Does a Large Ear Type Wheat Variety Benefit More From Elevated CO2 Than That From Small Multiple Ear-Type in the Quantum Efficiency of PSII Photochemistry?

Recently, several reports have suggested that the growth and grain yield of wheat are significantly influenced by high atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (CO2) because of it photosynthesis enhancing effects. Moreover, it has been proposed that plants with large carbon sink size will benefit more from CO2 enrichment than those with small carbon sink size. However, this hypothesis is yet to be test in winter wheat plant. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of elevated CO2 (eCO2) conditions on the quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry in large ear-type (cv. Shanhan 8675; greater ear C sink strength) and small multiple ear-type (cv. Early premium; greater vegetative C source strength) winter wheat varieties. The experiment was conducted in a free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility, and three de-excitation pathways of the primary reaction of PSII of flag leaf at the anthesis stage were evaluated under two CO2 concentrations (ambient [CO2], ∼415 μmol⋅mol–1, elevated [CO2], ∼550 μmol⋅mol–1) using a non-destructive technique of modulated chlorophyll fluorescence. Additionally, the grain yield of the two varieties was determined at maturity. Although elevated CO2 increased the quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII) of Shanhan 8675 (SH8675) flag leaves at the anthesis stage, the grain number per ear and 1,000-kernel weight were not significantly affected. In contrast, the ΦPSII of early premium (ZYM) flag leaves was significantly lower than that of SH8675 flag leaves at the anthesis stage, which was caused by an increase in the regulatory non-photochemical energy dissipation quantum (ΦNPQ) of PSII, suggesting that light energy absorbed by PSII in ZYM flag leaf was largely dissipated as thermal energy. The findings of our study showed that although SH8675 flag leaves exhibited higher C sink strength and quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry at the anthesis stage, these factors alone do not ensure improved grain yield under eCO2 conditions.

Thermal analysis and optimization of L-shape fin heat sink under natural convection using ANOVA and Taguchi

Advancement in electronic systems resulted in miniaturization and high-power densities. Therefore, the rate of heat generation in circuit board increased dramatically. To overcome the problem of overheating, numerous heat sink designs are proposed including L-shape fins heat sink. The thermo-fluidic flow behavior and temperature difference are analyzed to get better understanding of heat transfer from the sink to ambient air. Governing equations for the model of conjugate heat transfer in three-dimensional environment are solved and discretized across the computational domain. Numerous experiments are carried out to validate the numerical results. The effect of fin numbers, height and heat sink size at three different input power is reported. Furthermore, ANOVA and Taguchi statistical methods are used to predict parameters that affect the heat transfer. The study revealed that fin height affects the heat transfer rate the most, and accounts for 25.3 percent increase in heat transfer rate. Optimization of the heat sink is carried out to ensure better efficiency of the proposed HS. The optimized conditions for the sink are observed to be heat sink size of 90mm, 9 number of fins and 33mm of fin height.

Performance of Dry-Seeded Rice Genotypes under Varied Soil Moisture Regimes and Foliar-Applied Hormones

Plant hormones influence various physiological processes during the growth and development of plants, but their critical roles in influencing yield and antioxidant activities in dry-seeded rice (DSR) have not been adequately explored. This study aims to analyze the performance and antioxidant activity of contrasting genotypes of DSR in response to soil moisture regimes and foliar-applied hormones. The study comprised sixteen treatments that were evaluated under field conditions as per split-plot design in three replications. Treatments comprised combinations of two soil moisture tension regimes (10 kPa and 20 kPa) and two genotypes (PR-111, non-stay-green type and PR-123, stay-green type) applied to the main plots and foliar application of three hormones (gibberellic acid (GA3) 40 mg kg−1, abscisic acid (ABA) 20 mg kg−1, and cytokinin (CK) 40 mg kg−1)) and a control (unsprayed) to subplots. The non-stay-green genotype (PR-111) resulted in 34.6% more grain yield (6.48 t ha−1) than the stay-green genotype (PR-123) at the lower soil moisture tension regime (SMTR) (10 kPa) due to the increased number of filled grains per panicle and improvement in harvest index (HI). At the higher SMTR (20 kPa), the stay-green genotype (PR-123) produced 26.4% more grain yield (5.21 t ha−1) than non-stay green genotype (4.12 t ha−1) and showed enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxide dismutase (POD) activity that may have contributed in maintaining sink size through improved chlorophyll content. Grain yield (6.35 t ha−1) with foliar-applied GA3 (40 mg kg−1) at SMTR of 10 kPa was higher by 12.2% and 24.0% than with foliar-applied ABA (20 mg kg−1) and unsprayed treatments, respectively. Irrigation application at SMTR of 20 kPa and foliar application of ABA gave 24.1% higher grain yield (5.15 t ha−1) than the unsprayed treatment, but it was similar to foliar-applied GA3 and CK. This study implied that the stay-green genotype (PR-123) was more suitable under moisture stress conditions (20 kPa) in DSR, as it maintained sink size even under moisture stress conditions by improving dry matter translocation and enhancing SOD and POD activity. The study suggests the need to find out the endogenous level of these plant hormones in rice genotypes under a range of water regimes to develop high yielding and water use efficient genotypes of DSR.