Forms of application of phosphorus fertilization on carrot

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of forms of application and application rates of phosphate fertilizer on the agronomic characteristics of carrot. A field experiment was carried out in a 2?×?7 factorial arrangement, consisting of two forms of application of the P source (over the whole area or specifically in the strip of the double row), and seven application rates of P₂O₅ in randomized blocks, with four replicates. Shoot dry matter yield increased linearly, and root dry matter yield increased exponentially with an increase in P rate. Total and commercial yields increased exponentially, with higher yield for P application over the whole area. However, the agronomic efficiency for site-specific application was higher. Higher rates of P application caused increases in the soil attributes and technical traits of carrot, and the application of phosphorus fertilizer is more efficient when performed in a site-specific manner.     

The high tolerance of different pomegranate cultivars to the excess of boron in irrigation water is due to their capacity to limit boron transport from the root to the leaves

Background : Presently, irrigation waters often have a high concentration of boron (B), and the fruit trees in the Mediterranean areas, in general, are exposed to a high risk of B toxicity. Aims : To test the hypothesis that pomegranate trees are very tolerant to the presence of B in the irrigation water, to elucidate the physiological mechanisms behind this tolerance, and to assess differences between different varieties. Methods : In this study, the physiological and nutritional behavior of three pomegranate cultivars (‘Mollar de Elche', ‘Valenciana', and ‘Wonderful'), treated with five B concentrations (0.25, 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 mg L^?1), were studied. At day 30 and 60 after the start of the treatments, growth measurements, gas exchange parameters and organic solutes were recorded. Results : Almost no significant differences were observed between the B treatments for any of the cultivars. Increasing the B concentration in the nutrient solution increased B concentrations in the leaves, but they never exceed 40 mg kg^?1 of B. In the roots, however, B concentrations were very high, up to 400 mg kg^?1. Conclusion : Pomegranate trees are very tolerant to B excess due to their ability to accumulate B in great quantities in the root, without causing toxicity to this part of the plant, thus limiting its transport to the shoots.     

Citrus juice extraction systems: effect on chemical composition and antioxidant activity of clementine juice

Clementines are especially appreciated for their delicious flavor, and recent years have seen a great increase in the consumption of clementine juice. In previous decades, antioxidant compounds have received particular attention because of widely demonstrated beneficial health effects. In this work, the organoleptic, volatile flavor, and antioxidant quality of clementine juice were studied with regard to the influence on them by different juice extraction systems: plug inside fruit and rotating cylinders. The results showed that juice extracted by the former method presented higher yields and hesperidin content, which was related to higher antioxidant activity, demonstrated by ORAC and LDL assays. The organoleptic quality was not affected by the processing technique, whereas there were significant differences in the chemical flavor profile. There are important differences in chemical and functional quality between juice extraction techniques, which must be taken into account when employing processing systems to produce high-quality products.     

Metabolism of oak leaf ellagitannins and urolithin production in beef cattle

Oak leaves have a high concentration of ellagitannins. These phytochemicals can be beneficial or poisonous to animals. Beef cattle are often intoxicated by oak leaf consumption, particularly after suffering feed restriction. The severity of the poisoning has recently been associated with the ruminal microbiota, as different bacterial populations were found in animals that tolerated oak leaves and in those that showed clinical and pathological signs of toxicity. Intoxication has previously been linked to the production of phenolic metabolites, particularly catechol, phloroglucinol, and resorcinol. This suggested that the microbial metabolism of ellagitannins could also be associated with its tolerance or intoxication in different animals. Therefore, it is essential to understand the metabolism of ellagitannins in cattle. Here we show that ellagitannins are metabolized in the cattle rumen to urolithins. Different urolithins were detected in ruminal fluid, feces, urine, and plasma. Oak leaf ellagitannins declined as they were converted to urolithins, mainly isourolithin A and urolithin B, by the ruminal and fecal microbiota. Urolithin aglycons were observed in rumen and feces, and glucuronide and sulfate derivatives were detected in plasma and urine. Sulfate derivatives were the main metabolites detected in plasma, while glucuronide derivatives were the main ones in urine. The main urolithins produced in cattle were isourolithin A and urolithin B. This is a relevant difference from the monogastric mammals studied previously in which urolithin A was the main metabolite produced. Low molecular weight phenolics of the benzoic, phenylacetic, and phenylpropionic groups and metabolites such as catechol, resorcinol, and related compounds were also detected. There was a large variability in the kinetics of production of these metabolites in individual animals, although they produced similar metabolites in all cases. This large variability could be associated with the large variability in the rumen and intestine microbiota that has previously been observed. Further studies are needed to demonstrate if the efficiency in the metabolism of ellagitannins by the microbiota could explain the differences observed in susceptibility to intoxication by the different animals.     

