CREA Journals (Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria)
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Dataset of nocturnal moths in reforested and natural pine stands of the Sila Massif, South Italy
No full textThe dataset we provide depicts the abundance and diversity of nocturnal Lepidoptera sampled using light traps within reforested and natural pine stands of the Sila Massif. Nocturnal Lepidoptera are widely recognised as a good ecological indicator of forest ecosystems, modifying their community composition as ecosystem changes. Sampled sites are located in the Sila National Park on the Sila Plateau, where the length of the flying season depends on the weather conditions, but usually is very short due to the cold winter temperatures. Samplings were carried out from May to June and from August to October 2022. Six sites were selected within reforested areas and four within natural and managed old forests. Moth data includes a total of 17,233 individuals belonging to 308 species, further data concern information on sampling events and sampling sites
Floristic diversity, plant structure and physico-chemical properties of soils of Masgaya forest massif in Sudano-sahelian zone of Cameroon
No full textThe study examined the diversity of woody vegetation and the characterization of physico-chemical properties of the soils of Masgaya forest massif in the Sudano-sahelian zone of Cameroon. The floristic inventory design consisted of four collection units (CU) established in the forest massif. In each CU, twelve plots of 10,000 m2 each were installed and woody individuals were inventoried. Specimens of soils were collected at 0-25 cm depth at the four corners and the center of each CU. Statistical analyses were performed with XLSTAT Software. A total of 6,465 stems were recorded, representing 64 species grouped in 46 genera and 29 families. The Shannon diversity index (H’) varied from 3.00 to 3.20 bits, and Pielou evenness index (EQ) from 0.41 to 0.51. The density varied from 138.08±37.10 to 265.75±70.06 stems/ha and the basal area from 275.88±120.39 to 544.62±240.1 m2/ha. Results of physico-chemical properties of the soils showed a predominance of sandy fractions over clay fractions, and high values of organic matter and total nitrogen. The analysis of the different parameters revealed a trend for vegetation to deteriorate under anthropogenic actions. The outcomes of this study can be used to develop forest management strategies to ensure sustainable development in this ecoregion
Waterlogging Stress in Maize: Analyzing Biochemical Responses and Root Trait Adaptations
Full text linkMaize holds significant economic importance as a cereal crop on a global scale. Among several abiotic stresses, waterlogging poses a substantial challenge in attainment of potential crop yield. To recognize inbred lines that exhibit resilience to waterlogging, it is crucial to gain insights into the fundamental mechanisms and effects of waterlogging stress on various morphological, physiological and biochemical traits. The present study was carried out to identify waterlogging tolerant inbred lines using a set of 86 inbred lines for six and nine days of water logging stress at V 3-4 stage along with control. The results indicate that under increasing waterlogging stress, notable decrease in germination percentage, chlorophyll content and root traits viz., root length, root area, and root volume were observed. However, in the case of tolerant genotypes, the percentage reduction in these traits compared to the control was lower than in the susceptible ones. Both fresh and dry weights of roots and shoots exhibited a reduction compared to control; however, the tolerant genotypes displayed the least reduction, while the susceptible genotypes experienced a sharp reduction. Also, the chlorophyll content experienced the least reduction in tolerant genotypes as waterlogging stress increased. To validate the identified lines, a subset of 13 lines shown to be tolerant or susceptible were selected based on various experiments performed and then these lines were subjected to biochemical analysis viz., superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, ascorbic acid and tocopherol content. Tolerant genotypes viz., I 185, I 172 and SE 616 exhibited higher enzyme activity and antioxidant content, compared to susceptible genotypes
How to improve forest biodiversity management by comparing broad-scale stands' structural spatial heterogeneity between two forests
