Hybrid H1 Research Articles

Variation in Leaf Biochemical Compositon of Guava (Psidium guajava L) Hybrids

Interplay of several internal development cues leads to floral induction in perennials like guava, mango and litchi. The transition of plants from the vegetative to the reproductive phase depends on the biochemical composition of the leaves. In view of this, the present study was conducted to know the variation in biochemical composition in non-flowering and flowering guava plants. Seven guava hybrids H1 (ARP selection x Lalit), H2 (Lalit x ARP selection), H3 (Allahabad Safeda x ARP selection), H4 (Lalit x Allahabad Safeda), H5 (Allahabad Safeda x Lalit), H6 (Nagpur Seedless x Allahabad Safeda) and OP (Open pollinated progeny of Allahabad Safeda).) were used for estimation of biochemical constituents in blooming and non-blooming plants. Results revealed that higher levels of total sugars, protein, and carbohydrates were observed in the leaves of non-blooming plants compared to blooming plants. However, compared to non-flowered plants, flowering plants had leaves with a higher amount of total phenol.

Production and Evaluation of Pleurotus spp. Hybrids Cultivated on Ecuadorian Agro-Industrial Wastes: Using Multivariate Statistical Methods

The sustainable management of agricultural residues is a pivotal element in ensuring the sustainable development of agriculture. This is based on strategies that include the reutilization of residues as a substrate for the cultivation of economically significant mushroom species. The primary aim of this investigation is to assess the viability of utilizing two of the most prevalent agricultural residues in Ecuador as a substrate for the cultivation of hybrids within the Pleurotus genus. This assessment includes an evaluation of the nutritional and productivity parameters exhibited by the resulting mushrooms, employing multivariate statistical methodologies. The hybrid strains were developed by crossing compatible neohaplonts obtained through chemical dedikaryotization. A total of five neohaplonts of Pleurotus ostreatus as parental strain P1 and five monokaryons of Pleurotus djamor as parental strain P2 were randomly crossed in all possible combinations. Two parental hybrid strains, H1 and H2, were produced. These hybrids were cultivated using agricultural waste substrates, specifically, green banana leaves (GBL) and sugarcane bagasse (SB). Two distinct treatments or mixtures were tested: M1 (composed of 80% SB and 20% GBL) and M2 (composed of 20% SB and 80% GBL). It was found that the M1 blend promotes mushroom growth, yielding superior properties attributable to the higher proportion of nutritional content derived from sugarcane bagasse.

Evaluation of Biological Control of Sorghum Strains Using Bacillus Thuringiensis and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Under Drought Stress

Background: Sorghum is an economically significant staple food crop for more than half a billion people in developing nations, especially in arid and semi-arid locations where drought stress is a significant limiting factor. Despite usually being regarded as tolerant, sorghum suffers severely from drought stress, which lowers its productivity and nutritional quality throughout its principal cultivation areas. Objective: Improvements in DNA fingerprinting by ISSRs, SSRs, and RAPD markers have also been employed in sorghum genetic modification (GMOs) to enhance the economic characteristics of this crop. Materials and methods: To provide a natural defence against pests, the most tolerant plants among the seven varieties of sorghum bicolour were selected and planted in the second season of 2020–2021 under treatment with two microorganisms, B. thuringiensis and P. aeruginosa. This study considered seven varieties of sorghum bicolour planted under 50% water deficiency in 2019–2020. Genetic variability analysis of sorghum genotypes was performed using seven Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) primers, six Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) primers, and five Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers. Seven Sorghum bicolour accessions were collected from various regions of Egypt and their phylogenetic relationships were evaluated. Additionally, DNA fingerprinting and analyses of the genetic diversity and evolutionary linkages in the sorghum germplasm employed the (ISSR) molecular marker technique. Results and conclusion: The Fisher Least Significant difference test (LSD) at P < 0.05, based on RAPD, ISSR, and SSR markers demonstrated a significant connection. The findings demonstrated that 51 bands with a size range of 100–1500 bp and polymorphism percentage of 72.5% were created using five RAPD primers. Seven ISSR primers generated 45 bands With a 57.8(%) polymorphism percentage, ranging in size from 100 to 3000 bp. six SSR primers generated 28 bands with (67.86%) polymorphism percentage of 67.86 %, ranging in size from 100 to 1500 bp. Morphological characteristics and ISSR, SSR, and RAPD analyses were used to group the UPGMA Dendrogram into groups. Jaccard's coefficient was used to analyse the genetic similarity matrix. The maximum similarity was observed for ISSR between Hybrid Sh1 and Hybrid Sh306 (0.984%), SSR between Hybrid Sh306 and Sudan grass (0.964%), and RAPD between Giza 15 and Indian Millet (0.706%). The classification of sorghum germplasm, breeding initiatives, and conservation efforts rely heavily on the determination of the genetic diversity among sorghum species. Identification of genetic variants, morphological features, and genetic analysis of ISSR, SSR, and RAPD are useful techniques. These findings demonstrate a large ratio of variation in sorghum. This work could serve as a guide for future research on sorghum and aid in the understanding of species and breeding initiatives.

