Valorisation of waste fractions from autohydrolysis of selected lignocellulosic materials

Non‐isothermal processing of lignocellulosic materials in aqueous media (autohydrolysis reaction) under mild conditions leads to solutions containing valuable chemicals (oligosaccharides, sugars and acetic acid) and other, undesired, compounds (belonging to the extractive and acid‐soluble lignin fractions) which have to be removed in further purification treatments. Liquors obtained by non‐isothermal autohydrolysis of Eucalyptus globulus wood and corncobs under a variety of operational conditions were extracted with ethyl acetate in order to remove non‐saccharide components, and the suitability of the fraction dissolved in the organic phase was assayed for possible utilisation as an antioxidant. The yield and antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate extracts (measured by the α,α‐diphenyl‐β‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity) showed a strong dependence on the autohydrolysis conditions. The antioxidant activity of extracts obtained under selected operational conditions compared well with synthetic antioxidants. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

小麦、玉米控制灌溉技术研究

198 6～ 1998年 ,在山东省的 3个灌溉试验站 ,对冬小麦、秋玉米进行了控制灌溉试验 ,对农作物的多个生育阶段 ,按高产的要求 ,分别给予适时、适量的灌溉水 ,来控制作物不同生长期的根层土壤含水量 ,从而控制作物不同生长期根系对水分的吸收 ,培植农作物的“丰产群体结构”和与之相适应的“高产理想株型” ,适当降低无效的蒸腾量 ,使农作物能在高产的基础上再增产 .该项控制灌溉技术获得了明显的节水、增产效果 ,灌溉水的生产效率超过了 10kg/m3,产量超过了 8t/hm2 .     

Tasting green leaf volatiles by larvae and adults of Colorado potato beetle,Leptinotarsa decemlineata

Larvae and adults of the Colorado potato beetle,Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), are shown to have galeal gustatory cells that are highly sensitive to distillate of potato leaf extracts, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol, (E)-2-hexenal, and other saturated and unsaturated six-carbon alcohols. In larvae and adults, the sensory response patterns elicited by leaf homogenate, leaf distillate and a mixture of these two extracts differ in subtle ways. Beetle larvae feed most readily on Millipore disks treated with leaf homogenate and the mixture, but they did not feed on disks treated with leaf distillate. The differences in behavioral response and sensory input are used to derive a potential gustatory code that may stimulate different levels of feeding. This code may be disrupted by compounds present in nonhost leaves, thus leading to reduced feeding. Possible interactions of sapid leaf volatiles, amino acids, sugars, and potentially deterrent plant compounds are discussed.     

高水头船闸一字闸门水动力特性数值模拟

针对某山区高水头船闸30 m淹没水深下一字闸门的水动力特性进行研究,借助FLUENT软件提供的Realizable k-ε紊流模型对门体启闭过程非恒定流场进行动态模拟,通过建立由二维平面混合网格纵向拉伸成的三维棱柱体网格,结合2.5D重构和弹性光顺动网格法,在降低网格数量、提高计算效率的同时,实现一字闸门启闭全过程三维流场模拟。引入VOF法对自由水面迭代求解,得到一字闸门启闭过程门前后水位差及动水阻力矩变化规律,将计算结果与模型试验进行比较,两者吻合较好。模拟计算发现:门底间隙对闸门运行整个阶段动水阻力矩均有影响,动水阻力矩峰值随门底间隙增大而变小。     

Variation among and within mountain birch trees in foliage phenols,carbohydrates, and amino acids,and in growth ofEpirrita autumnata larvae

