• Authors:
    • Lithourgidis, A.
    • Vlachostergios, D.
    • Dordas, C.
  • Source: Crop & Pasture Science
  • Volume: 63
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Pea ( Pisum arvense L.) is an important legume in many areas of the world, which is used for forage and grain production and could be used in intercropping systems. Intercropping of pea with oat ( Avena sativa L.) and barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.), in two seeding ratios 60:40 and 80:20, was compared with pea and two cereal monocrops for two growing seasons (2008-10), at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. The effect of the intercropping systems was determined on growth rate, plant height, chlorophyll content, DM, and N yield. Also, several competition and economic indices were used to evaluate the intercropping systems, such as land equivalent ratio (LER), relative crowding coefficient (K), aggressivity (A), competitive ratio (CR), actual yield loss (AYL), system productivity index (SPI), monetary advantage index (MAI), and intercropping advantage (IA). Growth rate of pea and cereals was lower by an average of 39 and 64%, respectively, in the intercrops than in the monocrops. DM yield was the highest in barley monocrop (13.00 Mg ha -1) followed by P 80O 20 intercrop (11.73 Mg ha -1). Pea monocrop, and P 80O 20 and P 80B 20 intercrops showed the highest crude protein (CP) concentration (137, 132 and 130 g kg -1 DM, respectively), whereas P 80O 20 intercrop also produced the highest CP yield (1552 kg ha -1). The LER, K, and AYL values (average 1.09, 1.75 and 0.29, respectively), were greater for both pea-oat intercrops compared with the pea-barley intercrops (average 0.98, 0.92 and 0.06, respectively), indicating that in these systems there was an advantage of intercropping for exploiting the resources of the environment. The A, CR, and partial AYL values in all intercrops were greater for oat and barley than pea, which indicated that cereals were more competitive partners than pea. The highest MAI, IA, and SPI values were recorded for P 80O 20 followed by P 60O 40 intercrops indicating that these intercropping systems were the most profitable. The results from this study showed that both pea-oat intercrops were more productive with high CP yield, and also they showed the best land-use efficiency.
  • Authors:
    • Lillo, C.
    • Eggen, T.
  • Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue: 28
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Residues of pharmaceuticals present in wastewater and sewage sludge are of concern due to their transfer to aquatic and terrestrial food chains and possible adverse effects on nontargeted organisms. In the present work, uptake and translocation of metformin, an antidiabetic II medicine, by edible plant species cultivated in agricultural soil have been investigated in greenhouse experiment. Metformin demonstrated a high uptake and translocation to oily seeds of rape ( Brassica napus cv. Sheik and Brassica rapa cv. Valo); expressed as an average bioconcentration factor (BCF, plant concentration over initial concentration in soil, both in dry weight), BCF values as high as 21.72 were measured. In comparison, BCFs for grains of the cereals wheat, barley, and oat were in the range of 0.29-1.35. Uptake and translocation to fruits and vegetables of tomato (BCFs 0.02-0.06), squash (BCFs 0.12-0.18), and bean (BCF 0.88) were also low compared to rape. BCFs for carrot, potato, and leaf forage B. napus cv. Sola were similar (BCF 1-4). Guanylurea, a known degradation product of metformin by microorganisms in activated sludge, was found in barley grains, bean pods, potato peel, and small potatoes. The mechanisms for transport of metformin and guanidine in plants are still unknown, whereas organic cation transporters (OCTs) in mammals are known to actively transport such compounds and may guide the way for further understanding of mechanisms also in plants.
  • Authors:
    • Jonge, L.
    • Jongbloed, A.
    • Krimpen, M.
    • Esmaeilipour, O.
    • Bikker, P.
  • Source: Animal Feed Science and Technology
  • Volume: 175
  • Issue: 3/4
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of temperature ( T), pH, time of incubation and pepsin on the stability of intrinsic phytase of different cereals. Experiment one was conducted as a 3*4*3*3 factorial arrangement with three feed ingredients (rye, wheat and barley), four T (20, 38, 55 and 80°C), three pH levels (3.0, 5.5 and 8.0) and three incubation times (30, 60 and 120 min), with two replicates per treatment. Stability was calculated as the ratio of the residual phytase activity of a treated sample to the non-treated (reference sample) times 100. Phytase activity of the reference samples of rye, wheat and barley was 3.14, 1.77 and 0.66 FTU/g, respectively. Overall, rye showed the highest and barley the lowest stability (0.58 vs. 0.47, P0.90). Wheat and rye phytases were stable at pH 3.0 and 5.5 (20 and 38°C). In experiment two, the effect of shorter period of time (10 and 30 min) was assessed on the stability of cereal phytases. Barley phytase showed the highest residual phytase activity among cereals at 65°C. In experiment three, stability of intrinsic phytase of these feed ingredients was determined after incubation in different concentrations of pepsin (0, 5 and 10 mg/mL) at pH 2.0. Intrinsic phytases of wheat and rye were resistant to pepsin, but barley phytase was susceptible to pepsin and its stability decreased to 0.57 after pre-incubation for 60 min in 5 mg pepsin/mL. This knowledge regarding the effect of T, incubation time and pH on stability of cereal intrinsic phytases may contribute to optimize available P contents of diets, thereby reducing phosphorus excretion of monogastrics.
