Development of an Agrobacterium-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system in jute(Corchorus capsularis)

Jute(Corchorus capsularis L.)is the second most important natural plant fiber source after cotton.However,developing an efficient gene editing system for jute remains a challenge.In this study,the transgenic hairy root system mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain K599 was developed for Meifeng 4,an elite jute variety widely cultivated in China.The transgenic hairy root system for jute was verified by subcellular localization and bimolecular fluorescence complementation(BiFC)assays.The CHLOROPLASTOS ALTERADOS 1(CcCLA1)gene,which is involved in the development of chloroplasts,was targeted for editing at two sites in Meifeng 4.Based on this hairy root transformation,the gRNA scaffold was placed under the control of cotton ubiquitin GhU6.7 and-GhU6.9 promoters,respectively,to assess the efficiency of gene editing.Results indicated the 50.0%(GhU6.7)and 38.5%(GhU6.9)editing events in the target 2 alleles(gRNA2),but no mutation was detected in the target 1 allele(gRNA1)in transgenic-positive hairy roots.CcCLA1 gene editing at gRNA2 under the control of GhU6.7 in Meifeng 4 was also carried out by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation.Two CcCLA1 mutants were albinic,with a gene editing efficiency of 5.3%.These findings confirm that the CRISPR/Cas9 system,incorporating promoter GhU6.7,can be used as a gene editing tool for jute.

Preparation and Reinforcement Adaptability of Jute Fiber Reinforced Magnesium Phosphate Cement Based Composite Materials

To improve the brittleness characteristics of magnesium phosphate cement-based materials(MPC)and to promote its promotion and application in the field of structural reinforcement and repair,this study aimed to increase the toughness of MPC by adding jute fiber,explore the effects of different amounts of jute fiber on the working and mechanical properties of MPC,and prepare jute fiber reinforced magnesium phosphate cement-based materials(JFRMPC)to reinforce damaged beams.The improvement effect of beam performance before and after reinforcement was compared,and the strengthening and toughening mechanisms of jute fiber on MPC were explored through microscopic analysis.The experimental results show that,as the content of jute fiber(JF)increases,the fluidity and setting time of MPC decrease continuously;When the content of jute fiber is 0.8%,the compressive strength,flexural strength,and bonding strength of MPC at 28 days reach their maximum values,which are increased by 18.0%,20.5%,and 22.6%compared to those of M0,respectively.The beam strengthened with JFRMPC can withstand greater deformation,with a deflection of 2.3 times that of the unreinforced beam at failure.The strain of the steel bar is greatly reduced,and the initial crack and failure loads of the reinforced beam are increased by 192.1%and 16.1%,respectively,compared to those of the unreinforced beam.The JF added to the MPC matrix dissipates energy through tensile fracture and debonding pull-out,slowing down stress concentration and inhibiting the free development of cracks in the matrix,enabling JFRMPC to exhibit higher strength and better toughness.The JF does not cause the hydration of MPC to generate new compounds but reduces the amount of hydration products generated.

Overview of Jute Fibre as Thermoplastic Matrix Polymer Reinforcement

Recent decades have seen a substantial increase in interest in research on natural fibres that is aligned with sustainable development goals(SDGs).Due to their renewable resources and biodegradability,natural fiberreinforced composites have been investigated as a sustainable alternative to synthetic materials to reduce the usage of hazardous waste and environmental pollution.Among the natural fibre,jute fibre obtained from a bast plant has an increasing trend in the application,especially as a reinforcement material.Numerous research works have been performed on jute fibre with regard to reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic composites.Nevertheless,current demands on sustainable materials have required new developments in thermoplastic composites.In this paper,the author reviews jute plants as reinforcement materials for thermoplastic matrix polymers.This review provides an overview of the sustainability of jute plants as reinforcement material for thermoplastic matrix polymers.The overview on jute based thermoplastic composites focused on the thermal behavior and mechanical properties.Apart from physical,chemical,and mechanical properties,the study also covers the current and perspectives for future research challenges faced by the researchers on jute fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites.

