Physiological and agronomical evaluation of elite rice varieties for adaptation to heat stress.

BACKGROUND: The increasing temperatures due to climate change around the world poses a serious threat to sustainable crop production. The growing adverse effects of heat stress are putting global food security at great risk. Crop improvement for adaptation to increased temperatures is therefore of paramount importance. This study aims at assessing the effects of heat stress in relation to agro-morphological and physiological traits of six rice varieties. The study was carried out in the Township of Glazoué, a rice-growing area in Benin. The experiments were laid in randomized complete block design with three replications. Two types of stress were imposed: high-temperature stress in the dry season and optimal temperatures in the rainy season. The calculated mean values of morphological, physiological, and agronomic traits were used to estimate heritability, genetic advance, PCA, and correlation. RESULTS: The results showed that heat stress had a significant (p ≤ 0.01) influence on plant height, leaf length, number of tillers, number of internodes, days to flowering, and days to maturity, 1000-seed weight, and yield per plant. The heat stress had significantly delayed the flowering of all the varieties when compared to the controls. The highest values of 1000-seed weight (34. 67 g) were recorded for BRIZ-8B while the lowest (25.33 g) were recorded for NERICA-L20. The highest values for the genotypic coefficient of variation (43.05%) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (99.13%) were recorded for yield per plant under heat stress. The topmost broad-sense heritability was recorded for grain width (92.72%), followed by days to maturity (69.33%), days to flowering (68.50%), number of grains per panicle (57.35%), and yield (54.55%). CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that BRIZ-8B and BRIZ-10B were the most tolerant to high temperature amongst the six varieties assessed and potentially could be recommended to farmers for production under high temperature and be used in breeding programs to improve heat tolerance in rice.

The gut bacterial flora associated with brown planthopper is affected by host rice varieties.

Gut microbiota plays vital roles in the development, evolution and environmental adaptation of the host insects. The brown planthopper (BPH) is one of the most destructive pests of rice, but little is known about its gut microbiota. In this study, we investigated the gut bacterial communities in two BPH populations feeding on susceptible and resistant rice varieties by high-throughput amplicon sequencing. Our results revealed that the gut bacterial communities in BPH were species diverse. A total of 29 phyla and 367 genera were captured, with Proteobacteria and Acinetobacter being the most prominent phylum and genus, respectively. Comparative analysis showed that significant differences in the profile of gut bacterial communities existed between the two BPH populations. The species richness detected in the population feeding on the resistant rice variety was significantly higher than that in the population rearing on the susceptible rice variety. Although the most dominant gut bacteria at all taxonomic levels showed no significant differences between the two BPH populations, the relative abundances of two subdominant phyla (Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes) and two subdominant classes (Bacteroidia and Clostridia) were significantly different. FAPROTAX analysis further indicated that host rice varieties might induce changes of the gut bacterial flora in BPH, as significant differences in five metabolism-related functional categories (fermentation, methylotrophy, xylanolysis, nitrate reduction and ureolysis) were detected between the two BPH populations. Our results are informative for studies which focused on the interactions between BPH and its symbiotic microbes and could also provide the basis of future BPH biological management.

Effect of root surface charge on the absorption and accumulation of Cu(II) by different japonica and indica rice varieties under acidic conditions.

Excessive amounts of copper (Cu) in soils causes toxic effects on plants. In this study, 58 rice cultivars were classified into tolerant, moderately tolerant, and susceptible types for Cu(II) toxicity based on 50% germination (LC50). Nine japonica rice varieties (three each from the tolerant, moderately tolerant, and susceptible groups) and six indica rice varieties (three from the moderately tolerant and susceptible groups) were selected for the hydroponics experiments. In the short-term adsorption experiment, Cu(II) adsorbed on rice roots was differentiated into exchangeable, complexed, and precipitated forms. Similarly, it was done for long-term culture. Absorption of Cu(II) by rice roots and shoots was also measured. The results indicated that adsorbed Cu(II) mainly existed as complexed and exchangeable forms on rice roots in the short-term adsorption experiment, and the exchangeable and complexed Cu(II) levels were greater for indica rice than for japonica rice due to the larger negative charge on the indica rice roots. The adsorbed Cu(II) mainly existed as a complexed form in the long-term culture experiment, and the exchangeable Cu(II) level was much lower than that in the short-term adsorption experiment due to the absorption of Cu(II) by rice plants. The indica varieties absorbed more Cu(II) than the japonica varieties. Furthermore, the absorption and accumulation of Cu(II) by the susceptible varieties were greater than by the tolerant and moderately tolerant varieties for both the japonica and indica rice. The absorption and accumulation of Cu(II) in rice roots were much greater than in the shoots. Chlorophyll content, and the lengths and dry matter weights of the rice roots and shoots decreased with increasing Cu(II) concentration. The Cu(II) showed greater toxicity toward indica varieties than japonica varieties, and the greater negative charge on indica roots was one of reasons for the greater exchangeable Cu(II) on the roots, the increase in Cu(II) toxicity, and the higher uptake of Cu(II) by indica rice varieties compared to japonica rice varieties.

