Artykuły w czasopismach na temat „Grain Growers Association”

Soyabean biomass, stover and roots when incorporate d into the soil can improve the organic matter and the carbon ( C): nitrogen ( N) ratio of the soil. Of its total N, 60 - 90% is translocated into the see d. This research was conducted on sandy clay loams of the lithosol group under the Zimbabwe soil classification system at The Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station (Z.S.A.E.S) in the South Eastern Lowveld, the leading sugarcane producing region in Zimbabwe . The objectives of this research were to: 1) analyse the nutrient content of the soyabeans under study, 2) assess the contributions of the various soyabean parts to soil fertility, 3) determine the liming potential of the soyabeans and 4) determine the forage potential of the two soyabean varieties as livestock feeds. The following parameters were measured: 1) nutrient composition of the vegetable and grain soyabeans, soyabean biomass 2) nitrogen fixed by both grain and vegetable soyabeans . Vegetable soyabeans (variety S114) and grain soyabeans (variety Storm ) were used for this study . Vegetable soyabeans had higher nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium while grain soyabean s had higher calcium and magnesium. This shows that vegetable soyabeans a s a nitrogen fixing crop have Plural? the potential to ameliorate soil fertility . However, grain soyabeans seem to have better liming potential than vegetable soyabeans. Forage Storm can improve the magnesium and calcium constituency of livestock while vegetable soya beans can influence the phosphorus content . The two elements are critical to lactating cows and young stock. The crops have high levels of calcium and magnesium , which are the critical elements for the improvement of soil pH. Interestingly , high nitrogen (N), phosphorus ( P) and potassium ( K) contents were observed in grain soyabeans. These nutrients in grains are not returned to the soil as the grains are sold as a commercial crop. The economic benefits of growing soya beans accrue from the nutrients that remain in the leaves, petioles, stems and shells that are ploughed into the soil during land preparation.

The results of field experiments in 1983/84 and 1984/85 were used to test the hypotheses (i) that cultivars and management systems which result in high biomass of winter barley will also produce high grain yield and (ii) that greater uniformity of tiller and ear size is associated with greater yield. In a set of cultivars, grain yield per plant was significantly correlated with biomass per plant despite no correlation with any individual yield component. Biomass per shoot was significantly correlated with grain yield per shoot. Treatments to increase shoot uniformity (the mass of individual tillers relative to that of the main stem) generally increased biomass per shoot and grain yield per shoot. The re-examination of data in the literature where yield and biomass were available confirmed the association of biomass and grain yield both on a per plant and per shoot basis. It is argued that harvest index is not a character which can be easily targeted for manipulation by growers, whereas crop management systems to increase biomass should be easier to specify.

Grain yield and its variability is a major driver of seeding rate and inorganic fertilizer use at planting among grain growers. Recommended rates for fertilizer application with regard to crop utilization and soil management are discretionary and vary between producer and agronomist. This observational case study with Bayesian inference examines the association between application rates of inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium chloride and sulphur at planting, and yield of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.), large green lentils (Lens culinaris Medik.), canola (Brassica napus L.), canaryseed (Phalaris canariensis L.), and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Using precision agriculture, input and crop yield information for each parcel of cultivated land was collected over a 4 yr period from 2015 to 2018 on a continuous no-till farming operation in the semiarid region of Saskatchewan, Canada. Hierarchical models were derived that accounted for yield variability in crop types due to the random effects of field, cultivar, crop planted in previous year, planting year, combine machine, observation location within field, and elevation. Evidence from this longitudinal study suggests that seed-placed fertilizer above the recommended safe rate can be associated with yield decline on farming operations in the semiarid environment of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Fusarium verticillioides is the primary fungus that causes Fusarium ear rot (FER) of maize. Infection results in reduced grain yield and quality due to moulding and the contamination of grain with toxic compounds namely fumonisins. Resistance to fungal infection and fumonisin accumulation in maize and maize grain is governed at different levels. In this study, the structural, physico-chemical and genetic basis of resistance to F. verticillioides was investigated in two, replicated field trials at Potchefstroom and Vaalharts in South Africa. Phenotypic data (silk length, husk coverage, pericarp thickness hundred-kernel mass and kernel hardness), physico-chemical data (kernel pH, moisture content, total nitrogen and carbon as well as phenolic acid content) and the expression of pathogenesis-related-5 gene (PR5) and peroxidase gene expression was evaluated in 15 commercial cultivars under artificially inoculated and natural infection conditions. The data were correlated to FER severity, fumonisin accumulation and fungal DNA (referred to as infection indicators). Disease development and fumonisin contamination in Vaalharts was significantly more than in Potchefstroom. There were no significant correlations (r=≥0.60) between phenotypic characteristics and infection indicators. Kernel pH was the most important trait associated with disease development and was negatively correlated (between r=-0.58 and r=-0.75) to all infection indicators. PR5 gene expression had significant positive correlations (r=0.69 and r=0.72) with the fungal and fumonisin levels, respectively. This study presents of the first data demonstrating the use of gene expression in identifying FER/fumonisin-resistant plant material and could aid breeders and growers in selecting resistant material more effectively.

