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Picarbutrazox is the active ingredient of Vayantis®, a novel seed treatment fungicide developed by Syngenta and discovered by Nippon Soda. Vayantis® received registration from the US EPA in 2021. Picarbutrazox is a systemic fungicide and belongs to the tetrazolyloximes chemical group of fungicides, and its mode of action is still unknown (FRAC group U17). Picarbutrazox targets oomycete plant pathogens and controls diseases caused by Pythium, Phytophthora, and downy mildews. Picarbutrazox is in a new mode-of-action group with no known cross-resistance to other oomycete compounds. The sensitivity to Picarbutrazox of 528 isolates belonging to 40 different Pythium species was determined in vitro. Pythium isolates were collected from infected plants including corn, soybean, cotton, and other crops from 17 different states. Pythium isolates were also obtained from collections kept at universities. Isolates were identified at the species level using morphological and molecular tools. Mycelial growth inhibition was quantified using the following Picarbutrazox concentrations: 0, 0.00001, 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 mg/L. All the species of Pythium tested were sensitive to Picarbutrazox. The sensitivity distribution (EC50 values) across all the Pythium species tested had a mean sensitivity of 0.000376 mg ai/L. The Picarbutrazox sensitivity of 40 species of Pythium species has been documented, and results demonstrate the high in vitro intrinsic activity of this fungicide to control Pythium species. The high potency of Picarbutrazox to control Pythium diseases in corn, soybeans, cotton, and other crops has also been demonstrated under field conditions when used as a seed treatment. Picarbutrazox, with its novel mode of action, will contribute to the management of potential fungicide resistance issues developed by other fungicide products controlling Pythium, including mefenoxam and ethaboxam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to provide insights into the current network configurations of the food-trade system and to study the short-term effects of one of the ongoing and lasting global crises, the Ukraine War, on the link intensity. Towards this end, this analysis (1) reveals the pattern of countries' network positions in two most traded subcategories of the cereal network: wheat and meslin, and maize or corn, and (2) discusses the characteristics of the global cereal networks over the 2021–2022 period. The results highlight several features of the trade networks: (1) the distribution of cereal trade is highly concentrated, with considerable dependency on a small number of exporters and a low import diversification, making the system rigid and prone to shocks; (2) a central role of several key developed countries that leave many developing countries outside the centre of the networks; (3) a high network heterogeneity which confirms the propensity to have hub nodes. Particular indicators show that the highest level of interconnectivity is specific to the cereals' export network, the densest networks are the maize or corn ones, and the greatest heterogeneity appears for the cereals export network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Assessing water consumption in intercropping systems relative to sole crop systems is important for planting system planning. Methods: This study focused on wheat/maize (Triticum aestivum L./Zea mays L.) relay intercropping to evaluate water use advantage of relay intercropping system based on the same period. Field experiments were conducted from 2014 to 2016, and three cropping patterns were designed: sole wheat, sole maize, wheat/maize intercrops. Method for evaluating water use advantage in intercropping was revised by considering water consumption of sole crops during the fallow period (periods where no plants are grown). Results: Intercropping grain yield was higher than sole cropping yield. Based on the existing method, the intercropping system had 20.4% greater water use than the sole cropping system and the water equivalent ratio (WER) was lower than 1; after revision, intercropping had 7.7% less water use than sole cropping, and the WER was greater than 1. Before revision, intercropped wheat used 3.1% more water than sole wheat, and the intercropped maize used 38.8% more water than sole maize; after revision, intercropped wheat used 24.4% less water than sole wheat, and intercropped maize used 11.0% more water than sole maize. Conclusion: These results indicated that the revised method can be better used to evaluate water use advantage of relay intercropping system. This study implied that wheat/maize intercropping increased both yield and water use based on revised method, and relay intercropping can be a suitable production practice employed in fallow policy, especially in areas with limited water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Phytochemical characterization and end use evaluation of native and fermented cereal brans" published in the Journal of Food Measurement & Characterization. The corrected tables in the document present the chemical composition of native and fermented cereal brans, including moisture, fat, protein, ash, and fiber content. The tables also include information on the phytochemical profiling, antioxidant activity, and antinutritional factors of the brans. The article provides comparisons between different types of brans and their treatments with yeast and bacteria. This information can be useful for library patrons conducting research on the nutritional composition of cereal brans. [Extracted from the article]

Climate-induced extreme events with fluctuations in climatic indicators like temperature and precipitation highly influence crop productivity. This study deals with quantitative analysis of climatic variability and crop production (1990–2018) using panel data regression analysis. The focus is on variability of three crops, i.e., paddy, maize, and wheat in the Rangit river basin of Sikkim Himalaya, India. Meterological data were acquired from the Indian Meteorological Department, agricultural data from the state agricultural department and a field survey were also conducted with the farmers, using a structured questionnaire, focused group discussion, and key informant observations. The acquired data was analyzed with the help of correlation and multiple linear regression analysis to analyze the relationship between climatic variability and crop production. The result of the study shows that all three crops are dependent on rainfall; however, paddy was the most sensitive to climatic variability. It was found that the overall grain production had an inverse relation to temperature, but it had a positive correlation with rainfall. It was observed that there was a continuous decline in the overall production of paddy and wheat. During deficiency years, it was found that when − 11.33% rainfall was deficient, paddy yield declined by − 1.52%. Further, a deviation of − 13.48% led to a decline of − 54.78% in wheat. The study advocates that timely policy interventions and strategies shall reduce climatic shocks and improve productivity. This would strengthen the livelihood security of the local communities, overcome the challenges of food security, and ensure long-term sustainability of Rangit River basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice (Oryza sativa L.)