• Authors:
    • Paliwal, J.
    • Mebatsion, H.
    • Jayas, D.
  • Source: Biosystems Engineering
  • Volume: 111
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: An algorithm to classify cereal grains, namely: barley, oats, rye and wheat (Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) and Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS)) based on grain kernel shapes using invariant elliptic Fourier descriptors (IEFDs) was developed. Boundary contours were extracted from the digital images of kernels, expressed as chain-coded points and then approximated by 13 Fourier harmonics. After normalisation of the size, rotation and starting point of the contours, the IEFDs were determined. Based on the first three IEFDs, perfect classification was achieved for barley, CWAD, CWRS and rye. The classification accuracies of oats were 99.7% and 100% for the first three and five IEFDs, respectively.
  • Authors:
    • Bem, C.
    • Horst, T.
    • Agnolin, C.
    • Fontaneli, R.
    • Olivo, C.
    • Meinerz, G.
  • Source: REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE ZOOTECNIA-BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
  • Volume: 41
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: The objective of this research was to evaluate early growth, yield and canopy characteristics of 12 genotypes of six species of winter cereals with double purpose (forage and grains) submitted to harvest at Depressao Central region of Rio Grande do Sul state, South Region of Brazil. Species and genotypes tested were: BRS 277, BRS Guatambu, BRS Taruma and BRS Umbu wheat; Agro Zebu, UPFA 21 - Moreninha and Commom black-oat; UPF 18 white-oat; BR 1 and BRS Serrano rye; BRS Marciana barley; and BRS 148 triticale. The genotypes were distributed in 36 experimental plots, in a completely randomized design with 12 treatments, three replications and repeated measure. Studied variables were herbage mass, botanical and structural composition, forage and grains production. The earliest genotypes for forage production were BR 1 rye and BRS 148 triticale. BRS Taruma wheat presented higher forage and leaf blade production. BRS Umbu wheat presented higher grains yield and hectoliter weight. Among the genotypes evaluated, BRS Taruma wheat is the most suitable for double purpose in Depressao Central region of Rio Grande do Sul state.
  • Authors:
    • Dobrovolny, P.
    • Brazdil, R.
    • Mozny, M.
    • Trnka, M.
  • Source: Climatic Change
  • Volume: 110
  • Issue: 3/4
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Cereal crop harvests reflect the weather patterns of the period immediately preceding them, and thus the dates at which they begin may be used as a source of proxy data on regional climate. Using systematic phenological observations in the Czech Lands (now known as the Czech Republic) after 1845, together with exploration of further surviving documentary evidence (chronicles, diaries, financial accounts etc.), it has proved possible to create series of winter wheat harvest dates for the period 1501-2008. Employing linear regression, the harvesting dates of the main cereal species (wheat, rye, barley, oats) were first converted to winter wheat harvest days and then normalised to the same altitude above sea level. The next step consisted of using series of winter wheat harvest dates to reconstruct mean March-June temperatures in the Czech Republic, applying standard palaeoclimatological methods. Series reconstructed by linear regression explain 70% of temperature variability. A profound cold period corresponding with late winter wheat harvests was noted between 1659 and 1705. In contrast, warm periods (i.e. early winter wheat harvests) were found for the periods of 1517-1542, 1788-1834 and 1946-2008. The period after 1951 is the warmest of all throughout the entire 1501-2008 period. Comparisons with other European temperature reconstructions derived from documentary sources (including grape harvest dates), tree-rings and instrumental data reveal generally close agreement, with significant correlations. Lower correlations around A.D. 1650 and 1750 may be partly related to deterioration of socio-economic conditions in the Czech Lands resulting from prolonged wars. The results obtained demonstrate that it is possible to use widely-available cereal harvest data for climate analysis and also that such data constitute an independent proxy data series for the region of Central Europe crucial to further studies of the potential impact of climatic variability and climate change on agriculture.
  • Authors:
    • Hirata, T.
    • Komatsuzaki, M.
    • Nakamoto, T.
    • Araki, H.
