch structure data observed by scanning electron microscope further showed that the starch granules are arranged loosely and more single starch granules appeared after SHT treatment. The extent of change in rice quality and starch traits of WJ14 under SHT was lower than that of NJ41. The effects of SHT at anthesis stage were greater than that at grain-filling stage. Taken together, the results could help further understand the physiological and biochemical processes governing rice quality under high-temperature conditions.

Phenotypic and Transcriptional Analysis of Divergently Selected Maize Populations Reveals the Role of Developmental Timing in Seed Size Determination1[W][OPEN

PubMed Central

Sekhon, Rajandeep S.; Hirsch, Candice N.; Childs, Kevin L.; Breitzman, Matthew W.; Kell, Paul; Duvick, Susan; Spalding, Edgar P.; Buell, C. Robin; de Leon, Natalia; Kaeppler, Shawn M.

2014-01-01

Seed size is a component of grain yield and an important trait in crop domestication. To understand the mechanisms governing seed size in maize (Zea mays), we examined transcriptional and developmental changes during seed development in populations divergently selected for large and small seed size from Krug, a yellow dent maize cultivar. After 30 cycles of selection, seeds of the large seed population (KLS30) have a 4.7-fold greater weight and a 2.6-fold larger size compared with the small seed population (KSS30). Patterns of seed weight accumulation from the time of pollination through 30 d of grain filling showed an earlier onset, slower rate, and earlier termination of grain filling in KSS30 relative to KLS30. This was further supported by transcriptome patterns in seeds from the populations and derived inbreds. Although the onset of key genes was earlier in small seeds, similar maximum transcription levels were observed in large seeds at later stages, suggesting that functionally weaker alleles, rather than transcript abundance, may be the basis of the slow rate of seed filling in KSS30. Gene coexpression networks identified several known genes controlling cellularization and proliferation as well as novel genes that will be useful candidates for biotechnological approaches aimed at altering seed size in maize and other cereals. PMID:24710068

Paleovalley fills: Trunk vs. tributary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvale, E.P.; Archer, A.W.

2007-01-01

A late Mississippian-early Pennsylvanian eustatic sea level drop resulted in a complex lowstand drainage network being eroded across the Illinois Basin in the eastern United States. This drainage system was filled during the early part of the Pennsylvanian. Distinct differences can be recognized between the trunk and tributary paleovalley fills. Fills preserved within the trunk systems tend to be fluvially dominated and consist of bed-load deposits of coarse- to medium-grained sandstone and conglomerate. Conversely, the incised valleys of tributary systems tend to be filled with dark mudstone, thinly interbedded sandstones, and mudstones and siltstones. These finer grained facies exhibit marine influences manifested by tidal rhythmites, certain traces fossils, and macro- and microfauna. Examples of tributary and trunk systems, separated by no more than 7 km (4.3 mi) along strike, exhibit these styles of highly contrasting fills. Useful analogs for understanding this Pennsylvanian system include the Quaternary glacial sluiceways present in the lower Ohio, White, and Wabash river valleys of Indiana (United States) and the modern Amazon River (Brazil). Both the Amazon River and the Quaternary rivers of Indiana have (or had) trunk rivers that are (were) dominated by large quantities of bed load relative to their tributaries. The trunk valley systems of these analogs aggraded much more rapidly than their tributary valleys, which evolved into lakes because depositional rates along the trunk are (were) so high that the mouths of the tributaries have been dammed by bed-load deposits. These Holocene systems illustrate that sediment yields can significantly influence the nature of fill successions within incised valleys independent of rates of sea level changes or proximity to highstand coastlines. Copyright ?? 2007. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

Restricting the above ground sink corrects the root/shoot ratio and substantially boosts the yield potential per panicle in field-grown rice (Oryza sativa L.).

PubMed

Nada, Reham M; Abogadallah, Gaber M

2016-04-01

Rice has shallow, weak roots, but it is unknown how much increase in yield potential could be achieved if the root/shoot ratio is corrected. Removing all tillers except the main one, in a japonica (Sakha 101) and an indica (IR64) rice cultivar, instantly increased the root/shoot ratio from 0.21 to 1.16 in Sakha 101 and from 0.16 to 1.46 in IR64. Over 30 days after detillering, the root/shoot ratios of the detillered plants decreased to 0.49 in Sakha 101 and 0.46 in IR64 but remained significantly higher than in the controls. The detillered plants showed two- or fourfold increase in the main tiller fresh weight, as a consequence of more positive midday leaf relative water content (RWC), and consistently higher rates of stomatal conductance and photosynthesis, but not transpiration, compared with the controls. The enhanced photosynthesis in Sakha 101 after detillering resulted from both improved water status and higher Rubisco contents whereas in IR64, increasing the Rubisco content did not contribute to improving photosynthesis. Detillering did not increase the carbohydrate contents of leaves but prevented starch depletion at the end of grain filling. The leaf protein content during vegetative and reproductive stages, the grain filling rate, the number of filled grains per panicle were greatly improved, bringing about 38.3 and 35.9% increase in the harvested grain dry weight per panicle in Sakha 101 and IR64, respectively. We provide evidence that improving the root performance by increasing the root/shoot ratio would eliminate the current limitations to photosynthesis and growth in rice. © 2015 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

A Model of Thermal Conductivity for Planetary Soils: 1. Theory for Unconsolidated Soils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piqueux, S.; Christensen, P. R.

2009-01-01

We present a model of heat conduction for mono-sized spherical particulate media under stagnant gases based on the kinetic theory of gases, numerical modeling of Fourier s law of heat conduction, theoretical constraints on the gas thermal conductivity at various Knudsen regimes, and laboratory measurements. Incorporating the effect of the temperature allows for the derivation of the pore-filling gas conductivity and bulk thermal conductivity of samples using additional parameters (pressure, gas composition, grain size, and porosity). The radiative and solid-to-solid conductivities are also accounted for. Our thermal model reproduces the well-established bulk thermal conductivity dependency of a sample with the grain size and pressure and also confirms laboratory measurements finding that higher porosities generally lead to lower conductivities. It predicts the existence of the plateau conductivity at high pressure, where the bulk conductivity does not depend on the grain size. The good agreement between the model predictions and published laboratory measurements under a variety of pressures, temperatures, gas compositions, and grain sizes provides additional confidence in our results. On Venus, Earth, and Titan, the pressure and temperature combinations are too high to observe a soil thermal conductivity dependency on the grain size, but each planet has a unique thermal inertia due to their different surface temperatures. On Mars, the temperature and pressure combination is ideal to observe the soil thermal conductivity dependency on the average grain size. Thermal conductivity models that do not take the temperature and the pore-filling gas composition into account may yield significant errors.

Regulation of sand transport in the Colorado River by changes in the surface grain size of eddy sandbars over multi-year timescales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Topping, D.J.; Rubin, D.M.; Schmidt, J.C.

2005-01-01

In settings where the transport of sand is partially or fully supply limited, changes in the upstream supply of sand are coupled to changes in the grain size of sand on the bed. In this manner, the transport of sand under the supply-limited case is 'grain-size regulated'. Since the closure of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, the downstream reach of the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons has exhibited evidence of sand-supply limitation. Sand transport in the river is now approximately equally regulated by changes in the discharge of water and changes in the grain sizes of sand on the channel bed and eddy sandbars. Previous work has shown that changes in the grain size of sand on the bed of the channel (driven by changes in the upstream supply of sand owing to both tributary floods and high dam releases) are important in regulating sand transport over timescales of days to months. In this study, suspended-sand data are analysed in conjunction with bed grain-size data to determine whether changes in the grain size of sand on the bed of the channel or changes in the grain size of sand on the surface of eddy sandbars have been more important in regulating sand transport in the post-dam Colorado River over longer, multi-year timescales. The results of this study show that this combined theory- and field-based approach can be used to deduce which environments in a complicated setting are the most important environments for regulating sediment transport. In the case of the regulated Colorado River in Marble and Upper Grand Canyons, suspended-sand transport has been regulated mostly by changes in the surface grain size of eddy sandbars. ?? 2005 International Association of Sedimentologists.

1913 Richardson Scales in 1913 head house, looking east. The ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1913 Richardson Scales in 1913 head house, looking east. The balance beam on the right side of the photograph is for the west hopper scale. To the left and right are two discharge charges from the hopper scales. On the left is an auger that fills the bins. In the background is the grain cleaner. - Stewart Company Grain Elevator, 16 West Carson Street, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA

Microstructure Evolution and Protrusion of Electroplated Cu-Filled Through-Silicon Vias Subjected to Thermal Cyclic Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Si; An, Tong; Qin, Fei; Chen, Pei

2017-10-01

Through-silicon vias (TSVs) have become an important technology for three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) packaging. Protrusion of electroplated Cu-filled vias is a critical reliability issue for TSV technology. In this work, thermal cycling tests were carried out to identify how the microstructure affects protrusion during thermal cycling. Cu protrusion occurs when the loading temperature is higher than 149°C. During the first five thermal cycles, the grain size of Cu plays a dominant role in the protrusion behavior. Larger Cu grain size before thermal cycling results in greater Cu protrusion. With increasing thermal cycle number, the effect of the Cu grain size reduces and the microstrain begins to dominate the Cu protrusion behavior. Higher magnitude of microstrain within Cu results in greater protrusion increment during subsequent thermal cycles. When the thermal cycle number reaches 25, the protrusion rate of Cu slows down due to strain hardening. After 30 thermal cycles, the Cu protrusion stabilizes within the range of 1.92 μm to 2.09 μm.

Effect of granular media on the vibrational response of a resonant structure: theory and experiment.

PubMed

Valenza, John J; Hsu, Chaur-Jian; Johnson, David Linton

2010-11-01

The acoustic response of a structure that contains a cavity filled with a loose granular material is analyzed. The inputs to the theory are the effective masses of each subsystem: that of the empty-cavity resonating structure and that of the granular medium within the cavity. This theory accurately predicts the frequencies, widths, and relative amplitudes of the various flexural mode resonances observed with rectangular bars, each having a cavity filled with loose tungsten granules. Inasmuch as the dominant mechanism for damping is due to adsorbed water at the grain-grain contacts, the significant effects of humidity on both the effective mass of the granular medium as well as on the response of the grain-loaded bars are monitored. Here, depending upon the humidity and the preparation protocol, it is possible to observe one, two, or three distinct resonances in a wide frequency range (1-5 kHz) over which the empty bar has but one resonance. These effects are understood in terms of the theoretical framework, which may simplify in terms of perturbation theories.

A new SNP in cyOsPPDK gene is associated with floury endosperm in Suweon 542.

PubMed

Wang, Heng; Mo, Young-Jun; Im, Da-Eun; Jang, Seong-Gyu; Ham, Tae-Ho; Lee, Joohyun; Jeung, Ji-Ung; Kwon, Soon-Wook

2018-05-09

Pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) is a component of glycolysis to mediate endosperm energy charge by adjusting the ratio of ATP to ADP and AMP that proposed to balance the flow of carbon into starch, protein, fatty acid and amino acid biosynthesis. However, these were inconsistent with the first report of a T-DNA insertional knockout mutant of the rice PPDK gene (flo4) showed that rice with inactivated PPDK gene failed to produce a opaque seeds. Therefore, the PPDK might have multifaceted functions in grain filling stage, which in some ways might depend on the direction of the reversible catalysis. Suweon 542 is a rice (Oryza sativa L.) mutant developed from Oryza sativa ssp. japonica cv. Namil. Suweon 542 has a milky-white floury endosperm suitable for dry filling, with low starch damage, low grain hardness, and fine flour particle size. The mutant locus on chromosome 5 controls the floury endosperm phenotype of Suweon 542. Fine mapping of this locus is required for efficient breeding of rice germplasm suitable for dry milling. In this study, whole genome of Suweon 542 and Milyang 23 were re-sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 2500. Co-segregation analysis of F 3:4 family populations derived from Suweon 542/Milyang 23 was performed using eight CAPS markers and phenotypic evaluation of the endosperm. The target region was mapped to a 33 kb region and identified to encode cytosolic pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase protein (cyOsPPDK). A G→A SNP in exon 8 of cyOsPPDK resulting in a missense mutation from Gly to Asp at amino acid position 404 was responsible for the floury endosperm of Suweon 542. qRT-PCR experiments revealed that FLO4-4 was expressed to a considerably higher level in Suweon 542 than in Namil during the grain filling stage. Overall, fine mapping of FLO4-4 and candidate gene analysis provided further insight into the floury endosperm of rice, and reveal a novel SNP in cyOsPPDK gene can affect the floury endosperm phenotype through active PPDK gene during grain filling stage.

The healing of disturbed hillslopes by gully gravure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Osterkamp, W.R.; Toy, T.J.

1994-01-01

Results of accelerated erosion on certain constructed surfaces in southeastern Arizona appear similar to those described by Bryan as gully gravure. Twenty cross-section excavations in eight rills inclised into silt-rich lacustrine and fluvial deposits reveal partial filling of the rills by debris derived from overyling fluvial sand, gravel, and cobbles. Interstices of the coarse material gradually fill with fine-grained erosion products, decreasing permeability of the fill and deflecting subsequent runoff to the margins of the fill. Rills and rill fillings thus increase in width with time, and complete veneering of the surface by coarse debris ultimately may occur. Through incision, filling, lateral planation, and armoring, channels of the dissected surface heal and the new hillslope approaches an equilibrium condition. Natural hillslopes in the area with similar geologic conditions have inclinations of 16??-22??, have generally unbroken veneers of coarse debris, and appear subject to the same erosional processes identified at constructed hillslopes. -from Authors

Heat Priming Induces Trans-generational Tolerance to High Temperature Stress in Wheat

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiao; Xin, Caiyun; Cai, Jian; Zhou, Qin; Dai, Tingbo; Cao, Weixing; Jiang, Dong

2016-01-01

Wheat plants are very sensitive to high temperature stress during grain filling. Effects of heat priming applied to the first generation on tolerance of the successive generation to post-anthesis high temperature stress were investigated. Compared with the progeny of non-heat primed plants (NH), the progeny of heat-primed plants (PH) possessed higher grain yield, leaf photosynthesis and activities of antioxidant enzymes and lower cell membrane damage under high temperature stress. In the transcriptome profile, 1430 probes showed obvious difference in expression between PH and NH. These genes were related to signal transduction, transcription, energy, defense, and protein destination and storage, respectively. The gene encoding the lysine-specific histone demethylase 1 (LSD1) which was involved in histone demethylation related to epigenetic modification was up-regulated in the PH compared with NH. The proteome analysis indicated that the proteins involved in photosynthesis, energy production and protein destination and storage were up-regulated in the PH compared with NH. In short, thermos-tolerance was induced through heritable epigenetic alternation and signaling transduction, both processes further triggered prompt modifications of defense related responses in anti-oxidation, transcription, energy production, and protein destination and storage in the progeny of the primed plants under high temperature stress. It was concluded that trans-generation thermo-tolerance was induced by heat priming in the first generation, and this might be an effective measure to cope with severe high-temperature stresses during key growth stages in wheat production. PMID:27148324

Genetic Architecture of Flowering Phenology in Cereals and Opportunities for Crop Improvement

PubMed Central

Hill, Camilla B.; Li, Chengdao

2016-01-01

Cereal crop species including bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), and maize (Zea mays L.) provide the bulk of human nutrition and agricultural products for industrial use. These four cereals are central to meet future demands of food supply for an increasing world population under a changing climate. A prerequisite for cereal crop production is the transition from vegetative to reproductive and grain-filling phases starting with flower initiation, a key developmental switch tightly regulated in all flowering plants. Although studies in the dicotyledonous model plant Arabidopsis thaliana build the foundations of our current understanding of plant phenology genes and regulation, the availability of genome assemblies with high-confidence sequences for rice, maize, and more recently bread wheat and barley, now allow the identification of phenology-associated gene orthologs in monocots. Together with recent advances in next-generation sequencing technologies, QTL analysis, mutagenesis, complementation analysis, and RNA interference, many phenology genes have been functionally characterized in cereal crops and conserved as well as functionally divergent genes involved in flowering were found. Epigenetic and other molecular regulatory mechanisms that respond to environmental and endogenous triggers create an enormous plasticity in flowering behavior among cereal crops to ensure flowering is only induced under optimal conditions. In this review, we provide a summary of recent discoveries of flowering time regulators with an emphasis on four cereal crop species (bread wheat, barley, rice, and maize), in particular, crop-specific regulatory mechanisms and genes. In addition, pleiotropic effects on agronomically important traits such as grain yield, impact on adaptation to new growing environments and conditions, genetic sequence-based selection and targeted manipulation of phenology genes, as well as crop growth simulation models for predictive crop breeding, are discussed. PMID:28066466

Genetic diversity of red-grained rice landraces in Hani's terraced fields based on phenotypic characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xiaomei; Zheng, Yun; Zhang, Tingting; Zhang, Xiaoqian; Ma, Mengli; Meng, Hengling; Wang, Tiantao; Lu, Bingyue

2018-06-01

In order to provide useful information for protection and utilization of red-grained rice landraces from Hani's terraced fields, the phenotypic diversity of 61 red-grained rice landraces were assessed based 20 quantitative traits. The results indicated that the phenotypic diversity was abundant in red-grained rice landraces. Coefficients of variation (CV) ranged from 4.878% to 72.878%, and the largest of CV was the panicle neck length, while grain width was smallest. Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H') of 20 traits ranged from 1.464 to 2.165, the largest and the smallest H' values were observed in filled grain number and chalkiness, respectively. Cluster analysis based on unweighted pair group method showed 61 red-grain rice landraces grouped into eight clusters at a cut-off value of 6.2631. The first cluster included 11 landraces, the main cluster II involved 42 landraces, and the cluster IV included 3 landraces. Laopinzhonghongmi, Chena2, Laojingnuo, Bianhao6 and Baimi were separated from the main clusters.

In-depth survey report of Early and Daniel Co. , Inc. , Louisville, Kentucky

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zaebst, D.D.

1986-09-01

An in-depth industrial hygiene survey was conducted to evaluate worker exposures to phosphine during fumigation of grain at the Early and Daniel Co. grain elevator in Louisville, Kentucky. Stored grain was fumigated using aluminum phosphide. Aluminum-phosphide pellets were also added directly to the grain by the blender as it was poured into the storage containers. Local exhaust ventilation was used at points in the grain-moving system where grain dust was generated. Air samples were taken during full-shift periods at the breathing zone of the weighmaster, two bin floormen, and the blender. Area monitoring samples were also taken. If the operatorsmore » spend considerable time in the vicinity of a bin which is being filled with grain, there is a likelihood of far greater exposure levels being noted. According to the author, further studies of the use of phosphide products at other elevators should be conducted to determine the effect of environmental and process parameters on phosphine exposures.« less

78 FR 76098 - Rail Transportation of Grain, Rate Regulation Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-16

...) Opening 4-5, Rate Regulation Reforms, EP 715; Alliance for Rail Competition, Montana Wheat & Barley... Producers Board, and Washington Grain Commission Opening 6-12, Rate Regulation Reforms, EP 715. \\3\\ NGFA Opening 3-4, Rate Regulation Reforms, EP 715. \\4\\ BNSF Ry. Co. Reply 10, Rate Regulation Reforms, EP 715...

Development of technique for three-dimensional visualization of grain boundaries by white X-ray microbeam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajiwara, K.; Shobu, T.; Toyokawa, H.; Sato, M.

2014-04-01

A technique for three-dimensional visualization of grain boundaries was developed at BL28B2 at SPring-8. The technique uses white X-ray microbeam diffraction and a rotating slit. Three-dimensional images of small silicon single crystals filled in a plastic tube were successfully obtained using this technique for demonstration purposes. The images were consistent with those obtained by X-ray computed tomography.

Identification of Candidate Genes Associated with Leaf Senescence in Cultivated Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

PubMed Central

Moschen, Sebastian; Bengoa Luoni, Sofia; Paniego, Norma B.; Hopp, H. Esteban; Dosio, Guillermo A. A.

2014-01-01

Cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), an important source of edible vegetable oil, shows rapid onset of senescence, which limits production by reducing photosynthetic capacity under specific growing conditions. Carbon for grain filling depends strongly on light interception by green leaf area, which diminishes during grain filling due to leaf senescence. Transcription factors (TFs) regulate the progression of leaf senescence in plants and have been well explored in model systems, but information for many agronomic crops remains limited. Here, we characterize the expression profiles of a set of putative senescence associated genes (SAGs) identified by a candidate gene approach and sunflower microarray expression studies. We examined a time course of sunflower leaves undergoing natural senescence and used quantitative PCR (qPCR) to measure the expression of 11 candidate genes representing the NAC, WRKY, MYB and NF-Y TF families. In addition, we measured physiological parameters such as chlorophyll, total soluble sugars and nitrogen content. The expression of Ha-NAC01, Ha-NAC03, Ha-NAC04, Ha-NAC05 and Ha-MYB01 TFs increased before the remobilization rate increased and therefore, before the appearance of the first physiological symptoms of senescence, whereas Ha-NAC02 expression decreased. In addition, we also examined the trifurcate feed-forward pathway (involving ORE1, miR164, and ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 2) previously reported for Arabidopsis. We measured transcription of Ha-NAC01 (the sunflower homolog of ORE1) and Ha-EIN2, along with the levels of miR164, in two leaves from different stem positions, and identified differences in transcription between basal and upper leaves. Interestingly, Ha-NAC01 and Ha-EIN2 transcription profiles showed an earlier up-regulation in upper leaves of plants close to maturity, compared with basal leaves of plants at pre-anthesis stages. These results suggest that the H. annuus TFs characterized in this work could play important roles as potential triggers of leaf senescence and thus can be considered putative candidate genes for senescence in sunflower. PMID:25110882

Identification of candidate genes associated with leaf senescence in cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).

PubMed

Moschen, Sebastian; Bengoa Luoni, Sofia; Paniego, Norma B; Hopp, H Esteban; Dosio, Guillermo A A; Fernandez, Paula; Heinz, Ruth A

2014-01-01

Cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), an important source of edible vegetable oil, shows rapid onset of senescence, which limits production by reducing photosynthetic capacity under specific growing conditions. Carbon for grain filling depends strongly on light interception by green leaf area, which diminishes during grain filling due to leaf senescence. Transcription factors (TFs) regulate the progression of leaf senescence in plants and have been well explored in model systems, but information for many agronomic crops remains limited. Here, we characterize the expression profiles of a set of putative senescence associated genes (SAGs) identified by a candidate gene approach and sunflower microarray expression studies. We examined a time course of sunflower leaves undergoing natural senescence and used quantitative PCR (qPCR) to measure the expression of 11 candidate genes representing the NAC, WRKY, MYB and NF-Y TF families. In addition, we measured physiological parameters such as chlorophyll, total soluble sugars and nitrogen content. The expression of Ha-NAC01, Ha-NAC03, Ha-NAC04, Ha-NAC05 and Ha-MYB01 TFs increased before the remobilization rate increased and therefore, before the appearance of the first physiological symptoms of senescence, whereas Ha-NAC02 expression decreased. In addition, we also examined the trifurcate feed-forward pathway (involving ORE1, miR164, and ethylene insensitive 2) previously reported for Arabidopsis. We measured transcription of Ha-NAC01 (the sunflower homolog of ORE1) and Ha-EIN2, along with the levels of miR164, in two leaves from different stem positions, and identified differences in transcription between basal and upper leaves. Interestingly, Ha-NAC01 and Ha-EIN2 transcription profiles showed an earlier up-regulation in upper leaves of plants close to maturity, compared with basal leaves of plants at pre-anthesis stages. These results suggest that the H. annuus TFs characterized in this work could play important roles as potential triggers of leaf senescence and thus can be considered putative candidate genes for senescence in sunflower.

Constitutive expression of cell wall invertase genes increases grain yield and starch content in maize.

PubMed

Li, Bei; Liu, Hua; Zhang, Yue; Kang, Tao; Zhang, Li; Tong, Jianhua; Xiao, Langtao; Zhang, Hongxia

2013-12-01

Grain size, number and starch content are important determinants of grain yield and quality. One of the most important biological processes that determine these components is the carbon partitioning during the early grain filling, which requires the function of cell wall invertase. Here, we showed the constitutive expression of cell wall invertase-encoding gene from Arabidopsis, rice (Oryza sativa) or maize (Zea mays), driven by the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter, all increased cell wall invertase activities in different tissues and organs, including leaves and developing seeds, and substantially improved grain yield up to 145.3% in transgenic maize plants as compared to the wild-type plants, an effect that was reproduced in our 2-year field trials at different locations. The dramatically increased grain yield is due to the enlarged ears with both enhanced grain size and grain number. Constitutive expression of the invertase-encoding gene also increased total starch content up to 20% in the transgenic kernels. Our results suggest that cell wall invertase gene can be genetically engineered to improve both grain yield and grain quality in crop plants. © 2013 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Earliness per se QTLs and their interaction with the photoperiod insensitive allele Ppd-D1a in the Cutler × AC Barrie spring wheat population.

PubMed

Kamran, A; Iqbal, M; Navabi, A; Randhawa, H; Pozniak, C; Spaner, D

2013-08-01

Earliness per se regulates flowering time independent of environmental signals and helps to fine tune the time of flowering and maturity. In this study, we aimed to map earliness per se quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting days to flowering and maturity in a population developed by crossing two spring wheat cultivars, Cutler and AC Barrie. The population of 177 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was genotyped for a total of 488 SSR and DArT polymorphic markers on all 21 chromosomes. Three QTLs of earliness per se affecting days to flowering and maturity were mapped on chromosomes 1B (QEps.dms-1B1 and QEps.dms-1B2) and 5B (QEps.dms-5B1), in individual environments and when all the environments were combined. A QTL affecting flowering time (QFlt.dms-4A1) was identified on chromosome 4A. Two grain yield QTLs were mapped on chromosome 5B, while one QTL was mapped on chromosome 1D. The population segregated for the photoperiod insensitive gene, Ppd-D1a, and it induced earlier flowering by 0.69 days and maturity by 1.28 days. The photoperiod insensitive allele Ppd-D1a interacted in an additive fashion with QTLs for flowering and maturity times. The earliness per se QTL QFlt.dms-5B.1 inducing earlier flowering could help to elongate grain filling duration for higher grain yield. Hence, chromosome 5B possesses promising genomic regions that may be introgressed for higher grain yield with earlier maturity through marker-assisted selection in bread wheat.

Effects of nitrogen combined with zinc application on glutamate, glutamine, aspartate and asparagine accumulation in two winter wheat cultivars.

PubMed

Nie, Zhaojun; Wang, Jia; Rengel, Zed; Liu, Hongen; Gao, Wei; Zhao, Peng

2018-06-01

Zinc (Zn) deficiency remarkably depresses the protein concentration in the grain of winter wheat. Cultivar 'Pingan 8' showed lower Zn concentrations in the grain than did cultivar 'Yangao 006' after nitrogen (N) combined with Zn application. However, little is known about how amino acids are influenced by Zn combined with N application or about the differences in amino acid accumulation between the two winter wheat cultivars. A pot experiment was conducted to characterize amino acid accumulation in the low Zn-accumulating cultivar 'Pingan 8' and the high Zn-accumulating cultivar 'Yangao 006' at various growth stages (seedling, jointing, grain filling and maturity) as influenced by N and Zn supply. The N (N 0.2 ) combined with Zn (Zn 10 ) application significantly increased grain yields and the concentrations of N, Zn and crude protein in the grain of both wheat cultivars. N combined with Zn application significantly increased the concentrations of glutamate (Glu) and asparagine (Asn) but decreased the concentrations of glutamine (Gln) and aspartate (Asp) in cultivar 'Yangao 006'; the N combined with Zn application decreased the concentrations of Glu and Gln but increased the concentrations of Asp and Asn in cultivar 'Pingan 8' at the jointing, grain filling and mature stages. Correlation analysis results showed that there were significant relationships between grain yields, spike number, grain number and Zn, N, crude protein, Glu, Gln, Asp and Asn concentrations in the shoots and grain of winter wheat at different growth stages. These results demonstrate that N combined with Zn application enhanced protein synthesis by altering amino acid accumulation in both winter wheat cultivars. Cultivar 'Pingan 8' had lower Gln, Asp and Asn concentrations and higher Glu concentrations than did cultivar 'Yangao 006' after the N 0.05 treatment but had higher Glu, Gln, Asp, and Asn concentrations and lower Glu concentrations than did cultivar 'Yangao 006' after the N 0.2 treatment. These results revealed that the difference in amino acid concentrations between the two cultivars was related to the N application level. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Micro- and Nanostructures of SAFOD Core Samples - First Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janssen, C.; Wirth, R.; Rybacki, E.; Naumann, R.; Kemnitz, H.; Wenk, H.; Dresen, G. H.

2009-12-01

Microstructures and chemical composition of ultra-cataclastic rocks from the San Andreas Fault drill hole (SAFOD) were examined using TEM, SEM and XRD analyses. The ultra-cataclasites are mainly composed of quartz, clay minerals (illite/smectite, chlorite), feldspar (plagioclase) and calcite with grain sizes between 200 nm and 500 μm. In particular we found: (1) amorphous materials, identified by transmission electron microscopy. Chemical analyses suggest that all amorphous material was formed by comminution (crush-origin) of fragments rather than by melting (melt-origin) and that the observed amorphous phases may act as hydrodynamic lubricating layers that reduce friction in the San Andreas Fault. (2) Pressure solution seams and localized precipitation of hydrous mixed-layered clay minerals suggest intensive dissolution-precipitation processes. These may lead to a thin film covering slip surfaces. (3) Authigenic clay minerals forming a flocculated fabric. (4) The fine-grained (< 1μm) gouge matrix contains clasts (feldspar, quartz) and is frequently cut by fault-related veins. The veins are filled with calcite or quartz. Observed micorstructures in the fine-grained matrix suggest comminution and sliding of the nanoscale grains. Open pore spaces up to 2.25 μm3 have been formed during and after deformation within the gouge matrix. These were possibly filled with hydrothermal fluids at elevated pore fluid pressure preventing closure. (5) Detrital quartz and feldspar grains are partly dissolved and replaced by authigenic illite-smectite (I-S) mixed-layer clay minerals. TEM imaging of these grains reveal that initial alteration processes started within pores and small fissures of grains. The crystallographic-preferred orientation of illite and I/S grains is rather weak with a maximum m.r.d. (multiples of random orientation) of 2.3. (6) Some older fault-related vein-calcites show evidence for intense intracrystalline plasticity (deformation twins and dislocation creep). Dislocation densities in calcite grains indicate a local maximum stress of about 40 MPa. The younger fault-related vein-calcite generation with elongated to fibrous habit suggests slow opening by aseismic slip. These crystals are not fractured or twinned (or only less); indicating that healing processes (cementation) outlasted deformation.

Diatreme evolution during the phreatomagmatic eruption of the Songaksan tuff ring, Jeju Island, Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Go, S. Y.; Kim, G. B.; Jeong, J. O.; Sohn, Y. K.

2017-03-01

The Songaksan tuff ring, Jeju Island, Korea, which erupted ca. 3.7 ka BP in a coastal setting, provides an unusual opportunity to study the processes of phreatomagmatic eruption and the formation of a diatreme because of the exceptionally well-preserved ejecta beds and well-known subsurface geology. The tuff sequence can be divided into four units (A to D), which have distinctly different accidental componentry (quartz-rich vs. quartz-poor), grain surface features (abraded and ash-coated vs. unabraded and uncoated), and chemical compositions of juvenile particles. The basal tephra bed of unit A, which probably erupted after the removal of the relatively hard shallow-level (<120 m deep) substrate by initial cratering, comprises only unabraded and uncoated grains and contains abundant relatively deep-derived (>120 m deep) accidental grains, suggesting that the early erupted tephra had not yet experienced recycling and pre-eruption mixing in the diatreme. On the other hand, the overlying tephra beds of units A, B, and D contain an abundance of abraded and ash-coated juvenile/accidental grains, suggesting that the tephra comprised significant proportions of "recycled" or "premixed" materials from previous eruptions or subsurface explosions, which participated in the explosion-driven mixing in the diatreme before eventual ejection from the diatreme. Unit C is unusual in that it comprises extremely rare accidental grains and ash-coated juvenile/accidental grains. We interpret that the supply of solid materials, either accidental or juvenile, to the diatreme was greatly reduced because of temporary stabilization of the diatreme and the reduction in magma flux to the diatreme. The diatreme is therefore envisaged to have been filled with a water-saturated slurry, in which particle abrasion and adhesion were inhibited. We also infer that the diatreme fill was temporarily removed by a powerful explosion before eruption of unit C on the basis of the near absence of the tephra grains from earlier eruptions throughout the tephra beds of unit C. The ratio of tachylite to sideromelane grains generally increases up-section of the tuff sequence with two abrupt drops across the tuff unit boundaries. These variations are coincident with the changes in the chemical composition of juvenile particles, suggesting an overall decrease in magma flux punctuated by brief increases in magma flux associated with the arrival of new magma batches. The textural and compositional variations of the Songaksan tuff ring suggest that there can be significant variability in diatreme processes even during a purely phreatomagmatic eruption of a tuff ring, including removal and renewal of the diatreme fill, and that there is still much room for further investigation of the diatreme processes from the ejecta beds in order to make the current diatreme model more robust.

The choice of iron-containing filling for composite radioprotective material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matyukhin, P. V.

2018-03-01

The paper presents the data the composition of modern composite building materials including materials which in addition to high physical-mechanical have radio-protective properties. The article presents infrared researches and differential thermal data of fine-grained magnetite and hematite beneficiated iron-ore concentrates. The choice of the most suitable filling for new composite radio-protective building material engineering and development was made basing on the magnetite and hematite data presented in the paper.

Development of reservoir facies and porosity-permeability compartmentalization in middle Mississippian Salem Limestone, eastern margin of the Illinois Basin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahmad, N.; Keith, B.D.; Thompson, T.A.

Shoal facies of the Salem Limestone in south-central Indiana are composed of (1) bryozoan- and echinoderm-rich (85-95%) grainstones, and (3) foraminiferal-echinodermal grainstones. Microfacies and bedform analyses indicate that deposition took place under tidal conditions where sporadic storm events mobilized the entire sand body. Strong, primarily unidirectional currents, abundant sediment supply, and rapid burial resulted in thick, massive deposits in the Salem shoal. In this hydraulic regime, shape and specific gravity determined the distribution of echinoderm grains relative to heavier bryozoan grains. The relative amount of echinoderms controlled the development of early syntaxial rim cement, which preserved porosity during early compaction.more » A significant amount of calcium carbonate ({approximately}58%) filled the micropores within the echinoderm grains before the intergranular cement could form. Areas such as toes of avalanche forests, where intermediate amounts of echinoderms are mixed with other grains, have greater porosity and permeability. Numerous stylolites also occur throughout the Salem grainstones. Variations in microfacies composition and bedforms are grouped into architectural packages that compartmentalize the porosity and permeability and form micro-to scale macroscale heterogeneities. The basal channel architectural package studied exhibits porosity-permeability compartments orthogonal to the overlying channel-fill sandwave package. In an analogous petroleum reservoir this can result in poor reservoir performance during primary and enhanced recovery leaving behind significant amounts of unrecovered mobile oil. Higher porosity and permeability at the base of a package due to the presence of toesets of a certain grain composition can result in poor sweep efficiency for enhanced recovery.« less

Accumulation of Phenolic Compounds and Expression Profiles of Phenolic Acid Biosynthesis-Related Genes in Developing Grains of White, Purple, and Red Wheat.

PubMed

Ma, Dongyun; Li, Yaoguang; Zhang, Jian; Wang, Chenyang; Qin, Haixia; Ding, Huina; Xie, Yingxin; Guo, Tiancai

2016-01-01

Polyphenols in whole grain wheat have potential health benefits, but little is known about the expression patterns of phenolic acid biosynthesis genes and the accumulation of phenolic acid compounds in different-colored wheat grains. We found that purple wheat varieties had the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity. Among phenolic acid compounds, bound ferulic acid, vanillic, and caffeic acid levels were significantly higher in purple wheat than in white and red wheat, while total soluble phenolic acid, soluble ferulic acid, and vanillic acid levels were significantly higher in purple and red wheat than in white wheat. Ferulic acid and syringic acid levels peaked at 14 days after anthesis (DAA), whereas p-coumaric acid and caffeic acid levels peaked at 7 DAA, and vanillic acid levels gradually increased during grain filling and peaked near ripeness (35 DAA). Nine phenolic acid biosynthesis pathway genes (TaPAL1, TaPAL2, TaC3H1, TaC3H2, TaC4H, Ta4CL1, Ta4CL2, TaCOMT1, and TaCOMT2) exhibited three distinct expression patterns during grain filling, which may be related to the different phenolic acids levels. White wheat had higher phenolic acid contents and relatively high gene expression at the early stage, while purple wheat had the highest phenolic acid contents and gene expression levels at later stages. These results suggest that the expression of phenolic acid biosynthesis genes may be closely related to phenolic acids accumulation.

Accumulation of Phenolic Compounds and Expression Profiles of Phenolic Acid Biosynthesis-Related Genes in Developing Grains of White, Purple, and Red Wheat

PubMed Central

Ma, Dongyun; Li, Yaoguang; Zhang, Jian; Wang, Chenyang; Qin, Haixia; Ding, Huina; Xie, Yingxin; Guo, Tiancai

2016-01-01

Polyphenols in whole grain wheat have potential health benefits, but little is known about the expression patterns of phenolic acid biosynthesis genes and the accumulation of phenolic acid compounds in different-colored wheat grains. We found that purple wheat varieties had the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity. Among phenolic acid compounds, bound ferulic acid, vanillic, and caffeic acid levels were significantly higher in purple wheat than in white and red wheat, while total soluble phenolic acid, soluble ferulic acid, and vanillic acid levels were significantly higher in purple and red wheat than in white wheat. Ferulic acid and syringic acid levels peaked at 14 days after anthesis (DAA), whereas p-coumaric acid and caffeic acid levels peaked at 7 DAA, and vanillic acid levels gradually increased during grain filling and peaked near ripeness (35 DAA). Nine phenolic acid biosynthesis pathway genes (TaPAL1, TaPAL2, TaC3H1, TaC3H2, TaC4H, Ta4CL1, Ta4CL2, TaCOMT1, and TaCOMT2) exhibited three distinct expression patterns during grain filling, which may be related to the different phenolic acids levels. White wheat had higher phenolic acid contents and relatively high gene expression at the early stage, while purple wheat had the highest phenolic acid contents and gene expression levels at later stages. These results suggest that the expression of phenolic acid biosynthesis genes may be closely related to phenolic acids accumulation. PMID:27148345

Favorable Alleles for Stem Water-Soluble Carbohydrates Identified by Association Analysis Contribute to Grain Weight under Drought Stress Conditions in Wheat

PubMed Central

Li, Runzhi; Chang, Xiaoping; Jing, Ruilian

2015-01-01

Drought is a major environmental constraint to crop distribution and productivity. Stem water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) buffer wheat grain yield against conditions unfavorable for photosynthesis during the grain filling stage. In this study, 262 winter wheat accessions and 209 genome-wide SSR markers were collected and used to undertake association analysis based on a mixed linear model (MLM). The WSC in different internodes at three growth stages and 1000-grain weight (TGW) were investigated under four environmental regimes (well-watered, drought stress during the whole growth period, and two levels of terminal drought stress imposed by chemical desiccation under the well-watered and drought stress during the whole growth period conditions). Under diverse drought stress conditions, WSC in lower internodes showed significant positive correlations with TGW, especially at the flowering stage under well-watered conditions and at grain filling under drought stress. Sixteen novel WSC-favorable alleles were identified, and five of them contributed to significantly higher TGW. In addition, pyramiding WSC favorable alleles was not only effective for obtaining accessions with higher WSC, but also for enhancing TGW under different water regimes. During the past fifty years of wheat breeding, WSC was selected incidentally. The average number of favorable WSC alleles increased from 1.13 in the pre-1960 period to 4.41 in the post-2000 period. The results indicate a high potential for using marker-assisted selection to pyramid WSC favorable alleles in improving WSC and TGW in wheat. PMID:25768726

Differences in Viscosity of Superior and Inferior Spikelets of Japonica Rice with Various Percentages of Apparent Amylose Content.

PubMed

Ma, Zhao-Hui; Cheng, Hai-Tao; Nitta, Y; Aoki, Naohiro; Chen, Yun; Chen, Heng-Xue; Ohsugi, Ryu; Lyu, Wen-Yan

2017-05-31

Viscosity, a crucial characteristic for rice palatability, is affected by endosperm characters. We compared correlations between differences in viscosity of japonica rice with various palatability and endosperm characters. Changes in apparent amylose and protein contents (AAC% and PC%, respectively) and amylopectin side-chain distribution and the relationship of these traits with palatability were investigated in superior and inferior spikelets of good cultivars with low amylose content from Hokkaido and common cultivars from northeastern Japan, using rapid visco analyzer characteristics and rice-grain microstructures. Significant differences occurred in PC%, AAC%, breakdown, setback, peak time, and pasting temperature of different cultivars and grain positions. Amylopectin components showed remarkable differences in grain surfaces, surface layers, and section structure between the grain varieties. Hokkaido cultivars showed better viscosity than northeastern cultivars, particularly initial stage grains. Correlation analysis indicated viscosity was mainly AAC%-dependent, whereas differences in endosperm characteristics between spikelet positions were mainly due to grain-filling temperature.

Positive electrodes of nickel-cadmium batteries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wabner, D. W.; Kandler, L.; Krienke, W.

1985-01-01

Ni hydroxide sintered electrodes which are filled electrochemically are superior to chemically treated electrodes. In the electrochemical process, the hydroxide grows on the Ni grains and possesses a well-defined porous structure. Diffusion and conducting mechanisms are therefore facilitated.

Metallographic assessment of Al-12Si high-pressure die casting escalator steps.

PubMed

Vander Voort, George Frederic; Suárez-Peña, Beatriz; Asensio-Lozano, Juan

2014-10-01

A microstructural characterization study was performed on high-pressure die cast specimens extracted from escalator steps manufactured from an Al-12 wt.% Si alloy designed for structural applications. Black and white, color light optical imaging and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to conduct the microstructural analysis. Most regions in the samples studied contained globular-rosette primary α-Al grains surrounded by an Al-Si eutectic aggregate, while primary dendritic α-Al grains were present in the surface layer. This dendritic microstructure was observed in the regions where the melt did not impinge directly on the die surface during cavity filling. Consequently, microstructures in the surface layer were nonuniform. Utilizing physical metallurgy principles, these results were analyzed in terms of the applied pressure and filling velocity during high-pressure die casting. The effects of these parameters on solidification at different locations of the casting are discussed.

Eyewitness Recall: Regulation of Grain Size and the Role of Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Nathan; Brewer, Neil

2008-01-01

Eyewitness testimony plays a critical role in Western legal systems. Three experiments extended M. Goldsmith, A. Koriat, and A. Weinberg-Eliezer's (2002) framework of the regulation of grain size (precision vs. coarseness) of memory reports to eyewitness memory. In 2 experiments, the grain size of responses had a large impact on memory accuracy.…

Strategic Regulation of Grain Size in Memory Reporting over Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldsmith, M.; Koriat, A.; Pansky, A.

2005-01-01

As time passes, people often remember the gist of an event though they cannot remember its details. Can rememberers exploit this difference by strategically regulating the ''grain size'' of their answers over time, to avoid reporting wrong information? A metacognitive model of the control of grain size in memory reporting was examined in two…

7 CFR 810.801 - Definition of mixed grain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Definition of mixed grain. 810.801 Section 810.801 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD... GRAIN United States Standards for Mixed Grain Terms Defined § 810.801 Definition of mixed grain. Any...

7 CFR 810.801 - Definition of mixed grain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Definition of mixed grain. 810.801 Section 810.801 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD... GRAIN United States Standards for Mixed Grain Terms Defined § 810.801 Definition of mixed grain. Any...

7 CFR 810.801 - Definition of mixed grain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Definition of mixed grain. 810.801 Section 810.801 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD... GRAIN United States Standards for Mixed Grain Terms Defined § 810.801 Definition of mixed grain. Any...

7 CFR 810.801 - Definition of mixed grain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Definition of mixed grain. 810.801 Section 810.801 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD... GRAIN United States Standards for Mixed Grain Terms Defined § 810.801 Definition of mixed grain. Any...

7 CFR 810.801 - Definition of mixed grain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Definition of mixed grain. 810.801 Section 810.801 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD... GRAIN United States Standards for Mixed Grain Terms Defined § 810.801 Definition of mixed grain. Any...

Sedimentary architecture and chronostratigraphy of a late Quaternary incised-valley fill: A case study of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene Rhine system in the Netherlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peeters, J.; Busschers, F. S.; Stouthamer, E.; Bosch, J. H. A.; Van den Berg, M. W.; Wallinga, J.; Versendaal, A. J.; Bunnik, F. P. M.; Middelkoop, H.

