The research was conducted to detect changes in growth, physiology and nutrient concentration in response to two watering regimes (well-watered and water-stress conditions) and to two nutrient regimes (with or without fertilization) of oil palm. Under stress conditions, changes in plant growth, dry matter allocation, relative water content, leaf relative conductivity, leaf N, P and K concentration are usually observed. These characteristics and related parameters were determined and the experiment results are listed as follows: (1) fertilization promoted the growth of oil palm under well-watered conditions, while under water stress conditions its effects on growth was negative. The ratio of root/shoot was increased under water stress condition; (2) relative water content and chlorophyll a/b content were gradually decreased while leaf relative conductivity was increased quickly under water and nutrient stress conditions during the experiment. It is obvious that water stress had a greater influence than nutrient stress on these parameters; (3) water and nutrient stress decreased leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentration but increased potassium concentration; the combination of water and nutrient stress made significant effects on nitrogen and phosphorus concentration, but no significant effects on potassium concentration. Moreover, deficiency of both water and nutrients in combination had the greatest impact on changes in these traits of oil palm.

The objective of this study was to locate chromosomes for improving water and phosphorus-deficiency tolerance of wheat at the seedling stage. A set of Chinese Spring-Egyptian Red wheat substitution lines and their parent Chinese Spring (recipient) and Egyptian Red (donor) cultivars were measured to determine the chromosomal locations of genes controlling water use efficiency (WUE) and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) under different water and phosphorus conditions. The results underlined that chromosomes 1A, 7A, 7B, and 3A showed higher leaf water use efficiency (WUEl = Pn/Tr; Pn = photosynthetic rate; Tr = transpiration rate) under W-P (Hoagland solution with 1/2P), -W-P (Hoagland solution with 1/2P and 10% PEG). Chromosomes 7A, 3D, 2B, 3B, and 4B may carry genes for positive effects on individual plant water use efficiency (WUEp = biomass/TWC; TWC = total water consumption) under WP (Hoagland solution), W-P and -W-P treatment. Chromosomes 7A and 7D carry genes for PUE enhancement under WP, -WP (Hoagland solution with 10% PEG) and W-P treatment. Chromosome 7A possibly has genes for controlling WUE and PUE simultaneously, which indicates that WUE and PUE may share the same genetic background. Phenotypic and genetic analysis of the investigated traits showed that photosynthetic rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr), Tr and WUEl showed significant positive and negative correlations under WP, W-P, -WP and -W-P, W-P, -WP treatments, respectively. Dry mass (DM), WUEP, PUT (phosphorus uptake) all showed significant positive correlation under WP, W-P and -WP treatment. PUE and phosphorus uptake (PUT = P uptake per plant) showed significant negative correlation under the four treatments. The results might provide useful information for improving WUE and PUE in wheat genetics.

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a tropical evergreen crop with high economic value. Low temperature is one of the main environmental factors that limit coconut productivity. Therefore, it is necessary and significant to research the growth trend and physiological changes of coconuts under a low temperature environment. In this study, the physiological response of 20 coconut germplasm resources is presented in an integrated perspective to provide a holistic view of the behavior of coconut trees facing cold stress under four temperature conditions (25 °C, 15 °C, 10 °C, 5 °C). It was shown that low temperature would lead to the increase of relative electrical conductivity, MDA content, soluble protein content, and proline content. In addition, the activities of defense enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, APX) were increased to resist the cold environment. In a comprehensive analysis, it was revealed that coconut germplasms with high cold resistance, such as C2, C7, and C10 as well as POD activity, proline content, and soluble protein content, were defined as representatives for coconut cold resistance evaluation. Through the exploration of osmotic adjustment substances and defense enzymes, the breeding and quality improvement of cold-resistant coconut varieties could be promoted. As a result, understanding the physiological response and tolerance mechanisms of coconuts to low temperature stress was essential, as this perception may serve as the foundation for coconut resistance evaluation, cultivation, and breeding.

The evaluation and identification of germplasm resources is an indispensable step in the breeding processes and have important roles in the selection and improvement of new varieties. This research intended to characterize coconut germplasm to determine the quantitative, qualitative, and morphological traits of the stem, leaf, and inflorescence and the fruit characteristics. Sixteen morphological and qualitative traits of 17 coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) germplasm resources from Hainan, China, were investigated to determine the characteristics and advantages of multiple germplasm lines to create the foundation for the cultivation and breeding of coconuts. The results of the correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis indicate a correlation between coconut germplasm factors and their contribution to coconut traits. The results revealed that stem girth at 0.2 m was the most obvious trait, along with the fruit flavor, edible rate, fat content, hole spacing, single fruit weight, and number of female flowers, which reflect most of the information regarding coconut traits and contribute to its value. The PCA and cluster analysis indicated that two high-yield and superior-quality sweet water dwarf coconut germplasms, named ‘15-19’ and ‘15-17’, were suitable for cultivation and production in Hainan, China. The results of this study act a far-reaching influence on the collection and utilization of coconut resources and have an impact on the development and progress of the coconut industry in China.

