Job's Tears Research Articles

Growth and yield response of Watani Wado job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) to the application frequency of phosphate fertilizer and paclobutrazol in different growing seasons

Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) is a carbohydrate source functional food crop that can be developed as a substitute for rice. This study aims to determine the best application frequency of phosphate (P) fertilizer and paclobutrazol for supporting the growth and yield of job's tears in both rainy and dry seasons. The research was conducted from November 2021 - November 2022 at the Ciparanje research station and Laboratory Centre Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Sumedang. The experiment used a randomized block design (RBD) consisting of P fertilizer application frequency (once, twice, and thrice) and paclobutrazol application frequency (once, twice, and thrice) and three replications.. The best season was determined using the T-test. The results showed that there was no interaction between growth components and job's tears yield in both rainy and dry season planting. P fertilizer application had a significant effect on lateral branch per tiller in the rainy season and root-shoot ratio in the dry season. Paclobutrazol application had a significant effect on the number of tillers per plant and number of seeds per plant in the rainy season, and the lateral branch per tiller in the dry season. Planting in the rainy season had the best growth and yield components compared to the dry season.

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis in Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) collections from northeastern Himalayan region

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis in Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) collections from northeastern Himalayan region

Use of ancient grains for the management of diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AimsA systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials was conducted to collate evidence from studies implementing ancient grains and investigate the impact of ancient grain consumption on health outcomes of patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Data synthesisTwenty-nine randomized controlled trials were included, and 13 were meta-analyzed. Interventions ranged from 1 day to 24 weeks; most samples were affected by DM type 2 (n = 28 studies) and the ancient grains used were oats (n = 10 studies), brown rice (n = 6 studies), buckwheat (n = 4 studies), chia (n = 3 studies), Job's Tears (n = 2 studies), and barley, Khorasan and millet (n = 1 study). Thirteen studies that used oats, brown rice, and chia provided data for a quantitative synthesis. Four studies using oats showed a small to moderate beneficial effect on health outcomes including LDL-c (n = 717, MD: 0.30 mmol/l, 95% CI: 0.42 to −0.17, Z = 4.61, p < 0.05, I2 = 0%), and TC (n = 717, MD: 0.44 mmol/l, 95% CI: 0.63 to −0.24, Z = 4.40, p < 0.05, I2 = 0%). Pooled analyses of studies using chia and millet did not show significant effects on selected outcomes. ConclusionsFor adults affected by DM type 2, the use of oats may improve lipidic profile. Further experimental designs are needed in interventional research to better understand the effects of ancient grains on diabetes health outcomes. Prospero registrationCRD42023422386.

Spatial O2 Profile in Coix lacryma-jobi and Sorghum bicolor along the Gas Diffusion Pathway under Waterlogging Conditions.

While internal aeration in plants is critical for adaptation to waterlogging, there is a gap in understanding the differences in oxygen diffusion gradients from shoots to roots between hypoxia-tolerant and -sensitive species. This study aims to elucidate the differences in tissue oxygen concentration at various locations on the shoot and root between a hypoxia-tolerant species and a -sensitive species using a microneedle sensor that allows for spatial oxygen profiling. Job's tears, a hypoxia-tolerant species, and sorghum, a hypoxia-susceptible species, were tested. Plants aged 10 days were acclimated to a hypoxic agar solution for 12 days. Oxygen was profiled near the root tip, root base, root shoot junction, stem, and leaf. An anatomical analysis was also performed on the roots used for the O2 profile. The oxygen partial pressure (pO2) values at the root base and tip of sorghum were significantly lower than that of the root of Job's tears. At the base of the root of Job's tears, pO2 rapidly decreased from the root cortex to the surface, indicating a function to inhibit oxygen leakage. No significant differences in pO2 between the species were identified in the shoot part. The root cortex to stele ratio was significantly higher from the root tip to the base in Job's tears compared to sorghum. The pO2 gradient began to differ greatly at the root shoot junction and root base longitudinally, and between the cortex and stele radially, between Job's tears and sorghum. Differences in the root oxygen retention capacity and the cortex to stele ratio are considered to be related to differences in pO2.