  • Authors:
    • Fetere, V.
  • Source: Zinatniski praktiskas konference, "Zinatne Latvijas Lauksaimniecibas Nakotnei: Partika, Lopbariba, Skiedra un Energija", Jelgava, Latvia, 23-24 February 2012
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: The aim of studies was to define the impact of pre-sown crop winter rye and buckwheat on the plant growth, yield and grain quality of spring cereals. During research there were evaluated the traits characterizing the yield and grain quality of wheat 'Uffo' and barley 'Rasa'. The soil of biological crop rotation within the period of two years on average was processed with 20.1 t ha -1 of buckwheat green manure or 5.4 t ha -1 buckwheat dry matter and 4.2 t ha -1 rye straws or 2.5 t ha -1 dry matter of rye straws. According to the chemical analysis, the buckwheat dry matter contained nitrogen and phosphorus, which was three times higher than dry matter of rye straws, potassium and calcium was two times higher, but magnesium - five times higher than dry matter of rye straws. Spring wheat 'Uffo' (4.36 t ha -1) and spring barley 'Rasa' (3.23 t ha -1) provided significantly (p
  • Authors:
    • Ochodzki, P.
    • Goral, T.
    • Bulinska-Radomska, Z.
  • Source: Biuletyn Instytutu Hodowli i Aklimatyzacji Roslin
  • Issue: 263
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: The aim of the study was to determine Fusarium head blight resistance of spring type genotypes from the genera Triticum, Avena and Hordeum, and to determine the content of Fusarium mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol - DON and its derivatives) in grain. Head and kernel infection of barley was low and amounted 7.3% and 8.3%, respectively. However, barley accumulated 1.23 ppm of DON in grain. As for oat varieties, 26.5% of panicles showed FHB symptoms. Fusarium kernel damage was low and amounted 6.0%. Oat accumulated low amounts of DON in grain (0.44 ppm). Significant variation was found in genotypes of the genus Triticum in head infection (1.0-34.7%), kernel damage (0.7-30.1%) and accumulation of deoxynivalenol in grain (0.26-6.61 ppm). The cultivars of bread wheat were the most susceptible. There was also a significant intraspecific diversity of resistance in wheat, spelt and emmer. Fusarium head blight resistant and medium-resistant genotypes were identified.
  • Authors:
    • Asch, F.
    • Gorim, L.
  • Source: Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science
  • Volume: 198
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Cereal production systems are increasingly threatened by suboptimal water supply or intermittent drought spells early in the planting season. Seed coated with hydrophilic materials or hydro-absorbers that increase the amount of water available for germination and seedling development is a promising approach to improving stand establishment under changing conditions. Barley, rye and wheat grains with combinations of hydro-absorber, humic acid and Biplantol in different shares of the total seed mass were germinated in plates at 25°C on moist filter paper. Germination rates, resource partitioning and mobilization efficiency were assessed and compared with those of uncoated seeds. Results show a strong influence of coat thickness and composition on the germination rate and the efficiency of mobilization of carbohydrates stored in the endosperm. In general, coating significantly reduced germination rate and total germination as compared to uncoated seeds in all cereals tested. Differences in coating thickness had a distinct effect on germination rate for most combinations of coatings and species. Germination rates increased with increasing coat size. This effect was most pronounced for coatings containing hydro-absorbers and least pronounced for coatings containing humic acid or Biplantol. Coating generally increased the amount of carbohydrates partitioned to the roots, and thick coating increased the efficiency of grain reserve mobilization compared with the uncoated seeds. Differences between species and the implications for coating-related changes in germination metabolism are discussed.
  • Authors:
    • Zie, J.
    • Hagenblad, J.
    • Leino, M.