2016-01-01

This paper describes the sedimentary architecture, chronostratigraphy and palaeogeography of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage/MIS 6-2) incised Rhine-valley fill in the central Netherlands based on six geological transects, luminescence dating, biostratigraphical data and a 3D geological model. The incised-valley fill consists of a ca. 50 m thick and 10-20 km wide sand-dominated succession and includes a well-developed sequence dating from the Last Interglacial: known as the Eemian in northwest Europe. The lower part of the valley fill contains coarse-grained fluvio-glacial and fluvial Rhine sediments that were deposited under Late Saalian (MIS 6) cold-climatic periglacial conditions and during the transition into the warm Eemian interglacial (MIS 5e-d). This unit is overlain by fine-grained fresh-water flood-basin deposits, which are transgressed by a fine-grained estuarine unit that formed during marine high-stand. This ca. 10 m thick sequence reflects gradual drowning of the Eemian interglacial fluvial Rhine system and transformation into an estuary due to relative sea-level rise. The chronological data suggests a delay in timing of regional Eemian interglacial transgression and sea-level high-stand of several thousand years, when compared to eustatic sea-level. As a result of this glacio-isostatic controlled delay, formation of the interglacial lower deltaic system took only place for a relative short period of time: progradation was therefore limited. During the cooler Weichselian Early Glacial period (MIS 5d-a) deposition of deltaic sediments continued and extensive westward progradation of the Rhine system occurred. Major parts of the Eemian and Weichselian Early Glacial deposits were eroded and buried as a result of sea-level lowering and climate cooling during the early Middle Weichselian (MIS 4-3). Near complete sedimentary preservation occurred along the margins of the incised valley allowing the detailed reconstruction presented here.

Enhanced Sucrose Loading Improves Rice Yield by Increasing Grain Size1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Wang, Liang; Lu, Qingtao

2015-01-01

Yield in cereals is a function of grain number and size. Sucrose (Suc), the main carbohydrate product of photosynthesis in higher plants, is transported long distances from source leaves to sink organs such as seeds and roots. Here, we report that transgenic rice plants (Oryza sativa) expressing the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) phloem-specific Suc transporter (AtSUC2), which loads Suc into the phloem under control of the phloem protein2 promoter (pPP2), showed an increase in grain yield of up to 16% relative to wild-type plants in field trials. Compared with wild-type plants, pPP2::AtSUC2 plants had larger spikelet hulls and larger and heavier grains. Grain filling was accelerated in the transgenic plants, and more photoassimilate was transported from the leaves to the grain. In addition, microarray analyses revealed that carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism was enhanced in the leaves and grain of pPP2::AtSUC2 plants. Thus, enhancing Suc loading represents a promising strategy to improve rice yield to feed the global population. PMID:26504138

Enhanced Sucrose Loading Improves Rice Yield by Increasing Grain Size.

PubMed

Wang, Liang; Lu, Qingtao; Wen, Xiaogang; Lu, Congming

2015-12-01

Yield in cereals is a function of grain number and size. Sucrose (Suc), the main carbohydrate product of photosynthesis in higher plants, is transported long distances from source leaves to sink organs such as seeds and roots. Here, we report that transgenic rice plants (Oryza sativa) expressing the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) phloem-specific Suc transporter (AtSUC2), which loads Suc into the phloem under control of the phloem protein2 promoter (pPP2), showed an increase in grain yield of up to 16% relative to wild-type plants in field trials. Compared with wild-type plants, pPP2::AtSUC2 plants had larger spikelet hulls and larger and heavier grains. Grain filling was accelerated in the transgenic plants, and more photoassimilate was transported from the leaves to the grain. In addition, microarray analyses revealed that carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism was enhanced in the leaves and grain of pPP2::AtSUC2 plants. Thus, enhancing Suc loading represents a promising strategy to improve rice yield to feed the global population. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Phenologically-tuned MODIS NDVI-based production anomaly estimates for Zimbabwe

USGS Publications Warehouse

Funk, Chris; Budde, Michael E.

2009-01-01

For thirty years, simple crop water balance models have been used by the early warning community to monitor agricultural drought. These models estimate and accumulate actual crop evapotranspiration, evaluating environmental conditions based on crop water requirements. Unlike seasonal rainfall totals, these models take into account the phenology of the crop, emphasizing conditions during the peak grain filling phase of crop growth. In this paper we describe an analogous metric of crop performance based on time series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery. A special temporal filter is used to screen for cloud contamination. Regional NDVI time series are then composited for cultivated areas, and adjusted temporally according to the timing of the rainy season. This adjustment standardizes the NDVI response vis-??-vis the expected phenological response of maize. A national time series index is then created by taking the cropped-area weighted average of the regional series. This national time series provides an effective summary of vegetation response in agricultural areas, and allows for the identification of NDVI green-up during grain filling. Onset-adjusted NDVI values following the grain filling period are well correlated with U.S. Department of Agriculture production figures, possess desirable linear characteristics, and perform better than more common indices such as maximum seasonal NDVI or seasonally averaged NDVI. Thus, just as appropriately calibrated crop water balance models can provide more information than seasonal rainfall totals, the appropriate agro-phenological filtering of NDVI can improve the utility and accuracy of space-based agricultural monitoring.

77 FR 14724 - Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information Collection; Importation of Pork...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-13

... Collection; Importation of Pork-filled Pasta Products AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service... with regulations for the importation of pork- filled pasta products. DATES: We will consider all... regulations for the importation of pork-filled pasta products, contact Dr. Magde S. Elshafie, Staff...

[Effects of nitrogen fertilizer application rate on nitrogen use efficiency and grain yield and quality of different rice varieties].

PubMed

Cong, Xi Han; Shi, Fu Zhi; Ruan, Xin Min; Luo, Yu Xiang; Ma, Ting Chen; Luo, Zhi Xiang

2017-04-18

To provide scientific basis for reasonable application of nitrogen and create varieties with high N use-efficiency, an experiment was carried out to study the effects of nitrogen fertilizer application rate on grain yield, N use rate and quality of different rice varieties. Four different genotypic rice varieties, Nipponbare, N70, N178 and OM052 were used as tested material and three levels of nitrogen application rate (0, 120, 270 kg·hm -2 ) were conducted. Urea as nitrogen source was applied as basal (70%) and panicle (30%) fertilizer. The results showed that nitrogen fertilizer could raise yield mainly because of the increased effective panicles and filled grains per panicle. When the N application rate was 120 and 270 kg·hm -2 , OM052 had the largest grain yield among four varieties, being 41.1% and 76.8% higher, respectively compared with control. Difference in grain yield among four varieties was due to the difference of nitrogen use efficiency. Under 120 and 270 kg·hm -2 nitrogen levels, Nipponbare had the lowest grain yield and N agronomic efficiency (NAE, 40.90 g·g -1 and 18.56 g·g -1 ), which was a variety with low N use-efficiency. On the contrary, OM052 had the highest grain yield and NAE (145.9 g·g -1 and 81.24 g·g -1 ), was a variety with high N use-efficiency. N fertilizer application increased the amylose content and protein content, lengthened gel consistency, reduced chalky kernel, chalkiness, and alkali digestion value. With the increase of N fertilizer application, hot paste viscosity, peak viscosity, consistence viscosity and breakdown viscosity were decreased gradually, and setback viscosity was increased. Correlation analysis showed that the yield and yield components had more significant correlations with appearance quality, cooking and eating quality under low N level. This study confirmed that OM052 was a double high variety with extremely high N agronomic efficiency and yield. Reasonable application of nitrogen fertilizer could significantly increase effective panicles and filled grains per panicle, improve rice quality, and ensure high yield and superior quality simultaneously.

Increasing Sucrose Uptake Capacity of Wheat Grains Stimulates Storage Protein Synthesis1[W

PubMed Central

Weichert, Nicola; Saalbach, Isolde; Weichert, Heiko; Kohl, Stefan; Erban, Alexander; Kopka, Joachim; Hause, Bettina; Varshney, Alok; Sreenivasulu, Nese; Strickert, Marc; Kumlehn, Jochen; Weschke, Winfriede; Weber, Hans

2010-01-01

Increasing grain sink strength by improving assimilate uptake capacity could be a promising approach toward getting higher yield. The barley (Hordeum vulgare) sucrose transporter HvSUT1 (SUT) was expressed under control of the endosperm-specific Hordein B1 promoter (HO). Compared with the wild type, transgenic HOSUT grains take up more sucrose (Suc) in vitro, showing that the transgene is functional. Grain Suc levels are not altered, indicating that Suc fluxes are influenced rather than steady-state levels. HOSUT grains have increased percentages of total nitrogen and prolamins, which is reflected in increased levels of phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, isoleucine, and leucine at late grain development. Transcript profiling indicates specific stimulation of prolamin gene expression at the onset of storage phase. Changes in gene expression and metabolite levels related to carbon metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis suggest deregulated carbon-nitrogen balance, which together indicate carbon sufficiency and relative depletion of nitrogen. Genes, deregulated together with prolamin genes, might represent candidates, which respond positively to assimilate supply and are related to sugar-starch metabolism, cytokinin and brassinosteroid functions, cell proliferation, and sugar/abscisic acid signaling. Genes showing inverse expression patterns represent potential negative regulators. It is concluded that HvSUT1 overexpression increases grain protein content but also deregulates the metabolic status of wheat (Triticum aestivum) grains, accompanied by up-regulated gene expression of positive and negative regulators related to sugar signaling and assimilate supply. In HOSUT grains, alternating stimulation of positive and negative regulators causes oscillatory patterns of gene expression and highlights the capacity and great flexibility to adjust wheat grain storage metabolism in response to metabolic alterations. PMID:20018590

Proteomic Analysis Reveals Coordinated Regulation of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis through Signal Transduction and Sugar Metabolism in Black Rice Leaf.

PubMed

Chen, Linghua; Huang, Yining; Xu, Ming; Cheng, Zuxin; Zheng, Jingui

2017-12-15

Black rice ( Oryza sativa L.) is considered to be a healthy food due to its high content of anthocyanins in the pericarp. The synthetic pathway of anthocyanins in black rice grains has been identified, however, the proteomic profile of leaves during grain development is still unclear. Here, isobaric Tags Relative and Absolute Quantification (iTRAQ) MS/MS was carried out to identify statistically significant changes of leaf proteome in the black rice during grain development. Throughout three sequential developmental stages, a total of 3562 proteins were detected and 24 functional proteins were differentially expressed 3-10 days after flowering (DAF). The detected proteins are known to be involved in various biological processes and most of these proteins were related to gene expression regulatory (33.3%), signal transduction (16.7%) and developmental regulation and hormone-like proteins (12.5%). The coordinated changes were consistent with changes in regulatory proteins playing a leading role in leaves during black rice grain development. This indicated that signal transduction between leaves and grains may have an important role in anthocyanin biosynthesis and accumulation during grain development of black rice. In addition, four identified up-regulated proteins associated with starch metabolism suggested that the remobilization of nutrients for starch synthesis plays a potential role in anthocyanin biosynthesis of grain. The mRNA transcription for eight selected proteins was validated with quantitative real-time PCR. Our results explored the proteomics of the coordination between leaf and grain in anthocyanins biosynthesis of grain, which might be regulated by signal transduction and sugar metabolism in black rice leaf.

Textural and stable isotope studies of the Big Mike cupriferous volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit, Pershing County, Nevada.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rye, R.O.; Roberts, R.J.; Snyder, W.S.; Lahusen, G.L.; Motica, J.E.

1984-01-01

The Big Mike deposit is a massive sulphide lens entirely within a carbonaceous argillite of the Palaeozoic Havallah pelagic sequence. The massive ore contains two generations of pyrite, a fine- and a coarse-grained variety; framboidal pyrite occurs in the surrounding carbonaceous argillite. Coarse grained pyrite is largely recrystallized fine-grained pyrite and is proportionately more abundant toward the margins of the lens. Chalcopyrite and sphalerite replace fine-grained pyrite and vein-fragmented coarse-grained pyrite. Quartz fills openings in the sulphide fabric. S-isotope data are related to sulphide mineralogy and textures. Isotopically light S in the early fine-grained pyrite was probably derived from framboidal biogenic pyrite. The S-isotope values of the later coarse-grained pyrite and chalcopyrite probably reflect a combination of reduced sea-water sulphate and igneous S. Combined S- and O-isotope and textural data accord with precipitation of fine-grained pyrite from a hydrothermal plume like those at the East Pacific Rise spreading centre at lat. 21oN. The primary material was recystallized and mineralized by later fluids of distinctly different S-isotope composition. -G.J.N.

7 CFR 800.17 - Special inspection and weighing requirements for sacked export grain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... sacked export grain. 800.17 Section 800.17 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE... Requirements § 800.17 Special inspection and weighing requirements for sacked export grain. (a) General...

OsGRF4 controls grain shape, panicle length and seed shattering in rice

PubMed Central

Sun, Pingyong; Zhang, Wuhan; Wang, Yihua; He, Qiang; Shu, Fu; Liu, Hai; Wang, Jie; Wang, Jianmin; Yuan, Longping

2016-01-01

Abstract Traits such as grain shape, panicle length and seed shattering, play important roles in grain yield and harvest. In this study, the cloning and functional analysis of PANICLE TRAITS 2 (PT2), a novel gene from the Indica rice Chuandali (CDL), is reported. PT2 is synonymous with Growth‐Regulating Factor 4 (OsGRF4), which encodes a growth‐regulating factor that positively regulates grain shape and panicle length and negatively regulates seed shattering. Higher expression of OsGRF4 is correlated with larger grain, longer panicle and lower seed shattering. A unique OsGRF4 mutation, which occurs at the OsmiRNA396 target site of OsGRF4, seems to be associated with high levels of OsGRF4 expression, and results in phenotypic difference. Further research showed that OsGRF4 regulated two cytokinin dehydrogenase precursor genes (CKX5 and CKX1) resulting in increased cytokinin levels, which might affect the panicle traits. High storage capacity and moderate seed shattering of OsGRF4 may be useful in high‐yield breeding and mechanized harvesting of rice. Our findings provide additional insight into the molecular basis of panicle growth. PMID:26936408

[Effects of combined application of nitrogen and phosphorus on diurnal variation of photosynthesis at grain-filling stage and grain yield of super high-yielding wheat].

PubMed

Zhao, Hai-bo; Lin, Qi; Liu, Yi-guo; Jiang, Wen; Liu, Jian-jun; Zhai, Yan-ju

2010-10-01

Taking super high-yielding wheat cultivar Jimai 22 as test material, a field experiment was conducted to study the effects of combined application of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) on the diurnal variation of photosynthesis at grain-filling stage and the grain yield of the cultivar. In treatments CK (without N and P application) and low N/P application (225 kg N x hm(-2) and 75 kg P x hm(-2)), the diurnal variation of net photosynthetic rate (Pn) was presented as double-peak curve, and there existed obvious midday depression of photosynthesis. Under reasonable application of N/P (300 kg N x hm(-2) and 150 kg P x hm(-2), treatment N2P2), the midday depression of photosynthesis weakened or even disappeared. Stomatal and non-stomatal limitations could be the causes of the midday depression. Increasing N and P supply increased the Pn, stomatal conductance (Gs), stomatal limitation value (Ls), and transpiration rate (Tr). Fertilizer P had less effects on the photosynthesis, compared with fertilizer N. When the P supply was over 150 kg x hm(-2), the increment of Pn was alleviated and even decreased. Among the fertilization treatments, treatment N2P2 had the highest Pn, Gs, and water use efficiency, being significantly different from CK. It appeared that fertilizer N had greater regulatory effect on the diurnal variation of photosynthesis, compared with fertilizer P, while the combined application of N and P had significant co-effect on the Pn, Gs, and Tr. A combined application of 300 kg N x hm(-2) and 150 kg P x hm(-2) benefited the enhancement of Pn and grain yield.

Disequilibrium dihedral angles in dolerite sills

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holness, Marian B.; Richardson, Chris; Helz, Rosalind T.

2012-01-01

The geometry of clinopyroxene-plagioclase-plagioclase junctions in mafic rocks, measured by the median dihedral angle Θcpp, is created during solidification. In the solidifying Kilauea Iki (Hawaii) lava lake, the wider junctions between plagioclase grains are the first to be filled by pyroxene, followed by the narrower junctions. The final Θcpp, attained when all clinopyroxene-plagioclase-plagioclase junctions are formed, is 78° in the upper crust of the lake, and 85° in the lower solidification front. Θcpp in the 3.5-m-thick Traigh Bhàn na Sgùrra sill (Inner Hebrides) is everywhere 78°. In the Whin Sill (northern England, 38 m thick) and the Portal Peak sill (Antarctica, 129 m thick), Θcpp varies symmetrically, with the lowest values at the margins. The 266-m-thick Basement Sill (Antarctica) has asymmetric variation of Θcpp, attributed to a complex filling history. The chilled margins of the Basement Sill are partially texturally equilibrated, with high Θcpp. The plagioclase grain size in the two widest sills varies asymmetrically, with the coarsest rocks found in the upper third. Both Θcpp and average grain size are functions of model crystallization times. Θcpp increases from 78° to a maximum of ∼100° as the crystallization time increases from 1 to 500 yr. Because the use of grain size as a measure of crystallization time is dependent on an estimate of crystal growth rates, dihedral angles provide a more direct proxy for cooling rates in dolerites.

Starch accumulation in hulless barley during grain filling.

PubMed

Zheng, Xu-Guang; Qi, Jun-Cang; Hui, Hong-Shan; Lin, Li-Hao; Wang, Feng

2017-12-01

Starch consists of two types of molecules: amylose and amylopectin. The objective of this study was increase understanding about mechanisms related to starch accumulation in hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grain by measuring temporal changes in (i) grain amylose and amylopectin content, (ii) starch synthase activity, and (iii) the relative expressions of key starch-related genes. The amylopectin/amylose ratio gradually declined in both Beiqing 6 and Kunlun 12. In both cultivars, the activities of adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase, soluble starch synthase (SSS), granule bound starch synthase (GBSS), and starch branching enzyme (SBE) increased steadily during grain filling, reaching their maximums 20-25 days after anthesis. The activities of SSS and SBE were greater in Ganken 5 than in either Beiqing 6 or Kunlun 12. The expression of GBSS I was greater in Beiqing 6 and Kunlun 12 than in Ganken 5. In contrast, the expression of SSS I, SSS II and SBE I was greater in Ganken 5 than in Beiqing 6 and Kunlun 12. The peak in GBSS I expression was later than that of SSS I, SSS II, SBE IIa and SBE IIb. The GBSS I transcript in Kunlun 12 was expressed on average 90 times more than the GBSS II transcript. The results suggest that SBE and SSS may control starch synthesis at the transcriptional level, whereas GBSS I may control starch synthesis at the post transcriptional level. GBSS I is mainly responsible for amylose synthesis whereas SSS I and SBE II are mainly responsible for amylopectin synthesis in amyloplasts.

Whole grains and health: from theory to practice--highlights of The Grains for Health Foundation's Whole Grains Summit 2012.

PubMed

McKeown, Nicola M; Jacques, Paul F; Seal, Chris J; de Vries, Jan; Jonnalagadda, Satya S; Clemens, Roger; Webb, Densie; Murphy, Lee Anne; van Klinken, Jan-Willem; Topping, David; Murray, Robyn; Degeneffe, Dennis; Marquart, Leonard F

2013-05-01

The Grains for Health Foundation's Whole Grains Summit, held May 19-22, 2012 in Minneapolis, was the first meeting of its kind to convene >300 scientists, educators, food technologists, grain breeders, food manufacturers, marketers, health professionals, and regulators from around the world. Its goals were to identify potential avenues for collaborative efforts and formulate new approaches to whole-grains research and health communications that support global public health and business. This paper summarizes some of the challenges and opportunities that researchers and nutrition educators face in expanding the knowledge base on whole grains and health and in translating and disseminating that knowledge to consumers. The consensus of the summit was that effective, long-term, public-private partnerships are needed to reach across the globe and galvanize the whole-grains community to collaborate effectively in translating whole-grains science into strategies that increase the availability and affordability of more healthful, grain-based food products. A prerequisite of that is the need to build trust among diverse multidisciplinary professionals involved in the growing, producing, marketing, and regulating of whole-grain products and between the grain and public health communities.

Natural variation in PTB1 regulates rice seed setting rate by controlling pollen tube growth.

PubMed

Li, Shuangcheng; Li, Wenbo; Huang, Bin; Cao, Xuemei; Zhou, Xingyu; Ye, Shumei; Li, Chengbo; Gao, Fengyan; Zou, Ting; Xie, Kailong; Ren, Yun; Ai, Peng; Tang, Yangfan; Li, Xuemei; Deng, Qiming; Wang, Shiquan; Zheng, Aiping; Zhu, Jun; Liu, Huainian; Wang, Lingxia; Li, Ping

2013-01-01

Grain number, panicle seed setting rate, panicle number and grain weight are the most important components of rice grain yield. To date, several genes related to grain weight, grain number and panicle number have been described in rice. However, no genes regulating the panicle seed setting rate have been functionally characterized. Here we show that the domestication-related POLLEN TUBE BLOCKED 1 (PTB1), a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase, positively regulates the rice panicle seed setting rate by promoting pollen tube growth. The natural variation in expression of PTB1 which is affected by the promoter haplotype and the environmental temperature, correlates with the rice panicle seed setting rate. Our results support the hypothesis that PTB1 is an important maternal sporophytic factor of pollen tube growth and a key modulator of the rice panicle seed setting rate. This finding has implications for the improvement of rice yield.

Association analysis for loci regulating grain quality traits and marker development in the USDA rice collection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Uncovering underlying genetics associated with grain quality is important to world food security. Rice is consumed as a whole grain, therefore cooked rice texture, stickiness, chewiness, grain dimensions and grain appearance can affect palatability and marketability. Amylose and protein content play...

7 CFR 800.97 - Weighing grain in containers, land carriers, barges, and shiplots.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Weighing grain in containers, land carriers, barges... (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Weighing Provisions and Procedures § 800.97 Weighing grain in...

Use of micro-resistivity imaging tools in developing lower Pennsylvanian Morrow channel sandstone reservoirs, Cheyenne, Kiowa and Lincoln Counties, Colorado

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Germinario, M.P.

1996-01-01

In southeastern Colorado, Lower Pennsylvanian Morrow channel sandstones are part of complex valley-fill sequences incised into Morrow marine deposits. Morrow valleys are approximately [1/2] to 1 mile wide. Valley-fill consists of floodplain and channel filling shales, very fine-grained estuarine sandstones and fine- to coarse-grained channel sandstones that are up to 50' thick. Channel sandstones represent a sequence of stacked fluvial bars deposited in braided, anastomosing and meandering fluvial environments. Cross-stratification in channel sandstones can be imaged by micro-resistivity wireline logging tools and interpreted interactively on various workstation software packages. Recognition, interpretation and measurement of current, stoss face, and lateral accretionmore » beds in these sandstones can result in an estimated direction of paleocurrent flow of the channel. Determination of the channel's local paleoflow direction can provide significant sand risk reduction in developmental drilling, especially in 80 acre or less spacing patterns. As the distance between offset drilling locations increases, the reliability of paleoflow prediction decreases, and the corresponding sand risk rises. Lateral accretion bedding in Morrow channel sandstones has proven to be a poor indicator of sand thickening direction, due to the complex stacking of multiple channel sandstones within any given valley-fill sequence. Micro-resistivity imaging reduces risk in Morrow channel sandstone development drilling programs. Furthermore, these interpretation techniques could be applicable in other fluvial channel sandstone plays.« less

Use of micro-resistivity imaging tools in developing lower Pennsylvanian Morrow channel sandstone reservoirs, Cheyenne, Kiowa and Lincoln Counties, Colorado

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Germinario, M.P.

1996-12-31

In southeastern Colorado, Lower Pennsylvanian Morrow channel sandstones are part of complex valley-fill sequences incised into Morrow marine deposits. Morrow valleys are approximately {1/2} to 1 mile wide. Valley-fill consists of floodplain and channel filling shales, very fine-grained estuarine sandstones and fine- to coarse-grained channel sandstones that are up to 50` thick. Channel sandstones represent a sequence of stacked fluvial bars deposited in braided, anastomosing and meandering fluvial environments. Cross-stratification in channel sandstones can be imaged by micro-resistivity wireline logging tools and interpreted interactively on various workstation software packages. Recognition, interpretation and measurement of current, stoss face, and lateral accretionmore » beds in these sandstones can result in an estimated direction of paleocurrent flow of the channel. Determination of the channel`s local paleoflow direction can provide significant sand risk reduction in developmental drilling, especially in 80 acre or less spacing patterns. As the distance between offset drilling locations increases, the reliability of paleoflow prediction decreases, and the corresponding sand risk rises. Lateral accretion bedding in Morrow channel sandstones has proven to be a poor indicator of sand thickening direction, due to the complex stacking of multiple channel sandstones within any given valley-fill sequence. Micro-resistivity imaging reduces risk in Morrow channel sandstone development drilling programs. Furthermore, these interpretation techniques could be applicable in other fluvial channel sandstone plays.« less

Pedogenic replacement of aluminosilicate grains by CaCO3 in Ustollic Haplargids, south-central Montana, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reheis, M.C.

1988-01-01

A chronosequence of calcic soils formed on granitic glaciofluvial terrace deposits of Rock Creek and the Clarks Fork in south-central Montana shows progressive replacement of aluminosilicate parent-material grains by calcium-magnesium carbonate. The terraces range from late Pliocene to Holocene in age as dated by tephrochronology, correlation, and stream incision rates. Replacement is first seen in soils that are as old as 120,000 yr; the amount and degree of replacement increase in soils older than 120,000 yr along with the development of calcic horizons. Under the petrographic microscope, carbonate replacement of quartz, feldspars, and the groundmass of andesite grains in Rock Creek soils is shown by embayed grains, networks of carbonate along cracks and between parts of polycrystalline grains and optically aligned grain fragments within carbonate masses. Microprobe data suggest that silica is released by replacement because it is absent from carbonate-filled spaces and is depleted in corrosion pits. Little microscopic evidence exists to support displacement of framework grains by carbonate because fragments of a single grain are rarely rotated out of optical alignment. In the calcic soils of Rock Creek, K-fabric (grains floating in a carbonate matrix) may form by both replacement and displacement. ?? 1988.

Repeated sedimentation and exposure of glacial Lake Missoula sediments: A lake-level history at Garden Gulch, Montana, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Larry N.

2017-01-01

Glaciolacustrine sediments record lake transgression, regression, and subaerial modification of the silty lake-bottom of glacial Lake Missoula in the Clark Fork River valley. The sequence preserved at Garden Gulch, MT documents lake-level fluctuations at >65% of its full-pool volume. Twelve sedimentary cycles fine upwards from (1) very fine-grained sandy silt to (2) silt with climbing ripples to (3) rhythmically laminated silt and some clay. The cycles are fine-grained turbidites capped locally by thin layers of angular gravel derived from local bedrock outcrops. The gravels appear to be the toes of mass wasting lobes carried onto the exposed lakebed surface during repeated lake-level lowerings. Periglacial wedges, small rotational faults, involutions, and clastic dikes deform the tops of eleven cycles. The wedges are 10-30 cm wide, penetrate 30-70 cm deep, are spaced <1 m apart, and contain vertically oriented gravel and massive to laminated sediment. Wedges split and taper in plan view. A few thin silt-filled dikes, which branch and taper downwards from wedges, are interpreted as filled frost cracks. One 10-20 cm-wide sand-filled dike protrudes upward from a sand bed; it is interpreted as a liquefaction feature consistent with a filling and draining lake. The deformed cycle tops preserve evidence of periglacial cold, subaerial exposure, seasonal frost heave, and the incipient formation of sorted polygons. The lowest five cycles are thicker and display more periglacial modification at their tops than the upper seven cycles. The Garden Gulch section may represent as few as seven and as many as twelve substantial fillings and partial to complete drainings of glacial Lake Missoula.

[Effects of irrigation amount and stage on water consumption characteristics and grain yield of wheat].

PubMed

Wang, De-Mei; Yu, Zhen-Wen

2008-09-01

Field experiment was conducted in 2005 -2007 to study the effects of irrigation amount and stage on the water consumption characteristics, grain yield, and water use efficiency of wheat. The results showed that the variation coefficient of the proportion of soil water consumption amount to total water consumption amount was significantly higher than that of precipitation to total water consumption amount, suggesting the relatively wide regulation range of soil water use efficiency. The proportions of irrigation amount, precipitation, and soil water consumption amount to total water consumption amount were 31.0%, 38.9%, and 30.1% in treatment W3 (irrigated at jointing and flowering stages, with total irrigation amount of 120 mm), and 51.7%, 32.4%, and 15.9% in treatment W5 (irrigated before winter and at jointing, flowering and grain-filling stages, with total irrigation amount of 240 mm), respectively, indicating that treatment W3 had a significantly higher proportion of soil water consumption amount to total water consumption amount than treatment W5. Though treatments W2 (irrigated before winter and at jointing stage) and W3 (irrigated at jointing and flowering stages) had the same irrigation amount (120 mm), the water consumption amount during the period from flowering to maturing was significantly higher in W3 than in W2, while the water consumption amount before jointing was significantly lower in W3 than in W2. The water consumption pattern in treatment W3 was in agreement with the water requirement pattern of wheat, which was the physiological basis of high water use efficiency.

Infilling of the Hudson River Estuary During the Late Holocene (3000ka to Present): Implications for Estuarine Stratigraphic Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McHugh, C. M.; Pekar, S. F.; Ryan, W. B.; Carbotte, S.; Bell, R.; Burckle, L.

2002-12-01

Estuaries are widely preserved in the geologic record and the estuarine fill, contained between non-marine sediment, provides an excellent temporal marker for continental margin studies. Estuarine stratigraphic models have provided a framework within which to interpret the estuarine fill. However, estuarine systems differ greatly in the shape of their valleys, the tectonic boundaries they cross, and in sediment supply so that their position in the geologic record may be out of sequence with that predicted by the models. New insights into estuarine systems and models are provided by the Hudson River Estuary (HRE; New York State) based on >150 cores and grab sediment samples and acoustic images documenting in great detail how the HRE filled its earlier excavated valley during the latest Holocene (3ka to present). Radiocarbon and 137-Cs radioisotope ages, borehole, and core data document the sedimentation patterns of the estuary. Diatom assemblages provide estimates of the shallowing-upwards of the estuary as its basin filled with sediments. The three areas of the stratigraphic model present in the HRE, include zones formed within inner fluvial and outer marine areas, (containing coarse-grained, sands and gravels), and a central area (containing fine-grained, silts and clays), that are nearly filled with little room for sediments to accumulate at or near sea-level. This has resulted in sedimentary bypass for almost the entire length the estuary. South of Kingston, fine-grained sediments have ceased accumulating when the bottom approaches wave base. Upstream from Kingston, final filling occurs as sediments fill in the remaining accommodation, forming islands. This should result in the export of sediment to the coastal zone. Instead, localized areas of sediment trapping still exist, which are related to the Hudson Valley Highlands and to the location of the estuarine turbidity maximum that hold large volumes of sediment. As a result minor volumes of Recent sediment are accumulating in coastal bays (Sandy Hook, New Jersey) and on the inner shelf, and sediment export to the Hudson Shelf Valley on the mid-shelf is nearly non-existent, with sediments dated at 14ka from 14-C on the outer shelf. Additionally, anthropogenic activities (construction of bridges and dredging) alter sedimentation patterns in the estuary leading to continued localized erosion and deposition. For example, sediment export onto the shelf is taking place, not by natural processes but by dredging. The variability documented for the HRE indicates that although estuarine and stratigraphic models provide a framework for continental margin studies, the models need to be interpreted, taking into consideration these factors.

7 CFR 810.803 - Basis of determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Mixed Grain Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810...

7 CFR 810.1601 - Definition of soybeans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Soybeans Terms Defined § 810.1601 Definition of soybeans. Grain that...

7 CFR 810.601 - Definition of flaxseed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Flaxseed Terms Defined § 810.601 Definition of flaxseed. Grain that...

7 CFR 810.201 - Definition of barley.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Barley Terms Defined § 810.201 Definition of barley. Grain that...

Proteomic Analysis Reveals Coordinated Regulation of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis through Signal Transduction and Sugar Metabolism in Black Rice Leaf

PubMed Central

Chen, Linghua; Huang, Yining; Xu, Ming; Cheng, Zuxin; Zheng, Jingui

2017-01-01

Black rice (Oryza sativa L.) is considered to be a healthy food due to its high content of anthocyanins in the pericarp. The synthetic pathway of anthocyanins in black rice grains has been identified, however, the proteomic profile of leaves during grain development is still unclear. Here, isobaric Tags Relative and Absolute Quantification (iTRAQ) MS/MS was carried out to identify statistically significant changes of leaf proteome in the black rice during grain development. Throughout three sequential developmental stages, a total of 3562 proteins were detected and 24 functional proteins were differentially expressed 3–10 days after flowering (DAF). The detected proteins are known to be involved in various biological processes and most of these proteins were related to gene expression regulatory (33.3%), signal transduction (16.7%) and developmental regulation and hormone-like proteins (12.5%). The coordinated changes were consistent with changes in regulatory proteins playing a leading role in leaves during black rice grain development. This indicated that signal transduction between leaves and grains may have an important role in anthocyanin biosynthesis and accumulation during grain development of black rice. In addition, four identified up-regulated proteins associated with starch metabolism suggested that the remobilization of nutrients for starch synthesis plays a potential role in anthocyanin biosynthesis of grain. The mRNA transcription for eight selected proteins was validated with quantitative real-time PCR. Our results explored the proteomics of the coordination between leaf and grain in anthocyanins biosynthesis of grain, which might be regulated by signal transduction and sugar metabolism in black rice leaf. PMID:29244752

Effects of grain development on formation of resistant starch in rice.

PubMed

Shu, Xiaoli; Sun, Jian; Wu, Dianxing

2014-12-01

Three rice mutants with different contents of resistant starch (RS) were selected to investigate the effects of grain filling process on the formation of resistant starch. During grain development, the content of RS was increased with grain maturation and showed negative correlations with the grain weight and the starch molecular weight (Mn, Mw) and a positive correlation with the distribution of molecular mass (polydispersity, Pd). The morphologies of starch granules in high-RS rice were almost uniform in single starch granules and exhibited different proliferation modes from common rice. The lower activities of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and starch branching enzyme and the higher activity of starch synthase and starch de-branching enzyme observed in high-RS rice might be responsible for the formation of small irregular starch granules with large spaces between them. In addition, the lower molecular weight and the broad distribution of molecular weights lead to differences in the physiochemical properties of starch. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Grain Unloading of Arsenic Species in Rice1[W

PubMed Central

Carey, Anne-Marie; Scheckel, Kirk G.; Lombi, Enzo; Newville, Matt; Choi, Yongseong; Norton, Gareth J.; Charnock, John M.; Feldmann, Joerg; Price, Adam H.; Meharg, Andrew A.

2010-01-01

Rice (Oryza sativa) is the staple food for over half the world's population yet may represent a significant dietary source of inorganic arsenic (As), a nonthreshold, class 1 human carcinogen. Rice grain As is dominated by the inorganic species, and the organic species dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). To investigate how As species are unloaded into grain rice, panicles were excised during grain filling and hydroponically pulsed with arsenite, arsenate, glutathione-complexed As, or DMA. Total As concentrations in flag leaf, grain, and husk, were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy and As speciation in the fresh grain was determined by x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy. The roles of phloem and xylem transport were investigated by applying a ± stem-girdling treatment to a second set of panicles, limiting phloem transport to the grain in panicles pulsed with arsenite or DMA. The results demonstrate that DMA is translocated to the rice grain with over an order magnitude greater efficiency than inorganic species and is more mobile than arsenite in both the phloem and the xylem. Phloem transport accounted for 90% of arsenite, and 55% of DMA, transport to the grain. Synchrotron x-ray fluorescence mapping and fluorescence microtomography revealed marked differences in the pattern of As unloading into the grain between DMA and arsenite-challenged grain. Arsenite was retained in the ovular vascular trace and DMA dispersed throughout the external grain parts and into the endosperm. This study also demonstrates that DMA speciation is altered in planta, potentially through complexation with thiols. PMID:19880610

7 CFR 810.1201 - Definition of rye.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Rye Terms Defined § 810.1201 Definition of rye. Grain that, before the...

7 CFR 800.16 - Certification requirements for export grain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Certification requirements for export grain. 800.16 Section 800.16 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL...

7 CFR 810.1001 - Definition of oats.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Oats Terms Defined § 810.1001 Definition of oats. Grain that consists...

Carbon and nitrogen partitioning during the post-anthesis period is conditioned by N fertilisation and sink strength in three cereals.

PubMed

Aranjuelo, I; Cabrera-Bosquet, L; Araus, J L; Nogués, S

2013-01-01

Further knowledge of the processes conditioning nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is of great relevance to crop productivity. The aim of this paper was characterise C and N partitioning during grain filling and their implications for NUE. Cereals such as bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv Califa sur), triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack cv. Imperioso) and tritordeum (× Tritordeum Asch. & Graebn line HT 621) were grown under low (LN, 5 mm NH(4) NO(3)) and high (HN, 15 mm NH(4)NO(3)) N conditions. We conducted simultaneous double labelling ((12)CO(2) and (15)NH(4) (15)NO(3)) in order to characterise C and N partitioning during grain filling. Although triticale plants showed the largest total and ear dry matter values in HN conditions, the large investment in shoot and root biomass negatively affected ear NUE. Tritordeum was the only genotype that increased NUE in both N treatments (NUE(total)), whereas in wheat, no significant effect was detected. N labelling revealed that N fertilisation during post-anthesis was more relevant for wheat and tritordeum grain filling than for triticale. The study also revealed that the investments of C and N in flag leaves and shoots, together with the 'waste' of photoassimilates in respiration, conditioned the NUE of plants, and especially under LN. These results suggest that C and N use by these plants needs to be improved in order to increase ear C and N sinks, especially under LN. It is also remarkable that even though tritordeum shows the largest increase in NUE, the low yield of this cereal limits its agronomic value. © 2012 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Recombination in Perovskite Solar Cells: Significance of Grain Boundaries, Interface Traps, and Defect Ions.

PubMed

Sherkar, Tejas S; Momblona, Cristina; Gil-Escrig, Lidón; Ávila, Jorge; Sessolo, Michele; Bolink, Henk J; Koster, L Jan Anton

2017-05-12

Trap-assisted recombination, despite being lower as compared with traditional inorganic solar cells, is still the dominant recombination mechanism in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and limits their efficiency. We investigate the attributes of the primary trap-assisted recombination channels (grain boundaries and interfaces) and their correlation to defect ions in PSCs. We achieve this by using a validated device model to fit the simulations to the experimental data of efficient vacuum-deposited p-i-n and n-i-p CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 solar cells, including the light intensity dependence of the open-circuit voltage and fill factor. We find that, despite the presence of traps at interfaces and grain boundaries (GBs), their neutral (when filled with photogenerated charges) disposition along with the long-lived nature of holes leads to the high performance of PSCs. The sign of the traps (when filled) is of little importance in efficient solar cells with compact morphologies (fused GBs, low trap density). On the other hand, solar cells with noncompact morphologies (open GBs, high trap density) are sensitive to the sign of the traps and hence to the cell preparation methods. Even in the presence of traps at GBs, trap-assisted recombination at interfaces (between the transport layers and the perovskite) is the dominant loss mechanism. We find a direct correlation between the density of traps, the density of mobile ionic defects, and the degree of hysteresis observed in the current-voltage ( J - V ) characteristics. The presence of defect states or mobile ions not only limits the device performance but also plays a role in the J - V hysteresis.

Ear Rachis Xylem Occlusion and Associated Loss in Hydraulic Conductance Coincide with the End of Grain Filling for Wheat

PubMed Central

Neghliz, Hayet; Cochard, Hervé; Brunel, Nicole; Martre, Pierre

2016-01-01

Seed dehydration is the normal terminal event in the development of orthodox seeds and is physiologically related to the cessation of grain dry mass accumulation and crop grain yield. For a better understanding of grain dehydration, we evaluated the hypothesis that hydraulic conductance of the ear decreases during the latter stages of development and that this decrease results from disruption or occlusion of xylem conduits. Whole ear, rachis, and stem nodes hydraulic conductance and percentage loss of xylem conductivity were measured from flowering to harvest-ripeness on bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Récital grown under controlled environments. Flag leaf transpiration, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content and grain and ear water potentials were also measured during grain development. We show that grain dehydration was not related with whole plant physiology and leaf senescence, but closely correlated with the hydraulic properties of the xylem conduits irrigating the grains. Indeed, there was a substantial decrease in rachis hydraulic conductance at the onset of the grain dehydration phase. This hydraulic impairment was not caused by the presence of air embolism in xylem conduits of the stem internodes or rachis but by the occlusion of the xylem lumens by polysaccharides (pectins and callose). Our results demonstrate that xylem hydraulics plays a key role during grain maturation. PMID:27446150

EBSDinterp 1.0: A MATLAB® Program to Perform Microstructurally Constrained Interpolation of EBSD Data.

PubMed

Pearce, Mark A

2015-08-01

EBSDinterp is a graphic user interface (GUI)-based MATLAB® program to perform microstructurally constrained interpolation of nonindexed electron backscatter diffraction data points. The area available for interpolation is restricted using variations in pattern quality or band contrast (BC). Areas of low BC are not available for interpolation, and therefore cannot be erroneously filled by adjacent grains "growing" into them. Points with the most indexed neighbors are interpolated first and the required number of neighbors is reduced with each successive round until a minimum number of neighbors is reached. Further iterations allow more data points to be filled by reducing the BC threshold. This method ensures that the best quality points (those with high BC and most neighbors) are interpolated first, and that the interpolation is restricted to grain interiors before adjacent grains are grown together to produce a complete microstructure. The algorithm is implemented through a GUI, taking advantage of MATLAB®'s parallel processing toolbox to perform the interpolations rapidly so that a variety of parameters can be tested to ensure that the final microstructures are robust and artifact-free. The software is freely available through the CSIRO Data Access Portal (doi:10.4225/08/5510090C6E620) as both a compiled Windows executable and as source code.

Identification and molecular characterization of 48 kDa calcium binding protein as calreticulin from finger millet (Eleusine coracana) using peptide mass fingerprinting and transcript profiling.

PubMed

Singh, Manoj; Metwal, Mamta; Kumar, Vandana A; Kumar, Anil

2016-01-30

Attempts were made to identify and characterize the calcium binding proteins (CaBPs) in grain filling stages of finger millet using proteomics, bioinformatics and molecular approaches. A distinctly observed blue color band of 48 kDa stained by Stains-all was eluted and analyzed as calreticulin (CRT) using nano liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nano LC-MS). Based on the top hits of peptide mass fingerprinting results, conserved primers were designed for isolation of the CRT gene from finger millet using calreticulin sequences of different cereals. The deduced nucleotide sequence analysis of 600 bp amplicon showed up to 91% similarity with CRT gene(s) of rice and other plant species and designated as EcCRT1. Transcript profiling of EcCRT1 showed different levels of relative expression at different stages of developing spikes. The higher expression of EcCRT1 transcripts and protein were observed in later stages of developing spikes which might be due to greater translational synthesis of EcCRT1 protein during seed maturation in finger millet. Preferentially higher synthesis of this CaBP during later stages of grain filling may be responsible for the sequestration of calcium in endoplasmic reticulum of finger millet grains. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

'Blueberry' Triplets Born in Rock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This microscopic image, taken at the outcrop region dubbed 'Berry Bowl' near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site, shows the sphere-like grains or 'blueberries' that fill Berry Bowl. Of particular interest is the blueberry triplet, which indicates that these geologic features grew in pre-existing wet sediments. Other sphere-like grains that form in the air, such as impact spherules or ejected volcanic material called lapilli, are unlikely to fuse along a line and form triplets. This image was taken by the rover's microscopic imager on the 46th martian day, or sol, of its mission.

Leaf nitrogen remobilisation for plant development and grain filling.

PubMed

Masclaux-Daubresse, C; Reisdorf-Cren, M; Orsel, M

2008-09-01

A major challenge of modern agriculture is to reduce the excessive input of fertilisers and, at the same time, to improve grain quality without affecting yield. One way to achieve this goal is to improve plant nitrogen economy through manipulating nitrogen recycling, and especially nitrogen remobilisation, from senescing plant organs. In this review, the contribution of nitrogen remobilisation efficiency (NRE) to global nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and tools dedicated to the determination of NRE are described. An overall examination of the physiological, metabolic and genetic aspects of nitrogen remobilisation is presented.

7 CFR 800.0 - Meaning of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 800.0 Section 800.0 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Definitions...

7 CFR 800.0 - Meaning of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 800.0 Section 800.0 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Definitions...

7 CFR 800.31 - Who must register.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Who must register. 800.31 Section 800.31 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Registration...

7 CFR 800.0 - Meaning of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 800.0 Section 800.0 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Definitions...

7 CFR 800.0 - Meaning of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 800.0 Section 800.0 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Definitions...

7 CFR 800.31 - Who must register.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Who must register. 800.31 Section 800.31 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Registration...

7 CFR 800.31 - Who must register.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Who must register. 800.31 Section 800.31 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Registration...

7 CFR 800.31 - Who must register.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Who must register. 800.31 Section 800.31 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Registration...

