Environmental impact assessment of glucose production from paddy milling waste, known as empty and partially filled paddy grain (EPFG) in Malaysia, was performed using life cycle assessment (LCA). Three scenarios were conducted based on system expansion of the process. The LCA was conducted using ReCiPe methodology at midpoint and endpoint levels. The results indicate that enzymatic hydrolysis phase is the hotspot in the conversion system due to enzyme production. In addition, the agriculture phase also contributed to negative impacts, especially towards climate change. An improved environmental load was observed in scenario 2 when all EPFG fractionation was utilised to replace fossil-based electricity. Sensitivity analysis showed an increase in glucose yield leads to reduced environmental impact. Thus, the LCA study suggests that the conversion process of EPFG could further benefit and improve the paddy industry waste management with low impact contribution to the environment compared to other feedstock used for glucose production.
Occurrence of chalkiness in rice is attributed to genetic and environmental factors, especially high temperature (HT). The HT induces heat stress, which in turn compromises many grain qualities, especially transparency. Chalkiness in rice is commonly studied together with other quality traits such as amylose content, gel consistency, and protein storage. In addition to the fundamental QTLs, some other QTLs have been identified which accelerate chalkiness occurrence under HT condition. In this review, some of the relatively stable chalkiness, amylose content, and gel consistency related QTLs have been presented well. Genetically, HT effect on chalkiness is explained by the location of certain chalkiness gene in the vicinity of high-temperature-responsive genes. With regard to stable QTL distribution and availability of potential material resources, there is still feasibility to find out novel stable QTLs related to chalkiness under HT condition. A better understanding of those achievements is essential to develop new rice varieties with a reduced chalky grain percentage. Therefore, we propose the pyramiding of relatively stable and nonallelic QTLs controlling low chalkiness endosperm into adaptable rice varieties as pragmatic approach to mitigate HT effect.
The increase in rice consumption and demand for high-quality rice is impacted by the growth of socioeconomic status in developing countries and consumer awareness of the health benefits of rice consumption. The latter aspects drive the need for rapid, low-cost, and reliable quality assessment methods to produce high-quality rice according to consumer preference. This is important to ensure the sustainability of the rice value chain and, therefore, accelerate the rice industry toward digital agriculture. This review article focuses on the measurements of the physicochemical and sensory quality of rice, including new and emerging technology advances, particularly in the development of low-cost, non-destructive, and rapid digital sensing techniques to assess rice quality traits and consumer perceptions. In addition, the prospects for potential applications of emerging technologies (i.e., sensors, computer vision, machine learning, and artificial intelligence) to assess rice quality and consumer preferences are discussed. The integration of these technologies shows promising potential in the forthcoming to be adopted by the rice industry to assess rice quality traits and consumer preferences at a lower cost, shorter time, and more objectively compared to the traditional approaches.
In this study, UVA- and UVB-irradiated human fibroblasts were used to investigate the anti-photoaging efficacy of two aqueous extracts from Aspergillus oryzae-fermented broken rice (FBR) and brewers' rice (FBrR). As UVA and UVB can damage the dermal and epidermal layers, respectively, two UV radiation approaches were utilised: i) direct UVA irradiation on fibroblasts, and ii) UVB-irradiated keratinocytes indirectly co-cultured with fibroblasts to observe their epithelial-mesenchymal interaction during UVB-induced photoaging. The anti-photoaging properties were tested utilising biochemical tests and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The treatment of UV-irradiated human fibroblasts with FBR and FBrR dramatically downregulates MMP-1 and SFE gene expression. Nonetheless, MMP-1 secretion was inhibited by FBR and FBrR, with more substantial decreases in UVB-treated co-cultures, ranging from 0.76- to 1.89-fold relative to the untreated control. In UVA-treated fibroblasts, however, the elastase-inhibiting activity of FBR and FBrR is up to 1.63-fold and 2.13-fold more potent, respectively. In addition, post-UV irradiation treatment with FBR and FBrR was able to repair and enhance collagen formation in UVA-irradiated fibroblasts. Both FBR and FBrR were able to upregulate elastin gene expression in fibroblasts under both culture conditions, especially at 50 µg/mL. The pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-, IL-1ß, and IL-6 were likewise lowered by FBR and FBrR, which may have contributed to the anti-photoaging effect of the UVB-treated co-culture. These results reveal that FBR and FBrR inhibit photoaging in human fibroblasts under both UV induction conditions. In conclusion, FBR and FBrR may be attractive bio-ingredients for usage in the cosmetic sector as cosmeceuticals.