Effects of surface charge and chemical forms of manganese(II) on rice roots on manganese absorption by different rice varieties.

The roots of 4 japonica, 4 indica, and 7 hybrid rice varieties were obtained by hydroponic experiment and used to explore the relationship between charge characteristics and exchangeable manganese(II) (Mn(II)) on rice roots and Mn(II) absorption in roots and shoots of the rice. Results indicated Mn(II) adsorbed on rice roots mainly existed as exchangeable Mn(II) after 2 h. The roots of indica and hybrid rice carried more negative charges than the roots of japonica rice. Accordingly, this led to more exchangeable Mn(II) to be adsorbed on roots of indica and hybrid rice after 2 h and more Mn(II) absorbed in the roots of the same varieties after 48 h. However, this was contrary to the result of Mn(II) absorption in rice shoots after 48 h. Coexisting cations of K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ reduced the exchangeable Mn(II) on rice roots through their competition with Mn(II) for sorption sites on rice roots, which led to the decrease in Mn(II) absorption in rice roots and shoots. Ca2+ and Mg2+ showed a greater decrease in the Mn(II) absorbed in roots and shoots than K+ and Na+. The reduction of Mn(II) absorption in the roots of indica rice and hybrid rice induced by Ca2+ and Mg2+ was more than that of japonica rice. This was attributed to more negative charges on the roots of the former than the latter. Therefore, the absorption of Mn(II) by rice roots was determined by surface charge properties and exchangeable Mn(II) on the rice roots. The results suggested that Ca2+ and Mg2+ have potential to alleviate Mn(II) toxicity to rice.

A Combined Remediation Strategy of Arsenic and Cadmium in the Paddy Soil of Polymetallic Mining Areas.

The combined pollution of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) are quite common in the polymetallic mining areas located in southern China. In the present study, field experiments were established for the purpose of exploring a simultaneous remediation strategy of rice variety-water management-contaminant immobilization on the As and Cd contamination in paddy soil. The obtained results revealed that the Maba Yinzhan was the best low-accumulation rice variety, with As and Cd concentrations of 0.54 and 0.16 mg kg-1, respectively, in the rice grains. On the basis of water management during heading stage, the treatment using 0.15 wt% lime plus 0.5 wt% ferro-ferric oxide (FO) decreased the As and Cd concentrations by 64.02% and 34.78%, respectively, in the grains. The results of this study potentially provide an effective remediation solution for the As/Cd contaminated soils in polymetallic mining areas.

Using Heading date 1 preponderant alleles from indica cultivars to breed high-yield, high-quality japonica rice varieties for cultivation in south China.

Heading date 1 (Hd1) is an important gene for the regulation of flowering in rice, but its variation in major cultivated rice varieties, and the effect of this variation on yield and quality, remains unknown. In this study, we selected 123 major rice varieties cultivated in China from 1936 to 2009 to analyse the relationship between the Hd1 alleles and yield-related traits. Among these varieties, 19 haplotypes were detected in Hd1, including two major haplotypes (H8 and H13) in the japonica group and three major haplotypes (H14, H15 and H16) in the indica group. Analysis of allele frequencies showed that the secondary branch number was the major aimed for Chinese indica breeding. In the five major haplotypes, SNP316 (C-T) was the only difference between the two major japonica haplotypes, and SNP495 (C-G) and SNP614 (G-A) are the major SNPs in the three indica haplotypes. Association analysis showed that H16 is the most preponderant allele in modern cultivated Chinese indica varieties. Backcrossing this allele into the japonica variety Chunjiang06 improved yield without decreasing grain quality. Therefore, our analysis offers a new strategy for utilizing these preponderant alleles to improve yield and quality of japonica varieties for cultivation in the southern areas of China.