Simultaneous determination of 17 regulated and non-regulated Fusarium mycotoxins co-occurring in foodstuffs by UPLC-MS/MS with solid-phase extraction

Fusarium species produce numerous mycotoxins known to co-occur in food. While some of these mycotoxins (e.g., deoxynivalenol, fumonisins) are regulated in several countries, others are non-regulated (e.g., nivalenol, beauvericin). In this study, UPLC-MS/MS with solid-phase extraction cleanup was used to determine 17 Fusarium mycotoxins (FTs) simultaneously. The method showed excellent performance in terms of linearity (R2 > 0.99), LOD (<1.2 μg/kg), LOQ (<3.6 μg/kg), accuracy (70.0–116.3 %), repeatability (<15.7 %), reproducibility (<25.3 %), and expanded uncertainty (<41.7 %). The validated method was successfully applied to 198 marketed food samples collected in South Korea. Of the tested samples, 79 % were contaminated with at least one FT. Job's tears showed the highest prevalence of 14 FTs, and sorghum had the highest total FTs level (3.03 mg/kg). The results suggest that this method can be used for the simultaneous analysis of 17 FTs in food samples, which would serve as crucial information for risk management.

Beyond subsistence: Evidence for red rice beer in 8000-year old Neolithic burials, north China

The domestication of rice and the brewing of rice-based alcoholic beverages in pottery vessels were closely intertwined during the early Neolithic period in China. This practice may have originated in the Shangshan culture of the lower Yangzi River valley around 9000 cal. BP. The brewing process involved the preparation of qu starter using rice and molds to produce rice beer. Over time, this fermentation tradition spread northward to the Yellow River region, although the exact timing of this diffusion process remains unclear. To shed light on this issue, our study focuses on two early Neolithic Peiligang culture sites, namely Peiligang and Shuiquan, dating to 8000–7600 cal. BP in the middle Yellow River region. Through microfossil analysis of ceramic vessels, we have discovered multiple lines of evidence indicating the use of rice and Monascus mold as ingredients for preparing qu starter in the production of fermented alcoholic beverages. These beverages included a variety of ingredients such as rice, millet, Job's tears, wild Triticeae, foxnut, and yam. During the early stage of rice domestication, when rice was still a minor crop serving to partially fulfill subsistence needs, the development of rice-based fermentation technology played a significant role in the provision of alcoholic beverages, particularly in the context of mortuary rituals within the Peiligang culture.

Changes Over Time in Crispiness and Moisture Content of Tempura Prepared Using Barley Flour, Buckwheat Flour, and Job's Tears Flour

Changes Over Time in Crispiness and Moisture Content of Tempura Prepared Using Barley Flour, Buckwheat Flour, and Job's Tears Flour

The subsistence strategies of Qin humans in the Guanzhong Plain before the establishment of Qin Empire: A combined stable isotope and archaeobotanical approach

The turbulent stage before the unification of China under the first Empire, the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BC), witnessed remarkable changes in economic livelihood and social conditions. This study aims to investigate the subsistence strategies of humans living in the Guanzhong Plain during the Late Qin State (350–221 BC) by using carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis on animal and human bone collagen, as well as starch grain analysis of human dental calculus, from Podi cemetery, Shannxi Province, China. We argue that Podi humans likely relied on a mixed subsistence strategy based on animal husbandry practices and diverse crop agricultural pattern which consist of millet, soybean, wheat, and probably supplemented by hunting and gathering (Job's tears, nuts and tubers) economy. Combined with bioarcheological studies on Qin humans, we infer that previously traditional animal husbandry economy was still being practiced in the Qin period along with the inclusion of a newly introduced agricultural economy.

Estimation of pollen dispersal distance in Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) by using red leaf sheath as a morphological marker.

Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) is grown widely in Asian countries and a crop that can fertilize with own pollen and pistils. The grains are used not only for food but also for medicinal purposes. The grain of many cultivars contains glutinous endosperm; only grains with this glutinous endosperm are suitable for use as medicine in Japan. Many wild types have non-glutinous endosperm and can easily cross with cultivar under natural environmental conditions. Because the non-glutinous endosperm trait is dominant to that of glutinous endosperm, F1 seeds produced by crosses between a cultivar and a wild type have non-glutinous endosperm. To reduce the rate of unwanted crosses, we investigated the pollen dispersal distance by using a red leaf sheath as a morphological marker. When plants were cultivated in rows 70 cm apart, the crossing rate was about 25%-35%. As the distance increased, the crossing rate decreased at a rate that could be fitted to a power approximation in fields without intervening plants and to an exponential equation in fields with intervening plants. Our data could be used as guidelines for preventing unwanted crossing with wild types when growing cultivars.