–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system in north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains performed a crucial role in the national food security. However, the widespread and intensive cultivation of this system has led to serious problems such as declining groundwater table (~1 meter year−1) with sharp increase in number of districts under over-exploitation category, residue burning, higher greenhouse gases emission and herbicide resistance in weeds, causing stagnant crop productivity and lesser profitability. In this review article, an attempt has been made to discuss the major issues pertaining to intensive rice–wheat cultivation amidst climate vagaries and futuristic approach to address these challenges. Different tillage- and crop-specific recommendations such as adoption of direct seeded rice, diversification with lesser resource guzzling crops such as maize (Zea mays L.) at least on the periodic manner especially in light-medium soils, inclusion of summer legumes and alternative tillage systems (permanent beds and zero tillage with residue retention) have been suggested to address these issues. However, crop performance under these techniques has been found to be location, soil and cultivar specific. The absence of aerobic tailored genotypes and weeds have been identified as the major constraints in adoption of direct seeded rice. The integrated strategies of conservation tillage, crop breeding program and resource conserving region- and soil-specific agronomic measures with crop diversification would be helpful in tackling the sustainability issues. It requires future efforts on developing crop genotypes suited to conservation tillage, effective weed control strategies and trainings and demonstrations to farmers to switch from conventional rice–wheat system to alternative cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a most prevalent environmental stress affecting the productivity of rainfed wheat and maize in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China. Sustainable agricultural practices such as intercropping are important for enhancing crop performance in terms of better physiological and biochemical characteristics under drought conditions. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant enzyme activities are associated with improved abiotic tolerance in crop plants, however, its molecular mechanism remains obscure. A 2-year field study was conducted to evaluate the influence of intercropping treatment viz. wheat mono-crop (WMC), maize mono-crop (MMC), intercropping maize (IM) and wheat (IW) crops, and nitrogen (N) application rates viz. control and full-dose of N (basal application at 150 and 235 kg ha−1 for wheat and maize, respectively) on chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange traits, lipid peroxidation, antioxidative properties and expression patterns of six tolerance genes in both crops under rainfed conditions. As compared with their respective monocropping treatments, IW and IM increased the Fo/Fm by 18.35 and 14.33%, PS-11 efficiency by 7.90 and 13.44%, photosynthesis by 14.31 and 23.97%, C-capacity by 32.05 and 12.92%, and stomatal conductance by 41.40 and 89.95% under without- and with-N application, respectively. The reductions in instantaneous- and intrinsic-water use efficiency and MDA content in the range of 8.76–26.30% were recorded for IW and IM treatments compared with WMC and MMC, respectively. Compared with the WMC and MMC, IW and IM also triggered better antioxidant activities under both N rates. Moreover, we also noted that intercropping and N addition regulated the transcript levels of six genes encoding non-enzymatic antioxidants cycle enzymes. The better performance of intercropping treatments i.e., IW and IM were also associated with improved osmolytes accumulation under rainfed conditions. As compared with control, N addition significantly improved the chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange traits, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzyme activities under all intercropping treatments. Our results increase our understanding of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms of intercropping-induced water stress tolerance in wheat and maize crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of crops secure the human food supply, but climate change is bringing new challenges. Dynamic plant growth and corresponding environmental data are required to uncover phenotypic crop responses to the changing environment. There are many datasets on above-ground organs of crops, but roots and the surrounding soil are rarely the subject of longer term studies. Here, we present what we believe to be the first comprehensive collection of root and soil data, obtained at two minirhizotron facilities located close together that have the same local climate but differ in soil type. Both facilities have 7m-long horizontal tubes at several depths that were used for crosshole ground-penetrating radar and minirhizotron camera systems. Soil sensors provide observations at a high temporal and spatial resolution. The ongoing measurements cover five years of maize and wheat trials, including drought stress treatments and crop mixtures. We make the processed data available for use in investigating the processes within the soil–plant continuum and the root images to develop and compare image analysis methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular biology aims to understand cellular responses and regulatory dynamics in complex biological systems. However, these studies remain challenging in non-model species due to poor functional annotation of regulatory proteins. To overcome this limitation, we develop a multi-layer neural network that determines protein functionality directly from the protein sequence. We annotate kinases and phosphatases in Glycine max. We use the functional annotations from our neural network, Bayesian inference principles, and high