• Authors:
    • Cebolla, A.
    • Torres, M.
    • Lorite, P.
    • Barro, F.
    • Lopez-Casado, M.
    • Cornell, H.
    • Lorenzo, L.
    • Real, A.
    • Comino, I.
    • Sousa, C.
  • Source: Gut
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue: 7
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Background and aims: Coeliac disease (CD) is triggered by an abnormal reaction to gluten. Peptides resulting from partially digested gluten of wheat, barley or rye cause inflammation of the small intestinal mucosa. Previous contradictory studies suggest that oats may trigger the abnormal immunological response in patients with CD. Monoclonal antibodies (moAbs) against the main immunotoxic 33-mer peptide (A1 and G12) react strongly against wheat, barley and rye but have less reactivity against oats. The stated aim of this study is to test whether this observed reactivity could be related to the potential toxicity of oats for patients with CD. Methods: In the present study, different oat varieties, controlled for their purity and by their distinct protein pattern, were used to examine differences in moAb G12 recognition by ELISA and western blot. Immunogenicity of oat varieties was determined by 33-mer concentration, T cell proliferation and interferon gamma production. Results: Three groups of oat cultivars reacting differently against moAb G12 could be distinguished: a group with considerable affinity, a group showing slight reactivity and a third with no detectable reactivity. The immunogenicity of the three types of oats as well as that of a positive and negative control was determined with isolated peripheral blood mononuclear T cells from patients with CD by measurement of cell proliferation and interferon gamma release. A direct correlation of the reactivity with G12 and the immunogenicity of the different prolamins was observed. Conclusions: The results showed that the reactivity of the moAb G12 is proportional to the potential immunotoxicity of the cereal cultivar. These differences may explain the different clinical responses observed in patients suffering from CD and open up a means to identify immunologically safe oat cultivars, which could be used to enrich a gluten-free diet.
  • Authors:
    • Castoldi, G.
    • Costa, L.
    • Steiner, F.
    • Costa, M.
    • Pivetta, L.
  • Source: Revista Ceres
  • Volume: 58
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The use of animal manure combined with cover crops can provide sustainability to agricultural systems. Aiming to evaluate the effect of two farming systems and nutrient sources on the corn crop, an experiment was conducted on an Oxisol, in the municipality of Marechal Candido Rondon, Parana State, Brazil. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with treatments in a factorial scheme 2*3, consisting of two crop systems (succession wheat/corn and intercropping oat+vetch+turnip/corn) and three nutrient sources (mineral, organic and organic-mineral), with four replications. In June 2006, the wheat crop and the intercropping of cover crops were established. In October 2006, the corn was sowed on the two systems. Organic and organic-mineral fertilizations consisted of application of pig manure alone and combined with mineral fertilizer, respectively. Intercropping of oat, hairy vetch and wild radish produced adequate amount of biomass, showing its viability for providing soil cover during winter. Corn grown in rotation with wheat yielded the highest uptake of N and K and highest yield. Mineral fertilization gave higher N uptake and corn yield compared with the organic fertilizer and organic-mineral fertilizer based on pig manure.
  • 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:
    • Boban, S.
    • Gherman, R.
    • Ciolac, R.
    • Balan, I.
    • Dincu, A.
  • Source: Research Journal of Agricultural Science
  • Volume: 43
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Specific agricultural production showed very different dynamics, both sector (plant and animal) and the regional profile, depending on the diversity of agro-climatic suitability, and the utilization of production factors. The structure of cultivated areas is a technical indicator of the major influences on economic performance and reflect the share that each culture deals with arable land. It does not take random values, but must be directed strictly according to the demand for food products shown on the agricultural products market. Lowland area of Timis county is occupied by the Western Plain. This is the second largest pool of grain production after the Romanian Plain and the Lower Danube. The structure of grain growing areas have 70-75% share, well above normal values. Typically grain must not exceed the maximum weight of two thirds of the arable land. Among cereal grains, namely wheat, barley, barley, rye and oats together have 40-50% share. Local climatic conditions offer many possibilities for agricultural development. Natural landscape is favorable most types of specific crops and continental temperate zone as a consequence of the West region has extensive agricultural land, Arad and Timis counties topping, in this respect among the first in the country. Cereals is one of the oldest and most important agricultural activity in Arad and Timis counties, which have the largest areas of arable. Romanian agricultural production in general, including the west of the country, turned to grain production, not to put too much problem recovery products. Farmer has no means of production, so that technological support has been achieved and is still performed in the services system. In 2008, global agricultural production calculated in current prices was 2,415,821 thousand. Of that total global production plant is 1,708,457 thousand, which meant 70, 7% of total world production was 674 351 Animal thousand, respectively 27, 9%, and the difference, ie 1.4% is represented by various services of the agriculture holdings. Structure of gross agricultural production in an angrarian economy healthy, normally should take the following value: 48-55% global production plant, animal production 45-52% overall, Romania is still far from these value. We could say that we have developed an agricultural production sector in the Western states of Europe, wehre animal production will exceed the overall 50% share of total gross agricultural production structure.
