Conventional Grain Research Articles

Sensitivity of TamArk™ grain sorghum and monocot weed species to ACCase- and ALS-inhibiting herbicides

AbstractOnly a limited number of herbicides are available to provide postemergence (POST) control of selective monocot weeds in grain sorghum crops. The herbicides currently labeled for use with grain sorghum have strict use restrictions, low efficacy on johnsongrass, or weed resistance issues. To introduce a new effective herbicide mode of action for monocot control, multiple companies and universities have been developing herbicide-resistant grain sorghum that would allow producers to use herbicides that inhibit either acetolactate synthase (ALS) or acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) for POST monocot control. An experiment was conducted in Fayetteville, AR, in 2020 and 2021, to determine the effectiveness of two ALS-inhibiting herbicides and nine ACCase-inhibiting herbicides on TamArk™ grain sorghum, conventional grain sorghum, and problematic monocot weed species. Grain sorghum and monocot weeds (johnsongrass, broadleaf signalgrass, barnyardgrass, and Texas panicum) were sprayed when TamArk grain sorghum reached the 2- to 3-leaf stage. TamArk grain sorghum was tolerant of all ACCase-inhibiting herbicides tested, exhibiting ≤10% injury at all evaluation timings, except clethodim and sethoxydim, and had no resistance to the ALS-inhibiting herbicides that were evaluated. Additionally, all ACCase inhibitors except diclofop and pinoxaden controlled all monocots tested by >91% at 28 d after application (DAA). Conversely, the two ALS inhibitors, imazamox and nicosulfuron, provided ≤81% control of broadleaf signalgrass 28 DAA but still controlled all other monocots by >95%. TamArk grain sorghum has low sensitivity to multiple ACCase-inhibiting herbicides and thus provides an effective POST option for monocot weed control. In addition, unwanted volunteer TamArk plants can be controlled with cledthodim, sethoxydim, nicosulfuron, or imazamox. Although the ALS-inhibiting herbicides imazamox and nicosulfuron were not useful on TamArk grain sorghum, they are effective options for monocot control on Igrowth™ and Inzen™ grain sorghum crops, respectively.

Complex evolution of Holocene hydroclimate, fire and vegetation revealed by molecular, minerogenic and biogenic proxies, Marais Geluk wetland, eastern Free State, South Africa

The Holocene climate history of Southern Africa remains inconclusive despite the increasing number of proxy records from the region. This might be related to the diversity of proxy records, how the proxies are interpreted, or that proxies may respond to more than one forcing (e.g. hydroclimate, fire, temperature.). Here, a 175-cm peat sequence from Free State, South Africa (28°17′53″S, 29°25′10.9″E), was analyzed using a comprehensive set of novel and conventional proxies, including isotopic (δ13C), elemental (CS-XRF), mineral (pXRD), molecular (FTIR-ATR and pyrolysis-GC-MS), grain size (Malvern 3000) and GSSC phytolith composition. The chronology was constructed through AMS radiocarbon dating (n = 7). The early Holocene (10,380–7000 cal yr BP) was characterized by an initial wet phase, followed by relative dryness, at least seasonally, evidenced by slow accumulation rates, low organic content and dominance of terrestrial vegetation in the organic matter matrix. From 7000 cal yr BP, decreasing temperatures, as evidenced in regional climate reconstructions, were associated at Marias Geluk with higher biogenic silica and organic matter content and an increase of moisture-adapted grasses, indicating increasingly mesic conditions. This trend was amplified after 6000 cal yr BP, co-occurring with a southward displacement of the ITCZ. Complex proxy dynamics were observed between 4300 and 2180 cal yr BP, with bulk organic proxies indicating a drier environment (lower carbon content, slow accumulation rates, enriched δ13C values) but the phytolith record pointing towards relatively mesic conditions. The period was also associated with increased fire frequency, that also reached the local wetland. We suggest that the period was associated with seasonally mesic conditions together with increased fire incidence, which affected some of the organic proxies. Increased fire activity was also recorded in the region, while the hydroclimatic indications differed. The last 2000 years, during which human activity is known to have increased in the region, was characterized by lower fire incidence and variable, but relatively moist, conditions. The hydroclimatic inferences for the last 2000 years are in line with previous studies from the region, but additional studies are needed to decipher if the decline in fire incidence was associated to climate forcings, human activities, or a combination of both. The multiproxy approach applied here - in particular the inclusion of FTIR-ATR and pyrolysis GC-MS - revealed a complex interplay between vegetation dynamics, hydrology and paleofire variability. This study confirms that relatively small Holocene temperature variations (compared to northern higher latitudes) were associated with major hydrological variability at Marais Geluk, and reinforces concerns from earlier studies that the hydroclimate of the region is vulnerable to climate change. The result s also show that the southward displacement of the ITCZ, and associated tropical air masses, likely had significant effects on regional hydrology and fire incidence.