Exploring Genetic and Epigenetic Changes in Lingonberry Using Molecular Markers: Implications for Clonal Propagation.

Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) is an important and valuable horticultural crop due to its high antioxidant properties. Plant tissue culture is an advanced propagation system employed in horticultural crops. However, the progeny derived using this technique may not be true-to-type. In order to obtain the maximum return of any agricultural enterprise, uniformity of planting materials is necessary, which sometimes is not achieved due to genetic and epigenetic instabilities under in vitro culture. Therefore, we analyzed morphological traits and genetic and epigenetic variations under tissue-culture and greenhouse conditions in lingonberry using molecular markers. Leaf length and leaf width under greenhouse conditions and shoot number per explant, shoot height and shoot vigor under in vitro conditions were higher in hybrid H1 compared to the cultivar Erntedank. Clonal fidelity study using one expressed sequence tag (EST)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), five EST-simple sequence repeat (SSR) and six genomic (G)-SSR markers revealed monomorphic bands in micropropagated shoots and plants in lingonberry hybrid H1 and cultivar Erntedank conforming genetic integrity. Epigenetic variation was studied by quantifying cytosine methylation using a methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) technique. DNA methylation ranged from 32% in greenhouse-grown hybrid H1 to 44% in cultivar Erntedank under a tissue culture system. Although total methylation was higher in in vitro grown shoots, fully methylated bands were observed more in the greenhouse-grown plants. On the contrary, hemimethylated DNA bands were more prominent in tissue culture conditions as compared to the greenhouse-grown plants. The study conclude that lingonberry maintains its genetic integrity but undergoes variable epigenetic changes during in vitro and ex vitro conditions.

Seed Transmission of Begomoviruses: A Potential Threat for Bitter Gourd Cultivation.

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), one of the valued vegetable crops in India, is severely affected by yellow mosaic disease caused by two begomoviruses, tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) and bitter gourd yellow mosaic virus (BgYMV). The symptoms are yellowing, distortion of leaf, puckering, and malformed fruits. Increased incidence of the disease and appearance of symptoms even in young emerging seedling stage were suggestive of seed transmission of the viruses, which was examined in detail. To study the seed transmission, two sources-seeds of elite hybrids H1, H2, H3, H4, and Co1 procured from a seed market; and seeds from infected plants in the farmer's field were tested. Detection of the virus by DAS-ELISA using polyclonal antibody indicated embryo infection up to 63%, 26%, 20%, and 10% in hybrids H1, H2, H3, and H4, respectively, for market-procured seeds. In PCR analysis with primers specific for ToLCNDV and BgYMV, infection by ToLCNDV was as high as 76% and mixed infection was 24%. In contrast, in seeds derived from field-infected plants, the percentage detection was less. Grow-out tests with market-procured seeds revealed no transmission for BgYMV compared with 5% transmission for ToLCNDV. Whether seed-borne inocula could serve as an inoculum for new infection in a field and further progress of the disease was investigated in a microplot study. The study clearly revealed variation in seed transmission between different sources, lots, cultivars, and viruses. The virus present in symptomatic and asymptomatic plants was easily transmitted by whitefly. In another microplot experiment, the potential of seed-borne virus as inoculum was proved. There was 43.3% initial seed transmission in the microplot, increasing to 70% after release of 60 whiteflies.