Gender focused training and knowledge enhances the adoption of climate resilient seeds.

Adoption of any agricultural technology depends upon the way in which farmers are being informed about its benefits. Educational status, caste, gender and other social issues also play a significant role in the adoption process. To evaluate the impact of trainings on quality seed production, access to the climate resilient rice seeds, availability of information about seed sources and use of IRRI super bags, a randomized experimental research was carried out over a period of two years across five different states of India. The baseline and a follow-up survey was conducted to capture the farming practices followed by during wet seasons of 2016 and 2017, respectively. The impact of trainings, seed use, information given and agro-based goods was evaluated by comparing the adoption behaviour of treatment and control farmers. There was an increase (28.8%) in the practice of using salt solution to clean seeds primarily due to the impact of quality seed production (QSP) trainings. Female farmers responded more than the male farmers as number of women adopting the practice was higher than men. The impact of the trainings on farmers' knowledge and adoption of climate resilient/stress tolerant rice varieties (STRV) was also more pronounced on females than on male farmers. Farmers' access to seeds substantially enhanced the adoption and reusability irrespective of the gender. Similarly, the information delivered to the farmers was quite economical in enhancing the awareness and adoption of climate resilient rice, but the effect was predominantly driven by female farmers. Female farmers performed relatively better with respect to the storing the new seeds in IRRI super bags. Thus, incentivising farmers in general and female farmers in particular can serve as a potential means to adopt agricultural technologies that have potential to boost rural economy and enhance the food security. The results are being supported by a rigorous empirical analysis.

Identification of Rice Varieties and Transgenic Characteristics Based on Near-Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy and Chemometrics.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, genetically modified technology has developed rapidly, and the potential impact of genetically modified foods on human health and the ecological environment has received increasing attention. The currently used methods for testing genetically modified foods are cumbersome, time-consuming, and expensive. This paper proposed a more efficient and convenient detection method. METHODS: Near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (NIRDRS) combined with multivariate calibration methods, including principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and support vector machines (SVM), were used for identification of different rice varieties and transgenic (Bt63)/non-transgenic rice. Spectral pretreatment methods, including Norris-Williams smooth (NWS), standard normal variate (SNV), multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), and Savitzky-Golay 1st derivative (SG 1st-Der), were used for spectral noise reduction and effective information enhancement. Accuracy was used to evaluate the qualitative discriminant models. RESULTS: The results showed that the SG 1st-Der pretreatment method, combined with the SVM, provided the optimal model to distinguish different rice varieties. The accuracy of the optimal model was 98.33%. For the discrimination model of transgenic/non-transgenic rice, the SNV-SVM model, MSC-SVM model, and SG 1st-Der-PLS-DA model all achieved good analysis results with the accuracy of 100%. CONCLUSION: The results showed that portable NIR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics methods could be used to identify rice varieties and transgenic characteristics (Bt63) due to its fast, non-destructive, and accurate advantages.

Conformationally Restricted Peptides from Rice Proteins Elicit Antibodies That Recognize the Corresponding Native Protein in ELISA Assays.

The rice hoja blanca virus (RHBV), transmitted by the planthopper insect Tagosodes orizicolus, is a disease that attacks rice and generates significant production losses in Colombia. Fedearroz 2000 and Colombia I commercial rice varieties, which have different resistance levels to the disease, were selected in this study. To identify proteins associated to the insect and virus signaling, a comparative proteomics study was performed. By comparing proteomic profiles, between virus-infected and control group plants in two-dimensional electrophoresis, proteins exhibiting significant changes in abundance were found. In another test, peptide dendrimers containing sequences conformationally restricted to α-helix from four of those rice proteins were synthesized. In the experiment, sera from mice inoculated with peptide dendrimers could recognize the corresponding native protein in ELISA assays. Reported comparative proteomic results provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of plant response to the RHBV and comprehensive tools for the analysis of new crop varieties. Besides, results from conformational peptide dendrimer approach are promising and show that it is feasible to detect proteins as markers, and may have biological applications by decreasing the susceptibility to proteolytic degradation.

Abundance and Spatial Dispersion of Rice Stem Borer Species in Kahama, Tanzania.

