Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on in vivo organic matter digestibility and milk yield in buffalo cows

The influence of a dietary supplementation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) during the first and the second phase of lactation on dry matter (DM) intake, organic matter digestibility, milk yield and quality and haematological profile was evaluated in buffalo cows. Lactating buffaloes (n = 190), 118.7 days in milk (DIM), were randomly divided into Group C (control, n = 95) and Group T (fed diet supplemented with 98 billion CFU of S. cerevisiae, n = 95). Eight buffaloes for each group (Groups T1 and C1), 85.4 DIM, were used to study the in vivo digestibility and the haematological profile. No differences were found for DM intake (16.5 kg·day^− 1) and haematological profile. The SC supplementation increased milk yield (7.9 ± 0.2 vs. 7.4 ± 0.2; P < 0.01) but did not affect milk fat and protein. SC supplementation increased OM digestibility, mainly, in the first phase of lactation (< 135 days), thus allowing a higher energy availability for milk yield and reduced fat mobilization.     

Chromosome banding in three south Italian species of Allium section Allium (Alliaceae)

The karyotypes of southern Italian samples of three species of the genus Allium L. belonging to the section Allium, were analyzed using Feulgen staining and C-banding techniques. Karyomorphological affinities and C-banding patterns clearly denote close phyletic relationships between A. commutatum Guss., A. ampeloprasum L. and A. atroviolaceum Boiss. Nevertheless, the karyotypes of the two tetraploid species revealed notable differences in the amount and distribution of C-banded heterochromatin. Marker chromosomes were identified which helped tracing evolutionary relationships among the three taxa considered. The results of morphological and karyological examinations allow the proposition of a possible phyletic pathway between the diploid species A. commutatum and the tetraploid ones A. ampeloprasum and A. atroviolaceum. The latter species seems to be particularly well adapted to southern Italian environments and might therefore contribute useful traits to closely related crops, such as leeks.     

Saline water and MSW compost: Effects on yield of maize crop and soil responses

A field experiment was carried out in Southern Italy from 2007 to 2010 adopting a two-year rotation of tomato and maize. In this paper, the results of maize cultivation were reported, with the aim to investigate the effects of different water qualities and fertilizers on yield and soil properties. The following treatments were compared: mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer and irrigation with fresh water (FWF); mineral N fertilizer and irrigation with saline water (SWF); Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) compost and irrigation with fresh water (FWC); MSW compost and irrigation with saline water (SWC). These treatments were compared with an unfertilized control and irrigation with fresh-water (FW0) and an unfertilized control and irrigation with saline water (SW0). At harvest, yield, grain moisture content, dry matter, grain protein, starch, fat content and soil characteristics were determined. The treatments with compost increased the average grain yield of the 11% compared to mineral fertilizer treatments. Furthermore, the grain yield in SWC increased of the 19% respect to average of SWF and SW0, indicating that MSW compost applied as amendment mitigated the adversely effects of saline water. Compost application significantly increased the Total Organic Carbon (TOC). In particular, the FWC and SWC treatments showed an average increase of the 25% compared to the mean TOC value of FWF and SWF. Moreover, at the end of the experiment, electrical conductivity decreased in SWC treatment respect to the SWF (?21%).     

On the trail of the last autochthonous Italian einkorn (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum monococcum</Emphasis> L.) and emmer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum dicoccon</Emphasis> Schrank) populations: a mission impossible?

In 1970s it was thought that two species of ‘farro’, namely emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) and einkorn (T. monococcum L.), were no longer present in Italy, but in 1981, some populations were discovered in a mountain area of the Appennino Sannita (central southern Italy). In 2006/2007 three monitoring missions were carried out to check the current situation of these ancient hulled wheats, specifically in the same areas where they were formerly collected. The same zones were also investigated by both paleo-ethnobotany and agrobiodiversity points of view. The results of this research have shown that nowadays einkorn is completely extinct while emmer is still cultivated in very few traditional farms, mainly as a fodder crop. A strong genetic erosion was detected also for emmer and several nowadays samples were contaminated by seeds of modern spelt (T. spelta L.) varieties. In the present study the causes of this genetic erosion and which safeguarding actions to be undertaken are discussed.     

Use of a complexation of tebuconazole with beta-cyclodextrin for controlling foot and crown rot of durum wheat incited by Fusarium culmorum

The methodology for the inclusion of tebuconazole (TBC) in beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD), spectroscopic characterization of the inclusion complex, and its activity for the control of a major soilborne disease of wheat caused by Fusarium culmorum are reported. Controlled release measured by chemical shift of the diagnostic protons H(3) and H(5) of betaCD confirmed stability of the complex at the solid state and in aqueous solution. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted on durum wheat (Triticum durum cv. Prometeo) sown in substrate or in soil artificially infested with a virulent strain of F. culmorum. The inclusion complex betaCD-TBC, applied as seed dressing in combination or not with carboxymethylcellulose, reduced the disease incidence caused by F. culmorum and improved grain yield, showing effects that were generally comparable to those observed upon application of a commercial formulation of TBC. In the field experiment, only seed treatment with the inclusion complex betaCD-TBC allowed yield that was not different from that obtained from the uninoculated control. These results prove that by the use of the betaCD-TBC complex it is possible to obtain release of TBC and bioavailabilty of the fungicide without compromising its effectiveness.     

Genetic stability at nuclear and plastid DNA level in regenerated plants of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum</Emphasis> species and hybrids

In this work we detected the extent of variability at nuclear and cytoplasmic DNA level of regenerated plants belonging to Solanum genotypes with a different genetic background and somatic chromosome number. As for the nuclear characterization, a total of 66 (18.5%) polymorphic bands were scored using 13 ISSR primers on 45 randomly selected regenerants. Our results show that the regenerants obtained from clone cmm 1T and, at lower level, those from cph 1C are unstable under in vitro conditions or rather more prone to in vitro-induced stress leading to somaclonal variation than the other genotypes used. Two types of changes were observed: disappearance of parental ISSR fragments, termed “loss”; appearance of novel ISSR fragments, termed “gain”. The most frequent event occurring in the regenerants was the loss of fragments (41 bands). Regenerated plants were analyzed with seven plastid universal primers to determine the cytoplasmic composition at chloroplast level. All cpDNA primer pairs tested produced amplicons of the same size in all genotypes analyzed and no polymorphic fragments were observed with any universal primers used. Our results show that under in vitro culture conditions genotype affects the integrity of the genome. In addition, the absence of polymorphism at plastid level confirms the greater genetic stability of cytoplasmic DNA.