Evaluation of Agronomic Traits and Severity of Foliar Disease of Three Commercial Hybrids and Five Advanced Triple Hybrids of Hard Yellow Maize

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate agronomic traits and response to foliar fungal diseases of five advanced triple hybrids of hard yellow maize (Zea mays L.) and three commercial hybrids. An A × B factorial experiment with eight treatments, four repetitions and the Tukey test was used to compare means of the treatments (P>0.05). The most limiting disease is rust. The agronomic characteristics of breeding lines: h1, h2, h3, h4 and h5 (triple hybrids) were evaluated and compared with h6, h7, and h8 (commercial hybrids). Field trials were conducted in two locations of Central Coast of Ecuador (Quevedo & Balzar). Both locations showed significant differences for agronomic traits; Balzar presented lower yield (6,205.46 kg ha-1) and greater severity of curvularia leaf spot (3.34 CIMMYT scale) compared to Quevedo (7,368.21 kg ha-1 and 2.47 CIMMYT scale). For hybrids, h6 had significantly lower yield (5,306.83 kg ha-1), compared to h5 (6,914.09 kg ha-1), h1 (7,211.80 kg ha-1), h3 (7,266.83 kg ha-1), and h8 (8,036.85 kg ha-1). Significant differences were also detected for the orthogonal comparison (INIAP hybrids) with 5,634.44 kg ha-1 and the promissory lines with 6,997.68 kg ha-1. The highest net profit was achieved with the hybrid h2 with USD 1,405.76 followed by the hybrid h1 with USD 1,385,92, obtaining a Benefit-Cost ratio of 2.32 and 2.30 respectively, which indicates that for each monetary unit invested, an additional USD 1.32 and 1.30 of profit was obtained for the two hybrids, respectively.

Performance of Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) hybrids for yield and quality traits

Twenty-eight F1 combinations of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) obtained from half-diallel cross along with eight diverse parents were evaluated in a field study to elucidate the information on the extent of mean performance of various horticultural traits. The analysis revealed that all the genotypes possessed wide spectrum of variability and showed significant differences for parents and hybrids for the traits studied. For parents UHF CHI 13 (216.20), UHF CHI 15 (193.80), UHF CHI 5 (139.00) and for hybrids H1 (182.60), H9 (181.40) and H7 (172.80) hold highest fruit count per plant. The parents UHF CHI 5 (1047.13 g), UHF CHI 15 (949.62 g) and UHF CHI 7 (912.61 g) and cross combinations H17 (1535.10 g), H8 (1320.00), H6 (1229.76) and H18 (967.60) recorded the high ripe fruit yield per plant. As for earliness, parents UHF CHI 5 (43.33), UHF CHI 11 (45.00), UHF CHI 7 (45.33) and hybrids H27 (42.67), H26 (43.00) and UH28 (43.00) took minimum days for flowering. For pungency UHF CHI 12 (0.28%), UHF CHI 13 (0.26%), DKC-8 (0.24%) and H23 (0.33%), H5 (0.31%), H26 (0.26%) recorded high capsaicin content.

STUDY REGARDING THE QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY POTENTIAL OF SOME PERSPECTIVE MAIZE HYBRIDS CREATED AT ARDS LOVRIN

Zea mays L. is an important annual crop species, belonging to Poaceae family, a species that comes from teosinte (Zea mays L. spp Mexicana). Maize kernel is an edible and nutritive part of the plant, this crop being an essential source of various phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and other micro- and macronutrients. Maize breeding is considered to be an important and complex program that has has unique elements, which are different from other cultivated self-pollinated crops, each obtained hybrid having its own combination of genetic effects. Therefore, this paper aims to study a comparative culture with 20 maize hybrids created at ARDS Lovrin, hybrids from indurata and dentata convarieties, in order to highlight hybrids with a high productive or qualitative potential. Regarding to production capacity, the analyzed hybrids had a different behavior, the highest values being recorded at H10-1010 (9767 kg*ha-1) and H13-1013 (9631 kg*ha-1) hybrids. The highlighted hybrids differs significantly from the other ones, registering an increase of 32.6%, respectively 30.8% compared to the experience average. In terms of quality, the following hybrids H1, H3 and H19 were evidentiated. H1-1001 hybrid registered a protein content in kernel of 11.30% and oil by 6.55%; H3-1003 hybrid registering close values, of 11.35% protein and 6.65% oil content and H19 hybrid with 10.95% protein content, respectively 6.50% oil content in kernel. Summing up, from the results obtained for the hybrids taken in study, the hybrids mentioned above were highlighted, from both qualitative and productive point of view.

