• Authors:
    • Leistrumaite, A.
    • Ceseviciene, J.
    • Kalvaityte, V.
    • Juodeikiene, G.
    • Basinskiene, L.
  • Source: Conference Proceedings of the 6th Baltic Conference on Food Science and Technology FOODBALT-2011, Jelgava, Latvia, 5-6 May, 2011. Innovations for food science and production
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Enzymes play an important role in cereal processing not only because in many instances they have an impact on processability, but also they add to final product quality. High activities of different hydrolytic enzymes could cause the losses of grain quality and lead to processing problems and unsatisfactory end-products. However, the information on the impact of various cultural practices and conditions on the variation of enzymes activity levels in cereals is rather limited. The present study is therefore aimed to compare the activity levels of most important hydrolytic enzymes (alpha-amylase, endoxylanase and protease) in wheat, barely, rye and oats grown by organic and conventional agricultural practices. To address this issue, different registered cultivars and up-and-coming lines of winter wheat (4 varieties), winter rye (3 varieties), spring barley (6 varieties), and oats (3 varieties) grown during 2009 harvest year were involved in the test: The alpha-amylase activity in organically and conventionally grown cereals varied from 224 till 1335 U (units) g -1 and from 814 till 1546 U g -1, endoxylanase activity - from 0.13 till 0.65 U g -1 and from 0.06 till 0.15 U g -1, protease activity - from 4.89 till 4.95 U g -1 and from 4.87 till 4.95 U g -1, respectively. The data demonstrated that organic wheat, rye, and oats had lower alpha-amylase activity in compare with conventional counterparts. Also organic rye, barley and oats distinguished much higher endoxylanase activity than conventional ones. Contrary tendency was found during investigation of alpha-amylase activity in barley and endoxylanase activity in wheat. Comparing protease activity, significant differences have not been found between various agricultural practices. These results warrant further studies investigating links between specific agricultural practices and enzyme activities in important food cereals.
  • Authors:
    • McLean, E.
    • Mclean, K.
    • Bilski, J.
  • Source: Electronic Journal of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Chemistry
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue: 6
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: A vegetative cover is a remedial technique utilized on coal FA landfills for soil stabilization and for the physical and chemical immobilization of contaminants. Many herbaceous plants, primarily grasses which exhibit rapid growth, are moderately resistant to environmental stress, and are therefore often used as cover crops in environmental restoration and remediation projects. However, there is a great concern, that plants planted or voluntarily growing on media with high content of FA may absorb toxic amounts of Se and/or heavy metals. If such plants are ingested, it may result in toxicity to animals and humans. Despite these objections, the utilization of FA as a growth medium for plants is an attractive alternative for disposal of FA in landfills. We hypothesized that selected plants will grow in media containing FA and/or bottom ash (BA) from several sources. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of growth media containing FA and/or BA on several cereal crop plants growth including germination, seedlings growth and heavy metals, B and Se accumulation in the seedlings. Two selected coal FA, from Montana semi-bituminous coal and from North Dakota lignite alone or in combination with BA from Montana semi-bituminous coal have been tested as plant growth media (growth media are listed in Table below) for the following plant species: barley ( Hordeum vulgare), oats ( Avena sativa), rye ( Secale cereale), wheat ( Triticum aestivum), regreen; a hybrid between wheatgrass ( Agropyron cristatum) and winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum), and triticale; a hybrid between wheat ( Triticum aestivum) and rye ( Secale cereale). The concentrations of Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Co, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Pb, Sr, Ti, Tl, and V in growth media was determined, and the concentrations of the same elements in young plants was analyzed. Chemical analysis was performed using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission spectrophotometry (3). The data were analyzed statistically using ANOVA and Statistical Analysis System. All plant species tested in our experiments showed significant adaptability to the growth on FA based media, with no excessive accumulation of tested elements in plant seedlings. There were noticeable differences in seedlings growth, depending on the type and source of coal ash used. It suggests the necessity to perform pre-plantation tests in case of planning to provide green cover over FA piles. Large scale implementation of plant cover over coal ash landfills will require to conduct in-depth and large scale research.
  • Authors:
    • Riley, H.
    • Mangerud, K.
    • Bakken, A.
    • Brandsater, L.
    • Eltun, R.
    • Fykse, H.
  • Source: European Journal of Agronomy
  • Volume: 34
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: To ensure optimum conditions for organic cereal growing, it is important to minimize both compaction and soil inversion depth. The relative effects of using light versus heavier tractors, shallow versus deeper ploughing and on-land versus in-furrow wheel placement during ploughing were investigated in three-year organic rotations dominated by cereals with naturally infested stands of perennial weeds. The second part of the experiments was carried out in continuous barley with transplanted root fragments of Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. and rhizome pieces of Elymus repens (L.) Gould. Ploughing was performed in spring under favourable weather conditions. Neither tractor weight nor wheel placement influenced decisively the numbers and above-ground biomass of perennial weeds. Depth of ploughing, on the other hand, affected both perennial weed infestation and yield levels consistently. Weed numbers and the total above-ground weed biomass were mostly 50% lower with deep ploughing (25 cm) than with shallow ploughing (15 cm). The greatest advantage of deep ploughing appeared in the control of C. arvense, which in some cases was reduced by more than 90% compared to shallow ploughing. In organic rotations dominated by cereals, therefore, combating of perennial weeds by deep ploughing may be more important than factors such as tractor weight and wheel placement.