The market success of any rice cultivar is exceedingly dependent on its grain appearance, as well as its grain yield, which define its demand by consumers as well as growers. The present study was undertaken to explore the contribution of nine major genes, qPE9~1, GW2, SLG7, GW5, GS3, GS7, GW8, GS5, and GS2, in regulating four size and weight related traits, i.e., grain length (GL), grain width (GW), grain thickness (GT), and thousand grain weight (TGW) in 204 diverse rice germplasms using Insertion/Deletion (InDel) markers. The studied germplasm displayed wide-ranging variability in the four studied traits. Except for three genes, all six genes showed considerable association with these traits with varying strengths. Whole germplasm of 204 genotypes could be categorized into three major clusters with different grain sizes and weights that could be utilized in rice breeding programs where grain appearance and weight are under consideration. The study revealed that TGW was 24.9% influenced by GL, 37.4% influenced by GW, and 49.1% influenced by GT. Hence, assuming the trend of trait selection, i.e., GT > GW > GL, for improving TGW in the rice yield enhancement programs. The InDel markers successfully identified a total of 38 alleles, out of which 27 alleles were major and were found in more than 20 genotypes. GL was associated with four genes (GS3, GS7, GW8, and GS2). GT was also found to be regulated by four different genes (GS3, GS7, GW8, and GS2) out of the nine studied genes. GW was found to be under the control of three studied genes (GW5, GW8, and GS2), whereas TGW was found to be under the influence of four genes (SLG7, GW5, GW8, and GS5) in the germplasm under study. The Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic means (UPGMA) tree based on the studied InDel marker loci segregated the whole germplasm into three distinct clusters with dissimilar grain sizes and weights. A two-dimensional scatter plot constructed using Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) based on InDel markers further separated the 204 rice germplasms into four sub-populations with prominent demarcations of extra-long, long, medium, and short grain type germplasms that can be utilized in breeding programs accordingly. The present study could help rice breeders to select a suitable InDel marker and in formulation of breeding strategies for improving grain appearance, as well as weight, to develop rice varieties to compete international market demands with higher yield returns. This study also confirms the efficient application of InDel markers in studying diverse types of rice germplasm, allelic frequencies, multiple-gene allele contributions, marker-trait associations, and genetic variations that can be explored further.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an essential staple food crop, but the per acre average rice yield is less than its substantial potential in many countries. Rice breeders and growers would benefit from a robust genotypes with better morpho-physiological and yield-related traits. Here, seventy-four new rice genotypes were phenotyped over two years for their gas exchange and yield potential-related traits under Mississippi rice-growing conditions. A wide range of variability was observed among genotypes for all measured traits. Detailed phenotyping of rice genotypes revealed two key relationships that function together to contribute to yield potential under the southern US climate. The first one, grain yield, grain number, and spikelet fertility, showed considerable correlation (r = 0.45 to 0.79, p < 0.001) to harvest index. Conversely, days to anthesis had a high and negative correlation with harvest index (r = −0.79, p < 0.001), which suggests that selection for short duration genotypes with efficient partitioning could improve the yields under southern US climatic conditions. Additive response index revealed a higher positive association with yield traits (R2 = 0.59) than physiological (R2 = 0.28) and morphological traits (R2 = 0.21). Compared with the commercial genotype Rex, 21.6% and 47.3% of the rice genotypes had a higher gas exchange and yield response scores. IR08A172, IR07K142 and IR07F287 were ranked as high performers in physiological and yield response indices. Our study highlights that selection for short-duration yield-related traits with efficient sink capacity traits is desirable for future breeding programs.

The transition period to certified organic production can present a significant weed management challenge for growers. Organic certification requires that prohibited fertilizers and pesticides must not have been used for 36 mo before harvest of the first organic crop. Understanding how organic management practices and initial weed seed-bank densities affect weed population dynamics during the transition period may improve weed management efficacy and adoption of organic practices. We examined how tillage systems (full or reduced) and cover crop species planted during the first transition year (rye or a mixture of timothy and red clover) affect the seedling densities of three common annual weed species, common lambsquarters, velvetleaf, and foxtail spp., during the 3-yr transition period. Weed seeds were applied in a one-time pulse at the beginning of the study at three densities, low, medium, and high (60, 460, and 2,100 seeds m−2, respectively), and cumulative seedling densities of each species were assessed annually. Treatment factors had variable and species-specific effects on weed seedling densities. In general, the full-tillage system, with an initial cover crop of timothy and red clover, resulted in the lowest density of weed seedlings following seed-bank augmentation. There was little consistent association between the initial densities of applied weed seeds in the weed seed bank at the start of the transition and weed seedling densities at the end of the transition period. This suggests that when multiple crop and weed cultural management practices are employed during the organic transition period, initial failures in weed management may not necessarily lead to persistent and intractable annual weed species management problems following organic certification.

This study discusses a plant breeding and seed system recovery. According to the 2013 information, over 3000 seeders with colters of strip cropping were upgraded, which worked in 64 regions of the country. Simultaneously with the work on the modernization of the seeders for strip cropping, Russian Institute of Mechanization together with LLC “Tekhtsentr Laishevo” and “KhaRaSha” developed a design specification on the universal seeder SUZT 4of strip cropping with 4 meter width and a design specification on unified with it breeding and farming seeder SFS -2 with 2 meter wide. The pilot seeder SUZT-4 was designrd in LLC “KhaRaSha” and in 2012 it was successfully held acceptance tests with the recommendation on production at the Kirov Machine Testing Station. This seeder is designed for strip sowing of cereals, legumes, small-seeded crops and grass with simultaneous application of mineral fertilizers, as well as for early spring narrowband sowing of sparse winter crops and perennial grasses and subsurface mineral fertilizers plant nutrition. In 2013 there have manufactured a pilotmachine of breeding and farming seeder SFS-2 and it was transferred to Machine Testing Station for carrying out acceptance tests. The speeding up the implementing these seeders allow to carry out technological operation of planting crops in a highly effective stripping way with a significant increase of productivity and with high quality seeds. On spring wheat crops, where the seeds were prepared by car SMVO and sowing performed by seeders with ODA colters of strip cropping, the field germination ranged was from 92.5 to 95.6%, which is 4.5-8.1% higher, than seeds, obtained without isolation of their specific weight and drill sowing by double disc coulters. As a result, the higher harvest is formed by 8-10 centner per hectare and more. Additional 1.0 million tons of crops were reaped from improved seeds quality. Thus, the use of universal seeders with single disc - hoe colters and seed-crop cleaning machines SMVO is the most affordable way to increase the crops yield and seed quality for all farms. Key words: selection and seed-farming, Seed-growers association, seed-crop cleaning machine, processing of grain and seed, a seeder with disc-hoe colters, strip cropping .