Appropriate crop rotation alleviates continuous cropping barriers by changing rhizosphere microorganisms in Panax notoginseng

Crop rotation is the most sustainable way to solve the CCO which is the main problem restricting the development of Chinese herbal medicine. In this study, we used Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology to study the effects of different interval years on rhizosphere microorganisms of Panax notoginseng at 1, 2 and 3 years intervals. The results showed that the number of beneficial bacteria increased while the pathogenic bacteria decreased during crop rotation. We also found that choosing the suitable crop is more effective than extending the rotation cycle duration. Phylogenetic analysis results showed that the preceding crop plays a decisive role in the rotation. Indicator, Random forest and Network all showed that crop rotation is to increase Trichoderma to combat CCOs. Our study indicated that job's tears is more suitable as the preceding crop of P. notoginseng. T. asperellum play a key role in crop rotation.

Single-laboratory Validation of an Analytical Method for Detarmination of Fusarium toxins in Buckwheat and Job's Tears

Fusarium species infect the major cereals consumed as food and feed, contaminating them with various toxic secondary metabolites known as toxins. Among these toxins, which include trichothecenes, zearalenone (ZEA), and fumonisins, the type-B trichothecene deoxynivalenol (DON) is generally considered as the most important. The present study evaluates an analytical method for the detection and quantification of multiple Fusarium toxins, namely, DON, acetyl forms of DON (3-Ac-DON and 15-Ac-DON), a glycoside form of DON (DON-3G), and other Fusarium toxins (nivalenol, an acetyl form of NIV (fusarenonX), T-2 and HT-2 toxins, diacetoxyscirpenol, and ZEA) in Job's tears and buckwheat.

Starch grain analysis of two different types of grinding stones from the Neolithic Shuangdun site (ca. 7.3–6.8 ka BP) in eastern China

AbstractTwo different types of grinding stones, grinding slabs and rollers, as well as mortars and pestles from the Shuangdun site (ca. 7.3–6.8 ka BP) in the middle Huai River region, were subjected to starch grain analysis to investigate the evolution of plant food processing tools during the transition period from a gathering–fishing–hunting economy to farming. The results suggest that both types of grinding stones were used to process various plant species, including Triticeae, Job's tears (Coix lacryma‐jobi), lotus root (Nelumbo nucifera), and bean (Vigna spp.). However, starch grains of rice (Oryza sativa) were only discovered from mortar and pestle tools, indicating that mortars and pestles might have become a fixed combination tool for rice processing. Damage characteristics analysis for different kinds of starches indicated that mortars and pestles were also used for grinding plant foods besides dehusking rice, whereas some roughly made slabs no longer had a grinding function and were used only for pounding some specific plant foods. The functional degeneration of grinding slabs coincides with the rise of farming in Neolithic China around 7,000 BP. This study provides new evidence for understanding the evolution of prehistoric human plant food processing tools in Neolithic Eastern China.

Cereal-Based Solid-State Fermentation and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Paecilomyces cicadae SH1 (Ascomycota) Isolated in China.

Jin-Chan-Hua, a traditional Chinese medicine with numerous pharmaceutical properties, is a biological complex of fungus and cicada larvae. In this study, the fungus Paecilomyces cicadae strain SH1 was obtained and cultivated to produce fruiting bodies in solid-state fermentation by using various cereals as base nutrients. The results indicated that 15 media (e.g., wheat, buckwheat, oatmeal, adzuki bean, black soybean, soybean, mung bean, speckled kidney bean, rice, millet, black glutinous rice, unpolished rice, peanut, pearl barley, and Job's tears) were favorable for high biomass or fruiting body production; thus, we conducted an anti-inflammatory assay in RAW 264.7 cells by using the fermented extracts of these substrates. Among the cereal substrates fermented with P. cicadae SH1, the alcohol extract of fermented oatmeal had the best anti-inflammatory ability with a dose-dependent effect, and it did not reduce the viability of RAW 264.7 cells at a concentration of 200 μg/mL. The results demonstrated that oatmeal solid-state fermented by P. cicadae SH1 has potential applications in the prevention or treatment of inflammation. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report on the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals through the solid-state fermentation of oatmeal by P. cicadae.