Produtividade, qualidade físico-química e resistência ao florescimento precoce de híbridos experimentais de cebola

ABSTRACT In order to produce bulbs or seeds, onion plants depend on genotype X environment interaction. Thus, breeders shall select the genotypes based on the climatic conditions of each producing region. This study aimed to evaluate 17 experimental onion hybrids and two commercial genotypes (‘Bella Dura’ and ‘Buccaneer’), based on agronomic, physicochemical attributes of the bulbs and resistance to early flowering under subtropical conditions. Joint analysis of variance and phenotypic divergence estimated through principal component analysis (PCA) and Ward’s hierarchical clustering were performed. We observed that the time of transplantation affected the agronomic traits more than the physicochemical traits, not affecting the percentage of early flowering of the genotypes. The first transplant season provided higher bulb productivity, whereas the second season reduced the cycle and productivity. Hybrids H1, H17 and ‘Buccaneer’ showed flowering rate lower than 3%. Among the experimental hybrids, H2 showed higher productivity when comparing with commercial cultivars, and H1, H12 and H14 were equivalent to them. However, H12 showed the highest early flowering rate (43%). Thus, considering the experimental genotypes evaluated under subtropical conditions, H1, H2, and H14, showed potential for commercial use or as potential parents in advancing the breeding program, as they stood out for presenting good yield, bulb quality and low percentage of early flowering.

Vegetative Performance of Two Cultivars and Four Hybrids of Pineapple in Côte d’Ivoire

Since the early 2000s, pineapple from Côte d’Ivoire has suffered a discount in its marketing due to the heterogeneity of the quality of its fruit and the arrival of MD2 on the international market. In order to help pineapple from Côte d'Ivoire once again win back the international market, Ananas comosus hybrids with an early natural coloring have been developed at the CNRA. The agronomic performances of these hybrids were tested at the research station of Anguédédou. Vegetative characteristics such as plant fresh mass, stem fresh and dry mass, number of leaves generated and leaf D fresh mass of these hybrids H1, H2, H3 and H4 were compared to those of cultivars Smooth Cayenne and MD2 at 2, 4 and 6 months. The results obtained showed no statistically significant difference in plant mass between hybrid H4 (2675 g) and cultivars MD2 (2645 g) and Smooth Cayenne (2763 g) after 6 months of planting. The fresh and dry mass of the stems of these three varieties were also statistically identical. Hybrid H4 leaf D fresh mass was very low (55 g) at six months of planting compared to the two cultivars (73 g each). Hybrids H2 and H3 at this same period gave leaf masses of over 80 g. Regarding the characteristics assessed, hybrids H4 and H3 had much more conformity with cultivars Smooth Cayenne and MD2.

Evaluation of Some Drought Tolerance Criteria in Locally Gynoecious Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.)

A field experiment was carried out in an unheated plastic house in the College of Agriculture-University of Anbar/Ramadi – Iraq in the Autumn season 2018 and Spring season 2019, to evaluate some drought tolerance criteria for three locally hybrids of cucumber (H2, H3, H4) compared with Local hybrid (H1) Certified by Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture under three levels of soil moisture depletion (30%, 50%, 70%) were calculated on the basis of available water. Six criteria were used (Tol, MP, SSI, YSI, YI, GMP) to determine drought tolerance of planted cucumber hybrids. Results showed that the depletion level (30%) gave highest productivity in 2018 and 2019 (3.397, 5.190 Kg plant−1) on the respectively, whereas the lowest yield (3.061, 3.857 Kg plant−1) on the respectively for 70% depletion level. The hybrids H1 and H3 achive highest yield (3.488, 3.260 Kg plant−1) on the respectively in 2018, while the highest yield in 2019 was (4.782 and 4.758 Kg plant−1) for H3 and H1 hybrids on the respectively without significant differences. H4 hybrid gave the lowest yield in the two seasons with significant difference in comparison to H3 and H1. The results also showed that the locally producted hybrid H3 distinguished in most drought tolerance criteria compared with registered hybrid (H1) and was considered as a most tolerance to stress, whereas H1 hybrid the most sensitive to stress

Hybrid coffee cultivars may enhance agroecosystem resilience to climate change.

