Narbon Vetch (Vicia narbonensis L.): A Potential Feed Legume Crop for Dry Areas in West Asia

Provision of feed supplies for the rapidly growing livestock population is essential in West Asia. Shortages can be alleviated by growing forage crops in the existing fallow lands.
Narbon vetch (Vicia narbonensis L.) is a leguminous species with high yield potential, drought tolerance and cold resistance. It could be used for grain and straw production as source for animal feed in dry areas. It is good source of protein with seeds contain 28 % protein yielding 364 kg per hectare protein, whilst straw contains 9 % protein and yields a similar amounts of digestible protein per hectare.
Nine promising lines of Narbon vetch developed at ICARDA were tested at two sites over four years under rainfed conditions. Since climatic conditions were considered to be of considerable importance, each site in each year was treated as a separate environment to give eight environments with annual rainfall varied from 195 to 504 mm.
Narbon vetch possessed high seedling vigour with rapid winter growth and negligible cold damage. Grain yield varied form 0.47 to 1.90 t/ha, with a harvest index varying from 30 to 40 %. The data indicated that below 300 mm rainfall the grain yield varied from 0.47 t/ha when rain fall was 195 mm to 1.4 t/ha when rainfall was 245 mm. Most of the lines had wide adaptation to dry areas in terms of both grain yield and stability. Climate, except early spring rains had little effect on biological and grain yields.     

Effect of dietary protein content on live and carcase performance of heterozygous naked neck and normally feathered broilers

1. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different dietary protein contents on the performance of naked neck (Na/na) and normally feathered (na/na) broilers.

2. Chicks from the two genotypes were reared in wire‐floored cages and divided at random into 3 groups. Birds were fed on high protein (HP, 12.99 MJ ME, 238 g crude protein/kg and 12.94 MJ ME, 216 g crude protein/kg from 0 to 3 and 3 to 7 weeks, respectively), medium protein (MP, 12.99 MJ ME, 219 g crude protein/kg and 12.87 MJ ME, 201 g crude protein/kg from 0 to 3 and 3 to 7 weeks), and low protein (LP, 12.94 MJ ME, 205 g crude protein/kg and 12.75 MJ ME, 184 g protein/kg from 0 to 3 and 3 to 7 weeks) diets.

3. The LP diets resulted in a significantly lower daily body weight gain of males from 0 to 3 weeks. Dietary protein content had no effect on body weight gain from 3 to 7 weeks, body weight at 7 weeks, and the food intake of birds. Carcase composition of birds from both genotypes was unaffected by dietary protein.

4. Naked neck birds had significandy higher body weights at 7 weeks. Yields of carcase and breast of Na/na males were significantly higher than those of na/na males. There were no significant differences between females from the two genotypes as regards carcase yield.

5. It was concluded that the dietary protein requirements of naked neck birds were similar to those for normally feathered birds.     

The use of air‐coolers in broiler houses under subtropical conditions in Iraq

1. Under summer conditions in north Iraq, 2 000 chicks were reared for 56 d in two broiler houses. One house was provided with two air‐coolers. The birds were housed at densities of eight to 16 birds/m².

2. Differences in weight gain between birds in cooled and uncooled houses ranged from 101.5 g at eight birds/m² to 385 g at 16 birds/m². Food consumption increased gradually with increasing bird density. Food conversion efficiency, meat yield and carcass conformation were much better in the cooled house than under conventional conditions.

3. The financial return/m² ranged from 2.30 to 4.51 ID¹ in the cooled house, compared with 2.01 to 2.77 ID in the uncooled house at different floor densities.     

Détection moléculaire spécifique de la région vir du plasmide pTi d'Agrobacterium tumefaciens dans les sols et plants au Maroc

Le meilleur moyen de contrôle du crown gall ( Agrobacterium tumefaciens ) est la prévention et donc la détection de la bactérie pathogène dans les sols prévus pour les pépinières. Pour cela nous avons essayé une approche moléculaire utilisant la PCR pour caractériser le plasmide pTi par le couple des amorces spécifiques F14/F44 dans les sols de diverses régions marocaines. Cette technique de détection représente un indicateur potentiel d'avertissement sur l'état d'infection des sols et plants par A. tumefaciens qui permet ainsi de déclencher la lutte biologique par le NoGall, produit commercial australien, hébergeant l'antagoniste K₁₀₂₆.     