7 CFR 800.31 - Who must register.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Who must register. 800.31 Section 800.31 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Registration...

OsGRF4 controls grain shape, panicle length and seed shattering in rice.

PubMed

Sun, Pingyong; Zhang, Wuhan; Wang, Yihua; He, Qiang; Shu, Fu; Liu, Hai; Wang, Jie; Wang, Jianmin; Yuan, Longping; Deng, Huafeng

2016-10-01

Traits such as grain shape, panicle length and seed shattering, play important roles in grain yield and harvest. In this study, the cloning and functional analysis of PANICLE TRAITS 2 (PT2), a novel gene from the Indica rice Chuandali (CDL), is reported. PT2 is synonymous with Growth-Regulating Factor 4 (OsGRF4), which encodes a growth-regulating factor that positively regulates grain shape and panicle length and negatively regulates seed shattering. Higher expression of OsGRF4 is correlated with larger grain, longer panicle and lower seed shattering. A unique OsGRF4 mutation, which occurs at the OsmiRNA396 target site of OsGRF4, seems to be associated with high levels of OsGRF4 expression, and results in phenotypic difference. Further research showed that OsGRF4 regulated two cytokinin dehydrogenase precursor genes (CKX5 and CKX1) resulting in increased cytokinin levels, which might affect the panicle traits. High storage capacity and moderate seed shattering of OsGRF4 may be useful in high-yield breeding and mechanized harvesting of rice. Our findings provide additional insight into the molecular basis of panicle growth. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Implications of Earth analogs to Martian sulfate-filled Fractures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holt, R. M.; Powers, D. W.

2017-12-01

Sulfate-filled fractures in fine-grained sediments on Mars are interpreted to be the result of fluid movement during deep burial. Fractures in the Dewey Lake (aka Quartermaster) Formation of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas are filled with gypsum that is at least partially synsedimentary. Sulfate in the Dewey Lake takes two principal forms: gypsum cement and gypsum (mainly fibrous) that fills fractures ranging from horizontal to vertical. Apertures are mainly mm-scale, though some are > 1 cm. The gypsum is antitaxial, fibrous, commonly approximately perpendicular to the wall rock, and displays suture lines and relics of the wall rock. Direct evidence of synsedimentary, near-surface origin includes gypsum intraclasts, intraclasts that include smaller intraclasts that contain gypsum clasts, intraclasts of gypsum with suture lines, gypsum concentrated in small desiccation cracks, and intraclasts that include fibrous gypsum-filled fractures that terminate at the eroded clast boundary. Dewey Lake fracture fillings suggest that their Martian analogs may also have originated in the shallow subsurface, shortly following the deposition of Martian sediments, in the presence of shallow aquifers.

Fine-grained rutile in the Gulf of Maine: Diagenetic origin, source rocks, and sedimentary environment of deposition

USGS Publications Warehouse

Valentine, P.C.; Commeau, J.A.

1990-01-01

The Gulf of Maine, an embayment of the New England margin, is floored by shallow, glacially scoured basins that are partly filled with late Pleistocene and Holocene silt and clay containing 0.7 to 1.0 wt percent TiO2 chiefly in the form of silt-size rutile. Much of the rutile in the Gulf of Maine mud probably formed diagenetically in poorly cemented Carboniferous and Triassic coarse-grained sedimentary rocks of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick after the dissolution of titanium-rich detrital minerals (ilmenite, ilmenomagnetite). The diagenesis of rutile in coarse sedimentary rocks (especially arkose and graywacke) followed by erosion, segregation, and deposition (and including recycling of fine-grained rutile from shales) can serve as a model for predicting and prospecting for unconsolidated deposits of fine-grained TiO2. -from Authors

[Haikou issues circular on planned parenthood].

PubMed

1981-02-03

The Organization Department of the Haikou Municipal CCP Committee, the municipal grain, finance, commerce, education bureau, personnel, public security, labor, civil affairs, public health, and housing bureaus, supply and marketing cooperative, and planned parenthood office recently issued a joint circular on implementing the provincial planned parenthood regulations. The circular demanded that the marriage registration and census system be seriously implemented. When people are registering for marriage, we must teach them to have only 1 child. We must give priority in housing and employment to an only child and his parents. When commercial, supply, and marketing departments are distributing coupons for fuel, and nonstaple food, they should supply a double amount to the only child. We must carry out serious health care for an only child and give them regular physical check-ups. When they are ill, hospitals should give them priority in registration, treatment, reservation of beds and medicines. The circular reiterated: We must seriously implement the stipulations on rewards and punishments contained in the provincial planned parenthood regulations. Cadres, staff, or workers who apply to have only 1 child must be given lump sums in addition to enjoying the relevant rewards stipulated by the regulations. Cadres, staff, workers, inhabitants, and commune workers who depend on state grain who violate the regulations must be punished according to the regulation. As for those who have 3 or more than 3 children, a 2nd child without planning, or an illegitimate child, the child's grain ration will be sold at negotiated price up to the age of 14. The grain department will distribute to them a supply ticket for negotiated price grain to buy grain in assigned grain shops. full text

7 CFR 810.101 - Grains for which standards are established.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Grains for which standards are established. 810.101 Section 810.101 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...

GAD1 Encodes a Secreted Peptide That Regulates Grain Number, Grain Length, and Awn Development in Rice Domestication[OPEN

PubMed Central

Hua, Lei; Zhao, Xinhui; Zhang, Weifeng; Liu, Fengxia; Fu, Yongcai; Cai, Hongwei; Sun, Xianyou; Gu, Ping; Xie, Daoxin

2016-01-01

Cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) was domesticated from wild rice (Oryza rufipogon), which typically displays fewer grains per panicle and longer grains than cultivated rice. In addition, wild rice has long awns, whereas cultivated rice has short awns or lacks them altogether. These changes represent critical events in rice domestication. Here, we identified a major gene, GRAIN NUMBER, GRAIN LENGTH AND AWN DEVELOPMENT1 (GAD1), that regulates those critical changes during rice domestication. GAD1 is located on chromosome 8 and is predicted to encode a small secretary signal peptide belonging to the EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR-LIKE family. A frame-shift insertion in gad1 destroyed the conserved cysteine residues of the peptide, resulting in a loss of function, and causing the increased number of grains per panicle, shorter grains, and awnless phenotype characteristic of cultivated rice. Our findings provide a useful paradigm for revealing functions of peptide signal molecules in plant development and helps elucidate the molecular basis of rice domestication. PMID:27634315

The biology of burls

Treesearch

Kevin T. Smith

2012-01-01

Several tree wardens have recently reported thefts of burls from pubhc trees, especially in park areas. A burl is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It commonly occurs on a tree trunk or branch as a rounded outgrowth filled with small knots.

Functions of maize genes encoding pyruvate phosphate dikinase in developing endosperm

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pyruvate phosphate dikinase reversibly converts AMP, pyrophosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to ATP, orthophosphate and pyruvate. Maize PPDK functions in mesophyll in C4 photosynthesis, yet also is highly abundant in starchy endosperm during grain fill where its function is unknown. To investiga...

Autonomous Repair Mechanism of Creep Damage in Fe-Au and Fe-Au-B-N Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S.; Kwakernaak, C.; Tichelaar, F. D.; Sloof, W. G.; Kuzmina, M.; Herbig, M.; Raabe, D.; Brück, E.; van der Zwaag, S.; van Dijk, N. H.

2015-12-01

The autonomous repair mechanism of creep cavitation during high-temperature deformation has been investigated in Fe-Au and Fe-Au-B-N alloys. Combined electron-microscopy techniques and atom probe tomography reveal how the improved creep properties result from Au precipitation within the creep cavities, preferentially formed on grain boundaries oriented perpendicular to the applied stress. The selective precipitation of Au atoms at the free creep cavity surface results in pore filling, and thereby, autonomous repair of the creep damage. The large difference in atomic size between the Au and Fe strongly hampers the nucleation of precipitates in the matrix. As a result, the matrix acts as a reservoir for the supersaturated solute until damage occurs. Grain boundaries and dislocations are found to act as fast transport routes for solute gold from the matrix to the creep cavities. The mechanism responsible for the self-healing can be characterized by a simple model for cavity growth and cavity filling.

Geologic implications of gas hydrates in the offshore of India: Krishna-Godavari Basin, Mahanadi Basin, Andaman Sea, Kerala-Konkan Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kumar, Pushpendra; Collett, Timothy S.; Boswell, Ray; Cochran, James R.; Lall, Malcolm; Mazumdar, Aninda; Ramana, Mangipudi Venkata; Ramprasad, Tammisetti; Riedel, Michael; Sain, Kalachand; Sathe, Arun Vasant; Vishwanath, Krishna; Yadav, U.S.

2014-01-01

NGHP-01 yielded evidence of gas hydrate from downhole log and core data obtained from all the sites in the Krishna–Godavari Basin, the Mahanadi Basin, and in the Andaman Sea. The site drilled in the Kerala–Konkan Basin during NGHP-01 did not yield any evidence of gas hydrate. Most of the downhole log-inferred gas hydrate and core-recovered gas hydrate were characterized as either fracture-filling in clay-dominated sediments or as pore-filling or grain-displacement particles disseminated in both fine- and coarse-grained sediments. Geochemical analyses of gases obtained from sediment cores recovered during NGHP-01 indicated that the gas in most all of the hydrates in the offshore of India is derived from microbial sources; only one site in the Andaman Sea exhibited limited evidence of a thermogenic gas source. The gas hydrate petroleum system concept has been used to effectively characterize the geologic controls on the occurrence of gas hydrates in the offshore of India.

Phenotype diversity analysis of red-grained rice landraces from Yuanyang Hani's terraced fields, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lianjie; Cheng, Long

2017-10-01

There are many areas in the world have terraced fields, Yuanyang Rani's terraced fields are examples in the world, and their unique ecological diversity is beyond other terraced fields, rice landraces are very rich. In order to provide useful information for protection and utilization of red-grained rice landraces from Rani's terraced fields, 61 red-grained rice landraces were assessed based 20 quantitative traits. Principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that 20 quantitative characters could be simplified to seven principal components, and their accumulative contribution ration amounted to 78.699%. The first principal component (PC1) explained 18.375% of the total variance, which was contributed by filled grain number, 1000-grain weight, spikelets per panicle, secondary branch number, grain length, and grain thickness. PC2 accounted for 16.548% of the variance and featured flag leaf width, flag leaf area, panicle neck length and primary branch number. These traits were the most effective parameters to discriminate individuals. At the request of the proceedings editor and with the approval of all authors, article 040111 titled, "Phenotype diversity analysis of red-grained rice landraces from Yuanyang Hani's terraced fields, China," is being retracted from the public record due to the fact that it is a duplication of article 040110 published in the same volume.

Substituting whole grains for refined grains in a 6-week randomized trial favorably affects energy balance parameters in healthy men and post-menopausal women

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: The effect of whole grains on the regulation of energy balance remains controversial. Objective: To determine the effects of substituting whole grains for refined grains, independent of body weight change, on energy metabolism parameters and glycemic control. Design: A randomized, con...

7 CFR 800.83 - Sampling provisions by kind of movement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Section 800.83 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Inspection Methods and Procedures § 800.83 Sampling provisions by kind of movement. (a) Export...

7 CFR 800.83 - Sampling provisions by kind of movement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Section 800.83 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Inspection Methods and Procedures § 800.83 Sampling provisions by kind of movement. (a) Export...

7 CFR 800.83 - Sampling provisions by kind of movement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Section 800.83 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Inspection Methods and Procedures § 800.83 Sampling provisions by kind of movement. (a) Export...

7 CFR 800.83 - Sampling provisions by kind of movement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 800.83 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Inspection Methods and Procedures § 800.83 Sampling provisions by kind of movement. (a) Export...

7 CFR 800.83 - Sampling provisions by kind of movement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Section 800.83 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Inspection Methods and Procedures § 800.83 Sampling provisions by kind of movement. (a) Export...

TaER Expression Is Associated with Transpiration Efficiency Traits and Yield in Bread Wheat

PubMed Central

Zheng, Jiacheng; Yang, Zhiyuan; Madgwick, Pippa J.; Carmo-Silva, Elizabete; Parry, Martin A. J.; Hu, Yin-Gang

2015-01-01

ERECTA encodes a receptor-like kinase and is proposed as a candidate for determining transpiration efficiency of plants. Two genes homologous to ERECTA in Arabidopsis were identified on chromosomes 6 (TaER2) and 7 (TaER1) of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), with copies of each gene on the A, B and D genomes of wheat. Similar expression patterns were observed for TaER1 and TaER2 with relatively higher expression of TaER1 in flag leaves of wheat at heading (Z55) and grain-filling (Z73) stages. Significant variations were found in the expression levels of both TaER1 and TaER2 in the flag leaves at both growth stages among 48 diverse bread wheat varieties. Based on the expression of TaER1 and TaER2, the 48 wheat varieties could be classified into three groups having high (5 varieties), medium (27 varieties) and low (16 varieties) levels of TaER expression. Significant differences were also observed between the three groups varying for TaER expression for several transpiration efficiency (TE)- related traits, including stomatal density (SD), transpiration rate, photosynthetic rate (A), instant water use efficiency (WUEi) and carbon isotope discrimination (CID), and yield traits of biomass production plant-1 (BYPP) and grain yield plant-1 (GYPP). Correlation analysis revealed that the expression of TaER1 and TaER2 at the two growth stages was significantly and negatively associated with SD (P<0.01), transpiration rate (P<0.05) and CID (P<0.01), while significantly and positively correlated with flag leaf area (FLA, P<0.01), A (P<0.05), WUEi (P<0.05), BYPP (P<0.01) and GYPP (P<0.01), with stronger correlations for TaER1 than TaER2 and at grain-filling stage than at heading stage. These combined results suggested that TaER involved in development of transpiration efficiency -related traits and yield in bread wheat, implying a function for TaER in regulating leaf development of bread wheat and contributing to expression of these traits. Moreover, the results indicate that TaER could be exploitable for manipulating important agronomical traits in wheat improvement. PMID:26047019

TaER Expression Is Associated with Transpiration Efficiency Traits and Yield in Bread Wheat.

PubMed

Zheng, Jiacheng; Yang, Zhiyuan; Madgwick, Pippa J; Carmo-Silva, Elizabete; Parry, Martin A J; Hu, Yin-Gang

2015-01-01

ERECTA encodes a receptor-like kinase and is proposed as a candidate for determining transpiration efficiency of plants. Two genes homologous to ERECTA in Arabidopsis were identified on chromosomes 6 (TaER2) and 7 (TaER1) of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), with copies of each gene on the A, B and D genomes of wheat. Similar expression patterns were observed for TaER1 and TaER2 with relatively higher expression of TaER1 in flag leaves of wheat at heading (Z55) and grain-filling (Z73) stages. Significant variations were found in the expression levels of both TaER1 and TaER2 in the flag leaves at both growth stages among 48 diverse bread wheat varieties. Based on the expression of TaER1 and TaER2, the 48 wheat varieties could be classified into three groups having high (5 varieties), medium (27 varieties) and low (16 varieties) levels of TaER expression. Significant differences were also observed between the three groups varying for TaER expression for several transpiration efficiency (TE)- related traits, including stomatal density (SD), transpiration rate, photosynthetic rate (A), instant water use efficiency (WUEi) and carbon isotope discrimination (CID), and yield traits of biomass production plant-1 (BYPP) and grain yield plant-1 (GYPP). Correlation analysis revealed that the expression of TaER1 and TaER2 at the two growth stages was significantly and negatively associated with SD (P<0.01), transpiration rate (P<0.05) and CID (P<0.01), while significantly and positively correlated with flag leaf area (FLA, P<0.01), A (P<0.05), WUEi (P<0.05), BYPP (P<0.01) and GYPP (P<0.01), with stronger correlations for TaER1 than TaER2 and at grain-filling stage than at heading stage. These combined results suggested that TaER involved in development of transpiration efficiency -related traits and yield in bread wheat, implying a function for TaER in regulating leaf development of bread wheat and contributing to expression of these traits. Moreover, the results indicate that TaER could be exploitable for manipulating important agronomical traits in wheat improvement.

Characterization of novel heat-responsive transcription factor (TaHSFA6e) gene involved in regulation of heat shock proteins (HSPs) - A key member of heat stress-tolerance network of wheat.

PubMed

Kumar, Ranjeet R; Goswami, Suneha; Singh, Khushboo; Dubey, Kavita; Rai, Gyanendra K; Singh, Bhupinder; Singh, Shivdhar; Grover, Monendra; Mishra, Dwijesh; Kumar, Sanjeev; Bakshi, Suman; Rai, Anil; Pathak, Himanshu; Chinnusamy, Viswanathan; Praveen, Shelly

2018-08-10

Heat stress has an adverse effect on the quality and quantity of agriculturally important crops, especially wheat. The tolerance mechanism has not been explored much in wheat and very few genes/ TFs responsive to heat stress is available on public domain. Here, we identified, cloned and characterized a putative TaHSFA6e TF gene of 1.3 kb from wheat cv. HD2985. We observed an ORF of 368 aa with Hsf DNA binding signature domain in the amino acid sequence. Single copy number of TaHSFA6e was observed integrated in the genome of wheat. Expression analysis of TaHSFA6e under differential HS showed maximum transcripts in wheat cv. Halna (thermotolerant) in response to 38 °C for 2 h during pollination and grain-filling stages, as compared to PBW343, HD2329 and HD2985. Putative target genes of TaHSFA6e (HSP17, HSP70 and HSP90) showed upregulation in response to differential HS (30 & 38 °C, 2 h) during pollination and grain-filling stages. Small HSP17 was observed most triggered in Halna under HS. We observed increase in the catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and decrease in the lipid peroxidation in thermotolerant cvs. (Halna, HD2985), as compared to thermosusceptible (PBW343, HD2329) under differential HS. Multiple stresses (heat - 38 °C, 2 h, and drought - 100 mL of 20% polyethylene Glycol 6000) during seedling stage of wheat showed positive correlation between the expression of TaHSFA6e, putative targets (HSP70, HSP90, HSP17) and TAC. Halna (thermotolerant) performed better, as compared to other contrasting cvs. TaHSFA6e TF can be used as promising candidate gene for manipulating the heat stress-tolerance network. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Role for Barley CRYPTOCHROME1 in Light Regulation of Grain Dormancy and Germination[W][OPEN

PubMed Central

Barrero, Jose M.; Downie, A. Bruce; Xu, Qian; Gubler, Frank

2014-01-01

It is well known that abscisic acid (ABA) plays a central role in the regulation of seed dormancy and that transcriptional regulation of genes encoding ABA biosynthetic and degradation enzymes is responsible for determining ABA content. However, little is known about the upstream signaling pathways impinging on transcription to ultimately regulate ABA content or how environmental signals (e.g., light and cold) might direct such expression in grains. Our previous studies indicated that light is a key environmental signal inhibiting germination in dormant grains of barley (Hordeum vulgare), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and Brachypodium distachyon and that this effect attenuates as after-ripening progresses further. We found that the blue component of the light spectrum inhibits completion of germination in barley by inducing the expression of the ABA biosynthetic gene 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase and dampening expression of ABA 8’-hydroxylase, thus increasing ABA content in the grain. We have now created barley transgenic lines downregulating the genes encoding the blue light receptors CRYTOCHROME (CRY1) and CRY2. Our results demonstrate that CRY1 is the key receptor perceiving and transducing the blue light signal in dormant grains. PMID:24642944

Expansins expression is associated with grain size dynamics in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

PubMed Central

Lizana, X. Carolina; Riegel, Ricardo; Gomez, Leonardo D.; Herrera, Jaime; Isla, Adolfo; McQueen-Mason, Simon J.; Calderini, Daniel F.

2010-01-01

Grain weight is one of the most important components of cereal yield and quality. A clearer understanding of the physiological and molecular determinants of this complex trait would provide an insight into the potential benefits for plant breeding. In the present study, the dynamics of dry matter accumulation, water uptake, and grain size in parallel with the expression of expansins during grain growth in wheat were analysed. The stabilized water content of grains showed a strong association with final grain weight (r2=0.88, P <0.01). Grain length was found to be the trait that best correlated with final grain weight (r2=0.98, P <0.01) and volume (r2=0.94, P <0.01). The main events that defined final grain weight occurred during the first third of grain-filling when maternal tissues (the pericarp of grains) undergo considerable expansion. Eight expansin coding sequences were isolated from pericarp RNA and the temporal profiles of accumulation of these transcripts were monitored. Sequences showing high homology with TaExpA6 were notably abundant during early grain expansion and declined as maturity was reached. RNA in situ hybridization studies revealed that the transcript for TaExpA6 was principally found in the pericarp during early growth in grain development and, subsequently, in both the endosperm and pericarp. The signal in these images is likely to be the sum of the transcript levels of all three sequences with high similarity to the TaExpA6 gene. The early part of the expression profile of this putative expansin gene correlates well with the critical periods of early grain expansion, suggesting it as a possible factor in the final determination of grain size. PMID:20080826

Anthropogenic effects on sedimentary facies in Lake Baldeney, West Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumann-Mahlkau, Peter; Niehaus, Heinz Theo

1983-12-01

Analysis of well logs of Lake Baldeney, a reservoir of the Ruhr River, yields four facies factors that reflect the effect of anthropogenic processes on the sediment. First, the sedimentation rate is directly related to the subsidence caused by mining. The extent of the subsidence was such that the sediment load of the river could not compensate for the sinking of the lake bottom. Discharged sediment filled about one-fifth of the basin within 40 years. In certain areas of the basin the sedimentation rate reached up to 10 cm per year. Second, the grain-size distribution of the sediment was influenced by long-term and short-term events. During the subsidence, grain-size distribution remained relatively constant. The destruction of the Möhne River dam during World War II resulted in the presence of an extremely large grain size as evidenced by the so-called Möhnelage. The filling of the lake after 1961 was accompanied by a continual increase in medium grain size. Third, until 1975, the mode of the lake sediment reflects the effect of mining in the vicinity of the lake. High coal content can be traced to its origin. The introduction of modern production processes, modernization of coal dressing, and hydraulic hauling is documented in the sediment. Finally, the heavy metal content of the sediment corresponds to the industrial development in the drainage area the Ruhr River. The accumulation of Cd reached an extreme concentration, exceeding the natural content by a thousand times. Variation in concentration reflects an increase in industrial production, as well as measures undertaken to restore water quality.

The grain-size lineup: A test of a novel eyewitness identification procedure.

PubMed

Horry, Ruth; Brewer, Neil; Weber, Nathan

2016-04-01

When making a memorial judgment, respondents can regulate their accuracy by adjusting the precision, or grain size, of their responses. In many circumstances, coarse-grained responses are less informative, but more likely to be accurate, than fine-grained responses. This study describes a novel eyewitness identification procedure, the grain-size lineup, in which participants eliminated any number of individuals from the lineup, creating a choice set of variable size. A decision was considered to be fine-grained if no more than 1 individual was left in the choice set or coarse-grained if more than 1 individual was left in the choice set. Participants (N = 384) watched 2 high-quality or low-quality videotaped mock crimes and then completed 4 standard simultaneous lineups or 4 grain-size lineups (2 target-present and 2 target-absent). There was some evidence of strategic regulation of grain size, as the most difficult lineup was associated with a greater proportion of coarse-grained responses than the other lineups. However, the grain-size lineup did not outperform the standard simultaneous lineup. Fine-grained suspect identifications were no more diagnostic than suspect identifications from standard lineups, whereas coarse-grained suspect identifications carried little probative value. Participants were generally reluctant to provide coarse-grained responses, which may have hampered the utility of the procedure. For a grain-size approach to be useful, participants may need to be trained or instructed to use the coarse-grained option effectively. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

ECO-FRIENDLY GOLF TEES FILLED WITH CORN-BASED DDGS

EPA Science Inventory

The ethanol industry in the United States currently produces approximately 10,000,000 tons of corn processing co-products, namely distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The primary use of DDGS to date has been in animal feed applications. However, there are limits to th...

Cyclic steps and superimposed antidune deposits: important elements of coarse-grained deepwater channel-levée complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Joerg; Brandes, Christian; Winsemann, Jutta

2017-04-01

The facies distribution and architecture of submarine fans can be strongly impacted by erosion and deposition by supercritical density flows. We present field examples from the Sandino Forearc Basin (southern Central America), where cyclic-step and antidune deposits represent important sedimentary facies of coarse-grained channel-levée complexes. These bedforms occur in all sub-environments of the depositional systems and relate to the different stages of avulsion, bypass, levée construction and channel backfilling. Large-scale scours (18 to 29 m deep, 18 to 25 m wide, 60 to >120 m long) with an amalgamated infill, comprising massive, normally coarse-tail graded or spaced subhorizontally stratified conglomerates and pebbly sandstones, are interpreted as deposits of the hydraulic-jump zone of cyclic steps. These cyclic steps probably formed during avulsion, when high-density flows were routed into the evolving channel. The large-scale scour fills can be distinguished from small-scale channel fills based on the preservation of a steep upper margin and a coarse-grained infill comprising mainly amalgamated hydraulic-jump deposits. Channel fills include repetitive successions deposited by cyclic steps with superimposed antidunes. The hydraulic-jump zone of cyclic-step deposits comprises regularly spaced scours (0.2 to 2.6 m deep, 0.8 to 23 m wide), which are infilled by intraclast-rich conglomerates or pebbly sandstones and display normal coarse-tail grading or backsets. Laterally and vertically these deposits are associated with subhorizontally stratified, low-angle cross-stratified or sinusoidal stratified pebbly sandstones and sandstones (wavelength 0.5 to 18 m), interpreted as representing antidune deposits formed on the stoss-side of the cyclic steps during flow re-acceleration. The field examples indicate that so-called crudely or spaced stratified deposits may commonly represent antidune deposits with varying stratification styles controlled by the aggradation rate, grain-size distribution and amalgamation. The deposits of small-scale cyclic steps with superimposed antidunes form fining upwards successions with decreasing antidune wavelengths. Such cyclic step-antidune successions are the characteristic basal infill of channels, probably related to supercritical high-density turbidity flows triggered by retrogressive slope failures.

An integrated "omics" approach to the characterization of maize (Zea mays L.) mutants deficient in the expression of two genes encoding cytosolic glutamine synthetase.

PubMed

Amiour, Nardjis; Imbaud, Sandrine; Clément, Gilles; Agier, Nicolas; Zivy, Michel; Valot, Benoît; Balliau, Thierry; Quilleré, Isabelle; Tercé-Laforgue, Thérèse; Dargel-Graffin, Céline; Hirel, Bertrand

2014-11-20

To identify the key elements controlling grain production in maize, it is essential to have an integrated view of the responses to alterations in the main steps of nitrogen assimilation by modification of gene expression. Two maize mutant lines (gln1.3 and gln1.4), deficient in two genes encoding cytosolic glutamine synthetase, a key enzyme involved in nitrogen assimilation, were previously characterized by a reduction of kernel size in the gln1.4 mutant and by a reduction of kernel number in the gln1.3 mutant. In this work, the differences in leaf gene transcripts, proteins and metabolite accumulation in gln1.3 and gln1.4 mutants were studied at two key stages of plant development, in order to identify putative candidate genes, proteins and metabolic pathways contributing on one hand to the control of plant development and on the other to grain production. The most interesting finding in this study is that a number of key plant processes were altered in the gln1.3 and gln1.4 mutants, including a number of major biological processes such as carbon metabolism and transport, cell wall metabolism, and several metabolic pathways and stress responsive and regulatory elements. We also found that the two mutants share common or specific characteristics across at least two or even three of the "omics" considered at the vegetative stage of plant development, or during the grain filling period. This is the first comprehensive molecular and physiological characterization of two cytosolic glutamine synthetase maize mutants using a combined transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approach. We find that the integration of the three "omics" procedures is not straight forward, since developmental and mutant-specific levels of regulation seem to occur from gene expression to metabolite accumulation. However, their potential use is discussed with a view to improving our understanding of nitrogen assimilation and partitioning and its impact on grain production.

7 CFR 51.1005 - Standard pack.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946... filled but the contents shall not show excessive or unnecessary bruising because of over-filled packages...

7 CFR 51.1005 - Standard pack.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946... filled but the contents shall not show excessive or unnecessary bruising because of over-filled packages...

Theoretical modeling insights into elastic wave attenuation mechanisms in marine sediments with pore-filling methane hydrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marín-Moreno, H.; Sahoo, S. K.; Best, A. I.

2017-03-01

The majority of presently exploitable marine methane hydrate reservoirs are likely to host hydrate in disseminated form in coarse grain sediments. For hydrate concentrations below 25-40%, disseminated or pore-filling hydrate does not increase elastic frame moduli, thus making impotent traditional seismic velocity-based methods. Here, we present a theoretical model to calculate frequency-dependent P and S wave velocity and attenuation of an effective porous medium composed of solid mineral grains, methane hydrate, methane gas, and water. The model considers elastic wave energy losses caused by local viscous flow both (i) between fluid inclusions in hydrate and pores and (ii) between different aspect ratio pores (created when hydrate grows); the inertial motion of the frame with respect to the pore fluid (Biot's type fluid flow); and gas bubble damping. The sole presence of pore-filling hydrate in the sediment reduces the available porosity and intrinsic permeability of the sediment affecting Biot's type attenuation at high frequencies. Our model shows that attenuation maxima due to fluid inclusions in hydrate are possible over the entire frequency range of interest to exploration seismology (1-106 Hz), depending on the aspect ratio of the inclusions, whereas maxima due to different aspect ratio pores occur only at sonic to ultrasound frequencies (104-106 Hz). This frequency response imposes further constraints on possible hydrate saturations able to reproduce broadband elastic measurements of velocity and attenuation. Our results provide a physical basis for detecting the presence and amount of pore-filling hydrate in seafloor sediments using conventional seismic surveys.

Reservoir performance of Late Eocene incised valley fills, Cusiana Field, Llanos Foothills, Eastern Colombia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pulham, A.; Edward, W.; App, J.

1996-12-31

The Cusiana Field is located in the Llanos Foothills of Eastern Colombia. The principal reservoir is the late Eocene Mirador Formation which comprises >50% of reserves. Currently the Mirador reservoir is providing nearly all of the 150,00bopd of production from the Cusiana Field. The Mirador reservoir comprises a stack of incised valley deposits. The fills of the valleys are dominated by quartz arenite sandstones. The average porosity of the valley sandstones is 8% which reflects abundant quartz cement ({approximately}14%) and significant compaction during deep burial ({approximately}20,000feet). Single valleys are up to 70 feet thick and exhibit a distinctive bipartite fillmore » that reflects changing energy conditions during filling. Bases of valleys have the coarsest grain size and have sedimentological and trace fossil evidence for deposition in highly stressed, brackish water environments. The upper parts of the valleys are typically finer grained and were deposited in more saline settings. Despite the low porosity of the Mirador valleys, drill stem tests and production log data show that they have phenomenal performance characteristics. Rates of {ge}10,000bopd are achieved from single valleys. Bases of the valley fills are the key contributors to flow. Integration of detailed core and pore system analysis with the reservoir performance data shows that the permeability fabric of the Mirador can be explained by original depositional architecture and simple loss of primary porosity. Comparison of Cusiana with other quartz-rich sandstones from around the world suggests that it`s low porosity/high performance is predictable.« less

7 CFR 75.21 - Grain sample inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Grain sample inspection. 75.21 Section 75.21 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AN...

7 CFR 75.21 - Grain sample inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Grain sample inspection. 75.21 Section 75.21 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AN...

7 CFR 75.21 - Grain sample inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Grain sample inspection. 75.21 Section 75.21 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AN...

7 CFR 75.21 - Grain sample inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Grain sample inspection. 75.21 Section 75.21 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AN...

7 CFR 75.21 - Grain sample inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Grain sample inspection. 75.21 Section 75.21 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AN...

Insecticide residues in stored grains in Sonora, Mexico: quantification and toxicity testing.

PubMed

Aldana-Madrid, M L; Valdez-Hurtado, S; Vargas-Valdez, N D; Salazar-Lopez, N J; Silveira-Gramont, M I; Loarca-Piña, F G; Rodríguez-Olibarria, G; Wong-Corral, F J; Borboa-Flores, J; Burgos-Hernández, A

2008-02-01

Food safety has acquired great attention by food importer and exporters. Food rejection or acceptance across international borders is based on the compliance with international food regulations. Due to the lack of recent data on pesticide residues in Mexican grains, this study focused on detecting and quantifying insecticide residues in stored wheat, corn, chickpeas, and beans, as well as to determine their mutagenic potential. Grains were sampled from primary storage sites in Sonora, Mexico. Malathion, chlorpyrifos, deltamethrin, cypermethrin, 4,4-DDE, 4,4-DDD and 4,4-DDT were analyzed in 135 samples. Grain samples were not mutagenic and most pesticide levels were within regulation limits.

Monitoring the expression of maize genes in developing kernels under drought stress using oligo-microarray

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Preharvest A. flavus infection is usually exacerbated when maize plants suffer drought stress in the late grain-fill stage. However, the field observation suggests that drought-tolerant maize lines displayed less aflatoxin contamination under the stress in comparison with the drought-sensitive maize...

Spectral behavior of wheat yield variety trials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hatfield, J. L.

1981-01-01

Little variation between varieties is seen at jointing, but the variability is found to increase during grain filling and decline again at maturity. No relationship is found between spectral response and yield, and when yields are segregated into various classes the spectral response is the same. Spring and winter nurseries are found to separate during the reproductive stage because of differences in dates of heading and maturity, but they exhibit similar spectral responses. The transformed normalized difference is at a minimum after the maximum grain weight occurs and the leaves begin to brown and fall off. These data of 100% ground cover demonstrate that it is not possible to predict grain yield from only spectral data. This, however, may not apply when reduced yields are caused by less-than-full ground cover

Diagenetic comparisons between non-tropical Cenozoic limestones of New Zealand and tropical Mississippian limestones from Indiana, USA: Is the non-tropical model better than the tropical model?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodd, J. Robert; Nelson, Campbell S.

1998-10-01

Mississippian limestones exposed in Indiana, U.S.A., were deposited in a shallow tropical ocean. However, many properties of these limestones are more like those of modern and Cenozoic non-tropical limestones such as those found in New Zealand. The dominant skeletal grains in the Indiana limestones are calcitic echinoderms, bryozoans, and brachiopods. The dominant skeletal grains in most Cenozoic limestones of New Zealand are calcitic bryozoans, echinoderms, bivalve molluscs, and foraminifera. In contrast, modern and Cenozoic tropical limestones contain an abundance of aragonitic green algae, corals, and molluscs. Early in diagenesis the metastable aragonite dissolves and reprecipitates as calcite, causing early cementation of the sediments. Originally aragonitic fossils that have dissolved can be identified as molds that are commonly filled with secondary calcite. Because they contained little aragonite, most of the Indiana and New Zealand limestones did not have an abundant source of early cement. Except for local cases in which grains were cemented in contact with carbonate supersaturated seawater, grainstones were relatively deeply buried with little cement between the grains. This resulted in mechanical and chemical compaction of skeletal grains, producing a `fitted fabric' with greatly reduced pore space, either open or filled with cement between the grains. Cement in these aragonite-poor grainstones comes largely from pressure dissolution between grains and along stylolitic seams in the rock, features that are common only after burial beyond a few hundred meters. The final product of deeply buried (up to 2000 m) Cenozoic New Zealand grainstones is similar to the Mississippian grainstones of Indiana. In the Indiana limestones we have only the final product of this extensive burial diagenesis. However, the New Zealand sediments and rocks reveal all steps of formation of the final deeply buried limestone. The reason for the scarcity of originally aragonitic fossil grains in Paleozoic rocks worldwide is unknown. Organisms with aragonitic skeletons such as some molluscan groups and calcareous green algae were present, but seldom in much abundance. The aragonitic scleractinian corals had not yet evolved. Previous researchers have noted that non-skeletal precipitates such as ooids and cements have at times during the Paleozoic been predominantly aragonite and at other times calcite. They have attributed this difference to secular variation in seawater chemistry (icehouse vs. greenhouse seas). Abundance of aragonitic and calcitic skeletal grains does not follow this pattern.

7 CFR 800.71 - Fees assessed by the Service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Fees assessed by the Service. 800.71 Section 800.71 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Fees § 800.71...

7 CFR 800.71 - Fees assessed by the Service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Fees assessed by the Service. 800.71 Section 800.71 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Fees § 800.71...

7 CFR 800.71 - Fees assessed by the Service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Fees assessed by the Service. 800.71 Section 800.71 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Fees § 800.71...

7 CFR 800.71 - Fees assessed by the Service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fees assessed by the Service. 800.71 Section 800.71 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Fees § 800.71...

7 CFR 800.71 - Fees assessed by the Service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fees assessed by the Service. 800.71 Section 800.71 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Fees § 800.71...

7 CFR 51.902 - Fairly well filled.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Fairly well filled. 51.902 Section 51.902 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Definitions § 51.902 Fairly well filled. Fairly well filled means that the berries are reasonably closely...

7 CFR 51.902 - Fairly well filled.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Fairly well filled. 51.902 Section 51.902 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Definitions § 51.902 Fairly well filled. Fairly well filled means that the berries are reasonably closely...

EPR investigation of UV light effect on calcium carbonate powders with different grain sizes.

PubMed

Kabacińska, Zuzanna; Krzyminiewski, Ryszard; Dobosz, Bernadeta

2014-06-01

This study is based on investigation of calcium carbonate powders with different grain sizes exposed to UV light. Calcium carbonate is widely used in many branches of industry, e.g. as a filler for polymer materials; therefore, knowing its properties, among them also its reaction to UV light, is essential. Samples of powdered calcium carbonate with average grain sizes of 69 and 300 nm and 2.1, 6, 16, 25 µm were used in this investigation. Measurements were performed at room temperature using EPR X-band spectrometer, and they have shown the additional signals induced by the light from Hg lamp. The effect of annealing of the micro-grain samples was also studied. The spectra of four micro-grain samples after irradiation are similar, but there are differences between them and the other two powders, which could be related to the different sizes of their grains. Further studies based on these preliminary results may prove useful in research of photodegradation of CaCO3-filled materials, as well as helpful in increasing the accuracy of dating of archaeological and geological objects. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Controlled Crystal Grain Growth in Mixed Cation-Halide Perovskite by Evaporated Solvent Vapor Recycling Method for High Efficiency Solar Cells.

PubMed

Numata, Youhei; Kogo, Atsushi; Udagawa, Yosuke; Kunugita, Hideyuki; Ema, Kazuhiro; Sanehira, Yoshitaka; Miyasaka, Tsutomu

2017-06-07

We developed a new and simple solvent vapor-assisted thermal annealing (VA) procedure which can reduce grain boundaries in a perovskite film for fabricating highly efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs). By recycling of solvent molecules evaporated from an as-prepared perovskite film as a VA vapor source, named the pot-roast VA (PR-VA) method, finely controlled and reproducible device fabrication was achieved for formamidinium (FA) and methylammonium (MA) mixed cation-halide perovskite (FAPbI 3 ) 0.85 (MAPbBr 3 ) 0.15 . The mixed perovskite was crystallized on a low-temperature prepared brookite TiO 2 mesoporous scaffold. When exposed to very dilute solvent vapor, small grains in the perovskite film gradually unified into large grains, resulting in grain boundaries which were highly reduced and improvement of photovoltaic performance in PSC. PR-VA-treated large grain perovskite absorbers exhibited stable photocurrent-voltage performance with high fill factor and suppressed hysteresis, achieving the best conversion efficiency of 18.5% for a 5 × 5 mm 2 device and 15.2% for a 1.0 × 1.0 cm 2 device.

Process Research On Polycrystalline Silicon Material (PROPSM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Culik, J. S.; Wohlgemuth, J. H.

1982-01-01

Performance limiting mechanisms in polycrystalline silicon are investigated by fabricating a matrix of solar cells of various thicknesses from polycrystalline silicon wafers of several bulk resistivities. The analysis of the results for the entire matrix indicates that bulk recombination is the dominant factor limiting the short circuit current in large grain (greater than 1 to 2 mm diameter) polycrystalline silicon, the same mechanism that limits the short circuit current in single crystal silicon. An experiment to investigate the limiting mechanisms of open circuit voltage and fill factor for large grain polycrystalline silicon is designed. Two process sequences to fabricate small cells are investigated.

7 CFR 810.103 - Basis of determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN General Provisions Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810.103 Basis of...

7 CFR 810.306 - Nongrade requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Canola-Terms Defined Nongrade Requirements § 810.306 Nongrade...

Genotypic-dependent effects of N fertilizer, glutathione, silicon, zinc, and selenium on proteomic profiles, amino acid contents, and quality of rice genotypes with contrasting grain Cd accumulation.

PubMed

Cao, Fangbin; Fu, Manman; Wang, Runfeng; Cheng, Wangda; Zhang, Guoping; Wu, Feibo

2017-07-01

Soil heavy metal (HM) contamination has posed a serious problem for safe food production. For restricting the translocation of HM into grain, many proteins were regulated to involve in the process. To identify these proteins, 2D-based proteomic analysis was carried out using different rice genotypes with distinct Cd accumulation in grains and as affected by an alleviating regulator (AR) in field experiments. AR application improved grain quality, with increased contents in Glu, Cys, His, Pro, and protein. Twenty-six low-grain HM accumulation-associated protein species were identified and categorized as physiological functions via two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and mass spectrometry. Among these proteins, 8, 9, and 9 proteins exhibited higher accumulation, lower accumulation, and unchanged accumulation, respectively, in Xiushui817 (low accumulator) vs R8097 (high accumulator) under control conditions but showed differential accumulation patterns after AR application. These proteins included sucrose synthase 3, alanine aminotransferase, glutelin, cupin family protein, and zinc finger CCCH domain-containing protein 32. The differential expression of these protein species might contribute to decreased HM accumulation in grain via decreasing the protein accumulation which had high affinity to HM or regulating energy metabolism and signal transduction. Our findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of low-grain HM accumulation in rice and possible utilization of candidate protein species in developing low-grain HM accumulation genotypes.

[Effect of grain-bean package, grain-bean package dietary fiber and single whole grain dietary fiber on dyslipidemia rats].

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Zhai, Chengkai; Sun, Guiju; Zhang, Hong; Jiang, Mingxia; Zhang, Haifeng; Guo, Junling; Lan, Xi

2014-05-01

To observe and compare the effects of grain-bean package, dietary fiber (DF) extracted from grain-bean package, and DF from grain corn on the blood lipids and fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity in high-fat, high-cholesterol feeding induced dyslipidemia rats, and observe its effects on regulation of sterol regulatory element protein-1c (SREBP-1c) mRNA expression in rat liver. Consolidation 50 SD rats of clean grade feeding adaptation for one week, randomly assigned into normal control group, hyperlipidemia model group, grain-bean package group, grain-bean package DF group and grain corn group. Feed with corresponding diets for 8 weeks, and measure the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceridaemia (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), FAS, SREBP-1c mRNA of all groups. Compared with control group, TC, TG, FBG levels of hyperlipidemia model group were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with model group, TC, TG, FBG levels of grain-bean package group, grain-bean package DF group were significantly decreased, HDL-C levels significantly increased, and activity of FAS, regulation of SREBP-1c were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The Grain-bean package dietary fiber can improve blood lipids levels of dyslipidemia rats, and decrease FAS activity and SREBP-1c mRNA expression.

Emergence of a Novel Chimeric Gene Underlying Grain Number in Rice

PubMed Central

Chen, Hao; Tang, Yanyan; Liu, Jianfeng; Tan, Lubin; Jiang, Jiahuan; Wang, Mumu; Zhu, Zuofeng; Sun, Xianyou; Sun, Chuanqing

2017-01-01

Grain number is an important factor in determining grain production of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The molecular genetic basis for grain number is complex. Discovering new genes involved in regulating rice grain number increases our knowledge regarding its molecular mechanisms and aids breeding programs. Here, we identified GRAINS NUMBER 2 (GN2), a novel gene that is responsible for rice grain number, from “Yuanjiang” common wild rice (O. rufipogon Griff.). Transgenic plants overexpressing GN2 showed less grain number, reduced plant height, and later heading date than control plants. Interestingly, GN2 arose through the insertion of a 1094-bp sequence from LOC_Os02g45150 into the third exon of LOC_Os02g56630, and the inserted sequence recruited its nearby sequence to generate the chimeric GN2. The gene structure and expression pattern of GN2 were distinct from those of LOC_Os02g45150 and LOC_Os02g56630. Sequence analysis showed that GN2 may be generated in the natural population of Yuanjiang common wild rice. In this study, we identified a novel functional chimeric gene and also provided information regarding the molecular mechanisms regulating rice grain number. PMID:27986805

Automatic start control for a three-phase electric motor using infrared sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echenique Lima, Mario; Ramírez Arenas, Francisco; Rodríguez Pedroza, Griselda

2006-02-01

We introduce equipment for the automatic activation of a three-phase electric motor (1Hp, 3A, 240V AC) using 2 infrared sensors monitored by a Microchip microcontroller PIC16F62x@4Mhz for the control of a filling system. This project was carried out to Fabrica de Chocolates y Dulces Costanzo, where the automatization of cacao grain supply was required for a machine in charge of cleaning the cacao from its rind. This process demanded the monitoring of the filling level to avoid the spill of toasted cacao.

Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation characterisation of water status of developing grains of maize (Zea mays L.) grown at different nitrogen levels.

PubMed

Krishnan, Prameela; Chopra, Usha Kiran; Verma, Ajay Pal Singh; Joshi, Devendra Kumar; Chand, Ishwar

2014-04-01

Changes in water status of developing grains of maize (Zea mays L.) grown under different nitrogen levels were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. There were distinct changes in water status of grains due to the application of different levels of nitrogen (0, 120 and 180 kg N ha(-1)). A comparison of the grain developmental characteristics, composition and physical properties indicated that, not only the developmental characteristics like grain weight, grain number/ear, and rate of grain filling increased, but also bound water characterized by the T2 component of NMR relaxation increased with nitrogen application (50-70%) and developmental stages leading to maturation (10-60%). The consistency in the patterns of responses to free water and intermediate water to increasing levels of nitrogen application and grain maturity suggested that nitrogen application resulted in more proportion of water to both bound- and intermediate states and less in free state. These changes are further corroborated by the concomitant increases in protein and starch contents in grains from higher nitrogen treatments as macromolecules like protein and starch retain more amount of water in the bound state. The results of the changes in T2 showed that water status during grain development was not only affected by developmental processes but also by nitrogen supply to plants. This study strongly indicated a clear nutrient and developmental stage dependence of grain tissue water status in maize. Copyright © 2013 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of temperature during grain filling on gluten viscoelastic properties and gluten protein composition.

PubMed

Koga, Shiori; Böcker, Ulrike; Moldestad, Anette; Tosi, Paola; Shewry, Peter R; Mosleth, Ellen F; Uhlen, Anne Kjersti

2016-01-15

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low to moderate temperatures on gluten functionality and gluten protein composition. Four spring wheat cultivars were grown in climate chambers with three temperature regimes (day/night temperatures of 13/10, 18/15 and 23/20 °C) during grain filling. The temperature strongly influenced grain weight and protein content. Gluten quality measured by maximum resistance to extension (Rmax ) was highest in three cultivars grown at 13 °C. Rmax was positively correlated with the proportion of sodium dodecyl sulfate-unextractable polymeric proteins (%UPP). The proportions of ω-gliadins and D-type low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) increased and the proportions of α- and γ-gliadins and B-type LMW-GS decreased with higher temperature, while the proportion of high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) was constant between temperatures. The cultivar Berserk had strong and constant Rmax between the different temperatures. Constant low temperature, even as low as 13 °C, had no negative effects on gluten quality. The observed variation in Rmax related to temperature could be explained more by %UPP than by changes in the proportions of HMW-GS or other gluten proteins. The four cultivars responded differently to temperature, as gluten from Berserk was stronger and more stable over a wide range of temperatures. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Unconventional imaging with contained granular media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quadrelli, Marco B.; Basinger, Scott; Sidick, Erkin

2017-09-01

Typically, the cost of a space-borne imaging system is driven by the size and mass of the primary aperture. The solution that we propose uses a method to construct an imaging system in space in which the nonlinear optical properties of a cloud of micron-sized particles, shaped into a specific surface by electromagnetic means, and allows one to form a very large and lightweight aperture of an optical system, hence reducing overall mass and cost. Recent work at JPL has investigated the feasibility of a granular imaging system, concluding that such a system could be built and controlled in orbit. We conducted experiments and simulation of the optical response of a granular lens. In all cases, the optical response, measured by the Modulation Transfer Function, of hexagonal reflectors was closely comparable to that of a conventional spherical mirror. We conducted some further analyses by evaluating the sensitivity to fill factor and grain shape, and found a marked sensitivity to fill factor but no sensitivity to grain shape. We have also found that at fill factors as low as 30%, the reflection from a granular lens is still excellent. Furthermore, we replaced the monolithic primary mirror in an existing integrated model of an optical system (WFIRST Coronagraph) with a granular lens, and found that the granular lens that can be useful for exoplanet detection provides excellent contrast levels. We will present our testbed and simulation results in this paper.

The glycaemic index and insulinaemic index of commercially available breakfast and snack foods in an Asian population.

PubMed

Tan, Wei Shuan Kimberly; Tan, Wei Jie Kevin; Ponnalagu, Shalini D/O; Koecher, Katie; Menon, Ravi; Tan, Sze-Yen; Henry, Christiani J

2018-05-01

A low-glycaemic-index (GI) breakfast has been shown to lower blood glucose levels throughout the day. A wide variety of breakfast foods are consumed, but their GI values are largely unknown, hence limiting consumers' ability to select healthier options. This study investigated the GI values of ten common breakfast (five Asian and five Western) foods in this region using a randomised, cross-over study design. Participants arrived after an overnight fast, and fasting blood sample was taken before participants consumed test foods. Next, blood samples were taken at fixed intervals for 180 min. Glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to test foods were calculated as incremental AUC over 120 min, which were subsequently reported as glycaemic and insulinaemic indices. In all, nineteen healthy men (nine Chinese and ten Indians) aged 24·7 (sem 0·4) years with a BMI of 21·7 (sem 0·4) kg/m2 completed the study. Asian breakfast foods were of medium (white bun filled with red bean paste=58 (sem 4); Chinese steamed white bun=58 (sem 3)) to high GI (rice idli=85 (sem 4); rice dosa=76 (sem 5); upma=71 (sem 6)), whereas Western breakfast foods were all of low GI (whole-grain biscuit=54 (sem 5); whole-grain biscuit filled with peanut butter=44 (sem 3); whole-grain oat muesli=55 (sem 4); whole-grain oat protein granola=51 (sem 4); whole-grain protein cereal=49 (sem 3)). The GI of test foods negatively correlated with protein (r s -0·366), fat (r s -0·268) and dietary fibre (r s -0·422) (all P<0·001). GI values from this study contribute to the worldwide GI database, and may assist healthcare professionals in recommending low-GI breakfast to assist in lower daily glycaemia among Asians who are susceptible to type 2 diabetes mellitus.

7 CFR 810.1203 - Basis of determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Rye Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810.1203 Basis...

7 CFR 810.1003 - Basis of determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Oats Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810.1003...

7 CFR 810.203 - Basis of determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Barley Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810.203...

7 CFR 810.604 - Grades and grade requirements for flaxseed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 810.604 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Flaxseed Grades and Grade...

7 CFR 810.1405 - Special grades and special grade requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

....1405 Section 810.1405 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Sorghum Special Grades and...

7 CFR 810.1603 - Basis of determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Soybeans Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810.1603...

7 CFR 810.603 - Basis of determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Flaxseed Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810.603...

7 CFR 810.1204 - Grades and grade requirements for rye.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 810.1204 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Rye Principles Governing the...

7 CFR 810.207 - Special grades and special grade requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 810.207 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Barley Special Grades and Special...

7 CFR 810.1004 - Grades and grade requirements for oats.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 810.1004 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Oats Principles Governing the...

7 CFR 810.105 - Grades and grade requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN General Provisions Grades, Grade Requirements, and Grade Designations § 810.105 Grades and grade...

Estimation of phenotypic variability in symbiotic nitrogen fixation ability of common bean under drought stress using 15N natural abundance in grain.

PubMed

Polania, Jose; Poschenrieder, Charlotte; Rao, Idupulapati; Beebe, Stephen

2016-09-01

Common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important food legume, cultivated by small farmers and is usually exposed to unfavorable conditions with minimum use of inputs. Drought and low soil fertility, especially phosphorus and nitrogen (N) deficiencies, are major limitations to bean yield in smallholder systems. Beans can derive part of their required N from the atmosphere through symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF). Drought stress severely limits SNF ability of plants. The main objectives of this study were to: (i) test and validate the use of 15 N natural abundance in grain to quantify phenotypic differences in SNF ability for its implementation in breeding programs of common bean with bush growth habit aiming to improve SNF, and (ii) quantify phenotypic differences in SNF under drought to identify superior genotypes that could serve as parents. Field studies were conducted at CIAT-Palmira, Colombia using a set of 36 bean genotypes belonging to the Middle American gene pool for evaluation in two seasons with two levels of water supply (irrigated and drought stress). We used 15 N natural abundance method to compare SNF ability estimated from shoot tissue sampled at mid-pod filling growth stage vs. grain tissue sampled at harvest. Our results showed positive and significant correlation between nitrogen derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) estimated using shoot tissue at mid-pod filling and %Ndfa estimated using grain tissue at harvest. Both methods showed phenotypic variability in SNF ability under both drought and irrigated conditions and a significant reduction in SNF ability was observed under drought stress. We suggest that the method of estimating Ndfa using grain tissue (Ndfa-G) could be applied in bean breeding programs to improve SNF ability. Using this method of Ndfa-G, we identified four bean lines (RCB 593, SEA 15, NCB 226 and BFS 29) that combine greater SNF ability with greater grain yield under drought stress and these could serve as potential parents to further improve SNF ability of common bean.

49 CFR 1039.10 - Exemption of agricultural commodities except grain, soybeans, and sunflower seeds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Exemption of agricultural commodities except grain, soybeans, and sunflower seeds. 1039.10 Section 1039.10 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS EXEMPTIONS § 1039.10 Exemption...

49 CFR 1039.10 - Exemption of agricultural commodities except grain, soybeans, and sunflower seeds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Exemption of agricultural commodities except grain, soybeans, and sunflower seeds. 1039.10 Section 1039.10 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS EXEMPTIONS § 1039.10 Exemption...

49 CFR 1039.10 - Exemption of agricultural commodities except grain, soybeans, and sunflower seeds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Exemption of agricultural commodities except grain, soybeans, and sunflower seeds. 1039.10 Section 1039.10 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS EXEMPTIONS § 1039.10 Exemption...

49 CFR 1039.10 - Exemption of agricultural commodities except grain, soybeans, and sunflower seeds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Exemption of agricultural commodities except grain, soybeans, and sunflower seeds. 1039.10 Section 1039.10 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS EXEMPTIONS § 1039.10 Exemption...

Zn uptake, translocation and grain Zn loading in rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes selected for Zn deficiency tolerance and high grain Zn

PubMed Central

Impa, Somayanda M.; Morete, Mark J.; Ismail, Abdelbagi M.; Schulin, Rainer; Johnson-Beebout, Sarah E.

2013-01-01

Zn deficiency is a widespread problem in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown under flooded conditions, limiting growth and grain Zn accumulation. Genotypes with Zn deficiency tolerance or high grain Zn have been identified in breeding programmes, but little is known about the physiological mechanisms conferring these traits. A protocol was developed for growing rice to maturity in agar nutrient solution (ANS), with optimum Zn-sufficient growth achieved at 1.5 μM ZnSO4.7H2O. The redox potential in ANS showed a decrease from +350 mV to −200 mV, mimicking the reduced conditions of flooded paddy soils. In subsequent experiments, rice genotypes contrasting for Zn deficiency tolerance and grain Zn were grown in ANS with sufficient and deficient Zn to assess differences in root uptake of Zn, root-to-shoot Zn translocation, and in the predominant sources of Zn accumulation in the grain. Zn efficiency of a genotype was highly influenced by root-to-shoot translocation of Zn and total Zn uptake. Translocation of Zn from root to shoot was more limiting at later growth stages than at the vegetative stage. Under Zn-sufficient conditions, continued root uptake during the grain-filling stage was the predominant source of grain Zn loading in rice, whereas, under Zn-deficient conditions, some genotypes demonstrated remobilization of Zn from shoot and root to grain in addition to root uptake. Understanding the mechanisms of grain Zn loading in rice is crucial in selecting high grain Zn donors for target-specific breeding and also to establish fertilizer and water management strategies for achieving high grain Zn. PMID:23698631

The nondetection of continuum radiation from Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock (1983d) at 2- to 6-cm wavelengths and its implication on the icy-grain halo theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Pater, I.; Wade, C. M.; Houpis, H. L. F.; Palmer, P.

1985-01-01

The Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock was observed with the VLA at 6 and 2 cm, when the comet was at geocentric distances of 0.08 and 0.035 AU, respectively, and the results are discussed. The three sigma upper limits to the flux density are 90 and 750 micro-Jy at the two wavelengths, respectively, values fully two orders of magnitude below the flux densities predicted by the icy-grain halo theory as initially developed. The corrected theory also indicates that the icy grain halo theory does not give an adequate description of the cometary environment. It is shown that the halo is either very optically thin, with a filling factor of the order of 10 to the -5th, or that the maximum size of the grain that can be lifted off the nuclear surface is only of the order of 10-100 microns.

High mature grain phytase activity in the Triticeae has evolved by duplication followed by neofunctionalization of the purple acid phosphatase phytase (PAPhy) gene

PubMed Central

Brinch-Pedersen, Henrik

2013-01-01

The phytase activity in food and feedstuffs is an important nutritional parameter. Members of the Triticeae tribe accumulate purple acid phosphatase phytases (PAPhy) during grain filling. This accumulation elevates mature grain phytase activities (MGPA) up to levels between ~650 FTU/kg for barley and 6000 FTU/kg for rye. This is notably more than other cereals. For instance, rice, maize, and oat have MGPAs below 100 FTU/kg. The cloning and characterization of the PAPhy gene complement from wheat, barley, rye, einkorn, and Aegilops tauschii is reported here. The Triticeae PAPhy genes generally consist of a set of paralogues, PAPhy_a and PAPhy_b, and have been mapped to Triticeae chromosomes 5 and 3, respectively. The promoters share a conserved core but the PAPhy_a promoter have acquired a novel cis-acting regulatory element for expression during grain filling while the PAPhy_b promoter has maintained the archaic function and drives expression during germination. Brachypodium is the only sequenced Poaceae sharing the PAPhy duplication. As for the Triticeae, the duplication is reflected in a high MGPA of ~4200 FTU/kg in Brachypodium. The sequence conservation of the paralogous loci on Brachypodium chromosomes 1 and 2 does not extend beyond the PAPhy gene. The results indicate that a single-gene segmental duplication may have enabled the evolution of high MGPA by creating functional redundancy of the parent PAPhy gene. This implies that similar MGPA levels may be out of reach in breeding programs for some Poaceae, e.g. maize and rice, whereas Triticeae breeders should focus on PAPhy_a. PMID:23918958

7 CFR 810.102 - Definition of other terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN General Provisions Terms Defined § 810.102 Definition of other terms. Unless otherwise stated, the...

Regulation of Zn and Fe transporters by the GPC1 gene during early wheat monocarpic senescence.

PubMed

Pearce, Stephen; Tabbita, Facundo; Cantu, Dario; Buffalo, Vince; Avni, Raz; Vazquez-Gross, Hans; Zhao, Rongrong; Conley, Christopher J; Distelfeld, Assaf; Dubcovksy, Jorge

2014-12-19

During wheat senescence, leaf components are degraded in a coordinated manner, releasing amino acids and micronutrients which are subsequently transported to the developing grain. We have previously shown that the simultaneous downregulation of Grain Protein Content (GPC) transcription factors, GPC1 and GPC2, greatly delays senescence and disrupts nutrient remobilization, and therefore provide a valuable entry point to identify genes involved in micronutrient transport to the wheat grain. We generated loss-of-function mutations for GPC1 and GPC2 in tetraploid wheat and showed in field trials that gpc1 mutants exhibit significant delays in senescence and reductions in grain Zn and Fe content, but that mutations in GPC2 had no significant effect on these traits. An RNA-seq study of these mutants at different time points showed a larger proportion of senescence-regulated genes among the GPC1 (64%) than among the GPC2 (37%) regulated genes. Combined, the two GPC genes regulate a subset (21.2%) of the senescence-regulated genes, 76.1% of which are upregulated at 12 days after anthesis, before the appearance of any visible signs of senescence. Taken together, these results demonstrate that GPC1 is a key regulator of nutrient remobilization which acts predominantly during the early stages of senescence. Genes upregulated at this stage include transporters from the ZIP and YSL gene families, which facilitate Zn and Fe export from the cytoplasm to the phloem, and genes involved in the biosynthesis of chelators that facilitate the phloem-based transport of these nutrients to the grains. This study provides an overview of the transport mechanisms activated in the wheat flag leaf during monocarpic senescence. It also identifies promising targets to improve nutrient remobilization to the wheat grain, which can help mitigate Zn and Fe deficiencies that afflict many regions of the developing world.

Drought Response in the Spikes of Barley: Gene Expression in the Lemma, Palea, Awn, and Seed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The photosynthetic organs of the barley spike (lemma, palea, and awn) are considered resistant to drought. This is a beneficial trait because they can sustain grain-filling when drought occurs at the reproductive stage. However, there is little information about gene expression in the spike organs u...

Mapping QTL for the traits associated with heat tolerance in Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High temperature (heat) stress during grain filling is a major problem in most of the wheat growing areas. Developing heat-tolerant cultivars is becoming a principal breeding goal in the Southern and Central Great Plain areas of USA. Traits associated with high temperature tolerance can be used to d...

Filling America's fiber intake gap: Summary of a roundtable to probe realistic solutions with a focus on grain-based foods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Current fiber intakes are alarmingly low, with long-term implications for public health related to risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, certain gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, and the continuum of metabolic dysfunctions including prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. With more than ...

Physiology and transcriptomics of water-deficit stress responses in wheat cultivars TAM 111 and TAM 112

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hard red winter wheat crops on the U.S. Southern Great Plains often experience moderate to severe drought stress, especially during the grain filling stage, resulting in significant yield losses. Among popular commercial varieties, TAM 111 and TAM 112 showed a superior adaptation to water-deficit c...

Report of the 64th National Conference on Weights and Measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wollin, H. F.; Babeoq, L. E.; Heffernan, A. P.

1980-03-01

Major issues discussed at this conference include metric conversion in the United States, particularly the conversion of gasoline dispensers, problems relating to the quantity fill of packaged commodities especially as affected by moisture loss and statistical approach to package checking. Federal grain inspection, and a legal metrology control system are also discussed.

Identification of quantitative trait loci for grain quality in an advanced backcross population derived from the Oryza sativa variety IR64 and the wild relative O. rufipogon.

PubMed

Septiningsih, E M; Trijatmiko, K R; Moeljopawiro, S; McCouch, S R

2003-11-01

The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with grain quality in rice. Two hundred eighty-five BC(2)F(2 )families developed from an interspecific cross between cv IR64 and Oryza rufipogon (IRGC 105491) were evaluated for 14 seed quality traits. A total of 165 markers consisting of 131 single sequence repeats and 34 restriction fragment length polymorphism markers were used to create a genetic linkage map spanning the 12 rice chromosomes. Twenty-three independent QTLs were identified using single point analysis, interval mapping, and composite interval mapping. These loci consisted of one QTL for filled rough/total rough rice ratio, two for grain density, one for percentage of de-husked rice grains, two for percentage of green rice grains, three for percentage of damaged-yellow rice grains, two for percentage of red rice grains, one for milled rice recovery, three for head rice recovery, four for broken rice grains, two for crushed rice grains, one for amylose content, and one for gel consistency. For most of the QTLs identified in this study, the O. rufipogon-derived allele contributed an undesirable effect. For amylose content and gel consistency, the O. rufipogon allele may be useful in an IR64 background, depending on the cultural preferences of the consumer. Careful selection against the regions associated with negative effects will be required to avoid unwanted grain quality characteristics during the development of improved varieties for yield and yield components using introgressions from O. rufipogon.

In-depth analysis of chloride treatments for thin-film CdTe solar cells

PubMed Central

Major, J. D.; Al Turkestani, M.; Bowen, L.; Brossard, M.; Li, C.; Lagoudakis, P.; Pennycook, S. J.; Phillips, L. J.; Treharne, R. E.; Durose, K.

2016-01-01

CdTe thin-film solar cells are now the main industrially established alternative to silicon-based photovoltaics. These cells remain reliant on the so-called chloride activation step in order to achieve high conversion efficiencies. Here, by comparison of effective and ineffective chloride treatments, we show the main role of the chloride process to be the modification of grain boundaries through chlorine accumulation, which leads an increase in the carrier lifetime. It is also demonstrated that while improvements in fill factor and short circuit current may be achieved through use of the ineffective chlorides, or indeed simple air annealing, voltage improvement is linked directly to chlorine incorporation at the grain boundaries. This suggests that focus on improved or more controlled grain boundary treatments may provide a route to achieving higher cell voltages and thus efficiencies. PMID:27775037

Wheat seed transcriptome reveals genes controlling key traits for human preference and crop adaptation.

PubMed

Henry, Robert J; Furtado, Agnelo; Rangan, Parimalan

2018-05-17

Analysis of the transcriptome of the developing wheat grain has associated expression of genes with traits involving production (e.g. yield) and quality (e.g. bread quality). Photosynthesis in the grain may be important in retaining carbon that would be lost in respiration during grain filling and may contribute to yield in the late stages of seed formation under warm and dry environments. A small number of genes have been identified as having been selected by humans to optimize the performance of wheat for foods such as bread. Genes determining flour yield in milling have been discovered. Hardness is explained by variations in expression of pin genes. Knowledge of these genes should dramatically improve the efficiency of breeding better climate adapted wheat genotypes. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Optimization of droplets for UV-NIL using coarse-grain simulation of resist flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirotkin, Vadim; Svintsov, Alexander; Zaitsev, Sergey

2009-03-01

A mathematical model and numerical method are described, which make it possible to simulate ultraviolet ("step and flash") nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) process adequately even using standard Personal Computers. The model is derived from 3D Navier-Stokes equations with the understanding that the resist motion is largely directed along the substrate surface and characterized by ultra-low values of the Reynolds number. By the numerical approximation of the model, a special finite difference method is applied (a coarse-grain method). A coarse-grain modeling tool for detailed analysis of resist spreading in UV-NIL at the structure-scale level is tested. The obtained results demonstrate the high ability of the tool to calculate optimal dispensing for given stamp design and process parameters. This dispensing provides uniform filled areas and a homogeneous residual layer thickness in UV-NIL.

7 CFR 800.216 - Activities that shall be monitored.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... REGULATIONS Supervision, Monitoring, and Equipment Testing § 800.216 Activities that shall be monitored. (a...) Grain merchandising activities. Grain merchandising activities subject to monitoring for compliance with.... Grain handling activities subject to monitoring for compliance with the Act include but are not limited...

7 CFR 800.216 - Activities that shall be monitored.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... REGULATIONS Supervision, Monitoring, and Equipment Testing § 800.216 Activities that shall be monitored. (a...) Grain merchandising activities. Grain merchandising activities subject to monitoring for compliance with.... Grain handling activities subject to monitoring for compliance with the Act include but are not limited...

7 CFR 800.216 - Activities that shall be monitored.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... REGULATIONS Supervision, Monitoring, and Equipment Testing § 800.216 Activities that shall be monitored. (a...) Grain merchandising activities. Grain merchandising activities subject to monitoring for compliance with.... Grain handling activities subject to monitoring for compliance with the Act include but are not limited...

7 CFR 800.216 - Activities that shall be monitored.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... REGULATIONS Supervision, Monitoring, and Equipment Testing § 800.216 Activities that shall be monitored. (a...) Grain merchandising activities. Grain merchandising activities subject to monitoring for compliance with.... Grain handling activities subject to monitoring for compliance with the Act include but are not limited...

Complex phylogeny and gene expression patterns of members of the NITRATE TRANSPORTER 1/PEPTIDE TRANSPORTER family (NPF) in wheat

PubMed Central

Buchner, Peter; Hawkesford, Malcolm J.

2014-01-01

NPF (formerly referred to as low-affinity NRT1) and ‘high-affinity’ NRT2 nitrate transporter genes are involved in nitrate uptake by the root, and transport and distribution of nitrate within the plant. The NPF gene family consists of 53 members in Arabidopsis thaliana, however only 11 of these have been functionally characterized. Although homologous genes have been identified in genomes of different plant species including some cereals, there is little information available for wheat (Triticum aestivum). Sixteen genes were identified in wheat homologous to characterized Arabidopsis low-affinity nitrate transporter NPF genes, suggesting a complex wheat NPF gene family. The regulation of wheat NFP genes by plant N-status indicated involvement of these transporters in substrate transport in relation to N-metabolism. The complex expression pattern in relation to tissue specificity, nitrate availability and senescence may be associated with the complex growth patterns of wheat depending on sink/source demands, as well as remobilization during grain filling. PMID:24913625

Fluid distribution in grain boundaries of natural fine-grained rock salt deformed at low differential stress (Qom Kuh salt fountain, central Iran): Implications for rheology and transport properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desbois, Guillaume; Urai, Janos L.; de Bresser, Johannes H. P.

2012-10-01

We used a combination of broad ion beam cross-sectioning and cryogenic SEM to image polished surfaces and corresponding pairs of fractured grain boundaries in an investigation of grain boundary microstructures and fluid distribution in naturally deformed halite from the Qom Kuh salt glacier (central Iran). At the scale of observations, four types of fluid-filled grain boundary can be distinguished by morphology (from straight to wavy), thickness (from 5000 to 50 nm) and the presence of fluid inclusions. The mobility of the brine is shown after cutting the inclusions by broad ion beam (BIB) in vacuum and fine-grained halite forms efflorescence and precipitates on internal walls of inclusions. At cryogenic temperature, grain boundary brine is shown either as continuous film or in isolated inclusions. The halite-halite grain boundary between isolated fluid inclusions is interpreted to have formed by fluid-assisted grain boundary healing. Preliminary experiments on the samples at shear stress conditions of natural salt glacier show very slow strain rates (7.4 × 10-10 s-1 and 1 × 10-9 s-1), which are less than expected for pressure solution creep. Both microstructures and deformation experiments suggest interfacial energy-driven grain boundary healing and therefore rendering inactive the pressure solution creep in our samples. This result disagrees with previous microstructural studies of the same sample, which showed microstructural evidence for pressure solution (and dislocation creep). Different explanations are discussed, which imply that both healing and reactivation of grain boundaries are important in salt glaciers, leading to heterogeneous distribution of deformation mechanisms and strain rates in both space and time.

7 CFR 800.96 - Weighing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... laws. (3) Dust. If dust is removed during the handling of grain, the weight certificate shall not be adjusted to reflect the weight of the removed dust. (4) Commingled carriers. If grain from two or more... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD...

Specific surface area as a maturity index of lunar fines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gammage, R. B.; Holmes, H. F.

1975-01-01

Mature surface fines have an equilibrium specific surface area of about 0.6 sq m/g the equivalent mean particle size being about 3 microns. The adsorption behavior of inert gases (reversible isotherms) indicates that the particles are also nonporous in the size range of pores from 10 to 3000 A. Apparently, in mature soils there is a balance in the forces which cause fining, attrition, pore filling, and growth of lunar dust grains. Immature, lightly irradiated soils usually have coarser grains which reduce in size as aging proceeds. The specific surface area, determined by nitrogen or krypton sorption at 77 K, is a valuable index of soil maturity.

Effects of water deficit on breadmaking quality and storage protein compositions in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Zhou, Jiaxing; Liu, Dongmiao; Deng, Xiong; Zhen, Shoumin; Wang, Zhimin; Yan, Yueming

2018-03-12

Water deficiency affects grain proteome dynamics and storage protein compositions, resulting in changes in gluten viscoelasticity. In this study, the effects of field water deficit on wheat breadmaking quality and grain storage proteins were investigated. Water deficiency produced a shorter grain-filling period, a decrease in grain number, grain weight and grain yield, a reduced starch granule size and increased protein content and glutenin macropolymer contents, resulting in superior dough properties and breadmaking quality. Reverse phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that the total gliadin and glutenin content and the accumulation of individual components were significantly increased by water deficiency. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis detected 144 individual storage protein spots with significant accumulation changes in developing grains under water deficit. Comparative proteomic analysis revealed that water deficiency resulted in significant upregulation of 12 gliadins, 12 high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits and 46 low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the expression of storage protein biosynthesis-related transcription factors Dof and Spa was upregulated by water deficiency. The present results illustrated that water deficiency leads to increased accumulation of storage protein components and upregulated expression of Dof and Spa, resulting in an improvement in glutenin strength and breadmaking quality. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Post-anthesis nitrate uptake is critical to yield and grain protein content in Sorghum bicolor.

PubMed

Worland, Belinda; Robinson, Nicole; Jordan, David; Schmidt, Susanne; Godwin, Ian

2017-09-01

Crops only use ∼50% of applied nitrogen (N) fertilizer creating N losses and pollution. Plants need to efficiently uptake and utilize N to meet growing global food demands. Here we investigate how the supply and timing of nitrate affects N status and yield in Sorghum bicolor (sorghum). Sorghum was grown in pots with either 10mM (High) or 1mM (Low) nitrate supply. Shortly before anthesis the nitrate supply was either maintained, increased 10-fold or eliminated. Leaf sheaths of sorghum grown with High nitrate accumulated nitrate in concentrations >3-times higher than leaves. Removal of nitrate supply pre-anthesis resulted in the rapid reduction of stored nitrate in all organs. Plants receiving a 10-fold increase in nitrate supply pre-anthesis achieved similar grain yield and protein content and 29% larger grains than those maintained on High nitrate, despite receiving 24% less nitrate over the whole growth period. In sorghum, plant available N is important throughout development, particularly anthesis and grain filling, for grain yield and grain protein content. Nitrate accumulation in leaf sheaths presents opportunities for the genetic analysis of mechanisms behind nitrate storage and remobilization in sorghum to improve N use efficiency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

A generalized threshold model for computing bed load grain size distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Recking, Alain

2016-12-01

For morphodynamic studies, it is important to compute not only the transported volumes of bed load, but also the size of the transported material. A few bed load equations compute fractional transport (i.e., both the volume and grain size distribution), but many equations compute only the bulk transport (a volume) with no consideration of the transported grain sizes. To fill this gap, a method is proposed to compute the bed load grain size distribution separately to the bed load flux. The method is called the Generalized Threshold Model (GTM), because it extends the flow competence method for threshold of motion of the largest transported grain size to the full bed surface grain size distribution. This was achieved by replacing dimensional diameters with their size indices in the standard hiding function, which offers a useful framework for computation, carried out for each indices considered in the range [1, 100]. New functions are also proposed to account for partial transport. The method is very simple to implement and is sufficiently flexible to be tested in many environments. In addition to being a good complement to standard bulk bed load equations, it could also serve as a framework to assist in analyzing the physics of bed load transport in future research.

Evidence of phase nucleation during olivine diffusion creep: a new perspective for mantle strain localisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Précigout, Jacques; Stünitz, Holger

2017-04-01

Mantle strain localisation is of great importance for lithosphere dynamics, but the cause for this phenomenon remains very elusive, particularly in conditions of the strong and ductile uppermost mantle. In these latter, grain size reduction leading to diffusion creep in olivine is believed to be one of the best candidates to account for strain localisation. However, the mechanisms of grain size reduction in this regime are still poorly understood. Here we show the results of Griggs-type experiments that document grain size reduction and material weakening during wet olivine diffusion creep at 900 °C and 1.2 GPa. While occurring for both, mono-phase and two-phase aggregates, grain size reduction is coeval with strain localisation and local phase mixing in olivine-pyroxene aggregates. Based on evidence of fluid inclusions and cracks filled with a fine-grained phase mixture, we conclude that grain size reduces as a result of fluid-assisted nucleation. Cavitation induced by grain boundary sliding (creep cavitation) can be inferred, and may play a critical role for olivine grain size reduction. Amongst their implications for rock rheology in general, our findings highlight a key process for strain localisation in the ductile uppermost mantle. This study has been published under the reference: "Précigout, J., and Stünitz, H. (2016) Evidence of phase nucleation during olivine diffusion creep: a new perspective for mantle strain localisation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 455: 94-105, doi:101016/j.epsl.2016.09.029".

Combination of Eight Alleles at Four Quantitative Trait Loci Determines Grain Length in Rice

PubMed Central

Zeng, Yuxiang; Ji, Zhijuan; Wen, Zhihua; Liang, Yan; Yang, Changdeng

2016-01-01

Grain length is an important quantitative trait in rice (Oryza sativa L.) that influences both grain yield and exterior quality. Although many quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for grain length have been identified, it is still unclear how different alleles from different QTLs regulate grain length coordinately. To explore the mechanisms of QTL combination in the determination of grain length, five mapping populations, including two F2 populations, an F3 population, an F7 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, and an F8 RIL population, were developed from the cross between the U.S. tropical japonica variety ‘Lemont’ and the Chinese indica variety ‘Yangdao 4’ and grown under different environmental conditions. Four QTLs (qGL-3-1, qGL-3-2, qGL-4, and qGL-7) for grain length were detected using both composite interval mapping and multiple interval mapping methods in the mapping populations. In each locus, there was an allele from one parent that increased grain length and another allele from another parent that decreased it. The eight alleles in the four QTLs were analyzed to determine whether these alleles act additively across loci, and lead to a linear relationship between the predicted breeding value of QTLs and phenotype. Linear regression analysis suggested that the combination of eight alleles determined grain length. Plants carrying more grain length-increasing alleles had longer grain length than those carrying more grain length-decreasing alleles. This trend was consistent in all five mapping populations and demonstrated the regulation of grain length by the four QTLs. Thus, these QTLs are ideal resources for modifying grain length in rice. PMID:26942914

Preservation of intragranular porosity within the Harrodsburg limestone (Middle Mississippian), Newtonville Consolidated Field, Spencer County, Indiana

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rupp, J.A.

Porosity preservation in the reservoir rocks within the Harrodsburg Limestone pool of the Newtonville Consolidated field, Spencer County, Indiana, is a function of both primary facies distribution and inhibited pore-filling sparry calcite cementation. Reservoir facies of the Harrodsburg mark the initial shallow-water phase in an overall shoaling-upward, prograding ramp succession beginning with deep basinal clastic sequences of shales and turbidites (early middle Mississippian) and culminating with sabkha and shallow marine carbonate deposits (middle middle Mississippian). Grainstones composed of bryozoans and pelmatozoan bioclasts were deposited oN the lower shoreface of a southwestward-deepening ramp in southern Indiana. Lateral distribution of coarse-grained, well-winnowed,more » southwestward and downdip-trending carbonate sequences was controlled by the undulatory and digitate nature of the ramp. Primary intragranular and minor intergranual porosity was preserved as early marine phreatic cementation created a rigid framework of grains resistant to further solution compaction. Fine-grained euhedral dolomite within proximal wackestones and mudstones formed as the product of a paleohydrologic system composed of plumes of fresh water that extended down through grainstone bodies and formed a periperhal zone of mixed meteoric and marine phreatic waters. Later coarse sparry calcite cement within peripheral grainstones resulted from burial cementation. Lack of significant water-filled porosity off the depositional structure indicates that the early presence of hydrocarbons within the primary pore system inhibited further cementation.« less

Embryo and endosperm development in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) kernels subjected to drought stress.

PubMed

Fábián, Attila; Jäger, Katalin; Rakszegi, Mariann; Barnabás, Beáta

2011-04-01

The aim of the present work was to reveal the histological alterations triggered in developing wheat kernels by soil drought stress during early seed development resulting in yield losses at harvest. For this purpose, observations were made on the effect of drought stress, applied in a controlled environment from the 5th to the 9th day after pollination, on the kernel morphology, starch content and grain yield of the drought-sensitive Cappelle Desprez and drought-tolerant Plainsman V winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties. As a consequence of water withdrawal, there was a decrease in the size of the embryos and the number of A-type starch granules deposited in the endosperm, while the development of aleurone cells and the degradation of the cell layers surrounding the ovule were significantly accelerated in both genotypes. In addition, the number of B-type starch granules per cell was significantly reduced. Drought stress affected the rate of grain filling shortened the grain-filling and ripening period and severely reduced the yield. With respect to the recovery of vegetative tissues, seed set and yield, the drought-tolerant Plainsman V responded significantly better to drought stress than Cappelle Desprez. The reduction in the size of the mature embryos was significantly greater in the sensitive genotype. Compared to Plainsman V, the endosperm cells of Cappelle Desprez accumulated significantly fewer B-type starch granules. In stressed kernels of the tolerant genotype, the accumulation of protein bodies occurred significantly earlier than in the sensitive variety.

High-zinc rice as a breakthrough for high nutritional rice breeding program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barokah, U.; Susanto, U.; Swamy, M.; Djoar, D. W.; Parjanto

2018-03-01

WHO reported climate change already takes 150,000 casualties annually, due to the emergence of various diseases and malnutrition caused by food shortages and disasters. Rice is the staple food for almost all of Indonesian citizens, therefore Zn biofortification on rice is expected to be effective, efficient, massive, and sustainable to overcome the Zn nutritional deficiency. This study aims to identify rice with high Zn content and yield for further effort in releasing this variety. Ten lines along with two varieties as a comparison (Ciherang and Inpari 5 Merawu) were tested in Plumbon Village, Mojolaban Subdistrict, Sukoharjo Regency during February-May 2017. The experiment was designed in a Randomized Completely Block Design with four replications on a 4 m x 5 m area, with 25 cm x 25 cm plant spacing using seedling transplanting techniques of 21 days old seeds. The results showed that the plant genotypes treated had differences in yield characteristics, heading date, harvest age, panicle number, filled and un-filled grain per panicle, seed set, 1000 grains weight, Zn and Iron (Fe) content in rice grain. B13884-MR-29-1-1 line (30.94 ppm Zn, 15.84 ppm Fe, 4.11 ton/ha yield) and IR 97477- 115-1-CRB-0-SKI-1-SKI-0-2 (29.61 ppm Zn, 13.49 ppm Zn, 4.4 ton/ha yield) are prospective variety to be released. Ciherang had Zn content of 23.04 ppm, 11.93 ppm Fe, and yield of 4.07 t/ha.

Sugar homeostasis mediated by cell wall invertase GRAIN INCOMPLETE FILLING 1 (GIF1) plays a role in pre-existing and induced defence in rice.

PubMed

Sun, Li; Yang, Dong-lei; Kong, Yu; Chen, Ying; Li, Xiao-Zun; Zeng, Long-Jun; Li, Qun; Wang, Er-Tao; He, Zu-Hua

2014-02-01

Sugar metabolism and sugar signalling are not only critical for plant growth and development, but are also important for stress responses. However, how sugar homeostasis is involved in plant defence against pathogen attack in the model crop rice remains largely unknown. In this study, we observed that the grains of gif1, a loss-of-function mutant of the cell wall invertase gene GRAIN INCOMPLETE FILLING 1 (GIF1), were hypersusceptible to postharvest fungal pathogens, with decreased levels of sugars and a thinner glume cell wall in comparison with the wild-type. Interestingly, constitutive expression of GIF1 enhanced resistance to both the rice bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. The GIF1-overexpressing (GIF1-OE) plants accumulated higher levels of glucose, fructose and sucrose compared with the wild-type plants. More importantly, higher levels of callose were deposited in GIF1-OE plants during pathogen infection. Moreover, the cell wall was much thicker in the infection sites of the GIF1-OE plants when compared with the wild-type plants. We also found that defence-related genes were constitutively activated in the GIF1-OE plants. Taken together, our study reveals that sugar homeostasis mediated by GIF1 plays an important role in constitutive and induced physical and chemical defence. © 2013 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

Prediction of the As-Cast Structure of Al-4.0 Wt Pct Cu Ingots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadein, Mahmoud; Wu, M.; Li, J. H.; Schumacher, P.; Ludwig, A.

2013-06-01

A two-stage simulation strategy is proposed to predict the as-cast structure. During the first stage, a 3-phase model is used to simulate the mold-filling process by considering the nucleation, the initial growth of globular equiaxed crystals and the transport of the crystals. The three considered phases are the melt, air and globular equiaxed crystals. In the second stage, a 5-phase mixed columnar-equiaxed solidification model is used to simulate the formation of the as-cast structure including the distinct columnar and equiaxed zones, columnar-to-equiaxed transition, grain size distribution, macrosegregation, etc. The five considered phases are the extradendritic melt, the solid dendrite, the interdendritic melt inside the equiaxed grains, the solid dendrite, and the interdendritic melt inside the columnar grains. The extra- and interdendritic melts are treated as separate phases. In order to validate the above strategy, laboratory ingots (Al-4.0 wt pct Cu) are poured and analyzed, and a good agreement with the numerical predictions is achieved. The origin of the equiaxed crystals by the "big-bang" theory is verified to play a key role in the formation of the as-cast structure, especially for the castings poured at a low pouring temperature. A single-stage approach that only uses the 5-phase mixed columnar-equiaxed solidification model and ignores the mold filling can predict satisfactory results for a casting poured at high temperature, but it delivers false results for the casting poured at low temperature.

Physiology and transcriptomics of water-deficit stress responses in wheat cultivars TAM 111 and TAM 112

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hard red winter wheat crops on the U.S. Southern Great Plains often experience moderate to severe drought stress, especially during the grain filling stage, resulting in significant yield losses. Cultivars TAM 111 and TAM 112 are widely cultivated in the region, share parentage and showed superior b...

Increased Night Temperature Negatively Affects Grain Yield, Biomass and Grain Number in Chilean Quinoa

PubMed Central

Lesjak, Jurka; Calderini, Daniel F.

2017-01-01

Quinoa high nutritive value increases interest worldwide, especially as a crop that could potentially feature in different cropping systems, however, climate change, particularly rising temperatures, challenges this and other crop species. Currently, only limited knowledge exists regarding the grain yield and other key traits response to higher temperatures of this crop, especially to increased night temperatures. In this context, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of increased night temperature on quinoa yield, grain number, individual grain weight and processes involved in crop growth under the environmental conditions (control treatment) and night thermal increase at two phases: flowering (T1) and grain filling (T2) in southern Chile. A commercial genotype, Regalona, and a quinoa accession (Cod. BO5, N°191, grain bank from Semillas Baer, hereby referred to as Accession) were used, due to their adaptability to Southern Chilean conditions and contrasting grain yield potential, grain weight and size of plants. Temperature was increased ≈4°C above the ambient from 8 pm until 9 am the next morning. Control treatments reached a high grain yield (600 and 397 g m-2, i.e., Regalona and Accession). Temperature increase reduced grain yield by 31% under T1 treatment and 12% when under T2 in Regalona and 23 and 26% in Accession, respectively. Aboveground biomass was negatively affected by the thermal treatments and a positive linear association was found between grain yield and aboveground biomass across treatments. By contrast, the harvest index was unaffected either by genotype, or by thermal treatments. Grain number was significantly affected between treatments and this key trait was linearly associated with grain yield. On the other hand, grain weight showed a narrow range of variation across treatments. Additionally, leaf area index was not affected, but significant differences were found in SPAD values at the end of T1 treatment, compared to control. Little change was found in the harvest index, individual grain weight, grain protein content or water soluble carbohydrates in response to the increased night temperature in this crop. PMID:28386266

In-depth analysis of chloride treatments for thin-film CdTe solar cells

DOE PAGES

Major, J. D.; Al Turkestani, M.; Bowen, L.; ...

2016-10-24

CdTe thin-film solar cells are now the main industrially established alternative to silicon-based photovoltaics. These cells remain reliant on the so-called chloride activation step in order to achieve high conversion efficiencies. Here, by comparison of effective and ineffective chloride treatments, we show the main role of the chloride process to be the modification of grain boundaries through chlorine accumulation, which leads an increase in the carrier lifetime. It is also demonstrated that while improvements in fill factor and short circuit current may be achieved through use of the ineffective chlorides, or indeed simple air annealing, voltage improvement is linked directlymore » to chlorine incorporation at the grain boundaries. Lastly, this suggests that focus on improved or more controlled grain boundary treatments may provide a route to achieving higher cell voltages and thus efficiencies.« less

In-Situ Observation of Horizontal Centrifugal Casting using a High-Speed Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esaka, Hisao; Kawai, Kohsuke; Kaneko, Hiroshi; Shinozuka, Kei

2012-07-01

In order to understand the solidification process of horizontal centrifugal casting, experimental equipment for in-situ observation using transparent organic substance has been constructed. Succinonitrile-1 mass% water alloy was filled in the round glass cell and the glass cell was completely sealed. To observe the movement of equiaxed grains more clearly and to understand the effect of movement of free surface, a high-speed camera has been installed on the equipment. The most advantageous point of this equipment is that the camera rotates with mold, so that one can observe the same location of the glass cell. Because the recording rate could be increased up to 250 frames per second, the quality of movie was dramatically modified and this made easier and more precise to pursue the certain equiaxed grain. The amplitude of oscillation of equiaxed grain ( = At) decreased as the solidification proceeded.

76 FR 48887 - Liddy's Pharmacy, L.L.C. Denial of Application

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-09

... practitioner acting in the usual course of his practice'' and that a pharmacist has ``a corresponding... pharmacist who fills the prescription.'' Id. Accordingly, the ``person knowingly filling such a purported... interpreted this regulation as ``prohibiting a pharmacist from filling a prescription for controlled...

The plague under Commodus as an unintended consequence of Roman grain market regulation.