No full textThis article aims to propose a methodological approach to the determination of differences in structural spatial heterogeneity between two different forests, exhibiting differences in some characteristics. By comparing the variances of the Gini-Simpson index values calculated from diameter at breast height (DBH) or tree height distributions in randomly sampled plots, structural differences can be effectively quantified. An F-test is employed to compare these variances, and while we use the Gini-Simpson index as an example, our method is flexible and can be applied using any chosen diversity index appropriate for the user's specific research context. A case study was conducted in Fagus sylvatica L. stands in the central Rhodope mountains, Greece, using plots from high productivity and medium productivity sites. The results showed significantly greater variance in Gini-Simpson index values in medium productivity sites compared to high productivity sites, indicating higher spatial diversity heterogeneity. This straightforward method requires only basic DBH or tree height data, making it practical for integration into forest stand structure studies and aiding in informed forest management decisions. The approach provides a statistically sound and flexible tool for comparing structural spatial heterogeneity across different forests, potentially guiding practices aimed at enhancing stand complexity and ecological resilience
Genetic structure change of selection cycles for reduced ASI of an Algerian maize population under drought conditions
No full textPlant breeding involves a reduction of genetic diversity that could hinder the expected response to further selection, and the magnitude of that detrimental effect depends on both breeding population and breeding program design. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of selection for reduced anthesis-silking interval in an Algerian maize (Zea mays L.) population in order to assess the potential value of this population and breeding strategy for subsequent breeding programs. We genotyped Cycle 0 and Cycle 3 from selection for reduced anthesis-silking interval under drought conditions of the Algerian maize population LOM, which was the best performing population in a previous breeding program, with 34 polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers. These selected markers were highly informative with Polymorphism Information Content values = 0.72 and genetic diversity was maintained over the selection cycles. The genetic distance (Nei’s, 1978) between the two cycles was 0.47 and the genetic identity was 0.62. These results indicate that the population LOM was highly variable and that the genetic diversity was not significantly reduced for most genetic parameters by this selection program for reduced anthesis-silking interval. However, genetic selection has caused several genetic changes in Cycle 3 respect to Cycle 0, generating a large genetic divergence between the two cycles of selection. Variations in allelic frequency suggest that further studies could reveal markers associated with selection that could be useful for identifying quantitative trait loci
Determination of drought stress indices, yield and water productivity in sorghum genotypes under full and deficit irrigation conditions : Determination of drought stress indices in sorghum
No full textThe aim of this research was to study yield and drought tolerant indices of four sorghum genotypes (Uzun, Erdurmuş, Beydarı and Öğretmenoğlu) under full (FI) and deficit irrigation (DI) conditions at the Batı Akdeniz Agricultural Research Institute (BATEM), Antalya, Türkiye. Stress sensitivity index, stress tolerance index, harmonic mean, yield index, drought resistance index, yield stability index, geometric mean productivity, abiotic tolerance index, stress tolerance, mean productivity, and sensitivity drought index, were evaluated in the research. The highest evapotranspiration was calculated in FI treatment as 488.3 mm for Uzun genotype, while the lowest was calculated in DI treatment as 307.0 mm for Beydarı genotype. The highest water productivity was determined in FI as 3.97 kg m-3 for Uzun genotype. The results showed that deficit irrigation application significantly affected hay yield and yield parameters except for chlorophyll content. The highest hay yield (19.4 t ha-1) was obtained from Uzun genotype under FI treatment. Mean productivity, stress tolerance index, harmonic mean, and geometric mean productivity were more informative classification of drought tolerant or sensitive sorghum genotypes in the study. It is concluded that Uzun genotype was more suitable for cultivation under water stress conditions according to the principal components analysis and correlation coefficient
Stability of Grain Yield of Pre-commercial Maize (Zea mays L.) Hybrids in Rainfed Ecosystems of South Asia: Stable Maize Hybrids for Rainfed Ecosystems in South Asia
No full textA study was conducted to assess the yield stability of 45 single cross maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids across five locations in North India, namely Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Meerut, Kannauj, and Varanasi. Of the 45 hybrids tested, 21 displayed a higher-than-average yield (3.76 t/ha) across all environments. The analysis of variance showed that the environment contributed 88.4% of the total variation, followed by genotype × environment (7.9%) and genotype (3.7%). The first two significant interaction principal component axes accounted for about 81.54% of the total variation for grain yield. Hybrid 39 had the highest yield under diverse environments. Meerut and Muzaffarpur sites were identified as being more representative for grain yield compared to Kannauj, Samastipur, and Varanasi. Meerut was found to be the most discriminating environment. Hybrid 27, with an AMMI stability value (ASV) of 0.00, was widely adapted. Hybrids 11 and 16; 34 and 45; 36; 7 and 23; 24, and 28 were specifically adapted to Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Meerut, Kannauj, and Varanasi, respectively. With the least yield stability index (YSI), Hybrid 40, is recommended for cultivation during the monsoon in northern India. Meerut and Muzaffarpur sites are recommended for evaluating early stages of maize test crosses