Grain wear properties and grinding performance of porous diamond grinding wheels

Conventional diamond grinding wheels present challenges such as poor self-sharpening and difficulties in achieving ductile domain machining when processing hard and brittle materials, reducing machining quality and efficiency. This paper introduces a novel grinding wheel composed of porous diamond abrasive grains for better ultra-precision machining. Thermochemical etching is used to produce porous diamond grains of varying corrosion levels, and the cutting and wear mechanisms of these grains are investigated through molecular dynamics simulations and single-grain scratch tests. Compared to conventional diamond grains, the increased "micro-edge" and "multi-edge" features of porous diamond grains effectively reduce cutting force and heat. Notably, corrosion pore sizes ranging from 2 μm to 5 μm reduce cutting damage. Conventional diamond abrasive grains primarily incur damage through crystal surface dissociation and block crushing, whereas porous diamond abrasive grains experience damage mainly due to micro-crushing and micro-fracture. Ultra-precision grinding tests on 4H–SiC revealed that conventional abrasives produced cracks and pits on the grinding surface. In contrast, abrasives with a 2 μm eroded aperture exhibited predominantly ductile removal with minimal cracks and pits present. Abrasives with a 5 μm eroded aperture displayed desirable characteristics. This research offers valuable technical insights for enhancing the grinding performance of diamond wheels.

Experimental and computational investigation of Mg AZ31 grain refinement by shear-enhanced rolling

Magnesium (Mg) alloys have been actively researched to replace various steel and aluminum alloys in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries. However, their inferior formability needs improvement to compete with these alloys. For instance, in the case of rolling, conventional grain refinement produces surface layers of a finer grain structure while the core of thick rolled sections remains substantially coarser. This work introduces shear-enhanced rolling (SER) to overcome this issue and correspondingly enhance formability. SER applies a transverse load (TL) between two conventional rolling stations to induce high shearing stresses at the section core. An experimental study is done here on an Mg AZ31B alloy using an in-house prototype to prove the concept of SER. Experimental specimens are then tested to identify corresponding grain sizes across the SER section and extract Johnson-Cook model constants for computational optimization. Knowing that micro-grained Mg alloys obey the Hall-Petch relationship, the simulations could be used to predict and optimize grain refinement and uniformity by adjusting SER process parameters numerically. The computational results indicate that SER can reduce the grain sizes of AZ31B by up to 42% relative to conventional rolling of equivalent reduction ratio, in addition to the corresponding non-uniformity value of 0.0914. Also, results revealed that the contact length (L) between the rolled section and the traditional rollers correlates strongly with grain refinement and uniformity. L is directly relatable to the controllable process parameters of TL, the coefficient of friction (µ), and the roller radius (Rr). Our multi-objective optimization suggests increasing (L) to its maximum practical value to obtain the best grain refinement and uniformity with SER. Limitations of SER are also discussed.