  • Authors:
    • Ward, J.
    • King, D.
    • Bryan, B.
  • Source: Ecological Indicators
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: On-farm actions to better manage natural resources often involve an opportunity cost associated with foregone agricultural production. Spatial information on agricultural opportunity costs is a key indicator that has been demonstrated to increase the cost-effectiveness of environmental investment through spatial targeting. In this paper we develop a method for calculating expected profit as a more robust spatial measure of economic rent accruing from agricultural land and indicator of opportunity cost for use in landscape and planning for natural resource management. We apply this method to the Lower Murray region in southern Australia. Agricultural profit is calculated for three farming system phases (cereals, legumes, and grazing) by census zones based on agricultural statistics and cost of production information within a GIS environment. Zonal profit layers are smoothed using pycnophylactic (mass preserving) interpolation. Farming system rotations are quantified as a set of continuous spatial probability layers for each phase using a moving window kernel density technique based on existing land use data and these probability layers are used in a weighted allocation of expected profit across the landscape. The expected profit layer provides a high spatial resolution description of opportunity costs associated with natural resource management over the Lower Murray region suitable for input into systematic landscape planning analyses. Validation of the opportunity cost layer by field survey identified both random and systematic error. Interpretation of systematic error highlighted the need to augment pycnophylactic interpolation techniques with consideration of covariates of profit such as rainfall for better estimation in areas with high profit gradients.
  • Authors:
    • Dem'yanov, N.
  • Source: Ekonomika Sel'skokhozyaistvennykh i Pererabatyvayushchikh Predpriyatii
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: According to official Rosstat data, Russian production of cereal grains totalled 60 959 560 tonnes in 2010, down from 97 110 960 tonnes in 2009. Production of all main types of grain fell significantly between 2009 and 2010. Wheat production totalled 41.51 million tonnes in 2010 (compared with 61.74 million tonnes in 2009), while production of barley totalled 8.35 million tonnes (down from 17.88 million tonnes in 2009), rye production was 1.64 million tonnes (4.33 million tonnes in 2009), cereal maize 3.08 million tonnes (3.96 million tonnes in 2009), and oats 3.22 million tonnes (5.40 million tonnes in 2009). Rice was the only major crop to record increased production, at 1.06 million tonnes in 2010 compared with 910 000 tonnes in 2009. The most marked decreases in cereal grain production in 2010 were recorded in the Privolzhskii, Central and Far East Federal Districts, where 2010 production levels were 30.14%, 45.03% and 51.14% of 2009 totals, respectively. A temporary ban imposed on the main types of cereal grain from mid-August 2010 onwards meant that export volumes were insignificant in the period from September 2010 to March 2011, with rice accounting for virtually all exports in this period. Imports were expected to total 0.95-1.3 million tonnes in the 2010-2011 season, with the bulk of these imports expected to occur after February 2011 as domestic grain stocks were exhausted. A decision of the Customs Union (covering Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) published on 1 March 2011 indicated that imports of wheat, rye, barley, oats and maize prior to 30 June 2011 would not be subject to import duties. Russian cereal grain consumption is forecast to total approximately 64 million tonnes in 2010-2011, approximately 11 million tonnes lower than in 2009-2010. The main reason for lower consumption is a decrease in utilization of cereal grains in animal feeds. Total cereal grain production was expected to increase again to approximately 88.17 million tonnes in the 2011-2012 season. Trends affecting cereal grain production, exports and prices in Ukraine and Kazakhstan in 2010-2011 are also briefly discussed, together with trends affecting international cereal grain markets and prices.
  • Authors:
    • Sanchez Chopa, C.
    • Descamps, L.
  • Source: Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research
  • Volume: 71
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi L. (Homoptera: Aphididae) is one of the main pests in a number of crops in the semiarid Pampas of Argentina. In the present study, the effect of different host plants, including Triticum aestivum L., * Triticosecale Wittm., Hordeum vulgare L., Hordeum distichum L., Avena sativa L., and Secale cereale L. on biological parameters of R. padi L. was studied in the laboratory at 241°C, 6510% RH and a 14:10 photoperiod. Longevity, intrinsic rate of natural increase (r m), net reproductive rate (R 0), mean generation time (T), doubling time (DT), and finite rate of increase (lambda) of the bird cherry-oat aphid on the different cereal crops were estimated. Differences in fertility life table parameters of R. padi among host plants were analyzed using pseudo-values, which were produced by Jackknife re-sampling. Results indicated that beer barley might be the most suitable food for R. padi due to greater adult longevity (20.88 d), higher fecundity (41 nymphs female -1), higher intrinsic rate of natural increase (0.309 females female -1 d -1), lower doubling time (2.24), and lower nymphal mortality (22.2%). Therefore, it can be concluded from the present study that R. padi prefers beer barley for fast and healthy development over other cereal crops.
