Microsatellite marker-assisted backcross breeding for improvement of wheat salt tolerance using Kharchia 65.

BACKGROUND: Salinity is a significant abiotic stress that affects plants from germination through all growth stages. This study was aimed to determine the morpho-physiological and genetic variations in BC1F2, BC2F1 and F3 generations resulting from the cross combination WH1105 × Kharchia 65. RESULTS: A significant reduction in germination percentage was observed under salt stress in BC1F2 and F3 seeds. Correlation, heritability in the broad sense, phenotypic coefficient of variability (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variability (GCV) were measured for all traits. The presence of both Nax1 and Nax2 loci was confirmed in twenty-nine plants using the marker-assisted selection technique. Genetic relationships among the populations were assessed using twenty-four polymorphic SSR markers. CONCLUSION: Cluster analysis along with two and three-dimensional PCA scaling (Principal Component Analysis) revealed the distinct nature of WH 1105 and Kharchia 65. Six plants closer to the recurrent parent (WH1105) selected through this study can serve as valuable genetic material for salt-tolerant wheat improvement programs.

The biochemical and growth-associated traits of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) affected by silver nanoparticles and silver.

BACKGROUND: The biochemical and growth changes resulting from exposure of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) seedlings to silver nanoparticles and silver were investigated. Over a two-week period, seedlings were exposed to different concentrations (0, 40, and 80 ppm) of silver nanoparticles and silver. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that at concentrations of 40 and 80 ppm, both silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate led to decreased weight, root and shoot length, as well as chlorophyll a and b content. Conversely, these treatments triggered an increase in key biochemical properties, such as total phenols, carotenoids and anthocyanins, with silver nanoparticles showing a more pronounced effect compared to silver nitrate. Moreover, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) rose proportionally with treatment concentration, with the nanoparticle treatment exhibiting a more substantial increase. Silver content showed a significant upswing in both roots and leaves as treatment concentrations increased. CONCLUSIONS: Application of varying concentrations of silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate on basil plants resulted in reduced growth and lower chlorophyll content, while simultaneously boosting the production of antioxidant compounds. Notably, anthocyanin, carotenoid, and total phenol increased significantly. However, despite this increase in antioxidant activity, the plant remained unable to fully mitigate the oxidative stress induced by silver and silver nanoparticles.

Exogenous application of salicylic acid ameliorates salinity stress in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a significant cereal crop belonging to Poaceae that is essential for human food and animal feeding. The production of barley grains was around 142.37 million tons in 2017/2018. However, the growth of barley was influenced by salinity which was enhanced by applying a foliar spray of salicylic acid. The current study investigated to evaluated the potential effect of SA on the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants under salinity stress and its possible effects on physiological, biochemical, and growth responses. The experiment was conducted at Postgraduate Research Station (PARS), University of Agriculture; Faisalabad to assess the influence of salicylic acid on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under highly saline conditions. The experiment was conducted in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 3 replicates. In plastic pots containing 8 kg of properly cleaned sand, two different types of barley (Sultan and Jau-17) were planted. The plants were then watered with a half-strength solution of Hoagland's nutritional solution. After the establishment of seedlings, two salt treatments (0 mM and 120 mM NaCl) were applied in combining three levels of exogenously applied salicylic acid (SA) (0, 0.5, and 1 mg L-1). Data about morphological, physiological, and biochemical attributes was recorded using standard procedure after three weeks of treatment. The morpho-physiological fresh weight of the shoot and root (48%), the dry mass of the shoot and root (66%), the plant height (18%), the chlorophyll a (30%), the chlorophyll b (22%), and the carotenoids (22%), all showed significant decreases. Salinity also decreased yield parameters and the chl. ratio (both at 29% and 26% of the total chl. leaf area index). Compared to the control parameters, the following data was recorded under salt stress: spike length, number of spikes, number of spikelets, number of tillers, biological yield, and harvest index. Salicylic acid was used as a foliar spray to lessen the effects of salinity stress, and 1 mg L-1 of salicylic acid proved more effective than 0.5 mg L-1. Both varieties show better growth by applying salicylic acid (0 mg L-1) as a control, showing normal growth. By increasing its level to (0.5 mg L-1), it shows better growth but maximized growth occurred at a higher level (1 mg L-1). Barley sultan (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the best variety as compared to Jau-17 performs more growth to mitigate salt stress (0mM and 120mM NaCl) by improving morpho-physiological parameters by enhancing plan height, Root and shoot fresh and dry weights, as well as root and shoot lengths, photosynthetic pigments, area of the leaves and their index, and yield attributes and reduce sodium ions.