Analytical investigation of a grain boundary model that accounts for slip system coupling in gradient crystal plasticity frameworks

In this work, a physically based dislocation theory of plasticity is derived within an extended continuum mechanical context. An orientation-dependent grain boundary flow rule is introduced for the modelling of dislocation pile-up at grain boundaries and dislocation transmission through grain boundaries. With the conventional grain boundary modelling approach according to Gurtin (Gurtin. 2008 J. Mech. Phys. Solids 56 , 640–662. ( doi:10.1016/j.jmps.2007.05. 002 )) the single-crystal consistency check for the limit case of adjacent grains that hold no misorientation is not satisfied. In order to overcome this modelling shortcoming, a slip system coupling based on a geometric measure of slip system compatibility is introduced. In order to investigate the grain boundary modelling approaches, the analytical solution of a three-phase periodic laminate is used to study the interactions of dislocations and grain boundaries within the gradient crystal plasticity framework. With the developed grain boundary model two grain boundary states, i.e. microhard and microcontrolled, are observed for misaligned grains. This allows the modelling of slip activation at grain boundaries based on the dislocation pile-up stress.

Exceptional strength-plasticity synergy in β-Ti alloy via HPT and short-period annealing

A new metastable β-type Ti-3.5Al-5Mo-4 V (Ti-B20) alloy with a high strength has been recently developed. However, the plasticity of the alloy after solution or aging treatment is poor due to its large initial β grain size, and conventional deformation-induced grain refinement is quite limited. In the present work, a high-pressure torsion (HPT) method was used to manufacture a Ti-B20 alloy with large deformed grains. The Ti-B20 alloy subjected to HPT was annealed in a β-phase field (850 ℃) for different periods. The deformation mechanism during HPT processing and the recrystallization behavior of the deformed alloy were systematically revealed. The results show that the deformation mode during HPT processing is mainly dislocation slip and shear band splitting of the original grains and martensitic phase (α″). During recrystallization annealing, the shear bands and high-density dislocations generated by the HPT deformation of the Ti-B20 alloy significantly promote nucleation and growth of recrystallized grains, which shortens the time to complete recrystallization. After recrystallization annealing, exceptional strength-ductility synergy with a high tensile strength of 941.9 MPa and a high plasticity of 39.7% is achieved in the fine-grained (14.68 µm) alloy, which is the highest elongation reported in the Ti-B20 alloy at present. The fine grains with a low dislocation density provide more space for dislocation slip and accumulation while maintaining high strength. This work provides a new possibility for preparing fine-grained β-titanium alloys with synergistic strength and plasticity.

Extensive 3D mapping of dislocation structures in bulk aluminum

Thermomechanical processing such as annealing is one of the main methods to tailor the mechanical properties of materials, however, much is unknown about the reorganization of dislocation structures deep inside macroscopic crystals that give rise to those changes. Here, we demonstrate the self-organization of dislocation structures upon high-temperature annealing in a mm-sized single crystal of aluminum. We map a large embedded 3D volume (100times 300times 300upmum^3) of dislocation structures using dark field X-ray microscopy (DFXM), a diffraction-based imaging technique. Over the wide field of view, DFXM’s high angular resolution allows us to identify subgrains, separated by dislocation boundaries, which we identify and characterize down to the single-dislocation level using computer-vision methods. We demonstrate how even after long annealing times at high temperatures, the remaining low density of dislocations still pack into well-defined, straight dislocation boundaries (DBs) that lie on specific crystallographic planes. In contrast to conventional grain growth models, our results show that the dihedral angles at the triple junctions are not the predicted 120^{circ }, suggesting additional complexities in the boundary stabilization mechanisms. Mapping the local misorientation and lattice strain around these boundaries shows that the observed strain is shear, imparting an average misorientation around the DB of approx 0.003 to 0.006^{circ }.

