ZnSO4 Research Articles

Nitrogen Requirement and Nitrogen Form Preference by Radermachera hainanensis and R. sinica Plug Seedlings

Abstract Radermachera hainanensis Merr. and R. sinica Hemsl. are popular foliage plants raised from seeds. Nitrogen fertilizer can significantly influence medium pH and EC, plug seedling growth, and photosynthesis. Plug seedlings of both species, each with one pair of leaves, were subjected weekly to nutrient solutions with nitrogen (N) concentrations ranging from 0 to 32 mM. Nitrogen-deficient plants exhibited the lowest leaf area, SPAD-502 value, and shoot dry weight but the highest root-to-shoot ratio. Leaf area, SPAD-502 value, and root and shoot dry weights increased with increasing N concentration up to 12-16 mM, and gradually decreased thereafter. Well-grown plants with 12-16 mM N exhibited peak maximal fluorescence (Fm), photochemical quenching (qP) and the lowest minimal fluorescence (Fo) and non-photochemical quenching (qN). Seedlings received nutrient solutions with varying proportions of NH4-N: NO3-N (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0, in percentages) at 16 mM N. Both species exhibited reduced leaf area, SPAD-502 value, and plant dry weights when supplied with only NO3-N or NH4-N. Maximum growth was achieved at a 50% NH4-N: 50% NO3-N ratio. Species used in this study: Golden jasmine tree, Radermachera hainanensis Merr.; China Doll, Radermachera sinica Hemsl. Chemicals used in this study: ammonium nitrate; sodium dihydrogen phosphate; potassium sulphate; potassium nitrate; magnesium sulfate heptahydrate; calcium sulfate dihydrate; calcium nitrate tetrahydrate; ammonium sulfate; boric acid anhydrous; potassium chloride; ferrous sulfate heptahydrate; disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid dihydrate; copper sulfate pentahydrate; zinc sulfate heptahydrate; molybdic acid; manganese sulfate monohydrate; nickel sulfate hexahydrate; sodium hydroxide.

Effect of zinc sulphate and nano zinc in transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Effect of zinc sulphate and nano zinc in transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Determining the optimal level and the effect of different zinc sources on performance, egg quality and the immune system of laying hens at the end of the production period.

Trace elements, such as zinc, magnesium and copper, are essential for improving the performance and health of broiler breeders and the development of chicken embryos. These elements are integral to various proteins involved in metabolism, hormone secretion and the immune system, necessitating their inclusion in small amounts in poultry diets. This study aimed to determine the optimal level and effect of different zinc sources on performance, egg quality and the immune system of laying hens at the end of the production period. The experiment involved 520 Lohmann LSL laying hens, aged 80 weeks, divided into 13 treatments with 5 replications and 8 birds per replication. The hens were fed diets supplemented with 40, 60 and 80mg/kg of zinc from various sources: mineral zinc oxide, mineral zinc sulphate, organic zinc chelated with glycine and organic zinc chelated with an organic acid. Key parameters measured included body weight, egg weight and immune response. The basal diet contained 63.58mg/kg of zinc, with the requirement per the Lohmann LSL guideline being 80mg/kg. Zinc supplementation significantly increased body weight in the second month, with 80mg/kg being the optimal dose. Zinc oxide notably increased egg weight compared to the control. The hens utilized zinc from all sources, resulting in weight gain and improved parameters such as egg quality. Immune parameters were also positively influenced by zinc supplementation. Zinc supplementation at appropriate levels enhances the performance and egg quality of laying hens, particularly at the end of the production period. It improves bioavailability, enriches eggs and mitigates age-related declines in productivity.

Influence of the most reactive inorganic compound zinc sulfate, on the optical, electrical, and mechanical activities of glycine crystal

Influence of the most reactive inorganic compound zinc sulfate, on the optical, electrical, and mechanical activities of glycine crystal

Organic Zn and nano-Zn amino acids chelates modulate quality growth attributes and antioxidants activity for biofortified apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) production