Anthropogenic climate change is predicted to cause shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns that will be detrimental for global agriculture. Developing comprehensive strategies for building climate resilient agroecosystems is critical for maintaining future crop production. Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) is highly sensitive to the quantity and timing of precipitation, so alterations in precipitation patterns that are predicted under climate change are likely to be a major challenge for maintaining coffee agroecosystems. We assessed cultivar selection as a potential component of more resilient coffee agroecosystems by evaluating water stress responses among five Arabica coffee cultivars (clonal hybrids H10 and H1 and seedling lines Catuai 44, Catuai, and Villa Sarchi) using a precipitation reduction experiment in the highlands of Tarrazú, Costa Rica. During the first harvest (eighteen months after planting), plants under the rainout treatment had 211 % greater total fruit weight and over 50 % greater biomass than under the control treatment, potentially due to protection from unusually high rainfall during this period of our experiment. At the second harvest (30 months after planting), after a year of more typical rainfall, plants under rainout still produced 66 % more fruit by weight than under control. The magnitude of the responses varied among cultivars where, at the first harvest, H10 and H1 had approximately 92 % and 81 % greater fruit production and 18 % and 22 % greater biomass, respectively, and at the second harvest H10 had 60 % more fruit production than the overall average. Thus, our findings suggest that the hybrid lines H10 and H1 are more resilient than the other cultivars to the stress of high soil moisture. Overall, our results indicate that stress due to higher than average rainfall could impair coffee plant growth and production, and that cultivar selection is likely to be an important tool for maintaining the viability of coffee production, and the resilience of global agroecosystems more generally, under climate change.

Genotype selection influences the quality of gluten-free bread from maize

Making bread from maize is a technological challenge due to the poor viscoelastic properties of the dough. Maize germplasm as well as the thermoalkaline processing technique commonly used in Mexico can be harnessed for bread making purposes. We assessed the bread making performance of two maize hybrids, two landraces, and their thermoalkaline processed flour in addition to their blend with high zinc wheat. Significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) were found in physical kernel characteristics such as flotation index, hardness, size and weight. Doughs had a higher consistency, springiness and gumminess than the untreated reference. Landrace L1 (Jala) had a larger specific volume (1.99 mL/g), softer texture (13.10 N) and faster springiness (0.90) but a relatively high staling (1.60), while landrace L2 (Cacahuacintle) and hybrid H1 (CSTH19001) had a lower staling (<0.50). The specific volume and softness of bread reduced in all thermoalkaline processed flours. Genotypes demonstrated significantly different performances during bread making, indicating that the choice of maize genotype significantly affected the final product. Thermoalkaline processed flour did not seem to improve bread quality, hence its application in bread making requires further study.

EVALUATION OF SUNFLOWER HYBRIDS IN MULTI-ENVIRONMENT TRIAL (MET)

Sunflower has been proposed as a potential crop model for an adaptation to a changing environment and special attention should be paid to testing hybrids under different environments. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction model (AMMI) supplemented with genotype main effects and genotype by environment interaction effects (GGE) were used for dissection of genotype by environment interaction and evaluation of hybrids and testing environments. The research included 24 sunflower hybrids grown across twelve environments. AMMI analysis identified four significant interaction principal components (IPC), while in GGE biplot the first two IPCs accounted together for 44.59%. Environmental factors contributed the largest proportion in the total variation of seed yield (67.40%), followed by interaction and genotypes. High yielding hybrids H1, H14 and H11 showed specific adaptation to environments E10 and E1, respectively. The average environment coordination (AEC) view of GGE biplot indicated H17 as the most desirable genotype regarding seed yield. From the results of this study it can be concluded that MET trials are important not just for evaluation of stability and choosing the most stable genotypes, but also the genotypes that will perform well in low yielding environments and be able to take advantage of the favourable environmental conditions.