This study was undertaken in 2016 to analyze the production and utilization of maize in Nepal. Sixty maize growers from Kavre and Lamjung districts were selected using purposive, cluster and simple random sampling techniques. Similarly, six feed industries and five maize experts from Chitwan district were also interviewed. Study shows 56% of the total areas were used for maize production and 50% of the maize areas were covered by hybrid maize. There was no practice of contract maize production. The results revealed that 60%, 25% and 3% of the grain were used for animal feed, food and seed respectively in hill districts. Whereas the remaining amount of the maize (12%) was sold to the different buyers. The proportion of maize feed supply to different animals in the study area was varying. Result shows that at least 1.5 million tons of maize is required only to the feed industries affiliated with national feed industry association in Nepal. Similarly, out of total maize used in feed production, 87% of the maize was imported from India each year by feed industries. Analysis shows negative correlation between scale of feed production and use of domestic maize due to unavailability of required quantity of maize in time. The major pre-condition of feed industries for maize buying was moisture content which must be equal or less than 14%. Very little or no inert materials and physical injury, free from fungal attack and bigger size were also the criteria for maize buying. However, some of the feed industries were also thinking about protein and amino acid contents. Result shows 13% and 8.5% increasing demand of poultry feed and animal feed, respectively over the last five year in Nepal. Most likely, maize is known as a means of food security in Nepal, however, in the context of changing utilization patterns at the farm level and also tremendous increasing demand of maize at the industry level suggest to give more focus on development and dissemination of maize varieties that can contribute to the feed security issues as well.

SUMMARYRainfall and temperature are unpredictable in Mediterranean environments, which results in inconsistent environmental conditions for crop growth and a critical source of uncertainty for farmers and growers. The objectives of the present study were to: (i) quantify and compare the plasticity of durum breeding lines, a modern cultivar and landraces on the basis of yield and agronomic traits and (ii) study associations between plasticity of yield and plasticity of agronomic and phenological traits. Plasticity was quantified using linear models for 11 durum breeding lines, one modern cultivar and two landraces grown in 21 diversified environments. The results showed that the effects due to environment, genotype and genotype×environment (G×E) interaction were significant, which indicates the existence of differences among genotypes for plasticity. Yield ranged from 1939 to 2419 kg/ha across environments and the range of plasticity was 0·66–1·13. The breeding lines and the modern cultivar had higher grain yields compared with the landraces at the same level of plasticity. The landraces with below-average plasticity in yield were characterized as tall in stature and late in heading and maturity, whereas the breeding lines and modern cultivar with above-average plasticity in yield were early in heading and maturity, semi-dwarf and high-yielding, which indicates the success in breeding the materials for unpredictable environmental conditions. In conclusion, yield plasticity was associated with yield improvement and high yield plasticity tends to associate with earliness, shorter plants and low grain weight.

The responses of wheat grain yield to soil properties, weather, root diseases, and management practices were investigated in 75 grower-managed crops in the Mallee region of South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales during 3 growing seasons. Fourteen cultivars were represented in the sampled crops, with Frame being the most common (56%). The most widespread crop sequence was wheat after pasture (43% of wheat crops), followed by wheat after fallow or cereal (both about 20%); 12% of the wheat was sown after legumes. Wheat after cereal was more common in drier sites, and wheat after fallow in wetter sites. Wheat yield was proportional to Fischer’s photothermal coefficient around flowering, and ranged from nil to 4.7 t/ha. On average, wheat crops sown after cereals yielded 0.4 t/ha less than their counterparts sown after fallow, and 0.7 t/ha less than those after legumes. Sowing date ranged from 24 April to 21 July; yield declined with delayed sowing at an average rate of 17 kg/ha.day. Growing season rainfall (April–October) ranged from 111 to 266 mm, and accounted for 27% of the variation in grain yield. Soil water content at sowing (0–1 m) ranged from 32 to 330 mm; yield increased with initial soil water at an average rate of 6 kg/ha.mm. Grain yield per unit growing season rainfall was generally low, with 75% of crops producing <12 kg grain/ha.mm; the maximum ratio was 21 kg/ha.mm. Soil constraints, including sodicity, alkalinity, salinity, and boron toxicity, reduced yield in part by reducing availability of stored soil water. Owing to severity of chemical constraints increasing with soil depth, grain yield and yield per unit growing season rainfall were both inversely related to the proportion of water stored deeper in the soil (0.5–1 m). Yield was unrelated to nitrogen, both initial and applied. Larger amounts of nitrogen accumulated in soils with more severe constraints partially accounted for the lack of association between yield and nitrogen.