  • Authors:
    • Dimitrijevic-Brankovic, S.
    • Siler-Marinkovic, S.
    • Djordjevic, T.
  • Source: International Journal of Food Properties
  • Volume: 14
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The antioxidant activities and total phenolic content of 4 cereals (buckwheat, wheat germ, barley, and rye) and 4 legume seeds (lentils, mungo bean, red kidney bean, and soy bean) were determined. The total phenolic content (TPC), determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method, for cereal samples varied from 13.2 to 50.7 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g of dried extract, while for legume samples varied from 17.0 to 21.9 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g of dried extract. Antioxidant activities were comparatively assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity, ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. The tested plant extracts showed promising antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity, thus justifying their traditional use. Among examined cereals all the applied methods, except TBA method, have shown that buckwheat have the highest antioxidant activity, while among examined legumes results varied depending on the method used.
  • Authors:
    • Luck, J.
    • Finlay, K.
  • Source: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
  • Volume: 144
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Global climate change threatens world food production via direct effects on plant growth and alterations to pest and pathogen prevalence and distribution. Complex relationships between host plant, pest, pathogen and environment create uncertainty particularly involving vector-borne diseases. We attempt to improve the understanding of the effects of climate change via a detailed review of one crop-vector-pathogen system. The bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi, is a global pest of cereals and vector of yellow dwarf viruses that cause significant crop losses in cereals. R. padi exhibits both sexual and parthenogenetic reproduction, alternating between crops and other host plants. In Australia, only parthenogenesis occurs due to the absence of the primary host, thus the aphid continuously cycles from grasses to cereals, allowing for continuous virus acquisition and transmission. We have reviewed the potential impact of future climate projections on R. padi population dynamics, persistence, abundance, dispersal and migration events as well as the interactions between vector, virus, crop and environment, all of which are critical to the behaviour and development of the vector and its ability to transmit the virus. We identify a number of knowledge gaps that currently limit efforts to determine how this pathosystem will function in a future climate.
  • Authors:
    • Zyskowski, R.
    • Ruiter, J.
    • Johnstone, P.
    • Brown, H.
    • Fletcher, A.
  • Source: Field Crops Research
  • Volume: 124
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Crop growth is driven by the capture and utilisation of solar radiation. The most productive crop sequences are those that maximise the interception and use of solar radiation. However, there are yield trade-offs because of the timing of transitions between successive crops. A longer duration of one crop will mean that the following crop is sown later and will therefore produce a lower yield. Maximising the yield of a sequence involves a compromise between the yields of successive crops. We describe a case study of a forage cropping rotation in New Zealand, demonstrating how simulation models can be used to define the best compromise between the yields of successive crops, and thereby maximise the total yield of the full sequence. A case study using a series of long-term simulation experiments for four diverse environments in New Zealand was undertaken in a continuous, summer maize - winter cereal, cropping sequence. Maize sowing dates and hybrid durations, and cereal sowing and harvest times were varied systematically. The actual simulated crop and sequence yields varied from site to site, but there was a consistent trend identifying the most productive combinations of sowing date and hybrid duration. The sequence of comparatively late sowing date of maize (1 December) and a long-season hybrid maximised the total yield of the sequence. The highest sequence yields were achieved by balancing the need to capture a high level of annual solar radiation and the need to have a large proportion of solar radiation captured by maize, which has the greater RUE in summer. This analysis illustrates how crop simulation models can be used to design and understand the processes that give the most productive cropping sequences.
  • Authors:
    • Damiescu, L.
    • Trif, A.
    • Galbenu-Morvay, P.
    • Simion, G.
  • Source: Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Agriculture
  • Volume: 68
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: T-2 toxin is a secondary metabolite mainly produced by fungi belonging to the genus Fusarium, principally by F. sporotrichioides, F. poae, F. equiseti and F. acuminatum which are common contaminants in staple foods of cereal origin such as oats, barley, rice, maize, wheat etc., and different by-products. T-2 toxin belongs to the closely related sesquiterpenoid family of thrichotecenes and is a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis. Its main effects are usually observed in the immune system which has strong impact on the health of both humans and animals. Although is one of the most toxic type A trichothecene, T-2 toxin occurrence data is scarce and European Commission (EC) legal limits are not yet available. The objective of the present study was to monitor the occurrence of T-2 toxin in cereals and cereal-based foods marketed in an area of western Romania (Timis and Arad counties), using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. T-2 toxin was present in all analyzed samples (maize, wheat, corn flakes, breakfast cereals, biscuits), with values ranging between 0.8 g/kg and 23.4 g/kg and median value of 4.9. This study points out also the necessity of a continuous survey of cereals and cereal-based products for T-2 toxin presence and levels, and stresses the need for establishing legislative maximum admitted levels in foods.