Effect of various priming treatments, storage conditions and seed collection sites on seed germination of selected species of Berberis i.e. B. aristata and B. jaeschkeana was studied. Pre-soaking the seeds in different treatments followed by incubation at 25/10°C (light: dark; 16:8 h) revealed variation in germination percentage, mean germination time (MGT), germination rate and seed vigour index. Seed treated with vermiwash (1:4 ratio) showed maximum germination percentage in B. aristata (92 %) and 1:10 ratio in B. jaeschkeana (50.6 %). Storage conditions (cold-dry for 1-4 months) and collection sites found to be effective for increasing germination percentage and germination rate in B. jaeschkeana at both the altitude (3200 and 3700 m asl) and B. aristata at higher altitude (2600 m asl) only. Further, germinated seedlings were analysed for enzymatic activity (Catalase and peroxidase) and found to be negatively correlated with catalase and positive with peroxidase activity for germination percentage in both species. Role of catalase and peroxidase in seed germination was associated with formation of reactive oxygen species which was found effective when treating with hydrogen peroxide. The potential for germination after various priming treatments especially vermiwash and thiourea is recommended and precursors such as hydrogen peroxide would be preferred in these species especially for reducing the MGT. Cold-dry storage would be preferred for Berberis species of higher altitude population.
The use of lignocellulosic biomass such as rice straw can help subsidize the cost of producing value-added chemicals. However, inhibitory compounds, such as phenolics, produced during the pre-treatment of biomass, hamper the saccharification process. Laccase and electrochemical stimuli are both well known to reduce phenolic compounds. Therefore, in this study, we implemented a bioelectrochemical detoxification system (BEDS), a consolidated electrochemical and enzymatic process involving laccase, to enhance the detoxification of phenolics, and thus achieve a higher saccharification efficiency. Saccharification of pretreated rice straw using BEDS at 1.5 V showed 90% phenolic reduction (Ph r ), thereby resulting in a maximum saccharification yield of 85%. In addition, the specific power consumption when using BEDS (2.2 W/Kg Ph r ) was noted to be 24% lower than by the electrochemical process alone (2.89 W/kg Ph r ). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to implement BEDS for reduction of phenolic compounds in pretreated biomass.
Metal and metal hybrid nanostructures have shown tremendous application in the biomedical and catalytic fields because of their plasmonic and catalytic properties. Here, a green and clean method was employed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticle (Ag NP)-SiO2-Fe2O3 hybrid microstructures, and biomolecules from green tea extracts were used for constructing the hybrid structures. The SiO2-Fe2O3 structures were synthesized using an ethanolic green tea leaf extract to form Bio-SiO2-Fe2O3 (BSiO2-Fe2O3) structures. Biochemical studies demonstrated the presence of green tea biomolecules in the BSiO2 layer. Reduction of the silver ions was performed by a BSiO2 layer to form Ag NPs of 5–10 nm in diameter in and on the BSiO2-Fe2O3 microstructure. The reduction process was observed within 600 s, which is faster than that reported elsewhere. The antimicrobial activity of the Ag-BSiO2-Fe2O3 hybrid structure was demonstrated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and the nanostructures were further visualized using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The magnetic properties of the Ag-BSiO2-Fe2O3 hybrid structure were used for studying reusable antimicrobial activity. Thus, in this study, we provide a novel green route for the construction of a biomolecule-entrapped SiO2-Fe2O3 structure and their use for the ultra-fast formation of Ag NPs to form antimicrobial active multifunctional hybrid structures.
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