PubMed

Silver, Morris

2012-01-01

This paper begins with a review of Roman grain market policies. It is argued that policies such as forced sales and maximum prices made urban consumers hesitant to rely on the market for secure access to grain. Consequently, consumers hoarded grain in their homes. The hoarded grain formed a volatile fuel ready to be ignited by the arrival of the bubonic plague bacillus. This scenario fits events in the city of Rome under Commodus. Attested grain market interventions were followed by a severe epidemic, arguably bubonic plague, which decimated the city's population.

miRNA regulation in the early development of barley seed

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background During the early stages of seed development many genes are under dynamic regulation to ensure the proper differentiation and establishment of the tissue that will constitute the mature grain. To investigate how miRNA regulation contributes to this process in barley, a combination of small RNA and mRNA degradome analyses were used to identify miRNAs and their targets. Results Our analysis identified 84 known miRNAs and 7 new miRNAs together with 96 putative miRNA target genes regulated through a slicing mechanism in grain tissues during the first 15 days post anthesis. We also identified many potential miRNAs including several belonging to known miRNA families. Our data gave us evidence for an increase in miRNA-mediated regulation during the transition between pre-storage and storage phases. Potential miRNA targets were found in various signalling pathways including components of four phytohormone pathways (ABA, GA, auxin, ethylene) and the defence response to powdery mildew infection. Among the putative miRNA targets we identified were two essential genes controlling the GA response, a GA3oxidase1 and a homolog of the receptor GID1, and a homolog of the ACC oxidase which catalyses the last step of ethylene biosynthesis. We found that two MLA genes are potentially miRNA regulated, establishing a direct link between miRNAs and the R gene response. Conclusion Our dataset provides a useful source of information on miRNA regulation during the early development of cereal grains and our analysis suggests that miRNAs contribute to the control of development of the cereal grain, notably through the regulation of phytohormone response pathways. PMID:22838835

Association analysis of three diverse rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasm collections for loci regulating grain quality traits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In rice (Oryza sativa L.), end-use/cooking quality is vital for producers and millions of consumers worldwide. Grain quality is a complex trait with interacting genetic and environmental factors. Deciphering the complex genetic architecture associated with grain quality, will provide vital informati...

5 CFR 532.249 - Minimum rates for hard-to-fill positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Minimum rates for hard-to-fill positions. 532.249 Section 532.249 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS Prevailing Rate Determinations § 532.249 Minimum rates for hard-to-fill...

5 CFR 532.249 - Minimum rates for hard-to-fill positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Minimum rates for hard-to-fill positions. 532.249 Section 532.249 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS Prevailing Rate Determinations § 532.249 Minimum rates for hard-to-fill...

5 CFR 532.249 - Minimum rates for hard-to-fill positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Minimum rates for hard-to-fill positions. 532.249 Section 532.249 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS Prevailing Rate Determinations § 532.249 Minimum rates for hard-to-fill...

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Fructan Metabolism in Developing Barley Grains[W

PubMed Central

Peukert, Manuela; Thiel, Johannes; Peshev, Darin; Weschke, Winfriede; Van den Ende, Wim; Mock, Hans-Peter; Matros, Andrea

2014-01-01

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) grain development follows a series of defined morphological and physiological stages and depends on the supply of assimilates (mainly sucrose) from the mother plant. Here, spatio-temporal patterns of sugar distributions were investigated by mass spectrometric imaging, targeted metabolite analyses, and transcript profiling of microdissected grain tissues. Distinct spatio-temporal sugar balances were observed, which may relate to differentiation and grain filling processes. Notably, various types of oligofructans showed specific distribution patterns. Levan- and graminan-type oligofructans were synthesized in the cellularized endosperm prior to the commencement of starch biosynthesis, while during the storage phase, inulin-type oligofructans accumulated to a high concentration in and around the nascent endosperm cavity. In the shrunken endosperm mutant seg8, with a decreased sucrose flux toward the endosperm, fructan accumulation was impaired. The tight partitioning of oligofructan biosynthesis hints at distinct functions of the various fructan types in the young endosperm prior to starch accumulation and in the endosperm transfer cells that accomplish the assimilate supply toward the endosperm at the storage phase. PMID:25271242

Educational Brief: Using Space for a Better Foundation on Earth Mechanics of Granular Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dooling, Dave (Editor)

2002-01-01

Soils are three-phase composite materials that consist of soil, solid particles, and voids filled with water and/or air. Based on the particle-size distribution, they are generally classified as fine-grained (clays and plastic silts) and coarse-grained soils (nonplastic silts, sand, and gravel). Soil's resistance to external loadings is mainly derived from friction between particles and cohesion. Friction resistance is due to particles' surface-to-surface friction, interlocking, crushing, rearrangement, and dilation (or expansion) during shearing. Cohesion can be due to chemical cementation between particles, electrostatic and electromagnetic forces, and soil-water reaction and equilibrium. The basic factor responsible for the strength of coarse-grained soils is friction. Cohesion can be ignored. This educational brief focuses on measuring shear strength of sands (typical example of coarse-grained soils) where, for the same material, packing density is a main factor to be considered when one asks about the shear strength value. As the external load is applied, the soil's resistance is attained through shearing resistance, which causes the soil volume to increase (expand) or decrease (compress) depending on the initial packing density.

Virus-Induced Gene Silencing Identifies an Important Role of the TaRSR1 Transcription Factor in Starch Synthesis in Bread Wheat.

PubMed

Liu, Guoyu; Wu, Yufang; Xu, Mengjun; Gao, Tian; Wang, Pengfei; Wang, Lina; Guo, Tiancai; Kang, Guozhang

2016-09-23

The function of a wheat starch regulator 1 (TaRSR1) in regulating the synthesis of grain storage starch was determined using the barley stripe mosaic virus-virus induced gene-silencing (BSMV-VIGS) method in field experiments. Chlorotic stripes appeared on the wheat spikes infected with barley stripe mosaic virus-virus induced gene-silencing- wheat starch regulator 1 (BSMV-VIGS-TaRSR1) at 15 days after anthesis, at which time the transcription levels of the TaRSR1 gene significantly decreased. Quantitative real-time PCR was also used to measure the transcription levels of 26 starch synthesis-related enzyme genes in the grains of BSMV-VIGS-TaRSR1-silenced wheat plants at 20, 27, and 31 days after anthesis. The results showed that the transcription levels of some starch synthesis-related enzyme genes were markedly induced at different sampling time points: TaSSI, TaSSIV, TaBEIII, TaISA1, TaISA3, TaPHOL, and TaDPE1 genes were induced at each of the three sampling time points and TaAGPS1-b, TaAGPL1, TaAGPL2, TaSSIIb, TaSSIIc, TaSSIIIb, TaBEI, TaBEIIa, TaBEIIb, TaISA2, TaPHOH, and TaDPE2 genes were induced at one sampling time point. Moreover, both the grain starch contents, one thousand kernel weights, grain length and width of BSMV-VIGS-TaRSR1-infected wheat plants significantly increased. These results suggest that TaRSR1 acts as a negative regulator and plays an important role in starch synthesis in wheat grains by temporally regulating the expression of specific starch synthesis-related enzyme genes.

Virus-Induced Gene Silencing Identifies an Important Role of the TaRSR1 Transcription Factor in Starch Synthesis in Bread Wheat

PubMed Central

Liu, Guoyu; Wu, Yufang; Xu, Mengjun; Gao, Tian; Wang, Pengfei; Wang, Lina; Guo, Tiancai; Kang, Guozhang

2016-01-01

The function of a wheat starch regulator 1 (TaRSR1) in regulating the synthesis of grain storage starch was determined using the barley stripe mosaic virus—virus induced gene-silencing (BSMV-VIGS) method in field experiments. Chlorotic stripes appeared on the wheat spikes infected with barley stripe mosaic virus-virus induced gene-silencing- wheat starch regulator 1 (BSMV-VIGS-TaRSR1) at 15 days after anthesis, at which time the transcription levels of the TaRSR1 gene significantly decreased. Quantitative real-time PCR was also used to measure the transcription levels of 26 starch synthesis-related enzyme genes in the grains of BSMV-VIGS-TaRSR1-silenced wheat plants at 20, 27, and 31 days after anthesis. The results showed that the transcription levels of some starch synthesis-related enzyme genes were markedly induced at different sampling time points: TaSSI, TaSSIV, TaBEIII, TaISA1, TaISA3, TaPHOL, and TaDPE1 genes were induced at each of the three sampling time points and TaAGPS1-b, TaAGPL1, TaAGPL2, TaSSIIb, TaSSIIc, TaSSIIIb, TaBEI, TaBEIIa, TaBEIIb, TaISA2, TaPHOH, and TaDPE2 genes were induced at one sampling time point. Moreover, both the grain starch contents, one thousand kernel weights, grain length and width of BSMV-VIGS-TaRSR1-infected wheat plants significantly increased. These results suggest that TaRSR1 acts as a negative regulator and plays an important role in starch synthesis in wheat grains by temporally regulating the expression of specific starch synthesis-related enzyme genes. PMID:27669224

Petrographic and anatomical characteristics of plant material from two peat deposits of Holocene and Miocene age, Kalimantan, Indonesia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, T.A.; Hilbert, R.E.

1992-01-01

Samples from two peat-forming environments of Holocene and Miocene age in Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia, were studied petrographically using nearly identical sample preparation and microscopic methodologies. Both deposits consist of two basic types of organic material: plant organs/tissues and fine-grained matrix. There are seven predominant types of plant organs and tissues: roots possessing only primary growth, stems possessing only primary growth, leaves, stems/roots with secondary growth, secondary xylem fragments, fragments of cork cells, and macerated tissue of undetermined origin. The fine-grained matrix consists of fragments of cell walls and cell fillings, fungal remains, spores and pollen grains, and resin. Some of the matrix material does not have distinct grain boundaries (at ??500) and this material is designated amorphous matrix. The major difference between the Holocene peat and Miocene lignite in reflected light, oil immersion is a loss of red coloration in the cell walls of tissue in the lignite, presumably due to loss of cellulosic compounds. In addition, cortex and phloem tissue (hence primary roots and stems) are difficult to recognize in the lignite, probably because these large, thin-walled tissues are more susceptible to microbial degradation and compaction. Particle size in both peat and lignite samples display a bimodal distribution when measurements are transformed to a - log2 or phi (??), scale. Most plant parts have modes of 2-3?? (0.25 - 0.125 mm), whereas the finer-grained particulate matrix has modes of 7-9?? (0.008-0.002 mm). This similarity suggest certain degradative processes. The 2-3?? range may be a "stable" size for plant parts (regardless of origin) because this is a characteristics of a substrate which is most suitable for plant growth in peat. The finer-grained matrix material (7-9??) probably results from fungal decay which causes plant material to weaken and with slight physical pressure to shatter into its component parts, i.e. fragments of cell walls and fillings. The absence of differences in particle size between the peat and lignite also indicate little compaction of organic components; rather an extreme loss in water content and pore space has occurred from between the particles of organic material. ?? 1992.

Cyclic Stable-Unstable Slip Preserved along an Appalachian Fault

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, R. K.; Newman, J.; Holyoke, C. W., III; Wojtal, S. F.

2017-12-01

The inactive Copper Creek thrust, southern Appalachians, TN, preserves evidence suggesting cyclic aseismic and unstable slip. The Copper Creek thrust is a low-temperature (4-6 km burial depth) foreland thrust with an estimated net slip of 15-20 km. Immediately below the 2 cm thick calcite-shale fault zone, the footwall is composed of shale with cross-cutting calcite veins and is separated from the fault zone by a 300 µm thick layered calcite vein. Optical and electron microscopy indicates that this complex vein layer experienced grain size reduction by plasticity-induced fracturing followed by aseismic diffusion creep. The fault zone calcite exhibits interpenetrating grain boundaries and four-grain junctions suggesting diffusion creep, but also contains nanoscale grains (7 nm), vesicular calcite, and partially-coated clasts indicating unstable, possibly seismic, slip. Well-preserved clasts of deformed calcite vein layer material within the fault zone indicate repeated cycle(s) of aseismic diffusion creep. In addition, nanoscale calcite grains, 30 nm, with straight grain boundaries that form triple junctions, may represent earlier nanoscale grains formed during unstable slip that have experienced grain growth during periods of aseismic creep. Based on the spatial and temporal relations of these preserved microstructures, we propose a sequence of deformation processes consistent with cyclic episodes of unstable slip separated by intervals of aseismic creep. Formation of calcite-filled veins is followed by grain size reduction in vein calcite by plasticity-induced fracturing and aseismic grain-size sensitive diffusion creep deformation in fine-grained calcite. During aseismic creep, the combination of grain growth, resulting in fault strengthening, and an increase in pore fluid pressure, reducing the effective fault strength, leads to new fractures and/or an unstable slip event. During unstable slip, nanograins and vesicular calcite form as a result of thermal decomposition and coated clasts form as a result of fluidization of the fault zone, and are then incorporated within ductilely deforming calcite during a new interval of aseismic creep.

Geology and ground water of the Luke area, Maricopa County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stulik, Ronald S.; Twenter, F.R.

1964-01-01

Luke Air Force Base, in the Salt River Valley in central Arizona. is within an intermontane basin--the Phoenix basin--in the Basin and Range lowlands province. The Luke area, the subject of this study, extends beyond the limits of the base. Ground-water resources of the Luke area were studied to determine the possibility of developing a water supply of optimum quantity and quality to supplement the base supply. Several wells drilled for this purpose, prior to the study, either produced an inadequate supply of water or produced ware-that had a high dissolved-solids content. The Phoenix basin is filled with unconsolidated to semiconsolidated Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary rocks that are referred to as valley fill. Although its total thickness is unknown, 2,784 feet of valley fill--primarily consisting of clay, silt, sand, and gravel--has been penetrated. Percentage-distribution maps of fine-grained materials indicate a gross-facies pattern and a selective depositional area of the valley-fill materials. The maps also indicate that the areal distribution of fine-grained materials increases with depth. In general, the better producing wells, regardless of depth, are in areas where tee valley fill is composed of less than 60 percent fine-grained materials. The water table in the area is declining because large quantities of water are withdrawn and recharge is negligible. The decline near Luke Air Force Base during the period 1941-61 was about 150 feet. Ground water was moving generally southwest in the spring of 1961. Locally, changes in the direction of movement indicate diversion toward two major depressions. The dissolved-solids content of the ground water ranged from about 190 to 6,300 ppm. The highest concentration of dissolved solids is in water from the southern part of the area and seems to come from relatively shallow depths; wells in the northern part generally yield water of good quality. After a reconnaissance of the area, the U.S. Geological Survey located and supervised the drilling of two test wells--wells (B-2-1) 9bcb and (B-2-1) 5abc?on Luke Air Force Base. The quantity of water produced by the wells was adequate. The dissolved-solids content of water from the wells was low, and the overall quality of water from well (B-2-1) 5abc was good. When well (B-2-1) 9bcb was perforated between 907 and 977 feet, the water had a fluoride concentration of 4.4 ppm; however, the fluoride concentration decreased to 2.8 ppm when new perforations were cut at a shallower depth, and it was decided that dilution with other base water supplies probably would alleviate any possible fluoride problem.

Effect of the down-regulation of the high Grain Protein Content (GPC) genes on the wheat transcriptome during monocarpic senescence.

PubMed

Cantu, Dario; Pearce, Stephen P; Distelfeld, Assaf; Christiansen, Michael W; Uauy, Cristobal; Akhunov, Eduard; Fahima, Tzion; Dubcovsky, Jorge

2011-10-07

Increasing the nutrient concentration of wheat grains is important to ameliorate nutritional deficiencies in many parts of the world. Proteins and nutrients in the wheat grain are largely derived from the remobilization of degraded leaf molecules during monocarpic senescence. The down-regulation of the NAC transcription factor Grain Protein Content (GPC) in transgenic wheat plants delays senescence (>3 weeks) and reduces the concentration of protein, Zn and Fe in the grain (>30%), linking senescence and nutrient remobilization.Based on the early and rapid up-regulation of GPC in wheat flag leaves after anthesis, we hypothesized that this transcription factor is an early regulator of monocarpic senescence. To test this hypothesis, we used high-throughput mRNA-seq technologies to characterize the effect of the GPC down-regulation on the wheat flag-leaf transcriptome 12 days after anthesis. At this early stage of senescence GPC transcript levels are significantly lower in transgenic GPC-RNAi plants than in the wild type, but there are still no visible phenotypic differences between genotypes. We generated 1.4 million 454 reads from early senescing flag leaves (average ~350 nt) and assembled 1.2 million into 30,497 contigs that were used as a reference to map 145 million Illumina reads from three wild type and four GPC-RNAi plants. Following normalization and statistical testing, we identified a set of 691 genes differentially regulated by GPC (431 ≥ 2-fold change). Transcript level ratios between transgenic and wild type plants showed a high correlation (R = 0.83) between qRT-PCR and Illumina results, providing independent validation of the mRNA-seq approach. A set of differentially expressed genes were analyzed across an early senescence time-course. Monocarpic senescence is an active process characterized by large-scale changes in gene expression which begins considerably before the appearance of visual symptoms of senescence. The mRNA-seq approach used here was able to detect small differences in transcript levels during the early stages of senescence. This resulted in an extensive list of GPC-regulated genes, which includes transporters, hormone regulated genes, and transcription factors. These GPC-regulated genes, particularly those up-regulated during senescence, provide valuable entry points to dissect the early stages of monocarpic senescence and nutrient remobilization in wheat.

Brittle-ductile deformation effects on zircon crystal-chemistry and U-Pb ages: an example from the Finero Mafic Complex (Ivrea-Verbano Zone, western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langone, Antonio; José Alberto, Padrón-Navarta; Zanetti, Alberto; Mazzucchelli, Maurizio; Tiepolo, Massimo; Giovanardi, Tommaso; Bonazzi, Mattia

2016-04-01

A detailed structural, geochemical and geochronological survey was performed on zircon grains from a leucocratic dioritic dyke discordantly intruded within meta-diorites/gabbros forming the External Gabbro unit of the Finero Mafic Complex. This latter is nowadays exposed as part of a near complete crustal section spanning from mantle rocks to upper crustal metasediments (Val Cannobina, Ivrea-Verbano Zone, Italy). The leucocratic dyke consists mainly of plagioclase (An18-24Ab79-82Or0.3-0.7) with subordinate amounts of biotite, spinel, zircon and corundum. Both the leucocratic dyke and the surrounding meta-diorites show evidence of ductile deformation occurred under amphibolite-facies conditions. Zircon grains (up to 2 mm in length) occur mainly as euhedral grains surrounded by fine grained plagioclase-dominated matrix and pressure shadows, typically filled by oxides. Fractures and cracks within zircon are common and can be associated with grain displacement or they can be filled by secondary minerals (oxides and chlorite). Cathodoluminescence (CL) images show that zircon grains have internal features typical of magmatic growth, but with local disturbances. However EBSD maps on two selected zircon grains revealed a profuse mosaic texture resulting in an internal misorientation of ca. 10o. The majority of the domains of the mosaic texture are related to parting and fractures, but some domains show no clear relation with brittle features. Rotation angles related to the mosaic texture are not crystallographically controlled. In addition, one of the analysed zircons shows clear evidence of plastic deformation at one of its corners due to indentation. Plastic deformation results in gradual misorientations of up to 12o, which are crystallographically controlled. Trace elements and U-Pb analyses were carried out by LA-ICP-MS directly on petrographic thin sections and designed to cover the entire exposed surface of selected grains. Such investigations revealed a strong correlation between internal zircon structures, chemistry, U-Pb isotope ratios and mylonitic fabric. U-Pb data return highly discordant and variable ages: in particular, the 206Pb/238U ages range from Carboniferous to Triassic within the same zircon grain. The youngest 206Pb/238U data derive from narrow axial stripes oriented parallel or at low angle with respect to the foliation planes. These stripes are characterized by an overall HREE, Y, U and Th enrichment possibly reflecting deformation of the grain in presence of interstitial fluid phases, likely related to a concomitant magmatic activity. Deformation related structures (cracks and fractures) within zircon grains acted as fast-diffusion pathways allowing fluids to modify the geochemistry and isotopic systems of zircon. Our results suggest that fluid-assisted brittle-ductile deformation can severely modify the trace elements and isotopic composition of zircon with unexpected patterns constrained by stress regime. In similar cases, our observations suggest that, for a more appropriate interpretation of the petrologic evolution and age variability, a direct characterization of the internal structures of zircons still placed in their microtextural site is highly recommended.

Suction and cohesion demise in desaturating granular medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hueckel, T.; Mielniczuk, B.; El-Youssoufi, S. M.

2017-12-01

Continuum mechanics for unsaturated soils is based on the assumption of a one-to-one relationship betwee saturation degree and suction represented by the characteristic curve. Such curve commonly shows exceedingly high values of suction at saturation decreasing below 10%. We have performed a series of experiments on physical micro-structural models of 8-, 5, 4, 3, and 2-grain assemblies filled with water forming capillary, funicular and pendular bridges. Dynamic variables characterizing the evolution include: Laplace pressure, surface tension force, total intergralular force, contact angle and contact perimeter length. The Laplace pressure was calculated from the directly measured curvatures of interface surface for 2-grain bridges, and estimated from tomography stills for 3 grain bridges. The initial negative Laplace pressure (suction) as well as total intergranular force increase modestly at the begining of evaporation, but undergo an unstable decrease at the advanced stage, often with a jump in the force known as a Haines jumps since 1925. Laplace pressure turns into positive values prior to rupture for 2-grain bodies. For 3-grain bridges there is never an exceedingly high intergranular force of suction, reported in macro-scale experiments. For multiple-grain bodies there are two types of instabilities, depending on densitiy of the assembly and the Gaussian curvature (GC): at positive GC points it is thin-sheet instability, while at negative GC points instability is linked with air entry fingers, all associated with the split of assemblies into smaller isolated funicular, and eventually pendular bodies. The multi-grain bridges instabilities are linked to material drying cracking, the instabilities in 2 grain systems mean eventual loss of cohesion.

[Effects of arsenic from soil and irrigation-water on As accumulation on the root surfaces and in mature rice plants (Oryza sativa L.)].

PubMed

Liu, Wen-ju; Zhu, Yong-guan; Hu, Ying; Zhao, Quan-li

2008-04-01

A compartmented soil-glass bead culture system was used to investigate characteristics of arsenic accumulation in iron plaque and in mature rice plants irrigated using water with arsenic in greenhouse. Arsenic was supplied as a solution of Na3AsO4 * 12H2O at the following stages: tillering, stem elongation, booting, flowering and grain filling. The whole plant was separated into four parts and As concentrations were analyzed in DCB (dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate)-extraction, root, straw, rice husk and grain respectively. The results show that irrigation-water with arsenic has no significant effect on biomass of straw and grain. Arsenic concentrations are distributed in different components of mature rice with the ranking of iron plaque > root > straw > husk > grain. Arsenic in straw and grain just derive from soil in control, and derive from soil and irrigation-water in arsenic treatment. About 76.5% and 71.0% of total arsenic in rice straw are from soil for lines of YY-1 and 94D-64 respectively. There is no significant difference between two lines. However, about 33.6% of total arsenic in grain of YY-1 comes from irrigation-water with arsenic, and only 15.2% of total arsenic in grain of 94D1-64 is from irrigation-water with arsenic. There is a significant difference between YY-1 and 94D-64. Arsenic concentrations in rice grain are lower than the food safety limitation in China (0.7 mg x kg(-1)).

Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system and adjacent areas in eastern Broome and southeastern Chenango Counties, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heisig, Paul M.

2012-01-01

The hydrogeology of the valley-fill aquifer system along a 32-mile reach of the Susquehanna River valley and adjacent areas was evaluated in eastern Broome and southeastern Chenango Counties, New York. The surficial geology, inferred ice-marginal positions, and distribution of stratified-drift aquifers were mapped from existing data. Ice-marginal positions, which represent pauses in the retreat of glacial ice from the region, favored the accumulation of coarse-grained deposits whereas more steady or rapid ice retreat between these positions favored deposition of fine-grained lacustrine deposits with limited coarse-grained deposits at depth. Unconfined aquifers with thick saturated coarse-grained deposits are the most favorable settings for water-resource development, and three several-mile-long sections of valley were identified (mostly in Broome County) as potentially favorable: (1) the southernmost valley section, which extends from the New York–Pennsylvania border to about 1 mile north of South Windsor, (2) the valley section that rounds the west side of the umlaufberg (an isolated bedrock hill within a valley) north of Windsor, and (3) the east–west valley section at the Broome County–Chenango County border from Nineveh to East of Bettsburg (including the lower reach of the Cornell Brook valley). Fine-grained lacustrine deposits form extensive confining units between the unconfined areas, and the water-resource potential of confined aquifers is largely untested. Recharge, or replenishment, of these aquifers is dependent not only on infiltration of precipitation directly on unconfined aquifers, but perhaps more so from precipitation that falls in adjacent upland areas. Surface runoff and shallow groundwater from the valley walls flow downslope and recharge valley aquifers. Tributary streams that drain upland areas lose flow as they enter main valleys on permeable alluvial fans. This infiltrating water also recharges valley aquifers. Current (2012) use of water resources in the area is primarily through domestic wells, most of which are completed in fractured bedrock in upland areas. A few villages in the Susquehanna River valley have supply wells that draw water from beneath alluvial fans and near the Susquehanna River, which is a large potential source of water from induced infiltration.

Impacts of manure application on soil environment, rainfall use efficiency and crop biomass under dryland farming

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaojuan; Jia, Zhikuan; Liang, Lianyou; Yang, Baoping; Ding, Ruixia; Nie, Junfeng; Wang, Junpeng

2016-01-01

Because of inadequate nutrient and water supply, soils are often unproductive in Northwest China. We studied the effects of manure application at low (LM 7.5  t ha–1), medium (MM 15 t ha–1), and high (HM 22.5 t ha–1) rates combined with fixed levels of chemical fertilizers on maize growth and rainfall use efficiency compared with chemical fertilizers (CK) under semi-arid conditions over a three-year period. HM and MM treatments could significantly increase soil water storage (0–120 cm) at tasseling stage of maize compared with LM treatment and CK (P < 0.05). Dry matter accumulation and rainfall use efficiency increased as manure application rate increasing (P < 0.05). HM treatment significantly increased rainfall use efficiency by 6.5–12.7% at big trumpeting – tasseling stage compared with LM and MM treatments. HM and MM treatments increased rainfall use efficiency by 8.6–18.1% at tasseling – grain filling stage compared with CK. There was no significant difference on biomass between HM and MM treatments at grain filling and maturity stages of maize in 2009 and 2010. PMID:26869520

Effect of crop development on biogenic emissions from plant populations grown in closed plant growth chambers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batten, J. H.; Stutte, G. W.; Wheeler, R. M.

1995-01-01

The Biomass Production Chamber at John F. Kennedy Space Center is a closed plant growth chamber facility that can be used to monitor the level of biogenic emissions from large populations of plants throughout their entire growth cycle. The head space atmosphere of a 26-day-old lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. Waldmann's Green) stand was repeatedly sampled and emissions identified and quantified using GC-mass spectrometry. Concentrations of dimethyl sulphide, carbon disulphide, alpha-pinene, furan and 2-methylfuran were not significantly different throughout the day; whereas, isoprene showed significant differences in concentration between samples collected in light and dark periods. Volatile organic compounds from the atmosphere of wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Yecora Rojo) were analysed and quantified from planting to maturity. Volatile plant-derived compounds included 1-butanol, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, nonanal, benzaldehyde, tetramethylurea, tetramethylthiourea, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran. Concentrations of volatiles were determined during seedling establishment, vegetative growth, anthesis, grain fill and senescence and found to vary depending on the developmental stage. Atmospheric concentrations of benzaldehyde and nonanal were highest during anthesis, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran concentrations were greatest during grain fill, and the concentration of the tetramethylurea peaked during senescence.

Petrography of Mayan mortar, Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bain, R.J.

1985-01-01

Along coastal regions of the Yucatan Peninsula Mayan builders used a mixture of beach sand, shell fragments, and clasts of rock as mortar for construction. With exposure to subaerial conditions, the aragonitic sand was converted into a semi-lithified mortar. Petrographic analysis of mortar samples collected from Mayan ruins on the south end of Isla Mujeres indicates that the mortar is cemented by blocky, meniscus style, low Mg calcite. In addition to the cement, low Mg calcite also occurs as blocky equant crystals either replacing grains or filling grain-moldic porosity. X-ray analysis of both modern beach sand and mortar shows themore » sand is composed of aragonite and high Mg calcite but lacks low Mg calcite. Mortar, on the other hand, consists of low Mg calcite, high Mg calcite, and aragonite however aragonite is much less abundant than in the sand. Aragonitic ooids, pellets and bioclasts of beach sand used in mortar were dissolved producing moldic porosity. At the same time, CaCO/sub 3/ derived from this process was precipitated as low Mg calcite which formed meniscus cement and filled moldic porosity within the walls of Mayan structures producing a remarkably hard mortar.« less

Impacts of manure application on soil environment, rainfall use efficiency and crop biomass under dryland farming.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaojuan; Jia, Zhikuan; Liang, Lianyou; Yang, Baoping; Ding, Ruixia; Nie, Junfeng; Wang, Junpeng

2016-02-12

Because of inadequate nutrient and water supply, soils are often unproductive in Northwest China. We studied the effects of manure application at low (LM 7.5  t ha(-1)), medium (MM 15 t ha(-1)), and high (HM 22.5 t ha(-1)) rates combined with fixed levels of chemical fertilizers on maize growth and rainfall use efficiency compared with chemical fertilizers (CK) under semi-arid conditions over a three-year period. HM and MM treatments could significantly increase soil water storage (0-120 cm) at tasseling stage of maize compared with LM treatment and CK (P < 0.05). Dry matter accumulation and rainfall use efficiency increased as manure application rate increasing (P < 0.05). HM treatment significantly increased rainfall use efficiency by 6.5-12.7% at big trumpeting - tasseling stage compared with LM and MM treatments. HM and MM treatments increased rainfall use efficiency by 8.6-18.1% at tasseling - grain filling stage compared with CK. There was no significant difference on biomass between HM and MM treatments at grain filling and maturity stages of maize in 2009 and 2010.

Temperature effect on triacylglycerol species in seed oil from high stearic sunflower lines with different genetic backgrounds.

PubMed

Izquierdo, Natalia G; Martínez-Force, Enrique; Garcés, Rafael; Aguirrezábal, Luis An; Zambelli, Andrés; Reid, Roberto

2016-10-01

This study characterized the influence of temperature during grain filling on the saturated fatty acid distribution in triacylglycerol molecules from high stearic sunflower lines with different genetic backgrounds. Two growth chamber experiments were conducted with day/night temperatures of 16/16, 26/16, 26/26 and 32/26 °C. In all genotypes, independently of the genetic background, higher temperatures increased palmitic and oleic acid and reduced linoleic acid concentrations. Increasing night temperature produced an increase in saturated-unsaturated-saturated species, indicating a more symmetrical distribution of saturated fatty acids. The solid fat index was more affected by temperature during grain filling in lines with high linoleic than high oleic background. Higher variations in symmetry among night temperatures were observed in lines with high oleic background, which are more stable in fatty acid composition. The effect of temperature on triacylglycerol composition is not completely explained by its effect on fatty acid composition. Thus night temperature affects oil properties via its effects on fatty acid synthesis and on the distribution of fatty acids in the triacylglycerol molecules. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Grain Elevators: New Source Performance Standards (NSPS)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Grain Elevators aims to reduce particulate matter pollution. The new amendments seek to clarify definitions, and requirements, as well as propose new regulations on particulate matter emissions

Determination of sendust intrinsic permeability from microwave constitutive parameters of composites with sendust spheres and flakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starostenko, Sergey N.; Rozanov, Konstantin N.; Shiryaev, Artem O.; Shalygin, Alexander N.; Lagarkov, Andrey N.

2017-06-01

Intrinsic permeability of sendust alloys is determined from the measured microwave permittivity and permeability of composites filled with either spherical or flaky sendust powders. The permittivity and permeability measurements are performed applying the coaxial reflection-transmission technique in the 0.05 to 18 GHz frequency range. The effects of the filling factor, inclusion shape, and size on composite constitutive parameters are discussed. The permeability of metal inclusion is retrieved from the measured permeability of composites using a generalized Maxwell Garnett equation that accounts for the percolation threshold. The equation parameters are found by fitting the measured dependence of composite permittivity and permeability on frequency and filling. The inclusion dimensions calculated from the found parameters agree with the results of grain-size analyses. The alloy intrinsic permeability is retrieved from inclusion permeability with the account for skinning. The fitted frequency and damping factor of ferromagnetic resonance depend on the inclusion shape. The calculated reflectivity map of the flake-filled composite shows that sendust powders are promising fillers for interference suppressors and microwave absorbers at frequencies close to 1 GHz.

Soft Chemistry, Coloring and Polytypism in Filled Tetrahedral Semiconductors: Toward Enhanced Thermoelectric and Battery Materials.

PubMed

White, Miles A; Medina-Gonzalez, Alan M; Vela, Javier

2018-03-12

Filled tetrahedral semiconductors are a rich family of compounds with tunable electronic structure, making them ideal for applications in thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, and battery anodes. Furthermore, these materials crystallize in a plethora of related structures that are very close in energy, giving rise to polytypism through the manipulation of synthetic parameters. This Minireview highlights recent advances in the solution-phase synthesis and nanostructuring of these materials. These methods enable the synthesis of metastable phases and polytypes that were previously unobtainable. Additionally, samples synthesized in solution phase have enhanced thermoelectric performance due to their decreased grain size. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of the mature grain phytase candidate HvPAPhy_a gene in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) using CRISPR/Cas9 and TALENs.

PubMed

Holme, Inger B; Wendt, Toni; Gil-Humanes, Javier; Deleuran, Lise C; Starker, Colby G; Voytas, Daniel F; Brinch-Pedersen, Henrik

2017-09-01

In the present study, we utilized TALEN- and CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations to analyze the promoter of the barley phytase gene HvPAPhy_a. The purpose of the study was dual, validation of the PAPhy_a enzyme as the main contributor of the mature grain phytase activity (MGPA), as well as validating the importance of a specific promoter region of the PAPhy_a gene which contains three overlapping cis-acting regulatory elements (GCN4, Skn1 and the RY-element) known to be involved in gene expression during grain filling. The results confirm that the barley PAPhy_a enzyme is the main contributor to the MGPA as grains of knock-out lines show very low MGPA. Additionally, the analysis of the HvPAPhy_a promoter region containing the GCN4/Skn1/RY motif highlights its importance for HvPAPhy_a expression as the MGPA in grains of plant lines with mutations within this motif is significantly reduced. Interestingly, lines with deletions located downstream of the motif show even lower MGPA levels, indicating that the GCN4/SKn1/RY motif is not the only element responsible for the level of PAPhy_a expression during grain maturation. Mutant grains with very low MPGA showed delayed germination as compared to grains of wild type barley. As grains with high levels of preformed phytases would provide more readily available phosphorous needed for a fast germination, this indicates that faster germination may be implicated in the positive selection of the ancient PAPhy gene duplication that lead to the creation of the PAPhy_a gene.

Influence of environmental, structural, and behavioral factors on the presence of phosphine in worker areas during fumigations in grain elevators.

PubMed

Reed, C

2001-02-01

Data-logging gas monitors with electrochemical cells sensitive to phosphine (PH3) were used to characterize concentrations of this common grain fumigant in and around grain elevators during fumigations. Twenty-four grain fumigations were observed, and each was monitored over a 5- to 8-day period. Phosphine gas, generated from aluminum phosphide fumigant applied to the grain, generally moved upward toward the grain surface and exited the bin at bin-top openings to the outside air or to enclosed worker areas. The upward air currents appeared to be the result of chimney effects, e.g., pressure differences resulting from buoyant air inside the warm grain and cooler, denser, ambient air. Significant wind effects on the PH3 concentration were also observed in the air between the grain surface and the bin roof. In enclosed areas located at the bin-top level, monitors located near the fill port or the fumigant dispenser recorded PH3 concentrations in excess of the exposure limit of 0.3 parts per million (ppm) about 35% of the time during grain fumigations. Phosphine concentrations between 0.31 and 1.0 ppm were observed 17.3% of the time, and concentrations in the ranges of 1.01-3.0, 3.01-10.0, and >10 ppm constituted 11.8%, 5.5%, and 0.3% of all readings, respectively, in bin-top worker areas. The likelihood of recording PH3 concentrations >0.3 ppm depended on ventilation practices. Fans in tunnels and open windows at aboveground locations appeared to greatly reduce the likelihood of high PH3 concentrations in enclosed areas.

Grain subproteome responses to nitrogen and sulfur supply in diploid wheat Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum.

PubMed

Bonnot, Titouan; Bancel, Emmanuelle; Alvarez, David; Davanture, Marlène; Boudet, Julie; Pailloux, Marie; Zivy, Michel; Ravel, Catherine; Martre, Pierre

2017-09-01

Wheat grain storage proteins (GSPs) make up most of the protein content of grain and determine flour end-use value. The synthesis and accumulation of GSPs depend highly on nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) availability and it is important to understand the underlying control mechanisms. Here we studied how the einkorn (Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum) grain proteome responds to different amounts of N and S supply during grain development. GSP composition at grain maturity was clearly impacted by nutrition treatments, due to early changes in the rate of GSP accumulation during grain filling. Large-scale analysis of the nuclear and albumin-globulin subproteomes during this key developmental phase revealed that the abundance of 203 proteins was significantly modified by the nutrition treatments. Our results showed that the grain proteome was highly affected by perturbation in the N:S balance. S supply strongly increased the rate of accumulation of S-rich α/β-gliadin and γ-gliadin, and the abundance of several other proteins involved in glutathione metabolism. Post-anthesis N supply resulted in the activation of amino acid metabolism at the expense of carbohydrate metabolism and the activation of transport processes including nucleocytoplasmic transit. Protein accumulation networks were analyzed. Several central actors in the response were identified whose variation in abundance was related to variation in the amounts of many other proteins and are thus potentially important for GSP accumulation. This detailed analysis of grain subproteomes provides information on how wheat GSP composition can possibly be controlled in low-level fertilization condition. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of Grain Size on Ultrasonic Attenuation in Type 316L Stainless Steel

PubMed Central

Wan, Tao; Wakui, Takashi; Futakawa, Masatoshi; Obayashi, Hironari

2017-01-01

A lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) spallation target will be installed in the Target Test Facility (TEF-T) in the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). The spallation target vessel filled with LBE is made of type 316L stainless steel. However, various damages, such as erosion/corrosion damage and liquid metal embrittlement caused by contact with flowing LBE at high temperature, and irradiation hardening caused by protons and neutrons, may be inflicted on the target vessel, which will deteriorate the steel and might break the vessel. To monitor the target vessel for prevention of an accident, an ultrasonic technique has been proposed to establish off-line evaluation for estimating vessel material status during the target maintenance period. Basic R&D must be carried out to clarify the dependency of ultrasonic wave propagation behavior on material microstructures and obtain fundamental knowledge. As a first step, ultrasonic waves scattered by the grains of type 316L stainless steel are investigated using new experimental and numerical approaches in the present study. The results show that the grain size can be evaluated exactly and quantitatively by calculating the attenuation coefficient of the ultrasonic waves scattered by the grains. The results also show that the scattering regimes of ultrasonic waves depend heavily on the ratio of wavelength to average grain size, and are dominated by grains of extraordinarily large size along the wave propagation path. PMID:28773115

An Analytical Solution and Numerical Modeling Study of Gas Hydrate Saturation Effects on Porosity and Permeability of Porous Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zerpa, L.; Gao, F.; Wang, S.

2017-12-01

There are two major types of natural gas hydrate distributions in porous media: pore filling and contact cementing. The difference between these two distribution types is related to hydrate nucleation and growth processes. In the pore filling distribution, hydrate nucleates from a gas-dissolved aqueous phase at the grain boundary and grows away from grain contacts and surfaces into the pore space. In the contact cementing distribution, hydrate nucleates and grows at the gas-water interface and at intergranular contacts. Previous attempts to correlate changes on porosity and permeability during hydrate formation/dissociation were based on the length difference between the pore body and pore throat, and only considered contact cementing hydrate distribution. This work consists of a study of mathematical models of permeability and porosity as a function of gas hydrate saturation during formation and dissociation of gas hydrates in porous media. In this work, first we derive the permeability equation for the pore filling hydrate deposition as a function of hydrate saturation. Then, a more comprehensive model considering both types of gas hydrate deposition is developed to represent changes in permeability and porosity during hydrate formation and dissociation. This resulted in a model that combines pore filling and contact cementing deposition types in the same reservoir. Finally, the TOUGH+Hydrate numerical reservoir simulator was modified to include these models to analyze the response of production and saturation during a depressurization process, considering different combinations of pore filling and contact cementing hydrate distributions. The empirical exponent used in the permeability adjustment factor model influences both production profile and saturation results. This empirical factor describes the permeability dependence to changes in porosity caused by solid phase formation in the porous medium. The use of the permeability exponent decreases the permeability of the system for a given hydrate saturation, which affects the hydraulic performance of the system. However, from published experimental work, there is only a rough estimation of this permeability exponent. This factor could be represented with an empirical equation if more laboratory and field data becomes available.

Responses of Rapid Viscoanalyzer Profile and Other Rice Grain Qualities to Exogenously Applied Plant Growth Regulators under High Day and High Night Temperatures

PubMed Central

Fahad, Shah; Hussain, Saddam; Saud, Shah; Hassan, Shah; Chauhan, Bhagirath Singh; Khan, Fahad; Ihsan, Muhammad Zahid; Ullah, Abid; Wu, Chao; Bajwa, Ali Ahsan; Alharby, Hesham; Amanullah; Nasim, Wajid; Shahzad, Babar; Tanveer, Mohsin; Huang, Jianliang

2016-01-01

High-temperature stress degrades the grain quality of rice; nevertheless, the exogenous application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) might alleviate the negative effects of high temperatures. In the present study, we investigated the responses of rice grain quality to exogenously applied PGRs under high day temperatures (HDT) and high night temperatures (HNT) under controlled conditions. Four different combinations of ascorbic acid (Vc), alpha-tocopherol (Ve), brassinosteroids (Br), methyl jasmonates (MeJA) and triazoles (Tr) were exogenously applied to two rice cultivars (IR-64 and Huanghuazhan) prior to the high-temperature treatment. A Nothing applied Control (NAC) was included for comparison. The results demonstrated that high-temperature stress was detrimental for grain appearance and milling qualities and that both HDT and HNT reduced the grain length, grain width, grain area, head rice percentage and milled rice percentage but increased the chalkiness percentage and percent area of endosperm chalkiness in both cultivars compared with ambient temperature (AT). Significantly higher grain breakdown, set back, consistence viscosity and gelatinization temperature, and significantly lower peak, trough and final viscosities were observed under high-temperature stress compared with AT. Thus, HNT was more devastating for grain quality than HDT. The exogenous application of PGRs ameliorated the adverse effects of high temperature in both rice cultivars, and Vc+Ve+MejA+Br was the best combination for both cultivars under high temperature stress. PMID:27472200

Insights into a hydration regulating system in Cupressus pollen grains

PubMed Central

Danti, R.; Della Rocca, G.; Calamassi, R.; Mori, B.; Mariotti Lippi, M.

2011-01-01

Background and Aims Hydration, rupture and exine opening due to the sudden and large expansion of intine are typical of taxoid-type pollen grains. A hemispheric outgrowth external to the exine was observed on Cupressus and Juniperus pollen grains before the intine swelling and exine release. However, the actual existence of this permanent or temporary structure and its precise role in pollen hydration is still being debated. The aim of this paper is to collect information on the actual presence of this peculiar outgrowth on the surface of the Cupressus pollen grain, its structure, composition and function. Methods Pollen grains of several Cupressus species were observed using various techniques and methodologies, under light and fluorescence microscopy, phase-contrast microscopy, confocal microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and an environmental scanning electron microscope. Observations were also performed on other species with taxoid-type pollen grains. Key Results A temporary structure located just above the pore was observed on Cupressus pollen grains, as well as on other taxoid-type pollens. It is hemispheric, layered, and consists of polysaccharides and proteins. The latter are confined to its inner part. Its presence seems to regulate the entrance of water into the grains at the beginning of pollen hydration. Conclusions The presence of a temporary structure over the pore of taxoid-type pollen grains was confirmed and its structure was resolved using several stains and observation techniques. This structure plays a role in the first phases of pollen hydration. PMID:21685430

Modulating crystal grain size and optoelectronic properties of perovskite films for solar cells by reaction temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Xiaodong; Yang, Zhou; Yang, Dong; Zhang, Xu; Cui, Dong; Liu, Yucheng; Wei, Qingbo; Fan, Haibo; Liu, Shengzhong (Frank)

2016-02-01

Regulating the temperature during the direction contact and intercalation process (DCIP) for the transition from PbI2 to CH3NH3PbI3 modulated the crystallinity, crystal grain size and crystal grain orientation of the perovskite films. Higher temperatures produced perovskite films with better crystallinity, larger grain size, and better photovoltaic performance. The best cell, which had a PCE of 12.9%, was obtained on a film prepared at 200 °C. Further open circuit voltage decay and film resistance characterization revealed that the larger grain size contributed to longer carrier lifetime and smaller carrier transport resistance, both of which are beneficial for solar cell devices.Regulating the temperature during the direction contact and intercalation process (DCIP) for the transition from PbI2 to CH3NH3PbI3 modulated the crystallinity, crystal grain size and crystal grain orientation of the perovskite films. Higher temperatures produced perovskite films with better crystallinity, larger grain size, and better photovoltaic performance. The best cell, which had a PCE of 12.9%, was obtained on a film prepared at 200 °C. Further open circuit voltage decay and film resistance characterization revealed that the larger grain size contributed to longer carrier lifetime and smaller carrier transport resistance, both of which are beneficial for solar cell devices. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: XRD patterns and statistic results of solar cell performance. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr08935b

Ionic charge accumulation at microscopic interfaces in filled composites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu Yutao; Wang Xinheng; Xie Hengkun

1996-12-31

In this paper the charge accumulation process at microscopic interfaces in insulating materials filled with inorganic fillers is analyzed by using a unit model. Dynamic equations of interfacial ionic charge accumulation are proposed by the authors. The charge accumulation and its regulations are proved by TSC test results obtained on silica filled EPDM samples.

