Characterization and quantitation of phenolic compounds in new apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) varieties

Thirty-seven apricot varieties, including four new releases (Rojo Pasión, Murciana, Selene, and Dorada) obtained from different crosses between apricot varieties and three traditional Spanish cultivars (Currot, Mauricio, and Búlida), were separated according to flesh color into four groups: white, yellow, light orange, and orange (mean hue angles in flesh were 88.1, 85.0, 77.6, and 72.4, respectively). Four phenolic compound groups, procyanidins, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, flavonols, and anthocyanins, were identified by HPLC-MS/MS and individually quantified using HPLC-DAD. Chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, procyanidins B1, B2, and B4, and some procyanidin trimers, quercetin 3-rutinoside, kaempferol 3-rhamnosyl-hexoside and quercetin 3-acetyl-hexoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, and 3-glucoside, were detected and quantified in the skin and flesh of the different cultivars. The total phenolics content, quantified as the addition of the individual compounds quantified by HPLC, ranged between 32.6 and 160.0 mg 100 g(-1) of edible tissue. No correlation between the flesh color and the phenolic content of the different cultivars was observed.     

EFFECTS OF FOLIAR AND SOIL CALCIUM APPLICATION ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF TABLE GRAPE CV. ‘THOMPSON SEEDLESS’

Table grape quality and firmness are key parameters for Chile's export, given distances from the main markets. As a consequence, calcium (Ca) fertilization has become a standard practice in the country, although its effects have not been fully evaluated. The objectives in this study were to investigate the effects of calcium fertilization on table grape nutrition and quality. A two-year field trial was conducted in central Chile, using grapevines (Vitis vinifera) cv. ‘Thompson seedless’, grown on an overhead trellis system. Calcium (CaCl₂) application treatments included foliar, soil, foliar plus soil, and a control without Ca fertilization. Calcium and other nutrients concentration were determined afterwards in soil, leaves, and berries. Also, yield and some fruit quality parameters were evaluated. Calcium application method did not have an effect on soil, leaf or fruit Ca content, neither on yield and berry sugar concentration, with levels being similar to the control treatment. Additionally, in treatments where CaCl₂ was applied to soil, chlorides concentration in soil, leaves, and berries were higher. Also, berries were larger, more turgent, with lower dry matter and larger cells. In the second season, in these same treatments, berry firmness at harvest was higher, but this effect disappeared after the storage simulation period. These results question the validity that Ca applications might improve table grape postharvest quality for growing conditions similar to the ones in this experiment. The temporal changes in berry quality parameters were attributed to higher Cl soil content and the associated plant osmoregulatory mechanisms.     

Analysis of duplication in the Spanish durum wheat collection maintained in the CRF-INIA on the basis of agro-morphological traits and gliadin proteins

A total of 106 potential duplicate cases involved 277 accessions were detected on the basis of passport data in the durum wheat collection maintained in the CRF-INIA. Similarity between accessions was measured by agro-morphological traits. The 90% of the agro-morphological duplication were verified with gliadin proteins, allowing identification of similar material with greater refinement than agro-morphological data. However, the results indicated not to decide for rationalisation only on the basis of molecular data.     

Histopathology of infection and colonization of Quercus ilex fine roots by Phytophthora cinnamomi

Quercus ilex is one of the European forest species most susceptible to root rot caused by the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi. This disease contributes to holm oak decline, a particularly serious problem in the ‘dehesas’ ecosystem of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. This work describes the host–pathogen interaction of Q. ilex and P. cinnamomi, using new infection indices at the tissue level. Fine roots of 6‐month‐old saplings inoculated with P. cinnamomi were examined by light microscopy and a random pool of images was analysed in order to calculate different indices based on the measured area of pathogen structures. In the early stages of invasion, P. cinnamomi colonizes the apoplast and penetrates cortical cells with somatic structures. On reaching the parenchymatous tissues of the central cylinder, the pathogen develops different reproductive and survival structures inside the cells and then expands through the vascular system of the root. Some host responses were identified, such as cell wall thickening, accumulation of phenolic compounds in the middle lamella of sclerenchyma tissues, and mucilage secretion blocking vascular cells. New insights into the behaviour of P. cinnamomi inside fine roots are described. Host responses fail due to rapid expansion of the pathogen and a change in its behaviour from biotrophic to necrotrophic.     

Analysis of IgG response to experimental infection with RH Toxoplasma gondii in goats.