Zinc biofortification increase nutritional content of crops to combat Zn deficiency in human diets. Foliar Zn bio-organics can significantly improve Zn content of fruit crops. This method is efficient, can be tailored to specific crop needs, and is crucial for enhancing the nutritional quality of food crops, contributing to better human health outcomes. In order to evaluate the efficacy of foliar sprays in promoting plant growth and development, the study evaluated the comparative efficacy of zinc amino acid complexes with zinc sulphate in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) cv. Gala Schniga Schnico during the years 2022 and 2023. Different Zn nutrient sources namely, Zn glycinate (Zn-Gly), Zn gluconate (Zn-Glu), Zn amino acid chelate (Zn-AAC), nano Zn amino acid chelate (NZn-AAC) were applied at the rate of 200 and 400 mg/L each and conventional ZnSO4 at 1250 mg/L with three replicates. Foliar application of the Zn nutrient sources was executed at four stages i.e., 15 days before petal fall, petal fall, 15 days after petal fall, and after harvest. The results revealed that NZn-AAC at 400 mg kg-1 registered the maximum increase in vegetative growth and flowering traits. The superior treatment also exhibited highest fruit set (62.90 %) and fruit yield (5.62 kg/tree) in apple. Fruit quality parameters, in terms of TSS, total sugars, ascorbic acid and anthocyanin contents were increased by 22.9, 17.8, 50.2, and 16.6 per cent, respectively through superior treatment. Fruit flesh and peel nutrient content in terms of P, K, Ca, Mg and Zn also showed improvement through NZn-AAC400 compared to control. Maximum decrease in phytic acid (1.09 %) and increase in ursolic acid (273.95 µg/mL) were also reported with NZn-AAC400. The differences between Zn nutrient sources were analysed using PCA, which explained 95.70 per cent (PC1), 97.81 per cent (PC2), 99.11 per cent (PC3), 99.42 per cent (PC4) and 99.63 per cent (PC5) of the cumulative variance based on Eigen value (>1). In accordance with the results, Zn amino acid complexes emerged as beneficial environment-friendly Zn source for improving growth, fruit yield, quality with higher Zn bio-availability compared to ZnSO4.

Bio-fabrication of zinc oxide nanoparticles from Brassica juncea (L.) Czern extract: Biological activity and DNA binding capability

Recent years have seen a great deal of interest in the exceptional biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiinflammation, antidiabetic and anticancer activity of various biosynthesized Metal Oxide nanoparticles. Among these metal oxide nanoparticle ZnO NPs is gaining its important in various biological applications is increasingly gain prominence. Thus, the green production of ZnO NPs using plant extract has been demonstrated as a one step, environmentally friendly and cost-effective process. This paper describes the utilization of an aqueous extract of Brassica juncea (L.) Czern seed as a reducing agent in the creation of ZnO NPs from Zinc Sulfate using a green synthesis approach. UV–visible spectroscopic peak at around 363 nm verifies the production of ZnO NPs. FE-SEM was confirmed the spherical forms of produced ZnO NPs. The average particle size of produced ZnO NPs was found to be 13.35 nm from TEM analysis. On screening the ZnO NPs for antioxidant activity it showed scavenging activity with 62.40 %, with IC50 value of 68.30 µg/mL through DPPH assay. The antidiabetic activity was found to be 72 %, with IC50 value of 71.76 μg/mL, using alpha amylase assay. In anti-inflammatory activity, the activity was recorded as 68.50 % and IC50 value as 64.67 µg/mL, using BSA denaturation assay. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited anticancer activity against the MCF-7 and A549 cell lines. The determined IC50 value of produced ZnO NPs for these two cell lines was found to be 43.83 µg/mL and 41.48 µg/mL respectively. Additionally, a hyperchromic shift in the absorbance was noted when CT-DNA interacted with biosynthesized ZnO NPs. These findings confirm that the ZnO NPs synthesized from Brassica juncea (L.) Czern seed exhibit significant biological properties namely antioxidant, antidiabetic and cytotoxic activity. Among all these activities, the biosynthesized ZnO NPs showed excellent cytotoxic activity with the IC50 values, thus proving its effectiveness.

The Biological Effect of Synthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Organic Pollutions in Drinking Water

This study aimed to demonstrate the biosynthesis procedure of zinc oxide nanoparticles (Zn-O NPs) by using extracellular components from environmental isolates of Escherichia coli as reducing and stabilizing agent by adding 1 g of zinc sulfate to 10 ml of bacterial extract to prepare of zinc oxide nanoparticles. These organic pollutants are considered one of the most important causes of poisoning that have great health risks to humans and are also considered one of the most dangerous environmental pollutants as they are toxic and harmful to the environment. The optimum condition for Zn-O biosynthesis was characterized through several devices and techniques such as ultraviolet- visible (UV-Vis) Atomic force microscope (AFM) X-Ray diffractometer (XRD) Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). In particular, a cutoff phenomenon of the biological synthesized Zn-O was found at around 325 nm using UV-Vis, while spherical shape particles were noticed using FE-SEM techniques. Also, the results of the AFM analysis revealed that Zn-O NPs have an average diameter of 37.15 nm. Determining the FTIR spectrum of the biosynthesized Zn-O nanoparticles showed Zn-O at the broad peak at 694.33 cm.