Species diversity, abundance, and dispersion of rice stem borers in framer's fields were studied in four major rice growing areas of Kahama District. Stem borer larvae were extracted from the damaged tillers in 16 quadrants established in each field. Adult Moths were trapped by light traps and collected in vials for identification. Results indicated the presence of Chilo partellus, Maliarpha separatella, and Sesamia calamistis in all study areas. The most abundant species was C. partellus (48.6%) followed by M. separatella (35.4%) and S. calamistis was least abundant (16.1%). Stem borers dispersion was aggregated along the edges of rice fields in three locations (wards) namely: Bulige, Chela, and Ngaya. The dispersion in the fourth ward, Kashishi was uniform as established from two of the three dispersion indices tested. Further studies would be required to establish the available alternative hosts, the extent of economic losses and the distribution of rice stem borers in the rest of the Lake zone of Tanzania.

Tocopherol and tocotrienol contents of different varieties of rice in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: The present study examined the contents of tocopherols and tocotrienols and their distribution in 58 different varieties of whole rice cultivated in Malaysia. The analytical method used was saponification of samples followed by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: The total vitamin E contents of different varieties of whole rice ranged between 19.36 and 63.29 mg kg⁻¹. Contents of vitamin E isomers varied among rice varieties both within and between grain color groups. Black-pigmented rice showed significantly higher mean contents of α-tocopherol, ß-tocopherol and α-tocotrienol than non-pigmented rice and red-pigmented rice. Red-pigmented rice had significantly lower mean contents of γ-tocotrienol and total vitamin E than non-pigmented rice. The mean contents of δ-tocotrienol and total vitamin E in non-pigmented rice, however, were similar to those in black-pigmented rice. γ-Tocotrienol was the predominant form of vitamin E isomer in all analyzed varieties. The Pearson correlations among vitamin E isomers and total vitamin E content of whole rice were also studied. CONCLUSION: This study provides information on vitamin E content of different rice varieties that would be beneficial for decision making in genetic breeding of bioactive compound-rich rice varieties.

Value added products with popular low grade rice varieties of Andhra Pradesh.

Eight Popular Low Grade Rice Varieties (PLRVs) MTU 3626, MTU 1001, MTU 1010, MTU 4870 and NLR 145, NLR 34242, NLR 30491, NLR 34449, (developed and released by ANGR agricultural University, Andhra Pradesh) having poor cooking quality were selected for the study. ANGRAU variety BPT 5204 popularly consumed as staple rice was used as check. Eight products of traditional/commercial importance were standardized incorporating PLRVs as a major ingredient in the form of rice flour (burfi, noodles and extruded snack product and vennaundalu (butter coated balls), palathalikalu (dough rolled into strips, steamed/cooked in milk); rice semolina (instant kheer mix and instant upma mix), and flaked rice (nutritious bar). The products were evaluated for nutritional, cooking quality characteristics, consumer acceptability and shelf-life. Consumer acceptability of the PLR products was carried out with 60 farm women based on 9 point hedonic scale. Shelf-life of the products (packed in both metalized PP and PE pouches) was evaluated monthly for chemical, microbiological and sensory parameters. Energy values of control and PLR products showed no significant difference. Upon cooking, PLR Noodles showed no significant difference with water absorption and volume but more (p < 0.05) solid loss and cooked weight. Utilization of PLR flakes in nutritious bar resulted in highly crispy and crunchy texture, enhanced flavor and taste as compared to control. The percent total solids and suspended solids were more (though not significant) in PLR kheer and palathalikalu. Extruded product (control and PLR) showed no significant difference with length, diameter, weight and volume expansion ratio and water absorption index (WAI). Consumer acceptability was high for PLR products palathalikalu (95%), instant kheer mix (92%) and extruded product (88%). As per sensory scores, all the PLR products were well accepted with no observable changes in flavor or taste upon storage. PLR products showed increased (P < 0.05) trend for moisture and FFA content from initial to 90 days of storage. The lowest TPC was observed for noodles and highest for burfi (though in safe limits). Extruded snacks (control and PLR) showed no microbial growth during the entire storage period. Considering the poor marketability of PLRVs for consumption as staple rice, the study signifies the utilitarian value of PLRVs in making products of convenience/commercial importance.

A visual dataset for recognition of rice varieties.