This study investigates a prospective and straightforward method for producing graphene material derived from biomass, examining the influence of plant cell composition and functions. The experimental outcomes highlight ultrasound's crucial role in synthesizing graphene material sourced from biomass. Ultrasound, a pivotal element in the experiment, significantly affects graphene production from biomass by working synergistically with the liquid components in the solvent system. Notably, the ethanol content reduces the solution's surface tension, facilitating the effective dispersion of biochar and graphene oxide sheets throughout the process. Simultaneously, the water content maintains the solution's polarity, enhancing the cavitation effect induced by ultrasound. Biomass-derived graphene is exfoliated utilizing an ultrasonic bath system (134.4 W, 40 kHz, 0.5 W/cm2) from biochar. The as-synthesized graphene oxide exhibits a structure comprising a few layers while remaining intact, featuring abundant functional groups. Interestingly, the resulting product displays nanopores with an approximate diameter of 100 nm. These nanopores are attributed to preserving specific cell structures, particularly those with specialized cell wall structures or secondary metabolite deposits from biomass resources. The study's findings shed light on the impact of cellular structure on synthesizing graphene material sourced from biomass, emphasizing the potential application of ultrasound as a promising approach in graphene production.
Genetic diversity is prerequisite for any crop improvement program as it helps in the development of superior recombinants. Fifty Malaysian upland rice accessions were evaluated for 12 growth traits, yield and yield components. All of the traits were significant and highly significant among the accessions. The higher magnitudes of genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation were recorded for flag leaf length-to-width ratio, spikelet fertility, and days to flowering. High heritability along with high genetic advance was registered for yield of plant, days to flowering, and flag leaf length-to-width ratio suggesting preponderance of additive gene action in the gene expression of these characters. Plant height showed highly significant positive correlation with most of the traits. According to UPGMA cluster analysis all accessions were clustered into six groups. Twelve morphological traits provided around 77% of total variation among the accessions.
The associations among yield-related traits and the pattern of influence on rice grain yield were investigated. This evaluation is important to determine the direct and indirect effects of various traits on yield to determine selection criteria for higher grain yield. Fifteen rice genotypes were evaluated under tropical condition at five locations in two planting seasons. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications across the locations. Data were collected on vegetative and yield components traits. The pooled data based on the analysis of variance revealed that there were significant differences (p < 0.001) among the fifteen genotypes for all the characters studied except for panicle length and 100-grain weight. Highly significant and positive correlations at phenotypic level were observed in grain weight per hill (0.796), filled grains per panicle (0.702), panicles per hill (0.632), and tillers per hill (0.712) with yield per hectare, while moderate positive correlations were observed in flag leaf length to width ratio (0.348), days to flowering (0.412), and days to maturity (0.544). By contrast, unfilled grains per panicle (-0.225) and plant height (-0.342) had a negative significant association with yield per hectare. Filled grains per panicle (0.491) exhibited the maximum positive direct effect on yield followed by grain weight per hill (0.449), while unfilled grain per panicle (-0.144) had a negative direct effect. The maximum indirect effect on yield per hectare was recorded by the tillers per hill through the panicles per hill. Therefore, tillers per hill, filled grains per panicle, and grain weight per hill could be used as selection criteria for improving grain yield in rice.
Matched MeSH terms: Oryza/genetics*; Oryza/growth & development
Crop duration of a rice plant, essentially dictated by flowering response, is an important selection criterion. It is determined by the interaction of genotype and environment. A field experiment was conducted with 40 rice genotypes to assess the fluctuation and/or stability of crop duration in a series of 16 environmental conditions. The effects of genotype, environment and all the components of G x E interaction were highly significant. Among the genotypes Benaful and Gandho kasturi were most sensitive to environmental changes, and indicating lower adaptability over the environments. Crop durations of 17 genotypes were comparatively stable against environmental changes. Four genotypes viz. Basmati PNR346, BR28, Neimat and Sarwati showed only nonlinear sensitivity and thus unpredictable fluctuation. Seventeen genotypes indicated average stability over the environments. The AMMI analysis identified Badshabhog, Basmati Tapl-90, Bhog ganjia, BR38, Elai, Jata katari and Radhuni pagal as most stable genotypes over the environment series. It also advocated three comparatively stable environments for all the genotypes.