TaMYB13-1, a R2R3 MYB transcription factor, regulates the fructan synthetic pathway and contributes to enhanced fructan accumulation in bread wheat

PubMed Central

Kooiker, Maarten; Drenth, Janneke; Glassop, Donna; McIntyre, C. Lynne; Xue, Gang-Ping

2013-01-01

Fructans are the major component of temporary carbon reserve in the stem of temperate cereals, which is used for grain filling. Three families of fructosyltransferases are directly involved in fructan synthesis in the vacuole of Triticum aestivum. The regulatory network of the fructan synthetic pathway is largely unknown. Recently, a sucrose-upregulated wheat MYB transcription factor (TaMYB13-1) was shown to be capable of activating the promoter activities of sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST) and sucrose:fructan 6-fructosyltransferase (6-SFT) in transient transactivation assays. This work investigated TaMYB13-1 target genes and their influence on fructan synthesis in transgenic wheat. TaMYB13-1 overexpression resulted in upregulation of all three families of fructosyltransferases including fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase (1-FFT). A γ-vacuolar processing enzyme (γ-VPE1), potentially involved in processing the maturation of fructosyltransferases in the vacuole, was also upregulated by TaMYB13-1 overexpression. Multiple TaMYB13 DNA-binding motifs were identified in the Ta1-FFT1 and Taγ-VPE1 promoters and were bound strongly by TaMYB13-1. The expression profiles of these target genes and TaMYB13-1 were highly correlated in recombinant inbred lines and during stem development as well as the transgenic and non-transgenic wheat dataset, further supporting a direct regulation of these genes by TaMYB13-1. TaMYB13-1 overexpression in wheat led to enhanced fructan accumulation in the leaves and stems and also increased spike weight and grain weight per spike in transgenic plants under water-limited conditions. These data suggest that TaMYB13-1 plays an important role in coordinated upregulation of genes necessary for fructan synthesis and can be used as a molecular tool to improve the high fructan trait. PMID:23873993

7 CFR 801.10 - [Reserved

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false [Reserved] 801.10 Section 801.10 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD... FOR GRAIN INSPECTION EQUIPMENT § 801.10 [Reserved] ...

Nucleotide Polymorphism in the Wheat Transcriptional Activator Spa Influences Its Pattern of Expression and Has Pleiotropic Effects on Grain Protein Composition, Dough Viscoelasticity, and Grain Hardness[W][OA

PubMed Central

Ravel, Catherine; Martre, Pierre; Romeuf, Isabelle; Dardevet, Mireille; El-Malki, Redouane; Bordes, Jacques; Duchateau, Nathalie; Brunel, Dominique; Balfourier, François; Charmet, Gilles

2009-01-01

Storage protein activator (SPA) is a key regulator of the transcription of wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain storage protein genes and belongs to the Opaque2 transcription factor subfamily. We analyzed the sequence polymorphism of the three homoeologous Spa genes in hexaploid wheat. The level of polymorphism in these genes was high particularly in the promoter. The deduced protein sequences of each homoeolog and haplotype show greater than 93% identity. Two major haplotypes were studied for each Spa gene. The three Spa homoeologs have similar patterns of expression during grain development, with a peak in expression around 300 degree days after anthesis. On average, Spa-B is 10 and seven times more strongly expressed than Spa-A and Spa-D, respectively. The haplotypes are associated with significant quantitative differences in Spa expression, especially for Spa-A and Spa-D. Significant differences were found in the quantity of total grain nitrogen allocated to the gliadin protein fractions for the Spa-A haplotypes, whereas the synthesis of glutenins is not modified. Genetic association analysis between Spa and dough viscoelasticity revealed that Spa polymorphisms are associated with dough tenacity, extensibility, and strength. Except for Spa-A, these associations can be explained by differences in grain hardness. No association was found between Spa markers and the average single grain dry mass or grain protein concentration. These results demonstrate that in planta Spa is involved in the regulation of grain storage protein synthesis. The associations between Spa and dough viscoelasticity and grain hardness strongly suggest that Spa has complex pleiotropic functions during grain development. PMID:19828671

Interpreting Hydraulic Conditions from Morphology, Sedimentology, and Grain Size of Sand Bars in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubin, D. M.; Topping, D. J.; Schmidt, J. C.; Grams, P. E.; Buscombe, D.; East, A. E.; Wright, S. A.

2015-12-01

During three decades of research on sand bars and sediment transport in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, we have collected unprecedented quantities of data on bar morphology, sedimentary structures, grain size of sand on the riverbed (~40,000 measurements), grain size of sand in flood deposits (dozens of vertical grain-size profiles), and time series of suspended sediment concentration and grain size (more than 3 million measurements using acoustic and laser-diffraction instruments sampling every 15 minutes at several locations). These data, which include measurements of flow and suspended sediment as well as sediment within the deposits, show that grain size within flood deposits generally coarsens or fines proportionally to the grain size of sediment that was in suspension when the beds were deposited. The inverse problem of calculating changing flow conditions from a vertical profile of grain size within a deposit is difficult because at least two processes can cause similar changes. For example, upward coarsening in a deposit can result from either an increase in discharge of the flow (causing coarser sand to be transported to the depositional site), or from winnowing of the upstream supply of sand (causing suspended sand to coarsen because a greater proportion of the bed that is supplying sediment is covered with coarse grains). These two processes can be easy to distinguish where suspended-sediment observations are available: flow-regulated changes cause concentration and grain size of sand in suspension to be positively correlated, whereas changes in supply can cause concentration and grain size of sand in suspension to be negatively correlated. The latter case (supply regulation) is more typical of flood deposits in Grand Canyon.

Physiological and genotype-specific factors associated with grain quality changes in rice exposed to high ozone.

PubMed

Jing, Liquan; Dombinov, Vitalij; Shen, Shibo; Wu, Yanzhen; Yang, Lianxin; Wang, Yunxia; Frei, Michael

2016-03-01

Rising tropospheric ozone concentrations in Asia affect the yield and quality of rice. This study investigated ozone-induced changes in rice grain quality in contrasting rice genotypes, and explored the associated physiological processes during the reproductive growth phase. The ozone sensitive variety Nipponbare and a breeding line (L81) containing two tolerance QTLs in Nipponbare background were exposed to 100 ppb ozone (8 h per day) or control conditions throughout their growth. Ozone affected grain chalkiness and protein concentration and composition. The percentage of chalky grains was significantly increased in Nipponbare but not in L81. Physiological measurements suggested that grain chalkiness was associated with a drop in foliar carbohydrate and nitrogen levels during grain filling, which was less pronounced in the tolerant L81. Grain total protein concentration was significantly increased in the ozone treatment, although the albumin fraction (water soluble protein) decreased. The increase in protein was more pronounced in L81, due to increases in the glutelin fraction in this genotype. Amino acids responded differently to the ozone treatment. Three essential amino acids (leucine, methionine and threonine) showed significant increases, while seven showed significant treatment by genotype interactions, mostly due to more positive responses in L81. The trend of increased grain protein was in contrast to foliar nitrogen levels, which were negatively affected by ozone. A negative correlation between grain protein and foliar nitrogen in ozone stress indicated that higher grain protein cannot be explained by a concentration effect in all tissues due to lower biomass production. Rather, ozone exposure affected the nitrogen distribution, as indicated by altered foliar activity of the enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism, such as glutamine synthetase and glutamine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase. Our results demonstrate differential responses of grain quality to ozone due to the presence of tolerance QTL, and partly explain the underlying physiological processes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Grain Boundaries on the Performance of Thin-Film-Based Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells: A Numerical Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chhetri, Nikita; Chatterjee, Somenath

2018-01-01

Solar cells/photovoltaic, a renewable energy source, is appraised to be the most effective alternative to the conventional electrical energy generator. A cost-effective alternative of crystalline wafer-based solar cell is thin-film polycrystalline-based solar cell. This paper reports the numerical analysis of dependency of the solar cell parameters (i.e., efficiency, fill factor, open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density) on grain size for thin-film-based polycrystalline silicon (Si) solar cells. A minority carrier lifetime model is proposed to do a correlation between the grains, grain boundaries and lifetime for thin-film-based polycrystalline Si solar cells in MATLAB environment. As observed, the increment in the grain size diameter results in increase in minority carrier lifetime in polycrystalline Si thin film. A non-equivalent series resistance double-diode model is used to find the dark as well as light (AM1.5) current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for thin-film-based polycrystalline Si solar cells. To optimize the effectiveness of the proposed model, a successive approximation method is used and the corresponding fitting parameters are obtained. The model is validated with the experimentally obtained results reported elsewhere. The experimentally reported solar cell parameters can be found using the proposed model described here.

Plant architecture and grain yield are regulated by the novel DHHC-type zinc finger protein genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

PubMed

Zhou, Bo; Lin, Jian Zhong; Peng, Dan; Yang, Yuan Zhu; Guo, Ming; Tang, Dong Ying; Tan, Xiaofeng; Liu, Xuan Ming

2017-01-01

In many plants, architecture and grain yield are affected by both the environment and genetics. In rice, the tiller is a vital factor impacting plant architecture and regulated by many genes. In this study, we cloned a novel DHHC-type zinc finger protein gene Os02g0819100 and its alternative splice variant OsDHHC1 from the cDNA of rice (Oryza sativa L.), which regulate plant architecture by altering the tiller in rice. The tillers increased by about 40% when this type of DHHC-type zinc finger protein gene was over-expressed in Zhong Hua 11 (ZH11) rice plants. Moreover, the grain yield of transgenic rice increased approximately by 10% compared with wild-type ZH11. These findings provide an important genetic engineering approach for increasing rice yields. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nearshore disposal of fine-grained sediment in a high-energy environment: Santa Cruz Harbor case study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cronin, Katherine; van Ormondt, Maarten; Storlazzi, Curt D.; Presto, Katherine; Tonnon, Pieter K.; Rosati, Julie D.; Wang, Ping; Roberts, Tiffany M.

2011-01-01

Current regulations in California prohibit the disposal of more than 20% fine-grained sediment in the coastal zone; this threshold is currently being investigated to determine if this environmental regulation can be improved upon. A field monitoring and numerical modeling experiment took place late 2 009 to determine the fate of fine-grained dredge disposal material from Santa Cruz Harbor, California, U.S.A. A multi-nested, hydrodynamic-sediment transport modeling approach was used to simulate the direction and dispersal of the dredge plume. Result s show that the direction and dispersal of the plume was influenced by the wave  climate, a large proportion of which moved in a easterly direction during wave events. Therefore it is vitally important to accurately simulate the tides, waves, currents, temperature and salinity when modeling the dispersal of the fine-grained dredge plume. 

Mapping and comparative proteomic analysis of the starch biosynthetic pathway in rice by 2D PAGE/MS.

PubMed

Chang, Tao-Shan; Liu, Chih-Wei; Lin, Yu-Ling; Li, Chao-Yi; Wang, Arthur Z; Chien, Min-Wei; Wang, Chang-Sheng; Lai, Chien-Chen

2017-11-01

Our results not only provide a comprehensive overview of the starch biosynthetic pathway in the developing endosperm but also reveal some important protein markers that regulate the synthesis of starch. In human diets, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important source of starch, a substantial amount of which is accumulated in developing endosperm. A better understanding of the complicated pathways involved in starch biosynthesis is needed to improve the yield and quality of rice and other cereal crops through breeding. One pure line rice mutant, SA0419, was induced from a wild-type rice, TNG67, by sodium azide mutagenesis; therefore, TNG67 and SA0419 share the same genetic background. SA0419 is, however, a unique glutinous rice with a lower amylose content (8%) than that of TNG67 (20%), and the grains of SA0419 develop earlier and faster than those of TNG67. In this study, we used a comparative proteomic analysis to identify the differentially expressed proteins that may explain the differences in starch biosynthesis and the characteristics of TNG67 and SA0419. A gel-based proteomic approach was applied to profile the expressed proteome in the developing endosperm of these two rice varieties by nano-LC/MS/MS. Several over-expressed proteins were found in SA0419, such as plastidial ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), phosphoglucomutase (PGM), pyrophosphate-fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (PFP), 6-phosphofructokinase (PFK), pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK), starch branching enzymes (SBE) and starch debranching enzyme (SDBE), with those proteins mainly being involved in the pathways of starch metabolism and PPDK-mediated gluconeogenesis. Those over-expressed enzymes may contribute to the relatively early development, similar starch accumulation and rapid grain filling of SA0419 as compared with TNG67. This study provides a detailed biochemical description of starch biosynthesis and related information regarding a unique starch mutant that may assist future research efforts to improve the yield and quality of grain and starch in rice through breeding.

7 CFR 916.350 - California Nectarine Container and Pack Regulation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... box of loose-filled nectarines shall bear on one outside end, in plain sight and in plain letters, the...: Provided, That nectarines in any such volume-filled container need only be filled to within one-inch of the top of the container. (2) Each package or container of nectarines shall bear, on one outside end in...

7 CFR 916.350 - California Nectarine Container and Pack Regulation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... box of loose-filled nectarines shall bear on one outside end, in plain sight and in plain letters, the...: Provided, That nectarines in any such volume-filled container need only be filled to within one-inch of the top of the container. (2) Each package or container of nectarines shall bear, on one outside end in...

Maintenance of an obstruction-forced pool in a gravel-bed channel: streamflow, channel morphology, and sediment transport.

Treesearch

Richard D. Woodsmith; Marwan A. Hassan

2005-01-01

Maintenance of pool morphology in a stream channel with a mobile bed requires hydraulic conditions at moderate to high flows that route bed load through the pool as it is delivered from upstream. Through field measurements of discharge, vertical velocity profiles, bed load transport, and streambed scour, fill, and grain-size distribution, we found that maintenance of a...

The volume of fine sediment in pools: An index of sediment supply in gravel-bed streams

Treesearch

Thomas E. Lisle; Sue Hilton

1992-01-01

Abstract - During waning flood flows in gravel-bed streams, fine-grained bedload sediment (sand and fine gravel) is commonly winnowed from zones of high shear stress, such as riffles, and deposited in pools, where it mantles an underlying coarse layer. As sediment load increases, more fine sediment becomes availabe to fill pools. The volume of fine sediment in pools...

Foundation Considerations in Siting of Nuclear Facilities in Karst Terrains and Other Areas Susceptible to Ground Collapse.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-05-01

Page Time of occurrence .... ............. ... 159 Effect of precipitation .. ........ ... 159 Types of overburden strata .. ......... ... 159...fill the void space between allochems and/or terrigenous grains; usually orthochems are precipitated authigene- tically or during early diagenesis. (d...m Chemical deposits These include the familiar stalagmites, stalactites, "cave flowers," and tufa, which have been chemically precipitated by

Bedding additives reduce ammonia emission and improve crop N uptake after soil application of solid cattle manure.

PubMed

Shah, Ghulam Abbas; Shah, Ghulam Mustafa; Rashid, Muhammad Imtiaz; Groot, Jeroen C J; Traore, Bouba; Lantinga, Egbert A

2018-03-01

This study examined the influences of three potential additives, i.e., lava meal, sandy soil top-layer and zeolite (used in animal bedding) amended solid cattle manures on (i) ammonia (NH 3 ), dinitrous oxide (N 2 O), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) emissions and (ii) maize crop or grassland apparent N recovery (ANR). Diffusion samplers were installed at 20 cm height on grassland surface to measure the concentrations of NH 3 from the manures. A photoacoustic gas monitor was used to quantitate the fluxes of N 2 O, CH 4 and CO 2 after manures' incorporation into the maize-field. Herbage ANR was calculated from dry matter yield and N uptake of three successive harvests, while maize crop ANR was determined at cusp of juvenile stage, outset of grain filling as well as physiological maturity stages. Use of additives decreased the NH 3 emission rates by about two-third from the manures applied on grassland surface than control untreated-manure. Total herbage ANR was more than doubled in treated manures and was 25% from manure amended with farm soil, 26% and 28% from zeolite and lava meal, respectively compared to 11% from control manure. In maize experiment, mean N 2 O and CO 2 emission rates were the highest from the latter treatment but these rates were not differed from zero control in case of manures amended with farm soil or zeolite. However, mean CH 4 emissions was not differed among all treatments during the whole measuring period. The highest maize crop ANR was obtained at the beginning of grain filling stage (11-40%), however ample lower crop recoveries (8-14%) were achieved at the final physiological maturity stage. This phenomenon was occurred due to leaf senescence N losses from maize crop during the period of grains filling. The lowest losses were observed from control manure at this stage. Hence, all additives decreased the N losses from animal manure and enhanced crop N uptake thus improved the agro-environmental worth of animal manure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Complex origins of silicate veinlets in HED meteorites: A case study of Northwest Africa 1109

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pang, Run-Lian; Zhang, Ai-Cheng; Wang, Ru-Cheng

2017-10-01

We report on the petrography and mineralogy of three types of silicate veinlets in the brecciated eucrite Northwest Africa (NWA) 1109. These include Fe-rich olivine, Mg-rich olivine, and pyroxene veinlets. The Fe-rich olivine veinlets mainly infill fractures in pyroxene and also occur along grain boundaries between pyroxene and plagioclase crystals, in both nonequilibrated and equilibrated lithic clasts. The host pyroxene of Fe-rich olivine veinlets shows large chemical variations between and within grains. The Fe-rich olivine veinlets also contain fine-grained Fe3+-bearing chromite, highly calcic plagioclase, merrillite, apatite, and troilite. Based on texture and mineral chemistry, we argue that the formation of Fe-rich olivine was related to fluid deposition at relatively high temperatures. However, the source of Fe-rich olivine in the veinlets remains unclear. Magnesium-rich olivine veinlets were found in three diogenitic lithic clasts. In one of these, the Mg-rich olivine veinlets only occur in one of the fine-grained interstitial regions and extend into fractures within surrounding coarse-grained orthopyroxene. Based on the texture of the interstitial materials, we suggest that the Mg-rich olivine veinlets formed by shock-induced localized melting and recrystallization. Pyroxene veinlets were only observed in one clast where they infill fractures within large plagioclase grains and are associated with fine-grained pyroxene surrounding coarse-grained pyroxene. The large chemical variations in pyroxene and the fracture-filling texture indicate that the pyroxene veinlets might also have formed by shock-induced localized melting and rapid crystallization. Our study demonstrates that silicate veinlets formed by a range of different surface processes on the surface of Vesta.

Film Grain-Size Related Long-Term Stability of Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

PubMed

Chiang, Chien-Hung; Wu, Chun-Guey

2016-09-22

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the perovskite solar cell is high enough to be commercially viable. The next important issue is the stability of the device. This article discusses the effect of the perovskite grain-size on the long-term stability of inverted perovskite solar cells. Perovskite films composed of various sizes of grains were prepared by controlling the solvent annealing time. The grain-size related stability of the inverted cells was investigated both in ambient atmosphere at relative humidity of approximately 30-40 % and in a nitrogen filled glove box (H 2 O<0.1 ppm, O 2 <10 ppm). The PCE of the solar cell based on a perovskite film having the grain size larger than 1 μm (D-10) decreases less than 10 % with storage in a glove box and less than 15 % when it was stored under an ambient atmosphere for 30 days. However, the cell using the perovskite film composed of small (∼100 nm) perovskite grains (D-0) exhibits complete loss of PCE after storage under the ambient atmosphere for only 15 days and a PCE loss of up to 70 % with storage in the glove box for 30 days. These results suggest that, even under H 2 O-free conditions, the chemical- and thermal-induced production of pin holes at the grain boundaries of the perovskite film could be the reason for long-term instability of inverted perovskite solar cells. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

First discovery of high-mercury silver in ores of the Rogovik gold-silver deposit (Northeastern Russia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makshakov, A. S.; Kravtsova, R. G.; Goryachev, N. A.; Pal'yanova, G. A.; Pavlova, L. A.

2017-09-01

New data on mercurial mineralization are presented, and a detailed characteristic is given for the first discovery of mercurous silver in ores of the Rogovik gold-silver deposit (the Omsukchan trough, Northeastern Russia). It was found that native silver in the examined ores occurs as finely-dispersed inclusions in quartz filling microcracks and interstitions. It also occurs in associations with kustelite, Ag sulfosalts and selenides, selenitic acanthite, and argyrodite. The mercury admixture varies from "not detected" in the central parts of grains to 0.22-1.70 wt % along the edges, or, in independent grains, to the appearance of Ag amalgams containing 10.20-24.61 wt % of Hg. The xenomorph form of grains of 50 μm or less in size prevails. It is assumed that the appearance of mercurial mineralization is caused by the superposition of products of the young Hg-bearing Dogda-Erikit belt upon the more ancient Ag-bearing Omsukchan trough.

High density of (pseudo) periodic twin-grain boundaries in molecular beam epitaxy-grown van der Waals heterostructure: MoTe{sub 2}/MoS{sub 2}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Diaz, Horacio Coy; Ma, Yujing; Chaghi, Redhouane

2016-05-09

Growth of transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) promises synthesis of artificial van der Waals materials with controllable layer compositions and separations. Here, we show that MBE growth of 2H-MoTe{sub 2} monolayers on MoS{sub 2} substrates results in a high density of mirror-twins within the films. The grain boundaries are tellurium deficient, suggesting that Te-deficiency during growth causes their formation. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy reveal that the grain boundaries arrange in a pseudo periodic “wagon wheel” pattern with only ∼2.6 nm repetition length. Defect states from these domain boundaries fill the band gap and thus give themore » monolayer an almost metallic property. The band gap states pin the Fermi-level in MoTe{sub 2} and thus determine the band-alignment in the MoTe{sub 2}/MoS{sub 2} interface.« less

7 CFR 917.442 - California Peach Container and Pack Regulation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) Each No. 22E standard lug box of loose-filled peaches shall bear on one outside end, in plain sight and... peaches in any such volume-filled container need only be filled to within one-inch of the top of the container. (2) Each package or container of peaches shall bear, on one outside end in plain sight and in...

7 CFR 917.442 - California Peach Container and Pack Regulation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) Each No. 22E standard lug box of loose-filled peaches shall bear on one outside end, in plain sight and... peaches in any such volume-filled container need only be filled to within one-inch of the top of the container. (2) Each package or container of peaches shall bear, on one outside end in plain sight and in...

Aerodynamics of saccate pollen and its implications for wind pollination.

PubMed

Schwendemann, Andrew B; Wang, George; Mertz, Meredith L; McWilliams, Ryan T; Thatcher, Scott L; Osborn, Jeffrey M

2007-08-01

Pollen grains of many wind-pollinated plants contain 1-3 air-filled bladders, or sacci. Sacci are thought to help orient the pollen grain in the pollination droplet. Sacci also increase surface area of the pollen grain, yet add minimal mass, thereby increasing dispersal distance; however, this aerodynamic hypothesis has not been tested in a published study. Using scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy, mathematical modeling, and the saccate pollen of three extant conifers with structurally different pollen grains (Pinus, Falcatifolium, Dacrydium), we developed a computational model to investigate pollen flight. The model calculates terminal settling velocity based on structural characters of the pollen grain, including lengths, widths, and depths of the main body and sacci; angle of saccus rotation; and thicknesses of the saccus wall, endoreticulations, intine, and exine. The settling speeds predicted by the model were empirically validated by stroboscopic photography. This study is the first to quantitatively demonstrate the adaptive significance of sacci for the aerodynamics of wind pollination. Modeling pollen both with and without sacci indicated that sacci can reduce pollen settling speeds, thereby increasing dispersal distance, with the exception of pollen grains having robust endoreticulations and those with thick saccus walls. Furthermore, because the mathematical model is based on structural characters and error propagation methods show that the model yields valid results when sample sizes are small, the flight dynamics of fossil pollen can be investigated. Several fossils were studied, including bisaccate (Pinus, Pteruchus, Caytonanthus), monosaccate (Gothania), and nonsaccate (Monoletes) pollen types.

Partitioning Tungsten between Matrix Precursors and Chondrule Precursors through Relative Settling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, Alexander

2016-08-01

Recent studies of chondrites have found a tungsten isotopic anomaly between chondrules and matrix. Given the refractory nature of tungsten, this implies that W was carried into the solar nebula by at least two distinct families of pre-solar grains. The observed chondrule/matrix split requires that the distinct families were kept separate during the dust coagulation process, and that the two families of grain interacted with the chondrule formation mechanism differently. We take the co-existence of different families of solids in the same general orbital region at the chondrule-precursor size as given, and explore the requirements for them to have interacted with the chondrule formation process at significantly different rates. We show that this sorting of families of solids into chondrule- and matrix-destined dust had to have been at least as powerful a sorting mechanism as the relative settling of aerodynamically distinct grains at least two scale heights above the midplane. The requirement that the chondrule formation mechanism was correlated in some fashion with a dust-grain sorting mechanism argues strongly for spatially localized chondrule formation mechanisms such as turbulent dissipation in non-thermally ionized disk surface layers, and argues against volume-filling mechanisms such as planetesimal bow shocks.

Comparative performance of hybrid and elite inbred rice varieties with respect to their source-sink relationship.

PubMed

Haque, Md Moinul; Pramanik, Habibur Rahman; Biswas, Jiban Krishna; Iftekharuddaula, K M; Hasanuzzaman, Mirza

2015-01-01

Hybrid rice varieties have higher yield potential over inbred varieties. This improvement is not always translated to the grain yield and its physiological causes are still unclear. In order to clarify it, two field experiments were conducted including two popular indica hybrids (BRRI hybrid dhan2 and Heera2) and one elite inbred (BRRI dhan45) rice varieties. Leaf area index, chlorophyll status, and photosynthetic rate of flag leaf, postheading crop growth rate, shoot reserve translocation, source-sink relation and yield, and its attributes of each variety were comprehensively analyzed. Both hybrid varieties outyielded the inbred. However, the hybrids and inbred varieties exhibited statistically identical yield in late planting. Both hybrids accumulated higher amount of biomass before heading and exhibited greater remobilization of assimilates to the grain in early plantings compared to the inbred variety. Filled grain (%) declined significantly at delayed planting in the hybrids compared to elite inbred due to increased temperature impaired-inefficient transport of assimilates. Flag leaf photosynthesis parameters were higher in the hybrid varieties than those of the inbred variety. Results suggest that greater remobilization of shoot reserves to the grain rendered higher yield of hybrid rice varieties.

Importance of dust storms in the diagenesis of sandstones: a case study, Entrada sandstone in the Ghost Ranch area, New Mexico, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orhan, Hükmü

1992-04-01

The importance of dust storms on geological processes has only been studied recently. Case-hardening, desert-varnish formation, duricrust development, reddening and cementation of sediments and caliche formation, are some important geological processes related to dust storms. Dust storms can also be a major source for cements in aeolian sandstones. The Jurassic aeolian Entrada Formation in the Ghost Ranch area is composed of quartz with minor amounts of feldspar and rock fragments, and is cemented with smectite as grain coatings and calcite and kaolinite as pore fillings. Smectite shows a crinkly and honeycomb-like morphology which points to an authigenic origin. The absence of smectite as framework grains and the presence of partially dissolved grains, coated with smectite and smectite egg-shells, indicate an external source. Clay and fine silt-size particles are believed to be the major source for cements, smectite and calcite in the Entrada Formation. The common association of kaolinite with altered feldspar, and the absence of kaolinite in spots heavily cemented with calcite, lead to the conclusions that the kaolinite formation postdates carbonates and that framework feldspar grains were the source of kaolinite.

7 CFR 801.2 - Meaning of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 801.2 Section 801.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS...

7 CFR 801.2 - Meaning of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 801.2 Section 801.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS...

7 CFR 801.2 - Meaning of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 801.2 Section 801.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS...

7 CFR 801.2 - Meaning of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 801.2 Section 801.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS...

7 CFR 801.2 - Meaning of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 801.2 Section 801.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS...

7 CFR 868.13 - Regulations not applicable for certain purposes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... inspection of grain under the United States Grain Standards Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. 71 et seq.) or the inspection of commodities under the United States Warehouse Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. 241 et seq...

7 CFR 800.2 - Administrator.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... which would not impair the objectives of the Act, suspend for period determined by the Administrator any... ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS Administration... administration of the United States Grain Standards Act and responsibilities under the Agricultural Marketing Act...

Proteomic analysis of proteins related to rice grain chalkiness using iTRAQ and a novel comparison system based on a notched-belly mutant with white-belly

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Grain chalkiness is a complex trait adversely affecting appearance and milling quality, and therefore has been one of principal targets for rice improvement. Eliminating chalkiness from rice has been a daunting task due to the complex interaction between genotype and environment and the lack of molecular markers. In addition, the molecular mechanisms underlying grain chalkiness formation are still imperfectly understood. Results We identified a notched-belly mutant (DY1102) with high percentage of white-belly, which only occurs in the bottom part proximal to the embryo. Using this mutant, a novel comparison system that can minimize the effect of genetic background and growing environment was developed. An iTRAQ-based comparative display of the proteins between the bottom chalky part and the upper translucent part of grains of DY1102 was performed. A total of 113 proteins responsible for chalkiness formation was identified. Among them, 70 proteins are up-regulated and 43 down-regulated. Approximately half of these differentially expressed proteins involved in central metabolic or regulatory pathways including carbohydrate metabolism (especially cell wall synthesis) and protein synthesis, folding and degradation, providing proteomic confirmation of the notion that chalkiness formation involves diverse but delicately regulated pathways. Protein metabolism was the most abundant category, accounting for 27.4% of the total differentially expressed proteins. In addition, down regulation of PDIL 2–3 and BiP was detected in the chalky tissue, indicating the important role of protein metabolism in grain chalkiness formation. Conclusions Using this novel comparison system, our comprehensive survey of endosperm proteomics in the notched-belly mutant provides a valuable proteomic resource for the characterization of pathways contributing to chalkiness formation at molecular and biochemical levels. PMID:24924297

Thermal Stabilization and Mechanical Properties of Nanocrystalline Iron-Nickel-Zirconium Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotan, Hasan

Ultrafine grained and nanostructured materials are promising for structural applications because of the high strength compared to coarse grained counterparts. However, their widespread application is limited by an inherently high driving force for thermally induced grain growth, even at low temperatures. Accordingly, the understanding of and control over grain growth in nanoscale materials is of great technological and scientific importance as many physical properties (i.e. mechanical properties) are functions of the average grain size and the grain size distribution within the microstructure. Here, we investigate the microstructural evolution and grain growth in Fe-Ni alloys with Zr addition and differentiate the stabilization mechanisms acting on grain boundaries. Fe-Ni alloys are chosen for stability investigations since they are important for understanding the behavior of many steels and other ferrous alloys. Zirconium is proven to be an effective grain size stabilizer in pure Fe and Fe-base systems. In this study, nanocrystalline alloys were prepared by high energy ball milling. In situ and ex situ experiments were utilized to directly follow grain growth and microstructural evolution as a function of temperature and composition. The information obtained from these experiments enables the real time observation of microstructural evolution and phase transformation and provides a unique view of dynamic reactions as they occur. The knowledge of the thermal stability will exploit the potential high temperature applications and the consolidation conditions (i.e. temperature and pressure) to obtain high dense materials for advanced mechanical tests. Our investigations reveal that the grain growth of Fe-Ni alloys is not affected by Ni content but strongly inhibited by the addition of 1 at% Zr up to about 700 °C. The microstructural stability is lost due to the bcc-to-fcc transformation (occurring at 700°C) by the sudden appearance of abnormally grown fcc grains. However it was determined grain growth can be suppressed kinetically at higher temperatures for high Zr containing alloys by precipitation of intermetallic compounds. Eventually at high enough temperatures the retention of nanocrystallinity was lost, leaving behind fine micron grains filled with nanoscale intermetallic precipitates. Despite the loss of stability the in-situ formed precipitates were found to induce an Orowan hardening affect. The results from the mechanical tests show that Orowan particle strengthening can be as significant as Hall Petch hardening is at the smallest grain sizes.

Magma Mixing: Magmatic Enclaves in Morne Micotrin, Dominica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hickernell, S.; Frey, H. M.; Manon, M. R. F.; Waters, L. E.

2017-12-01

Magmatic enclaves in volcanic rocks provide direct evidence of magma mingling/mixing within a magma reservoir and may reinvigorate the system and trigger eruption, as documented at the Soufriere Hills in Montserrat. Lava domes on the neighboring island of Dominica also contain multiple enclave populations and may be evidence for similar magma chamber processes. The central dome of Micotrin is at the head of the Roseau Valley, which was filled with 3 km3 of pyroclastic deposits from eruptions spanning 65 - 25 ka. There appear to be two distinct types of enclaves in the crystal-rich Micotrin andesites (60 wt% SiO2), fine-grained and coarse-grained. Fine-grained mafic enclaves (52 wt% SiO2) vary in size from 1 to 15 cm in diameter, whereas the coarse-grained enclaves are generally larger and range from 3-20 cm. Fine-grained enclaves are saturated in plag (35%) + opx (35%) + cpx (20%) + oxides (10%). Average pyroxenes are 0.01 to 0.02 cm in size, whereas plagioclase averages 0.05 cm and up to 0.1 cm. The texture of the fine-grained enclaves is cumulate-like, devoid of microlites and matrix glass. Coarse-grained enclaves lack cpx and have different modal abundances and textures: plag (75%) + opx (10%) + oxides (5%) + plag microlites (10%). Plagioclase are 0.1 cm in size and orthopyroxenes average 0.05 cm. The coarse-grained enclaves are highly vesicular, a notable difference from the host as well as the fine-grained enclaves. The boundaries of both the fine- and coarse-grained enclaves are quite sharp and distinct and there do not appear to be enclave minerals disaggregated in the host rock. Temperatures were determined by two oxides. The fine-grained enclaves had two populations of magnetite, yielding 847 + 21° and 920 + 17°C. The coarse-grained enclave was 890 + 42 °C, but the oxides were extensively exsolved. Plagioclase composition in both coarse and fine-grained samples was comparable, ranging from An50 to An80. Despite compositional similarity the textures of the plagioclase are distinctive. Fine-grained enclave plagioclase has patchy, uneven zoning, whereas coarse-grained enclave plagioclase has oscillatory zoning. The presence of these enclaves indicates that there may be several different magma inputs contributing to the system that is feeding Micotrin, and the injection of these unique magmas may be eruption triggers.

Physiological Mechanisms Underlying the High-Grain Yield and High-Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Elite Rice Varieties under a Low Rate of Nitrogen Application in China.

PubMed

Wu, Lilian; Yuan, Shen; Huang, Liying; Sun, Fan; Zhu, Guanglong; Li, Guohui; Fahad, Shah; Peng, Shaobing; Wang, Fei

2016-01-01

Selecting rice varieties with a high nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) is the best approach to reduce N fertilizer application in rice production and is one of the objectives of the Green Super Rice (GSR) Project in China. However, the performance of elite candidate GSR varieties under low N supply remains unclear. In the present study, differences in the grain yield and NUE of 13 and 14 candidate varieties with two controls were determined at a N rate of 100 kg ha(-1) in field experiments in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The grain yield for all of the rice varieties ranged from 8.67 to 11.09 t ha(-1), except for a japonica rice variety YG29, which had a grain yield of 6.42 t ha(-1). HY549 and YY4949 produced the highest grain yield, reflecting a higher biomass production and harvest index in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Total N uptake at maturity (TNPM) ranged from 144 to 210 kg ha(-1), while the nitrogen use efficiency for grain production (NUEg) ranged from 35.2 to 62.0 kg kg(-1). Both TNPM and NUEg showed a significant quadratic correlation with grain yield, indicating that it is possible to obtain high grain yield and NUEg with the reduction of TNPM. The correlation between N-related parameters and yield-related traits suggests that promoting pre-heading growth could increase TNPM, while high biomass accumulation during the grain filling period and large panicles are important for a higher NUEg. In addition, there were significant and negative correlations between the NUEg and N concentrations in leaf, stem, and grain tissues at maturity. Further improvements in NUEg require a reduction in the stem N concentration but not the leaf N concentration. The daily grain yield was the only parameter that significantly and positively correlated with both TNPMand NUEg. This study determined variations in the grain yield and NUE of elite candidate GSR rice varieties and provided plant traits that could be used as selection criteria in breeding N-efficient rice varieties.

Rice chalky ring formation caused by temporal reduction in starch biosynthesis during osmotic adjustment under foehn-induced dry wind.

PubMed

Wada, Hiroshi; Masumoto-Kubo, Chisato; Gholipour, Yousef; Nonami, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Fukuyo; Erra-Balsells, Rosa; Tsutsumi, Koichi; Hiraoka, Kenzo; Morita, Satoshi

2014-01-01

Foehn-like extreme hot and dry wind conditions (34°C, >2.5 kPa vapor pressure deficit, and 7 m s(-1)) strongly affect grain quality in rice (Oryza sativa L.). This is a current concern because of the increasing frequency and intensity of combined heat and water-deficit stress under climate change. Foehn-induced dry wind conditions during the grain-filling stage increase ring-shaped chalkiness as a result of spatiotemporal reduction in starch accumulation in the endosperm, but kernel growth is sometimes maintained by osmotic adjustment. Here, we assess the effects of dry wind on chalky ring formation in environmentally controlled growth chambers. Our results showed that hot and dry wind conditions that lasted for >24 h dramatically increased chalky ring formation. Hot and dry wind conditions temporarily reduced panicle water potential to -0.65 MPa; however, kernel growth was maintained by osmotic adjustment at control levels with increased transport of assimilate to the growing kernels. Dynamic tracer analysis with a nano-electrospray-ionization Orbitrap mass spectrometer and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that starch degradation was negligible in the short-term treatment. Overall expression of starch synthesis-related genes was found to be down-regulated at moderately low water potential. Because the events observed at low water potential preceded the packing of starch granules in cells, we concluded that reduced rates of starch biosynthesis play a central role in the events of cellular metabolism that are altered at osmotic adjustment, which leads to chalky ring formation under short-term hot and dry wind conditions.

Carrier Transport, Recombination, and the Effects of Grain Boundaries in Polycrystalline Cadmium Telluride Thin Films for Photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuteja, Mohit

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), a chalcogenide semiconductor, is currently used as the absorber layer in one of the highest efficiency thin film solar cell technologies. Current efficiency records are over 22%. In 2011, CdTe solar cells accounted for 8% of all solar cells installed. This is because, in part, CdTe has a low degradation rate, high optical absorption coefficient, and high tolerance to intrinsic defects. Solar cells based on polycrystalline CdTe exhibit a higher short-circuit current, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency than their single crystal counterparts. This is despite the fact that polycrystalline CdTe devices exhibit lower open-circuit voltages. This is contrary to the observation for silicon and III-V semiconductors, where material defects cause a dramatic drop in device performance. For example, grain boundaries in covalently-bonded semiconductors (a) act as carrier recombination centers, and (b) lead to localized energy states, causing carrier trapping. Despite significant research to date, the mechanism responsible for the superior current collection properties of polycrystalline CdTe solar cells has not been conclusively answered. This dissertation focuses on the macro-scale electronic band structure, and micro scale electronic properties of grains and grain boundaries in device-grade CdTe thin films to answer this open question. My research utilized a variety of experimental techniques. Samples were obtained from leading groups fabricating the material and devices. A CdCl 2 anneal is commonly performed as part of this fabrication and its effects were also investigated. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was employed to study the band structure and defect states in CdTe polycrystals. Cadmium vacancy- and chlorine-related states lead to carrier recombination, as in CdTe films grown by other methods. Comparing polycrystalline and single crystal CdTe, showed that the key to explaining the improved performance of polycrystalline CdTe does not lie in macroscopic analysis. The nanoscale majority carrier concentration was studied using scanning microwave impedance microscopy, which revealed an existence of majority carrier depletion along the grain boundaries, independent of the growth process used, which was absent in films that were not subjected to CdCl2 annealing. This effect promotes carrier separation and collection. Conductive atomic force microscopy showed enhanced conduction of electrons along the grain boundaries in samples subjected to the CdCl2 anneal treatment while holes were shown to move through the grain bulk. The separation of conduction channels minimizes recombination while simultaneously reducing series resistance and hence enhancing fill factor. Several technical capabilities demonstrated in this work can be easily extended to other semiconductor materials.

Terrestrial Analogs for Clay Minerals at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Treiman, Allan H; Morris, Richard V.; Bristow, Thomas; Ming, Douglas W.; Achillies, Cherie; Bish, David L.; Blake, David; Vaniman, David; Chipera, Steve

2013-01-01

Sediments of the Sheepbed unit, Gale Crater, were analyzed by the CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument on the Curiosity Rover. The sediments consist of typical basalt minerals (Fe-forsterite, augite, pigeonite, plagioclase), as well as Fe oxide/hydroxides, Fesulfides, amorphous material, and a phyllosilicate. The phyllosilicate has a broad 001 peak at approx 1.0 nm, consistent with a poorly ordered smectite. However, in the absence of diagnostic tests possible on Earth, its identity is not clear. The position of the 06L diffraction band is generally used to distinguish dioctahedral from trioctahedral smectite, but it is beyond CheMin's range of 2 Theta. The measured position of the 02L diffraction band (approx 22.5deg 2 Theta by CheMin), implies that the smectite is trioctahedral. The exact position and shape of the 02L band is determined by the cations in the 'M' sites of the smectite; to constrain those cations, we sought analogs among terrestrial smectites, emphasizing those developed from basaltic precursors. A potential analog for the Sheepbed smectite is 'griffithite,' a variety of trioctahedral smectite in altered basalt of the Topanga formation, Griffith Park, Los Angeles. 'Griffithite' has an 02L diffraction band that is close in position and shape to that of the Sheepbed smectite, although 'griffithite' has a very sharp 001 peak, indicating a high degree of layer ordering not seen in the Sheepbed smectite. A typical chemical formula for 'griffithite,' determined by electron microprobe, is (Ca0.59 Na0.03) (Mg4.28 Fe1.83) (Si6.64 Al1.36) O20 (OH)4, normalized to Si+Al=8. This formula is consistent with a fully trioctahedral Fe-Mg smectite with Ca and Na as interlayer cations. In the Topanga basalt, four types of 'griffithite' are present: fine-grained, filling cracks and vesicles; coarse-grained, filling vesicles; coarse-grained, replacing olivine phenocrysts; and coarse-grained, replacing glassy mesostasis. The fine-grained 'griffithite' formed first, and the last three varieties may be contemporaneous. One sample shows agate (alpha- quartz) that was precipitated between the episodes of deposition of the fine-grained and coarse-grained 'griffithite.' 'Griffithite' is not unique as a possible terrestrial analog - some clay minerals from the Doushantou formation, China, have similar 02L diffraction bands, and many basalts contain smectites in vesicles and as replacements after olivine. Similar trioctahedral smectites occur also in the nakhlite martian meteorites - as veinlets and replacements of olivine. By understanding the formation of these terrestrial clays, we hope to constrain the nature and mechanism of formation of the Sheepbed clay mineral.

Characterizing Optical Properties of Disturbed Surface Signatures

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

location, also had significant clasts of schist and other metamorphic rocks , which added mica grains to the soil. There was little organic plant...of the surface to include the number and shape of rock shards and soil aggregates. Sometimes there are changes in the larger scale topography, the...plastic pails filled with ammonium nitrate prills emplaced according to TTPs used by enemy forces in current combat theaters. The goals of the

High-biomass C4 grasses-Filling the yield gap.

PubMed

Mullet, John E

2017-08-01

A significant increase in agricultural productivity will be required by 2050 to meet the needs of an expanding and rapidly developing world population, without allocating more land and water resources to agriculture, and despite slowing rates of grain yield improvement. This review examines the proposition that high-biomass C 4 grasses could help fill the yield gap. High-biomass C 4 grasses exhibit high yield due to C 4 photosynthesis, long growth duration, and efficient capture and utilization of light, water, and nutrients. These C 4 grasses exhibit high levels of drought tolerance during their long vegetative growth phase ideal for crops grown in water-limited regions of agricultural production. The stems of some high-biomass C 4 grasses can accumulate high levels of non-structural carbohydrates that could be engineered to enhance biomass yield and utility as feedstocks for animals and biofuels production. The regulatory pathway that delays flowering of high-biomass C 4 grasses in long days has been elucidated enabling production and deployment of hybrids. Crop and landscape-scale modeling predict that utilization of high-biomass C 4 grass crops on land and in regions where water resources limit grain crop yield could increase agricultural productivity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geomorphological palaeoenvironments of the Sneeuberg Range, Great Karoo, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmes, P. J.; Boardman, J.; Parsons, A. J.; Marker, M. E.