Unlocking genetic insights: Evaluating wheat RILs for physiobiochemical traits under terminal heat stress conditions.

BACKGROUND: The increasing impacts of heat stress on wheat production due to climate change has entailed the development of heat-resilient crop varieties. To address this, two hundred recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between WH711/WH1021 were evaluated in a randomized block design (RBD) with two replications at CCSHAU, Hisar, during 2018-19 under heat stress and non-stress conditions. Heat stress was induced by altering the date of sowing so that the grain filling stage coincide with heat stress. RESULTS: Heat stress adversely affects RILs performance, as illustrated by alterations in phenotypic traits. Highest coefficients of variations were recorded for TAA, CTD 1, WUE, CTD 2, Cc and A under non-stress and heat stress conditions whereas gs, WUEi and GY under non-stress and SPAD 1, SPAD 2, GY and NDVI 2 under heat-stress conditions recorded moderate estimates of coefficient of variations. CTD 2, TAA, E, WUE and A displayed a significant occurrence of both high heritability and substantial genetic advance under non-stress. Similarly, CTD 2, NDVI 2, A, WUEi, SPAD 2, gs, E, Ci, MDA and WUE exhibited high heritability with high genetic advance under heat-stress conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Complementary and duplicate types of interactions with number of controlling genes were observed for different parameters depending on the traits and environments. RILs 41, 42, 59, 74, 75, 180 and 194 were categorized as heat tolerant RILs. Selection preferably for NDVI 1, RWC, TAA, A, E and WUEi to accumulate heat tolerance favorable alleles in the selected RILs is suggested for development of heat resilient genotypes for sustainable crop improvement. The results showed that traits such as such as NDVI, RWC, TAA, A, E, and WUEi, can be effective for developing heat-resilient wheat genotypes and ensuring sustainable crop improvement.

Breaking boundaries: TINTO in POKY for computer vision-based NMR walking strategies.

Nuclear magnetic resonance is a crucial technique for studying biological complexes, as it provides precise structural and dynamic information at the atomic level. However, the process of assigning resonances can be time-consuming and challenging, particularly in cases where peaks overlap, or the data quality is poor. In this paper, we present TINTO (Two and three-dimensional Imaging for NMR sTrip Operation via CV/ML), an advanced semiautomatic toolset for NMR resonance assignment. TINTO comprises two separate tools, each tailored for either two-dimensional or three-dimensional imaging. The toolset utilizes a computer-vision approach and a machine learning approach, specifically structural similarity index and principal components analysis, to perform visual similarity searches of resonances and quickly locate similar strips, and in that way overcome the challenges associated with peak overlap without requiring peak picking. Our tool offers a user-friendly interface and has the potential to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of NMR resonance assignment, particularly in complex cases. This advancement holds promising implications for furthering our understanding of biological systems at the molecular level. TINTO is pre-installed in the POKY suite, which is available at https://poky.clas.ucdenver.edu .

Evaluation of basil (Ocimum basilicum) accessions under different drought conditions based on yield and physio-biochemical traits.

