Volume 20 Issue 1

Preserving global rapeseed production against water shortages requires innovative strategies to enhance crop resistance. Despite its importance, rapeseed remains a water-intensive crop, making traditional irrigation practices unsustainable. Recent studies have explored methods to improve water use efficiency, and this study focuses on applying bioregulators to increase rapeseed yield under water-limited conditions, thereby contributing to food security and sustainability. A field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Farm of Lovely Professional University during the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 rabi seasons. The experiment, arranged in a split-plot design with 24 treatments, involved gypsum, bentonite sulphur, and elemental sulphur as various sulphur sources in main plots and hydrogel (2.5 kg/ha) and salicylic acid (150 ppm) applications at flowering and pod formation stages in subplots treatments. Gypsum (S1) notably seed yield, root length, and root dry weight. Additionally, hydrogel and salicylic acid applied during 50% flowering and 50% pod development (A6) produced the highest seed yield, root length, and root dry weight. This treatment also enhanced siliqua length and seed count, indicating the potential of gypsum and bioregulators in improving Brassica napus L. production under water-limited conditions.

Plastic products generally have excellent thermal plasticity and water resistance. However, their adverse environmental effects have become a severe problem. To overcome these problems, a 100% plant-derived plastic substitute material was developed by mixing wood powder, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and citric acid solution, followed by vacuum extrusion and heating to insolubilize the HPMC. In this study, the effect of heating on physical properties was investigated. The extruded wood powder sheets were heated under a wide range from 0.5 to 5 h at 150 to 210 °C, which covers the conditions required for esterification between HPMC and citric acid. Water absorption, tensile strength, puncture resistance, and wettability were then tested. The sheet became tolerant of water and developed slightly higher tensile strength upon adequate heating, although it was more easily punctured when rewetted. Excessive heating at 210 °C was found to damage the sheet. The overall activation energy, calculated from the weight loss during heating, was as low as 46 kJ/mol, indicating that the dehydration and crosslinking of HPMC could occur easily. The curing process improved the water resistance and did not considerably worsen other physical properties; therefore, the possibility of using wood powder/HPMC/citric acid composite sheets has potential.

This study determined the factors affecting peeling strength performance of edge bands, an important element of the furniture industry, and improved peeling strength performance by optimizing these factors. The independent variables were material types, amount of adhesive, feed speed, and temperature, while the dependent variable was the peeling strength. A central composite design (CCD) was used to investigate the optimal process parameters to achieve a maximum peeling strength for medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and particle board (PB). These materials were prepared using different feed speeds, temperatures, and amounts of adhesive. The CCD design based on the desirability function approach successfully achieved the optimal process parameters. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) determined the significant parameters on the peeling strength of edge banding. Maximum MDF and PB edge banding peeling strength values were calculated as 0.0706 and 0.0673 N/mm², respectively. In the edge banding process applied using optimum parameter levels, an increase of 8.8% and 7.17% was achieved in the peeling strength of PB and MDF samples, respectively.

Despite their environmental benefits and technical viability, mass timber structures adoption remains limited. As an alternative to steel and concrete in non-residential and multi-storey construction, they represent only 10.2% of buildings four or fewer storeys high, 1% of those five or six storeys high and 4% of those seven to twelve storeys high in Quebec. Based on a purposive sample of 42 interviews with various construction industry professionals in Quebec (Canada), the representation of mass timber construction was highlighted. A thematic analysis approach enabled a study of the motivations and barriers to adopting mass timber and the specific reasons behind them, and to determine whether respondents’ perceptions differ significantly depending on their main professional activity. The results corroborate existing literature while offering deeper insights into motivations and barriers, revealing new viewpoints. Respondents cited construction costs, expertise, manufacturing capacity, regulatory limits, and material specifications as the most critical barriers, while environmental impact and aesthetics of wood as key motivators. The response profile analysis suggests that private developers and general contractors should be the primary targets of measures promoting mass timber adoption. This research will aid in refining policies and strategies to encourage the widespread adoption of mass timber in construction practices.

The performance of five known ginger cultivars of eastern India, namely Gorubathan, Suruchi, Suprabha, Bhaisay and a Local collection, were studied in an eight-year-old 2.7 m × 2.7 m spaced arecanut plantation at Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya within the Teraiagro-ecological region of West Bengal. Plantlets of ginger were raised through single bud sprout techniques (SBT) using 5 g cut piece of rhizome with a plump bud and transplanted under an arecanut-based high density crop model along with bay leaf and citrus as component crops. Different ginger cultivars showed considerable variations with respect to their growth behavior and yield. The Local cultivar produced vigorous growth with a higher average number of tillers (5.83) per plant with maximum height (57.6 cm). However, the cultivar Suprabha proved its superiority over other cultivars with respect to rhizome yield, producing 2.45 tons from one hectare of crop model, with 11% net cropped area of ginger and possessing a higher benefit cost ratio (6.51).