Representative grain boundaries during anisotropic grain growth

Conventional grain growth models do not account for the variability in grain boundary (GB) mobility, GB energy, and solute segregation energy that depend in detail on the GB structure. Instead, these parameters are typically determined empirically from experimental measurements. In this study, we present a systematic quantitative analysis that accounts for anisotropic GB properties, i.e., GB mobility and solute drag pressure to rationalize the average grain size evolution using representative GB properties under normal grain growth conditions in a non–textured system. We perform two–dimensional phase field simulations to analyze the role of (1) anisotropic mobility, (2) anisotropic segregation, and (3) combined anisotropic mobility and segregation on the average grain size evolution. A corresponding “representative GB” is introduced for each case considering a phenomenological grain growth model that fits the simulated average grain size evolution. A relationship is proposed to determine the representative GB properties for an arbitrary distribution of anisotropic GB properties in the initial microstructure. Simulations with the combined variation of GB mobility and segregation energy suggest that the representative GB mobility and segregation energy determined from independent simulations with varying either GB mobility or segregation energy can be superimposed to determine the average grain size evolution in agreement with the phase field simulations. The limits of validity, i.e., the range of moderate anisotropies, are identified where the phenomenological model with representative GB properties may be applicable, i.e., as long as a mean grain size is an appropriate descriptor of the grain structure.

Host Determinants of Fungal Species Composition and Symptom Manifestation in the Sorghum Grain Mold Disease Complex

Sorghum grain mold (SGM) is an important multifungal disease complex affecting sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) production systems worldwide. SGM-affected sorghum grain can be contaminated with potent fumonisin mycotoxins produced by Fusarium verticillioides, a prevalent SGM-associated taxon. Historically, efforts to improve resistance to SGM have achieved only limited success. Classical approaches to evaluating SGM resistance are based solely on disease severity, which offers little insight regarding the distinct symptom manifestations within the disease complex. In this study, three novel phenotypes were developed to facilitate assessment of SGM symptom manifestation. A sorghum diversity panel composed of 390 accessions was inoculated with endogenous strains of F. verticillioides and evaluated for these phenotypes, as well as for the conventional panicle grain mold severity rating phenotype, in South Carolina, U.S.A., in 2017 and 2019. Distributions of phenotype values were examined, broad-sense heritability was estimated, and relationships to botanical race were explored. A typology of SGM symptom manifestations was developed to classify accessions using principal component analysis and k-means clustering, constituting a novel option for basing breeding decisions on SGM outcomes more nuanced than disease severity. Genome-wide association studies were performed using SGM trait data, resulting in the identification of 19 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms in linkage disequilibrium with a total of 86 gene models. Our findings provide a basis of exploratory evidence regarding the genetic architecture of SGM symptom manifestation and indicate that traits other than disease severity could be tractable targets for SGM resistance breeding.

Co-Harvest and Anaerobic Co-Storage of Corn Grain and Stover as Biomass Feedstocks

Highlights Cutting height and harvest date were used to alter stover moisture content, yield, and composition. Anaerobic co-storage of grain and stover limited losses to less than 6% of dry matter. Extent of fermentation was greater for higher moisture stover than grain, but total acids were less than 5 g kg-1. Reducing the harvester cutter head rotational speed resulted in a greater fraction of whole corn kernels. Abstract. This research investigated the utility of co-harvesting and anaerobic co-storage of corn grain and stover to positively influence their physical and chemical characteristics as a biomass feedstock. Corn grain and stover were harvested in 2019 and 2020 with a self-propelled forage harvester. Stover yield, moisture content, and composition were altered by the harvest date, stubble height, and header configuration. Harvest date had the utility of varying the stover moisture content (p < 0.001) from 42.3% to 53.5% (w.b.) and 43.1% to 53.9% (w.b.) for the 2019 and 2020 harvest years, respectively. Stubble height was also utilized to vary stover moisture content. A negative linear relationship was established between stubble height and stover moisture content for the early (R2 = 0.76) and late harvest (R2 = 0.91) dates for both years. Stover yield also showed a negative linear relationship (R2 = 0.76) with stubble height over both years. Regardless of the stubble height, the row-crop header collected more stover (p < 0.001) than the ear-snapper header. In 2020, harvested stover ranged from 5.0 to 10.5 Mg ha-1, with ha-1 representing 41% to 85% of the total available stover. In both years, stover ash content was less than 64 g kg-1. Material stored in pilot-scale silos (19 L) was well conserved during anaerobic storage, with average DM losses of 4.8% and 3.4% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Grain moisture content averaged 23.6% (w.b.) at harvest, and 31.0% (w.b.) after storage as moisture migrated from the moist stover to the drier grain. Harvesting whole-plant corn with a forage harvester had the unwanted effect of reducing the particle size of the grain fraction, which would complicate downstream utilization. However, reducing the harvester cutterhead speed increased the fraction of intact kernels from 47% to 85% by mass. The studied system was a viable alternative to conventional corn grain and stover systems for producing feedstocks for biochemical conversion. Keywords: Ash, Ensiling, Ethanol, Maize.