Impact of hydrothermal processing on Job's tears grain fractions and its protein isolates: Evaluation of digestibility, functionality, and anti‐nutritional factors

The study was focused on the effect of hydrothermal processing on the protein characteristics of Job's tears grain and its corresponding milled fractions. The protein isolated from native and treated grains was studied for their functional and physicochemical properties. The protein content of native and hydrothermally treated Job's tears was 20%–20.27%, 11.85%–12.26%, and 12.95%–13.70% in bran, endosperm, and germ-rich fractions, respectively. Hydrothermal processing improved the in vitro protein digestibility of grain fractions (up to 38%) and protein isolates (40%–55%) and decreased the anti-nutritional factors. There was a significant change in the surface hydrophobicity of globulin (148.91–1,191.30), glutelin (108.54–791.47), and prolamine (823.68–2,352.00) in the grain fractions. The water absorption capacity of processed Job's tears protein isolates remained unaffected; however, the oil absorption (5.45 ± 0.02 to 7.61 ± 0.46), emulsion (16.02 ± 0.01 to 26.06 ± 0.13), and foaming capacity (14.16 ± 0.08 to 28.33 ± 0.02) improved. Job's tears protein was found to be of high quality with potential for food application as functional ingredient after hydrothermal processing. Novelty impact statement Job's tears grain is a nutritious but underutilized millet with very few reports available on the processing of the grain. The novelty of this paper lies in the hydrothermal processing, fractionation, and isolation of protein from the grain, the increase in protein digestibility of hydrothermally processed Job's tears grain fractions (bran, endosperm, and germ-rich fractions), and the decrease in the anti-nutritional factors that hampers the protein digestion. Moreover, by fractionating the grain, nutrient-dense milled fractions were obtained which can be used as a food ingredient in product development.

Evaluation of germplasm lines for seed yield traits in Job's tears (Coix lacryma jobi L)

Job's tears (Coix lacryma jobi L), a lesser known and old crop is superior to major crops like wheat, maize, rice etc in terms of nutritive values. Moreover the crop shows considerable genetic diversity which can be exploited for productive and sustainable use. Very little information is available about the crop. Present study was conducted to compare various seed yield traits of various germplasm lines of the crop at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh during 2020–21. The days to maturity of plants range was between 102 (IGJT 20-2) and 162 days (IGJT 20–28).Average plant height varied from 92 (IGJT-2) to 168 cm (IGJT 20–23). The highest number of tillers per plant (15) was in IGJT 20–22 and the lowest (3) in IGJT 20–19. Average seed yield per plant was in the range of 11 (IGJT 20–29) and 95 g (IGJT 20–16).

Diversity in metagenomic sequences reveals new pathogenic fungus associated with smut in Job's tears

Smut is a serious disease in Job's tears, also known as adlay, and contributes to the reduction of crop yield in agricultural fields. In this study, the key pathogenic fungi in adlay smut disease were first identified by internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) high-throughput sequencing and then used to elucidate the composition and diversity of the fungal community in adlay smut. Results indicate that an abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected in the infected involucres of flowering plants and the OTUs were classified to nine phyla, 20 classes, 45 orders, 90 families and 119 genera. A total of 4 986 OTUs clustered together, sharing six core OTUs in all samples, while 145 OTUs were shared among four geographical groups. The Shannon and Simpson indices ranged from 0.137–1.629 and 0.357–0.970, respectively. Community diversity ranked as Anshun (AS)>Qinglong (QL)>Xingren (XR)>Xingyi (XY) among the four geographical groups by Shannon and Simpson indices, exhibiting complex community diversities among accessions and geographical groups. The richness and diversity data imply a weak relationship between the accession community richness and geographical origins of samples. Two closely related fungal genera, Sporisorium and Ustilago, were implicated as causes of smut disease. The genus Sporisorium appears to be more commonly found among accessions and thus is more likely to be the fungal pathogen causing smut in adlay. This work can facilitate strategies to control and prevent smut infection to improve adlay yield.

Genome Assembly and Annotation of Soft-Shelled Adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi Variety ma-yuen), a Cereal and Medicinal Crop in the Poaceae Family.

Coix lacryma-jobi, also called adlay or Job’s tears, is an annual herbal plant belonging to the Poaceae family that has been cultivated as a cereal and medicinal crop in Asia. Despite its importance, however, genomic resources for better understanding this plant species at the molecular level and informing improved breeding strategies remain limited. To address this, we generated a draft genome of the C. lacryma-jobi variety ma-yuen (soft-shelled adlay) Korean cultivar, Johyun, by de novo assembly, using PacBio and Illumina sequencing data. A total of 3,362 scaffold sequences, 1.28 Gb in length, were assembled, representing 82.1% of the estimated genome size (1.56 Gb). Genome completeness was confirmed by the presence of 91.4% of the BUSCO angiosperm genes and mapping ratio of 98.3% of Illumina paired-end reads. We found that approximately 77.0% of the genome is occupied by repeat sequences, most of which are Gypsy and Copia-type retrotransposons, and evidence-based genome annotation predicts 39,574 protein-coding genes, 85.5% of which were functionally annotated. We further predict that soft-shelled adlay diverged from a common ancestor with sorghum 9.0–11.2 MYA. Transcriptome profiling revealed 3,988 genes that are differentially expressed in seeds relative to other tissues, of which 1,470 genes were strongly up-regulated in seeds and the most enriched Gene Ontology terms were assigned to carbohydrate and protein metabolism. In addition, we identified 76 storage protein genes including 18 seed-specific coixin genes and 13 candidate genes involved in biosynthesis of benzoxazinoids (BXs) including coixol, a unique BX compound found in C. lacryma-jobi species. The characterization of those genes can further our understanding of unique traits of soft-shelled adlay, such as high seed protein content and medicinal compound biosynthesis. Taken together, our genome sequence data will provide a valuable resource for molecular breeding and pharmacological study of this plant species.