Determination of third order nonlinearity (n2 & β) of glycine zinc sulphate pentahydrate semi-organic single crystal using two laser radiations at different intensities

AbstarctThe third order nonlinear optical properties i.e. nonlinear refraction (n2), absorption coefficient (β) and third order susceptibility χ(3) of glycine zinc sulphate pentahydrate (GZS) semi-organic single crystal was investigated under the excitation of Q-switched Nd-YAG laser pulsed radiations (λ = 532 nm & 1064 nm) by familiar Z-scan method. The values of nonlinear refraction (n2), at 532 nm were 1.19 × 10−5 (cm2/GW), 2.09 × 10−5 (cm2/GW), 2.27 × 10−5 (cm2/GW), 2.48 × 10−5 (cm2/GW), and 2.55 × 10−5 (cm2/GW) at incident optical beam intensities of 0.76 (GW/cm2), 1.13 (GW/cm2), 1.17 (GW/cm2), 1.63 (GW/cm2) and 1.88 (GW/cm2) respectively while that of values at 1064 nm were 4.31 × 10−5 (cm2/GW), 4.69 × 10−5 (cm2/GW), 5.41 × 10−5 (cm2/GW) and 6.39 × 10−5 (cm2/GW) at incident optical beam intensities of 1.20 (GW/cm2), 1.25 (GW/cm2), 1.32 (GW/cm2) and 1.38 (GW/cm2) respectively. The values of nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) at 532 nm were −1.45 (cm/GW), −0.79 (cm/GW), −0.5 (cm/GW), 0.12 (cm/GW) and 0.64 (cm/GW) at incident optical beam intensities of 0.76 (GW/cm2), 1.13 (GW/cm2), 1.17 (GW/cm2), 1.63 (GW/cm2) and 1.88 (GW/cm2) respectively while that of values at 1064 nm were 0.62 (cm/GW), 0.74 (cm/GW), 0.77 (cm/GW) and 0.81 (cm/GW) at incident optical beam intensities of 1.20 (GW/cm2), 1.25 (GW/cm2), 1.32 (GW/cm2) and 1.38 (GW/cm2) respectively. The values of third order susceptibilities χ(3) at 532 nm were 0.83 × 10−12 (esu), 1.32 × 10−12 (esu), 1.42 × 10−12 (esu), 1.55 × 10−12 (esu) and 1.56 × 10−12 (esu) at intensities of 0.76 (GW/cm2), 1.13 (GW/cm2), 1.17 (GW/cm2), 1.63 (GW/cm2) and 1.88 (GW/cm2) respectively while that of values at 1064 nm were 2.71 × 10−12 (esu), 2.96 × 10−12 (esu), 3.4 × 10−12 (esu) and 4.02 × 10−12 (esu) at incident optical beam intensities of 1.20 (GW/cm2), 1.25 (GW/cm2), 1.32 (GW/cm2) and 1.38 (GW/cm2) respectively. It was seen that the sample showing saturable absorber to reverse saturable absorber at 532 nm wavelength at incident optical beam peak intensity (I0) of 1.53 GW/cm2. Thus the crystal could be a potential candidate of optical switching application. It was also seen that the material possess positive nonlinearity. It was also found that the values of nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) and nonlinear refraction (n2) increase with increase of excitation intensity irrespective of excitation wavelengths.

The effect of oral zinc sulfate supplementation on hospitalized infants with hyperbilirubinemia: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