Classification of Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel Sheets by Magnetic Barkhausen Noise Using Time-Frequency Analysis and Selected Machine Learning Algorithms

In this paper, a combination of Magnetic Barkhausen Noise (MBN) and several classical machine learning (ML) methods were used to evaluate both the grade and the magnetic directions of conventional and high grain oriented electrical sheets subjected to selected surface engineering methods. The presented analysis was conducted to compare the performance of two machine learning approaches, classical ML and deep learning (DL), in reference to the same MBN examination problem and based on the same database. Thus, during the experiment, 26 classical ML algorithms were used including decision trees, discriminant analysis, support vector machines, naïve Bayes, nearest neighbor, artificial neural networks and ensemble classifiers. The experiments were carried out considering a different number of recognized magnetic directions and hence the number of determined classes as well. The results of classification accuracy of the applied ML methods were compared with those obtained for the DL model presented in a previous paper. The highest accuracy was obtained for ML models based on artificial neural networks and ensemble bagged trees. However, the accuracy did not reach 89% in the best case—for the smallest number of determined classes. Nevertheless, the achieved results generally indicated an approx. 10 percent advantage of the deep learning model over the classical ones in terms of accuracy in each of the considered cases.

Sublethal effects of pesticide residues differ between strains of captive Grey partridge: Consequences in terms of rearing conditions

Over the last 50 years, farmland bird populations have declined steeply in Europe and North America. Reintroduction or reinforcement for populations unable to self-maintain are popular management tools to overcome extinction risk through captive rearing and release. However, released birds tend to have lower survival rates than their wild conspecifics. Here, we aimed to mimic the diet shift that Grey partridge (Perdix perdix) encounters once released (poultry food to natural grain) and compared (i) differences in responses to this transition depending on strain (wild or farm) and (ii) the consequences of ingesting organic or conventional grains on individual body mass, haematocrit and behavioural traits (anti-predator responses, activity, exploration) that are likely critical for post-release survival. Our experimental procedure involved 40 farm-strain and 40 wild-strain partridges fed with commercial poultry food during early life then with wheat and corn for 3 months, from either organic or conventional (clopyralid residues) agriculture. The results suggest that the haematocrit and body mass index of farm-strain partridges were lower at the end of the experiment, probably due to diet shift. Birds fed conventional grains (with clopyralid residues) exhibited lower flight duration and flight initiation distance, and were more likely to translocate by running rather than flying. The findings suggest that, when rearing partridges of farm-strain origin, birds fed organic grains experience better post-release survival than birds fed conventional grains containing pesticide residues.

Barley, an Undervalued Cereal for Poultry Diets: Limitations and Opportunities.