BACKGROUND: Basil is one of the most famous herbs, which has broad usage as a fresh vegetable and therapeutic and pharmaceutical services. The main abiotic stress limiting basil production globally is drought. As a result, appropriate drought screening-which effectively separates high-yielding but drought-sensitive genotypes from drought-tolerant genotypes-is necessary for the optimal selection of high-yielding basil cultivars under drought stress conditions. So, a split plot experiment with three replications based on a completely randomized design were carried out in a pot under field conditions for this investigation. Water levels (full irrigation or control, moderate stress, and severe stress) were assigned as main plots, while 22 basil accessions were given as sub-plots. In this study, leaf yield as well as physio-biochemical traits had measured on accessions. RESULTS: Our results revealed large variation in yield, essential oil (%), protein, proline, chlorophyll, total phenol and flavonoids traits across the 22 accessions. The percentage of leaf yield reduction in moderate drought stress than normal conditions showed that G1 (-6.5%), G17 (-7.05%), G20 (-9.01%), and G12 (-10.9%) accessions had the least changes, respectively. Although in severe drought stress than normal conditions, the G1 (-32.01%), G12 (-33.12%), G4 (-33.24%), G7 (-34.11%), and G17 (-34.93%) accessions had the least amount of change in plant leaf yield, respectively. Furthermore, the highest yield reduction occurred in moderate and severe stress conditions in G18 (-25.36%) and G8 (-42.98%) accessions, respectively. Cluster analysis based on the ward method in both conditions (moderate and severe drought conditions) placed the accessions in three groups, and accessions were identified as tolerant, whose average traits in that group were higher than the total average. The principal component analysis also showed that in moderate drought conditions, the first two components explained about 95.28% of the total variation, while in severe drought conditions, these two components explained about 96.37% of the total variation. CONCLUSIONS: The different multivariate analyses (cluster analysis, PCA, mean comparison) were used to identify tolerant and sensitive accessions based on all traits. The accessions G3, G4, G6, and G7 were found to be tolerant to stress, while G10, G15, G16, and G20 were found to be sensitive to drought. These accessions are a useful step in producing drought-tolerant, high-yielding accessions and can be utilized in breeding programs for basil.

Shattering and yield expression of sesame (Sesamum indicum L) genotypes influenced by paclobutrazol concentration under rainfed conditions of Pothwar.

Seed shattering is a critical challenge that significantly reduces sesame production by 50%. These shattering losses can be reduced by selecting shattering resistant genotypes or by incorporating modern agronomic management such as paclobutrazol, which can boost productivity and prevent seed shattering in sesame. Two-years of field trials were conducted to examine the effect of sesame genotypes, environment, and paclobutrazol (PBZ) concentrations. Twelve sesame genotypes were used in a four-way factorial RCBD with three replications and five PBZ concentrations (T0 = Control; T1 = 150; T2 = 300; T3 = 450; and T4 = 600 mg L- 1) under rainfed conditions of Pothwar. The findings revealed significant variations in the major effects of all examined variables (genotypes, locations, years, and PBZ levels). Sesame genotypes PI-154304 and PI-175907 had the highest plant height, number of capsule plant- 1, seed capsule- 1, 1000 seed weight, biological yield, and seed yield, while also having the lowest seed losses and shattering percentage. Regarding environments, NARC-Islamabad generated the highest plant height, number of capsule plant- 1, shattering percentage, and biological yield; however, the URF-Koont produced the highest seed yield with the lowest shattering percentage. Additionally, plant height, capsules plant- 1, and biological yield were higher in 2021, while seed capsule- 1, 1000 seed weight, seed losses, shattering percentage, and seed yield were higher in 2020. PBZ concentration affected all measured parameters; plant height and number of seed capsule- 1 decreased with increasing PBZ concentrations. 450 mg L- 1 PBZ concentration generated the highest biomass, number of capsules plant- 1, and seed yield. At the same time, PBZ concentration 600 mg L- 1 generated the smallest plant, the lowest seed capsules- 1, the greatest thousand seed weight, and the lowest shattering percentage. The study concluded that paclobutrazol could dramatically reduce shattering percentage and shattering losses while increasing economic returns through better productivity. Based on the findings, the genotypes PI-154304 and PI-175907 with paclobutrazol level 450 mgL- 1 may be suggested for cultivation in Pothwar farming community under rainfed conditions, as they showed promising shattering resistance as well as enhanced growth and yield.