In the present study, we have reported a simple, fast and efficient regeneration protocol using mature embryos as explants, and discovered its effective applicability to a range of Indica rice genotypes. We have considered the response of six varieties in the steps of the regeneration procedure. The results showed that calli were variably developed from the scutellar region of seeds and visible within 6-20 days. The highest and lowest calli induction frequency (70% and 51.66%) and number of induced calli from seeds (14 and 10.33) were observed in MR269 and MRQ74, respectively. The maximum and minimum number (7.66 and 4) and frequency of embryogenic calli (38.33% and 20%) were recorded in MR219 and MRQ74, respectively. However, the highest browning rate was observed in MR84 (87%) and the lowest rate in MRQ50 (46%). The majority of plants regenerated from embryogenic calli were obtained from MRQ50 (54%) and the minimum number of plants from MR84. In this study, the maximum numbers of plantlets were regenerated from the varieties with highest rate of embryogenic calli. Also, various varieties, including MRQ50, MR269, MR276 and MR219, were satisfactorily responding, while MRQ74 and MR84 weakly responded to the procedure. Such a simple, successful and generalized method possesses the potential to become an important tool for crop improvement and functional studies of genes in rice as a model monocot plant.
This study was conducted to examine the variabilities in the chronology of vegetative and reproductive development of weedy rice (Oryza spp.) in comparison with commercial varieties. Data at different growth stages of 14 weedy rice morphotypes and 4 commercial rice varieties were recorded and analysed. Plant height of all weedy rice morphotypes were observed to be significantly higher compared to the commercial varieties at every growth stages; increase in height was between 10-37 cm for weedy rice morphotype, for every 2 weeks. Initial tillering ability at 14 days after planting (DAP) was higher in weedy morphotypes, however all the commercial rice varieties produced significantly higher number of tillers throughout the rest of the vegetative phases. Correlation between plant height and tiller number detected that taller plants produce fewer tillers than shorter plants. Higher leaf area index (LAI) of all weedy morphotypes except PWR01 at early growth stages indicated the vigorous growth of the morphotypes. Weedy rice morphotypes showed a wide range of anthesis and maturity duration. Accessions from the same weedy rice morphotypes were more heterogeneous in the flowering, anthesis and maturity period than the commercial varieties. These traits enables identification of weedy rice morphotypes at their different growth stages in the field.
This study highlights biohydrogen production enrichment through NiO and CoO nanoparticles (NPs) inclusion to dark fermentation of rice mill wastewater using Clostridium beijerinckii DSM 791. NiO (~26 nm) and CoO (~50 nm) NPs were intrinsically prepared via facile hydrothermal method with polyhedral morphology and high purity. Dosage dependency studies revealed the maximum biohydrogen production characteristics for 1.5 mg/L concentration of both NPs. Biohydrogen yield was improved by 2.09 and 1.9 folds higher for optimum dosage of NiO and CoO respectively, compared to control run without NPs. Co-metabolites analysis confirmed the biohydrogen production through acetate and butyrate pathways. Maximum COD reduction efficiencies of 77.6% and 69.5% were observed for NiO and CoO inclusions respectively, which were higher than control run (57.5%). Gompertz kinetic model fitted well with experimental data of NPs assisted fermentation. Thus, NiO and CoO inclusions to wastewater fermentation seems to be a promising technique for augmented biohydrogen production.
Future demand of rice is projected to increase with the increase of global population. However, the presence of bacteria, insects, and fungi has resulted in various changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of rice grain. To make it worse, the overuse of post-harvest chemicals (fungicide and pesticide) has caused possible risks to human health through either occupational or non-occupational exposure. For the last few years, cold plasma has been developed as an alternative non-thermal emerging technology for rice grains treatment due to its ability to inactivate or decontaminate pathogens without causing thermal damage and free of any harmful residues. Therefore, this review describes the operational mechanism of cold plasma treatment technology on rice grains, existing reactor system designs, and parameters influenced by the treatment technology (reactor design parameters and treatment process parameters). Possible advanced investigation on future reactor design modification as well as standard operating range of influenced parameters were suggested for improved efficiency and effectiveness of cold plasma treatment.