  • Source: Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution
  • Volume: 59
  • Issue: 6
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Landrace accessions have long been recognized as an important source of genetic diversity for crop species, and landraces are stored in genebanks across the world as genetic resources for future crop development. Landraces are also an important part of the human cultural heritage and as such they have been used for genetic studies to make inferences about historical agriculture. However, surprisingly little is known about the within-accession diversity of landrace crops of different species. In order to evaluate the diversity of Swedish landraces we used microsatellite markers to genotype accessions of four species (barley, pea, oats and rye), both extant genebank material and 114-year-old seed samples of similar geographic origin and type. We found consistently high levels of within-population genetic diversity in the historical material, but varying and often lower diversity levels in the genebank accessions. We also make tentative conclusions about how representative the genebank material is to what was originally cultivated in its reported area of origin and suggest that the true identity of the genebank accessions is unclear and that historical seed collections should be a more appropriate material for the study of historical agriculture.
  • Authors:
    • Arendt, E.
    • Zannini, E.
    • Bez, J.
    • Czerny, M.
    • Wolter, A.
    • Hager, A.
    • Czerny, M.
  • Source: European Food Research and Technology
  • Volume: 235
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Bread is a major staple food consumed daily in all parts of the world. A significant part of the human population cannot tolerate gluten, a storage protein found in wheat, rye and barley, and therefore, products made from alternative cereals are required. During this study, the bread-making potential of seven gluten-free flours, wheat and wholemeal wheat flour was compared. Fermentation potential of the different flours was determined, showing that dough development height of gluten-free and wholemeal wheat samples was lower than for wheat and oat flour. Apart from standard bread quality parameters such as loaf-specific volume and physical crumb texture, also water activity and shelf life have been determined. The shelf life of gluten-free breads was reduced compared to wheat bread. Aroma profiles were evaluated by a trained panel. Wheat, oat and wholemeal wheat breads were liked moderately, while the remaining samples had lower liking scores. Crumb grain characteristics were investigated using image analysis, and microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Overall, only breads produced from oat flour were of similar quality to wheat bread, and the utilization of buckwheat, rice, maize, quinoa, sorghum and teff flours resulted in breads of inferior quality.
  • Authors:
    • Rickard, I.
    • Holopainen, J.
    • Helama, S.
  • Source: Holocene
  • Volume: 22
  • Issue: 8
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Climate and weather variation affect agricultural productivity, with consequences for both overall food availability and the wider economy. Knowledge of these processes has implications for understanding historical demography and predicting effects of climate change on societies. We studied the relationships between ambient temperature and the yields and prices of principle grains (wheat, rye, barley oats) in Sweden from 1803 to 1914. We found that the annual general crop index (a measure of overall crop yield) correlated negatively with the annual average price of the four grains. Overall temperature during the period of crop growth was related positively to general crop index and negatively to average crop price. At the level of month of crop growth, when the relationship between temperature and general crop index was most positive, that between temperature and average crop price was most negative. This strong structured relationship was found to be consistent when yields of each crop were considered separately, and indicates that the relationships between crop yield and crop price were to a large extent due to the influence of ambient temperature. Price correlations between pairs of crop species were in all cases greater than the correlation of yields. Within individual crops, correlations between price and yield were stronger for those crops for which imports were not available, and which were therefore subject to the weakest influence from rising globalisation. Our analyses demonstrate the sensitivity of historical agriculture to climatic factors, and the extent to which this affected the wider economy. It is likely that the susceptibility of agriculture to climatic risks was ascended by the concomitant climate regime, the 'Little Ice Age'. Moreover, our study period spans the period of rising globalisation, and suggests a weakening influence of prevailing weather on crop prices.
  • Authors:
    • Jaskulski, D.
    • Osinski, G.
    • Jaskulska, I.
    • Madry, A.
  • Source: Fragmenta Agronomica
  • Volume: 29
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Drawing on the statistical survey performed over 2010-2011 on 155 farms in the Kujawy and Pomorze region, there was evaluated cultivar diversity for basic field crops and it was compared in the sown crops of winter wheat, spring barley, winter triticale, rye, maize, winter rape, sugar beet and potato. The following were determined: the knowledge of crop cultivars sown by farmers on production plantations and the most frequently grown cultivars, their number to the number of plantations of that species, diversity and domination defined using the Shannon-Wiener and Simpson indices. It was found that on 15.8-43.4% plantations the cultivars were not known to the farmers, most in the sown crops of spring barley. The best knowledge was recorded for the cultivars of winter wheat, winter rape and potato. A high richness of cultivars, expressed with the number of cultivars to the number of plantations, concerned the crops of potato, sugar beet and maize and the lowest richness - rye. The highest cultivar diversity of crops occurred in the sown winter wheat, winter triticale, winter rape, corn and spring barley. The lowest diversity, however, at the same time, the highest cultivar dominance, was recorded for sugar beet, potato and rye. The highest share of a single cultivar in the sown crop of the species was reported for 'Californium' winter rape, 'Dankowskie Zote' rye and 'Lord' potato.