Plasma treatment is recognized as a suitable technology to improve germination efficiency of numerous seeds. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate whether cold air plasma can change the quality and quantity of wheat yield. Effects of cold plasma treatment on wheat (Pishgam variety) yield were studied by a randomized complete block design experiment at the Faculty of Agriculture of Tarbiat Modarres University, Iran, during 2015–17. Seeds were pre-treated with 80 W of cold plasma at four levels of time, 60, 120, 180 and 240 seconds. Plasma effects on yield and quality of wheat were determined by measuring plant photosynthesis, grain yield, biological yield, 1000-grain weight, total chlorophyll, carotenoid, anthocyanin, protein and starch content. Results showed that plasma treatments had positive effects on wheat characteristics, and treatment of 180 s had the highest stimulatory effect. In both years, cold plasma increased grain yield at 180 s, but decreased it at 240 s compared with control. The rate of plant photosynthesis, grain yield, 1000-grain weight, carotenoid and anthocyanin were enhanced at 180 s. The starch content and grain protein were enhanced at 120 s cold plasma application compared with control.

Weed control is necessary to ensure a high crop yield with good quality. Herbicide application and mechanical weeding are the most common methods worldwide. The use of herbicides has led to the increasing occurrence of herbicide-resistant weeds and unwanted contamination of the environment. Mechanical weed control harms beneficial organisms, increases the degradation of organic matter, may dry out the soil, and stimulate new cohorts of weed seeds to germinate. Therefore, there is a need to develop more sustainable weed control means. We suggest using small autonomous vehicles equipped with lasers as a sustainable alternative method. Laser beams are based on electricity, which can be produced from non-fossil fuels. Deep learning methods can be used to locate and identify weed and crop plants for targeting and delivery of laser energy with robotic actuators. Given the targeted nature of laser beams, the area exposed for weed control can be reduced substantially compared to commonly used weed control methods. Therefore, the risk of affecting non-target organisms is minimized, and the soil will be kept untouched in the field, avoiding triggering weed seeds to germinate. Small autonomous vehicles may have limited weeding capacity, and precautions need to be taken as reflections from the laser beam can be harmful to humans and animals. In this paper, we discuss the pros and cons of replacing or supplementing common used weed control methods with laser weeding. The ability to use laser weeding technology is relatively new and not yet widely practiced or commercially available. Therefore, we do not discuss and compare the costs of the various methods at this early stage of the development of the technology.

The retina is a part of the central nervous system in terms of histological and embryological aspect. It is a thin layer of neural tissue lining the inner eye. This study assessed the histomorphometric changes in the thicknesses of the retina and its layers using light microscope (LM) and retinal photoreceptor cells using transmission electron microscope (TEM) as a consequence of diabetes and effect of aloe vera gel extract in male rats. Thirty Sprague-Dawley matured male rats (175±25 g) in two age groups (12 and 16 weeks) were divided into three main groups as control, diabetic, and diabetic receiving 400 mg/kg aloe vera extract. There were two subgroups in each group. For inducing diabetes, a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ) (50 mg/kg) was injected through IP route. Their blood sugar was measured by a glucometer before STZ administration and 24 h thereafter. At the end, animals were anesthetized with sodium thiopental (40 mg/kg) via IP injection. The retina was collected for tissue processing following dissection of eyes, fixed in 4 % glutaraldehyde, postfixed in osmium tetroxide 1 %, dehydrated, and then embedded in TAAB resin. Semithin sections (1 μm) were stained with toluidine blue stain and viewed under light microscope. Ten slides were prepared from each animal. Ultrathin sections were prepared, stained, and viewed under TEM. The blood glucose levels and body weight in treated rats were reduced in comparison to diabetic groups. The neural retina thickness and its layers were also different. In the aloe vera-treated group, the thickness of the retina and its layers retained their normal histological structures. In diabetic groups, the vesicular mitochondria and degenerated cristae and dense nucleus were observed in photoreceptor cells. After treatment with aloe vera extract, cristae gained partially their arrangement and chromatin spread. It is concluded that the degenerated retina and the thickness of different layers of diabetic retina could be affected with long-term treatment of aloe vera gel extract.

This study aims to improve the quality and quantity of winter wheat by using the potential of combining the use of cold plasma and waste biorefinery products for improving wheat yield. Plasma was applied by a radio frequency (RF) plasma reactor operated with air for 180 s and 50 W. The waste biorefinery products, including pyroligneous acid, biochar, and azolla compost, were used as plant nutrition. The effects of cold plasma treatment and waste biorefinery products were determined by measuring plant photosynthesis, grain yield, and content of chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanin, protein, and starch. The experiment was conducted during the cropping seasons 2016−18 in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The combination of cold plasma and pyroligneous acid increased the grain yield up to 40.0%. The photosynthesis rate was improved up to 39.3%, and total chlorophyll content up to 48.3% in both years. Seed plasma treatment combined with biochar application increased the starch content by 36.8%. Adding azolla compost increased the protein content by 35.4%. Using seed plasma treatment with biochar increased the microbial biomass carbon by 16.0%. The application of plasma and azolla compost increased the microbial biomass nitrogen by 29.0%.