ABSTRACT:In this study, cotton fabric was successfully modified to have an antibacterial property through use of the sol-gel process. Dodecanethiol-capped silver nanoparticles, which have powerful antibacterial activity, were incorporated in silica sol. The starting materials were silver nitrate, tetraoctylammonium bromide, sodium borohydride, chloroform, 1-dodecanethiol, ethanol, tetraethylorthosilicate, and water. The cotton fabric was padded with dodecanethiol-capped silver nanoparticle-doped sol, dried at 60°C, and cured at 150°C. Scanning electron microscopy showed a uniform and continuous layer of doped sol on the fiber surface. The antibacterial effects of the treated cotton fabric against Escherichia coli were examined and found to be excellent.

Recent studies have suggested that cottonseed (Gossypium spp.) has the potential to contribute to the effort against world hunger, particularly by providing a high‐quality protein source. This report analyzed the diversity in protein content and other seed quality factors in the U.S. National Cotton Germplasm Collection. Nine genomes (one tetraploid and eight diploid) and 33 species (five tetraploid and 28 diploid) were surveyed in this examination of 2256 accessions. A novel nondestructive nuclear magnetic resonance technique was applied to measure oil and protein content, seed indices were calculated, and these data were associated with molecular marker information. Oil content ranged from 8 to 27%, protein values ranged from 10 to 36%, and seed index was lowest at 1 g per 100 seeds and extended up to 18 g per 100 seeds. Most of the range in values for these traits resided within G. hirsutum L. and G. barbadense L.; thus implying that variability for cottonseed quality can be introduced with relative ease in current breeding programs. The diploid genomes generally had extremely low values for oil, protein, and seed index. Molecular marker information indicated that chromosome 21 was likely associated with oil content. Understanding how these seed quality factors vary independently and in relation to each other will allow us to better select parents for breeding programs, and identifying associations with molecular markers may help us enhance progress through marker‐assisted selection approaches.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production has traditionally been guided by fiber yield and quality, but recent interest has focused on using cottonseed as a food; therefore, cottonseed oil content is an important trait to understand. A line‐by‐tester analysis was used to determine combining abilities by crossing four lines (PD 7723, PD 94042, PD 3246, and PD 5377) and four testers (TX 21, TX 101, TX 182, and TX 244) with varying seed oil content selected from accessions in the US National Cotton Germplasm Collection. Seed oil content was found to be a heritable trait (H2 = 0.52). The analysis showed that a large part of the phenotypic variation in oil content was associated with general combining ability, although significant specific combining ability occurred in several crosses. Overall, TX 182 and TX 101 had higher combining abilities, while PD 94042 had the lowest combining ability for oil content. Among hybrids, PD 3246 × TX 101, PD 7723 × TX 101, and PD 5377 × TX 182 had the highest combining abilities. All traits tested in these environments showed highly significant genotype × environment effects. The highest mean oil was observed in Florence, SC, during 2010 (TX 182, 28.28%). This study suggests that there is sufficient additive variance available for plant breeders to improve seed oil content. In addition, correlation analyses indicated that oil content can be increased at the same time as seed index, boll weight, and fiber traits including elongation, uniformity, upper half mean length (UHML), and strength.

Background: Free radicals provoke chain reactions within the cell and cause damage to the cell. Oxidation of bio molecules such as carbohydrate, protein, lipid and nucleic acid leads to the production of free radicals which induce the onset of disease. Antioxidants scavenge these free radicals, thereby protecting the cell from damage. Phenolic compounds found in varieties of seeds and fruits are thought to have antioxidant activities. Aim: The present study was designed to examine the in vitro antioxidant activity of Trachyspermum ammi (Ajwain) essential oil. Materials and Methods: The antioxidant activity of the oil was assessed by using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), H 2 O 2 radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The values were compared with those obtained with standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid. Results: It was determined that the essential oil possessed a high degree of FRAP followed by a good DPPH radical scavenging activity and a moderate H 2 O 2 radical scavenging activity. Conclusion: This study concludes that the essential oil of Ajwain could contribute as a highly significant bio resource of antioxidants to be used in our day-to-day life in food and pharmaceutical industry.