Boosting the effectiveness of nicosulfuron-atrazine-propisochlor with adjuvants for weed management in maize: Adjuvants for maize weed control
No full textAdjuvants are critical in enhancing herbicide efficacy, resulting in reduced herbicide application cost, less environmental pollution, and more sustainable weed management. To check the role of adjuvants (alkyl ether sulphate sodium salt, rapsoel methyl ester, fatty alcohol ethoxylate, and ammonium sulphate) in improving the efficacy of nicosulfuron-atrazine-propisochlor (NAP). A repeated warehouse experiment was conducted to optimize the NAP at 100% and 75% of the recommended label dose and adjuvants combinations against five different types of weeds and maize plants. NAP at a reduced dose (75% label dose) plus rapsoel methylester at 400 ml ha-1 provided 100% and 97% control of Trianthema portulacastrum and Dactyloctenium aegyptium. While NAP at reduced dose plus alkyl ether sulphate sodium salt 400 ml ha-1 provided 91%, 86%, and 87% control of Amaranthus viridis, Echinochloa colona and Cyperus rotundus, respectively. The addition of adjuvants did not cause any phytotoxic effect on maize growth and grain yield. All tested adjuvants enhanced the NAP efficacy, however, change in efficacy depended on the adjuvant added and the type of weed species. Hence, tested adjuvants can be used to reduce herbicide doses up to 25%, a promising strategy to reduce herbicide input to cope with increasing herbicide-resistance development and environmental pollution to ensure sustainable weed control in maize
Evaluation of the Opaqueness and Protein Quality of Maize Kernels by Image Analysis
No full textThe protein content and quality in maize significantly influence grain quality, driving global efforts to develop high-protein-quality genotypes. Opacity serves as a key phenotypic selection criterion in these efforts due to its relationship with essential amino acid content. This study investigates the differentiation of opaque materials using computer-aided software and explores the relationship between opacity levels and color spaces (RGB, HSV, Lab). Seed samples from 10 maize genotypes (1000 seeds) with varying opacity levels were imaged on a light table in embryo-up and embryo-down orientations. Particle analysis and thresholding in R software determined opacity levels and provided numerical data for RGB, HSV, and Lab color spaces. Protein, lysine, and tryptophan contents were analyzed through reference methods. Correlation and regression analyses assessed relationships between opacity levels (visual and image-processed) and biochemical components with color space channels. Protein content ranged from 6.66% to 11.62%, lysine from 0.266% to 0.450%, and tryptophan from 0.034% to 0.092% across opacity groups. Relationships between visual and image-processed opacity levels showed R²=0.57 (embryo-up) and R²=0.65 (embryo-down). Notably, the HSV color space correlated with lysine and tryptophan contents. This study demonstrates that image processing effectively evaluates opacity levels and protein quality in maize using color space data, offering a promising tool for phenotypic selection
Restructuring Plant Architecture for Maize Breeding: Current Strategies and Future Directions
Full text linkPlant architecture refers to the three- dimensional distribution of plant parts, which influences crop growth, yield and stress resistance. It plays a pivotal role in determining adaptability of maize cultivars under high-density planting by encompassing traits such as plant height, ear height, internode length, leaf angle and tassel density. These traits collectively contribute to yield by enhancing lodging resistance, photosynthesic efficiency, water and nutrient uptake efficiency. To meet the growing demand for increased food production and improved quality, various breeding methods aim to provide an adequate and nutrient-rich diet to populations. One effective strategy focuses on optimising plant architecture under high density planting, enabling more plants to grow with in a unit area while maintaining productivity and resilience. This review explores key plant architecture traits and their contributions to yield, emphasizing the roles of phytohormones and their signaling pathways, quantitative trait loci (QTLs), genomic dynamics, and marker-assisted breeding. Additionally, we discuss multiomics approaches, advanced breeding strategies, and recent breakthroughs in maize research aimed at achieving sustainable production in the face of global challenges, such as climate change and resource limitations. The integration of these insights into practical breeding programs holds immense potential for developing high-yielding, resilient maize cultivars that cater to the needs of future food security