This article presents a comprehensive dataset sourced from various markets across Bangladesh, highlighting 20 distinct rice varieties predominantly consumed locally. The dataset encompasses a diverse range of rice strains, including Subol Lota, Bashmoti (Deshi), Ganjiya, Shampakatari, Sugandhi Katarivog, BR-28, BR-29, Paijam, Bashful, Lal Aush, BR-Jirashail, Gutisharna, Birui, Najirshail, Pahari Birui, Polao (Katari), Polao (Chinigura), Amon, Shorna-5, and Lal Binni. Using a smartphone camera, low-resolution images capturing the essence of each rice variety were meticulously obtained, resulting in a total of 4,730 images with a non-uniform distribution. The dataset also includes augmented data, totaling 23,650 images. This precisely curated dataset holds significant promise and utility, showcasing diverse attributes, including the unique representation of 20 rice varieties, each characterized by distinct colors, sizes, and potential applications within the agricultural sector.

Metabolome regulation and restoration mechanism of different varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.) after lindane stress.

There is a lack of studies on the ability of plants to metabolize chlorinated organic pollutants (COPs) and the dynamic expression changes of metabolic molecules during degradation. In this study, hybrid rice Chunyou 927 (CY) and Zhongzheyou 8 (ZZY), traditional rice subsp. Indica Baohan 1 (BH) and Xiangzaoxian 45 (XZX), and subsp. Japonica Yangjing 687 (YJ) and Longjing 31 (LJ) were stressed by a typical COPs of lindane and then transferred to a lindane-free culture to incubate for 9 days. The cumulative concentrations in the roots of BH, XZX, CY, ZZY, YJ and LJ were 71.46, 65.42, 82.06, 80.11, 47.59 and 56.10 mg·kg-1, respectively. And the degradation ratios on day 9 were 87.89 %, 86.92 %, 94.63 %, 95.49 %, 72.04 % and 82.79 %, respectively. On the 0 day after the release of lindane stress, the accumulated lindane inhibited the normal physiological activities of rice by affecting lipid metabolism in subsp. Indica BH, amino acid metabolism and synthesis and nucleotide metabolism in hybrid CY. Carbohydrate metabolism of subsp. Japonica YJ also was inhibited, but with low accumulation of lindane, YJ regulated amino acid metabolism to resist stress. With the degradation of lindane in rice, the amino acid metabolism of BH and CY, which had high degradation ratios on day 9, was activated to compound biomolecules required for the organism to recover from the damage. Amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism were disturbed and inhibited mainly in YJ with low degradation ratios. This study provides the difference of the metabolic capacity of the metabolic capacity of different rice varieties to lindane, and changes at the molecular level and metabolic response mechanism of rice during the metabolism of lindane.

Defense Responses of Different Rice Varieties Affect Growth Performance and Food Utilization of Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Larvae.

Rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée), is one of the most serious pests on rice. At present, chemical control is the main method for controlling this pest. However, the indiscriminate use of chemical insecticides has non-target effects and may cause environmental pollution. Besides, leaf curling behavior by C. medinalis may indirectly reduce the efficacy of chemical spray. Therefore, it is crucial to cultivate efficient rice varieties resistant to this pest. Previous studies have found that three different rice varieties, Zhongzao39 (ZZ39), Xiushui134 (XS134), and Yongyou1540 (YY1540), had varying degrees of infestation by C. medinalis. However, it is currently unclear whether the reason for this difference is related to the difference in defense ability of the three rice varieties against the infestation of C. medinalis. To explore this issue, the current study investigated the effects of three rice varieties on the growth performance and food utilization capability of the 4th instar C. medinalis. Further, it elucidated the differences in defense responses among different rice varieties based on the differences in leaf physiological and biochemical indicators and their impact on population occurrence. The results showed that the larval survival rate was the lowest, and the development period was significantly prolonged after feeding on YY1540. This was not related to the differences in leaf wax, pigments, and nutritional components among the three rice varieties nor to the feeding preferences of the larvae. The rate of superoxide anion production, hydrogen peroxide content, and the activity of three protective enzymes were negatively correlated with larval survival rate, and they all showed the highest in YY1540 leaves. Compared to other tested varieties, although the larvae feeding on YY1540 had higher conversion efficiency of ingested food and lower relative consumption rate, their relative growth was faster, indicating stronger food utilization capability. However, they had a lower accumulation of protein. This suggests that different rice varieties had different levels of oxidative stress after infestation by C. medinalis. The defense response of YY1540 was more intense, which was not conducive to the development of the larvae population. These results will provide new insights into the interaction mechanism between different rice varieties and C. medinalis and provide a theoretical basis for cultivating rice varieties resistant to this pest.

