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With the continuous progress of technology, computed tomography (CT) technology has expanded from medicine to agriculture and other industries. With the advantages of non-destructiveness, high resolution, and high precision, CT technology shows great application potential in the agricultural field. However, there are still some problems with this technology that need to be solved. This paper aims to show the application of CT technology in the agricultural field, find technical challenges, and put forward specific countermeasures, so that CT technology can be better applied in the agricultural field. This paper summarizes the application of CT technology in the quality detection of agricultural products, disease and insect pest identification, seed screening, soil analysis, and precision agriculture management, and focuses on the current challenges and the countermeasures, and looks into the role of this technology in promoting agricultural development in the future. Despite various challenges, CT technology has far more advantages than disadvantages, and it is expected to become an indispensable part of all the links of agricultural production and promote the development of precision agriculture and smart agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aimed to observe the internal structure of coconuts from two locations (coastal and non-coastal) using computed tomography (CT). Methods: Seventy-six mature coconuts were collected from Wenchang and Ding'an cities in Hainan Province. These coconuts were scanned four times using CT, with a two-week interval between each scan. CT data were post-processed to reconstruct two-dimensional slices and three-dimensional models. The density and morphological parameters of coconut structures were measured, and the differences in these characteristics between the two groups and the changes over time were analyzed. Results: Time and location had interactive effects on CT values of embryos, solid endosperms and mesocarps, morphological information such as major axis of coconut, thickness of mesocarp, volume of coconut water and height of bud (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Planting location and observation time can affect the density and morphology of some coconut structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignans play a crucial role in maintaining plant growth, development, metabolism and stress resistance. Computed tomography (CT) imaging technology can be used to explore the internal structure and morphology of plants, and understanding the correlation between the two is highly significant. In this study, the content of lignan metabolites in coconut water was determined using liquid chromatography. The internal structure data of coconut fruit was obtained by CT scanning, and the relationship between lignan metabolites and CT image data at different developmental stages was evaluated using partial least square (PLS) regression. The results showed that the total lignan content in coconut water initially decreased, then increased, and gradually decreased after the maturity stage. The Wenye No. 5 variety exhibited higher levels of Epiturinol, Turbinol, Isobarinin-9′-o-glucoside, 5′-methoxy-rohanoside, Rohan rosin-4,4′-di-o-glucoside, turbinol-4-O-glucoside, cycloisoperinolin-4-O-glucoside compared to local coconuts. Coconut meat had the greatest effect on Rohan rosin-4,4′-di-o-glucoside, coconut water on Daphne, and coconut shell and coconut fiber on Larinin-4′-o-glucoside. The data from different parts of coconut fruit's images showed a significant correlation with the content of lignan metabolites. This study has preliminarily explored the correlation between non-destructive testing of coconut fruit and its development process of coconut fruit, providing a new approach and method for further research on non-destructive testing of coconut fruit development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of high-performance polyamide nanofiltration membranes with controllable structures shows promising prospects in fields such as seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. In this study, a high-performance polyamide composite nanofiltration membrane with sub-10nm ultra-thin separation layer was designed and fabricated using a hydrophilic porous GOQDs-AGQDs (graphene oxide quantum dots-amino graphene quantum dots) interlayer to reconstruct the substrate architecture. The GOQDs-AGQDs interlayer not only improved the uniformity and smoothness of the microporous substrate, but also could form hydrogen bond with amine monomers to effectively inhibit its diffusion, thereby effectively slowing down the interfacial polymerization process and facilitating the formation of an ultra-thin, smooth and dense polyamide (PA) layer. The results demonstrate that the optimized PA/GOQDs-AGQDs/PES membrane achieved a PA separation layer thickness as low as 9.4 nm, with a permeation flux of 27.2 L·m−2 ·h−1·bar−1, nearly three times that of the original PA/PES membrane. Simultaneously, it enhanced the Na 2 SO 4 rejection rate to 97.1 %, achieving synchronous improvements in permeability and selectivity. Additionally, the PA/GOQDs-AGQDs/PES composite membrane exhibited relatively low surface roughness and demonstrated excellent long-term stability. This work presents a novel strategy for the controllable fabrication of high-performance nanofiltration membranes. [Display omitted] • An interlayered TFC membrane was designed by introducing GOQDs-AGQDs interlayer. • The presence of the interlayer resulted in a sub-10 nm ultra-thin PA separation layer. • GOQDs-AGQDs interlayer created multidimensional nanochannels to shorten the transfer channel path. • The PA/GOQDs-AGQDs/PES membranes achieved high Na 2 SO 4 rejection with excellent permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coconut meat and coconut water have garnered significant attention for their richness in healthful flavonoids. However, the dynamics of flavonoid metabolites in coconut water during different developmental stages remain poorly understood. This study employed the metabolomics approach using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to investigate the changes in flavonoid metabolite profiles in coconut water from two varieties, 'Wenye No.5'(W5) and Hainan local coconut (CK), across six developmental stages. The results showed that a total of 123 flavonoid metabolites including chalcones, dihydroflavonoids, dihydroflavonols, flavonoids, flavonols, flavonoid carboglycosides, and flavanols were identified in the coconut water as compared to the control. The total flavonoid content in both types of coconut water exhibited a decreasing trend with developmental progression, but the total flavonoid content in CK was significantly higher than that in W5. The number of flavonoid metabolites that differed significantly between the W5 and CK groups at different developmental stages were 74, 74, 60, 92, 40 and 54, respectively. KEGG pathway analysis revealed 38 differential metabolites involved in key pathways for flavonoid biosynthesis and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. This study provides new insights into the dynamics of flavonoid metabolites in coconut water and highlights the potential for selecting and breeding high-quality coconuts with enhanced flavonoid content. The findings have implications for the development of coconut-based products with improved nutritional and functional properties., Competing Interests: The reviewer WH declared a shared parent affiliation with the authors JJ, YS, QW, HC, CS to the handling editor at the time of review. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Hou, John Martin, Song, Wang, Cao, Li and Sun.)