Bovine papillomas are benign tumors of the cutaneous and mucosal epithelia and are commonly found in cattle. The productivity loss and economic impact depends on the location and degree of infection. The present study was undertaken to investigate the pathology and association of different bovine papilloma virus (BPV) types in cattle cutaneous and teat warts. Grossly, the warts were of variable size and shape (rice grain, cauliflower and finger-like horny growths or irregular). Histopathologically, the warts were diagnosed as fibropapilloma, papilloma, fibrosarcoma and hyperplasia. Fibropapilloma was the most frequent histological type observed and was characterized by hyperkeratosis, parakeratosis and acanthosis. PCR revealed the presence of either BPV-1, -2 and -5 DNA or their co-infections. Transmission electron microscopy on negative staining showed BPV-like particles. Varied copy numbers of viral DNA of BPV-1, -2 and -5 were detected by real-time PCR. Immunohistochemistry revealed the expression of Ki-67 mainly in the proliferating cells of stratum spinosum and a few basal cells in papilloma and fibropapilloma. Cyclooxygenase-2 immunostaining was observed in the cytoplasm and cell membrane of suprabasal cells. In conclusion, cutaneous and teat warts in cattle in India are more frequently associated with BPV-1/ -2 and their mixed infections, with the rare presence of BPV-5. The DNA of BPV-5 was detected for the first time in warts in India. Co-infection with two or three different viral types demonstrated the diversity of BPV types involved in warts. The frequent expression of Ki-67 in suprabasal layers may be indicative of its association with viral replication and that they are as proliferation sites.

Rice cultivation in tropical Asia is susceptible to drought and flood and the need is high for stress resistant genes. Wild riceOryza rufipogonGriff., grows in close sympatric association with cultivated rice in various habitats across the globe and possesses traits for survival under challenging environments. The species adapts according to the level of soil moisture available and modifies phenology, biomass production and grain yield. Variation in tiller dynamics of the species between contrasting environments gives an estimate of the adaptation. The species possesses AA genome, which permits genetic compatibility for cross breeding with cultivated rice. Utility of the species as possible repository of stress resistant genes is evaluated in this review by examining variation in assimilate partitioning between different classes of tillers of ecotypes growing across a gradation of habitats against background knowledge available for cultivated rice. Models have been constructed to explain mechanisms of tillering and tiller dynamics, and reveal the genotypic permissibility for resilience in sub-optimal environments. It is concluded that environmentally cued alteration in assimilate production and partitioning mask genetic potential for tiller production and survival. Tiller number in excess of resource capacity is corrected by senescence of late-tillers possibly through an ethylene-mediated signal.

Areal placers of diamond and precious metals (platinum and gold) of unknown origin are widespread in the Anabar River basin on the northeastern part of the Siberian Platform. This article discusses the typomorphic features of palladium gold (porpezite) and ferroan platinum, which, in addition to fragmented individual grains, sometimes form close growths, which indicates their obvious genetic relationship. This can be used to delimit the primary sources of commercial components of complex placers by their genetic types. The composition of minerals was determined on a Camebax-Micro (Cameca, France) microprobe analyzer, and their microstructural relationships were studied using the scanning microscope JSM-6480LV JEOL. Determination of the structure and parameters of elementary lattices of minerals was carried out on the D8 Discover diffractometer. According to microprobe analysis, the Pd content in porpezite ranges from 0.73% to 12.83%, Ag does not exceed 2.75% and Cu reaches 3–4%. Considering the composition, such a gold–platinum mineral association from placers of the Anabar river is close to precious metals from placers of the Gulinsky massif, as well as Au–PGE ore occurrences related to ultramafic–mafic intrusions of other regions of the world. Complex gold–platinum-metal mineralizations are usually closely related to parent rocks and are often observed in sulfide and chromite ores of layered ultramafic–mafic intrusions with complex metasomatic and hydrothermal transformations. It is shown that in such cases gold and platinum form a magmatogenic paragenesis of minerals that coexist until the separation of hydrothermal solutions from magma, which, as a rule, transports Au and Ag with a small fraction of PGE from the fluid-ore-magmatic system in accordance with the model of the formation of gold–porphyry deposits. Within the Anabar diamond-bearing region, according to modern geophysical data, a significant number of local gravimagnetic anomalies associated with the presence of intrusive massifs of basic and alkaline-ultrabasic rocks in the cover and within the basement have been identified. This allows us to assume that the buried parent rocks of the Anabar Au–Pt placers may be located in both the Precambrian and Phanerozoic strata.

This study examined the Knowledge level of Paddy farmers on Climate Change the Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu state in India. It is situated in the coastal area and is very often subjected to natural calamities which were mainly reflected in the Paddy cultivation to the worst status. The ex-post facto research design was used in this research study. A sample size of 200 was fixed for the study. The data were collected with the use of a well-structured and pre tested interview schedule for farmers covering all the aspects of knowledge on Climate change. The respondents’ knowledge level of climate change was measured by designing exclusively the knowledge test. The study revealed that more than half of the respondents (55.00%) had a medium level of knowledge of climate change. Nearly one-third (32.50%) of the respondents had a high level of knowledge and a lesser number of respondents (12.50%) were found to be under the category of low- level knowledge. Educational status, farming experience, contact with extension agencies, information seeking behaviour, social participation, innovativeness, risk orientation and awareness had shown positive and significant associations with paddy farmers knowledge and these variables contributed to improving the knowledge level of the Paddy farmers on climate change. They had knowledge of changes in the rainfall patterns, extreme climatic events, changes in the crop growths stages, ground water table and pest and disease outbreaks but the famers don’t have enough knowledge on climate change adaptation strategies in Paddy cultivation with respect to tackle the problem of salinity, sodicity and effects of humidity in grain filling to cope up with climate change. Hence, it is recommended that special training programmes may be frequently offered in the study area to improve the knowledge and skill of the farmers on climate change.