Analysis of grooved ceramic vessels from the early Chinese Bronze Age site of Yanshi Shangcheng: Preliminary evidence of food preparation methods through starch analysis

A non-destructive method is used to recover starch from kecaopen grooved vessel sherds from the early Bronze Age site of Yanshi Shangcheng (“Shang city at Yan­shi”), located in the Yellow River valley of northern China (Shang Dynsaty/Erligang period). A taxonomic method using morphological and morphometric characteristics identifies extracted starch as millets, Job's tears, snakegourd root, and Triticeae grasses, such as wheat and barley. A few starch grains identified as acorn and tuber (such as lily or yam) were also identified. Damaged starch grains from the ancient starch assemblage share similarities with ground modern reference samples. This suggests that grooved vessels were used to mill plant elements and grind foodstuffs, perhaps to dehusk seeds and make flour from dried roots and acorns in the same way that grinding-stones were used in preceding periods. This hypothesis is supported by the form of the kecaopen vessel, the texture of its inner surface, and modern-use analogy. Plant taxa identified from kecaopen scrapings at Yanshi Shangcheng are similar to economically important taxa identified from scrapings of grinding-stones from preceding periods. This suggests a long continuity in plant processing methods and a long tradition of food preparation based on grinding plant elements, such as seeds, roots, tubers, and acorns.

Influence of grinding on the preservation of starch grains from rice

China is a major centre for rice domestication, where starch grain analysis has been widely applied to archaeological grinding tools to gain information about plant use by ancient Chinese societies. However, few rice starch grains have been identified to date. To understand this apparent scarcity of starch grains from rice, dry‐ and wet‐grinding experiments with stone tools were carried out on four types of cereals: rice (Oryza sativa L.), foxtail millet (Setaria italica), Job's tears (Coix lacryma‐jobi L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The results reveal that dry‐grinding produces significant damage to starches to the point where they may be undetected in archaeological samples, while wet‐grinding causes only slight morphological changes to the starch grains. Moreover, rice starch grains have the most substantial alterations from dry‐grinding, possibly impeding their identification. These findings provide a possible means to explain the relative scarcity of rice starch grains recovered from archaeological grinding tools, which it is suggested was caused by the use of the dry‐grinding technique. Therefore, it is suggested that rice starch grains have been likely underrepresented in the archaeological record, and previous interpretations of starch analyses need to be reconsidered.

Alkaline Hydrolysis Behavior of Metal-Organic Frameworks NH2-MIL-53(Al) Employed for Sensitive Immunoassay via Releasing Fluorescent Molecules.

Nanosized metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) NH2-MIL-53(Al) were synthesized from 2-aminoterephthalic acid (NH2·H2BDC) and AlCl3 by a facile hydrothermal method. The synthesized MOFs displayed good stability and a uniform particle size in a netural medium and were hydrolyzed in alkaline medium to release a large amount of fluorescent ligand NH2·H2BDC. Therefore, they can act as large-capability nanovehicles to load signal molecules for investigating various biorecognition events. In this work, based on the alkaline hydrolysis behavior of MOFs NH2-MIL-53(Al), a sensitive immunoassay method was developed for the detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) by employing them as fluorescent signal probes. With a competitive immunoassay mode on microplate, AFB1 can be detected within a linear range of 0.05-25 ng mL-1. The method was successfully employed to detect AFB1 spiked in Job tears, Polygala tenuifolia and with acceptable recovery values of 83.00-114.00%. The detection results for moldy Fructus xanthii displayed an acceptable agreement with those from the high-performance liquid chromatography method, with relative errors of -14.21 to 3.49%. With the merits of high sensitivity, facile manipulation, and ideal reliability, the approach can also be extended to other areas such as aptasensor and receptor-binding assay.