Application of urease inhibitor improves protein composition and bread‐baking quality of urea fertilized winter wheat

Background: Nitrogen losses is an economic problem for wheat production and a high risk to the environment. Therefore, improved N fertilizer management is a key to increasing the N efficiency and minimizing N losses. To increase N efficiency, enhanced fertilizers such as urea combined with urease inhibitor can be used. Aims: The aim of present study was to evaluate the effects of different N forms on grain storage protein subunits in winter wheat and to examine whether the observed changes correlate with parameters of baking quality. Methods: The investigation was performed over two consecutive years at two locations in Germany. Protein subunits were analyzed by SDS‐PAGE. Results: Protein concentrations were similarly increased after fertilization with ammonium nitrate and urea + urease inhibitor. Analysis of the individual storage protein fractions indicated that both fertilizers specifically enhanced ω‐gliadins and HMW glutenins, but the effect was more pronounced in the ammonium nitrate treatment. Application of urea + urease inhibitor had greater influence on the protein composition and resulted in higher specific baking volume as well as the best fresh keeping ability, in comparison with urea treatment. Conclusion: Considering that the urea + urease inhibitor treatment resulted in almost comparable improvements of NUE and baking quality, with the additional benefit of reduced N losses in combination with easy handling, urea + urease inhibitor can be recommended as a viable alternative to both urea alone and ammonium nitrate treatments. This opens up an opportunity for the reduction of N loss in wheat production when use of urea is preferred.     

Effect of Assessment Scale on Spatial and Temporal Variations in CH4, CO2, and N2O Fluxes in a Forested Wetland

Emissions of methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from a forested watershed (160 ha) in South Carolina, USA, were estimated with a spatially explicit watershed-scale modeling framework that utilizes the spatial variations in physical and biogeochemical characteristics across watersheds. The target watershed (WS80) consisting of wetland (23%) and upland (77%) was divided into 675 grid cells, and each of the cells had unique combination of vegetation, hydrology, soil properties, and topography. Driven by local climate, topography, soil, and vegetation conditions, MIKE SHE was used to generate daily flows as well as water table depth for each grid cell across the watershed. Forest-DNDC was then run for each cell to calculate its biogeochemistry including daily fluxes of the three greenhouse gases (GHGs). The simulated daily average CH₄, CO₂ and N₂O flux from the watershed were 17.9 mg C, 1.3 g C and 0.7 mg N m⁻², respectively, during the period from 2003–2007. The average contributions of the wetlands to the CH₄, CO₂ and N₂O emissions were about 95%, 20% and 18%, respectively. The spatial and temporal variation in the modeled CH₄, CO₂ and N₂O fluxes were large, and closely related to hydrological conditions. To understand the impact of spatial heterogeneity in physical and biogeochemical characteristics of the target watershed on GHG emissions, we used Forest-DNDC in a coarse mode (field scale), in which the entire watershed was set as a single simulated unit, where all hydrological, biogeochemical, and biophysical conditions were considered uniform. The results from the field-scale model differed from those modeled with the watershed-scale model which considered the spatial differences in physical and biogeochemical characteristics of the catchment. This contrast demonstrates that the spatially averaged topographic or biophysical conditions which are inherent with field-scale simulations could mask “hot spots” or small source areas with inherently high GHGs flux rates. The spatial resolution in conjunction with coupled hydrological and biogeochemical models could play a crucial role in reducing uncertainty of modeled GHG emissions from wetland-involved watersheds.     

Blackberry anthocyanins are mainly recovered from urine as methylated and glucuronidated conjugates in humans

The consumption of anthocyanins has been shown to prevent certain chronic diseases. However, anthocyanin metabolism has not yet been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate anthocyanin urinary excretion in humans receiving a meal containing blackberries and to identify possible metabolites in urine. Five healthy volunteers were fed 200 g of blackberries (960 mumol of anthocyanins). Urine samples were collected and rapidly treated by solid-phase extraction. Anthocyanin metabolites were identified and quantified by HPLC-ESI-MS-MS and HPLC with UV-vis detection, respectively. In addition to native cyanidin 3-glucoside, several other anthocyanin metabolites were identified in the urine: methylated glycosides, glucuronides of anthocyanidins and anthocyanins, a sulfoconjugate of cyanidin, and anthocyanidins. Total urinary excretion of blackberry anthocyanin metabolites was 0.160 +/- 0.020% (n = 5) of the amount of anthocyanins ingested. Monoglucuronides of anthocyanidins represented >60% of this excretion. Urinary excretion of anthocyanins was maximal between 2 and 4 h after the meal, but continued during the 24 h of the experiment. This study highlighted the influence of aglycon structure on anthocyanin urinary excretion. It demonstrated that anthocyanins are not only methylated but also glucuroconjugated and sulfoconjugated in humans and that the main metabolites of blackberry anthocyanins in human urine were anthocyanidin monoglucuronides.     

Pesticide residues in heterogeneous plant populations, a model-based approach applied to nematicides in banana (Musa spp.)