  • 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:
    • 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.
  • Authors:
    • Hartmann, G.
    • Gessendorfer, B.
    • Wieser, H.
    • Koehler, P.
  • Source: European Food Research and Technology
  • Volume: 232
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: A method to determine the celiac disease-specific peptidase activity of different germinated cereals was developed. Kernels of common wheat, spelt, emmer, einkorn, rye, and barley were germinated, lyophilized, and milled into flour and bran. The latter was extracted at pH 4.0 to obtain a solution enriched with peptidases. The synthetic alpha-gliadin peptide with the amino acid sequence PQPQLPYPQPQLPY (peptide IV), which has been shown to be toxic for celiac disease patients, was selected as substrate for bran peptidases. It was quantified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on C 18 silica gel. For kinetic studies, rye bran extract was incubated with peptide IV at 50°C and pH 6.5. The peptide was degraded continuously, and only 30.2% of the original peptide was detected after 90 min. Accordingly, the bran extracts of all cereals were investigated. The incubation time was set to 60 min at 50°C, and the degradation of peptide IV was performed at pH 4.0 and 6.5, respectively. Except for rye, peptide degradation was faster at pH 4.0 than at pH 6.5. At pH 4.0, emmer extract was most active, followed by spelt, common wheat, and einkorn extracts. The activity of rye and barley extracts was significantly lower. In conclusion, the method is easy to perform, quick, and provides reproducible results. It can be applied to other peptidase sources such as bacterial or fungal cultures to optimize peptidase preparations suitable for detoxifying gluten-containing food or for drugs to treat celiac disease.
  • Authors:
    • Golinowska, M.
  • Source: Journal of Research and Applications in Agricultural Engineering
  • Volume: 56
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: In early 2010, in Lower Silesia, there were 1,025 organic farms, including 47% of households had a status of "inconversion". Most of them, up to 23% of organic farms were located in the county Kodzko and 16% in the district of Wroclaw. The diversity of organic farms in various districts of Lower Silesia was high and ranged from 1 (Strzelin district) to 235 (Kodzko district). Lot of factors had an influence on such a large diversity of organic farms deployment and the most important included the quality of agricultural production surface. A characteristic feature of organic farms of Lower Silesia is that about 80% of the main type of organic production are meadows and pastures (package 58A) and fodder crops for animal feed (pack 50A to 57A). Cereal Organic-grown consisted of wheat and spelled (from 3% to 30% of producers) quite a lot consisted of more than 20% rye, oats, from 7.5% to 28.6% and buckwheat. Production of vegetables and fruits is listed only in a few percent of the farms. Due to the possibility of high subsidies for orchards planted with walnut, this package (A 67) has become the direction of production of several agricultural producers. Organic farms of Lower Silesia are mainly focused on plant production. Only in about 20% of organic farms production is carried out by organic livestock, which provides cow's milk, goat cheese, veal, beef and eggs. In tourist areas the equines were bred in many organic farms for recreational purposes.
  • Authors:
    • Ahmadi, A.
    • Maafi, Z.
    • Hajihassani, A.
    • Taji, M.
  • Source: International Journal of Agriculture and Biology
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Cereal cyst nematodes are one of the most important soil-borne pathogens of cereals throughout the world. This group of nematodes is considered the most economically damaging pathogens of wheat and barley in Iran. In the present study, a series experiments were conducted during 2007-2010 to determine the distribution and population density of cereal cyst nematodes and to examine the biology of Heterodera latipons in the winter wheat cv. Sardari in a microplot under rain-fed conditions over two successive years in Markazi province in central Iran. Results of field survey showed that 40% of the fields were infested with at least one species of either Heterodera filipjevi or H. latipons. H. filipjevi was most prevalent in Farmahin, Tafresh and Khomein, with H. latipons being found in Khomein and Zarandieh regions. Female nematodes were also observed in Bromus tectarum, Hordeum disticum and Secale cereale, which are new host records for H. filipjevi. Also, H. filipjevi and H. latipons were found in combination with root and crown rot fungi, Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium culmorum, F. solani and Gaeumannomyces graminis, in some fields. Results of the biology study showed that H. latipons developed only one generation in each wheat growing season and its developmental stages are closely related to the climate conditions and the host plant growth. Immature females were first evident on roots in the third week of March to early April, with soil temperatures of 11.8-13.3degreesC. The mature females containing eggs with embryo were observed in third week of April until early May, when the soil temperature was 14.2-15.3degreesC. H. latipons completed its life-cycle in about 145-150 days in wheat.