High‐throughput (HT) precision phenotyping of agronomic traits is important for well‐founded, rapid selection decisions in plant breeding. This applies especially to nondestructive measurement of single‐seed oil content, for which an HT platform has recently become available. The objectives of this study were (i) to evaluate the suitability of this HT platform for measuring seed mass, oil mass, and oil content in various oil crops, (ii) to determine the accuracy and repeatability of the measurements, and (iii) to discuss technical adjustments required for specific crops. Seeds of canola (Brassica napus L.), castor bean (Ricinus communis L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L), jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.), maize (Zea mays L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) were measured repeatedly using a randomized complete block design. Additionally, the oil content of bulks of seeds from two crops was determined by wet chemistry analysis. Repeatability of all three traits recorded via the HT platform generally exceeded 98% in all seven crops. Oil content of bulks determined by wet chemistry analysis was almost perfectly correlated (R2 > 99.9%) with the mean of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements of single seeds from these bulks. To warrant precise results and smooth operation, yielding an average throughput of ∼600 seeds h−1, technical modifications in certain modules of the HT platform are required to accommodate the size, geometry, and oil content of seeds from different crops. In conclusion, the HT platform demonstrated high repeatability and accuracy of measurements, which opens up several fields of application in plant breeding.
Innovative methods were used to determine both sorption and drying data at temperatures typically found in the handling of agricultural products. A robust sorption measurement system using multiple microbalances and a high precision through flow laboratory dryer, both with continuous data acquisition, were employed as the basis for a water vapor deficit based approach in modeling the sorption and drying behavior of high oleic sunflower seeds. A coherent set of data for sorption (Temperature T = 25-50 • C, water activity a w = 0.10-0.95) and for drying (T = 30-90 • C, humidity of the drying air x = 0.010-0.020 kg·kg −1 ) was recorded for freshly harvested material. A generalized single-layer drying model was developed and validated (R 2 = 0.99, MAPE = 8.3%). An analytical solution for predicting effective diffusion coefficients was also generated (R 2 = 0.976, MAPE of 6.33%). The water vapor pressure deficit-based approach allows for an easy integration of meaningful parameters recorded during drying while maintaining low complexity of the underlying equations in order for embedded microcontrollers with limited processing power to be integrated in current agro-industrial applications.
Straws are agricultural residues that can be used to produce biomethane by anaerobic digestion. The methane yield of rice straw is lower than other straws. Steam explosion was investigated as a pretreatment to increase methane production. Pretreatment conditions with varying reaction times (12–30 min) and maximum temperatures (162–240 °C) were applied. The pretreated material was characterized for its composition and thermal and morphological properties. When the steam explosion was performed with a moderate severity parameter of S0 = 4.1 min, the methane yield was increased by 32% compared to untreated rice straw. This study shows that a harsher pretreatment at S0 > 4.3 min causes a drastic reduction of methane yield because inert condensation products are formed from hemicelluloses.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.