Simple SummaryWith the ever-increasing demand for poultry products, the continuous supply of conventional cereal grains such as maize has become a challenge. Barley has been recognised as a potential alternative feed ingredient that can replace common cereal grains in poultry diets. However, due to several limitations such as the presence of various anti-nutritive factors and the variability in nutrient composition and quality, the use of barley in poultry diets remains comparatively low. The previous findings on the optimum use of barley in poultry diets are also inconsistent primarily due to differences in research methodologies. The importance of using accurate nutrient profiles for specific barley cultivars to formulate barley-based diets is emphasised in this review. Moreover, the need to adapt feed processing conditions suitable to different barley cultivars to increase the inclusion of barley in poultry diets is highlighted in this review.The supply of conventional cereal grains, especially of maize, will be a significant constraint to the future growth of the poultry industry. Various alternative feed ingredients are being tested to replace maize in poultry diets. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one such feed ingredient, the use of which remains limited in poultry diets due to its low metabolisable energy, presence of anti-nutritive, soluble non-starch polysaccharides and consequent inter-cultivar variability. Differences in research methodologies used in published studies have also contributed to the inconsistent findings, preventing a good understanding of the nutritional value of barley for poultry. The importance of using accurate nutrient profiles, specifically metabolisable energy and digestible amino acids, for specific barley cultivars to formulate barley-based diets is emphasised. Nutritionists should also pay close attention to feed processing conditions tailored to the specific barley cultivars to increase the barley inclusion in poultry diets.

69 Animal Sourced Foods Role in Sustainable Nutrition

Abstract Amid growing concern regarding the food system are calls to reduce or eliminate animal sourced foods (ASF) from human diets. Despite the green revolution and consequent increase in crop yields, nutrient deficiencies are still problematic, particularly in developing regions. In the US, ASF provide 24% of energy, 48% of protein, approximately 50% of the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids as well as the micronutrients (White and Hall, 2017). This presentation introduces a framework for evaluation and discusses remaining knowledge gaps regarding the role of ASF in sustainable food systems that provide nutritious diets. Lifecycle assessment (LCA) was used to provide an accounting of environmental and sustainability characteristics of food production systems. LCA has an explicit goal the identification of tradeoffs between stages in the supply chain and tradeoffs across environmental dimensions. In a published study (Kim et al., 2020) using a hybrid lifecycle assessment technique, it was shown that while vegetarian diets resulted in lower environmental impacts across several environmental categories, that the US non-vegetarian recommended dietary guidelines led to increases for many categories. This is driven by the increased consumption of less calorically dense foods and changes in the patterns of food loss and waste. Ongoing studies of US beef production systems are providing insight into factors behind the variability in sustainability driven by practice and location. One management practice receiving attention is Adaptively Managed Paddocks (AMP). Sequestration estimates were combined with process model simulations of cow calf finishing operations. One system used conventional grain finishing and the other used grass finishing. The potential mitigation of GHG emissions from the potential sequestration is significant. Complete assessment of the role of ASF in healthy diets from sustainable food systems requires a full understanding of the benefits and costs of alternatives and informed decisions based on understanding of tradeoffs.

Feeding on grains containing pesticide residues is detrimental to offspring development through parental effects in grey partridge

Numerous toxicological studies have shown that ingestion of pesticides can induce physiological stress in breeding birds, with adverse consequences on egg laying parameters and offspring quality through parental effects. However, previous studies do not mimic current levels of pesticide residues in typical landscapes, and they do not consider potential cocktail effects of pesticides as they occur in the wild. Herein, we explored whether realistic pesticide exposure affected reproduction parameters and offspring condition through parental effects in Grey partridge. We fed 24 breeding pairs with either seeds from conventional agriculture crops treated with various pesticides during cropping, or organic grains without pesticide residues as controls. The conventional and organic grain diets mimicked food options potentially encountered by wild birds in the field. The results showed that ingesting low pesticide doses over a long period had consequences on reproduction and offspring quality without altering mortality in parents or chicks. Compared with organic pairs, conventional pairs yielded smaller chicks at hatching that had a lower body mass index at 24 days old. Additionally, these chicks displayed lower haematocrit when body mass index was higher. Therefore, ingestion of conventional grains by parents resulted in chronic exposure to pesticide residues, even at low doses, and this had detrimental consequences on offspring. These results demonstrate a sublethal effect of pesticide residues through parental effects. The consequences of parental exposure on chicks might partly explain the decline in wild Grey partridge populations, which raises questions for avian conservation and demography if current agrosystem approaches are continued.