Nematicides are widely used to control plant-parasitic nematodes in intensive export banana (Musa spp.) cropping systems. Data show that the concentration of fosthiazate in banana fruits varies from zero to 0.035 g kg-1, under the maximal residue limit (MRL=0.05 mg kg-1). The fosthiazate concentration in fruit is described by a Gaussian envelope curve function of the interval between pesticide application and fruit harvest (preharvest interval). The heterogeneity of phenological stages in a banana population increases over time, and thus the preharvest interval of fruits harvested after a pesticide application varies over time. A phenological model was used to simulate the long-term harvest dynamics of banana at field scale. Simulations show that the mean fosthiazate concentration in fruits varies according to nematicide application program, climate (temperature), and planting date of the banana field. This method is used to assess the percentage of harvested bunches that exceed a residue threshold and to help farmers minimize fosthiazate residues in bananas.     

Deficit irrigation based on drought tolerance and root signalling in potatoes and tomatoes

Agriculture is a big consumer of fresh water in competition with other sectors of the society. Within the EU-project SAFIR new water-saving irrigation strategies were developed based on pot, semi-field and field experiments with potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), fresh tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and processing tomatoes as model plants. From the pot and semi-field experiments an ABA production model was developed for potatoes to optimize the ABA signalling; this was obtained by modelling the optimal level of soil drying for ABA production before re-irrigation in a crop growth model. The field irrigation guidelines were developed under temperate (Denmark), Mediterranean (Greece, Italy) and continental (Serbia, China) climatic conditions during summer. The field investigations on processing tomatoes were undertaken only in the Po valley (North Italy) on fine, textured soil. The investigations from several studies showed that gradual soil drying imposed by deficit irrigation (DI) or partial root zone drying irrigation (PRD) induced hydraulic and chemical signals from the root system resulting in partial stomatal closure, an increase in photosynthetic water use efficiency, and a slight reduction in top vegetative growth. Further PRD increased N-mineralization significantly beyond that from DI, causing a stay-green effect late in the growing season. In field potato and tomato experiments the water-saving irrigation strategies DI and PRD were able to save about 20-30% of the water used in fully irrigated plants. PRD increased marketable yield in potatoes significantly by 15% due to improved tuber size distribution. PRD increased antioxidant content significantly by approximately 10% in both potatoes and fresh tomatoes. Under a high temperature regime, full irrigation (FI) should be undertaken, as was clear from field observations in tomatoes. For tomatoes full irrigation should be undertaken for cooling effects when the night/day average temperature >26.5 °C or when air temperature >40 °C to avoid flower-dropping. The temperature threshold for potatoes is not clear. From three-year field drip irrigation experiments we found that under the establishment phase, both potatoes and tomatoes should be fully irrigated; however, during the later phases deficit irrigation might be applied as outlined below without causing significant yield reduction:

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Potatoes

°

After the end of tuber initiation, DI or PRD is applied at 70% of FI. During the last 14 days of the growth period, DI or PRD is applied at 50% of FI.

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Fresh tomatoes

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From the moment the 1st truce is developed, DI is applied at 85-80% of FI for two weeks. In the middle period, DI or PRD is applied at 70% of FI. During the last 14 days of the growth period, DI or PRD is applied at 50% of FI.

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Processing tomatoes

°

From transplanting to fruit setting at 4th-5th cluster, the PRD and DI threshold for re-irrigation is when the plant-available soil water content (ASWC) equals 0.7 (soil water potential, Ψ_soil = −90 kPa). During the late fruit development/ripening stage, 10% of red fruits, the threshold for re-irrigation for DI is when ASWC = 0.5 (Ψ_soil = −185 kPa) and for PRD when ASWC (dry side) = 0.4 (Ψ_{soil, dry side} = −270 kPa).

The findings during the SAFIR project might be used as a framework for implementing water-saving deficit irrigation under different local soil and climatic conditions.     

Comparison of mass spectrometry-based electronic nose and solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique to assess infant formula oxidation

Two headspace techniques based on mass spectrometry detection (MS), electronic nose, and solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS) were evaluated for their ability to differentiate various infant formula powders based on changes of their volatiles upon storage. The electronic nose gave unresolved MS fingerprints of the samples gas phases that were further submitted to principal component analysis (PCA). Such direct MS recording combined to multivariate treatment enabled a rapid differentiation of the infant formulas over a 4 week storage test. Although MS-based electronic nose advantages are its easy-to-use aspect and its meaningful data interpretation obtained with a high throughput (100 samples per 24 h), its greatest disadvantage is that the present compounds could not be identified and quantified. For these reasons, a SPME-GC/MS measurement was also investigated. This technique allowed the identification of saturated aldehydes as the main volatiles present in the headspace of infant milk powders. An isotope dilution assay was further developed to quantitate hexanal as a potential indicator of infant milk powder oxidation. Thus, hexanal content was found to vary from roughly 500 and 3500 microg/kg for relatively non-oxidized and oxidized infant formulas, respectively.     