Structural and physicochemical properties of rice starch from a variety with high resistant starch and low amylose content.

Research on the physicochemical properties of rice-derived endo-sperm high resistant starch (RS) with low amylose content (AC) is limited. In this study, we evaluated the physicochemical characteristics of such a starch variety and revealed that the starch granules exhibit a smoother, more refined surface with distinct edges, increased compactness, higher order of surface, and fewer cavities compared to those of a low RS rice variety. The starch crystal was classified as an A-type, which may be connected to the high amylose-lipid complex content. The branched internal long chains (B2 + B3) were abundant, allowing for easy entanglement with other molecular chains and a compact structure. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed the need for high temperature and energy to disrupt the double helix structure within the crystallization region of starch. Furthermore, starch viscosity analysis revealed a high cold paste viscosity, consistency, and setback value, with recrystallization yielding a stable structure, increased viscosity, and enhanced hydrolysis resistance to enzymes.

Agro-morphological and physiochemical studies of upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties for variability with yield and quality related parameters in south Gondar district, Ethiopia.

Study was conducted during the main cropping season of 2016 in Fogera and Libo Kemkem District, South Gondar, Ethiopia to evaluate agro-morphological and physiochemical studies of upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties for variability and their association with yield and their quality. A total of ten up land rice varieties namely NERICA13, NERICA12, NERICA4, SUPERICA1, HIDASE, ADET, ANDASA, TANA, KOKIT and GETACHEW laid down in a randomized complete block design with three replications were used. The study revealed significance (P < 0.05) difference in ago-morphological parameters like plant height, number of spike lets, biomass yield, straw yield, grain yield and harvest index in Fogera district, and productive tillers, number of spike lets, grain yield and harvest index in Libo Kemkem District. At Fogera district the highest yield were recorded in NERICA13 (4738 kg/ha), GETACHEW (4614 kg/ha), NERICA4 (4092 kg/ha), NERICA12 (4020 kg/ha) and Adet (3557.4 kg/ha) varieties, and NERICA12 (4583 kg/ha), NERICA13 (4013 kg/ha) NERICA4 (4002 kg/ha) and Adet (3380 kg/ha) varieties at Libo Kemkem districts. Five varieties (NERICA (4, 12 and 13), GETACHEW and ADET) at both locations had been tested for physicochemical analysis. The result showed that such rice varieties grain have a cooking grain length of 7.39 mm (ADET), 7.68 mm (NERICA4), 7.65 mm (NERICA12), 7.88 mm (NERICA13) and 6.76 mm (GETACHEW); cooking grain width of 2.61 mm (ADET), 2.64 mm (NERICA4), 2.70 mm (NERICA12), 2.79 mm (NERICA13) and 2.91 mm (GETACHEW); Grain thickness of 1.91 mm (ADET), 2.73 mm (NERICA4), 2.69 mm (NERICA12), 2.72 mm (NERICA13) and 2.23 mm (GETACHEW. and grain length/width (L/w) ratio 2.67 mm (ADET), 1.85 (NERICA4) 1.80 (NERICA12), 1.92 (NERICA13) and 2.09 (GETACHEW) were revealed and determination of grain shapes. Broken density was obtained 85.74mg/cm3 (ADET), 83.47mg/mm3 (NERICA4), 84.38mg/mm3 (NERICA12), 87.5mg/mm3 (NERICA13) and 73mg/mm3 (GETACHEW). Also investigations showed that upland rice grains contained 11.63-14.27% moisture; 1-1.24%, ash; 2.90-3.62% fiber and 8.07-10.35% protein. Gelatinization Temperatures ranged from 58.33 to 72.67% and grain contents of carbohydrates 73.57-75.65% were shown and significantly affected among their five upland rice grains varieties. Among the treatments of upland rice varieties were gained 35.79% of grain yield advantageous over all treatments at both locations. The results revealed in relatively morphologically and physicochemical properties of the three types of upland rice varieties NERICA (4, 12 and 13) were recommended to maximizing grain yielding for rice producing farmers.