Leaf quality of the mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp.tortuosa) for herbivores was studied at several hierarchical levels: among trees, among ramets within trees, among branches within ramets, and among short shoots within branches. The experimental units at each level were chosen randomly. The indices of leaf quality were the growth rate of the larvae of a geometrid,Epirrita autumnata, and certain biochemical traits of the leaves (total phenolics and individual phenolic compounds, total carbohydrates and individual sugars, free and protein-bound amino acids). We also discuss relationships between larval growth rate and biochemical foliage traits. Larval growth rates during two successive years correlated positively at the level of tree, the ramet, and the branch, indicating that the relationships in leaf quality remained constant between seasons both among and within trees. The distribution of variation at different hierarchical levels depended on the trait in question. In the case of larval growth rate, ramets and short shoots accounted for most of the explained variation. In the case of biochemical compounds, trees accounted for most of the variance in the content of total phenolics and individual low-molecular-weight phenolics. In the content of carbohydrates (total carbohydrates, starch, fructose, glucose, and sucrose) and amino acids, variation among branches was generally larger than variation among trees. Variation among ramets was low for most compounds. No single leaf trait played a paramount role in larval growth. Secondary compounds, represented by phenolic compounds, or primary metabolites, particularly sugars, may both be important in determining the suitability of birch leaves for larvae. If phenols are causally more important, genet-specific analyses of foliage chemistry are needed. If sugars are of primary importance, within-genet sampling and analysis of foliage chemistry are necessary.     

Chlorosis in sugarcane: Associated soil properties,leaf mineral composition,and crop response to iron and manganese

Attempts were made to find out the nature and cause of a widespread sugarcane chlorosis in a cane growing area. Soils from chlorotic and nonchlorotic fields did not differ markedly in pH, CaCO₃, electrical conductivity, organic C, and soil test P, Zn, Cu, and Mn levels, but the chlorotic field soils had relatively more NH₄OAc-extractable K and less clay and DTPA-extractable Fe. Chlorotic and green leaf blades contained about the same concentration of P, S, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mo, but the former leaf blades had more K and less Ca and HCl soluble Fe than the green ones. Green leaves of plants that seemed to have naturally recovered in chlorotic fields were higher in Mn. A foliage spray with 2.5% FeSO₄.7H₂O solution resulted in greening of leaves and a field experiment showed marked crop response to Fe and some response to Mn. The results thus suggest that the chlorosis is due to a lime-induced Fe-deficiency with the possibility of some role of Mn in Fe nutrition in calcareous soil conditions.Deceased 22 September 1988     

Behavioral Changes in Workers of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa Induced by Chemical Components of Eucalyptus maculata Leaves

The response of Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel workers to essential oils, epicuticular wax and hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of Eucalyptus maculata was evaluated. Hexane extracts of E. maculata interfered with the recognition mechanism among workers. The main active compounds identified from this plant were the sesquiterpenes elemol and beta-eudesmol. These compounds may be responsible for the resistance of this species to ant attack.     

Inheritance Of Resistance To Mammalian Herbivores and Of Plant Defensive Chemistry In A <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus</Emphasis> Species

Hybridization in plants provides an opportunity to investigate the patterns of inheritance of hybrid resistance to herbivores, and of the plant mechanisms conferring this resistance such as plant secondary metabolites. We investigated how inter-race differences in resistance of Eucalyptus globulus to a generalist mammalian herbivore, Trichosurus vulpecula, are inherited in their F₁ hybrids. We assessed browsing damage of three-year-old trees in a common environment field trial on four hybrid types of known progeny. The progency were artificial intra-race crosses and reciprocal inter-race F₁ hybrids of two geographically distinct populations (races) of E. globulus; north-eastern Tasmania and south-eastern Tasmania. Populations of trees from north-eastern Tasmania are relatively susceptible to browsing by T. vulpecula, while populations from south-eastern Tasmania are more resistant. We assessed the preferences of these trees in a series of paired feeding trials with captive animals to test the field trial results and also investigated the patterns of inheritance of plant secondary metabolites. Our results demonstrated that the phenotypic expression of resistance of the inter-race F₁ hybrids supported the additive pattern of inheritance, as these hybrids were intermediate in resistance compared to the pure parental hybrids. The expression of plant secondary metabolites in the F₁ hybrids varied among groups of individual compounds. The most common pattern supported was dominance towards one of the parental types. Together, condensed tannins and essential oils appeared to explain the observed patterns of resistance among the four hybrid types. While both chemical groups were inherited in a dominant manner in the inter-race F₁ hybrids, the direction of dominance was opposite. Their combined concentration, however, was inherited in an additive manner, consistent with the phenotypic differences in browsing.