Triticale and other small grain cereals for forage and grain in Mediterranean conditions

In field experiments conducted over 2 years, triticale was compared with barley, bread wheat and oats for its dual-purpose (forage and grain) capability.
The effect of spring forage removal on grain yield ranged from small yield increases (in the triticale and barley genotypes that otherwise lodged) to a 53% decrease, and was dependent on species, genotype, stage of development when cut, and time for recovery before grain harvest. A key factor influencing grain yield after early cutting was the number of spikes that developed.
The complete types of triticale were better than the one substituted type tested for dual purpose but, as there is variability among them, selection for good mixed aptitude is possible.
The production of the best triticale averaged over 2 years 3 t of forage DM ha^-1 (with 684 kg of crude protein ha^-1) and then 4–3 t of grain ha^-1. In this instance, neither the grain yield nor the number of spikes per plant were reduced after clipping, in spite of the fact that the shoot apices were removed.
Plant height and lodging were reduced by a forage cut. In triticale, the number of days to heading was increased even more when the cut was late, but no effect was observed in barley.     

Antioxidant activity of small grain cereals caused by phenolics and lipid soluble antioxidants

In this study, the content of soluble, free forms of phenolic compounds (total phenolics, flavonoids, PVPP (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone) bound phenolics, proanthocyanidins and phenolic acids), as well as the content of carotenoids and tocopherols, were determined in whole grains of bread and durum wheat, rye, hull-less barley and hull-less oat, each represented with four genotypes. Antioxidant activity was evaluated as radical scavenging activity with DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) reagent, as well as by hydrogen transfer reaction (reduction power) based on the reduction of Fe³⁺. Generally, a considerable variation in antioxidant activities and phytochemical contents was observed between the cereals. Remarkably higher DPPH radical scavenging ability and reducing power were detected in hull-less barley, followed by rye and hull-less oat and durum and bread wheat, indicating that small grain species have different major antioxidants with different properties. Hull-less barley had the highest content of total free phenols, flavonoids, PVPP bound phenolics and contained flavan-3-ols, not found in other species. Hull-less oat had the highest content of tocopherols, very high content of yellow pigments and PVPP bound phenolics. Ferulic acid was the major free phenolic acid in small grain cereals tested. The relationship between the content of soluble phenols, as well as reducing power and DPPH^• scavenging activity are also considered.     

Fusarium genetic traceability: Role for mycotoxin control in small grain cereals agro-food chains

Risks associated with mycotoxin contamination of cereals, that are included in the ten major staple foods and greatly contribute to the dietary energy intake, are of worldwide relevance. In small grain cereals, mycotoxins are produced by fungi such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria and Fusarium that colonize the plant in the field and can grow during the post-harvest period, producing several classes of mycotoxins. The identification of mycotoxigenic fungal species and strains is essential for developing effective strategies for control. For this purpose, genetic traceability has proved to be a valuable tool that can be applied along the whole production chain, starting in the field for early diagnosis of FHB (Fusarium Head Blight) disease to the final processing steps, such as malting or pasta making. In this paper, DNA-based analytical tools that are currently available for the identification and quantification of mycotoxigenic fungal species and strains are reviewed, with particular emphasis on Fusarium, and their possible applications in mycotoxin control in small grain cereal chains are discussed.     

Winter cereals grown for grain and for the dual purpose of forage plus grain I. Production

In many rainfed regions of Euro-Mediterranean countries, current political and socio-economic developments demand research in alternative production systems to the common cereal grain monoculture. We studied the option of producing forage in winter by growing cereals for dual purpose (forage plus grain) in a Mediterranean environment. The effect of clipping on forage and grain production was assessed between 1987 and 1990 at Granada, southern Spain, in four cereal cultivars, and in one barley cultivar under three sowing systems.Winter forage yield of cereals, all clipped once at the stage of lemma primordia, was highly variable (25 to 311 g m⁻² of herbage dry matter), with considerable differences among cultivars, sowing systems and seasons. Treatments that had higher forage production were those of either longer crop duration before clipping date (with higher leaf numbers on the main stem and tiller numbers per plant) or higher plant density. Forage production was not related to grain yield reductions due to winter clipping.Averaged over cultivars, sowing systems and seasons, clipping reduced grain yield by 1%, but yielded some 127 g m⁻² of dry matter per season in a period of pasture shortage. Nevertheless, the responses to winter clipping differed among seasons. In 1987/88, clipped cereals produced more dry matter and grain than the control. In contrast, in the last two seasons, clipping reduced dry matter and grain production. Early sowing modified the response to clipping in these last two seasons. Grain yield of early sown barley was not reduced by clipping in 1988/89 and was even increased in 1989/90.The dual-purpose target for cereals could be an alternative to traditional grain monoculture in some Mediterranean environments, provided that adaptations of the traditional crop management to dual purpose, such as the optimization of sowing date and cultivar, are undertaken.     