Genetic Diversity of Jute Mallow (Corchorus spp.) Accessions Based on ISSR Markers

Jute mallow is a nutritious leafy vegetable. The leaves are rich in proteins, vitamins and essential amino acids. Molecular characterization of Jute mallow with focus on improvement of leaf yield is scarcely reported. In the present study, inter sequence simple repeats (ISSR) molecular markers were employed to assess genetic diversity and relationships of 83 accessions of Jute mallow from different parts of Africa and Asia conserved at the World Vegetable Center East and Southern Africa. A total of 89 bands were amplified by 8 ISSR primers. Number of polymorphic bands per primer ranged from 2 to 6 with an average of 2.75 bands per primer. Polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.390 to 0.760 with average of 0.53. Average Nei’s gene diversity (h) and Shannon’s information index (I) were 0.335 and 0.494 respectively. The highest pairwise genetic distance was 0.431 observed in a population from East Africa accessions. PC1 and PC2 axis explained 21.69% and 11.66% of the total variation respectively. UPGMA cluster analysis grouped the accessions into six main clusters at genetic similarity coefficient of 0.53 as standard value for classification. These results have important implications for jute mallow breeding and conservation.

Weak Expansive Soil Physical Properties Modification by Means of a Cement-Jute Fiber

Sixteen groups of comprehensive tests have been conducted to investigate the modifications in the physical properties of a weak expansive soil due to the addition of a cement jute fiber.The tests have been conducted to analyze the liquid plastic limit,the particle distribution and the free expansion rate.The results show that:(1)With an increase in the cement-jute fiber content,the free expansion rate of the modified expansive soil gradually decreases,however,such a rate rebounds when the fiber content exceeds 0.5%and the cement content exceeds 6%.(2)With an increase in the cement percentage,the particle unevenness coefficient(Cu)and curvature coefficient(Cc)of the modified expansive soil tend to grow gradually.The Cc coefficient reaches 1.0 when the cement content is 6%.The unevenness coefficient of 16 soil samples is greater than 5.0,however,the Cu coefficient decreases when the cement content reaches 6%.(3)The plastic limit of soil increases as the cement content is made higher,while the liquid limit and plastic index decrease gradually.When the content of the modified material is 2%+0.1%~2%+0.7%(Cement content+jute fiber content),the change of particle size distribution is most obvious.(4)When the contents of cement and jute fiber are is 6%and 0.5%,respectively,the modification induced in the physical properties of soil samples corresponds to the best case.

Mechanical properties of dredged soil reinforced by xanthan gum and fibers

Biopolymers have become popular in geotechnical engineering as they provide a carbon-neutral alternative for soil solidification.Xanthan gum(XG)and jute fiber(JF)were selected to solidify the Yellow River dredged soil.The mechanical behavior of solidified dredged soil(SDS)was investigated using a series of uniaxial compression and splitting tension tests at different XG and JF contents and fiber lengths.The results indicate that on the 28th day,the unconfined compressive strength(UCS)values of SDS samples reached 2.83 MPa and splitting tensile strength(STS)of 0.763 MPa at an XG content of 1.5%.When the JF content was greater than 0.9%,the STS of the SDS samples decreased.This is because that the large fiber content weakened the cementation ability of XG.The addition of JF can significantly increase the strain at peak strength of SDS samples.There is a linear relationship between the UCS and STS of the dredged soils solidified by XG and JF.Microanalysis shows that the strength of SDS samples was improved mainly via the cementation of XG itself and the network structure formed by JF with soil particles.The dredged soil reinforced by XG and JF shows better mechanical performance and has great potential for application.