Harmonic radar: efficacy at detecting and recovering insects on agricultural host plants

BACKGROUND: In pest management research, harmonic radar systems have been largely used to study insect movement across open or vegetation‐poor areas because the microwave signal is attenuated by the high water content of vegetation. This study evaluated whether the efficacy of this technology is sufficient to track insects in vegetative landscapes. RESULTS: Field efficacy data were collected using portable harmonic microwave radar and electronic dipole tags mounted on adults of three economically important pests: Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), Diabrotica virginifera virginifera (LeComte) and Conotrachelus nenuphar Herbst. Detection and recovery of tagged Colorado potato beetles, plum curculios and western corn rootworms was high within and among potato plants, moderate within apple trees and high within, but not between, corn plants respectively. The efficacy of the radar depends on the ability of the operator to move around the host, scanning for a signal ‘sightline’ with the tagged insect among plant structures. CONCLUSION: The detection rate of tagged insects by harmonic radar systems is high enough to track the walking path of pests through low row crops such as potato, tall row crops such as corn or tall but well‐separated trees of orchard‐type crops by adapting the scanning procedure to the vegetative architecture. Copyright © 2010 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd     

Diversity in White Lupin (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lupinus albus</Emphasis> L.) Landraces from Northwest Iberianplateau

All the accessions (35) of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) landraces collected from northwest Iberian plateau and maintained at the Spanish germplasm collection (CRF of INIA), were studied with the general objective of assessing the biodiversity of these landraces and to ascertain their value as genetic resources for the development of germplasm adapted to the areas where they were collected with long and chilly winters. The characterization study comprised 51 qualitative and 50 quantitative characters. Quantitative parameters were analyzed by Principal Components Analysis (PCA). The 2-dimensional plot (49.3% of cumulative variability) formed a main group of accessions and 4 outliers (#1, #9, #27 and #28) separated in the first PC. The characters with a higher contribution to the first PC were inflorescence length, leaf petiole length and leaf central foliole area. The presence of alkaloids, the percentage of plants killed by soil borne fungal diseases, the phenology, the yield per plant and yield components were also assessed. Twenty six accessions (the main group in the PCA plot) showed high homogeneity, with the following highlights: bitterness, indeterminate growth habit, early ripeness and spring sowing with the exception of #18, in which seeding date is unknown and it had a later phenology. By contrast accessions #9 and #27 were bitter of autumn sowing with determinate growing habit and they had the longest values of primary inflorescence length and a later phenology when they were sown in spring. Average values for yield and yield components showed a broad range of variation between accessions. The main yield component was the number of pods per plant. Accession #22 had the highest mean seed mass, although this had not significant influence in yield. Accession #17 showed the highest yield and #1 the lowest. This last also had the lowest values of inflorescence length, leaf petiole length and leaf central foliole area. No significant differences of resistance to soil-borne fungi were found between accessions. The year had a significant effect in the phenology, yield and yield components except for number of seeds per pod. The studied material might be of interest for the development of spring sowing germplasm adapted to north Iberian peninsula.     

Purification and characterization of an N-acetylglucosamine-binding lectin from Koelreuteria paniculata seeds and its effect on the larval development of Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) and Anagasta kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

This study describes the purification of an N-acetylglucosamine-binding lectin from Koelreuteria paniculata seeds and its effects on the larval development of Callobruchus maculatus and Anagasta kuehniella. The lectin (KpLec) was characterized and isolated by gel filtration, affinity column, and reverse phase chromatography. SDS-PAGE indicated that this lectin is a dimer composed of subunits of 22 and 44 kDa. The N terminus exhibited 40% similarity with Urtiga dioica agglutinin. KpLec was tested for anti-insect activity against C. maculatus and A. kuehniella. With regard to C. maculatus, an artificial diet containing 0.7 and 1% KpLec produced LD(50) and ED(50) value, respectively. However, for A. kuenhiella, an artificial diet containing 0.65% KpLec produced an LD(50), whereas 0.2% KpLec produced an ED(50). The transformation of genes coding for this lectin could be useful in the development of insect resistance in important agricultural crops.     

