CREA Journals (Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria)
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ACTIVITY OF CHESTNUT TANNINS AGAINST THE SOUTHERNROOT-KNOT NEMATODE MELOIDOGYNE INCOGNITA
Full text linkStudies on the effects of tannins on plant-parasitic nematodes are few. A new formulation of a hydrolysable tanninextracted from chestnut (SaviotaN®) was tested for efficacy in controlling Meloidogyne incognita. Therefore, in vitro andpot experiments on tomato were performed to investigate the nematicidal activity of tannin aqueous solutions at differentconcentrations on M. incognita. In the in vitro experiment the following concentrations of tannin at 0.30, 0.40, 0.50, 0.75,1.00, 1.25, 1.50 g L−1 were tested for their effect on the nematode. The second-stage juveniles (J2s) immobility increasedwith increasing concentration and exposure time. All tested tannin concentrations were effective to reduce viability fromabout 45 to 70% after 10 days of exposure, in comparison to the treated and untreated controls. The immobile J2s recoveredtheir mobility over time after rinsing and transferring them in water, showing a nematostatic activity of tannins. In the potexperiment, tannins, as aqueous solutions at rates from 0.30 to 1.50 g L−1, were applied to soil at three different applicationtimes (1: only at transplant; 2: at transplant, two weeks after transplant and repeated every seven days; 3: at transplant andtwo weeks later). The activity of tannins was compared to treated and untreated controls. Tested rates mostly repeated wereeffective to control nematode attack in comparison to untreated control. The height of treated plants was not significantlyinfluenced by the different applied rates of tannins, whereas nematode population density and root galling index wereaffected by repeated application times. No visual symptoms of phytotoxicity were detected. The use of SaviotaN®appearspromising for the control of M. incognitain sustainable agriculture of short-term crops and/or when nematode populationdensities are low and as a supplement to other chemical treatments
Development and genetics of maize doubled haploid lines
Full text linkThe present study was carried out to develop doubled haploid lines using in-vivo maternal haploid induction technique.The study was aimed at the reliability of haploid seed identification through the R1-nj visual colored marker,identification of spontaneous doubling in tropical germplasm, optimization of colchicine percentage and seedlingcutting methods for artificial chromosome doubling and revealing the genetics of newly developed DH-lines. Twotropical haploid inducer lines with 4-6% HIR were used as male parents and crossed with a single hybrid FH-949as female donor parent. The R1-nj visual colored marker was used to sort haploid from diploid kernels. To checkthe spontaneous chromosome doubling rate these haploid kernels were grown in the field. In the laboratory, differentcolchicine percentages and seedling cutting treatments were used to double these maternal haploids. Thedata for seedling survival and DHo seed formation was collected and generalized linear model GLM was used tointerpret treatment results. SAS 9.2 was used to estimate confidence intervals for the binomial proportion havingzero frequencies. Out of twenty doubled haploid lines developed, five were crossed with three OPVs in line ×tester mating design. The data was collected and evaluated for combining ability and type of gene action for theyield and its related traits. The R1-nj dominant anthocyanin marker was found to be 91 percent effective in identifyingmaternal haploid seeds at the dormant stage. The spontaneous doubling percentage of maternal haploidswas recorded 0.8%. All the lines showed good general combining ability. The additive type of gene action wasprevailing in most of the traits studied
Effect of differential fertilisation treatments on maize hybrid quality and performance under environmental stress condition in Hungary
Full text linkThe correct choice of genotypes, able to overcame environmental stress conditions and genotype-adapted nutrientsupply are very important, as they largely determine the efficiency of cultivation. Our aim was to quantifythe effect of fertilization and of meteorological stress factors on the yield of genotypes and protein content ofmaize grain. Our studies were conducted in Hungary in the long-term field trial of the University of Debrecenin years with favourable (2016) and unfavourable water supply (2017) by using 5 different genotype hybrids,with ten NPK treatments (T) and without fertilization as control. In the group treated with the combination ofincreasing N+equally increasing PK, decrease in yield during stress was lower than in the case of combinationswith increasing N+constant PK treatment. The effect of weather-stress factors could be decreased with hybridspecific nutrient supply. The hybrids Renfor, Fornad, and Sushi reacted with the lowest yield reduction to theT10 treatment combination as a result of the negative weather conditions, while the Armagnac preferred T7 andLoupiac T9 treatments. Armagnac reached its highest protein content – irrespective of the production year – withT5 (P<0.05) combination, while in the case of Loupiac, the favourable value was ensured by T4 treatment combination(P<0.05). In the case of Fornad, Renfor and Sushi, highest protein content was determined by highertreatment combinations in 2016, while in 2017, lower combinations showed the same results as higher ones
High-frequency seasonal variation of leaf fluorescence and reflectance in Mediterranean forest species under natural environmental conditions
Full text linkThe strategies of two evergreen Mediterranean tree species (Arbutus unedo L. and Quercus ilex L.) to face annual temperature variability and extreme event responses has been monitored in continuum by leaf fluorescence and reflectance. The effect of chilling spells and the accumulation of cold days with chilling and freezing temperatures on winter photo-inhibition was discussed in terms of modulation capacity for fluorescence parameters to daily temperature and irradiance conditions. Throughout the winter Q. ilex resulted less photoinhibited than A. unedo, showing a more dynamic response in all fluorescence parameters and a higher non-photochemical quenching capacity. These characteristics effectively act to maintain a higher electron transport capacity in Q. ilex than in A. unedo
Physio-biochemical responses and defining selection criteria for drought tolerance in Sorghum bicolor