The Green Revolution has upgraded the food grain production to numerous folds yet failed to bring corresponding changes in the socio-economic status of a majority of the farm households. Although several crop and region-specific factors were highlighted for the observed asymmetries, a major factor was the deficiencies in linking the growers to evolving marketing scenarios. The results of the present study highlighted the relevance of holistic approaches in linking the unorganised okra growers in Tapi district of Gujarat through growers’ consortiums organised with association with Kay Bee Exports Pvt. Ltd. and Vadilal Industries Ltd. striving for exporting the produce. The study was based on the primary data for the period of 2016-2018. The results revealed that export-oriented farmers set up was instrumental in providing higher price to the producers. The higher operational efficiency, as well as pricing efficiency, was reflected in lower price-spread, higher efficiency and growers’ share. The study has demonstrated that the inclusion of growers in the export-oriented supply chain benefited the growers and revealed informal community participation with proper guidance and monitoring.

Abstract Key message Sedimentation values and falling number in the last decades have helped maintain high baking quality despite rigorous selection for grain yield in wheat. Allelic combinations of major loci sustained the bread-making quality while improving grain yield. Glu-D1, Pinb-D1, and non-gluten proteins are associated with sedimentation values and falling number in European wheat. Abstract Zeleny sedimentation values (ZSV) and Hagberg-Perten falling number (HFN) are among the most important parameters that help determine the baking quality classes of wheat and, thus, influence the monetary benefits for growers. We used a published data set of 372 European wheat varieties evaluated in replicated field trials in multiple environments. ZSV and HFN traits hold a wide and significant genotypic variation and high broad-sense heritability. The genetic correlations revealed positive and significant associations of ZSV and HFN with each other, grain protein content (GPC) and grain hardness; however, they were all significantly negatively correlated with grain yield. Besides, GPC appeared to be the major predictor for ZSV and HFN. Our genome-wide association analyses based on high-quality SSR, SNP, and candidate gene markers revealed a strong quantitative genetic nature of ZSV and HFN by explaining their total genotypic variance as 41.49% and 38.06%, respectively. The association of known Glutenin (Glu-1) and Puroindoline (Pin-1) with ZSV provided positive analytic proof of our studies. We report novel candidate loci associated with globulins and albumins—the non-gluten monomeric proteins in wheat. In addition, predictive breeding analyses for ZSV and HFN suggest using genomic selection in the early stages of breeding programs with an average prediction accuracy of 81 and 59%, respectively.

The demand for high quality rice among consumers has surged in recent decades due to improvements in living standards. Hence, improving grain quality without reducing grain yield is a major concern in rice breeding programmes to benefit the rice growers and consumers. Therefore, it is very crucial to study the genetic variability among the genotypes for selecting potential parents to exploit maximum heterosis and superior recombinants in terms of quality components. The present investigation was carried out at Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad during kharif 2022 with 96 rice lines to assess the genetic variability for grain quality parameters. The analysis of variance revealed a significant difference among the genotypes for all the traits studied, except volume expansion ratio, which indicates the presence of considerable amount of variation among these genotypes. Overall study on genetic variability revealed that the estimates of PCV were only slightly higher than the corresponding GCV for traits such as kernel length, kernel width, kernel length after cooking, elongation ratio, alkali spreading value, amylose content and gel consistency suggesting a lesser influence of the environment. Traits like kernel length, kernel length after cooking, alkali spreading value and gel consistency had high heritability coupled with high genetic advance which indicates the role of additive genes in the inheritance of these traits. Correlation studies revealed that, grain yield plot-1 had a significant and positive association with quality traits such as hulling, milling and head rice recovery. Therefore, simultaneous improvement for these characters is possible through selection. Binadhan 17, DR 714-1-2R, DRR Dhan 44, IR 64 and JGL 18047 were found to be the best five genotypes for grain quality parameters.

Background: Tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) is an underutilised grain legume crop and important source of food, nutrition and income. To date, there are no significant breeding efforts aimed at cultivar development and the crop remains under-utilised and under-researched.Aim: Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate eight phenotypic traits and their relationships among 42 genotypes of tepary bean in a controlled drought screening greenhouse environment.Setting: Agricultural Research Council – Vegetable, Industrial and Medicinal Plants, South Africa in drought screening glasshouse.Method: A 6 × 7 rectangular lattice design replicated three times was used in the study.Results: There were highly significant (p 0.01) differences in all the phenotypic traits that were measured. The highest number (30) of secondary roots was recorded for genotype ‘Ac-39’, which exceeded the trial, mean value by 62.87%. In comparison with the check, only Ac-33’, ‘Ac-39’, ‘Ac-40’ and ‘Ac-7’, ‘Ac-8’, ‘Ac-40’, ‘Ac-41’ genotypes achieved a significantly (p 0.05) higher secondary root length (SRL) and shoot dry weight (SDW), respectively. A highly significant (p 0.01) positive association was observed between the shoot fresh weight and the SDW suggesting that there was a strong linear relationship between the two parameters. Similarly, at least 68.0% of the changes in root dry weight were attributed to the changes in the SRL.Conclusion: These results suggested that the observed phenotypic variability in this germplasm which could be exploited for the enhancement of tepary bean.Contribution: There will be merit in validating these results on a field basis together with grain yield evaluation and genotyping over multiple locations and seasons to determine elite germplasm for production and utilisation by growers.