The effect of the cell size of honeycomb paperboard core was studied relative to the grammage (basis weight) and two key strength properties of cellular paperboard: bending stiffness (BS) and flat crush resistance (FCT). The subject of the study was honeycomb paperboard of a different structure, in which single-layer kraftliner paper was used for the flat layers, with a grammage and thickness lower than the paper used for the paperboard core. Five paperboards made of the same fibrous materials of the same thickness and different core cell diameter D were tested, equal to 10, 12, 14, 17, and 22 mm, respectively. The research showed a close dependence of the grammage of the paperboard, BS, and the FCT of the honeycomb paperboard on the core cell size. With the increase of the core cell size, the above-mentioned physical properties showed a decreasing trend. For the honeycomb paperboards tested, a linear relationship was obtained between the grammage, BS, FCT of the honeycomb board and the diameter D of the hexagonal core cell.

Mechanical properties were evaluated for bio-natural fiber-reinforced epoxy hybrid composites made with varying amounts of jute, banana stem leaves (BSL), and tamarind shell powder (TSP). Each composite design had varying weight percentages of jute and BSL (5 to 25%) and a consistent mix of TSP (10%) and epoxy resin (60%). The tensile strength, flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), impact strength, hardness, and water absorption were examined. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate chemical bonding and morphology. The findings indicated a relationship between fiber and filler content and mechanical properties of composites, with 20% jute fiber content resulting in the highest performance. The tensile strength of the composite increased by 24.6%, rising from 32.4 MPa for the 5% jute and 25% banana stem leaves (5J25BSL) composite to 40.4 MPa for the 20% jute and 10% banana stem leaves (20J10BSL) composite. Similarly, the flexural strength saw a 27.9% improvement, increasing from 67.2 MPa in the 5J25BSL composite to 86.0 MPa in the 20J10BSL composite. The impact strength also experienced a notable increase of 39.1%, moving from 2.56 J for the 5J25BSL composite to 3.56 J for the 20J10BSL composite. These results highlight significant improvements in all three properties, as the proportion of jute in the composite increased and the proportion of banana stem leaves decreased. This research influences material selection for engineering applications and informs the development of specialized composite materials.

The optimal amount of biogas slurry was determined to improve both the yield of Brassica chinensis L. (BL) and soil quality. An experiment was set up with six sets of drip irrigation gradients (1:3 mix of biogas and water) of 12 (BS-1), 15 (BS-2), 18 (BS-3), 21 (BS-4), 24 (BS-5), and 27 (BS-6) L. Each treatment was repeated three times and irrigated eight times. The radius of drip irrigation was 1.2 m, and the dripping speed was 2 L/h. The highest plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, soluble sugar content, and protein content of 25.2 cm, 16.7 g, 1.10 g, 0.61 g/100 g, and 1.90 mg/g, respectively, were obtained under the BS-5 treatment. Soil total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and organic matter content under the BS-4 treatment increased 5.29%, 230.75%, and 1.00%, respectively, compared with those before drip irrigation treatment. The soil available potassium content was highest under the BS-3 treatment and had increased 20.4% compared with that before drip irrigation treatment. The most remarkable influence on the yield and quality of BL was observed when the drip irrigation amount was 24 L. Drip irrigation with 21 L of biogas slurry is conducive to improving soil physical and chemical properties.

Releases of CO₂ from forest soils was studied relative to different timber harvesting techniques, slope classes, and stand age. Three timber harvesting techniques (suspended skidding (SS), skidding by using a skidding cone (SC), and cable-pulling (CP)) were used in young and mature black pine stands at three different slopes (0 to 20% – S1, 20% to 33% – S2, and > 33% – S3). Soil respiration measurements were carried out at five-day intervals (1^st, 5^th, and 10^th day) and 6 months later after the timber harvesting techniques. The soil respiration increased on the first day, decreased on the 5^th and 10^th days, and reached its lowest level on the 6th month. The SC technique in the young stands showed the highest soil respiration value on the slopes indicating that the cone placed on the head of the log during the skidding operations does not deform the soil. In the mature stands, all timber harvesting techniques and the undisturbed sites showed lower values than in the young stands on the S1. On the S2, mean value was higher in the mature stands. In contrast to the young stands, the undisturbed stands had the highest soil respiration.

Nanoemulsions were formulated as hydrogels, incorporating extract from jackfruit leaf (JLE) and consisting of a blend of xanthan gum and fish gelatin (XAN-GEL). Utilizing the spontaneous emulsification technique, single xanthan gum (XAN), single fish gelatin (GEL), and XAN-GEL blends  were hydrated at a mass ratio (0.5 to 2.5% w/v) and were prepared and subsequently assessed for various parameters such as droplet size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, colloidal stability, and viscosity. Additionally, plain nanoemulsion (NE) and carbomer were synthesized as control samples for comparative analysis. The droplet size, PDI, and zeta potential values of the developed nanoemulsion and gelled nanoemulsion fell within the ranges of 131 to 223 nm, 0.23 to 0.33, and -27.3 to -47.3 mV, respectively. Notably, all formulations exhibited stability except for the lower amount of XAN ratio blends at 1.0% (MD) and 0.5% (ME). Furthermore, all stable nanoemulsion gels demonstrated shear thinning behavior, and the highest amount of XAN ratio blends at 2.0% (MA) enhanced the viscosity of the nanoemulsion by fine tuning the rheological characteristics of the targeted gelled nanoemulsion suitable for future topical drug delivery application.