The current work reports the thermophysical and flow measurements of novel thermal solvents based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and alumina-based nanoparticle-dispersed deep eutectic solvents (NDDESs) for its use as a potential solar energy storage medium. The DESs were synthesized using a hydrogen bond donor (i.e., oleic acid) and a hydrogen bond acceptor (i.e., dl -menthol) by using the COSMO-SAC-predicted equimolar ratio at a temperature of 350.15 K. Thereafter, NDDESs or nanofluids were formed by dispersing different volume fractions (0.001, 0.005, 0.0075, and 0.01) of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles in the DESs. The optimum volume fraction (0.005) of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles was selected through their thermophysical properties (density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity) and its agglomeration or stability behavior. As expected, NDDESs with a 0.005 volume fraction gave a higher enhancement in thermal conductivity, viscosity, heat capacity, and density as compared to DESs. To evaluate the heat transfer coefficient, forced convection experiments were conducted in a circular test section for both DESs and NDDESs under laminar conditions ( Re = 124, 186, and 250). The enhancement of the local heat transfer coefficient was found to be higher when compared to their thermophysical properties. This was due to the nanoparticle migration resulting in a non-uniform distribution of both thermal conductivity and viscosity fields, which was inherently found to reduce the thermal boundary layer thickness. In the final section, the heat transfer coefficient and the Nusselt number were also validated with COMSOL Multiphysics simulations.

Albeit extensive cultivation of bitter melon both as vegetable and medicine in many countries of Asia, Africa, and South America, no serious efforts have been made for genetic and breeding studies on this 'orphan' crop. In contrast to popular cucurbits, it lacks a genetic linkage map as required for genomic depiction and precise breeding. We report here on the construction of the first genetic linkage map of bitter melon using a set of 146 F2 progenies derived from an inter-botanical variety cross between Taiwan White, Momordica charantia var. charantia, and CBM12, M. charantia var. muricata. This map consists of 108 AFLP markers and five qualitative trait loci dispersed over 11 linkage groups spanning a total distance of 3060.7 cM. The five qualitative traits mapped include fruit color, fruit luster, fruit surface structure, stigma color, and seed color; all of which exhibited monogenic segregation except seed color which showed digenic (9:7) mode of inheritance. Besides, twelve quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling five polygenic fruit traits including length, diameter, weight, number, and yield were detected on five linkage groups that individually explained 11.1 to 39.7% of the corresponding total phenotypic variance. This map will be useful in marker-assisted breeding of these fruit traits and future mapping of genes/QTLs controlling phytomedicines content exhibiting contrasting variation between the parents.

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Heat stress (HS) is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting the production and quality of wheat. Rising temperatures are particularly threatening to wheat production. A detailed overview of morpho-physio-biochemical responses of wheat to HS is critical to identify various tolerance mechanisms and their use in identifying strategies to safeguard wheat production under changing climates. The development of thermotolerant wheat cultivars using conventional or molecular breeding and transgenic approaches is promising. Over the last decade, different omics approaches have revolutionized the way plant breeders and biotechnologists investigate underlying stress tolerance mechanisms and cellular homeostasis. Therefore, developing genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data sets and a deeper understanding of HS tolerance mechanisms of different wheat cultivars are needed. The most reliable method to improve plant resilience to HS must include agronomic management strategies, such as the adoption of climate-smart cultivation practices and use of osmoprotectants and cultured soil microbes. However, looking at the complex nature of HS, the adoption of a holistic approach integrating outcomes of breeding, physiological, agronomical, and biotechnological options is required. Our review aims to provide insights concerning morpho-physiological and molecular impacts, tolerance mechanisms, and adaptation strategies of HS in wheat. This review will help scientific communities in the identification, development, and promotion of thermotolerant wheat cultivars and management strategies to minimize negative impacts of HS.

A diallel analysis of combining ability, including maternal effects, genotype X environment interaction and the progress under selection, is reported in three selected crosses of Brassica campestris L. var. 'yellow sarson', involving 15 types, including 10 four-valved and 5 two-valved types from different parts of India. Twelve characters, including oil content, were studied in the f1 generation.The investigation has revealed only marginal superiority of f1's over the parents for most of the characters related to yield. There was no relation between heterozygosity and stability of performance over environments for yield or its components or for oil content. Substantial maternal effects were observed which also interacted with environments. Creation of variation for primary and secondary branches would be essential for changing yield level in 'yellow sarson'. The presence of limited additive variation available for selection for yield components should be augmented by biparental mating the early segregating generations to break linkages, and was demonstrated by the recombinants obtained when this method was adopted.The magnitude of genotype - environment interactions in this study, as compared with the total genetic components for yield, oil content, number of siliquae on main axis and presence of large reciprocal variances in relation to general and specific combining ability variances for practically all characters, and the large interaction of [Formula: see text], narrowed down the expected effectiveness of selection.Biparental mating in the three best crosses yielded three new recombinants outyielding the best check T 10 by the margins of 14%, 39% and 15%, respectively, in the yield trial. These recombinants had more primary branches and secondary branches, larger main axes and more siliquae with an increased number of seeds per siliqua, than any of the F1's in this study.

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Twenty one genotypes of pigeon pea were evaluated in a randomized complete block design during the Kharif season of 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 based upon number of primary branches per plant, pod length, number of grains per pod, 100-seed weight and seed yield per plant. The stability was studied by deploying AMMI (additive main effects and multiplicative interaction) model. The significant differences among the years were observed and measured more than 50% of the treatment sum of squares. First principal component axis (PCA1) of the interaction captured more than 60% of the interaction sum of squares for almost all the traits studied. The mean seed yield per plant was found highest (39.15 g) and at par similar in all the three years. Nine stable and high yielding genotypes viz., PUSA 2003-1; CORG-2001-5; WREG- 28; PANT-A-286; H-94-6; GT 101; ICPL-99004; ICPL-85010 and UPAS-120 exhibited stable performance under the rainfed environmental conditions for more than one traits studied and also under more than one year.