Abstract Background Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a legume whose grain can be stored for months, a common practice among Brazilian growers. Over time, seed coats become darker and harder to cook, traits that are undesirable to consumers, who associate darker-colored beans with greater age. Like commercial pinto and cranberry bean varieties, carioca beans that have darker seeds at harvest time and after storage are subject to decreased market values. Results The goal of our study was to identify the genetic control associated with lightness of seed coat color at harvest (HL) and with tolerance to post-harvest seed coat darkening (PHD) by a genome-wide association study. For that purpose, a carioca diversity panel previously validated for association mapping studies was used with 138 genotypes and 1,516 high-quality SNPs. The panel was evaluated in two environments using a colorimeter and the CIELAB scale. Shelf storage for 30 days had the most expressive results and the L* (luminosity) parameter led to the greatest discrimination of genotypes. Three QTL were identified for HL, two on chromosome Pv04 and one on Pv10. Regarding PHD, results showed that genetic control differs for L* after 30 days and for the ΔL* (final L*—initial L*); only ΔL* was able to properly express the PHD trait. Four phenotypic classes were proposed, and five QTL were identified through six significant SNPs. Conclusions Lightness of seed coat color at harvest showed an oligogenic inheritance corroborated by moderate broad-sense heritability and high genotypic correlation among the experiments. Only three QTL were significant for this trait – two were mapped on Pv04 and one on Pv10. Considering the ΔL, six QTL were mapped on four different chromosomes for PHD. The same HL QTL at the beginning of Pv10 was also associated with ΔL* and could be used as a tool in marker-assisted selection. Several candidate genes were identified and may be useful to accelerate the genetic breeding process.

AbstractIn Ethiopia, Fusarium ear rot (FER) reduces yield, quality and safety of maize, and negatively impacts economics of maize growers. However, there is almost no published information on geographic distribution, severity or causal agents of FER in Ethiopia or levels of preharvest fumonisin contamination, biophysical factors, and agronomic practices associated with FER. Therefore, we conducted a survey of 480 agricultural fields located in 10 Ethiopian zones to assess incidence and severity of FER as well as agricultural practices and biophysical factors associated with each field. We also determined the concentration of fumonisin in samples taken from the fields. Results revealed that FER was prevalent with varied disease intensity and yield loss levels among the assessed zones. The highest percent severity index (PSI) was recorded in Mirab Wellega (33.2%), with correspondingly maximum estimated mean yield loss of 13.6% while, the minimum disease severity 11.3% and yield loss 5.4% was recorded from Ilubabor zone. Fumonisins (FB1, FB2, FB3, & FB4) were detected in 98% of the samples and levels ranged from 5 μg kg−1 to 7517 μg kg−1 (mean, 540 μg kg−1 & median 82.4 μg kg−1). Mean fumonisin contamination of 1524.4, 1316.8, 744.5 & 742.6 μg kg−1 were recorded for Mirab Welega, Misraq Wellega, Assosa and Hawassa zones respectively. In total, about 11.3% of the maize samples exceeded the maximum tolerable total fumonisin limit set by the European Union in maize flour (>1000 μg kg−1), and are not suitable for human consumption. Disease severity highly significantly (P<0.0001) correlated with biophysical factors such as insect infestation (r = 0.60, P<0.0001) and weed infestation (r = 0.64, P<0.0001), and agronomic practices such as NPS fertilizer application rate (r = ‐0.39, P<0.0001) and insecticide spray frequency (r = ‐0.55, P<0.0001). Other agronomic practices such as earlier or later sowing date, inter‐cropping systems significantly reduced (P<0.001) FER incidence, PSI and the associated grain yield loss. There was significant (p<0.0001) variation among maize cultivars currently under production in reaction against FER disease intensity. Moreover, the result of the present study attests a strong positive association (P<0.001) between disease intensity and maize fumonisin concentrations. Generally, the study revealed a wider distribution of FER and fumonisin contamination of maize in the South west major maize growing belts of Ethiopia. Thus, appropriate integrated pre‐harvest ear rot management strategies including the use of resistant cultivars and suitable agronomic practices are recommended for the management of FER and the associated mycotoxins in Ethiopia.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

AbstractElevated nighttime temperatures resulting from climate change significantly impact the rice crop worldwide. The rice (Oryza sativa L.) plant is highly sensitive to high nighttime temperature (HNT) during grain-filling (reproductive stage). HNT stress negatively affects grain quality traits and has a major impact on the value of the harvested rice crop. In addition, along with grain dimensions determining rice grain market classes, the grain appearance and quality traits determine the rice grain market value. During the last few years, there has been a major concern for rice growers and the rice industry over the prevalence of rice grains opacity and the reduction of grain dimensions affected by HNT stress. Hence, the improvement of heat-stress tolerance to maintain grain quality of the rice crop under HNT stress will bolster future rice value in the market. In this study, 185 F12-recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from two US rice cultivars, Cypress (HNT-tolerant) and LaGrue (HNT-sensitive) were screened for the grain quality traits grain length (GL), grain width (GW), and percent chalkiness (%chalk) under control and HNT stress conditions and evaluated to identify the genomic regions associated with the grain quality traits. In total, there were 15 QTLs identified; 6 QTLs represented under control condition explaining 3.33% to 8.27% of the phenotypic variation, with additive effects ranging from − 0.99 to 0.0267 on six chromosomes and 9 QTLs represented under HNT stress elucidating 6.39 to 51.53% of the phenotypic variation, with additive effects ranging from − 8.8 to 0.028 on nine chromosomes for GL, GW, and % chalk. These 15 QTLs were further characterized and scanned for natural genetic variation in a japonica diversity panel (JDP) to identify candidate genes for GL, GW, and %chalk. We found 6160 high impact single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) characterized as such depending on their type, region, functional class, position, and proximity to the gene and/or gene features, and 149 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the 51 Mbp genomic region comprising of the 15 QTLs. Out of which, 11 potential candidate genes showed high impact SNP associations. Therefore, the analysis of the mapped QTLs and their genetic dissection in the US grown Japonica rice genotypes at genomic and transcriptomic levels provide deep insights into genetic variation beneficial to rice breeders and geneticists for understanding the mechanisms related to grain quality under heat stress in rice.