Winter cereals grown for grain and for the dual purpose of forage plus grain II. Water use and water-use efficiency

Water use of barley (Hordeum distichon L.) and triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) grown for the dual purpose of forage plus grain as an alternative to traditional grain monoculture (control) was assessed at Granada, southern Spain, in two experiments during three cropping years.No significant differences in seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) and soil water depletion at maturity were found between production targets, irrespective of genotype, sowing date and year. A more efficient use of autumn and winter rainfall explained the higher water use observed in 1989/90 in early sown barley as compared to the normal sowing date.There were differences in water-use efficiency (WUE) between seasons in response to clipping: in 1987/88, clipping increased WUE in both experiments relative to the control, while it either reduced it (genotype experiment) or did not affect it (sowing system experiment) in the two following seasons. The response of WUE to clipping was a consequence of similar, differential responses between years observed in dry matter and grain production.Weather-crop interactions caused variable drought and crop water-use patterns among years, which affected the different responses to clipping observed among years. In 1987/88, the crops experienced a prolonged drought period that started around clipping, and increased in severity until anthesis, when spring rains improved growth conditions for some weeks. Forage removal decreased water use and reduced plant water deficit, therefore allowing for enhanced growth and increased water use around anthesis. Thus, clipped cereals had higher grain numbers, dry matter and grain yield than the control at harvest. However, the water-use partitioning observed in the clipping-anthesis period of 1987/88 did not occur in following two seasons. This was possibly due to higher soil evaporation losses after forage removal for clipped cereals in 1988/89, and higher water availability in the clipping-anthesis period in 1989/90. Thus, clipping, by reducing the photosynthetic surface after forage removal, yielded less biomass and grain, and resulted in lower WUE, relative to the control.Winter forage production was associated to ET in 1987/88 and 1989/90, and to WUE in 1988/89 and 1989/90, during the crop phases prior to clipping. However, the increases in ET did not imply lower water availability for subsequent crop phases, as it was the result of more efficient use of autumn and winter rainfall.     

Chelidonium majus and its utilization in metalindustry

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

The value of small potatoes for seed purposes

American Journal of Potato Research -     

小粒型优质杂交水稻新组合的选育实践

介绍了近年育成的几个小粒型杂交稻新组合，其特点是粒型细小．千粒重在20～23g；商品品质明显提高．主要表现为垩白度显著下降，整精米率提高；产量与同熟期高产组合相当。结合育种实践。讨论了“小粒大穗。优质高产”这一杂交稻米质改良技术路线的可行性及相关的育种策略。     

Effect of non-lethal low phytic acid mutations on grain yield and seed viability in rice

Low phytic acid (LPA) crops have recently been considered as a potential way to combat nutritional and environmental issues related to seed phytic acid phosphorus (PA-P). Although, a number of LPA mutant lines have been developed in various crops, they are often featured with lower grain yield and seed viability compared with wild type (WT) parents. We recently developed several LPA mutant lines in rice with PA-P reductions varying from 33.8% to 63.6%. In this study, the performance of grain yield and seed viability of these mutants were investigated. Four of the five mutant lines had 12.5–25.6% reductions in grain yield compared to the corresponding WT parental lines. The reduction in grain weight, varying from 5.4% to 10.7%, was found to be the main causative factor of yield reduction. Similarly, LPA mutants had inferior seed viability to their corresponding WT parent varieties; all mutant lines had a significantly lower simplified vigour index (seed germination rate × seedling dry weight) than their parents, with reductions of 7.8–26.3%, although some mutant lines had similar germination rates as their WT parents. The two mutant lines, which had similar germination rates as their WT parent, however, had significantly lower field emergence rates. More pronounced differences of simplified vigour index were observed after artificial aging treatments between four LPA lines from their WT parents, implying that LPA rice seeds were more susceptible to storage than WT. The yield and yield-related traits of F₂ plants and F₃ lines from three crosses were evaluated; the results showed that while LPA was associated with significantly lower grain yield and grain weight than WT sibs, there were also LPA plants and lines that out-performed WT controls. These results implied that the negative effect of LPA mutations on grain yield might be reduced or minimized through cross and selection breeding. The implications of these findings were discussed with regard to LPA rice breeding and potential commercial production.     