Alkaline and acidic soil constraints on iron accumulation by Rice cultivars in relation to several physio-biochemical parameters.

Agricultural production is severely limited by an iron deficiency. Alkaline soils increase iron deficiency in rice crops, consequently leading to nutrient deficiencies in humans. Adding iron to rice enhances both its elemental composition and the nutritional value it offers humans through the food chain. The purpose of the current pot experiment was to investigate the impact of Fe treatment in alkaline (pH 7.5) and acidic (pH 5.5) soils to introduce iron-rich rice. Iron was applied to the plants in the soil in the form of an aqueous solution of FeSO4 with five different concentrations (100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mM). The results obtained from the current study demonstrated a significant increase in Fe content in Oryza sativa with the application of iron in both alkaline and acidic pH soils. Specifically, Basmati-515, one of the rice cultivars tested, exhibited a notable 13% increase in iron total accumulation per plant and an 11% increase in root-to-shoot ratio in acidic soil. In contrast to Basmati-198, which demonstrated maximum response in alkaline soil, Basmati-515 exhibited notable increases in all parameters, including a 31% increase in dry weight, 16% increase in total chlorophyll content, an 11% increase in CAT (catalase) activity, 7% increase in APX (ascorbate peroxidase) activity, 26% increase in POD (peroxidase) activity, and a remarkable 92% increase in SOD (superoxide dismutase) in acidic soil. In alkaline soil, Basmati-198 exhibited respective decreases of 40% and 39% in MDA and H2O2 content, whereas Basmati-515 demonstrated a more significant decrease of 50% and 67% in MDA and H2O2 in acidic soil. These results emphasize the potential for targeted soil management strategies to improve iron nutrition and address iron deficiency in agricultural systems. By considering soil conditions, it is possible to enhance iron content and promote its availability in alkaline and acidic soils, ultimately contributing to improved crop nutrition and human health.

Investigating the geographical, phenotypic and genetic diversity of Sickleweed populations by bioclimatic parameters, morphological traits and SCoT molecular markers.

Sickleweed (Falcaria vulgaris) is important due to its nutritional value and medicinal effects on the human body. The 15 different Sickleweed populations were collected based on an unbalanced nest design with 10 replications and nine morphological traits were measured on them. The diversity was investigated with 15 primers of SCoT marker. The genetic diversity was investigated by ANOVA, cluster analysis and Bayesian statistical model based on morphological traits, bioclimatic and SCoT. Grouping the study areas based on bioclimatic parameters by UPGMA method showed that these areas were divided into two groups and were similar in terms of climatic similarities and bioclimatic information. The results of analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference between populations at the level of one percent for the studied traits. The cluster analysis based traits by the UPGMA method divided these populations into two groups. The phenotypic diversity of these populations was largely consistent with the geographical diversity. The primers used for SCoT marker produced 137 polymorphic bands on the populations, The UPGMA cluster analysis with molecular data placed the studied populations into three groups and four subgroups. Grouping based on the Bayesian method placed the populations into nine groups, although the populations were not differentiated and were a mixture of all nine groups. High genetic diversity for the studied Sickleweed populations have showed valuable insights into the evolution of this plant and provides basic data for designing appropriate management practices for breeding Sickleweed populations.

Yield stability and economic heterosis analysis in newly bred sunflower hybrids throughout diverse agro-ecological zones.

