Antioxidant Capacity of Beetroot: Traditional vs Novel Approaches

Red beetroot has been ranked among the 10 most potent antioxidant vegetables, although only extraction-based methods have been used to evaluate its total antioxidant capacity. Therefore, the present study aims at comparing the traditional extraction-based method with two more recent approaches (QUENCHER -QUick, Easy, New, CHEap and Reproducible- and GAR -global antioxidant response method), in order to establish their suitability in the case of beetroot. Our results indicate that the total antioxidant capacity of beetroot would be underestimated when using extraction-based procedures, since both QUENCHER and GAR methods resulted in a higher total antioxidant capacity. The effect of a thermal treatment on the total antioxidant capacity of beetroot varies among the methods evaluated and our findings suggest different compounds responsible for the total antioxidant capacity detected in each pre-processing method. Remarkably, the present study demonstrates that the traditional extraction-based method seems useful to screen for (changes in) the “bioavailable” antioxidant potential of the root.     

Prediction of parental combination for introduction of stay-green associated loci in wheat

In wheat, the increase of yield and stability associated traits can be achieved by combining parents containing the stay-green trait and favorable alleles for grain yield. The aim of this work was to analyze the genetic dissimilarity between wheat lines from stay-green and synchronized maturation groups and elite cultivars. Moreover, to propose promising combinations seeking the selection of high-grain yield and high bread-making quality genotypes containing stay-green trait. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replications in 2003, 2004, and 2005, using sister-lines with the presence and absence of stay-green trait and elite cultivars. Genetic variability exists among wheat strains from the synchronized stay-green maturation group and elite cultivars. Genotypes of maturation group stay-green obtained an average performance superior to the synchronized group. Crosses between stay-green lines and the CEP 29 and BRS 177 cultivars are promising in the selection of genotypes carrying the stay-green trait with high yield and bread-making quality.     

Correction to: Individual based modelling of fish migration in a 2-D river system: model description and case study

Landscape Ecology - In the original publication of the article, the third author name has been misspelt. The correct name is given in this Correction. The original version of this article was revised.     

Effect of moisture content during dry-heating on selected physicochemical and functional properties of dried egg white

This article addresses the effect of moisture content (0.8-9.9%) during dry-heating (80 degrees C) on selected physicochemical (solubility, turbidity, residual denaturation enthalpy, aggregation, surface hydrophobicity, and sulfhydryl content) and functional (foaming ability, foam density, and stability) properties of freeze-dried egg white (FDEW). Moisture content during dry-heating proved to be a parameter determining the functionality of the resulting egg white powder. The degree of conformational changes induced in the egg white proteins by dry-heating was strongly dependent on the amount of water present. Preferentially, dry-heating at 80 degrees C should be performed on egg white powder with a moisture content below 6.8%, as the loss of protein solubility above this value is extensive. In addition to insoluble aggregates, soluble, strongly stabilized aggregates were also formed, especially at higher moisture contents. The decrease in denaturation enthalpy, increase in surface hydrophobicity, and exposure of SH groups previously hidden in the protein core and their subsequent oxidation were more pronounced at prolonged dry-heating times and at higher moisture contents. These conformational changes resulted in improved foaming ability and foams with lower density. No effect of dry-heating on the foam stability was observed.     

Season-specific varietal management as an option to increase rainfed lowland rice production in East African high altitude cropping systems

Due to land expansion and an increase in productivity, rice production in sub-Saharan Africa has been growing at a rate of 6% in the past decade. Rainfed rice production systems have accounted for a large share of this expansion. In these systems, the potential growing period not only depends on the length of the rainy season and thus water availability, but is often, especially in the highlands of East Africa, bordered by the onset of the cool period of the year, when low minimum temperatures compromise rice yields. The objective of this study was to investigate the yield potential of 30 rice varieties contrasting in crop duration and cold tolerance in the highlands of East Africa, with its limited length of growing period. A field trial was conducted in the cropping seasons in 2016 and 2017 at the Fogera rice research station, Ethiopia. As a function of the onset of rains, rice was sown mid-July in 2016 and early July in 2017. Early sowing in 2017 led to an extended crop duration and significantly lower yields of the short-duration varieties, and to a shortened duration and significantly higher yields of the medium- and long-duration varieties, when compared to late sowing in 2016. Late sowing compromised yield of the medium- and long-duration varieties because of low temperatures during booting stage, which led to high spikelet sterility. Early sowing resulted in low yields of the short-duration varieties, probably due to low solar radiation during the cloudy rainy season, which coincided with the vegetative stage. Therefore, choice of variety should be a function of the variable onset of the rainy season and related sowing date. However, crop models precisely calibrated for potential varieties and the respective environmental conditions could fully support the selection of a suitable variety, depending on the date of sowing, for example with the help of online tools or smartphone applications.     

