Introduction to the Focus Issue

Cereal biomacromolecules are an important source not just of calories but also of functional ingredients in foods and as raw materials for biodegradable nonfood applications. Their important role is evidenced by an ever‐increasing number of peer‐reviewed publications on these topics. Current research is increasingly focused on understanding the fine structure of the macromolecules and their interactions with other ingredients within a food matrix for their impact on health. Furthermore, these learnings about the fine structure and interactions have relevance to functionality in nonfood applications. This focus issue attempts to summarize the state of the knowledge and research gaps related to the three major biomacromolecules in cereals: starch, proteins, and nonstarch polysaccharides (dietary fiber). Click on Current Issues on left and then July/August 2013 to view the articles in this Focus Issue. (From the Mobile site, go to the July/August 2013 issue.)     

我国亚热带的水土流失与水土保持问题

本文指出亚热带区是我国得天独厚的“物华天宝”之地，但水土流失影响本区的生态安全和经济持续发展。重点分析了水土流失的历史演变、类型特点及分布规律。阐述了建国以来不同空间尺度水土流失的动态变化。在分析流失面积变化的基础上指出，50多年来，全区水土流失形势与全国一样，呈抛物线发展态势。最后，强调指出水土保持和土地开发中存在的问题，在生产实践中，必须密切注意保护本区脆弱的生态环境，预防水土流失和地质灾害。     

Glycemic Response to Extruded Oat Bran Cereals Processed to Vary in Molecular Weight

Oat β‐glucan enriched extruded cereals with molecular weights (MWs) ranging from 2,180,000 to 326,000 were produced. Test meals composed of 31 g of available carbohydrate, 8.3–8.7 grams of β‐glucan, and milk were administered to subjects and their postprandial blood glucose levels monitored for 2 hr. White bread plus milk and a control wheat bran cereal plus milk were administered, and white bread alone served as a reference food for estimation of glycemic index (GI) of the cereals, after adjusting for the effect of adding milk to white bread. Both oat bran and wheat bran cereals significantly reduced peak blood glucose rise (PBGR) and area under the curve (AUC) versus white bread alone or white bread plus milk. There was a significant inverse relationship between AUC and log₁₀[weight average MW] (r² = 0.96, P = 0.0192). There was a significant inverse relationship between PBGR and log₁₀[viscosity] of in vitro extracts from all cereals, including the wheat control (r² = 0.96, P = 0.0031). However, no significant differences in glycemic responses among the oat bran cereals were found with pairwise comparisons. All cereals were low GI (<55) and were significantly lower than white bread alone or white bread plus milk. Among the oat bran cereals, palatability was positively correlated with MW (r² = 0.98, P = 0.0110).     

日本冲绳县赤土流出防止条例与对策简介

本介绍了日本冲绳县在防止赤土流出方面制定的条例与对策，希望能对我省的水土保持工作有所帮助。     

建瓯市引种Ⅱ系狼尾草技术和效益初探

近几年建瓯市奶牛养殖业发展迅速，短期内出现了牧草供应紧张和占用良田种植牧草的现象。为此，福建省水土保持试验站和建瓯市水土保持试验站积极探索在荒坡地、老茶果园和工程开挖、堆弃土边坡等水土流失地种植Ⅱ系狼尾草的开发利用，引种获得成功。本文分析了种植Ⅱ系狼尾草的效益，并总结其种植技术与管理经验，为推广种植提供参考。     

Soil vulnerability to pollution in Europe

Abstract. Pollution by inorganic and organic substances is increasingly disrupting the natural functions of soils. Some soils seem capable of receiving and holding chemical compounds, at the same time retaining their ecological flexibility, but others are readily damaged and should be regarded as vulnerable to particular pollution scenarios.
At the request of the Chemical Time Bombs (CTB) Project, the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC) organized an international workshop to assess the feasibility of increasing awareness of 'soil vulnerability' by a mapping exercise for Europe (SOVEUR), at a scale of 1:5 M, with reference to selected organic and inorganic contaminants. The workshop participants outlined procedures for a GIS-based approach to determining areas where vulnerable soils occur, and formulated proposals for the implementation phase of the SOVEUR programme. Funding is now sought for continuation of the work outlined in this paper.     