Variability of the polyphenolic composition of cider apple (Malus domestica) fruits and juices

Five French cider apple varieties were compared on the basis of their detailed polyphenol profile in the cortex and in the juices. Among the factors studied, variety was the most important variability factor in fruits, whereas polyphenol profiles showed an overall stability from one year to another, and a limited decrease of polyphenol concentration was observed during the starch regression period of fruit maturation. In juices, procyanidins remained the preponderant polyphenol class with concentrations up to 2.4 g/L even in centrifuged juices. Compared to the fruits, the average degree of polymerization of procyanidins was significantly reduced in the juice. Centrifugation of the crude juice had only minor effects on the polyphenol composition. For one variety, highly polymerized procyanidins with average degrees of polymerization of 25 were shown to be soluble in the centrifuged juice at a concentration of close to 1.2 g/L. Oxygenation of the juices during processing resulted in a significant decrease of all classes of native polyphenols. Catechins and procyanidins were particularly affected by oxidation, whereas caffeoylquinic acid was partly preserved. The transfer of polyphenols after pressing was maximal for dihydrochalcones and minimal for procyanidins with extraction yield values close to 80 and 30%, respectively.     

Growth and phosphorus uptake of maize cultivated alone,in mixed culture with other crops or after incorporation of their residues

Intercropping or rotating of P‐efficient crop species which mobilize sparingly soluble P by their root exudates can have beneficial effects on growth and P uptake of P‐inefficient species. We aimed at studying the effect of intercropping or incorporating of crop residues of P‐efficient crops on the components of maize P‐uptake, i.e. the root‐system size and P influx (P‐uptake rate per unit root length). This was studied in 3 pot experiments in a low‐P sandy soil. In the first experiment, maize was intercropped with white lupine, sugar beet or oilseed rape, and with groundnut in the second experiment. In the third experiment, maize was grown after incorporating the crop residues of white lupine, sugar beet or oilseed rape. Maize growth and yield was strongly inhibited when intercropped with white lupine, sugar beet or oilseed rape, probably because of competition for nutrients. But with groundnut as the accompanying species, maize yield was increased by a factor of 3, mainly because of an enhanced P influx. Crop residues of oilseed rape and sugar beet increased the yield of maize by factors 2 and 1.6, respectively, because of a 3 and 2 times higher P uptake as compared to maize grown after maize without incorporation of crop residue. The reason for the higher maize P‐uptake after oilseed rape was an 11 times higher P influx as compared to maize without crop residues, and after sugar beet residues because of an enhanced root growth and a 4 times higher P influx. Lupine residues did not improve maize growth, mainly because of a low P influx, which was even less than that of maize grown without crop residues. The soil solution P concentration and calcium acetate lactate‐extractable P (CAL P) measured in this study did not reflect the P availability as indicated by the plants (P uptake, P influx). This indicates that other mechanisms such as P mobilization in the rhizosphere by root exudates or cell‐wall components were responsible for the increased P availability. These mechanisms need further investigation.     

Influence of the extent of hemoglobin hydrolysis on the digestive absorption of heme iron. An in vitro study

This study was designed to assess the interactions of heme with peptides produced by enzyme hydrolysis of hemoglobin, and their relationship with heme iron absorption. Bovine hemoglobin was hydrolyzed by pepsin or by subtilisin, which differ in their hydrolysis processes. The hydrolysis rate ranged from 0 (native hemoglobin) to 15%. Heme solubility and heme-peptides interactions were compared to iron absorption by the Ussing chamber model, at intestinal pH (7.5). Increasing hemoglobin hydrolysis enhanced iron absorption; the highest value was reached between 8 and 11% hydrolysis, whatever the enzyme used. Comparing the products of hydrolysis of the two enzymes showed that heme iron absorption depends not only on its solubility, but relies mainly on the balance between the strength of heme-peptides and the polymerization rate of heme.