  • Source: Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
  • Volume: 58
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: We hypothesized that cover cropping could increase soil microbial activities under various tillage systems and that increased microbial activities would improve soil properties. Soil sampling was conducted at two fields in Japan in 2009. At the Ibaraki field (Andosol, clay loam), three tillage practices (no-tillage, plowing to 30 cm, and rotary tillage to 15 cm) and three types of winter cover cropping [bare fallow as control, hairy vetch ( Vicia villosa Roth), and rye ( Secale cereale L.)] were conducted from 2003 to 2009. At the Hokkaido field (Fluvisol, light clay), two tillage practices (autumn tillage and rotary tillage with a rotary tiller to a depth of 15 cm once in autumn and twice in a year, respectively), and four types of winter cover cropping (bare fallow, hairy vetch, bristle oat ( Avena strigosa L.), and a mixture of hairy vetch and bristle oat) were conducted from 2006 to 2009. Soil microbial activities and the fungal-to-bacterial activity ratio (F/B ratio) were estimated by the substrate-induced respiration (SIR) method with the use of selective antibiotics. At the Ibaraki field, rye cover cropping showed higher microbial SIR than bare fallow at depths of 0-30 cm and rotary tillage maintained higher microbial SIR than no-tillage or plowing at depths of 7.5-15 cm. There was no meaningful interaction effect between cover cropping and tillage on microbial SIR. At the Hokkaido field, cover cropping and tillage had only limited effects on microbial SIR. High F/B ratios (indicating fungal dominance) were recorded with the use of cover crops in both fields. Fungal SIR, estimated from the microbial SIR and F/B ratio, was closely related to the content of total soil organic carbon (SOC) and the mean weight diameter (MWD) of water-stable aggregates. Based on SOC, fungal SIR was significantly higher under rye cover cropping. The relationship between fungal SIR and MWD was affected by tillage. We conclude that rye cover cropping and rotary tillage were very effective in increasing fungal SIR, SOC, and MWD in the Ibaraki soil. Field practices that enhance fungal activities might be effective in improving certain types of arable soil.
  • Authors:
    • Justesen, A.
    • Jorgensen, L.
    • Rodriguez, A.
    • Jensen, J.
    • Nielsen, L.
  • Source: International Journal of Food Microbiology
  • Volume: 157
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Quantitative real-time PCR assays, based on polymorphisms in the TRI12 gene of the trichothecene pathway, were developed to identify and quantify the trichothecene genotypes producing 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3ADON), 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15ADON) or nivalenol (NIV) in the Fusarium graminearum species complex, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium cerealis and Fusarium pseudograminearum. These assays were applied on a total of 378 field samples of cereal grain of wheat, barley, triticale, rye and oats collected from 2003 to 2007 to study the trichothecene genotype composition in Danish cereals. The three genotypes, 3ADON, 15ADON and NIV were found in all five cereal species, great annual variation in the occurrence of the trichothecene genotypes was evident with considerable variation between the samples. 3ADON was the dominant genotype in barley, triticale, rye and oats while 15ADON was most dominant in wheat. The NIV genotype was found at low levels in most samples. Study of genotype composition within the Danish F. graminearum and F. culmorum population was based on principal component analysis (PCA). PCA revealed that the dominating genotype of F. graminearum in wheat is 15ADON. For barley, the PCA analysis indicated that the F. graminearum population consisted of all three genotypes, and in triticale, the F. graminearum population consisted mainly of 15ADON genotype. F. culmorum/ F. cerealis showed correlation to the NIV genotype in wheat and triticale but not in barley. F. culmorum/ F. cerealis also showed some correlation to 3ADON especially in wheat and triticale. Selected wheat and barley samples from 1957 to 2000 showed low amounts of F. graminearum and F. culmorum in general but with a dominance of the 3ADON genotype. 15ADON was not detected in these samples, except for very low amounts in the sample representing the years from 1997 to 2000. Detection of low amounts of the 15ADON genotype in these historical samples and the relatively high amounts of 15ADON genotype in 2003 and following years correspond well with the occurrence of F. graminearum and indicates that the 15ADON genotype was introduced along with F. graminearum around 2000. The amounts of the 3ADON and 15ADON genotypes correlated well with the total amount of DON whereas the amounts of NIV genotype correlated well with the amount of NIV in wheat and triticale but not in barley where the results indicate that Fusarium poae may also contribute to the NIV content.
  • Authors:
    • Samac, D.
    • Vance, C.
    • Temple, S.
    • Somers, D.
    • Tesfaye, M.
    • Radmer, L.
  • Source: Plant and Soil
  • Volume: 351
  • Issue: 1/2
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Background and aims: Enhanced aluminum (Al) resistance has been observed in dicots over-expressing enzymes involved in organic acid synthesis; however, this approach for improving Al resistance has not been investigated in monocots. Among the cereals, oat ( Avena sativa L.) is considered to be Al resistant, but the basis of resistance is not known. Methods: A hydroponic assay and hematoxylin staining for Al accumulation in roots were used to evaluate Al resistance in 15 oat cultivars. Malate and citrate release from roots was measured over a 24 h period. A malate dehydrogenase gene, neMDH, from alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) was used to transform oat. Results: Oat seedlings were highly resistant to Al, as a concentration of 325 M AlK(SO 4) 2 was needed to cause a 50% decrease in root growth. Most oat cultivars tested are naturally resistant to high concentrations of Al and effectively excluded Al from roots. Al-dependent release of malate and Al-independent release of citrate was observed. Al resistance was enhanced in a transgenic oat line with the highest accumulation of neMDH protein. However, overall root growth of this line was reduced and expression of neMDH in transgenic oat did not enhance malate secretion. Conclusions: Release of malate from oat roots was associated with Al resistance, which suggests that malate plays a role in Al resistance of oat. Over-expression of alfalfa neMDH enhanced Al resistance in some lines but was not effective alone for crop improvement.