Full text linkForty cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) sorghum lines were evaluated for different physiological and biochemicaltraits under drought stress. Considerable genetic variability was found among all physio-biochemical traits i.e.water potential (Ψ w), stomatal conductance (gs), photosynthetic efficiency, acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutraldetergent fiber (NDF), ash and sugar contents. Results indicated that ash contents were found to be most adverselyaffected by drought stress followed by sugar contents and stomatal conductance respectively. However, thevalues of crude protein, acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were observed to be increaseunder stress condition. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to recognize drought tolerant lines.Selection criteria was based upon findings of correlation analysis among all studied traits. The positive associationof water potential, stomatal conductance and photosynthetic efficiency with desirable traits viz. ash and sugarcontents; and NDF association with undesirable traits viz. ADF and NDF revealed a way forward to design futurebreeding programs of sorghum crop under the prevailing scenario of climate change
Phenotyping the ideotypes of two maize landraces from Madeira archipelago using morpho-agronomic traits and zein pattern
Full text linkMadeira Archipelago holds specific maize genetic resources whose populations, representing field diversity, werepreviously classified into four main landrace groups. The ISOPs 0061 and 0070, with common names of “MilhoSequeiro” and “Milho Branco” yellow and white maize, respectively, represent the ideotypes of two of these landraces.These ideotypes have now been analyzed using morpho-agronomic and biochemical traits, to phenotypethese landraces. The variation of nine of the ten morpho-agronomic traits was used to separate the landracesideotypes. However, the seven traits of seed biochemical composition did not allow to segregate the landracesideotypes. This is not the case of zein pattern, which polymorphism shows to be specific for each ideotype. Theoriginal ideotypes populations were regenerated twice under low input conditions. Zein patterns of the originaland regenerated accessions were compared, using two electrophoresis techniques. The lab-on-a-chip electrophoresisshowed that the standard SDS-PAGE zein pattern with six fractions could be separated into eighteen (ISOP0061) and twenty (ISOP 0070) protein bands. In contrast, no significant changes were detected in the zein patternstructure of the initial and regenerated accessions of both landraces ideotypes. The chip electrophoresis showedto be a suitable technique to screen and characterize a large number of individuals and accessions of the germplasmcollections, due to its reproducibility. In particular, the zein patterns can be used to phenotype ideotypesand establish a formula representing their structure, allowing to detect changes in landrace structure, occurringas a result of gene bank management actions
Improving Phosphorous Uptake Efficiency and Quality of Maize Through Optimization of Basal Application
Full text linkPhosphorous (P) dearth in alkaline calcareous soils of Pakistan renders P unavailable for plant uptake. Consequently,affects grain yield and is major constraint to achieve desired yield potential of field grown maize (Zea maysL.). The objectives of this study were to enhance phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) by determining thresholds ofbasal applied P. Treatments comprised of five rates of basal applied P viz. 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 kg ha-1. Theexperiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a net plot size of 2.7 m × 5 m, duringautumn season 2013. Improved agronomic attributes; i.e., plant height, cob length, grains per cob, grain-pithratio, 1000-grain weight, biomass and grain yield were observed at 120 kg P ha-1. Likewise, higher agronomicuse efficiency of P, grain P content and total P uptake were recorded. Conclusively, application of P at 120 and150 kg ha-1 would improve grain yield and quality of maize over control. However, 120 kg P ha-1 manifested morepromising results than 150 kg P ha-1
Comparison between people's perceptions and preferences towards forest stand characteristics in Italy and Ukraine
Full text linkUnderstanding people’s perceptions and preferences towards forest stand characteristics can bring many benefits to forest managers in the short term. This study aims to identify and compare people’s perception and preferences of forest stand characteristics in Trentino province (Italy) and Rakhiv region (Ukraine). These regions were chosen as study areas for two main reasons: both are in mountain areas and local communities are strictly dependent on the forest resource. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to a sample of local people. The collected data were statistically analysed to highlight the preferred type of forests related to different stand characteristics. The results of comparative analysis confirmed the importance of socio-demographic characteristics in shaping respondents’ preferences. The results show that respondents in both case studies prefer mixed forests with a random distribution of trees with different diameter sizes. However, respondents from Trentino province prefer open forests, while respondents from Rakhiv region prefer closed one. The present study increased the level of knowledge about people's preferences in Italy and Ukraine for different forest stand characteristics. This information can be used by decision makers (forest managers and planners) to improve the recreational attractiveness of forest stands
Common walnut (Juglans regia L.) wood characteristics in two Italian plantations
Full text linkThe Woodnat project (H2020) has the goal of identifying the problems that led to poor yields in walnut plantations established under the financial support of EU 2080/92 Regulation and Rural Development Programme, and of improving the market demand for smaller assortments. Some of the plantations monitored in the framework of the project needed thinning: one, an experimental stand with 5 plots with different layouts and species established in 1994, was thinned in spring 2018; in a second one, a polycyclic plantation established in 1996 with common walnut, hybrid poplar and nurse trees, the walnut was thinned in spring 2017. At thinning, sample disks were taken at the base of 5 trees randomly selected at each site for the determination of density and shrinkage in the radial, tangential and longitudinal direction. The average density was 0.52g/cm3; the average tangential shrinkage was 12%, while the average radial shrinkage was 6.7%. There were differences in behaviour between the samples from the two sites, probably due to different vegetal materials, age of the plantations and cultivation models