2003-12-01

Sedimentary sequences within headwater valleys on the landward side of the Great Escarpment of South Africa are elucidated and their significance as indicators of environmental change is assessed. This study focuses on the Sneeuberg Range, the most prominent mountain range in the semi-arid central Great Karoo. Valley fills of a hitherto unrecognised complexity and of a greater age than any previously recorded in the central Great Karoo are reported. Three phases of deposition spanning the Late Pleistocene up to the present are documented from sites where gully erosion has incised the valley fills. The earliest depositional phase is represented by deeply weathered, calcretised gravel deposits, which probably were emplaced by debris flow and fluvial processes in the form of a fan. These deposits subsequently were buried by finer grained, largely unconsolidated sediment, with much of this emplacement occurring during the Holocene. There is evidence for phases of landscape stability and instability within this facies. Finally, sheetwash has removed fine-grained sediments from valley flanks and has deposited it either on valley bottoms, or in presently active gullies. This process appears to be ongoing, and is the subject of current investigation. The sedimentary deposits are interpreted as representing a wide range of palaeoenvironmental conditions that have prevailed within the central Great Karoo since the penultimate glaciation. Copyright

Mapping photovoltaic performance with nanoscale resolution

DOE PAGES

Kutes, Yasemin; Aguirre, Brandon A.; Bosse, James L.; ...

2015-10-16

Photo-conductive AFM spectroscopy (‘pcAFMs’) is proposed as a high-resolution approach for investigating nanostructured photovoltaics, uniquely providing nanoscale maps of photovoltaic (PV) performance parameters such as the short circuit current, open circuit voltage, maximum power, or fill factor. The method is demonstrated with a stack of 21 images acquired during in situ illumination of micropatterned polycrystalline CdTe/CdS, providing more than 42,000 I/V curves spatially separated by ~5 nm. For these CdTe/CdS microcells, the calculated photoconduction ranges from 0 to 700 picoSiemens (pS) upon illumination with ~1.6 suns, depending on location and biasing conditions. Mean short circuit currents of 2 pA, maximummore » powers of 0.5 pW, and fill factors of 30% are determined. The mean voltage at which the detected photocurrent is zero is determined to be 0.7 V. Significantly, enhancements and reductions in these more commonly macroscopic PV performance metrics are observed to correlate with certain grains and grain boundaries, and are confirmed to be independent of topography. Furthermore, these results demonstrate the benefits of nanoscale resolved PV functional measurements, reiterate the importance of microstructural control down to the nanoscale for 'PV devices, and provide a widely applicable new approach for directly investigating PV materials.« less

7 CFR 801.1 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Applicability. 801.1 Section 801.1 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD... FOR GRAIN INSPECTION EQUIPMENT § 801.1 Applicability. The requirements set forth in this part 801...

7 CFR 868.92 - Explanation of service fees and additional fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

....92 Section 868.92 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF... administrative costs; (2) The cost of per diem, subsistence, mileage, or commercial transportation to perform the...

7 CFR 868.92 - Explanation of service fees and additional fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

....92 Section 868.92 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF... administrative costs; (2) The cost of per diem, subsistence, mileage, or commercial transportation to perform the...

7 CFR 868.92 - Explanation of service fees and additional fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

....92 Section 868.92 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF... administrative costs; (2) The cost of per diem, subsistence, mileage, or commercial transportation to perform the...

7 CFR 868.92 - Explanation of service fees and additional fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

....92 Section 868.92 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF... administrative costs; (2) The cost of per diem, subsistence, mileage, or commercial transportation to perform the...

7 CFR 868.92 - Explanation of service fees and additional fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

....92 Section 868.92 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF... administrative costs; (2) The cost of per diem, subsistence, mileage, or commercial transportation to perform the...

The QTL GNP1 Encodes GA20ox1, Which Increases Grain Number and Yield by Increasing Cytokinin Activity in Rice Panicle Meristems.

PubMed

Wu, Yuan; Wang, Yun; Mi, Xue-Fei; Shan, Jun-Xiang; Li, Xin-Min; Xu, Jian-Long; Lin, Hong-Xuan

2016-10-01

Cytokinins and gibberellins (GAs) play antagonistic roles in regulating reproductive meristem activity. Cytokinins have positive effects on meristem activity and maintenance. During inflorescence meristem development, cytokinin biosynthesis is activated via a KNOX-mediated pathway. Increased cytokinin activity leads to higher grain number, whereas GAs negatively affect meristem activity. The GA biosynthesis genes GA20oxs are negatively regulated by KNOX proteins. KNOX proteins function as modulators, balancing cytokinin and GA activity in the meristem. However, little is known about the crosstalk among cytokinin and GA regulators together with KNOX proteins and how KNOX-mediated dynamic balancing of hormonal activity functions. Through map-based cloning of QTLs, we cloned a GA biosynthesis gene, Grain Number per Panicle1 (GNP1), which encodes rice GA20ox1. The grain number and yield of NIL-GNP1TQ were significantly higher than those of isogenic control (Lemont). Sequence variations in its promoter region increased the levels of GNP1 transcripts, which were enriched in the apical regions of inflorescence meristems in NIL-GNP1TQ. We propose that cytokinin activity increased due to a KNOX-mediated transcriptional feedback loop resulting from the higher GNP1 transcript levels, in turn leading to increased expression of the GA catabolism genes GA2oxs and reduced GA1 and GA3 accumulation. This rebalancing process increased cytokinin activity, thereby increasing grain number and grain yield in rice. These findings uncover important, novel roles of GAs in rice florescence meristem development and provide new insights into the crosstalk between cytokinin and GA underlying development process.

Effect of nitrogen levels and nitrogen ratios on lodging resistance and yield potential of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

PubMed Central

Wang, Hui; Yi, Yuan; Ding, Jinfeng; Zhu, Min; Li, Chunyan; Guo, Wenshan; Feng, Chaonian; Zhu, Xinkai

2017-01-01

Lodging is one of the constraints that limit wheat yields and quality due to the unexpected bending or breaking stems on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production worldwide. In addition to choosing lodging resistance varieties, husbandry practices also have a significant effect on lodging. Nitrogen management is one of the most common and efficient methods. A field experiment with Yangmai 20 as research material (a widely-used variety) was conducted to study the effects of different nitrogen levels and ratios on culm morphological, anatomical characters and chemical components and to explore the nitrogen application techniques for lodging tolerance and high yield. Results showed that some index of basal internodes, such as stem wall thickness, filling degree, lignin content, cellulose content, water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and WSC/N ratio, were positively and significantly correlated with culm lodging-resistant index (CLRI). As the increase of nitrogen level and basal nitrogen ratio, the basal internodes became slender and fragile with the thick stem wall, while filling degree, chemical components and the strength of the stem decreased gradually, which significantly increased the lodging risk. The response of grain yield to nitrogen doses was quadratic and grain yield reached the highest at the nitrogen ratio of 50%:10%:20%:20% (the ratio of nitrogen amount applied before sowing, at tillering stage, jointing stage and booting stage respectively, abbreviated as 5:1:2:2). These results suggested that for Yangmai 20, the planting density of 180×104ha-1, nitrogen level of 225 kg ha-1, and the ratio of 5: 1: 2: 2 effectively increased lodging resistance and grain yield. This combination of planting density and nitrogen level and ratio could effectively relieve the contradiction between high-yielding and anti-lodging. PMID:29117250

Modeling the Formation of Hydrate-Filled Veins in Fine-Grained Sediments from in Situ Microbial Methane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinverno, A.; Cook, A.; Daigle, H.

2016-12-01

Continental margin sediments are dominantly fine-grained silt and clay, and methane hydrates in these sediments are often found in semi-vertical veins and fractures. In several instances, these hydrate veins occupy discrete depth intervals that are a few tens of meters thick and are surrounded by hydrate-free sediments. As they are not connected with gas sources beneath the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ), these isolated hydrate-bearing intervals have been interpreted as formed by in situ microbial methane. To investigate the formation of these hydrate deposits, we applied a time-dependent advection-diffusion-reaction model that includes the effects of sedimentation, compaction, solute diffusion, and microbial methane generation. Microbial methane generation depends on the amount of metabolizable organic carbon deposited at the seafloor, whose progressive degradation produces methane beneath the sulfate reduction zone. If the amount of organic carbon entering the methanogenic zone is kept constant in time, we found that the computed amounts of hydrate formed in discrete intervals within the GHSZ are well below those estimated from observations. On the other hand, if the deposition of organic carbon is higher in a given time interval, methane generation during burial is more intense in the corresponding sediment interval, resulting in enhanced hydrate formation. With variations in organic carbon deposition comparable to those generally observed in continental margins, our model was able to reproduce the methane hydrate contents that were estimated from drilling. These results support the suggestion that in situ microbial generation associated with transient organic carbon deposition is the source of methane that forms isolated intervals of hydrate-filled veins in fine-grained sediments.

Effect of nitrogen levels and nitrogen ratios on lodging resistance and yield potential of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Zhang, Mingwei; Wang, Hui; Yi, Yuan; Ding, Jinfeng; Zhu, Min; Li, Chunyan; Guo, Wenshan; Feng, Chaonian; Zhu, Xinkai

2017-01-01

Lodging is one of the constraints that limit wheat yields and quality due to the unexpected bending or breaking stems on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production worldwide. In addition to choosing lodging resistance varieties, husbandry practices also have a significant effect on lodging. Nitrogen management is one of the most common and efficient methods. A field experiment with Yangmai 20 as research material (a widely-used variety) was conducted to study the effects of different nitrogen levels and ratios on culm morphological, anatomical characters and chemical components and to explore the nitrogen application techniques for lodging tolerance and high yield. Results showed that some index of basal internodes, such as stem wall thickness, filling degree, lignin content, cellulose content, water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and WSC/N ratio, were positively and significantly correlated with culm lodging-resistant index (CLRI). As the increase of nitrogen level and basal nitrogen ratio, the basal internodes became slender and fragile with the thick stem wall, while filling degree, chemical components and the strength of the stem decreased gradually, which significantly increased the lodging risk. The response of grain yield to nitrogen doses was quadratic and grain yield reached the highest at the nitrogen ratio of 50%:10%:20%:20% (the ratio of nitrogen amount applied before sowing, at tillering stage, jointing stage and booting stage respectively, abbreviated as 5:1:2:2). These results suggested that for Yangmai 20, the planting density of 180×104ha-1, nitrogen level of 225 kg ha-1, and the ratio of 5: 1: 2: 2 effectively increased lodging resistance and grain yield. This combination of planting density and nitrogen level and ratio could effectively relieve the contradiction between high-yielding and anti-lodging.

Tracing Cadmium from Culture to Spikelet: Noninvasive Imaging and Quantitative Characterization of Absorption, Transport, and Accumulation of Cadmium in an Intact Rice Plant1[W][OA

PubMed Central

Fujimaki, Shu; Suzui, Nobuo; Ishioka, Noriko S.; Kawachi, Naoki; Ito, Sayuri; Chino, Mitsuo; Nakamura, Shin-ichi

2010-01-01

We characterized the absorption and short-term translocation of cadmium (Cd) in rice (Oryza sativa ‘Nipponbare’) quantitatively using serial images observed with a positron-emitting tracer imaging system. We fed a positron-emitting 107Cd (half-life of 6.5 h) tracer to the hydroponic culture solution and noninvasively obtained serial images of Cd distribution in intact rice plants at the vegetative stage and at the grain-filling stage every 4 min for 36 h. The rates of absorption of Cd by the root were proportional to Cd concentrations in the culture solution within the tested range of 0.05 to 100 nm. It was estimated that the radial transport from the culture to the xylem in the root tissue was completed in less than 10 min. Cd moved up through the shoot organs with velocities of a few centimeters per hour at both stages, which was obviously slower than the bulk flow in the xylem. Finally, Cd arrived at the panicles 7 h after feeding and accumulated there constantly, although no Cd was observed in the leaf blades within the initial 36 h. The nodes exhibited the most intensive Cd accumulation in the shoot at both stages, and Cd transport from the basal nodes to crown root tips was observed at the vegetative stage. We conclude that the nodes are the central organ where xylem-to-phloem transfer takes place and play a pivotal role in the half-day travel of Cd from the soil to the grains at the grain-filling stage. PMID:20172965

Modeling the Formation of Hydrate-Filled Veins in Fine-Grained Sediments from in Situ Microbial Methane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malinverno, Alberto; Cook, Ann; Daigle, Hugh

Continental margin sediments are dominantly fine-grained silt and clay, and methane hydrates in these sediments are often found in semi-vertical veins and fractures. In several instances, these hydrate veins occupy discrete depth intervals that are a few tens of meters thick and are surrounded by hydrate-free sediments. As they are not connected with gas sources beneath the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ), these isolated hydrate-bearing intervals have been interpreted as formed by in situ microbial methane. To investigate the formation of these hydrate deposits, we applied a time-dependent advection-diffusion-reaction model that includes the effects of sedimentation, compaction,more » solute diffusion, and microbial methane generation. Microbial methane generation depends on the amount of metabolizable organic carbon deposited at the seafloor, whose progressive degradation produces methane beneath the sulfate reduction zone. If the amount of organic carbon entering the methanogenic zone is kept constant in time, we found that the computed amounts of hydrate formed in discrete intervals within the GHSZ are well below those estimated from observations. On the other hand, if the deposition of organic carbon is higher in a given time interval, methane generation during burial is more intense in the corresponding sediment interval, resulting in enhanced hydrate formation. With variations in organic carbon deposition comparable to those generally observed in continental margins, our model was able to reproduce the methane hydrate contents that were estimated from drilling. These results support the suggestion that in situ microbial generation associated with transient organic carbon deposition is the source of methane that forms isolated intervals of hydrate-filled veins in fine-grained sediments.« less

Reservoir sedimentology of the Big Injun sandstone in Granny Creek field, West Virginia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zou, Xiangdong; Donaldson, K.; Donaldson, A.C.

1992-01-01

Big Injun sandstones of Granny Creek oil field (WV) are interpreted as fluvial-deltaic deposits from core and geophysical log data. The reservoir consists of two distinctive lithologies throughout the field; fine-grained sandstones overlain by pebbly and coarse-grained sandstones. Lower fine-grained sandstones were deposited in westward prograding river-mouth bars, where distal, marine-dominant proximal, and fluvial-dominant proximal bar subfacies are recognized. Principal pay is marine-influenced proximal bar, where porosity ranges from 13 to 23% and permeability, up to 24 md. Thin marine transgressive shales and their laterally equivalent low-permeability sandstones bound time-rock sequences generally less than 10 meters thick. Where field mapped,more » width of prograding bar sequence is approximately 2.7 km (dip trend), measured from truncated eastern edge (pre-coarse-grained member erosional surface) to distal western margin. Dip-trending elongate lobes occur within marine-influenced proximal mouth-bar area, representing thickest part of tidally influenced preserved bar. Upper coarse-grained part of reservoir consists of pebbly sandstones of channel fill from bedload streams. Laterally persistent low permeability cemented interval in lower part commonly caps underlying pay zone and probably serves as seal to vertical oil migration. Southwest paleoflow trends based on thickness maps of unit portent emergence of West Virginia dome, which influences erosion patterns of pre-Greenbrier unconformity for this combination oil trap.« less

Surface spins enhanced magnetoelectric coefficient and impedance spectroscopy of BaFe{sub 0.01}Ti{sub 0.99}O{sub 3} and BaFe{sub 0.015}Ti{sub 0.985}O{sub 3} nanorods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verma, Kuldeep Chand, E-mail: kuldeep0309@yahoo.co.in; Akal School of Physics, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh 173101; Tripathi, S.K.

2015-08-15

Highlights: • Multiferroic Fe-doped BaTiO{sub 3} nanorods. • Sol–gel. • Magnetoelectric coefficient. • Transmission electron microscopy. • Cole–Cole plots. - Abstract: Multiferroic BaFe{sub 0.01}Ti{sub 0.99}O{sub 3} (BFT1) and BaFe{sub 0.015}Ti{sub 0.985}O{sub 3} (BFT15) nanorods were prepared by a sol–gel synthesis and annealed at 700 °C/2 h. The tetragonal phase and nano dimensions of BFT samples are identified by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The enhancement in ferroelectricity depends upon low porosity, tetragonal phase, space charge field, larger surface area and oriented growth. The ferromagnetism depends upon partially filled inner shells, surface spins and oxygen vacancies. The magnetoelectric coefficient ismore » explained on the basis of surface spins, short-range interactions near surface boundary, compressive stress and twin structure contributed by nano grains which can reside stress near grain boundaries. The frequency dependent real (Z′) and imaginary (Z″) parts of impedance spectra are confirmed by the variations that observed in dielectric properties. The values of resistance of grain boundaries, R{sub gb} is higher than grains, R{sub g} indicating that the effect of grain boundaries is dominant in BFT nanorods.« less

Dating Saharan dust deposits on Lanzarote (Canary Islands) by luminescence dating techniques and their implication for palaeoclimate reconstruction of NW Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Suchodoletz, H.; Fuchs, M.; ZöLler, L.

2008-02-01

Lava flow dammed valleys (Vegas) on Lanzarote (Canary Islands) represent unique sediment traps, filled with autochthonous volcanic material and allochthonous Saharan dust. These sediments and the intercalated palaeosoil sediments document past environmental change of the last glacial-interglacial cycles, both on Lanzarote and in NW Africa. A reliable chronology must be established to use these sediment archives for palaeoclimate reconstructions. Owing to the lack of organic material and the limiting time range of the 14C-dating method, luminescence dating is the most promising method for these sediments. However, the fluvio-eolian character of these sediments is a major problem for luminescence dating, because these sediments are prone to insufficient resetting of the parent luminescence signal (bleaching) prior to sedimentation. To check for the best age estimates, we compare the bleaching behavior of (1) different grain sizes (coarse- versus fine-grain quartz OSL) and (2) different minerals (fine-grain feldspar IRSL versus fine-grain quartz OSL). The results show that owing to its bleaching characteristics, quartz is the preferable mineral for luminescence dating. On the basis of the fine- and coarse-grain quartz OSL age estimates, a chronostratigraphy up to 100 ka could be established. Beyond this age limit for OSL quartz, the chronostratigraphy could be extended up to 180 ka by correlating the vega sediments with dated marine sediment archives.

The high grain protein content gene Gpc-B1 accelerates senescence and has pleiotropic effects on protein content in wheat.

PubMed

Uauy, Cristobal; Brevis, Juan Carlos; Dubcovsky, Jorge

2006-01-01

High grain protein content (GPC) is a frequent target of wheat breeding programmes because of its positive effect on bread and pasta quality. A wild wheat allele at the Gpc-B1 locus with a significant impact on this trait was identified previously. The precise mapping of several senescence-related traits in a set of tetraploid recombinant substitution lines (RSLs) segregating for Gpc-B1 is reported here. Flag leaf chlorophyll degradation, change in peduncle colour, and spike water content were completely linked to the Gpc-B1 locus and to the differences in GPC within a 0.3 cM interval corresponding to a physical distance of only 250 kb. The effect of Gpc-B1 was also examined in different environments and genetic backgrounds using a set of tetraploid and hexaploid pairs of isogenic lines. The results were consistent with those observed in the RSLs. The high GPC allele conferred a shorter duration of grain fill due to earlier flag leaf senescence and increased GPC in all four genetic backgrounds. The effect on grain size was more variable, depending on the genotype-environment combinations. These results are consistent with a model in which the wild-type allele of Gpc-B1 accelerates senescence in flag leaves producing pleiotropic effects on nitrogen remobilization, total GPC, and grain size.

Source/sink interactions underpin crop yield: the case for trehalose 6-phosphate/SnRK1 in improvement of wheat

PubMed Central

Lawlor, David W.; Paul, Matthew J.

2014-01-01

Considerable interest has been evoked by the analysis of the regulatory pathway in carbohydrate metabolism and cell growth involving the non-reducing disaccharide trehalose (TRE). TRE is at small concentrations in mesophytes such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Triticum aestivum, excluding a role in osmoregulation once suggested for it. Studies of TRE metabolism, and genetic modification of it, have shown a very wide and more important role of the pathway in regulation of many processes in development, growth, and photosynthesis. It has now been established that rather than TRE, it is trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) which has such profound effects. T6P is the intermediary in TRE synthesis formed from glucose-6-phosphate and UDP-glucose, derived from sucrose, by the action of trehalose phosphate synthase. The concentration of T6P is determined both by the rate of synthesis, which depends on the sucrose concentration, and also by the rate of breakdown by trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase which produces TRE. Changing T6P concentrations by genetically modifying the enzymes of synthesis and breakdown has altered photosynthesis, sugar metabolism, growth, and development which affect responses to, and recovery from, environmental factors. Many of the effects of T6P on metabolism and growth occur via the interaction of T6P with the SnRK1 protein kinase system. T6P inhibits the activity of SnRK1, which de-represses genes encoding proteins involved in anabolism. Consequently, a large concentration of sucrose increases T6P and thereby inhibits SnRK1, so stimulating growth of cells and their metabolic activity. The T6P/SnRK1 mechanism offers an important new view of how the distribution of assimilates to organs, such as developing grains in cereal plants, is achieved. This review briefly summarizes the factors determining, and limiting, yield of wheat (particularly mass/grain which is highly conserved) and considers how T6P/SnRK1 might function to determine grain yield and might be altered to increase them. Increasing the potential rate of filling and mass/grain are ways in which total crop yield could be increased with good husbandry which maintains crop assimilation Cereal yields globally are not increasing, despite the greater production required to meet human demand. Careful targeting of T6P is showing much promise for optimization of source/sink for yield improvement and offers yet further possibilities for increasing sink demand and grain size in wheat. PMID:25202319

Regulation of OsSPL14 by OsmiR156 defines ideal plant architecture in rice.

PubMed

Jiao, Yongqing; Wang, Yonghong; Xue, Dawei; Wang, Jing; Yan, Meixian; Liu, Guifu; Dong, Guojun; Zeng, Dali; Lu, Zefu; Zhu, Xudong; Qian, Qian; Li, Jiayang

2010-06-01

Increasing crop yield is a major challenge for modern agriculture. The development of new plant types, which is known as ideal plant architecture (IPA), has been proposed as a means to enhance rice yield potential over that of existing high-yield varieties. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a semidominant quantitative trait locus, IPA1 (Ideal Plant Architecture 1), which profoundly changes rice plant architecture and substantially enhances rice grain yield. The IPA1 quantitative trait locus encodes OsSPL14 (SOUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 14) and is regulated by microRNA (miRNA) OsmiR156 in vivo. We demonstrate that a point mutation in OsSPL14 perturbs OsmiR156-directed regulation of OsSPL14, generating an 'ideal' rice plant with a reduced tiller number, increased lodging resistance and enhanced grain yield. Our study suggests that OsSPL14 may help improve rice grain yield by facilitating the breeding of new elite rice varieties.

Regulation of the Pollen-Specific Actin-Depolymerizing Factor LlADF1

PubMed Central

Allwood, Ellen G.; Anthony, Richard G.; Smertenko, Andrei P.; Reichelt, Stefanie; Drobak, Bjorn K.; Doonan, John H.; Weeds, Alan G.; Hussey, Patrick J.

2002-01-01

Pollen tube growth is dependent on a dynamic actin cytoskeleton, suggesting that actin-regulating proteins are involved. We have examined the regulation of the lily pollen-specific actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) LlADF1. Its actin binding and depolymerizing activity is pH sensitive, inhibited by certain phosphoinositides, but not controlled by phosphorylation. Compared with its F-actin binding properties, its low activity in depolymerization assays has been used to explain why pollen ADF decorates F-actin in pollen grains. This low activity is incompatible with a role in increasing actin dynamics necessary to promote pollen tube growth. We have identified a plant homolog of actin-interacting protein, AIP1, which enhances the depolymerization of F-actin in the presence of LlADF1 by ∼60%. Both pollen ADF and pollen AIP1 bind F-actin in pollen grains but are mainly cytoplasmic in pollen tubes. Our results suggest that together these proteins remodel actin filaments as pollen grains enter and exit dormancy. PMID:12417710

Dynamic Dilational Strengthening During Earthquakes in Saturated Gouge-Filled Fault Zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparks, D. W.; Higby, K.

2016-12-01

The effect of fluid pressure in saturated fault zones has been cited as an important factor in the strength and slip-stability of faults. Fluid pressure controls the effective normal stress across the fault and therefore controls the faults strength. In a fault core consisting of granular fault gouge, local transient dilations and compactions occur during slip that dynamically change the fluid pressure. We use a grain-scale numerical model to investigate the effect of these fluid effects in fault gouge during an earthquake. We use a coupled finite difference-discrete element model (Goren et al, 2011), in which the pore space is filled with a fluid. Local changes in grain packing generate local deviations in fluid pressure, which can be relieved by fluid flow through the permeable gouge. Fluid pressure gradients exert drag forces on the grains that couple the grain motion and fluid flow. We simulated 39 granular gouge zones that were slowly loaded in shear stress to near the failure point, and then conducted two different simulations starting from each grain packing: one with a high enough mean permeability (> 10-11 m2) that pressure remains everywhere equilibrated ("fully drained"), and one with a lower permeability ( 10-14 m2) in which flow is not fast enough to prevent significant pressure variations from developing ("undrained"). The static strength of the fault, the size of the event and the evolution of slip velocity are not imposed, but arise naturally from the granular packing. In our particular granular model, all fully drained slip events are well-modeled by a rapid drop in the frictional resistance of the granular packing from a static value to a dynamic value that remains roughly constant during slip. Undrained events show more complex behavior. In some cases, slip occurs via a slow creep with resistance near the static value. When rapid slip events do occur, the dynamic resistance is typically larger than in drained events, and highly variable. Frictional resistance is not correlated with the mean fluid pressure in the layer, but is instead controlled by local regions undergoing dilational strengthening. We find that (in the absence of pressure-generating effects like thermal pressurization or fluid-releasing reactions), the overall effect of fluid is to strengthen the fault.

49 CFR 1037.2 - Cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Cars. 1037.2 Section 1037.2 Transportation Other... GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS BULK GRAIN AND GRAIN PRODUCTS-LOSS AND DAMAGE CLAIMS § 1037.2 Cars. A car is... railroad-leased cars. [57 FR 54334, Nov. 18, 1992] ...

49 CFR 1037.2 - Cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Cars. 1037.2 Section 1037.2 Transportation Other... GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS BULK GRAIN AND GRAIN PRODUCTS-LOSS AND DAMAGE CLAIMS § 1037.2 Cars. A car is... railroad-leased cars. [57 FR 54334, Nov. 18, 1992] ...

49 CFR 1037.2 - Cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Cars. 1037.2 Section 1037.2 Transportation Other... GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS BULK GRAIN AND GRAIN PRODUCTS-LOSS AND DAMAGE CLAIMS § 1037.2 Cars. A car is... railroad-leased cars. [57 FR 54334, Nov. 18, 1992] ...

49 CFR 1037.2 - Cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Cars. 1037.2 Section 1037.2 Transportation Other... GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS BULK GRAIN AND GRAIN PRODUCTS-LOSS AND DAMAGE CLAIMS § 1037.2 Cars. A car is... railroad-leased cars. [57 FR 54334, Nov. 18, 1992] ...

49 CFR 1037.2 - Cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cars. 1037.2 Section 1037.2 Transportation Other... GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS BULK GRAIN AND GRAIN PRODUCTS-LOSS AND DAMAGE CLAIMS § 1037.2 Cars. A car is... railroad-leased cars. [57 FR 54334, Nov. 18, 1992] ...

7 CFR 800.161 - Official certificate requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... applicable; (12) the results of the service performed; (13) the location of the issuing office; (14) the... Service shall be used for all export grain. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control... STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL REGULATIONS...

Seed spillage from grain trailers on road verges during oilseed rape harvest: an experimental survey.

PubMed

Bailleul, Diane; Ollier, Sébastien; Huet, Sylvie; Gardarin, Antoine; Lecomte, Jane

2012-01-01

Anthropogenic vectors enhance the natural dispersal capacity of plant seeds significantly in terms of quantity and distance. Human-mediated seed dispersal (i.e. anthropochory) greatly increases the dispersal of crop species across agroecosystems. In the case of oilseed rape (OSR), spillage of seeds from grain trailers during harvest has never been quantified. Our experimental approach involved establishing 85 seed trap-sites on the road verges of an agricultural area around the grain silo of Selommes (Loir-et-Cher, France). We recorded OSR spillage during harvest and applied a linear model to the data. The amount of seed spilled was related positively to the area of the OSR fields served by the road, whereas the amount of seed spilled decreased with other variables, such as distance from the trap-site to the verge of the road and to the nearest field. The distance to the grain silo, through local and regional effects, affected seed loss. Local effects from fields adjacent to the road resulted in a cumulative spillage on one-lane roads. On two-lane roads, spillage was nearly constant whatever the distance to the silo due to a mixture of these local effects and of grain trailers that joined the road from more distant fields. From the data, we predicted the number of seeds lost from grain trailers on one road verge in the study area. We predicted a total spillage of 2.05 × 10(6) seeds (± 4.76 × 10(5)) along the road length, which represented a mean of 404 ± 94 seeds per m(2). Containment of OSR seeds will always be challenging. However, seed spillage could be reduced if grain trailers were covered and filled with less seed. Reducing distances travelled between fields and silos could also limit seed loss.

Environmental controls on photosynthetic microbial mat distribution and morphogenesis on a 3.42 Ga clastic-starved platform.

PubMed

Tice, Michael M

2009-12-01

Three morphotypes of microbial mats are preserved in rocks deposited in shallow-water facies of the 3.42 Ga Buck Reef chert (BRC). Morphotype alpha consists of fine anastomosing and bifurcating carbonaceous laminations, which loosely drape underlying detrital grains or form silica-filled lenses. Morphotype beta consists of meshes of fine carbonaceous strands intergrown with detrital grains and dark laminations, which loosely drape coarse detrital grains. Morphotype gamma consists of fine, even carbonaceous laminations that tightly drape underlying detrital grains. Preservation of nearly uncompacted mat morphologies and detrital grains deposited during mat growth within a well-characterized sedimentary unit makes quantitative correlation between morphology and paleoenvironment possible. All mats are preserved in the shallowest-water interval of those rocks deposited below normal wave base and above storm wave base. This interval is bounded below by a transgressive lag formed during regional flooding and above by a small condensed section that marks a local relative sea-level maximum. Restriction of all mat morphotypes to the shallowest interval of the storm-active layer in the BRC ocean reinforces previous interpretations that these mats were constructed primarily by photosynthetic organisms. Morphotypes alpha and beta dominate the lower half of this interval and grew during deposition of relatively coarse detrital carbonaceous grains, while morphotype gamma dominates the upper half and grew during deposition of fine detrital carbonaceous grains. The observed mat distribution suggests that either light intensity or, more likely, small variations in ambient current energy acted as a first-order control on mat morphotype distribution. These results demonstrate significant environmental control on biological morphogenetic processes independent of influences from siliciclastic sedimentation.

The transcriptome of the developing grain: a resource for understanding seed development and the molecular control of the functional and nutritional properties of wheat.

PubMed

Rangan, Parimalan; Furtado, Agnelo; Henry, Robert J

2017-10-11

Wheat is one of the three major cereals that have been domesticated to feed human populations. The composition of the wheat grain determines the functional properties of wheat including milling efficiency, bread making, and nutritional value. Transcriptome analysis of the developing wheat grain provides key insights into the molecular basis for grain development and quality. The transcriptome of 35 genotypes was analysed by RNA-Seq at two development stages (14 and 30 days-post-anthesis, dpa) corresponding to the mid stage of development (stage Z75) and the almost mature seed (stage Z85). At 14dpa, most of the transcripts were associated with the synthesis of the major seed components including storage proteins and starch. At 30dpa, a diverse range of genes were expressed at low levels with a predominance of genes associated with seed defence and stress tolerance. RNA-Seq analysis of changes in expression between 14dpa and 30dpa stages revealed 26,477 transcripts that were significantly differentially expressed at a FDR corrected p-value cut-off at ≤0.01. Functional annotation and gene ontology mapping was performed and KEGG pathway mapping allowed grouping based upon biochemical linkages. This analysis demonstrated that photosynthesis associated with the pericarp was very active at 14dpa but had ceased by 30dpa. Recently reported genes for flour yield in milling and bread quality were found to influence wheat quality largely due to expression patterns at the earlier seed development stage. This study serves as a resource providing an overview of gene expression during wheat grain development at the early (14dpa) and late (30dpa) grain filling stages for use in studies of grain quality and nutritional value and in understanding seed biology.

Antagonistic Actions of HLH/bHLH Proteins Are Involved in Grain Length and Weight in Rice

PubMed Central

Heang, Dany; Sassa, Hidenori

2012-01-01

Grain size is a major yield component in rice, and partly controlled by the sizes of the lemma and palea. Molecular mechanisms controlling the sizes of these organs largely remain unknown. In this study, we show that an antagonistic pair of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins is involved in determining rice grain length by controlling cell length in the lemma/palea. Overexpression of an atypical bHLH, named POSITIVE REGULATOR OF GRAIN LENGTH 1 (PGL1), in lemma/palea increased grain length and weight in transgenic rice. PGL1 is an atypical non-DNA-binding bHLH and assumed to function as an inhibitor of a typical DNA-binding bHLH through heterodimerization. We identified the interaction partner of PGL1 and named it ANTAGONIST OF PGL1 (APG). PGL1 and APG interacted in vivo and localized in the nucleus. As expected, silencing of APG produced the same phenotype as overexpression of PGL1, suggesting antagonistic roles for the two genes. Transcription of two known grain-length-related genes, GS3 and SRS3, was largely unaffected in the PGL1-overexpressing and APG-silenced plants. Observation of the inner epidermal cells of lemma revealed that are caused by increased cell length. PGL1-APG represents a new grain length and weight-controlling pathway in which APG is a negative regulator whose function is inhibited by PGL1. PMID:22363621

Ascorbic acid deficiency leads to increased grain chalkiness in transgenic rice for suppressed of L-GalLDH.

PubMed

Yu, Le; Liu, Yonghai; Lu, Lina; Zhang, Qilei; Chen, Yezheng; Zhou, Liping; Chen, Hua; Peng, Changlian

2017-04-01

The grain chalkiness of rice (Oryza sativa L.), which determines the rice quality and price, is a major concern in rice breeding. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a critical role in regulating rice endosperm chalkiness. Ascorbic acid (Asc) is a major plant antioxidant, which strictly regulates the levels of ROS. l-galactono-1, 4-lactone dehydrogenase (L-GalLDH, EC 1.3.2.3) is an enzyme that catalyzes the last step of Asc biosynthesis in higher plants. Here we show that the L-GalLDH-suppressed transgenic rice, GI-1 and GI-2, which have constitutively low (between 30% and 50%) leaf and grain Asc content compared with the wild-type (WT), exhibit significantly increased grain chalkiness. Further examination showed that the deficiency of Asc resulted in a higher lipid peroxidation and H 2 O 2 content, accompanied by a lower hydroxyl radical scavenging rate, total antioxidant capacity and photosynthetic ability. In addition, changes of the enzyme activities and gene transcript abundances related to starch synthesis were also observed in GI-1 and GI-2 grains. The results we presented here suggest a close correlation between Asc deficiency and grain chalkiness in the L-GalLDH-suppressed transgenics. Asc deficiency leads to the accumulation of H 2 O 2 , affecting antioxidant capacity and photosynthetic function, changing enzyme activities and gene transcript abundances related to starch synthesis, finally leading to the increased grain chalkiness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Slip-stick excitation and travelling waves excite silo honking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vriend, Nathalie; Warburton, Kasia; Porte, Elze

2016-11-01

Industrial storage silos filled with PET-particles can create a sound upon discharge. The sound forms a nuisance for the environment when the structure starts to act as a loudspeaker and may ultimately result in structural failure. This work investigates the phenomenon experimentally-the deployment of a microphone, an accelerometer and high-speed imaging on a laboratory set-up reveal the driving mechanism for the structural resonance: stick-slip at the wall. Particle image velocimetry shows an asymmetric, upwards travelling wave (at 50 m/s) which contains the dynamic "slip"-region. The frequency of the mechanical motion of the grains is successfully correlated to the frequency of the emitted sound. Friction models are explored to describe and quantify the frictional interaction between the grains and the wall.

Properties of pendular liquid bridges determined on Delaunay's roulettes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mielniczuk, Boleslaw; Millet, Olivier; Gagneux, Gérard; El Youssoufi, Moulay Said

2017-06-01

This work addresses the study of capillary bridge properties between two grains, with use of recent analytical model, based on solutions of Young-Laplace equation from an inverse problem. A simple explicit criterion allows to classify the profile of capillary bridge as a surface of revolution with constant mean curvature (Delaunay roulette) using its measured geometrical parameters (gorge radius, contact angle, half-filling angle). Necessary data are obtained from experimental tests, realized on liquid bridges between two equal spherical grains. Sequences of images are recorded at several (fixed) volumes of liquid and different separations distances between the spheres (from contact to rupture), in laboratory and in micro-gravity conditions. For each configuration, an exact parametric representation of the meridian is revealed. Mean bridge curvature, internal pressure and intergranular capillary force are also determined.

Dynamic morphologies of pollen plastids visualised by vegetative-specific FtsZ1-GFP in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Fujiwara, Makoto T; Hashimoto, Haruki; Kazama, Yusuke; Hirano, Tomonari; Yoshioka, Yasushi; Aoki, Seishiro; Sato, Naoki; Itoh, Ryuuichi D; Abe, Tomoko

2010-06-01

The behaviour and multiplication of pollen plastids have remained elusive despite their crucial involvement in cytoplasmic inheritance. Here, we present live images of plastids in pollen grains and growing tubes from transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines expressing stroma-localised FtsZ1-green-fluorescent protein fusion in a vegetative cell-specific manner. Vegetative cells in mature pollen contained a morphologically heterogeneous population of round to ellipsoidal plastids, whilst those in late-developing (maturing) pollen included plastids that could have one or two constriction sites. Furthermore, plastids in pollen tubes exhibited remarkable tubulation, stromule (stroma-filled tubule) extension, and back-and-forth movement along the direction of tube growth. Plastid division, which involves the FtsZ1 ring, was rarely observed in mature pollen grains.

Proteomic Analysis Revealed Nitrogen-mediated Metabolic, Developmental, and Hormonal Regulation of Maize (Zea mays L.) Ear Growth

PubMed Central

Li, Chunjian; Li, Xuexian

2012-01-01

Optimal nitrogen (N) supply is critical for achieving high grain yield of maize. It is well established that N deficiency significantly reduces grain yield and N oversupply reduces N use efficiency without significant yield increase. However, the underlying proteomic mechanism remains poorly understood. The present field study showed that N deficiency significantly reduced ear size and dry matter accumulation in the cob and grain, directly resulting in a significant decrease in grain yield. The N content, biomass accumulation, and proteomic variations were further analysed in young ears at the silking stage under different N regimes. N deficiency significantly reduced N content and biomass accumulation in young ears of maize plants. Proteomic analysis identified 47 proteins with significant differential accumulation in young ears under different N treatments. Eighteen proteins also responded to other abiotic and biotic stresses, suggesting that N nutritional imbalance triggered a general stress response. Importantly, 24 proteins are involved in regulation of hormonal metabolism and functions, ear development, and C/N metabolism in young ears, indicating profound impacts of N nutrition on ear growth and grain yield at the proteomic level. PMID:22936831

7 CFR 801.3 - Tolerances for barley pearlers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Tolerances for barley pearlers. 801.3 Section 801.3 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD... FOR GRAIN INSPECTION EQUIPMENT § 801.3 Tolerances for barley pearlers. The maintenance tolerances for...

75 FR 65667 - Lincoln Pharmacy; Revocation of Registration

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-26

..., a registered pharmacist. Respondent is the holder of Certificate of Registration, BL4082222, which... the pharmacist who fills the prescription.'' Id. (emphasis added). Continuing, the regulation states... substances.'' Id. DEA has consistently interpreted this provision as prohibiting a pharmacist from filling a...

DO POST-MINING CONSTRUCTED CHANNELS REPLACE FUNCTIONAL ATTRIBUTES OF HEADWATER STREAMS?

EPA Science Inventory

Mountaintop removal and valley filling is a method for mining coal in the Appalachians. Surface coal mining regulations currently recognize constructed drainage ditches associated with valley fills as compensatory mitigation. Our objective was to determine if these constructed ch...

5 CFR 362.203 - Filling positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Filling positions. 362.203 Section 362.203 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PATHWAYS...) Appointments. (1) An agency may make Intern appointments, pursuant to its Pathways MOU, using the Schedule D...

5 CFR 362.203 - Filling positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Filling positions. 362.203 Section 362.203 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PATHWAYS...) Appointments. (1) An agency may make Intern appointments, pursuant to its Pathways MOU, using the Schedule D...

Hydrogeologic framework of the middle San Pedro watershed, southeastern Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dickinson, Jesse; Kennedy, Jeffrey R.; Pool, D.R.; Cordova, Jeffrey T.; Parker, John T.; Macy, J.P.; Thomas, Blakemore

2010-01-01

Water managers in rural Arizona are under increasing pressure to provide sustainable supplies of water despite rapid population growth and demands for environmental protection. This report describes the results of a study of the hydrogeologic framework of the middle San Pedro watershed. The components of this report include: (1) a description of the geologic setting and depositional history of basin fill sediments that form the primary aquifer system, (2) updated bedrock altitudes underlying basin fill sediments calculated using a subsurface density model of gravity data, (3) delineation of hydrogeologic units in the basin fill using lithologic descriptions in driller's logs and models of airborne electrical resistivity data, (4) a digital three-dimensional (3D) hydrogeologic framework model (HFM) that represents spatial extents and thicknesses of the hydrogeologic units (HGUs), and (5) description of the hydrologic properties of the HGUs. The lithologic interpretations based on geophysical data and unit thickness and extent of the HGUs included in the HFM define potential configurations of hydraulic zones and parameters that can be incorporated in groundwater-flow models. The hydrogeologic framework comprises permeable and impermeable stratigraphic units: (1) bedrock, (2) sedimentary rocks predating basin-and-range deformation, (3) lower basin fill, (4) upper basin fill, and (5) stream alluvium. The bedrock unit includes Proterozoic to Cretaceous crystalline rocks, sedimentary rocks, and limestone that are relatively impermeable and poor aquifers, except for saturated portions of limestone. The pre-basin-and-range sediments underlie the lower basin fill but are relatively impermeable owing to cementation. However, they may be an important water-bearing unit where fractured. Alluvium of the lower basin fill, the main water-bearing unit, was deposited in the structural trough between the uplifted ridges of bedrock and (or) pre-basin-and-range sediments. Alluvium of the upper basin fill may be more permeable than the lower basin fill, but it is generally unsaturated in the study area. The lower basin fill stratigraphic unit was delineated into three HGUs on the basis of lithologic descriptions in driller?s logs and one-dimensional (1D) electrical models of airborne transient electromagnetic (TEM) surveys. The interbedded lower basin fill (ILBF) HGU represents an upper sequence having resistivity values between 5 and 40 ohm-m identified as interbedded sand, gravel, and clay in driller?s logs. Below this upper sequence, fine-grained lower basin fill (FLBF) HGU represents a thick silt and clay sequence having resistivity values between 5 and 20 ohm-m. Within the coarse-grained lower basin fill (CLBF) HGU, which underlies the silt and clay of the FLBF, the resistivity values on logs and 1D models increase to several hundred ohm-m and are highly variable within sand and gravel layers. These sequences match distinct resistivity and lithologic layers identified by geophysical logs in the adjacent Sierra Vista subwatershed, suggesting that these sequences are laterally continuous within both the Benson and Sierra Vista subwatersheds in the Upper San Pedro Basin. A subsurface density model based on gravity data was constructed to identify the top of bedrock and structures that may affect regional groundwater flow. The subsurface density model contains six layers having uniform density values, which are assigned on the basis of geophysical logs. The density values for the layers range between 1.65 g/cm3 for unsaturated sediments near the land surface and 2.67 g/cm3 for bedrock. Major features include three subbasins within the study area, the Huachuca City subbasin, the Tombstone subbasin, and the Benson subbasin, which have no expression in surface topography or lithology. Bedrock altitudes from the subsurface density model defined top altitudes of the bedrock HGU. The HFM includes the following HGUs in ascending stratigr

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Oligofructan Metabolism and Suggested Functions in Developing Cereal Grains

PubMed Central

Peukert, Manuela; Thiel, Johannes; Mock, Hans-Peter; Marko, Doris; Weschke, Winfriede; Matros, Andrea

2016-01-01

Oligofructans represent one of the most important groups of sucrose-derived water–soluble carbohydrates in the plant kingdom. In cereals, oligofructans accumulate in above ground parts of the plants (stems, leaves, seeds) and their biosynthesis leads to the formation of both types of glycosidic linkages [β(2,1); β(2,6)-fructans] or mixed patterns. In recent studies, tissue- and development- specific distribution patterns of the various oligofructan types in cereal grains have been shown, which are possibly related to the different phases of grain development, such as cellular differentiation of grain tissues and storage product accumulation. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about oligofructan biosynthesis and accumulation kinetics in cereal grains. We focus on the spatiotemporal dynamics and regulation of oligofructan biosynthesis and accumulation in developing barley grains (deduced from a combination of metabolite, transcript and proteome analyses). Finally, putative physiological functions of oligofructans in developing grains are discussed. PMID:26834760

Use of microstrip patch antennas in grain and pulverized materials permittivity measurement

USGS Publications Warehouse

El Sabbagh, M.A.; Ramahi, O.M.; Trabelsi, S.; Nelson, S.O.; Khan, L.