Impact of high-pressure processing on vitamin E (α-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol), vitamin D (cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol), and fatty acid profiles in liquid foods

In the present study, four high-pressure (HP) treatments (100, 200, 300, and 400 MPa) of 9 min duration were evaluated to assess their effect on the lipid fraction (fat-soluble vitamins and fatty acid profile) of an orange juice-milk and a vegetable beverage. After HP treatment, nonsignificant changes in vitamin D(2) and D(3) contents were observed for both beverages. An increase in vitamin E activity was observed in HP beverages when pressures >100 MPa were applied, mainly due to an increase in α-tocopherol content. Only a small reduction in fat content was found for the orange juice-milk beverage, but no changes were observed for the vegetable beverage. A significant decrease in SFA levels was observed in HP-treated (300-400 MPa) orange juice-milk. With regard to MUFA, a significant increase in oleic acid (C(18:1)) was found in both liquid foods. Nonsignificant differences in the PUFA profiles were observed after HP processing.     

Action of tyrosinase on ortho-substituted phenols: possible influence on browning and melanogenesis

The action of tyrosinase on ortho-substituted monophenols (thymol, carvacrol, guaiacol, butylated hydroxyanisole, eugenol, and isoeugenol) was studied. These monophenols inhibit melanogenesis because they act as alternative substrates to L-tyrosine and L-Dopa in the monophenolase and diphenolase activities, respectively, despite the steric hindrance on the part of the substituent in ortho position with respect to the hydroxyl group. We kinetically characterize the action of tyrosinase on these substrates and assess its possible effect on browning and melanognesis. In general, these compounds are poor substrates of the enzyme, with high Michaelis constant values, K(m), and low catalytic constant values, k(cat), so that the catalytic efficiency k(cat)/K(m) is low: thymol, 161 ± 4 M(-1) s(-1); carvacrol, 95 ± 7 M(-1) s(-1); guaiacol, 1160 ± 101 M(-1) s(-1).     

Fluoride Removal from Water Using Combined Moringa oleifera/Ultrafiltration Process

The occurrence of fluoride in groundwater has been reported in many countries, mainly because the excess fluoride in drinking water can lead to dental or skeletal fluorosis. Fluoride removal by coagulation with Moringa oleifera seeds, followed by separation with membranes, was investigated in this work. Artificially fluoridated water, at a starting fluoride concentration of 10?mg?L^?1, was submitted to a coagulation process with aqueous extracts of M. oleifera seeds. The coagulation process was followed by ultrafiltration with membranes at different pressures. The coagulation process with 2.5?g?L^?1 of M. oleifera promoted a reduction of 90.90?% in the fluoride content of the treated water, making it possible for poor communities to consume this water. It is noteworthy that the combined coagulation/filtration process using raw coagulant showed the highest values of colour and turbidity, which, however, were still below the limits set for drinking water by Brazilian legislation. The advantage of proposing a sequential process using membrane separation is that it removes colour and turbidity, caused by the use of M. oleifera as a coagulant, resulting in water that meets potability standards.     

Ethnobotanical,morphological, phytochemical and molecular evidence for the incipient domestication of Epazote (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Chenopodium ambrosioides</Emphasis> L.: Chenopodiaceae) in a semi-arid region of Mexico

Use and management of wild and weedy species may involve artificial selection, which can determine morphological, physiological, reproductive, and genetic divergences between wild and managed populations, resulting in the initial or incipient phases of plant domestication. In this study we combined ethnobotanical, morphological, phytochemical and genetic information for analyzing differences between managed and unmanaged populations of the Mexican edible weed, Epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides L.), in Santa María Tecomavaca, Oaxaca, a rural community within the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. Our hypothesis was that differences in morphology (e.g. leave dimensions and density of pubescence), phytochemistry (e.g. flavor, odor, and amount of strong scented and toxic compounds) and/or molecular genetic markers, between managed and wild populations of Epazote in Santa María Tecomavaca, would indicate that managed populations have been and/or are under a process of incipient domestication. Our results revealed the existence in the study area of morphological variants associated with a gradient of management intensity, which involved apparent improved palatability correlated with a lowering of chemical defense. Most remarkably, we found agreement in the groupings defined by the cluster analyses of morphological and genetic data. Although Epazote is considered a weed or, at best, a minor crop, the results from four lines of evidence (cultural differentiation patterns, gigantism, reduction in chemical defenses, toxic compounds and inheritance of adaptive traits) suggest the existence of an incipient domestication process in the study zone.     

Genetic variability of high molecular weight glutenin subunits in bread wheat from continental Portugal, Madeira and Canary Islands

The genetic variability of high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMWGS) composition at the Glu-1 loci in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was studied electrophoretically using the SDS–PAGE in 3,470 individuals representing 159 populations originated from the Canary Islands (Spain), the Archipelago of Madeira (Portugal) and the continental Portugal. A total of 25 alleles were detected, resulting in 69 different allele combinations. The geographical distribution of the high molecular weight glutenin alleles confirms historical data regarding circulation of wheat germplasm between the Iberian Peninsula and Madeira and between Madeira and the Canary Islands and vice versa.