A proposal for enhanced EU herbage VCU and DUS testing procedures

Herbage production is regarded as having environment-friendly credentials. However, as the ruminant production it supports is facing major challenges on sustainability, environmental footprint and human health concerns, EU herbage cultivar testing must contribute to the solutions. Before new cultivars can be sold in a member state (MS) and gain EU-wide marketing, they must pass official tests to prove they are both novel (distinct, uniform and stable, DUS) with improved value for cultivation and use (VCU). Herbage species present specific challenges, as their allogamy imposes a wide within-cultivar variation that adds complexity to DUS tests and their “value” is only realized in ruminant produce. Current VCU systems measure production, chemical composition and disease/stress tolerances, often on large numbers of candidate cultivars, but prohibitive labour costs and logistics mean that animal intake, ruminant output or environmental benefits cannot be measured directly. Furthermore, some candidate cultivars with proven superior VCU fail DUS even though the non-distinct comparison is with a significantly lower performing registered cultivar. To resolve these problem cases, a “vmDUS” distinctness tool is proposed, which uses molecular markers but conforms to UPOV-declared principles. A short overview of current grassland research shows smart proxy measures of animal value can easily and quickly be adopted into an integrated pan-European (EU-VCU) test network. The proposed EU-VCU scheme will reallocate test resources to conduct these additional tests by placing MS in data sharing collaborations, while retaining their national listing authority. The benefits to all stakeholders from adopting these new testing procedures are considered.     

Correction to: Coupling landscape graph modeling and biological data: a review

Landscape Ecology - In the original publication of the article, the sixth author name has been misspelt. The correct name is given in this Correction. The original article has been corrected.     

Genes related to flooding tolerance during germination and early growth of weedy rice

Evolution of flooding tolerance in weedy rice has occurred in several rice-growing regions, but the genes related to this process and the environmental effects are unknown. The objective of this study was to analyse the expression of genes related to flooding tolerance in response to temperature and flooding during the initial establishment of weedy rice. The experiments were carried out with rice cultivars IRGA 417 and Nipponbare, which are sensitive to flooding, and weedy rice ITJ03 and AV04 genotypes that have high and intermediate tolerance to flooding, respectively. The expression of genes related to reserve mobilisation, anaerobic respiration, escape and quiescence strategies was analysed at periods up to 24 days after sowing. The flooding tolerance of weedy rice genotype ITJ03 was associated with the expression of RAmy3D and OsTPP7 , which are involved in the mobilisation of carbohydrate reserves, ADH1 and ADH2, which participate in anaerobic respiration, and SNRKL1 that triggers rapid elongation of the coleoptile and emergence. Although the genes PDC1, SUS3 and SUB1 are important for flooding tolerance in cultivated rice, their expression was not directly related to flooding tolerance in weedy rice. A temperature of 20°C reduced levels of expression of the RAmy3D, ADH2 and SNRKL1 genes and low temperature had a negative effect on the establishment of weedy rice. Breeding of rice genotypes with tolerance of low temperatures and anaerobic conditions may be a viable strategy to improve the control of weedy rice in paddy fields.     

Whitened kernel surface: A fast and reliable method for assessing Fusarium severity on cereal grains by digital picture analysis

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a cereal disease of major importance responsible for yield losses and mycotoxin contaminations in grains. Here, we introduce a new measurement approach to quantify FHB severity on grains based on the evaluation of the whitened kernel surface (WKS) using digital image analysis. The applicability of WKS was assessed on two bread wheat and one triticale grain sample sets (265 samples). Pearson correlation coefficients between Fusarium‐damaged kernels (FDK) and WKS range from r = 0.77 to r = 0.81 and from r = 0.61 to r = 0.86 for the correlation between deoxynivalenol (DON) content and WKS. This new scoring method facilitates fast and reliable assessment of the resistance to kernel infection and shows significant correlation with mycotoxin content. WKS can be automated and does not suffer from the “human factor” inherent to visual scorings. As a low‐cost and fast approach, this method appears particularly attractive for breeding and genetic analysis of FHB resistance where typically large numbers of experimental lines need to be evaluated, and for which WKS is suggested as an alternative to visual FDK scorings.     

Assessing opportunity and relocation costs of marine protected areas using a behavioural model of longline fleet dynamics

Increasing use of spatial management tools in fisheries requires an understanding of fleet response, and in particular to where displaced fishing effort is likely to move. We develop a state‐dependent decision‐making model to address the spatial allocation of effort in an Australian tuna longline fishery. We assume that fishers have an economic objective in deciding where to fish, but that decisions in any period are also influenced by the remaining quota held at the time of the decision. Key features of the model include endogenous price dynamics, a moving stock and a competitive pool of different vessel types operating from different port locations. We utilize this model to illustrate fleet responses to marine reserves and limits on fishing effort. The results illustrate that the model framework provides advantages over statistically based models in that decisions made in response to the imposition of a reserve are not consistent with a proportional reallocation of effort. Rather, the stochastic dynamic model yielded an overall profit level of ～4% higher relative to scenarios with no reserve. Incorporating the opportunity cost of a quota into the model resulted in an optimal utilization of effort, in which effort was concentrated in time periods and locations yielding maximized profit. Under a low level of effort relative to the season length, the model indicated an overall profit level 43% greater than the highest obtained when the same level of effort was applied solely within any given quarter of the season.