Considerations regarding the use of hyperspectral imaging data in classifications of food products, exemplified by analysis of maize kernels

Development of robust analytical procedures is critical when using hyperspectral imaging technology in food technology and agriculture. This study used near-isogenic inbred corn lines to address two basic questions: (1) To what extent is classification accuracy increased by grinding maize kernels? (2) Can the classification accuracy of two near-isogenic inbred lines be increased by using a spectral filter to classify only certain hyperspectral profiles from each image cube? Whole kernels and ground kernels in two particle intervals, 0.250-0.354 mm (size 1) and 0.354-0.841 mm (size 2), were examined. Spectral profiles acquired from ground kernels had higher spectral repeatability than data collected from whole kernels. The classification error of discriminant functions from whole kernels was >3 times lower than that of size 1 ground particles. Applying a spectral filter to input data had negligible effect on classifications of hyperspectral profiles from whole kernels and size 2 ground particles, but for size 1 ground particles a considerable increase in accuracy was observed. Independent validation confirmed that distinction between wild type and mutant inbred maize lines could be conducted with >80% accuracy after the proposed spectral filter had been applied to hyperspectral profiles of size 1 ground particles. A combination of discriminant analysis and regression analysis could be used to accurately predict mixture ratios of the two inbred lines. The use of spectral filtering to increase the level of spectral repeatability and the use of hyperspectral imaging technology in large-scale commercial operations are discussed.     

The influence of soil properties on the structure of bacterial and fungal communities across land-use types

Land-use change can have significant impacts on soil conditions and microbial communities are likely to respond to these changes. However, such responses are poorly characterized as few studies have examined how specific changes in edaphic characteristics do, or do not, influence the composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities across land-use types. Soil samples were collected from four replicated (n = 3) land-use types (hardwood and pine forests, cultivated and livestock pasture lands) in the southeastern US to assess the effects of land-use change on microbial community structure and distribution. We used quantitative PCR to estimate bacterial–fungal ratios and clone libraries targeting small-subunit rRNA genes to independently characterize the bacterial and fungal communities. Although some soil properties (soil texture and nutrient status) did significantly differ across land-use types, other edaphic factors (e.g., pH) did not vary consistently with land-use. Bacterial–fungal ratios were not significantly different across the land-uses and distinct land-use types did not necessarily harbor distinct soil fungal or bacterial communities. Rather, the composition of bacterial and fungal communities was most strongly correlated with specific soil properties. Soil pH was the best predictor of bacterial community composition across this landscape while fungal community composition was most closely associated with changes in soil nutrient status. Together these results suggest that specific changes in edaphic properties, not necessarily land-use type itself, may best predict shifts in microbial community composition across a given landscape. In addition, our results demonstrate the utility of using sequence-based approaches to concurrently analyze bacterial and fungal communities as such analyses provide detailed phylogenetic information on individual communities and permit the robust assessment of the biogeographical patterns exhibited by soil microbial communities.     

Competition for shifting resources in the southern Benguela upwelling: Seabirds versus purse-seine fisheries

In the southern Benguela upwelling ecosystem off the west coast of South Africa, seabird populations are decreasing dramatically because of reduced availability of pelagic fish. We tested the hypothesis that the west coast fishing industry is competing for the remaining stocks of anchovy and sardine with the largest colony of Vulnerable Cape Gannets (Morus capensis) along the Atlantic coast. Using GPS-tracking of the birds, echo-sounding of pelagic fish, and vessel log books, we located overlap areas between bird foraging ranges, pelagic fish distribution, and fishing activities. We then compared fish catches by gannets and vessels within their joint foraging zones. In October 2007, purse-seine fishing grounds and gannet foraging areas overlapped by only 13%. However, for a 1-month period, the amount of fish removed from this area by purse-seine boats amounted to 41% of the food requirements of the 72,000 gannets breeding on Malgas Island (25% of the world population). The fishery’s catch in this area is significant in terms of its potential impact on gannets, but comprises only 3.6% of total fishery catch. Based on this finding, the rapidly decreasing size of the gannet colony and the stated objectives of South Africa’s Marine Living Resources Act of 1998, the case for considering and experimenting with at-sea ‘no-take’ areas for the purse-seine fishery is strong. Efforts to establish whether ‘no-take’ fishing zones increase food availability for top predators is an important next step in conservation of the southern Benguela Ecosystem.     

Delay of disease development in transgenic plants that express the tobacco mosaic virus coat protein gene

A chimeric gene containing a cloned cDNA of the coat protein (CP) gene of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was introduced into tobacco cells on a Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens from which tumor inducing genes had been removed. Plants regenerated from transformed cells expressed TMV mRNA and CP as a nuclear trait. Seedlings from self-fertilized transgenic plants were inoculated with TMV and observed for development of disease symptoms. The seedlings that expressed the CP gene were delayed in symptom development and 10 to 60 percent of the transgenic plants failed to develop symptoms for the duration of the experiments. Increasing the concentration of TMV in the inoculum shortened the delay in appearance of symptoms. The results of these experiments indicate that plants can be genetically transformed for resistance to virus disease development.