Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilzeck var. radiata) is a protein-rich short-duration legume that fits well as a rotation crop into major cereal production systems of East and South-East Asia. Salinity stress in arid areas affects mungbean, being more of a glycophyte than cereals. A significant portion of the global arable land is either salt or sodium affected. Thus, studies to understand and improve salt-stress tolerance are imminent. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to mine genomic loci underlying salt-stress tolerance during seed germination of mungbean. The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) mungbean minicore collection representing the diversity of mungbean germplasm was utilized as the study panel and variation for salt stress tolerance was found in this germplasm collection. The germplasm panel was classed into two agro-climatic groups and showed significant differences in their germination abilities under salt stress. A total of 5288 SNP markers obtained through genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) were used to mine alleles associated with salt stress tolerance. Associated SNPs were identified on chromosomes 7 and 9. The associated region at chromosome 7 (position 2,696,072 to 2,809,200 bp) contains the gene Vradi07g01630, which was annotated as the ammonium transport protein (AMT). The associated region in chromosome 9 (position 19,390,227 bp to 20,321,817 bp) contained the genes Vradi09g09510 and Vradi09g09600, annotated as OsGrx_S16-glutaredoxin subgroup II and dnaJ domain proteins respectively. These proteins were reported to have functions related to salt-stress tolerance.

This study investigates the pyrolysis and adsorption properties of biochar derived from coconut shell (BC-CS), rice husk (BC-RH), and cow manure (BC-CM) under varying thermal treatment conditions. Biochar samples were produced at 800 °C with residence times ranging from 0 to 60 min. Their characteristics were analyzed using their Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, total pore volume, and pore diameter measurements. BC-CM exhibited the highest BET surface area of 263.3 m²/g and a total pore volume of 0.164 cm³/g, while BC-RH and BC-CS showed maximum BET surface areas of 220.62 m²/g and 197.38 m²/g, respectively. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms revealed distinct microporous and mesoporous structures, with BC-CM demonstrating superior adsorption capacity across all relative pressures. The adsorption kinetics of methylene blue (MB) were examined at initial concentrations of 1 ppm, 5 ppm, and 10 ppm, with varying biochar doses (0.1 g, 0.3 g, and 0.5 g). The results showed that the adsorption rate constant (k) decreased with higher initial MB concentrations, while the equilibrium adsorption capacity (q_e) increased. BC-CM achieved the highest q_e of 2.18 mg/g at 10 ppm and a 0.5 g dose, followed by BC-RH-800-45 (1.145 mg/g) and BC-CS (0.340 mg/g). The adsorption process was well described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating chemisorption as the dominant mechanism. Increasing biochar doses improved MB removal efficiency, highlighting the dose-dependent nature of adsorption. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing pyrolysis parameters to enhance biochar’s adsorption performance and identify key factors influencing its effectiveness in environmental applications.

Onychostoma barbatulum and O. alticorpus, two primarily freshwater cyprinid fish, have similar morphological characters and partially overlapping ecological habitats. In order to explore the genetic differences between these two species, chromosomal characteristics and genetic variations were examined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of 5S rDNA and cytochrome (Cyt) b gene analysis. Ten specimens of O. barbatulum and O. alticorpus were collected from the Nanzihsian Stream in southern Taiwan. FISH revealed that the 5S rDNA loci of O. barbatulum and O. alticorpus were found at a pericentromeric and subtelomeric position, respectively, in a pair of submetacentric chromosomes. Cyt b genes were amplified and sequenced from five individuals of each species. Intraspecific genetic distances ranged from 0.001–0.004 in O. barbatulum and from 0.001–0.006 in O. alticorpus. Genetic distances between these two species ranged from 0.132–0.142. The phylogenetic tree showed these two species are not sister species. In conclusion, FISH cytogenetic information and Cyt b gene analyses indicated that these two species have significantly different genetic characteristics; nevertheless, their morphological similarities may be due to environmental adaptation.