Previous investigations on the impact of oral zinc sulfate treatment on newborns' serum bilirubin levels have produced conflicting results. As a result, the goal of this clinical study was to evaluate how oral zinc sulfate affected the levels of serum bilirubin in term infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. The study was conducted at the Neonatal Care Unit of Besat Hospital in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, as a double-blind randomized controlled trial. The participants included term infants (37-42weeks of gestation) who required phototherapy and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. A total of 290 infants were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group received oral zinc sulfate supplementation at a dosage of 1mg/kg per day in addition to phototherapy, while the placebo group received an equivalent amount of placebo daily. Bilirubin measurements were obtained at the initiation of the intervention and subsequently every 24h until discharge. The collected data were analyzed using STATA software version 17. After the infants were randomly allocated to the zinc-sulfate and placebo groups, the study outcomes, including the average changes in bilirubin levels after intervention, the hours of phototherapy, and the number of days of hospitalization, were analyzed and compared for a total of 160 infants in the zinc sulfate group and 130 infants in the placebo group. The reduction in bilirubin levels in infants receiving zinc sulfate was (- 3.75 ± 0.19 CI 95% - 4.12, - 3.37) and for placebo group was (- 1.81 ± 0.15 CI 95% - 2.12, - 1.50) 24h after the intervention. Furthermore, 48 and 72h following the intervention, bilirubin levels in the intervention group demonstrated a more substantial decline. The zinc sulfate group had a shorter hospital stay (2.13 ± 0.04 vs. 2.83 ± 1.42) and required less phototherapy hours than the placebo group (6.21 ± 2.16 vs. 8.78 ± 1.40). Conclusions: Oral zinc sulfate supplementation in term neonates with hyperbilirubinemia decreased the level of bilirubin levels, duration of phototherapy, and hospital stay. Trial registration: IRCT, IRCT20220806055625N1. Study Registered 25 December 2022, http://irct.ir/trial/66,722 .

Pharmacological interventions for pruritus in adult palliative care patients.

Pharmacological interventions for pruritus in adult palliative care patients.

Dispersive solid phase extraction of some sulfonamide antibiotics from milk combined with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction

A covalent organic framework based dispersive solid phase extraction was developed for extraction of several antibiotics from raw cow's milk samples. For this purpose, first, the milk proteins were precipitated by zinc sulfate and after centrifugation, the analytes were extracted by the sorbent. Then, the analytes were desorbed by a proper eluent and were more concentrated by a microextraction procedure. The extractant was used for the analysis of the analytes by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector. Based on the results, acceptable extraction recoveries (62–71 %) and sensitive limits of detection and quantification in the ranges of 0.11–0.19 and 0.37–0.63 ng mL−1, respectively, were obtained. The method can analyze the analytes in broad concentration range. The introduced approach was used in the analysis of fifteen raw cow's milk samples. The obtained data showed that all samples were free of the analytes. According to these results, the method can be considered an efficient procedure for extracting the analytes from raw milk samples.

Effect of NAA and Zinc Sulphate on Marketable Yield and Physical Parameters of Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) cv. Rose Scented

Effect of NAA and Zinc Sulphate on Marketable Yield and Physical Parameters of Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) cv. Rose Scented

Extraction of arsenic from fine dust of copper smelters by reduction roasting with natural gas

One of the current trends in the complex processing of fine dust from copper smelters is their direct leaching with sulfuric acid. As practical results show, high reliable technological parameters are not achieved due to the high content of arsenic in dust. During sulfuric acid leaching of dust, arsenic is distributed between the lead cake and the solution at a ratio of 40 and 60%, respectively. The redistribution of arsenic between leaching products significantly reduces the technological performance and leads to the accumulation of arsenic in the technological scheme. The paper presents the results of comprehensive studies of the elemental and phase composition of fine dust from one of the copper smelters in Kazakhstan. In the initial dust, along with the main phases presented in the form of lead and zinc sulfate, the following typical components were found: oxides of copper, lead, zinc and copper and zinc ferrites. Arsenic is found in two forms—As(III) and As(V). The laboratory installation and technique for conducting reduction roasting of dust with natural gas are presented. The influence of roasting duration, temperature and natural gas consumption on the extraction of arsenic from dust was studied. It has been established that almost complete, up to 99%, extraction of arsenic from dust is achieved with optimal technological roasting parameters: duration τ = 40 min.; natural gas consumption is 1.5 times higher than the stoichiometrically required amount for the reduction of As2O5, and temperature 500 °C.

Pre-harvest foliar spraying of calcium and zinc preserves berries quality and mitigates chilling injury of grape during cold storage

The current study was conducted to elucidate the effect of single and combined post-veraison sprays of calcium nitrate (Ca, 2 %) and zinc sulfate (Zn, 1 %) on post-harvest quality attributes of ‘Sahebi’ grapes during cold storage. Grapes foliar-sprayed with combination of Ca and Zn showed higher flavonols (28 % myricetin, 4 % quercetin, and 15 % kaempferol), flavanols (6 % catechin, 29 % epicatechin, and 10 % epi‑gallocatechin) and anthocyanins (21 % malvidin, 16 % cyaniding and 13 % peonidin, 22 % petunidin) than controls. Moreover, Ca and Zn foliar application was also effective in preserving the levels of trans-resveratrol and phenolic acids in grape berries. The higher amount of phenolic compounds in Ca + Zn-treated grapes was accompanied with higher activity of antioxidant enzymes, lower activity of polyphenol oxidase, and lower incidence of fungal decay. In general, post veraison spray of Ca and Zn is promising viticultural operation for preserving berries bioactive compound and mitigating chilling injury of grape during cold storage.