  • Authors:
    • Jorgensen, L.
    • Nielsen, G.
    • Spliid, N.
    • Ghorbani, F.
    • Nielsen, K.
    • Rasmussen, P.
  • Source: Mycotoxin research
  • Volume: 28
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Fusarium mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) can occur in cereals conjugated to glucose and probably also to other sugars. These conjugates, which are often referred to as "masked mycotoxins", will not be detected with routine analytical techniques. Furthermore, it is suspected that the parent toxin may again be released after hydrolysis in the digestive tracts of animals and humans. Today, our knowledge of the occurrence of these compounds in cereal grains is limited. In this paper, a LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of DON, deoxynivalenol-3-beta-D-glucoside (DON-3-glucoside), 3 acetyl-DON, nivalenol, fusarenon-X, diacetoxyscirpenol, HT-2 toxin, and T-2 toxin in naturally ( n=48) and artificially ( n=30) contaminated cereal grains (wheat, barley, oat, rye triticale) is reported. The method has also been applied to whole fresh maize plant intended for production of maize silage ( n=10). The samples were collected from the harvest years 2006-2010, The results show that DON-3-glucoside and DON co-occurred in cereal grains and, especially in several of the highly contaminated samples, the concentration of the glucoside can be relatively high, corresponding to over 37% of the DON concentration. The DON-3-glucoside levels in both the naturally and in the artificially grain inoculated with Fusarium were second only to DON, and were generally higher than those of the other tested trichothecenes, which were found at low concentrations in most samples, in many cases even below the detection limit of the method. This argues for the importance of taking DON-3-glucoside into account in the ongoing discussion within the European Community concerning exposure re-evaluations for setting changed values for the tolerable intake for DON. Our results indicate that, in the naturally contaminated grains and in the Fusarium infested cereal grains (winter and spring wheat, oat, triticale), the concentration level of DON-3-glucoside is positively correlated to the DON content. When the DON concentration is high, then the content of DON-3-glucoside will most probably also be high and vice versa.
  • Authors:
    • Reyneri, A.
  • Source: Informatore Agrario
  • Volume: 68
  • Issue: 17
  • Year: 2012
  • Authors:
    • Drinkwater, L.
    • Schipanski, M.
  • Source: Plant and Soil
  • Volume: 357
  • Issue: 1/2
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Background and aims: The selection of legume species and species mixtures influences agroecosystem nitrogen (N) and carbon cycling. We utilized a fertility gradient to investigate the effects of plant species interactions on biological N fixation of an annual and perennial legume in response to shifting soil resource availability. Methods: Legume N fixation of annual field pea ( Pisum sativum) and perennial red clover ( Trifolium pratense) grown in monoculture and mixtures with oats ( Avena sativa) or orchardgrass ( Dactylis glomerata) was estimated using the 15N natural abundance method across 15 farm fields and we measured six soil N pools ranging from labile to more recalcitrant. Results: Evidence of complementary and facilitative species interactions was stronger for the perennial red clover-orchardgrass mixture than for the annual field pea-oat mixture (N Land Equivalency Ratios were 1.6 and 1.2, respectively). We estimated that the transfer of fixed N from red clover to orchardgrass increased aboveground N fixation estimates by 15% from 33 to 38 kg N ha -1. Despite a more than 2-fold range in soil organic matter levels and more than 3-fold range in labile soil N pools across field sites, the N fertility gradient was not a strong predictor of N fixation. While grass N assimilation was positively correlated with soil N pools, we found only weak, inverse correlations between legume N fixation and soil N availability. In grass-legume mixtures, soil N availability indirectly influenced N fixation through plant competition. Conclusions: These results suggest that increasing diversity of cropping systems, particularly through the incorporation of perennial mixtures into rotations, could improve overall agroecosystem N cycling efficiency.
  • Authors:
    • Karas, J.
    • Hruskova, M.
    • Svec, I.
    • Hofmanova, T.
  • Source: Czech Journal of Food Sciences
  • Volume: 30
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: The baking quality in the sets of both commercial and variety wheat samples (80 and 18 items) and wheat composite flour (standard and 25 blends) was evaluated in terms of the Solvent retention capacity method (AACC 56-11). Composites were prepared from a commercial fine wheat flour and commercial bio-wholemeal flour prepared by milling of common wheat, rye, oat, barleys and corn at substitution levels of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50%. The commercial wheat quality testing ANOVA revealed the major effect of the sample tested form; the data measured for grain and flour proved to be correlated. Besides, the harvest year affected the baking quality to a greater degree than the growing locality. Within the variety wheat set, the harvest year factor dominated over that of the wheat cultivar one with the exception of the sodium carbonate retention capacity. In the case of the wheat flour substitution by bio-cereal flour types, the added amount of the alternative flour supported only the quantitative change caused by the incorporated cereal in all four retention capacities.