Elemental Composition and Implications on Brown Rice Flour Biofortified with Selenium.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most economically and socially important cereals in the world. Several strategies such as biofortification have been developed in a way eco-friendly and sustainable to enhance crop productivity. This study implemented an agronomic itinerary in Ariete and Ceres rice varieties in experimental fields using the foliar application of selenium (Se) to increase rice nutritional value. At strategic phases of the plant's development (at the end of booting, anthesis, and at the milky grain stage), they were sprayed with sodium selenate (Na2SeO4) and sodium selenite (Na2SeO3). In the first foliar application plants were sprayed with 500 g Se·ha-1 and in the remaining two foliar applications were sprayed with 300 g Se·ha-1. The effects of Se in the level of micro and macronutrients in brown grains, the localization of Se in these grains, and the subsequent quality parameters such as colorimetric characteristics and total protein were considered. After grain harvesting, the application of selenite showed the highest enrichment in all grain with levels reaching 17.06 µg g-1 Se and 14.28 µg g-1 Se in Ariete and Ceres varieties, respectively. In the Ceres and Ariete varieties, biofortification significantly affected the K and P contents. Regarding Ca, a clear trend prevailed suggesting that Se antagonizes the uptake of it, while for the remaining elements in general (except Mn) no significant differences were noted. Protein content increased with selenite treatment in the Ariete variety but not in Ceres. Therefore, it was possible to conclude, without compromising quality, that there was an increase in the nutritional content of Se in brown rice grain.

Variations in the Major Nutrient Composition of Dominant High-Yield Varieties (HYVs) in Parboiled and Polished Rice of Bangladesh.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the principal staple food, a fundamental component of food security, a significant source of energy and major nutrients, and a key player in the overall nutritional status in Bangladesh. Parboiling is a common rice-processing treatment in Bangladesh. Recently, polishing has also become a common practice among millers seeking to attract consumers. Polishing may influence the nutrient composition of rice. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of parboiling and polishing on the nutritional content of the five High Yield Varieties (HYVs) of rice (BR11, BRRI dhan28, BRRI dhan29, BRRI dhan49, and BRRI dhan84) and their percent contributions to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) of vitamins and minerals. All of the rice samples were analyzed for proximate parameters, vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, and folate), and minerals (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Na, K, P). Moisture, ash, fat, and total dietary fiber (TDF) were determined gravimetrically, according to the AOAC Official Methods; protein was measured by the Kjeldahl method; B-group vitamins were measured using Ultra Pressure Liquid Chromatography; and mineral content was determined by ICP-OES. The energy, protein, fat, and total dietary fiber (TDF) content of the samples ranged between 342-357 kcal/100 g, 6.79-10.74 g/100 g, 0.31-1.69 g/100 g, and 2.59-3.92 g/100 g respectively. Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxin, and folate content ranged from 0.11-0.25 mg/100 g, 0.01-0.05 mg/100 g, 2.82-6.42 mg/100 g, 0.12-0.30 g/100 g, and 5.40-23.95 g/100 g respectively. In a comparison of parboiling and polishing, macronutrients and vitamin retention were higher in parboiled unpolished rice than in polished unparboiled rice. The minerals (mg/100 g) Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Na, K, and P were in the ranges 32.82-44.72, 30.69-58.34, 0.51-0.70,1.83-2.79, 5.00-5.36, 106.49-112.73, and 162.23-298.03. Minerals of BRRI dhan84 were unaffected by polishing and parboiling. BRRI dhan84 contributed a higher percentage of RDA of all B vitamins and minerals. Therefore, to reduce nutrient loss in rice, industries and consumers should be encouraged to avoid polishing or limit polishing to 10% DOM and to consume unpolished rice, either parboiled or unparboiled.

On Application of Lightweight Models for Rice Variety Classification and Their Potential in Edge Computing.

Rice is one of the fundamental food items that comes in many varieties with their associated benefits. It can be sub-categorized based on its visual features like texture, color, and shape. Using these features, the automatic classification of rice varieties has been studied using various machine learning approaches for marketing and industrial use. Due to the outstanding performance of deep learning, several models have been proposed to assist in vision tasks like classification and detection. Regardless of their best results on accuracy metrics, they have been observed as overly excessive for computational resources and expert supervision. To address these challenges, this paper proposes three deep learning models that offer similar performance with 10% lighter computational overhead in comparison to existing best models. Moreover, they have been trained for end-to-end flow to demonstrate minimum expert supervision for pre-processing and feature engineering sub-tasks. The results can be observed as promising for classifying rice among five varieties, namely Arborio, Basmati, Ipsala, Jasmine, and Karacadag. The process and performance of the trained models can be extended for edge and mobile devices for field-specific tasks autonomously.