The Protective Effect of on The Reproductive System and Some Visceral Organs (Liver, Spleen) Tissues of Female Rats Exposed to High Dose of Zinc Sulphate in Drinking Water

The Protective Effect of on The Reproductive System and Some Visceral Organs (Liver, Spleen) Tissues of Female Rats Exposed to High Dose of Zinc Sulphate in Drinking Water

Revealing the Effects of Zinc Sulphate Treatment on Melatonin Synthesis and Regulatory Gene Expression in Germinating Hull-Less Barley through Transcriptomic Analysis.

This study investigated the transcriptomic mechanisms underlying melatonin accumulation and the enhancement of salt tolerance in hull-less barley seeds subjected to zinc sulphate stress. Following zinc sulphate treatment, hull-less barley seeds demonstrated increased melatonin accumulation and improved salt tolerance. Through transcriptome analysis, the study compared gene expression alterations in seeds (using the first letter of seed, this group is marked as 'S'), seeds treated with pure water (as the control group, is marked as 'C'), and germinated seeds exposed to varying concentrations of zinc sulphate (0.2 mM and 0.8 mM, the first letter of zinc sulphate, 'Z', is used to mark groups 'Z1' and 'Z2'). The analysis revealed that 8176, 759, and 622 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the three comparison groups S.vs.C, C.vs.Z1, and C.vs.Z2, respectively. Most of the DEGs were closely associated with biological processes, including oxidative-stress response, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and plant hormone signaling. Notably, zinc sulphate stress influenced the expression levels of Tryptophan decarboxylase 1 (TDC1), Acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase 1 (ASMT1), and Serotonin N-acetyltransferase 2 (SNAT2), which are key genes involved in melatonin synthesis. Furthermore, the expression changes of genes such as Probable WRKY transcription factor 75 (WRKY75) and Ethylene-responsive transcription factor ERF13 (EFR13) exhibited a strong correlation with fluctuations in melatonin content. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying melatonin enrichment in response to zinc sulphate stress.

CREATION OF LONG-ACTING DISINFECTANT EMULSIONS BASED ON POLYACRYLAMIDE POLYMERS AND FUNCTIONAL ADDITIVES

The principles of creating a water-organic disinfectant emulsion (WODE) are described. The emulsion can be applied to various types of surfaces and form a film with a prolonged bacteriostatic/bactericidal effect. When applied to the surface under treatment in a dropwise manner, the composition based on polyacrylamide and special additives will form a durable film, which, in turn, will promote the provision for high sanitary and anti-epidemic measures. The film formed on the surface can be removed by wetting with water and subsequent wiping, which will not lead to the disruption of the general disinfection regime. The water-organic disinfectant emulsion is a composition based on polyacrylamide, a surfactant, polyalcohol (glycerol) and zinc/copper sulphate. The factors responsible for the uniformity of WODE film formation were studied. The criteria for improving rheological and technological properties (wettability, spreadability, moisture absorption) under environmental conditions have been determined. It has been established that higher spreadability and improved strength properties of water-soluble polymer films are achieved by adding surfactants (especially nonionic ones) and a polyalcohol to the composition. By modelling the abrasion process, the mechanical parameters of water-soluble polymer biocidal films were studied. The disinfectant effect of the developed aqueous-organic film-forming composition was studied with respect to the strains of microorganisms: Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. It is proven that the provision of bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties is explained not only by the introduction of copper sulphate or zinc sulphate into the biocide composition, but also by the inhibitory properties of polyacrylamides of various brands themselves. It has been established that polyacrylamide, despite the presence of carbon and nitrogen in its composition, is not an accessible source of nutrition for the cells of pathogenic microorganisms.

Effect of Organic, Nano, and Inorganic Zinc Sources on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Function, and Intestinal Health of Young Broilers.