Genetic diversity and DNA fingerprinting in jute(Corchorus spp.) based on SSR markers

Genetic diversity analysis and DNA finger printing are very useful in breeding programs,seed conservation and management. Jute(Corchorus spp.) is the second most important natural fiber crop after cotton. DNA fingerprinting studies in jute using SSR markers are limited. In this study, 58 jute accessions, including two control varieties(Huangma 179 and Kuanyechangguo) from the official variety registry in China were evaluated with 28 pairs of SSR primers. A total of 184 polymorphic loci were identified. Each primer detected 3 to 15 polymorphic loci, with an average of 6.6. The 58 jute accessions were DNA-fingerprinted with 67 SSR markers from the 28 primer pairs. These markers differentiated the 58 jute accessions from one another, with Co SSR305-120 and Co SSR174-195 differentiating Huangma 179 and Kuanyechangguo, respectively. NTSYS-pc2.10 software was used to analyze the genetic diversity in the 58 jute accessions. Their genetic similarity coefficients ranged from 0.520 to 0.910 with an average of 0.749, indicating relatively great genetic diversity among them. The 58 jute accessions were divided into four groups with the coefficient 0.710 used as a value for classification, consistent with their species and pedigrees. All these results may be useful both for protection of intellectual property rights of jute accessions and for jute improvement.

De novo assembly of chloroplast genomes of Corchorus capsularis and C.olitorius yields species-specific InDel markers

Jute(Corchorus spp.)is a member of the Malvaceae family,which comprises more than 100 species.The systematic positions of jute species have remained unsettled.Chloroplasts are maternally inherited and their genomes are widely used for plant phylogenetic studies.In the present study,the chloroplast genomes of Corchorus capsularis and C.olitorius were assembled,with sizes of respectively 161,088 and 161,766 bp.Both genomes contained 112 unique genes(78 protein-coding,four rRNA,and 30 tRNA genes).Four regionswith high variation between the two species were located in single-copy rather than inverted-repeat regions.A total of 66 simple sequence repeats(SSRs)were identified in the C.capsularis chloroplast genome and 56 in that of C.olitorius.Comparison of the two chloroplast genome sequences permitted the evaluation of nucleotide variation including 2417 single-nucleotide polymorphisms sites and 294 insertion or deletion sites,of which one marker(cpInDel 205)could discriminate the two jute species.Comparison of the C.capsularis and C.olitorius chloroplast genomeswith those of other species in theMalvaceae revealed breakpoints in the accD locus,which is involved in fatty acid synthesis,in C.capsularis and C.olitorius.This finding suggests that genes from the chloroplast genomemight have been transferred to the nuclear genome in some Corchorus species.This hypothesis was supported by synteny analysis of the accD region among the nuclear,chloroplast,and mitochondrial genomes.To our knowledge,this is the first report of the assembled chloroplast genome sequences of C.capsularis and C.olitorius.C.capsularis and C.olitorius are closely related to Gossypium species and there are abundant microstructure variations between these two genera.These results will expand our understanding of the systematics of species in the Malvaceae.

Enhancing mechanical behavior of micaceous soil with jute fibers and lime additives

Micaceous soils are common in many tropical countries and regions,and in some locations with moderate climate.The soils are spongy and unstable when loaded and are not considered suitable as construction material in earth structures.To resolve the issue,this work examined performance of micaceous soil reinforced with a combination of jute fibers,hydrated lime or slag-lime.A total of 28 sample sets were prepared at various dosages.Unconfined compression tests were conducted on the samples cured for 7 d and 28 d,respectively.The test results suggested that the unconfined compressive strength(UCS)and material stiffness were increased with the inclusion of up to 1%fiber and decreased if additional fibers were used.The ductility was improved consistently with up to 1.5%fiber content.The inclusions of fibers combined with hydrated lime or slag-lime further enhanced strength and stiffness of micaceous soil,and the improvement depended on the dosages used.For the dosages examined,jute fibers outweighed lime and slag in gaining ductility,and the optimal fiber content was 1%where strength and ductility were considered.