Exploration of heterosis is a strategy for enhancing sunflower yield and productivity. In India, the greatest constraints on sunflower production are stagnant and inconsistent yields. By raising them in a variety of ecological conditions, stable per-se performance with the highest yielding potential sunflower hybrids were selected. Sustainable agriculture requires the use of desirable hybrids with high seed yields and oil content too. By making three distinct crossing sets from 32 sunflower genotypes, 11 cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), and 21 restorer lines, a total of 124 hybrids were developed (comprising both lines and tester). After extensive field evaluation of all hybrids, only eight superior F1s belonging to all three sets, as well as the three national control hybrids KBSH-53, LSFH-171, and DRSH-1, were selected for stability analysis in four agro-ecological regions of West Bengal, India viz., Nimpith, Baruipur, Bankura, and Berhapore. The genetic stability of several phenotypic characters was assessed using statistical models that examine genotype-environment interaction (G × E) in multi-locational yield trials. In this experiment, the performance of hybrids under various environmental circumstances over two-year periods was measured using regression coefficient (bi) and deviations from regression (S2di). With the exception of genotypes CMS-852A × EC-601751 for volume weight (0.9335) and CMS-302A × EC-623011 for head diameter (0.0905) and volume weight (0.6425), all sunflower genotypes for all concerned traits had extremely minor and negligible deviations from regression (S2di), which showed significant values. The genotypes having insignificant values of S2di were more stable. The economic heterosis of these novel hybrids was also quantified. CMS-302A × EC-623011 in which seed yield was recorded 20.90, 20.91, 20.95 and 20.90% higher than DRSH-1 at Nimpith, Baruipur, Bankura and PORS (Berhampur), respectively. The research revealed that CMS-302A × EC-623011, CMS-853A × EC-623027 and P-2-7-1A × EC-512682 exhibited good seed production and stability for critical agronomic parameters in addition to oil content. As a result, the current researches enlighten to find out how stable the expression of important economic traits in sunflower hybrids is.

POKY: a software suite for multidimensional NMR and 3D structure calculation of biomolecules.

SUMMARY: The need for an efficient and cost-effective method is compelling in biomolecular NMR. To tackle this problem, we have developed the Poky suite, the revolutionized platform with boundless possibilities for advancing research and technology development in signal detection, resonance assignment, structure calculation and relaxation studies with the help of many automation and user interface tools. This software is extensible and scalable by scripting and batching as well as providing modern graphical user interfaces and a diverse range of modules right out of the box. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Poky is freely available to non-commercial users at https://poky.clas.ucdenver.edu. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Molecular Characterization of Wild and Cultivated Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) through DNA Barcode Markers.

Background: DNA barcoding is a useful technique for the identification, conservation, and diversity estimation at the species level in plants. The current research work was carried out to characterize selected Fragaria species from northern Pakistan using DNA barcode markers. Methodology. Initially, the efficacy of eight DNA barcode markers was analyzed based on the amplification and sequencing of the genome of selected Fragaria species. The resultant sequences were analyzed using BLAST, MEGA 7.0, and Bio Edit software. The phylogenetic tree was constructed by using Fragaria current species sequences and reference sequences through the neighbor-joining method or maximum likelihood method. Results: Among eight DNA barcode markers, only two (ITS2 and rbclC) were amplified, and sequences were obtained. ITS2 sequence was BLAST in NCBI for related reference species which ranged from 89.79% to 90.05% along with Fragaria vesca (AF163517.1) which have 99.05% identity. Similarly, the rbclC sequence of Fragaria species was ranged from 96% to 99.58% along with Fragaria × ananassa (KY358226.1) which had 99.58% identity. Conclusion: It is recommended that DNA barcode markers are a useful tool to identify the genetic diversity of a species. Moreover, this study could be helpful for the identification of the Fragaria species cultivated in other regions of the world.

A SAS code to estimate phenotypic-genotypic covariance and correlation matrices based on expected value of statistical designs to use in plant breeding.