Leaf respiration in the dark (Rdark ) is often measured at a single time during the day, with hot-acclimation lowering Rdark at a common measuring temperature. However, it is unclear whether the diel cycle influences the extent of thermal acclimation of Rdark , or how temperature and time of day interact to influence respiratory metabolites. To examine these issues, we grew rice under 25°C : 20°C, 30°C : 25°C and 40°C : 35°C day : night cycles, measuring Rdark and changes in metabolites at five time points spanning a single 24-h period. Rdark differed among the treatments and with time of day. However, there was no significant interaction between time and growth temperature, indicating that the diel cycle does not alter thermal acclimation of Rdark . Amino acids were highly responsive to the diel cycle and growth temperature, and many were negatively correlated with carbohydrates and with organic acids of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Organic TCA intermediates were significantly altered by the diel cycle irrespective of growth temperature, which we attributed to light-dependent regulatory control of TCA enzyme activities. Collectively, our study shows that environmental disruption of the balance between respiratory substrate supply and demand is corrected for by shifts in TCA-dependent metabolites.
Biochar has proven to be a feasible additive for mitigating nitrogen loss during the composting process. This study aims to evaluate the influence of biochar addition on bacterial community and physicochemical properties changes, including ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2-) and nitrate (NO3-) contents during the composting of poultry manure. The composting was carried out by adding 20% (w/w) of biochar into the mixture of poultry manure and rice straw with a ratio of 2:1, and the same treatment without biochar was prepared as a control. The finished product of control compost recorded the high contents of NO2- and NO3- (366 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg) with reduced the total NH4+ content to 10 mg/kg. Meanwhile, biochar compost recorded a higher amount of total NH4+ content (110 mg/kg) with low NO2- and NO3- (161 mg/kg and 137 mg/kg) content in the final composting material. The principal component analysis showed that the dynamics of dominant genera related to Halomonas, Pusillimonas, and Pseudofulvimonas, all of which were known as nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, was significantly correlated with the dynamic of NO2- and NO3- content throughout the composting process. The genera related to Pusillimonas, and Pseudofulvimonas appeared as the dominant communities as the NO2- and NO3- increased. In contrast, as the NO2- and NO3- concentration decreased, the Halomonas genus were notably enriched in biochar compost. This study revealed the bacterial community shifts corresponded with the change of physicochemical properties, which provides essential information for a better understanding of monitoring and improving the composting process.
The process parameters of microwave hydrothermal carbonization (MHTC) have significant effect on yield of hydrochar. This study discusses the effect of process parameters on hydrochar yield produced from MHTC of rice husk. Results revealed that, over the ranges tested, a lower temperature, lower reaction time, lower biomass to water ratio, and higher particle size produce more hydrochar. Maximum hydrochar yield of 62.8% was obtained at 1000 W, 220 °C, and 5 min. The higher heating value (HHV) was improved significantly from 6.80 MJ/kg of rice husk to 16.10 MJ/kg of hydrochar. Elemental analysis results showed that the carbon content increased and oxygen content decreased in hydrochar from 25.9 to 47.2% and 68.5 to 47.0%, respectively, improving the energy and combustion properties. SEM analysis exhibited modification in structure of rice husk and improvement in porosity after MHTC, which was further confirmed from BET surface analysis. The BET surface area increased from 25.0656 m2/g (rice husk) to 92.6832 m2/g (hydrochar). Thermal stability of hydrochar was improved from 340 °C for rice husk to 370 °C for hydrochar.
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are the efficient and sustainable approach for the removal of toxic metals and generate energy concurrently. This article highlighted the effective use of rotten rice as an organic source for bacterial species to generate electricity and decrease the metal concentrations from wastewater. The obtained results were corresponding to the unique MFCs operation where the 510 mV voltage was produced within 14-day operation with 1000 Ω external resistance. The maximum power density and current density were found to be 2.9 mW/m2 and 168.42 mA/m2 with 363.6 Ω internal resistance. Similarly, the maximum metal removal efficiency was found to be 82.2% (Cd), 95.71% (Pb), 96.13% (Cr), 89.50% (Ni), 89.82 (Co), 99.50% (Ag), and 99.88% (Cu). In the biological test, it was found that Lysinibacillus strains, Chryseobacterium strains, Escherichia strains, Bacillus strains are responsible for energy generation and metal removal. Furthermore, a multiparameter optimization revealed that MFCs are the best approach for a natural environment with no special requirements. Lastly, the working mechanism of MFCs and future recommendations are enclosed.
