BACKGROUND Ever increasing demand for fossil fuels is a major factor for rapid depletion of these non-renewable energy resources, which has enhanced the interest of finding out alternative sources of energy. In recent years jatropha seed oil has been used extensively for production of bio-diesel and has shown significant potential to replace petroleum fuels at least partially. De-oiled jatropha...

In the seed processing industry, rotary batch seed coaters are widely used for providing a protective coating layer (consisting of various ingredients including fertilisers and crop protection chemicals) on the seeds. Seed motion and mixing are important in ensuring uniform coating. In the batch seed coater, the base of a cylindrical vessel rotates, whilst the cylindrical wall is stationary and...

The purposes of this research were to evaluate phorbol esters (PEs) degradation rate and enzyme production yield using submerged fermentation (SMF) as screening method and further using solid-state fermentation (SSF) as pilot scale-up study. SMF was carried out with 20 g seed cake in 100 ml minimal salt medium for 7 days incubation, while SSF was done with 20 g seed cake at 50% moisture content...

Most red lentil produced worldwide is consumed in dehulled form, and post-harvest milling and splitting qualities are major concerns in the secondary processing industry. Lentil producers in northern temperate regions usually apply pre-harvest desiccants as harvest aids to accelerate the lentil crop drying process and facilitate harvesting operations. This paper reports on field studies conduct...

BACKGROUND The phytohormone gibberellic acid (GA3) is widely used in the table grape industry to induce seedlessness in seeded varieties. However, there is a paucity of information concerning the mechanisms by which GAs induce seedlessness in grapes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In an effort to systematically analyze the cause of this GA3-induced seed abortion, we conducted an in depth char...

Biodegradation of Navy N5RL1, a widely used acidic azo dye in carpet industry, was studied by bacterial strain isolated from the dye-contaminated soil collected from a carpet industry premises located in Bhadohi, Sant Ravidas Nagar and Uttar Pradesh, India. The isolated strain was identified as Staphylococcus saprophyticus BHUSS X3 on the basis of morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene se...

Since the late 1980s, technological advances and policy reforms have created new opportunities for private-sector investment in India’s seed and agricultural biotechnology industries. These changes have had a significant impact on cotton yields and output in India, but less so for rice and wheat—the country’s main cereal staples—for which yield growth rates are tending toward stagnation. This a...

We formulate and test a hypothesis for the dramatic restructuring that the plant breeding and seed industry has recently undergone: the reorganization can be explained in part by the desire to exploit complementarities between intellectual assets needed to create genetically modified organisms. This hypothesis is tested using data on agricultural biotechnology patents, notices for field tests o...

In the agricultural sector, innovation is a vital economic driver for increasing food production. New crop varieties are developed and commercialized, greatly contributing to improved global security through higher yields, nutrition climate resiliency. Canada competitive innovative actor in seed market. This article quantifies degree of improvement numerous traits required commercialization suc...