We have previously described the association of raisin consumption with nutrient intake and diet quality; raisin consumers had higher diet quality scores (61.4 ± 1.0 vs. 49.1 ± 0.2) and better intakes of nutrients of public health concern/shortfall nutrients. In this study we examined the association between consumption of raisin‐containing foods (n=149) with nutrient intake and diet quality in adults using data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2001–2012 (n=29,684). Consumers of raisin‐containing foods (n=4,201; 51.7% female) were defined as having any amount of raisin‐containing foods during the first 24‐hour diet recall. Diet quality was calculated using the Healthy Eating Index‐2010 (HEI). Covariate adjusted (age, gender, race/ethnicity, poverty income ratio, physical activity level, current smoking status, and alcohol intake) regression analyses were conducted using appropriate sample weights; significance was set at p<0.01. For analyses of nutrient intake energy intake was an additional covariate. Energy intake was higher in consumers of raisin‐containing foods than non‐consumers (2241 ± 22 vs. 2054 ± 9). Examining nutrients of public health concern/shortfall nutrients identified by the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, dietary fiber (18.6 ± 0.2 vs. 16.2 ± 0.1 g/d) and potassium (2758 ± 24 vs. 2656 ± 9 mg/d) were significantly higher in consumers of raisin‐containing foods compared to non‐consumers, while no associations were observed for intakes of calcium and vitamin D. Intakes of vitamin C and E were similar in consumers of raisin‐containing foods and non‐consumers but intakes of vitamin A (719 ± 33 vs. 568 ± 10 μg RAE/d), folate (589 ± 8 vs. 526 ± 4 μg DFE/d), iron (16.6 ± 0.3 vs. 14.9 ± 0.2 mg/d) and magnesium (317 ± 3 vs. 287 ± 1 mg/d) were higher in consumers of raisin‐containing foods. Regarding nutrients to limit, intakes of saturated fat (23.6 ± 0.2 vs. 25.1 ± 0.1 g/day) and sodium (3326 ± 27 vs. 3567 ± 17 mg/day) were significantly lower while added sugar intake was similar in consumers of raisin‐containing foods vs. non‐consumers. Consumers of raisin‐containing foods had higher total HEI scores (58.6 ± 0.6 vs. 54.3 ± 0.4). Regarding HEI sub‐components, the largest differences in sub‐component scores were seen for whole grains (3.3 ± 0.07 vs. 1.9 ± 0.04), whole fruit (2.7 ± 0.06 vs. 2.2 ± 0.03), and sodium (5.0 ± 0.08 vs. 4.2 ± 0.05). In conclusion, consumption of raisin‐containing foods was associated with better nutrient intake and better diet quality in adults.Support or Funding InformationFunding provided by Sun‐Maid Growers of California.

With the rapid increase in the number of vehicles, the use of worn tires that are increasing everyday grows environmental problems. On the other hand, one of the fundamental issues for road agencies is the management and maintenance of the roads. The preeminent practice in this area is to carry out preventive maintenance by methods such as using protective asphalt layers by means of microsurfacing. However, there has not been a study regarding microsurfacing with rubber, the mix design, and its field performance indicators. In this study, the performance of microsurfacing mixtures with different amounts of crumb rubber has been investigated under the ISSA A143 requirement set by the International Slurry Surfacing Association. For this purpose, 0.5–3% of crumb rubber with a grain size of maximum 0.33 mm as a replacement of aggregates has been used. The results from wet track abrasion test excess asphalt by loaded wheel test (LWT), multilayer LWT showed that the best performance among different amounts of rubber powder is obtained at the 14% bitumen emulsion and 0.5% crumb rubber, and the use of this amount of crumb rubber reduced the amount of optimum emulsion needed. Moreover, the rutting on the specimen also decreased compared to the control specimen.