The IgG response of goats experimentally infected with RH Toxoplasma gondii has been analysed using an indirect ELISA and Western-blot analysis. Specific IgG antibodies were first detected at 14 days post-inoculation (p.i.), reaching a peak by day 35 p.i. and showing slight fluctuations until the end of the experiment (91 p.i.). Specific IgG showed a reactivity over a whole range of peptides (125-24 kDa approximately), but the highest reactivity was observed against a group of antigens with a molecular weight between 34 and 28 kDa, in particular against a 30 kDa fraction which is considered to represent the major surface protein of T. gondii named p30 or SAG-1.     

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in wild pigs (Sus scrofa) from Spain

Sera collected from 507 hunter-killed wild pigs (Sus scrofa) between 1993 and 2004 from five geographic regions in northern Spain and seven regions in southern Spain were assayed for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii by the modified agglutination test (MAT). Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 185 (38.4%) of 507 pigs with titers of 1:25 in 71, 1:50 in 111 and > or =1:500 in 3; seroprevalence was significantly higher (P<0.05) in pigs from southern regions. Seroprevalence was density dependent; it was higher in pigs from high stocking per hectare and availability of forage. Statistically significant differences were not observed between T. gondii seroprevalence and hunting estates (open versus fenced), sex or age. Serological results indicate a widespread exposure to T. gondii among Spanish wild boars, suggesting that this population could represent a public health risk for persons that handle or consume raw or undercooked infected wild pig meat.     

Influence of harvesting method and washing on the presence of pesticide residues in olives and olive oil

The influence of the preliminary steps in olive oil production (harvesting and washing) on pesticide residues in olives and olive oil has been investigated. Analyses were performed by GC-MS/MS and revealed that endosulfan sulfate and two herbicides (diuron and terbuthylazine) were the most frequently found residues in olives and olive oil. The harvesting method has a decisive influence on herbicide concentrations found in olives. Thus, 16 and 48% of the olive samples harvested on the ground after falling from the tree presented concentrations higher than the maximum residue limit (MRL) for diuron and terbuthylazine, respectively. In olives harvested directly from the tree, diuron was not found at concentrations higher than MRL and terbuthylazine was found in only 10% of the samples. The washing step performed routinely in olive mills was effective in removing the superficial contamination by herbicides present in olives harvested on the ground. Nevertheless, even after washing, the olive oil obtained from ground olives showed herbicide residue concentrations higher than those obtained from tree olives.     

THE IMPACT OF ORGANIC AMENDMENTS ON FOREST SOIL PROPERTIES UNDER MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

Restoring the native vegetation is one of the most effective ways to control soil degradation in Mediterranean areas, especially in very degraded areas. In the initial months after afforestation, vegetation cover establishment and soil quality could be better sustained if the soil was amended with an external extra source of organic matter. The goal of this study was to test the effect of various organic amendments on select soil properties [soil organic carbon (SOC), pH, and electrical conductivity (EC)] over a 24‐month period. Four amendments were applied in an experimental set of plots: straw mulching (SM), mulch with chipped branches of Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis L.; PM), sheep manure compost (SH), and sewage sludge (RU). Plots were afforested following the same spatial pattern, and amendments were mixed with the soil at the rate 10 Mg ha⁻¹. Organic amendments helped maintain SOC over the initial 6 months after the afforestation. However, only the SM and PM treatments had increased SOC values after 24 months. Decreases in EC were found after the addition of SM, PM, and SH amendments. However, RU increased EC values 24 months after the afforestation. Variations in pH values were not sufficient to establish differences among the various treatments. Furthermore, the results show that forest soils with or without organic amendments responded similarly to the seasonal changes in Mediterranean conditions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Genotypic variation in fatty acid content of blackcurrant seeds.

The fatty acid composition and total fatty acid content of seeds from 36 blackcurrant genotypes developed at the Scottish Crop Research Institute were examined. A rapid small-scale procedure, involving homogenization of seeds in toluene followed by sodium methoxide transesterification and gas chromatography, was used. There was considerable variation between genotypes. The gamma-linolenic acid content generally varied from 11 to 19% of the total fatty acids, but three genotypes had higher values of 22-24%, levels previously not reported for blackcurrant seed and similar to those for borage seed. Other nutritionally important fatty acids, stearidonic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, varied from 2 to 4% and 10-19%, respectively. The mean total fatty acid contents ranged from 14 to 23% of the seed, but repeatability was poor. The results are discussed. Blackcurrant seeds are mainly byproducts from juice production, and the study shows the potential for developing blackcurrant genotypes with optimal added value.