Analysis of Flux Density and Iron Loss Distributions in Segmented Magnetic Circuits Made With Mixed Electrical Steel Grades

This article presents the potential contribution of segmented stator magnetic circuits of rotating permanent magnet electrical machines with concentric winding. Two magnetic materials are mixed: FeSi non-oriented electrical steel and FeSi grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES). The choice of using GOES is based on the high performance it offers in terms of permeability and iron losses compared to conventional non-oriented grain electrical steel (NOES), particularly when GOES is magnetized in the rolling direction (RD). The goal is to analyze the contribution of the mixed magnetic circuit on the losses and electromagnetic torque but also the drawbacks due to the cut process and the assembly. The behavior of the magnetic field at the junction between the segments is studied by comparing different geometrical connection shapes and compared to a reference magnetic circuit fully made with NOES sheets. This comparison is experimentally made with a model representative of the existing phenomena in an electrical machine. In addition, numerical calculations using finite elements software are carried out by considering both the magnetic anisotropy and the saturation of the GOES.

Compositional, structural and functional characteristics of millets as modified by bioprocessing techniques: A review

Despite the excellent nutritive potential, millets remained underused due to different factors including the presence of anti-nutritional factors, lack of optimized processing technologies, and compromised techno-functionality of the raw flours. Bioprocessing techniques such as soaking, germination, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation are the natural methods for enhancing the compositional and functional characteristics of the millets. They lead to synthesis and release of components from the wall of polysaccharides and unfolding of proteins due to the action of degrading enzymes that are produced during the bioprocessing of millets. The objective of the present article is to comprehensively review the recent investigations focusing on modulations in the compositional parameters, bio- and techno-functional attributes of millets due to different biological processing treatments. Available literature suggested these treatments caused significant changes in the protein starch matrix, phytochemical constituents, rheological properties, hydration profile, anti-nutritional factors, in vitro starch and protein digestibility, structural and molecular modification. Practical applications Present day food market is driven by functional foods owing to the diet-health relationship. Millets are preferred ingredients over conventional grains for value-added products attributing to their excellent agrarian and nutritional profile; however, native millet flours lack bio-techno-functionality due to structural features and presence of anti-nutritional compounds. Bioprocessed millets possess improved functionality and bioactivities, which make them ideal ingredients to develop cereal based functional foods. Utilization of germinated and fermented millets in convenience food products could not only enhance the bio-functionality of the food but also add to the variety of functional foods especially to targeted populations such as for those with celiac disease and other similar chronic complications. Cereal based industries are looking such ingredients to replace conventional wheat based products in bakery, extrusion, and indigenous preparations.

КАЧЕСТВО УБОРКИ СОИ ЗЕРНОУБОРОЧНЫМИ КОМБАЙНАМИ

The assessment of the quality of soybean harvesting by grain harvesters was carried out in the farms of the Central Black Earth region. Combine harvesters RSM 161, Acros 595Plus, KZS-1218A were selected as objects of observation. Combines worked with headers of three types. These are a conventional grain header, a lowcut modified header, and a stock soybean header. When working with a conventional grain header, soybean losses behind the header reached 12.6%. Large losses limit the use of conventional grain headers in soybean harvesting. The headers upgraded for a low cut had losses of 2.1 ... 2.4%. Serial domestic soybean headers "Float Stream" allowed losses of 4 ... 8% under the observed conditions. This was a loss in loose grain, no loss in uncut beans. The main reason for the increased losses is the harvesting of dry, overripe crops. In other conditions, these headers may well work on harvesting soybeans with losses acceptable by agro-requirements. Losses behind the thresher for the observed combines were in the range of 1.4 ... 4.0%. The increased losses of soybean grain behind the threshing machine were due to the high rotational speed of the cleaning fan. Light grain was simply blown out. Crushing of bunker grain of combines varied within 3.6…10%. High crushing was observed in combines with increased speed of the threshing drum and insufficient clearance between the drum and the deck. The clogging of bunker grain on the observed combines was in the range of 0.8 ... 2.7%. Combines with a cleaning fan speed of 800 rpm showed less contamination of about 1%, but at the same time, grain losses increased up to 4% behind the combine thresher. As a result, the decisive influence on losses during soybean harvesting was confirmed by the type of header and technological adjustments of the combine.