By the 12th century, coffee was extensively cultivated in Yemen, and qawha and cahveh, hot beverages made from roast and ground coffee beans, became popular in the Islamic world over the next 300 years. Commercial production of coffee outside Yemen started in Sri Lanka in the 1660s, Java in the 1700s, and Latin America in 1715, and this production has associations with histories of colonial expansion and slavery. Introduced to Europe in the 17th century, coffee was described by Robert Burton in the section of his 1628 Anatomy of Melancholy devoted to medicines as “an intoxicant, a euphoric, a social and physical stimulant, and a digestive aid” (quoted in Weinberg and Bealer xii). Today, more than 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year. Coffee is also an ingredient in a series of iconic dishes such as tiramisu and, with chocolate, makes up the classic mocha mix. Coffee production is widespread in tropical and sub-tropical countries and it is the second largest traded world commodity; second only to oil and petroleum. The World Bank estimates that more than 500 million people throughout the world depend on coffee for their livelihoods, and 25 million of these are coffee farmers. Unfortunately, these farmers typically live and work in substandard conditions and receive only a small percentage of the final price that their coffee is sold for. The majority of coffee farmers are women and they face additional challenges, frequently suffering from abuse, neglect, and poverty, and unable to gain economic, social, or political power in either their family’s coffee businesses or their communities. Some farm coffee under enslaved or indentured conditions, although Fair Trade regimes are offering some lessening of inequalities. At the opposite end of the scale, a small, but growing, number of high-end producers market gourmet sustainable coffee from small-scale, environmentally-aware farming operations. For many in the West today, however, coffee is not about the facts of its production; coffee is all about consumption, and is now interwoven into our contemporary cultural and social habits. Caffeine, found in the leaves, seeds, and fruit of the coffee tree, is an addictive psychoactive substance, but has overcome resistance and disapproval around the world and is now unregulated and freely available, without licence. Our gastronomic sophistication is reflected in which coffee, brewing method, and location of consumption is chosen; our fast-paced lifestyles in the range of coffee-to-go options we have; and our capitalist orientation in the business opportunities this popularity has offered to small entrepreneurs and multinational franchise chains alike. Cafés and the meeting, mingling, discussions, and relaxing that occur there while drinking coffee, are a contemporary topic of reflection and scholarship, as are the similarities and differences between the contemporary café and its earlier incarnations, including, of course, the Enlightenment coffee house. As may be expected from a commodity which has such a place in our lives, coffee is represented in many ways in the media—including in advertising, movies, novels, poetry, songs and, of course, in culinary writing, including cookbooks, magazines, and newspapers. There are specialist journals and popular serials dedicated to expounding and exploring the fine grain detail of its production and consumption, and food historians have written multiple biographies of coffee’s place in our world. So ubiquitous, indeed, is coffee, that as a named colour, it popularly features in fashion, interior design, home wares, and other products. This issue of M/C Journal invited contributors to consider coffee from any relevant angle that makes a contribution to our understanding of coffee and its place in culture and/or the media, and the result is a valuable array of illuminating articles from a diverse range of perspectives. It is for this reason that we chose an image of coffee cherries for the front cover of this issue. Co-editor Jill Adams has worked in the coffee industry for over ten years and has a superb collection of coffee images that ranges from farmers in Papua New Guinea to artfully shot compositions of antique coffee brewing equipment. In making our choice, however, we felt that Spencer Franks’s image of ripe coffee cherries at the Skybury Coffee Plantation in Far North Queensland, Australia, encapsulates the “fruitful” nature of the response to our call for articles for this issue. While most are familiar, moreover, with the dark, glossy appearance and other sensual qualities of roasted coffee beans, fewer have any occasion to contemplate just how lovely the coffee tree is as a plant. Each author has utilised the idea of “coffee” as a powerful springboard into a fascinating range of areas, showing just how inseparable coffee is from so many parts of our daily lives—even scholarly enquiry. In our first feature article, Susie Khamis profiles and interrogates the Nespresso brand, and how it points to the growing individualisation of coffee consumption, whereby the social aspect of cafés gives way to a more self-centred consumer experience. This feature valuably contrasts the way Starbucks has marketed itself as a social hub with the Nespresso boutique experience—which as Khamis explains—is not a café, but rather a club, a trademarked, branded space, predicated on highly knowledgeable and, therefore, privileged patrons. Coffee drinking is also associated with both sobriety and hangover cures, with cigarettes, late nights, and music. Our second feature, by Jon Stewart, looks at how coffee has become interwoven into our lives and imaginations through the music that we listen to—from jazz to blues to musical theatre numbers. It examines the influence of coffee as subject for performers and songwriters in three areas: coffee and courtship rituals, the stimulating effects of caffeine, and the politics of coffee consumption, claiming that coffee carries a cultural and musicological significance comparable to that of other drugs and ubiquitous consumer goods that are often more readily associated with popular music. Diana Noyce looks at the short-lived temperance movement in Australia, the opulent architecture of the coffee palaces built in that era, what was actually drunk in them, and their fates as the temperance movement passed into history. Emma Felton lyrically investigates how “going for a coffee” is less about coffee and more about how we connect with others in a mobile world, when flexible work hours are increasingly the norm and more people are living alone than any other period in history. Felton also introducess a theme that other writers also engage with: that the café also plays a role in the development of civil discourse and civility, and plays an important role in the development of cosmopolitan civil societies. Ireland-based Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire surveys Dublin—that tea drinking city—and both the history of coffee houses and the enduring coffee culture it possesses; a coffee culture that seems well assured through a remarkable win for Ireland in the 2008 World Barista Championships. China has also always been strongly associated with tea drinking but Adel Wang introduces readers to the emerging, and unique, café and coffee culture of that country, as well as some of the proprietors who are bringing about this cultural change. Australia, also once a significant consumer of tea, shifted to a preference for coffee over a twenty year period that began with the arrival of American Servicemen in Australia during World War II. Jill Adams looks at the rise of coffee during that time, and the efforts made by the tea industry to halt its market growth. These strong links between tea and coffee are reflected in Duncan Barnes, Danielle Fusco, and Lelia Green’s thought-provoking study of how coffee is marketed in Bangladesh, another tea drinking country. Ray Oldenberg’s influential concept of the “third place” is referred to by many authors in this collection, but Anthony McCosker and Rowan Wilken focus on this idea. By using a study of how Polish composer, Krzysztof Penderecki, worked in his local café from 9 in the morning to noon each day, this article explores the interrelationship of café space, communication, creativity, and materialism. Donna Lee Brien brings us back to the domestic space with her article on how the popular media of cookery books and magazines portray how coffee was used in Australian cooking at mid-century, in the process, tracing how tiramisu triumphed over the trifle. By exploring the currently fashionable practice of “direct trade” between roasters and coffee growers Sophie Sunderland offers a fresh perspective on coffee production by powerfully arguing that feeling (“affect”) is central to the way in which coffee is produced, represented and consumed in Western mass culture. Sunderland thus brings the issue full circle and back to Khamis’s discussion, for there is much feeling mobilised in the marketing of Nespresso. We would like to thank all the contributors and our generous and erudite peer reviewers for their work in the process of putting together this issue. We would also like to specially thank Spencer Franks for permission to use his image of coffee cherries as our cover image. We would lastly like to thank you the general editors of M/C Journal for selecting this theme for the journal this year.References Oldenburg, Ray, ed. Celebrating the Third Place: Inspiring Stories about the “Great Good Places” At the Heart of Our Communities. New York: Marlowe & Company 2001.Weinberg, Bennett Alan, and Bonnie K Bealer. The World of Caffeine. New York and London: Routledge, 2001.