With the ever-increasing energy demands, fossil fuels are gradually depleting and eventually, these nonrenewable sources of energy will be exhausted. Hence, there is an urgent need to formulate alternative fuels that are both renewable and sustainable. Biomass is one of the reliable sources of energy because it is replenishable. Rice is the staple food in many countries, particularly in Asia. The number of paddy fields has increased tremendously over the years and is expected to increase in the future in response to the growing world population. This will lead to significant amounts of agricultural wastes annually, particularly rice straw. In some countries, open burning and soil incorporation are used to manage agricultural wastes. Open burning is the preferred method because it is inexpensive. However, this method is highly undesirable because of its detrimental impact on the environment resulting from the release of carbon dioxide and methane gas. Hence, it is important to develop an energy-harvesting method from rice straw for power generation. More studies need to be carried out on the availability and characteristics of rice straw as well as logistic analysis to assess the potential of rice straw for power generation. This paper is focused on reviewing studies pertaining to the characteristics and potential of rice straw for power generation, current rice straw management practices, and logistic analysis in order to develop a suitable energy-harvesting method from rice straw in Malaysia.
The 17 α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) adsorption from aqueous solution was examined using a novel adsorbent made from rice husk powder coated with CuO nanoparticles (CRH). Advanced analyses of FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDSwere used to identify the classification parameters of a CRH-like surface morphology, configuration, and functional groups. The rice husk was coated with CuO nanoparticles, allowing it to create large surface area materials with significantly improved textural qualities with regard to functional use and adsorption performance, according to a detailed characterization of the synthesized materials. The adsorption process was applied successfully with elimination effectiveness of 100% which can be kept up to 61.3%. The parameters of adsorption were affecting the adsorption process significantly. Thermodynamic data stated that the process of adsorption was endothermic, spontaneous, chemisorption and the molecules of EE2 show affinity with the CRH. It was discovered that the adsorption process controlled by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model demonstrates that the chemisorption process was controlling EE2 removal. The Sips model is regarded as optimal for representing this practice, exhibiting a significantly high determination coefficient of 0.948. This coefficient implies that the adsorption mechanism indicates the occurrence of both heterogeneous and homogeneous adsorption. According to the findings, biomass can serve as a cheap, operative sorbent to remove estrogen from liquified solutions.
Acid sulfate soil characterized by pyrite (FeS2) which produces high acidity (soil pH < 3.5) and release high amount of Al3+ and Fe2+. Application of 4 t ha-1 Ground Magnesium Limestone (GML), is a common rate used for acid sulfate soil by the rice farmers in Malaysia. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the integral effect of ground magnesium limestone (GML) and calcium silicate and to determine the optimal combination on acid sulfate soils in Malaysia. The acid sulfate soils were incubated under the submerged condition for 120 days with GML (0, 2, 4, 6 t ha-1) in combination with calcium silicate (0, 1, 2, 3 t ha-1) arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The soil was sampled after 30, 60, 90 and 120 days of incubation and analyzed for soil pH, exchangeable Al, Ca, Mg, K and available Si. A total of 2 out of 16 combinations met the desired soil requirement for rice cultivation. The desired chemical soil characteristics for rice cultivation are soil pH > 4, exchangeable Al < 2 cmolc Kg-1, exchangeable Ca > 2 cmolc kg-1, exchangeable Mg > 1 cmolc kg-1 and Si content > 43 mg kg-1. The combinations are i) 2 t ha-1 calcium silicate + 2 t ha-1 GML, and ii) 3 t ha-1 calcium silicate + 2 t ha-1 GML, respectively. These combination rates met the desired requirement of soil chemical characteristics for rice cultivation. Soil acidity was reduced by a gradual release of Ca2+ and SiO32- from calcium silicate continuously filling the exchange sites and reducing the potential of extra (free) H+ availability in the soil system. Combination of calcium silicate and GML, shows the ameliorative effect with; i) release of Ca, ii) binding of Al3+ making it inert Al-hydroxides and, iii) bind H+ to produce water molecules.
Ginger essential oils (GEO) shows exceptional antimicrobial properties against plant pathogens. Due to its high volatility and low stability, it requires encapsulation to retain its effective properties. The GEO-Chitosan (GEO-CS) nanobactericide was developed using the ionic gelation method. The nanobactericides show particle diameters of 465, 28, 35, 48 and 500 nm when sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) concentrations used in the preparation were 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 %, respectively. The X-ray diffraction and the UV-vis studies revealed that the GEO was encapsulated into the chitosan nanoparticles with an encapsulation efficiency of around 46 % and a loading capacity of 27-34 %. The antibacterial activity of GEO-chitosan nanobactericide against Burkholderia glumae (Bg) was found to be 7.5-11.8 mm, with minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values of 15.6 μl/mL and 31.25 μl/mL, respectively. Hence, these findings indicate that the prepared GEO-CS nanobactericides were found to be effective against Bg. This preliminary study is toward the development of new agronanobactericides using a natural product to control Bg.