Reducing the incidence of cereal head infection and mycotoxins in small grain cereal species

Reducing the level of infection of cereal heads caused by Fusarium and associated mycotoxin accumulation in grains is of a high priority in order to secure the yield, agronomic performance, and food and feed safety from field to table. Strategies to tackle the problem have been proposed at many levels, including greater knowledge of the biology of toxigenic fungi and of plant–pathogen interactions, monitoring activities which extend from the field to the end-products, pre-breeding, breeding and transgenesis to develop new resistant plant varieties, crop protection based on synthetic or natural molecules, biocontrol of fungal populations, the development and use of models that take into account the climatic conditions, and the adoption of technological protocols for reducing or inactivating mycotoxins. This review article highlights that the problem is very complex but that the scientific community continues to produce important knowledge and potential solutions.     

Comparative performance of three small seed tuber sizes and standard size seed tubers planted at similar stem densities

Summary Small seed tubers of 1–5 g, 5–10 g and 10–20 g were planted at the same sprout densities as standard size seed tubers of 40–60 g in order to give similar stem densities. Early ground cover by foliage, total yield, and yield of tubers >45 mm were consistently greater in plots planted with larger seed tubers. The effect of seed tuber size on yield and tuber number per stem varied between years but 1–5 g seed tubers always gave lower yields per stem than larger seed tubers. Reducing the spacing between rows from 90 cm to 60 cm and maintaining the same sprout density was more effective in increasing yields from small seed tubers than increasing sprout density from 20 to 40 sprouts per m² by reducing plant spacing within the row.     

Niacin status of humans as affected by eating decorticated and whole-ground sorghum (Sorghum Gramineae) grain,ready-to-eat breakfast cereals

Niacin utilization to humans from whole grain ground sorghum flour and decorticated grain ground sorghum flour was studied. During two, randomly-arranged experimental periods of 14 days each, the 10 healthy adult subjects ate constant, laboratory controlled diets which included 28 g per day of either a ready-to-eat cereal prepared from whole-ground-sorghum flour or one prepared from decorticated (polished) sorghum flour. All subjects received both experimental treatments, made complete collections of urine and stools, and gave fasting blood samples at the ends of both experimental periods. Although the whole ground cereal contained higher amounts of niacin than did the decorticated cereal, urinary losses of N-methylnicotinamine were higher when the decorticated cereal was fed than when the whole ground cereal was used. Blood serum levels of nicotinamide and N-nicotinamide were higher when the whole ground cereal was fed than the feeding of the decorticated cereal was given. Therefore, it appears that the niacin of whole ground sorghum is absorbed but then the need for niacin is either increased or its urinary excretion is inhibited.Published as University of Nebraska Division of Agriculture Research Journal Series No. 9494. Supported by Nebraska Agriculture Research Division Project 91-031 and U.S.D.A. C.S.R.S. Regional Research Project No. W-143.     

Trypsin inhibitors and nutritive value in cereals

Chemical assays demonstrated that rye and barley cultivars contained relatively high levels of trypsin inhibitor activity as compared to oat and wheat cultivars, and there was a low degree of stability to prolonged wet heat treatment. In feeding trials with broiler chicks, incorporation of 67% raw barley or 50% raw rye in the rations enhanced feed intake and weight gains, and the marginal increases in pancreas weight were not reversed by feeding autoclaved cereals. Raw rye cultivars fed at the 75% level in mouse diets reduced weight gains, feed efficiency, protein digestibility, protein efficiency ratio and biological value. Autoclaving to inactivate trypsin inhibitors, or ether extraction to remove the resorcinols, failed to improve the nutritive value of rye diets for mice. It appeared that the protease inhibitors in the four cereals were relatively weak inhibitors of trypsin in the digestive system despite stability to dry heat and acid pH.     

DNA-based methods for identification and quantification of small grain cereal mixtures and fingerprinting of varieties

The composition of cereal-based foods is a key factor in determining the quality and safety of the final product while the reliable identification of cereal species and cultivars are essential for the handling, marketing and processing of grain and for the protection of plant breeders' rights. Analytical methods have therefore been developed and applied to identify and quantify cereal species in food products and also to fingerprint and identify grain at the genotype and variety levels. DNA-based methods for the detection and quantification of mixtures of small grain cereals are reviewed, together with the recent development of molecular markers for varietal fingerprinting.