影响禾谷类作物籽实营养素含量的遗传因素分析

禾谷类作物是最重要的粮食作物,为人类提供了必需的营养物质,淀粉、脂肪、蛋白质、维生素和矿物质作为谷物的主要营养素,其含量是培育健康谷物的关键。为给育种研究中有效提升禾谷类籽实的营养品质及谷物的有效利用提供参考,并为培育更具全面营养的谷物提供理论依据,从饮食源头上为人类健康保驾护航。本文基于近年来相关文献资料的梳理归纳,对几种主要的禾谷类作物小麦、大麦、燕麦、水稻和玉米中的几种主要营养素含量进行比较分析,对影响这些营养物质含量和品质的遗传因素进行分析总结,认为小麦、大麦、燕麦、水稻、玉米等禾谷类籽实所含的各类营养物质有较大差异,不同物种遗传背景的差异是导致不同禾谷类籽实营养物质差异的根本原因,而在进化过程中基因突变的平行性又是导致禾谷类籽实中相同营养元素被同类基因编码调控的直接原因。     

Reducing the contribution of ammonia to nitrogen deposition across Europe

European emissions of reduced nitrogen, arising principally from agriculture, are comparable with those of oxidised nitrogen from mobile and stationary combustion sources. It is therefore important to include ammonia emissions in working towards a new protocol on nitrogen under the programme of the UN Economic Commission for Europe on the control of transboundary air pollution. However the nature of the sources and the subsequent atmospheric transport and chemistry are very different from other acidifying pollutants. This paper describes work in hand under the MARACCAS project to compare agricultural activities in different European countries and to assess the applicability and efficacy of potential abatement measures. The aim is to derive abatement costs for each country relating successive emission reductions to the costs of achieving them, to be used by the UN ECE Task Force on Integrated Assessment Modelling (TFIAM) — in particular with our Abatement Strategies Assessment Model, ASAM. The paper will also address the large uncertainties involved in integrated assessment modelling with respect to ammonia, and suggest how these may be allowed for in deriving cost-effective abatement strategies.     

俄罗斯新土壤分类的研究现状和特点

通过与俄罗斯著名土壤学家来访时的交流、结合最新的一些文献记载 ,作者介绍了俄罗斯新土壤分类的研究状况 ,包括土壤分类的原则、方法 ,新土壤系统分类体系的建立、特点与存在的问题。使我国土壤科学工作者对曾是土壤发生分类的发源地的俄罗斯土壤分类研究的最新进展有所了解     

Adaptation of the biobed composition for chlorpyrifos degradation to Southern Europe conditions

Biobeds developed in Sweden bind and degrade pesticides from point sources. The objective of this work was to adapt the biobed to Italian operating conditions, for example, to identify organic materials as effective as those in the original Swedish composition. The capacity of urban and garden composts alone or mixed with citrus peel or straw to degrade chlorpyrifos and its metabolite TCP was compared to the typical Swedish biomix consisting of straw, peat, and soil. A tendency for higher 14C-chlorpyrifos mineralization and lower TCP levels was observed in the biomixes with garden compost alone or amended with straw. In a second trial, a high correlation of lower TCP with increasing levels of straw in typical Swedish biomixes was observed. Straw stimulates production of lignin-degrading enzymes such as manganese peroxidase (MnP), and further trials with pure MnP showed that this enzyme degrades TCP. Materials with an active lignin-degrading microflora are a prerequisite for effective dissipation of chlorpyrifos and non-accumulation of TCP. Thus, lignocellulosic materials as straw and garden composts should be present in biomixes to be used under Italian conditions.     

Defining the Overall Quality of Cowpea‐Enriched Rice‐Based Breakfast Cereals

The development of innovative legume‐enriched rice products is a promising way to exploit rice varieties with a low sensory grade. In this work, a multidisciplinary approach was applied to the characterization of extruded breakfast cereals prepared from African‐grown Oryza glaberrima (cv. Viwonor) or Oryza sativa (cv. Jasmine 85) enriched with 30% cowpea flour, obtained from sprouted or nonsprouted cowpea. Regardless of the rice species, addition of sprouted cowpea flour conferred a peculiar volatiles profile, rich in sour, bitter, and astringent taste. Protein structural indices provided molecular insights about the macroscopic differences among samples. Extruded products from O. glaberrima were characterized by lower expansion rates with respect to those obtained from O. sativa , regardless of the type of cowpea flour. Sprouting time had a positive influence on the hardness of extruded glaberrima‐based products, facilitating formation of a more compact matrix, but it did not influence sativa‐ based products. Therefore, the breakdown of protein during sprouting appeared fundamental for the incorporation of legume proteins in more compact matrices, such as the one from sativa rice. In the glaberrima‐based products, addition of sprouted cowpea resulted in further loosening of the structure, and this was more evident at increased sprouting times.     

加拿大萨斯喀彻温省及北部地区生态及资源管理

加拿大的工农业发展和巨大的发展潜力是和其拥有干净和健康的自然环境和丰富的自然资源分不开的,更重要的是加拿大各级部门和公众早已意识到其长期和稳定发展取决于良好的管理和利用环境资源.加拿大主要环境资源管理和其它各部门的环境管理机构众多,很多前沿技术在很多省份皆有很好的应用.简要介绍了Saskatchewan(萨省)的环境机构及管理动作方式,环境生态保护现状和卫星遥感技术在该省环境保护方面的应用.