Growing Conditions and Varietal Ecologies Differently Regulates the Growth-regulating-factor (GRFs) Gene Family in Rice.

Background: Growth-regulating factors (GRFs) are crucial in rice for controlling plant growth and development. Among the rice cultivation practices, aerobic methods are water efficient but result in significant yield reduction relative to non-aerobic cultivation. Therefore, mechanistic insights into aerobic rice cultivation are important for improving the aerobic performance of rice. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the evolution of GRFs in different rice species, analyse the phenotypic differences between aerobic and non-aerobic conditions in three rice varieties, and assess the expression of GRFs in these varieties under both aerobic and non-aerobic conditions. Materials and Methods: This study comprehensively examined the GRFs gene family in 11 rice species (Oryza barthii, Oryza brachyantha, Oryza glaberrima, Oryza glumipatula, Oryza sativa subsp. indica, Oryza longistaminata, Oryza meridionalis, Oryza nivara, Oryza punctata, Oryza rufipogon, Oryza sativa subsp. japonica) focusing on phylogenetic analysis. Additionally, the expression patterns of 12 GRFs were investigated in three distinct genotypes of O. sativa subsp. indica rice, under both non-aerobic and aerobic conditions. Results: Three major phylogenetic clades were formed based on conserved motifs in the 123 GRFs proteins in eleven rice species. Further, novel motifs were identified especially in O. longistaminata indicative of the species level evolutionary differences in rice. Among the trait performance, the number of tillers was reduced by ~ 36% under aerobic conditions, but the reduction was found to be less in CR Dhan 201, an aerobic variety. Besides, three GRFs namely GRF3, GRF4, and GRF7 were found to be distinct in expression between aerobic and non-aerobic conditions. Conclusion: Three GRF genes namely GRF3, GRF4, and GRF7 could be associated with the aerobic adaptation in rice.

Exploring optical, electrochemical, thermal, and theoretical aspects of simple carbazole-derived organic dyes.

This study highlights the recent advancements in organic electronic materials and their potential for cost-effective optoelectronic devices. The investigation focuses on the molecular design, synthesis, and comprehensive analysis of two organic dyes, aiming to explore their suitability for optoelectronic applications. The dyes are strategically constructed with carbazole as the foundational structure, connecting two electron-withdrawing groups: barbituric acid (Cz-BA) and thiobarbituric acid (Cz-TBA). These dyes, featuring carbazole as the core and electron-withdrawing groups, demonstrate promising spectral, optical, electrochemical, thermal, and theoretical properties. They show strong potential for diverse optoelectronic applications, promising efficient light absorption and robust stability. The results endorse their suitability for practical optoelectronic systems.

Androgenesis in indica rice: A comparative competency in development of doubled haploids.

Rice is critical to global food security which demands immediate attention to meet the ever-growing population. Development of improved variety is the major focus area of research, in which doubled haploid (DH) technology plays a vital role. Since, androgenesis shows its potential in DH production, this method was not capitalized specially in indica rice due to due to its recalcitrant nature to tissue culture. Success of androgenesis is governed by many important factors such as stage of anther, pre-treatment conditions, accurate concentrations of media, and plant growth regulators. Though reports of androgenesis are abundant in rice, most of them either used japonica or a specific cultivar of indica rice ecotypes. In this study, a media combination was established which is successful in producing doubled haploids from F1s of Savitri x Pokkali, IR20 x Mahulata along with the popular indica hybrids of Arize 8433DT, Arize 6453, Arize Bold, and Swift Gold. Out of 12 different media combinations tested, and 5 different durations of cold-treatments studied, N6 media with 2,4-D (2.0 mg/l) and BAP (0.5 mg/l) with 7th day cold pre-treatment was found to be most effective in all of the F1s for callus induction. Among all the F1s, rice hybrid, Arize 8433DT showed highest of 52% callus induction. In case of green shoot regeneration, MS media with NAA (0.5 mg/l), BAP (2.0 mg/l) and Kn (1.0 mg/l) (MS+C4) was found to be the most efficient of six treatments studied with highest of 58.25% regeneration in Arize 8433DT. Further, MS+C4 in combination with proline (5.0 mg/l) increased the regeneration rate to 85.99%. Besides, MS media with NAA (1.0 mg/l), Kn (0.1 mg/l) and 50 g/l sucrose was found to be most efficient for supporting root induction in all F1s. This study claims the establishment of genotype independent androgenic protocol for indica rice which could be capitalized in indica rice improvement.

Role of Additives in Electrochemical Deposition of Ternary Metal Oxide Microspheres for Supercapacitor Applications.

A simple two-step approach has been employed to synthesize a cobalt-nickel-copper ternary metal oxide, involving electrochemical precipitation/deposition followed by calcination. The ternary metal hydroxide gets precipitated/deposited from a nitrate bath at the cathode in the catholyte chamber of a two-compartment diaphragm cell at room temperature having a pH ≈ 3. The microstructure of the ternary hydroxides was modified in situ by two different surfactants such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide in the bath aiming for enhanced storage performance in the electrochemical devices. The effect of the surfactant produces a transition from microspheres to nanosheets, and the effect of micelle concentration produces nanospheres at a higher ion concentration. The ternary hydroxides were calcined at 300 °C to obtain the desired ternary mixed oxide materials as the electrode for hybrid supercapacitors. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of the ternary metal oxide product. The scanning electron microscopy images associated with energy-dispersive analysis suggest the formation of a nanostructured porous composite. Ternary metal oxide in the absence and presence of a surfactant served as the cathode and activated carbon served as the anode for supercapacitor application. DTAB-added metal oxide showed 95.1% capacitance retention after 1000 cycles, achieving 188 F/g at a current density of 0.1 A/g, and thereafter stable until 5000 cycles, inferring that more transition metals in the oxide along with suitable surfactants at an appropriate micellar concentration may be better for redox reactions and achieving higher electrical conductivity and smaller charge transfer resistance. The role of various metal cations and surfactants as additives in the electrolytic bath has been discussed.