Phenotypic-genotypic covariance and correlation have been useful in crop and animal breeding programs. In the study of diversity of natural populations and different cultivars of plants that are examined based on statistical design, estimation of genotypic-phenotypic covariance through expected value of statistical designs mean square is hard and time-consuming when the number of studied traits is high. Moreover, the lack of a program in this field and manual calculations make the estimation more complicated. Therefore, in this study, one program was developed in SAS that can be used to calculate the genotypic-phenotypic covariance matrix through the first part of the program based on the expected value of applied statistical designs mean square. Then, based on the covariance matrix computed from the previous design model, their correlation matrix was calculated using the second part of the program based on the interactive matrix language (IML) of SAS. The phenotypic-genotypic covariance matrices of the 12 studied traits of rice are calculated based on this code. This program could compute phenotypic-genotypic covariance and correlation matrices based on the expected value of any statistical designs.

Antioxidant gene expression analysis and evaluation of total phenol content and oxygen-scavenging system in tea accessions under normal and drought stress conditions.

BACKGROUND: Abiotic and biotic stresses induce oxidative processes in plant cells that this process starts with the production of ROSs which cause damage to the proteins. Therefore, plants have increased their antioxidant activity to defend against this oxidative stress to be able to handle stress better. In this research, 14 different tea accessions in a randomized complete block design with two replications were evaluated in two normal and drought stress conditions, and their antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH-free radicals' assay and gene expression analysis. RESULTS: The results of gene expression analysis showed that the 100 and 399 accessions and Bazri cultivar had high values for most of the antioxidant enzymes, ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase under drought stress conditions while the 278 and 276 accessions had the lowest amount of antioxidant enzymes in the same situation. Results showed that the IC50 of the BHT combination was 90.12 µg/ ml. Also, The IC50 of accessions ranged from 218 to 261 µg/ml and 201-264 µg/ml at normal and drought stress conditions, respectively. The 100 and 399 accessions showed the lowest IC50 under normal and drought stress conditions, while 278 and 276 accessions had the highest value for IC50. The antioxidant activity of tea accession extracts under normal conditions was ranged from 25 to 69% for accessions 278 and 100, respectively. While, the antioxidant activities of extracts under drought stress condition was 12 to 83% for accessions 276 and 100, respectively. So, according to the results, 100 and 399 accessions exhibited the least IC50 and more antioxidant activity under drought stress conditions and were identified as stress-tolerant accessions. However, 278 and 276 accessions did not show much antioxidant activity and were recognized as sensitive accessions under drought stress conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that total phenol content, antioxidant activity, and the oxygen-scavenging system can be used as a descriptor for identifying drought-tolerant accessions.

Carbon quantum dots fluorescence quenching for potassium optode construction.

Photophysical phenomena associated with carbon nanoparticles in combination with biocompatibility and readily functionalizable properties have attracted significant interest for sensing and imaging applications. A potassium ion optode based on the fluorescence quenching of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) was constructed. The CQDs were synthesized using a microwave method, citric acid and 2,2'-(ethylene-dioxy)bis(ethylamine). A quantum yield of 7.1% was calculated for the synthesized CQDs. A linear dynamic range of about one-order of magnitude with a correlation coefficient of 0.99 was obtained. The optode was applied on real samples and a 0.60-1.60% error range was obtained relative to the ion-selective electrode.

Evaluation of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) biochemical traits in normal and drought stress conditions to identify drought tolerant clones.

Abiotic stresses, such as drought, can induce different morphological, physiological and molecular responses in the tea plants. Since there have not been any experiments on the screening of tea genotypes in terms of drought tolerance, this study was conducted to screen the drought resistance of 14 tea clones of Iran germplasm in a randomized complete block design with three replications, separately in two stressed and non-stressed conditions at Fashalam tea station. The results of grouping the clones under normal and stress conditions and comparing their results with the results of mean comparison of the agronomic and biochemical traits showed that in all cases, clones 100, Bazri and 399 were in the group that can be identified as the drought-tolerant group. Also, the results showed that in the most cases, clones 278, 276 and 285 were placed in a group that had low values for all of the traits and could be considered as a group that are susceptible to drought stress.

In situ-forming PLGA implants loaded with leuprolide acetate/ß-cyclodextrin complexes: mathematical modelling and degradation.