Preparation and properties of short natural fiber reinforced poly(lactic acid) composites

The natural fiber/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites were prepared with ramie and jute short fiber as reinforcement and PLA as matrix. The mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were investigated. The results show that the properties of the composites are better than those of plain PLA. When the content of the fiber is 30%, the composites can get the best mechanical properties. The dynamic mechanical analysis results show that the storage moduli of the PLA/ramie and PLA/jute composites increase with respect to the plain PLA. The Vicat softening temperature of the composites is greatly higher than that of PLA. The results of thermogravimetric analysis show that adding fiber to the PLA matrix can improve the degradation temperature of PLA.

Development of a set of SSR markers for genetic polymorphism detection and interspecific hybrid jute breeding

Corchorus capsularis(white jute) and C. olitorius(dark jute) are the two principal cultivated spedes of jute that produce natural bast fiber of commercial importance. We have identified 4509 simple sequence repeat(SSR) loci from 34,163 unigene sequences of C. capsularis to develop a non-redundant set of 2079 flanking primer pairs. Among the SSRs, trinudeotide repeats were most frequent(60%) followed by dinucleotide repeats(37.6%). Annotation of the SSR-containing unigenes revealed their putative functions in various biological and molecular processes, including responses to biotic and abiotic signals. Eighteen expressed gene-derived SSR(eSSR) markers were successfully mapped to the existing single-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) linkage map of jute,providing additional anchor points. Amplification of 72% of the 74 randomly selected primer pairs was successful in a panel of 24 jute accessions, comprising five and twelve accessions of C.capsularis and C. olitorius, respectively, and seven wild jute spedes. Forty-three primer pairs produced an average of 2.7 alleles and 58.1% polymorphism in a panel of 24 jute accessions. The mean PIC value was 0.34 but some markers showed PIC values higher than 0.5, suggesting that these markers can efficiently measure genetic diversity and serve for mapping of quantitative trait loci(QTLs) in jute. A primer polymorphism survey with parents of a wide-hybridized population between a cultivated jute and its wild relative revealed their efficacy for interspecific hybrid identificatioii. For ready accessibility of jute eSSR primers, we compiled all information in a user-friendly web database, JuteMarkerdb(http://jutemarkerdb.icar.gov.in/) for the first time in jute.This eSSR resource in jute is expected to be of use in characterization of germplasm, interspecific hybrid and variety identification, and marker-assisted breeding of superior-quality jute.

Studying the Mechanical Properties of Jute/Cotton Blended Yarns Using the Weibull Model

The phenomenon of a material failure varies with its gauge length in use. In the present study, the breaking strengths of J30/C70 and J55/C45 blended yarns spun by the ring spinning technology were investigated with the employment of the equations derived from the Weibull theory. The four probability estimators of the Weibull distribution were also evaluated. The results showed that the estimator （2a） was acceptable for calculating the Weibull modulus of the jute/cotton blended yarns. With the exception of breaking strength of the J30/C70 at the gauge length of 200 ram, the breaking strengths of both blended yarn could be predicted accurately by the Eqs. （9） or （10） in this paper.

Evaluation of stiffness in a cellulose fiber reinforced epoxy laminates for structural applications:Experimental and finite element analysis

Natural fiber composites have been proved to have the ability to replace the synthetic fiber composites in many structural applications. Unprecedented growth in the field of computational techniques has opened the doors of analysis and simulation of composite materials under various environment.Modelling and simulation using various available softwares saves a lot of time and resources. In the present work, an attempt has been made to analyze the tensile behavior of jute fiber reinforced epoxy based polymer composite materials using the student version of commercially available finite element code Siemens PLM NX 10.0. In most of the structural applications, materials are required to have enough stiffness to resist the shape deformation under normal loading conditions. Therefore, emphasis is given to the load-deformation behavior of the developed composites. A 3-dimensional model of the test specimen was developed using ply-stacking method and the strain-stress values were verified by the available literature. The model showed a good agreement between the experimental and software results. Effect of ply angle, fiber percentage, fiber type, number of layers and weft fiber angle on the stiffness of laminate have been studied.