Performance of switchgrass and Miscanthus genotypes on marginal land in the Yellow River Delta

The lignocellulosic biomass derived from Miscanthus Anderss. and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been widely investigated; however, large−scale production is obstructed by the lack of suitable genotypes for their growth on marginal land. To breed new varieties that can adapt to specific marginal lands, a four-year (2014−2017) field experiment was conducted using switchgrass and 12 Miscanthus genotypes on marginal land in the Yellow River Delta (YRD). The performances of Miscanthus and switchgrass were evaluated and climatic factors limiting their biomass yield were identified. During each year of the trial, 13 genotypes were harvested in winter and their biometric characteristics (biomass yield, plant height, stem diameter, and tiller number) were measured. Quality parameters (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and ash) were determined in the third growing season. The three-year average biomass yield of switchgrass was 5.66 Mg/ha. The three-year average biomass yield of the 12 Miscanthus genotypes ranged from 1.99 to 32.09 Mg/ha. The biomass yields of M. lutarioriparius and hybrids were significantly higher than that of switchgrass, however, these were more sensitive to rainfall than switchgrass. No significant difference was found between the ash contents of M. lutarioriparius, M. sacchariflorus, and switchgrass. The contents of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin were 377.69, 526.10, and 109.33 g/kg, respectively for switchgrass, and 247.56−391.28 g/kg, 473.52−619.85 g/kg, and 83.03−132.88 g/kg, respectively, for Miscanthus. Combining biomass yield and quality, the potential ethanol productions of M. lutarioriparius and Miscanthus hybrids were higher than that of switchgrass, and the Miscanthus hybrid h1 reached 14,600 L/ha. The results of this study provide fundamental information for the development and utilization of biomass crops on marginal land in the YRD.

EVALUATION OF CERES-MAIZE MODEL FOR HYBRID MAIZE (Zea mays L.) PRODUCTION

The trial was conducted at Agronomic Research farm, University of Sargodha during spring growing season, 2015, to calibrate and evaluate CERES-Maize model for simulating the impact of different sowing time on maize crop. The experiment was laid out in split plot design having three replications, keeping planting dates (25th Feb, 6thMar and 14thMar) in main plots and hybrids i.e. (DK-9108, DK-6525 and DK-6142) in the sub plots. The Calibration of CSM-CERES-Maize model showed the best possible closeness between simulated and observed days to flowering and physiological maturity, leaf area index (LAI), Total dry matter (TDM), and grain yield with % error of 4.0, -1.5, 0.41, 0.07, 0.14 and 0.3% , respectively, when maize hybrid H1 (DK- 6142) was sown at firstsowing date (25th Feb). DSSAT,CERES- Maize model predicted the phenological traits like anthesis and maturity phase. Number of days to anthesis and maturity simulated by model were lesser to the observed values, where as, simulated grain yield was higher as compared to observed data for all the three cultivars. Model calculated the close similarity between experimental and computer-generated values for leaf area index.

Designing a Green Power Delivery System for Base Transceiver Stations in Southwestern Nigeria

In recent times, a green telecommunication system that is regarded as more environmental friendly is clamoring to adequately replace the usage of Diesel Generator only (DG-only) power sources. Alternatively, the diesel generator system can combine with other power supply systems to reduce the effect of greenhouse gases emitted to the environment and to improve power supply reliability. This paper aims at establishing an optimized configuration for typically powering base transceiver stations using remarkable hybrids of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) with optimal performance in cost consideration, emission, space management and adequate reliability in base-transceiver station area. The optimization was tested on the diverse set of hybrids of RESs for powering BTSs in Southwestern part of Nigeria using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Electric Renewables (HOMER) micro grid Analysis Tool 3.8.7. The simulated results show that hybrid H2 made of Photovoltaic Cell (PV), Wind Turbine, Diesel Generator, Battery Storage and Converter has the lowest Total Net Present Cost (TNPC) in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States while hybrid H1 made of PV and DG emerged as the best in Ondo, Ekiti and Osun States. Hybrid H2 with desired characteristics has an average TNPC reduction of 35.01 % over the present system of Diesel Generator-only. Further results revealed precisely that TNPC responds more to change in the global horizontal irradiation than any other uncontrollable variables. These notable findings will be extremely applicable for a cost-effective and environmentally friendly powering schemes that may be efficiently implemented on BTSs in different Southwestern regions of Nigeria.