2003-01-01

A free-space microwave system developed for the measurement of the relative complex permittivity of granular materials and of pulverized materials was reported. The system consists of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna separated by a space filled by the sample to be characterized and a network analyzer for transmission measurement. The receiving antenna was mounted on a movable plate, which gives the flexibility of having different sample thicknesses.

High Temperature-Induced Expression of Rice α-Amylases in Developing Endosperm Produces Chalky Grains.

PubMed

Nakata, Masaru; Fukamatsu, Yosuke; Miyashita, Tomomi; Hakata, Makoto; Kimura, Rieko; Nakata, Yuriko; Kuroda, Masaharu; Yamaguchi, Takeshi; Yamakawa, Hiromoto

2017-01-01

Global warming impairs grain filling in rice and reduces starch accumulation in the endosperm, leading to chalky-appearing grains, which damages their market value. We found previously that high temperature-induced expression of starch-lytic α-amylases during ripening is crucial for grain chalkiness. Because the rice genome carries at least eight functional α-amylase genes, identification of the α-amylase(s) that contribute most strongly to the production of chalky grains could accelerate efficient breeding. To identify α-amylase genes responsible for the production of chalky grains, we characterized the histological expression pattern of eight α-amylase genes and the influences of their overexpression on grain appearance and carbohydrate components through a series of experiments with transgenic rice plants. The promoter activity of most α - amylase genes was elevated to various extents at high temperature. Among them, the expression of Amy1A and Amy3C was induced in the internal, especially basal to dorsal, region of developing endosperm, whereas that of Amy3D was confined near the ventral aleurone. These regions coincided with the site of occurrence of chalkiness, which was in clear contrast to conventionally known expression patterns of the enzyme in the scutellum and aleurone during seed germination. Furthermore, overexpression of α-amylase genes, except for Amy3E , in developing endosperm produced various degrees of chalky grains without heat exposure, whereas that of Amy3E yielded normal translucent grains, as was the case in the vector control, even though Amy3E -overexpressing grains contained enhanced α-amylase activities. The weight of the chalky grains was decreased due to reduced amounts of starch, and microscopic observation of the chalky part of these grains revealed that their endosperm consisted of loosely packed round starch granules that had numerous pits on their surface, confirming the hydrolysis of the starch reserve by α-amylases. Moreover, the chalky grains contained increased amounts of soluble sugars including maltooligosaccharides at the expense of starch. The integrated analyses proposed that expression of Amy1A, Amy3C , and Amy3D at the specific regions of the developing endosperm could generate the chalkiness. This finding provides the fundamental knowledge to narrow down the targets for the development of high temperature-tolerant premium rice.

High Temperature-Induced Expression of Rice α-Amylases in Developing Endosperm Produces Chalky Grains

PubMed Central

Nakata, Masaru; Fukamatsu, Yosuke; Miyashita, Tomomi; Hakata, Makoto; Kimura, Rieko; Nakata, Yuriko; Kuroda, Masaharu; Yamaguchi, Takeshi; Yamakawa, Hiromoto

2017-01-01

Global warming impairs grain filling in rice and reduces starch accumulation in the endosperm, leading to chalky-appearing grains, which damages their market value. We found previously that high temperature-induced expression of starch-lytic α-amylases during ripening is crucial for grain chalkiness. Because the rice genome carries at least eight functional α-amylase genes, identification of the α-amylase(s) that contribute most strongly to the production of chalky grains could accelerate efficient breeding. To identify α-amylase genes responsible for the production of chalky grains, we characterized the histological expression pattern of eight α-amylase genes and the influences of their overexpression on grain appearance and carbohydrate components through a series of experiments with transgenic rice plants. The promoter activity of most α-amylase genes was elevated to various extents at high temperature. Among them, the expression of Amy1A and Amy3C was induced in the internal, especially basal to dorsal, region of developing endosperm, whereas that of Amy3D was confined near the ventral aleurone. These regions coincided with the site of occurrence of chalkiness, which was in clear contrast to conventionally known expression patterns of the enzyme in the scutellum and aleurone during seed germination. Furthermore, overexpression of α-amylase genes, except for Amy3E, in developing endosperm produced various degrees of chalky grains without heat exposure, whereas that of Amy3E yielded normal translucent grains, as was the case in the vector control, even though Amy3E-overexpressing grains contained enhanced α-amylase activities. The weight of the chalky grains was decreased due to reduced amounts of starch, and microscopic observation of the chalky part of these grains revealed that their endosperm consisted of loosely packed round starch granules that had numerous pits on their surface, confirming the hydrolysis of the starch reserve by α-amylases. Moreover, the chalky grains contained increased amounts of soluble sugars including maltooligosaccharides at the expense of starch. The integrated analyses proposed that expression of Amy1A, Amy3C, and Amy3D at the specific regions of the developing endosperm could generate the chalkiness. This finding provides the fundamental knowledge to narrow down the targets for the development of high temperature-tolerant premium rice. PMID:29270189

Flume Experiments on the Influence of Salmon Spawning Density on Grain Stability and Bedload Transport in Gravel-bed Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxton, T. H.

2015-12-01

Salmon spawning in streams involves the female salmon digging a pit in the bed where she deposits eggs for fertilization before covering them with gravel excavated from the next pit upstream. Sequences of pit excavation and filling winnow fines, loosen sediment, and move bed material into a tailspill mound resembling the shape of a dune. Research suggests salmonid nests (redds) destabilize streambeds by reducing friction between loosened grains and converging flow that elevates shear stress on redd topography. However, bed stability may be enhanced by form drag from redds in clusters that lower shear stress on the granular bed, but this effect will vary with the proportion of the bed surface that is occupied by redds (P). I used simulated redds and water-worked ("unspawned") beds in a laboratory flume to evaluate these competing influences on grain stability and bedload transport rates with P=0.12, 0.34, and 0.41. Results indicate that competence (largest-grain) and reference transport rate estimates of critical conditions for particle entrainment inversely relate to P. Bedload transport increased as exponential functions of P and excess boundary shear stress. Therefore, redd form drag did not overcome the destabilizing effects of spawning. Instead, grain mobility and bedload transport increased with P because larger areas of the bed were composed of relatively loose, unstable grains and redd topography that experienced elevated shear stress. Consequently, the presence of redds in fish-bearing streams likely reduces the effects of sedimentation from landscape disturbance on stream habitats that salmon use for reproduction.

Grain Handling and Transportation Policy in Canada: Implications for the United States

DOE PAGES

Nolan, James; Peterson, Steven K

2015-08-01

The grain handling and transportation system in Canada (GHTS) is currently going through a major transition, both with respect to handling and transportation. Historically, the system has pitted farmers against the railways with respect to securing individual fair shares of grain revenues. But with the removal of the single desk marketing and logistics function of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) in late 2012, a very interesting and potentially game-changing outcome is emerging with respect to the new functionality of the grain companies in the Canadian system. While historical awareness of rail s natural monopoly position in the grain handling systemmore » has kept that sector regulated (in several ways) for close to a century, we are now starting to see the effects of a less than competitive Canadian grain handling sector on revenue sharing, along with renewed movement in the industry with respect to buyouts and potential mergers. This overview will highlight some of the changes now occurring and how they are potentially going to interact or evolve as the system moves forward. For example, the on-going regulatory instrument used to regulate grain transportation rates in Canada (called the maximum revenue entitlement (MRE) or revenue cap) is under current debate because of the introduction a few months ago of a modification to an old regulatory instrument known as extended (or reciprocal) interswitching. As opposed to the revenue cap which is a direct intervention on monopoly behavior, extended interswitching is designed to encourage the major Canadian grain carriers to compete with one another and potentially seek out new traffic (Nolan and Skotheim, 2008). But the most intriguing aspect of extended interswitching is how it might allow a major rail carrier from the U.S. to solicit grain traffic in some areas of the Canadian grain transportation system.« less

Grain Handling and Transportation Policy in Canada: Implications for the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nolan, James; Peterson, Steven K

The grain handling and transportation system in Canada (GHTS) is currently going through a major transition, both with respect to handling and transportation. Historically, the system has pitted farmers against the railways with respect to securing individual fair shares of grain revenues. But with the removal of the single desk marketing and logistics function of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) in late 2012, a very interesting and potentially game-changing outcome is emerging with respect to the new functionality of the grain companies in the Canadian system. While historical awareness of rail s natural monopoly position in the grain handling systemmore » has kept that sector regulated (in several ways) for close to a century, we are now starting to see the effects of a less than competitive Canadian grain handling sector on revenue sharing, along with renewed movement in the industry with respect to buyouts and potential mergers. This overview will highlight some of the changes now occurring and how they are potentially going to interact or evolve as the system moves forward. For example, the on-going regulatory instrument used to regulate grain transportation rates in Canada (called the maximum revenue entitlement (MRE) or revenue cap) is under current debate because of the introduction a few months ago of a modification to an old regulatory instrument known as extended (or reciprocal) interswitching. As opposed to the revenue cap which is a direct intervention on monopoly behavior, extended interswitching is designed to encourage the major Canadian grain carriers to compete with one another and potentially seek out new traffic (Nolan and Skotheim, 2008). But the most intriguing aspect of extended interswitching is how it might allow a major rail carrier from the U.S. to solicit grain traffic in some areas of the Canadian grain transportation system.« less

Effects, tolerance mechanisms and management of salt stress in grain legumes.

PubMed

Farooq, Muhammad; Gogoi, Nirmali; Hussain, Mubshar; Barthakur, Sharmistha; Paul, Sreyashi; Bharadwaj, Nandita; Migdadi, Hussein M; Alghamdi, Salem S; Siddique, Kadambot H M

2017-09-01

Salt stress is an ever-present threat to crop yields, especially in countries with irrigated agriculture. Efforts to improve salt tolerance in crop plants are vital for sustainable crop production on marginal lands to ensure future food supplies. Grain legumes are a fascinating group of plants due to their high grain protein contents and ability to fix biological nitrogen. However, the accumulation of excessive salts in soil and the use of saline groundwater are threatening legume production worldwide. Salt stress disturbs photosynthesis and hormonal regulation and causes nutritional imbalance, specific ion toxicity and osmotic effects in legumes to reduce grain yield and quality. Understanding the responses of grain legumes to salt stress and the associated tolerance mechanisms, as well as assessing management options, may help in the development of strategies to improve the performance of grain legumes under salt stress. In this manuscript, we discuss the effects, tolerance mechanisms and management of salt stress in grain legumes. The principal inferences of the review are: (i) salt stress reduces seed germination (by up to more than 50%) either by inhibiting water uptake and/or the toxic effect of ions in the embryo, (ii) salt stress reduces growth (by more than 70%), mineral uptake, and yield (by 12-100%) due to ion toxicity and reduced photosynthesis, (iii) apoplastic acidification is a good indicator of salt stress tolerance, (iv) tolerance to salt stress in grain legumes may develop through excretion and/or compartmentalization of toxic ions, increased antioxidant capacity, accumulation of compatible osmolytes, and/or hormonal regulation, (v) seed priming and nutrient management may improve salt tolerance in grain legumes, (vi) plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi may help to improve salt tolerance due to better plant nutrient availability, and (vii) the integration of screening, innovative breeding, and the development of transgenics and crop management strategies may enhance salt tolerance and yield in grain legumes on salt-affected soils. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Tectonic controls of a backarc trough-fill turbidite system: The Pliocene Tamugigawa Formation in the Niigata Shin'etsu inverted rift basin, Northern Fossa Magna, central Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takano, Osamu; Tateishi, Masaaki; Endo, Masataka

2005-05-01

The Pliocene Tamugigawa Formation in the Niigata-Shin'etsu inverted rift basin, Northern Fossa Magna, located in the junction zone of the NE and SW Japan arcs, demonstrates a trough-fill turbidite system, which is topographically controlled in depositional style and shows notable contrasts in depositional architecture from sandy radial-fan-type turbidite systems. The Tamugigawa trough-fill turbidite system shows an elongated morphology parallel to the basin extent and facies associations consisting of trough-fill, lateral-supply and trough-side elements. The trough-fill elements comprise thick-bedded sheet sandstone and sheet-flow turbidite associations, which show sheet-like sedimentation configuration, instead of depositional lobes, without distinct upward fining and coarsening successions. The lateral-supply elements form an intra-trough small fan along a lateral sediment-supply system into the troughs, and consist mainly of coarser-grained distributary-channel fills and sheet sandstones. The trough-side elements consist of slope-mudstone and spillover associations, which were deposited on the structural highs beside the troughs. The Tamugigawa trough-fill turbidites were deposited through three phases: (a) initial ponding stage with thick, sheet sandstones provided by the lateral-supply system, (b) main filling stage with sheet-flow turbidites provided by the longitudinal supply system, and (c) filled-up stage characterized by minor-scale channel-levee systems. Basin-wide tectono-sedimentary studies reveal that the trough-fill turbidites were characteristically formed during the compressional-stress-field stage related to basin inversion. The compressional stress induced basin-floor syndepositional folding and coarse clastic supply from the uplifted provenance, resulting in topographically restricted turbidite deposition within the troughs. In contrast, turbidites of the post-rift stage, prior to basin inversion, show no topographical control because of the simple and wide rift-basin topography, relative to the amount of sediment supply. It is concluded that the trough-fill turbidites of the Niigata-Shin'etsu basin have been strongly affected by basin tectonics in their depositional architecture and formation phases.

78 FR 730 - State Program Requirements; Approval of Application To Administer Partial National Pollutant...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-04

...) at facilities whose primary industrial activity is storage of grain, feed seed, fertilizer, and... incidentally store grain, feed seed, fertilizer, and agriculture chemicals to support the primary activity of..., except those related to wood preservation and processing regulated pursuant to 40 CFR part 429 (Timber...

77 FR 75523 - Adaptation of Regulations To Incorporate Swaps-Records of Transactions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-21

...(``FIA''); Grain and Feed Association of Illinois; Kansas City Board of Trade (``KCBT''); CME Group... Dakota Grain & Feed Association; and Working Group of Commercial Energy Firms (``Commercial Energy Working Group''). Comments are available in the comment file on www.cftc.gov . In the Final Adaptation...

[Effects of different application rates of water-retaining agent on root physiological characteristics of winter wheat at its different growth stages].

PubMed

Yang, Yong-Hui; Wu, Ji-Cheng; Wu, Pu-Te; Huang, Zhan-Bin; Zhao, Xi-Ning; Guan, Xiu-Juan; He, Fang

2011-01-01

A field experiment was conducted at the Yuzhou Experimental Base of Henan Province to study the effects of different application rates (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg x hm(-2)) of water-retaining agent (WRA) on the root physiological characteristics, biomass, and grain yield of two winter wheat cultivars Zhengmai-9694 and Aikang-58, aimed to probe into the action mechanisms of WRA on the root system of winter wheat at its different growth stages. The application of WRA decreased the root membrane permeability and soluble sugar content, and increased the root vigor. After the application of WRA, the Zhengmai-9694 at its different growth stages had a greater decrement of root membrane permeability, compared with Aikang-58. In all treatments except 90 kg x hm(-2) of WRA, the root vigor of Aikang-58 was obviously higher than that of Zhengmai-9694. At booting and grain-filling stages, the root soluble sugar content of Zhengmai-9694 decreased much more than that of Aikang-58. In the whole growth period of the two cultivars, their root membrane permeability and soluble sugar content were the lowest in treatment 60 kg x hm(-2) of WRA, and no significant differences were observed between treatments 60 and 90 kg x hm(-2) of WRA. The root vigor of Zhengmai-9694 increased remarkably with the increasing rate of WRA application, while that of Aikang-58 was the highest in treatment 60 kg x hm(-2) of WRA. The application of WRA also increased root biomass, and at jointing and booting stages, the root biomass of Aikang-58 was much higher than that of Zhengmai-9694. However, at grain-filling stage, the biomass of Aikang-58 in treatments 60 and 90 kg x hm(-2) of WRA was lower than that of Zhengmai-9694. Treatment 60 kg x hm(-2) of WRA had the highest grain yield of the two cultivars. It was concluded that WRA had more significant effects on Zhengmai-9694 than on Aikang-58, and applying 60 kg x hm(-2) of WRA could obtain the best effect.

Traits and selection strategies to improve root systems and water uptake in water-limited wheat crops.

PubMed

Wasson, A P; Richards, R A; Chatrath, R; Misra, S C; Prasad, S V Sai; Rebetzke, G J; Kirkegaard, J A; Christopher, J; Watt, M

2012-05-01

Wheat yields globally will depend increasingly on good management to conserve rainfall and new varieties that use water efficiently for grain production. Here we propose an approach for developing new varieties to make better use of deep stored water. We focus on water-limited wheat production in the summer-dominant rainfall regions of India and Australia, but the approach is generally applicable to other environments and root-based constraints. Use of stored deep water is valuable because it is more predictable than variable in-season rainfall and can be measured prior to sowing. Further, this moisture is converted into grain with twice the efficiently of in-season rainfall since it is taken up later in crop growth during the grain-filling period when the roots reach deeper layers. We propose that wheat varieties with a deeper root system, a redistribution of branch root density from the surface to depth, and with greater radial hydraulic conductivity at depth would have higher yields in rainfed systems where crops rely on deep water for grain fill. Developing selection systems for mature root system traits is challenging as there are limited high-throughput phenotyping methods for roots in the field, and there is a risk that traits selected in the lab on young plants will not translate into mature root system traits in the field. We give an example of a breeding programme that combines laboratory and field phenotyping with proof of concept evaluation of the trait at the beginning of the selection programme. This would greatly enhance confidence in a high-throughput laboratory or field screen, and avoid investment in screens without yield value. This approach requires careful selection of field sites and years that allow expression of deep roots and increased yield. It also requires careful selection and crossing of germplasm to allow comparison of root expression among genotypes that are similar for other traits, especially flowering time and disease and toxicity resistances. Such a programme with field and laboratory evaluation at the outset will speed up delivery of varieties with improved root systems for higher yield.

Physiological and Molecular Analysis of Aluminium-Induced Organic Acid Anion Secretion from Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) Roots

PubMed Central

Fan, Wei; Xu, Jia-Meng; Lou, He-Qiang; Xiao, Chuan; Chen, Wei-Wei; Yang, Jian-Li

2016-01-01

Grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) is abundant in oxalate and can secrete oxalate under aluminium (Al) stress. However, the features of Al-induced secretion of organic acid anions (OA) and potential genes responsible for OA secretion are poorly understood. Here, Al-induced OA secretion in grain amaranth roots was characterized by ion charomatography and enzymology methods, and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) together with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to identify up-regulated genes that are potentially involved in OA secretion. The results showed that grain amaranth roots secrete both oxalate and citrate in response to Al stress. The secretion pattern, however, differs between oxalate and citrate. Neither lanthanum chloride (La) nor cadmium chloride (Cd) induced OA secretion. A total of 84 genes were identified as up-regulated by Al, in which six genes were considered as being potentially involved in OA secretion. The expression pattern of a gene belonging to multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family, AhMATE1, was in close agreement with that of citrate secretion. The expression of a gene encoding tonoplast dicarboxylate transporter and four genes encoding ATP-binding cassette transporters was differentially regulated by Al stress, but the expression pattern was not correlated well with that of oxalate secretion. Our results not only reveal the secretion pattern of oxalate and citrate from grain amaranth roots under Al stress, but also provide some genetic information that will be useful for further characterization of genes involved in Al toxicity and tolerance mechanisms. PMID:27144562

Physiological and Molecular Analysis of Aluminium-Induced Organic Acid Anion Secretion from Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) Roots.

PubMed

Fan, Wei; Xu, Jia-Meng; Lou, He-Qiang; Xiao, Chuan; Chen, Wei-Wei; Yang, Jian-Li

2016-04-30

Grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) is abundant in oxalate and can secrete oxalate under aluminium (Al) stress. However, the features of Al-induced secretion of organic acid anions (OA) and potential genes responsible for OA secretion are poorly understood. Here, Al-induced OA secretion in grain amaranth roots was characterized by ion charomatography and enzymology methods, and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) together with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to identify up-regulated genes that are potentially involved in OA secretion. The results showed that grain amaranth roots secrete both oxalate and citrate in response to Al stress. The secretion pattern, however, differs between oxalate and citrate. Neither lanthanum chloride (La) nor cadmium chloride (Cd) induced OA secretion. A total of 84 genes were identified as up-regulated by Al, in which six genes were considered as being potentially involved in OA secretion. The expression pattern of a gene belonging to multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family, AhMATE1, was in close agreement with that of citrate secretion. The expression of a gene encoding tonoplast dicarboxylate transporter and four genes encoding ATP-binding cassette transporters was differentially regulated by Al stress, but the expression pattern was not correlated well with that of oxalate secretion. Our results not only reveal the secretion pattern of oxalate and citrate from grain amaranth roots under Al stress, but also provide some genetic information that will be useful for further characterization of genes involved in Al toxicity and tolerance mechanisms.

PARTITIONING TUNGSTEN BETWEEN MATRIX PRECURSORS AND CHONDRULE PRECURSORS THROUGH RELATIVE SETTLING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hubbard, Alexander, E-mail: ahubbard@amnh.org

2016-08-01

Recent studies of chondrites have found a tungsten isotopic anomaly between chondrules and matrix. Given the refractory nature of tungsten, this implies that W was carried into the solar nebula by at least two distinct families of pre-solar grains. The observed chondrule/matrix split requires that the distinct families were kept separate during the dust coagulation process, and that the two families of grain interacted with the chondrule formation mechanism differently. We take the co-existence of different families of solids in the same general orbital region at the chondrule-precursor size as given, and explore the requirements for them to have interactedmore » with the chondrule formation process at significantly different rates. We show that this sorting of families of solids into chondrule- and matrix-destined dust had to have been at least as powerful a sorting mechanism as the relative settling of aerodynamically distinct grains at least two scale heights above the midplane. The requirement that the chondrule formation mechanism was correlated in some fashion with a dust-grain sorting mechanism argues strongly for spatially localized chondrule formation mechanisms such as turbulent dissipation in non-thermally ionized disk surface layers, and argues against volume-filling mechanisms such as planetesimal bow shocks.« less

Carrier mobility enhancement of nano-crystalline semiconductor films: Incorporation of redox -relay species into the grain boundary interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desilva, L. A.; Bandara, T. M. W. J.; Hettiarachchi, B. H.; Kumara, G. R. A.; Perera, A. G. U.; Rajapaksa, R. M. G.; Tennakone, K.

Dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells and other nanostructured heterojunction electronic devices require securing intimate electronic contact between nanostructured surfaces. Generally, the strategy is solution phase coating of a hole -collector over a nano-crystalline high-band gap n-type oxide semiconductor film painted with a thin layer of the light harvesting material. The nano-crystallites of the hole - collector fills the pores of the painted oxide surface. Most ills of these devices are associated with imperfect contact and high resistance of the hole conducting layer constituted of nano-crystallites. Denaturing of the delicate light harvesting material forbid sintering at elevated temperatures to reduce the grain boundary resistance. It is found that the interfacial and grain boundary resistance can be significantly reduced via incorporation of redox species into the interfaces to form ultra-thin layers. Suitable redox moieties, preferably bonded to the surface, act as electron transfer relays greatly reducing the film resistance offerring a promising method of enhancing the effective hole mobility of nano-crystalline hole-collectors and developing hole conductor paints for application in nanostructured devices.

The transitional behaviour of avalanches in cohesive granular materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quintanilla, M. A. S.; Valverde, J. M.; Castellanos, A.

2006-07-01

We present a statistical analysis of avalanches of granular materials that partially fill a slowly rotated horizontal drum. For large sized noncohesive grains the classical coherent oscillation is reproduced, consisting of a quasi-periodic succession of regularly sized avalanches. As the powder cohesiveness is increased by decreasing the particle size, we observe a gradual crossover to a complex dynamics that resembles the transitional behaviour observed in fusion plasmas. For particle size below ~50 µm, avalanches lose a characteristic size, retain a short term memory and turn gradually decorrelated in the long term as described by a Markov process. In contrast, large grains made cohesive by coating them with adhesive microparticles display a distinct phenomenology, characterized by a quasi-regular succession of well defined small precursors and large relaxation events. The transition from a one-peaked distribution (noncohesive large beads) to a flattened distribution (fine cohesive beads) passing through the two-peaked distribution of cohesive large beads had already been predicted using a coupled-map lattice model, as the relaxation mechanism of grain reorganization becomes dominant to the detriment of inertia.

Natural Variations in SLG7 Regulate Grain Shape in Rice

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yong; Miao, Jun; Gu, Haiyong; Peng, Xiurong; Leburu, Mamotshewa; Yuan, Fuhai; Gu, Houwen; Gao, Yun; Tao, Yajun; Zhu, Jinyan; Gong, Zhiyun; Yi, Chuandeng; Gu, Minghong; Yang, Zefeng; Liang, Guohua

2015-01-01

Rice (Oryza sativa) grain shape, which is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTL), has a strong effect on yield production and quality. However, the molecular basis for grain development remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified a novel QTL, Slender grain on chromosome 7 (SLG7), that is responsible for grain shape, using backcross introgression lines derived from 9311 and Azucena. The SLG7 allele from Azucena produces longer and thinner grains, although it has no influence on grain weight and yield production. SLG7 encodes a protein homologous to LONGIFOLIA 1 and LONGIFOLIA 2, both of which increase organ length in Arabidopsis. SLG7 is constitutively expressed in various tissues in rice, and the SLG7 protein is located in plasma membrane. Morphological and cellular analyses suggested that SLG7 produces slender grains by longitudinally increasing cell length, while transversely decreasing cell width, which is independent from cell division. Our findings show that the functions of SLG7 family members are conserved across monocots and dicots and that the SLG7 allele could be applied in breeding to modify rice grain appearance. PMID:26434724

The OsSPL16-GW7 regulatory module determines grain shape and simultaneously improves rice yield and grain quality.

PubMed

Wang, Shaokui; Li, Shan; Liu, Qian; Wu, Kun; Zhang, Jianqing; Wang, Shuansuo; Wang, Yi; Chen, Xiangbin; Zhang, Yi; Gao, Caixia; Wang, Feng; Huang, Haixiang; Fu, Xiangdong

2015-08-01

The deployment of heterosis in the form of hybrid rice varieties has boosted grain yield, but grain quality improvement still remains a challenge. Here we show that a quantitative trait locus for rice grain quality, qGW7, reflects allelic variation of GW7, a gene encoding a TONNEAU1-recruiting motif protein with similarity to C-terminal motifs of the human centrosomal protein CAP350. Upregulation of GW7 expression was correlated with the production of more slender grains, as a result of increased cell division in the longitudinal direction and decreased cell division in the transverse direction. OsSPL16 (GW8), an SBP-domain transcription factor that regulates grain width, bound directly to the GW7 promoter and repressed its expression. The presence of a semidominant GW7(TFA) allele from tropical japonica rice was associated with higher grain quality without the yield penalty imposed by the Basmati gw8 allele. Manipulation of the OsSPL16-GW7 module thus represents a new strategy to simultaneously improve rice yield and grain quality.

The effects of divided attention at study and reporting procedure on regulation and monitoring for episodic recall.

PubMed

Sauer, James; Hope, Lorraine

2016-09-01

Eyewitnesses regulate the level of detail (grain size) reported to balance competing demands for informativeness and accuracy. However, research to date has predominantly examined metacognitive monitoring for semantic memory tasks, and used relatively artificial phased reporting procedures. Further, although the established role of confidence in this regulation process may affect the confidence-accuracy relation for volunteered responses in predictable ways, previous investigations of the confidence-accuracy relation for eyewitness recall have largely overlooked the regulation of response granularity. Using a non-phased paradigm, Experiment 1 compared reporting and monitoring following optimal and sub-optimal (divided attention) encoding conditions. Participants showed evidence of sacrificing accuracy for informativeness, even when memory quality was relatively weak. Participants in the divided (cf. full) attention condition showed reduced accuracy for fine- but not coarse-grained responses. However, indices of discrimination and confidence diagnosticity showed no effect of divided attention. Experiment 2 compared the effects of divided attention at encoding on reporting and monitoring using both non-phased and 2-phase procedures. Divided attention effects were consistent with Experiment 1. However, compared to those in the non-phased condition, participants in the 2-phase condition displayed a more conservative control strategy, and confidence ratings were less diagnostic of accuracy. When memory quality was reduced, although attempts to balance informativeness and accuracy increased the chance of fine-grained response errors, confidence provided an index of the likely accuracy of volunteered fine-grained responses for both condition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Devil is in the Details: Using X-Ray Computed Tomography to Develop Accurate 3D Grain Characteristics and Bed Structure Metrics for Gravel Bed Rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voepel, H.; Hodge, R. A.; Leyland, J.; Sear, D. A.; Ahmed, S. I.

2014-12-01

Uncertainty for bedload estimates in gravel bed rivers is largely driven by our inability to characterize the arrangement and orientation of the sediment grains within the bed. The characteristics of the surface structure are produced by the water working of grains, which leads to structural differences in bedforms through differential patterns of grain sorting, packing, imbrication, mortaring and degree of bed armoring. Until recently the technical and logistical difficulties of characterizing the arrangement of sediment in 3D have prohibited a full understanding of how grains interact with stream flow and the feedback mechanisms that exist. Micro-focus X-ray CT has been used for non-destructive 3D imaging of grains within a series of intact sections of river bed taken from key morphological units (see Figure 1). Volume, center of mass, points of contact, protrusion and spatial orientation of individual surface grains are derived from these 3D images, which in turn, facilitates estimates of 3D static force properties at the grain-scale such as pivoting angles, buoyancy and gravity forces, and grain exposure. By aggregating representative samples of grain-scale properties of localized interacting sediment into overall metrics, we can compare and contrast bed stability at a macro-scale with respect to stream bed morphology. Understanding differences in bed stability through representative metrics derived at the grain-scale will ultimately lead to improved bedload estimates with reduced uncertainty and increased understanding of interactions between grain-scale properties on channel morphology. Figure 1. CT-Scans of a water worked gravel-filled pot. a. 3D rendered scan showing the outer mesh, and b. the same pot with the mesh removed. c. vertical change in porosity of the gravels sampled in 5mm volumes. Values are typical of those measured in the field and lab. d. 2-D slices through the gravels at 20% depth from surface (porosity = 0.35), and e. 75% depth from surface (porosity = 0.24), showing the presence of fine sediments 'mortaring' the larger gravels. f. shows a longitudinal slide from which pivot angle measurements can be determined for contact points between particles. g. Example of two particle extraction from the CT scan showing how particle contact areas can be measured (dark area).

Exogenous application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) induces chilling tolerance in short-duration hybrid maize.

PubMed

Waqas, Muhammad Ahmed; Khan, Imran; Akhter, Muhammad Javaid; Noor, Mehmood Ali; Ashraf, Umair

2017-04-01

Chilling stress hampers the optimal performance of maize under field conditions precipitously by inducing oxidative stress. To confer the damaging effects of chilling stress, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of some natural and synthetic plant growth regulators, i.e., salicylic acid (SA), thiourea (TU), sorghum water extract (SWE), and moringa leaf extract (MLE) on chilling stress tolerance in autumn maize hybrid. Foliar application of growth regulators at low concentrations was carried out at six leaf (V6) and tasseling stages. An increase in crop growth rate (CGR), leaf area index (LAI), leaf area duration (LAD), plant height (PH), grain yield (GY), and total dry matter accumulation (TDM) was observed in exogenously applied plants as compared to control. In addition, improved physio-biochemical, phenological, and grain nutritional quality attributes were noticed in foliar-treated maize plots as compared to non-treated ones. SA-treated plants reduced 20% electrolyte leakage in cell membrane against control. MLE and SA were proved best in improving total phenolic, relative water (19-23%), and chlorophyll contents among other applications. A similar trend was found for photosynthetic and transpiration rates, whereas MLE and SWE were found better in improving CGR, LAI, LAD, TDM, PH, GY, grains per cob, 1000 grain weight, and biological yield among all treatments including control. TU and MLE have significantly reduced the duration in phenological events of crop at the reproductive stage. MLE, TU, and SA also improved the grain protein, oil, and starch contents as compared to control. Enhanced crop water productivity was also observed in MLE-treated plants. Economic analysis suggested that MLE and SA applications were more economical in inducing chilling stress tolerance under field conditions. Although eliciting behavior of all growth regulators improved morpho-physiological attributes against suboptimal temperature stress conditions, MLE and SA acted as leading agents which proved to be better stress alleviators by improving plant physio-biochemical attributes and maize growth.

Interaction of 3H+ (as HTO) and 36Cl- (as Na36Cl) with crushed granite and corresponding fracture infill material investigated in column experiments.

PubMed

Štamberg, K; Palágyi, Š; Videnská, K; Havlová, V

The transport of 3 H + (as HTO) and 36 Cl - (as Na 36 Cl) was investigated in the dynamic system, i.e., in the columns filled with crushed pure granite and fracture infill of various grain sizes. The aim of column experiments was to determine important transport parameter, such as the retardation, respectively distribution coefficients, Peclet numbers and hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients. Furthermore, the research was focused to quantification of the effect of grain size on migration of studied radionuclides. The experimental breakthrough curves were fitted by a model based on the erfc-function, assuming a linear reversible equilibrium sorption/desorption isotherm, and the above mentioned transport parameters were determined. The results showed that influence of grain size on sorption of 3 H + and 36 Cl - was negligible. Retardation and distribution coefficients of both tracers converged to one and zero, respectively, in case of all fractions of crushed granite and infill material. Generally, the presumed ion exclusion of 36 Cl in anionic form was proved under given conditions, only very weak one seems to exist in a case of infill material. In principal, both radionuclides behaved as non-sorbing, conservative tracers. On the other hand, the influence of grain size on Peclet numbers value and on dispersion coefficient was observed for both crystalline materials, namely in agreement with theoretical suppositions that the values of Peclet numbers decrease with increasing grain size and values of dispersion coefficient increase.

Gas hydrate characterization and grain-scale imaging of recovered cores from the Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, Alaska North Slope

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stern, Laura A.; Lorenson, T.D.; Pinkston, John C.

2011-01-01

Using cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (CSEM), powder X-ray diffraction, and gas chromatography methods, we investigated the physical states, grain characteristics, gas composition, and methane isotopic composition of two gas-hydrate-bearing sections of core recovered from the BPXA–DOE–USGS Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well situated on the Alaska North Slope. The well was continuously cored from 606.5 m to 760.1 m depth, and sections investigated here were retrieved from 619.9 m and 661.0 m depth. X-ray analysis and imaging of the sediment phase in both sections shows it consists of a predominantly fine-grained and well-sorted quartz sand with lesser amounts of feldspar, muscovite, and minor clays. Cryogenic SEM shows the gas-hydrate phase forming primarily as a pore-filling material between the sediment grains at approximately 70–75% saturation, and more sporadically as thin veins typically several tens of microns in diameter. Pore throat diameters vary, but commonly range 20–120 microns. Gas chromatography analyses of the hydrate-forming gas show that it is comprised of mainly methane (>99.9%), indicating that the gas hydrate is structure I. Here we report on the distribution and articulation of the gas-hydrate phase within the cores, the grain morphology of the hydrate, the composition of the sediment host, and the composition of the hydrate-forming gas.

Gas hydrate characterization and grain-scale imaging of recovered cores from the Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, Alaska North Slope

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stern, L.A.; Lorenson, T.D.; Pinkston, J.C.

2011-01-01

Using cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (CSEM), powder X-ray diffraction, and gas chromatography methods, we investigated the physical states, grain characteristics, gas composition, and methane isotopic composition of two gas-hydrate-bearing sections of core recovered from the BPXA-DOE-USGS Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well situated on the Alaska North Slope. The well was continuously cored from 606.5. m to 760.1. m depth, and sections investigated here were retrieved from 619.9. m and 661.0. m depth. X-ray analysis and imaging of the sediment phase in both sections shows it consists of a predominantly fine-grained and well-sorted quartz sand with lesser amounts of feldspar, muscovite, and minor clays. Cryogenic SEM shows the gas-hydrate phase forming primarily as a pore-filling material between the sediment grains at approximately 70-75% saturation, and more sporadically as thin veins typically several tens of microns in diameter. Pore throat diameters vary, but commonly range 20-120 microns. Gas chromatography analyses of the hydrate-forming gas show that it is comprised of mainly methane (>99.9%), indicating that the gas hydrate is structure I. Here we report on the distribution and articulation of the gas-hydrate phase within the cores, the grain morphology of the hydrate, the composition of the sediment host, and the composition of the hydrate-forming gas. ?? 2009.

[Index screening and comprehensive evaluation of phenotypic traits of low nitrogen tolerance using BILs population derived from Dongxiang wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff)].

PubMed

Hu, Biao-lin; Li, Xia; Wan, Yong; Qiu, Zai-hui; Nie, Yuan-yuan; Xie, Jian-kun

2015-08-01

To identify the low nitrogen tolerance of Dongxiang wild rice (DXWR) and its progenies, ten phenotypic traits including plant height (PH), heading day (HD), panicle length (PL), number of effective tillers per plant (NETP), number of filled grains per panicle (NFGP), number of grains per panicle (NGP), grain density (GD), spikelet fertility (SF), 1000-grain mass (TGM) and grain yield per plant (GYP) were studied under normal and low nitrogen treatments, using backcross inbred lines (BILs) of Xieqingzao B//DXWR/Xieqingzao B in BC1 F12. Comprehensive evaluation on the low nitrogen tolerance of the BILs population was conducted using principal component analysis and the subordinate function. The evaluation results indicated that the low nitrogen tolerance of the line 116, 143 and 157 was the strongest, which could be served as the intermediate materials for genetic studies on the low nitrogen tolerance of DXWR and breeding for the low nitrogen tolerance in rice. The optimal regression equation of the low nitrogen tolerance in rice was established using stepwise regression analysis. The relative values of five traits including PH, NGP, SF, TGM and GYP were screened out and could be used as comprehensive evaluation indices for the low nitrogen tolerance in the whole growth stage. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the relative values of these five traits, especially for NGP and GYP, in the genetic improvement of the low nitrogen tolerance in rice.

Strain Amount Dependent Grain Size and Orientation Developments during Hot Compression of a Polycrystalline Nickel Based Superalloy

PubMed Central

He, Guoai; Tan, Liming; Liu, Feng; Huang, Lan; Huang, Zaiwang; Jiang, Liang

2017-01-01

Controlling grain size in polycrystalline nickel base superalloy is vital for obtaining required mechanical properties. Typically, a uniform and fine grain size is required throughout forging process to realize the superplastic deformation. Strain amount occupied a dominant position in manipulating the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) process and regulating the grain size of the alloy during hot forging. In this article, the high-throughput double cone specimen was introduced to yield wide-range strain in a single sample. Continuous variations of effective strain ranging from 0.23 to 1.65 across the whole sample were achieved after reaching a height reduction of 70%. Grain size is measured to be decreased from the edge to the center of specimen with increase of effective strain. Small misorientation tended to generate near the grain boundaries, which was manifested as piled-up dislocation in micromechanics. After the dislocation density reached a critical value, DRX progress would be initiated at higher deformation region, leading to the refinement of grain size. During this process, the transformations from low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) to high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) and from subgrains to DRX grains are found to occur. After the accomplishment of DRX progress, the neonatal grains are presented as having similar orientation inside the grain boundary. PMID:28772514

Mapping QTLs for grain yield components in wheat under heat stress.

PubMed

Bhusal, Nabin; Sarial, Ashok Kumar; Sharma, Pradeep; Sareen, Sindhu

2017-01-01

The current perspective of increasing global temperature makes heat stress as a major threat to wheat production worldwide. In order to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with heat tolerance, 251 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between HD2808 (heat tolerant) and HUW510 (heat susceptible) were evaluated under timely sown (normal) and late sown (heat stress) conditions for two consecutive crop seasons; 2013-14 and 2014-15. Grain yield (GY) and its components namely, grain weight/spike (GWS), grain number/spike (GNS), thousand grain weight (TGW), grain filling rate (GFR) and grain filling duration (GFD) were recorded for both conditions and years. The data collected for both timely and late sown conditions and heat susceptibility index (HSI) of these traits were used as phenotypic data for QTL identification. The frequency distribution of HSI for all the studied traits was continuous during both the years and also included transgressive segregants. Composite interval mapping identified total 24 QTLs viz., 9 (timely sown traits), 6 (late sown traits) and 9 (HSI of traits) mapped on linkage groups 2A, 2B, and 6D during both the crop seasons 2013-14 and 2014-15. The QTLs were detected for GWS (6), GNS (6), GFR (4), TGW (3), GY (3) and GFD (2). The LOD score of identified QTLs varied from 3.03 (Qtgns.iiwbr-6D) to 21.01 (Qhsitgw.iiwbr-2A) during 2014-15, explaining 11.2 and 30.6% phenotypic variance, respectively. Maximum no of QTLs were detected in chromosome 2A followed by 6D and 2B. All the QTL detected under late sown and HSI traits were identified on chromosome 2A except for QTLs associated with GFD. Fifteen out of 17 QTL detected on chromosome 2A were clustered within the marker interval between gwm448 and wmc296 and showed tight linkage with gwm122 and these were localized in 49-52 cM region of Somers consensus map of chromosome 2A i.e. within 18-59.56 cM region of chromosome 2A where no QTL related to heat stress were reported earlier. Besides, three consistent QTLs, Qgws.iiwbr-2A, Qgns.iiwbr-2A and Qgns.iiwbr-2A were also detected in all the environments in this region. The nearest QTL detected in earlier studies, QFv/Fm.cgb-2A was approximately 6cM below the presently identified QTLs region, respectively Additionally, QTLs for physiological and phenological traits and plant height under late sown and HSI of these traits were also detected on chromosome 2A. QTL for HSI of plant height and physiological maturity were located in the same genomic region of chromosome 2Awhereas QTLs for physiological and phonological traits under late sown were located 8cM and 33.5 cM below the genomic location associated with grain traits, respectively in consensus map of Somers. This QTL hot-spot region with consistent QTLs could be used to improve heat tolerance after validation.

Removing Cultural Barriers to Care during Childbearing: A Continuing Education Module

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-01

feeding of choice among Mexican-American women and early introduction of cereal is common. In this culture, mothers believe a fat baby equates with a...conception in an infertile or sonless woman, a shamin coaxes the Birth Grandmother into a gourd dipper filled with rice grain. The woman, who desires to...learning and ceremonial activities. The family does also not announce that the infant is healthy, beautiful or fat ; this might bring bad luck. People

Endolithic algae and micrite envelope formation in Bahamian oolites as revealed by scanning electron microscopy.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Margolis, S.; Rex, R. W.

1971-01-01

Examination of Holocene Bahamian ooelites by scanning electron and light microscopy has revealed the morphology and orientation of aragonite crystals in the lamellar ooelitic envelope, and their modification by the boring activities of endolithic algae. The voids produced by these algae are found in progressive stages of being lined and filled with precipitated microcrystalline aragonite, which is similar to the process of micrite envelope formation in molluscan and other skeletal carbonate grains.

Improved Characterization of Groundwater Flow in Heterogeneous Aquifers Using Granular Polyacrylamide (PAM) Gel as Temporary Grout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klepikova, Maria V.; Roques, Clement; Loew, Simon; Selker, John

2018-02-01

The range of options for investigation of hydraulic behavior of aquifers from boreholes has been limited to rigid, cumbersome packers, and inflatable sleeves. Here we show how a new temporary borehole sealing technique using soft grains of polyacrylamide (PAM) gel as a sealing material can be used to investigate natural groundwater flow dynamics and discuss other possible applications of the technology. If no compressive stress is applied, the gel packing, with a permeability similar to open gravel, suppresses free convection, allowing for local temperature measurements and chemical sampling through free-flowing gel packing. Active heating laboratory and field experiments combined with temperature measurements along fiber optic cables were conducted in water-filled boreholes and boreholes filled with soft grains of polyacrylamide gel. The gel packing is shown to minimize the effect of free convection within the well column and enable detection of thin zones of relatively high or low velocity in a highly transmissive alluvial aquifer, thus providing a significant improvement compared to temperature measurements in open boreholes. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that under modest compressive stress to the gel media the permeability transitions from highly permeable to nearly impermeable grouting. Under this configuration the gel packing could potentially allow for monitoring local response pressure from the formation with all other locations in the borehole hydraulically isolated.