Effects of jute fibre content on the mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites in structural applications

Due to notable characteristics,sustainability concept and environmental issues,hybridisation natural with synthetic fibres to fabricate composites have been rapidly gaining market share in different applications(structural,military,aerospace and automotive vehicles).Compression,tension and fatigue tests of various stacking sequences of plain jute/carbon reinforced(PVB)polyvinyl butyral by hot hydraulic press technique were experimentally conducted.Six types of fabricated composites with various constituents(jute,carbon and their hybrids)were fabricated and tested.Notably,fatigue lifetime of hybrids increases with increasing the carbon content relative to the jute fibre content.On the other hand,Jute composites possess high strain compared to pure carbon composite,which gives an overall improvement in mechanical behaviours.Interestingly,H1 hybrid with Carbon/Jute/Carbon sequences offers similar fatigue stiffness behaviour of H3 hybrid with Carbon/Jute/Carbon/Jute sequences when subjected to cyclic loading.Carbon composite(C)exhibited the highest fatigue resistance,whiles jute composite(J)possessed the highest strain and semi brittle trends in both mechanical and fatigue performance.Results concluded that plain jute fibres could partially replace high-cost synthetic carbon fibres to produce more eco-friendly hybrids to be utilised in different composites industries.

Influence of thickness and projectile shape on penetration resistance of the compliant composite

The present study deals with development of conceptual proof for jute rubber based flexible composite block to completely arrest the projectile impacting the target at high velocity impact of 400 m/s through numerical simulation approach using finite element(FE)method.The proposed flexible composite blocks of repeating jute/rubber/jute(JRJ)units are modelled with varying thickness from 30 mm to 120 mm in increments of 30 mm and impacted by flat(F),ogival(O)and hemispherical(HS)shaped projectiles.All the considered projectiles are impacted with proposed flexible composite blocks of different thicknesses and the penetration behaviour of the projectile in each case is studied.The penetration depth of the projectile in case of partially penetrated cases are considered and the effect of thickness and projectile shape on percentage of penetration depth is statistically analyzed using Taguchi’s design of experiments(DOE).Results reveal that the though proposed flexible composite block with thickness of 90 mm is just sufficient to arrest the complete penetration of the projectile,considering the safety issues,it is recommended to use the flexible composite with thickness of 120 mm.The nature of damage caused by the projectile in the flexible composite is also studied.Statistical studies show that thickness of the block plays a prominent role in determining the damage resistance of the flexible composite.

Mechanical, Thermal and Interfacial Properties of Jute Fabric-Reinforced Polypropylene Composites: Effect of Potassium Dichromate

Composites based on jute fabrics and polypropylene was fabricated by heat-press molding technique. The mechanical properties of the composites such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, bending strength, bending modulus and impact strength were measured in dependence of fiber contents. In order to improve fiber-matrix interaction, jute fabrics were treated with aqueous solutions of K2Cr2O7 (0.005-0.05% w/v). Composite prepared with 0.02% K2Cr2O7 treated jute fabrics showed the highest values of the mechanical properties. Thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) data of PP, jute fabrics and composites showed that thermal degradation temperatures of composites shifted to higher temperature regions compared to PP or jute fabrics. Treatment of jute fabrics improved the thermal stability of the composite considerably. Scanning electron microscopic images of tensile fractured sides of untreated and treated composites illustrated that better fiber-matrix interfacial interaction occurred in treated composite. The relative tendency of water absorption of both untreated and treated composites was also explored.