Constructing surface synergistic effect in Cu-Cu2O hybrids and monolayer H1.4Ti1.65O4·H2O nanosheets for selective cinnamyl alcohol oxidation to cinnamaldehyde

A multifunctional photocatalyst is constructed based on Cu-Cu2O hybrid and monolayer H1.4Ti1.65O4·H2O nanosheets via an in situ photo-deposition process (Cu-Cu2O/TNS). The prepared sample enables the oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde with over 95% of selectivity under visible light irradiation using molecule O2 as the oxidant. In situ FTIR spectra suggest that the Lewis acid sites in TNS would selectively adsorbed the hydroxyl of cinnamyl alcohol forming surface CO∙∙∙TiO coordination species. UV-DRS spectra reveal that light adsorption of TNS can be extended to visible light region due to the interface charges transfer from COH to TiO via the surface coordination, resulting in the activation of OH in alcohol. In situ ESR further indicates that directional interface charge transfer induces the charge enrichment in Ti atoms of TiO6, facilitating O2 adsorption. XAFS results reveal that the hybrid electronic states of Cu-Cu2O efficiently improve the interface electronic transfer kinetics to inhibit the intramolecular hydrogen transfer for dominating the selectivity towards cinnamaldehyde. This work highlights the synergistic effect of surface coordination-activation-photocatalysis for selective photosynthesis of fine chemicals.

Intraspecific hybridization of low chill peach cultivars for superior fruit quality and their hybridity confirmation by SSR markers

The present investigation was carried out to develop of low chill peach hybrids for superior fruit quality during the year 2016 and 2017. Crosses were made between low chill peach cultivars, taking Flordaglo and Florda Crest as a female parent and Florda Prince, Florda Grand, Florda Crest and Yumyoeng as male parents. Among the hybrids, the maximum fruit set (59.28%) was observed in H3, while the minimum fruit set (38.56%) was recorded in H6. Among the parents crossed, the maximum fruit set (82.32%) and fruit retention (53.23%) was observed in Florda Prince while the minimum fruit set (56.42%) and fruit retention (33.56%) was noticed in Yumyoeng. In the low chill hybrids developed, fruit retention percent was recorded the maximum (74.50%) and the minimum (41.27%) in H1 and H4. Crosses of Florda Crest as female noticed the maximum fruit drop percentage with H5 having highest (74.61%) fruit drop percentage while hybrid H1 observed the minimum (25.84%) fruit drop percentage. Among the parents, Yumyoeng showed maximum (53.79%) while Florda Crest showed minimum (43.94%) fruit drop percentage. Seeds of hybrid H6 took the maximum days for stratification (77 days) while H2 took the minimum days for stratification (69 days). The minimum (10.30 days) and the maximum (15.58 days) number of days taken for seed germination was noticed in H3 and H5, respectively. After sowing the seeds in the protrays, H1 observed the maximum seed germination percentage (90.41%) while minimum (43.38%) percent of seed germination was recorded in H6. A significant variation was recorded between the traits viz., seedling height, intermodal length and rosetting percentage among different peach hybrids. Among the 22 SSR markers, only six markers (MA015a, MA020a, MA023a, CPPCT-022, CPPCT-030 and UDP96–005) were found to be able to test the hybridity of F1 seedling.

Cross-catalytic hairpin assembly-based exponential signal amplification for CRET assay with low background noise

A toehold-mediated strand displacement (TMSD)-based cross-catalytic hairpin assembly (C-CHA) is demonstrated in this study, achieving exponential amplification of nucleic acids. Functionally, this system consists of four hairpins (H1, H2, H3 and H4) and one single-stranded initiator (I). Upon the introduction of I, the first CHA reaction (CHA1) is triggered, leading to the self-assembly of hybrid H1·H2 that then initiates the second CHA reaction (CHA2) to obtain the hybrid H3·H4. Since the single-stranded region in H3·H4 is identical to I, a new CHA1 is initiated, which thus achieves cross operation of CHA1 and CHA2 and exponential growth kinetics. Interestingly, because the C-CHA performs in a cascade manner, this system can be considered as multi-level molecular logic circuits with feedback mechanism. Moreover, through incorporating G-quadruplex subunits and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) in the product of H1·H2, this C-CHA is readily utilized to fabricate a chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) biosensing platform, achieving sensitive and selective detection of DNA and microRNA in real samples. Since the high background signal induced by FITC in the absence of initiator is greatly reduced through labeling quencher in H1, the signal-to-noise ratio and detection sensitivity are improved significantly. Therefore, our proposed C-CHA protocol holds a great potential for further applications in not only building complex autonomous systems but also the development of biosensing platforms and DNA nanotechnology.