The study aimed to determine the effects of different zinc sources on growth performance, antioxidant function, and intestinal health of broilers. In total, 240 Ross 308 male broilers with similar weight were randomly assigned to 4 treatments, including zinc sulfate, methionine zinc (Zn-Met), glycine zinc (Zn-Gly), and nano-zinc oxide (ZnO-NPs), with 80mg zinc/kg diet supplementation. The experiment lasted for 21days. Results showed dietary supplemental Zn-Gly and Zn-Met increased average daily gain during 1-14days (P = 0.011), and Zn-Gly, Zn-Met, and ZnO-NP supplementation decreased the ratio of feed to gain during 1-21days (P = 0.003) compared to zinc sulfate. ZnO-NPs supplementation tended to increase total SOD activity (P = 0.068) and had higher serum IgA content and lower MDA level than the other three groups (P < 0.05). Compared with zinc sulfate, Zn-Met and ZnO-NP supplementation decreased TNF-α mRNA expression (P = 0.048). However, serum biochemical indices, intestinal morphology, and mRNA expressions of tight junction proteins were not affected by different zinc sources (P > 0.05). A differential trend was observed in the beta diversity of bacterial communities among four groups (P = 0.082). The LEfSe analysis showed that bacterial genera Blautia, Ruminococcaceae, Clostridia, Anaerostipes, Eubacterium_ventriosum, Merdibacter, and Oscillospira were enriched in the ZnSO4 group, and the genera Eubacterium_hallii and Anaerotruncus were enriched in the Zn-Gly group. The genera UCG-009 and UCG010 were enriched in ZnO-NPs and Zn-Met groups, respectively. It should be stated dietary supplemental Zn-Met improved growth performance, ZnO-NPs promoted IgA production and reduced occurrences of oxidative stress and inflammation, and different zinc sources enriched different jejunal bacteria genera.

Development of superhydrophilic ZnOX/TiO2 with visible light-induced self-cleaning and antibacterial properties

Many studies aimed to improve the antibacterial ability and applicability of antibacterial surface materials by altering their chemical composition and structure. In this study, we successfully prepared a multifunctional ZnOX/TiO2 (0<X ≤ 2) nanocomposites by a sol-gel method, which exhibits visible light responsive self-cleaning, antibacterial adhesion, and antimicrobial properties. In the comparison of the three zinc sources, it was found that the ZnOX/TiO2 prepared with zinc sulfate doping had a water contact angle of only 1.7°, with enhanced hydrophilicity, and exhibited the best photocatalytic activity under visible light, with a removal rate of up to 90.2% of methylene orange (MO). Antibacterial tests revealed the average diameters of the inhibition halos for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were 10 and 12 mm, respectively, thereby showing excellent antibacterial activity under visible light. The low photogenerated electron-hole recombination and the high rates of ·OH and ·O2- generation through photo-induced interface charge transfer in ZnOX/TiO2 composite, which is the main reason for enhancing the photocatalytic antibacterial activity under visible light irradiation. Release of Zn2+ species, resulting in significant antibacterial performance even under dark conditions. This study combines doping and surface modification, introduce abundant surface hydroxyl groups to endow the composite material surface with superhydrophilicity, anti-bacterial adhesion, and antibacterial properties that can meet the needs of clean and antibacterial surfaces in medical.

Assessment of zinc sources and levels for urea coating to achieve higher productivity and soil fertility in spring maize (Zea mays)

An experiment was conducted during 2021 and 2022 at the research farm of ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana, Punjab to study the efficacy of zinc oxide and zinc sulphate for urea coating to achieve higher productivity in maize (Zea mays L.). Experiment was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) comprised of 11 treatments, viz. no Zn; 0.05% of Zn through ZnO; 0.12% of Zn through ZnO; 0.24% of Zn through ZnO; 0.47% of Zn through ZnO; 0.95% of Zn through ZnO; 0.26% of Zn through ZnSO4; 0.52% of Zn through ZnSO4; 1.03% of Zn through ZnSO4; 2.07% of Zn through ZnSO4; and 4.15% of Zn through ZnSO4, replicated thrice. Results indicated that grains/cob and cob weight/plant recorded higher with 1.03%, 2.07% and 4.15% of Zn through ZnSO4 compared to no Zn. Zn at 2.07% (5.68 and 6.36) and 4.15% (5.71 and 6.37) through ZnSO4 recorded higher grain yield followed by 0.95% of Zn (5.50 and 6.23) through ZnO and 1.03% (5.42 and 6.25) of Zn through ZnSO4 in 2021 and 2022. A higher Zn content in grain was registered with 4.15% (27.70 and 27.87 mg/kg) and 2.07% (26.33 and 27.67 mg/kg) of Zn through ZnSO4. Overall, Zn at 2.07% through ZnSO4 was found suitable for urea coating to enhance productivity, soil enzymatic activities and residual soil fertility in spring maize.