An experimental study on ballistic impact response of jute reinforced polyethylene glycol and nano silica based shear thickening fluid composite

The present study aims at assessing the ballistic impact behaviour of jute reinforced polyethylene glycol(PEG)and nano silica based shear thickening fluid(STF).Preparation of STF is achieved by dispersing the nano silica particles at different weight percentage loadings of 10%,20%,30%and 40%in PEG and the effect of various weight percentages loading of nano silica particles on ballistic performance of the proposed composites is studied experimentally.Rheological studies of the prepared STF’s showed that at all nanosilica loading shear thickening occurred and also the shear thickening was highest at higher loading of nano silica at lower rate of shear.The study reveals that the ballistic performance of the jute fabric is enhanced with impregnation of STF.The ballistic results indicate that energy absorption of the proposed composites is enhanced with increased loading of nano silica particles and at the same time,the effect of STF was reduced.Specific energy absorption(SEA)of the neat fabric and the proposed composites was made use of for the purpose of comparing the energy absorption capabilities.It is found that the SEA of proposed composites with 10%nano silica loading is lesser than the neat fabric both in case of 3 layers and 6 layers.It was also found that proposed composite with 40%nano silica loading exhibits highest SEA compared to neat fabric and its counterparts with its SEA being 3.21 and 3.76 times highest compared to three and six layers of neat fabrics respectively.

Plasma Treatment of Natural Jute Fibre by RIE 80 plus Plasma Tool

Plasma treatment can be used to modify the structure of natural fibre like jute for a variety of applications. Environmentally friendly jute fibre was treated with argon and oxygen plasma. The treated samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） and optical microscope. The macromolecular and microstructural changes in cellulose confirmed the change by plasma treatment. The XRD results confirmed that the crystal size and the crystallinity of the plasma treated fibre increased. Argon plasma treated fibre had a smooth and compact surface, compared to oxygen plasma treated fibre. The maximum stain （i.e. stress） concentrated in the oxygen plasma treated fibre. Optical micrographs showed the oxygen plasma treated fibre tended to rupture due to higher strain （i.e., stress） compared to fibre with argon plasma treatment. FTIR results also provided the evidence of change in the chemical constituents with plasma treatment.

Packaging Bags of Peanuts with Function of Prevention of Aflatoxin B_1

Packaging bags composited with barrier film and moisture absorbent nonwoven fabrics were prepared in order to design a kind of functional bag which could prevent the contamination of aflatoxin B1of peanuts. The internal relative humidity( RH) of packaging bags with peanuts was monitored. The influences of the superabsorbent fiber( SAF) and jute fiber were investigated and the mechanism was analyzed.

Effect of Plant Extracts on Seed Borne Fungi of Jute

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of seed-borne fungal pathogens of jute and their control with plant extract. The experiment was carried out in seed pathology centre, Bangladesh Agricultural University to obtain relevant information about the health of jute seeds and find out the efficacy of extracts as seed-treater. Two varieties viz., Deshipat (Corchorus capsularis) and Tossapat (Corchorus olitorius) were selected for this study and jute seeds were collected from two different locations of Bangladesh. The major predominant identified fungi were Colletotrichum corchori, Macrophomina phaseolina, Fusarium spp., and Botryodiplodia theobromae. Least seed-borne fungi were found in the variety of Tossapat. Low germination of seeds was found related to high prevalence of seed-borne fungal infections. Highest seed-borne infection was obtained in the variety of Deshipat. In this study, we evaluated some major plant extracts such as garlic clove (Allium sativum), neem leaves (Azadirachta indica), allamanda leaves (Allamanda cathartica L.) and marigold leaves (Tagetes spp.) for observing the action of these plant extracts on seed borne fungi of Jute. The study revealed that the extract of Garlic (Allium sativum), and Biskatali (Polygonum hydropiper) increased the germination of seeds and garlic?(Allium sativum) extract was also found to be most effective in controlling the seed-borne infection among all the treatments. Although the inhibiting capacity of the extracts of Allamanda (Allamanda cathartica L.) and Biskatali (Polygonum hydropiper) was found to be similar and Biskatali extract was found to have the second position among all the treated plant extracts in inhibiting the growth of isolated fungal pathogens.