We have so far synthesized sulfonate-type fluorohybrid anionic surfactants and investigated their solution properties(1). As a result, some of the sulfonatetype hybrid surfactants were found to allow dense aqueous solution to spread on the surface of less dense liquid and to be able to pseudo-emulsify three kinds of liquids with different properties such as hydrocarbon oil / water / fluorinated oil(1,2). Moreover, the hybrid surfactants with a C 4 fluorocarbon chain and hydrocarbon chains of different lengths showed no change with their concentration in the structure of micelle interior, whereas those with a C 6 fluorocarbon chain and hydrocarbon chains of different lengths exhibited a change in the structure of micelle interior with increase in their concentration(3). Thus, this peculiar behavior of the hybrid surfactants was shown to be remarkable when the lengths of fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon chains were suitably chosen. In order to examine the effect of the chemical structure of hybrid surfactants on their solution properties, sulfate-type, instead of sulfonate-type, fluoro-hybrid anionic surfactants with a benzene ring in their molecules that are hydrolysis-resistant were then Abstract: Two novel sulfate-type fluoro-hybrid anionic surfactants with a bezene ring in their molecules, F8H3OS and F6H5OS, were synthesized and their solution properties were investigated. Both of the hybrid surfactants were found to show an outstanding surface and interfacial tension lowering ability. F8H3OS formed compact micelles with small aggregation numbers and the micelles coagulated with increase in the surfactant concentration, while F6H5OS formed micelles at its low concentration and the micelles were transformed into vesicles at high concentrations of the surfactant.

Introduction Computed tomography (CT) is a non-invasive examination tool that is widely used in medicine. In this study, we explored its value in visualizing and quantifying coconut. Materials and methods Twelve coconuts were scanned using CT for three months. Axial CT images of the coconuts were obtained using a dual-source CT scanner. In postprocessing process, various three-dimensional models were created by volume rendering (VR), and the plane sections of different angles were obtained through multiplanar reformation (MPR). The morphological parameters and the CT values of the exocarp, mesocarp, endocarp, embryo, bud, solid endosperm, liquid endosperm, and coconut apple were measured. The analysis of variances was used for temporal repeated measures and linear and non-linear regressions were used to analyze the relationship between the data. Results The MPR images and VR models provide excellent visualization of the different structures of the coconut. The statistical results showed that the weight of coconut and liquid endosperm volume decreased significantly during the three months, while the CT value of coconut apple decreased slightly. We observed a complete germination of a coconut, its data showed a significant negative correlation between the CT value of the bud and the liquid endosperm volume (y = −2.6955x + 244.91; R2 = 0.9859), and a strong positive correlation between the height and CT value of the bud (y = 1.9576 ln(x) −2.1655; R2 = 0.9691). Conclusion CT technology can be used for visualization and quantitative analysis of the internal structure of the coconut, and some morphological changes and composition changes of the coconut during the germination process were observed during the three-month experiment. Therefore, CT is a potential tool for analyzing coconuts.

Background As one of the largest drupes in the world, the coconut has a special multilayered structure and a seed development process that is not yet fully understood. On the one hand, the special structure of the coconut pericarp prevents the development of external damage to the coconut fruit, and on the other hand, the thickness of the coconut shell makes it difficult to observe the development of bacteria inside it. In addition, coconut takes about 1 year to progress from pollination to maturity. During the long development process, coconut development is vulnerable to natural disasters, cold waves, typhoons, etc. Therefore, nondestructive observation of the internal development process remains a highly important and challenging task. In this study, We proposed an intelligent system for building a three-dimensional (3D) quantitative imaging model of coconut fruit using Computed Tomography (CT) images. Cross-sectional images of coconut fruit were obtained by spiral CT scanning. Then a point cloud model was built by extracting 3D coordinate data and RGB values. The point cloud model was denoised using the cluster denoising method. Finally, a 3D quantitative model of a coconut fruit was established. Results The innovations of this work are as follows. 1) Using CT scans, we obtained a total of 37,950 non-destructive internal growth change maps of various types of coconuts to establish a coconut data set called “CCID”, which provides powerful graphical data support for coconut research. 2) Based on this data set, we built a coconut intelligence system. By inputting a batch of coconut images into a 3D point cloud map, the internal structure information can be ascertained, the entire contour can be drawn and rendered according to need, and the long diameter, short diameter and volume of the required structure can be obtained. We maintained quantitative observation on a batch of local Hainan coconuts for more than 3 months. With 40 coconuts as test cases, the high accuracy of the model generated by the system is proven. The system has a good application value and broad popularization prospects in the cultivation and optimization of coconut fruit. Conclusion The evaluation results show that the 3D quantitative imaging model has high accuracy in capturing the internal development process of coconut fruits. The system can effectively assist growers in internal developmental observations and in structural data acquisition from coconut, thus providing decision-making support for improving the cultivation conditions of coconuts.

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