Nyein Nyein Myint

Why would a diurnal beetle in a hot sunny desert be black in color? This has been a paradoxical question for many years because being black would seemingly absorb much solar radiation and make the beetle very hot. We found that the sub-elytral insulating layer and convection together combine to prevent black beetles from overheating in hot sunny deserts. Black coloration, in fact any surface color, has little effect on a beetle’s body temperature, consequently the “black beetle paradox is no longer a conundrum The increasing use of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation has raised concerns about the accumulation of pharmaceutical residues, particularly carbamazepine (CBZ), in agricultural systems. CBZ is a persistent compound known to affect plant physiology and accumulate in edible plant tissues, posing potential risks to food safety and environmental health. Although CBZ uptake by crops has been reported, its physiological effects and the genetic mechanisms regulating its metabolism in wheat remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the physiological and transcriptional responses of wheat to CBZ exposure. Five wheat genotypes, namely Kronos, OE-Kronos, RW, 1RS, and T18, will be grown hydroponically and subjected to CBZ treatments alongside a non-treated control. Root tip samples will be collected at three developmental stages (6, 30, and 60 days after germination) for RNA extraction and RNA-seq analysis to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to CBZ treatment, and the genetic mechanisms underlying the CBZ response will be examined. In parallel, Random Forest and Support Vector Regression models will be used to predict root architecture and physiological responses based on above-ground traits. Training data will be obtained from hydroponic experiments and literature to determine correlations between above-ground and below-ground traits. The long-term objective is to develop genomic and machine learning tools to detect and model CBZ responses in wheat, supporting safer and more sustainable crop production under reclaimed water irrigation.