Drug release mechanism of in situ-forming implants (ISIs) based on poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) loaded with leuprolide acetate/ß-cyclodextrin (LA/ß-CD) complexes via fitting with four diffusion-based semi-empirical models were studied. The release rate constants and release exponent of ISIs were calculated. The main drug release mechanism was Fickian diffusion. The LA diffusion coefficient and release constant were decreased via increasing the portion of ß-CD in complexes. The release curve was parabolic, with a higher initial slope and then consistent with the exponential. All ISIs containing LA/ß-CD complexes better fitted with the Korsmeyer-Peppas, Weibull and Peppas-Sahlin models rather than first-order model. Furthermore, the effect of LA/ß-CD complexation on the degradation of ISIs was studied through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that hydrophilic nature of ß-CD facilitated the surface erosion of PLGA chains, however after 18 d, ISI-1/10 had still a proper structural strength, due to no hydrolytic degradation of ß-CD in this implant.

Aqueous stability of leuprolide acetate: effect of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and complexation with ß-cyclodextrin.

In the present research, the aqueous stability of leuprolide acetate (LA) in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) medium was studied (pH = 2.0-7.4). For this purpose, the effect of temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH on the stability of LA during 35 days was investigated. Results showed that the aqueous stability of LA was higher at low temperatures. Degassing of the PBS medium partially increased the stability of LA at 4 °C, while did not change at 37 °C. The degradation of LA was accelerated at lower pH values. In addition, complexes of LA with different portions of ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) were prepared through freeze-drying procedure and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. Studying their aqueous stability at various pH values (2.0-7.4) showed LA/ß-CD complexes exhibited higher stability when compared with LA at all pH values. The stability of complexes was also improved by increasing the portion of LA/ß-CD up to 1/10.

Determining the most effective traits to improve saffron (Crocus sativus L.) yield.

To determine the effective traits to improve saffron yield, a split plot design based on RBCD was done in Mashhad region in Iran for three years (2012-2014). The results showed that all traits except number of daughter corm, fresh weight of daughter corm and dry leaf weight had low general heritability. Results of genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation and genetic advance demonstrated that the majority of traits had a low diversity and the selection did not have any effect in improving the traits. As a result, the best way to increase saffron yield is improvement of farm management. It was also found that saffron yield had the highest phenotypic and genotypic correlations with fresh and dry weight of daughter corm and dry and fresh flower weight. Therefore, the efforts to improve these traits will increase saffron yield. According to the present study 5-Jun to 5-Jul was found to be the best sowing date for planting saffron. Also, the Mashhad and Torbat ecotypes were the best ecotypes in this study. Phenotypic and genotypic path analysis showed that in the first step three traits number of daughter corm, fresh flower weight and flower number and in the second step traits fresh weight of daughter corm, dry flower weight and dry leaf weight interred to the regression model and had the highest positive direct and indirect effects on saffron yield. Mainly, it can be derived that the implementation of correct farm management including appropriate sowing date, saffron ecotypes, proper density, bigger and higher quality saffron corm can play an important role in improving yield components and subsequently increasing saffron yield.

REDEN: Interactive multi-fitting decomposition-based NMR peak picking assistant.

We present a new program REDEN (Residual Decomposition of NMR peaks) designed to perform identification of peaks in NMR spectra. This integrated, cross-platform, open-source software visually assists with explicit peak picking through decomposition of NMR peaks on the frequency domain data. It provides a distinctive interactive workflow with iPick due to its integration with the POKY suite, providing users with a seamless and efficient experience. The decomposition of peaks operates in a chosen region of an NMR spectrum by multi-fitting simulated peaks with four lineshape fitting options as support, Gaussian, Lorentzian, a fast/optimized Lorentzian, and Pseudo-Voigt. Furthermore, REDEN provides a way to fine-tune for the users in two operating modes (Basic and Advanced). REDEN is pre-built in the POKY suite, which is available from https://poky.clas.ucdenver.edu.