Achieving maximum strength-ductility combination in fine-grained Cu-Zn alloy via detwinning and twinning deformation mechanisms

• The FG Cu-30%Zn was prepared by ECAP and subsequent annealing. • The optimal strength and ductility combination was achieved. • Microstructural evolutions during tensile deformation were revealed by EBSD. • Deformation-induced detwinning of pre-existing ultrafine twin lamellae occurred. • Grain orientation with< 111 > // TD facilitates deformation twinning. Although deformation twinning has been demonstrated to improve the strain hardening and ductility of metals and alloys with low stacking fault energies (SFEs), the optimum grain size for maximum strength-ductility combination still needs to explore. In this work, we selected Cu- 30 wt% Zn alloy with extremely low SFE (7 mJm -2 ) acting as a model material. Specifically, Cu- 30 wt% Zn samples with different grain sizes ranging from 628 nm to 30.6 µm were prepared by equal-channel-angular pressing (ECAP) and subsequent annealing. Tensile test revealed that the maximum strength-ductility combination (ultimate tensile strength of 565 MPa and ductility of 20%) corresponds to a mean grain size of 3.8 µm. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) indicated that pre-existing annealing twins in fine-grained Cu- 30 wt% Zn alloy annihilated at the initial deformation stage (<10% tensile strain) via detwinning of thin twin lamellae (<1 µm) and conversion of twin boundaries of thick twin lamellae (>1 µm) into conventional high-angle grain boundaries. In the later stage of deformation (>10% strain), deformation twinning occurred in grains with<111>orientation parallel to tensile direction, suggesting the combination of both detwinning and twinning deformations caused the maximum strength and ductility synergy. Our findings provide insights into optimization of strength and ductility of metals with low SFEs and detwinning-twinning deformation mechanisms.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy prepared by rheo-diecasting

Microstructure and mechanical properties of thin-walled Mg-11Gd-3Y–1Zn-0.2Zr (GWZ1131K, wt.%) alloy castings prepared by rheo-diecasting were characterized and analyzed in as-cast and solution-treated states, and compared with those of conventional diecasting. Rheo-diecast and conventional diecast alloys consist of externally solidified grains (ESGs) with very different morphologies and secondary solidified grains (SSGs) delineated by a network of eutectic phases ((Mg,Zn)3(Gd,Y)). After solution treatment of rheo-diecast alloy, the initial spherical or rose-shaped ESGs evolved into conventional grains with visible grain boundaries. Meanwhile, the brittle eutectic phases ((Mg,Zn)3(Gd,Y)) were transformed into 14H-type long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) structures and partially dissolved into α-Mg matrix, thus forming massive blocky X phases and a few lamellar LPSO structures. The room-temperature tensile mechanical properties of rheo-diecast alloy were unexpectedly decreased compared to the conventional diecast alloy, which may be resulted from the large average grain size and the aggregated distribution of eutectic phases. Due to the dissolution of eutectic phases and the contribution of LPSO structures and solution strengthening, the solution-treated rheo-diecast alloy offers a significant improvement of elongation (EL: 6.1 ± 0.8%) and a slight increase in ultimate tensile strength (UTS: 250 ± 10 MPa).