resolution phosphoproteomics to infer phosphorylation signaling cascades in soybean exposed to cold, and identify Glyma.10G173000 (TOI5) and Glyma.19G007300 (TOT3) as key temperature regulators. Importantly, the signaling cascade inference does not rely upon known kinase motifs or interaction data, enabling de novo identification of kinase-substrate interactions. Conclusively, our neural network shows generalization and scalability, as such we extend our predictions to Oryza sativa, Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor, and Triticum aestivum. Taken together, we develop a signaling inference approach for non-model species leveraging our predicted kinases and phosphatases. An artificial-intelligence network is used to generate highly accurate predictions of proteins' functionality. The predictions on the identity of regulatory proteins is used to create regulatory networks and make discoveries about complex biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. (bermudagrass) is a member of family Poaceae. It is a C4 grass that grows extensively from both rhizomes and stolons, as well as by producing seeds. Due to its superior turf quality and outstanding durability, bermudagrass is widely used for residential and recreational areas worldwide. However, the grass is also considered as a troublesome weed in several crops mainly sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), maize (Zea mays), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rice (Oryza sativa). It grows well in tropical and subtropical regions between 45°N and 45°S in more than 100 countries worldwide. Due to its ability to form a dense mat and fine textured appearance, bermudagrass is suitable for ornamental home lawns, golf course fairways/tees, athletic fields, industrial parks and soil erosion control as well. However, a major limitation to bermudagrass cultivation is susceptibility to shade stress. The shade come from trees in home lawns, shrubs or physical structures bring challenges for grass. Therefore, understanding how it adapts and grows well under shade is essential for the utilization and management of the important genetic resource of this species. Bermudagrass has been found to be moderately tolerant against shade because tolerance varies from genotype to genotype. It can tolerate shady conditions morphologically, physiologically, and anatomically by developing structural modifications (external/internal modifications), activating antioxidant enzymes and releasing primary/secondary metabolites. The objective of the current review is to better understand the growth and development of bermudagrass and its response mechanisms against shade stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop-specific, high-resolution phosphorus rate information is essential for sustainable agricultural fertilizer management in China. However, substantial uncertainties exist in the current phosphorus fertilizer dataset because of only coarse national statistics used in dataset development and no crop-specific information provided. This study harmonized provincial and county-level phosphorus and component fertilizer statistics and crop distribution data to generate 1 km gridded maps of phosphorus rate for rice, wheat and maize in the years of 2004–2016 (CN-P). CN-P provides a comparable estimate on phosphorus rate for each crop over 2004–2016, and demonstrates an improved spatial heterogeneity. Existing dataset developed using national statistics tends to smooth out the variability within country and significantly underestimates actual phosphorus rate. CN-P shows that, during 2004–2016, wheat received the most phosphorus rate (8.7 g P2O5 m−2), while maize showed the rapidest increasing trend (2.36% yr−1). The CN-P dataset has the potential to be widely applied in modeling studies on sustainable agricultural fertilizer management strategies and phosphorus pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of drought on plants of Triticum aestivum L., Brоmopsis inеrmis L., Pisum sativum L., and Zea mays L. inoculated with endophytic strains of Bacillus subtilis bacteria were studied. Presowing treatment of seeds with these bacteria was found to boost plant resistance to water deficit, stimulate their growth, and suppress oxidative stress. Based on the ability of the tested strains to cause antistress effect and activate the antioxidant system, it is concluded that plant treatments with them may favor growing of agricultural crops under drought conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Legume crops are advocated for integration into crop rotation systems, and cereal-based rotations with the presence of legumes have a substantial effect on improving soil fertility and health. It is not yet clear whether the frequency of legume inclusion in crop rotation systems influences soil biochemical properties and soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization. Methods: An incubation experiment was conducted with 13C-glucose addition to evaluate the influences of soybean (Glycine max L.) cropping frequency on SOM mineralization under long-term wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)- and maize (Zea mays L.)-based rotation systems. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and 13C-PLFAs were measured to explore microbial biomass, community structure and microbial utilization of glucose in wheat and maize systems. Results: Glucose addition increased native SOM mineralization, i.e. positive priming effect. Compared with less soybean cropping frequency under long-term wheat- and maize-based rotation systems, wheat-soybean-soybean-soybean rotation and maize-soybean-soybean rotation increased the total biomass (PLFAs), fungal biomass and decreased the ratio of bacteria to fungi. Furthermore, the ratio of bacteria to fungi was negatively correlated with PE intensity, indicating that greater fungal biomass played a key role in stimulating SOM priming. That the proportion of 13C-glucose in G- and fungi had a positive relationship with PE intensity also supported this conclusion. The presence of soybean in wheat- and maize-based rotations increased SOM priming, while the soybean cropping frequency had no significant influence on SOM priming. However, in contrast to a maize-based rotation system, the same frequency of soybean in a wheat-based rotation system had lower soil C/N ratio and higher B/F ratio, and resulted in lower PE intensity. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that the presence of soybean in wheat- and maize-based rotation systems increased PE intensity because of higher soil C/N ratio and lower B/F ratio, while the soybean cropping frequency had no significant influence on SOM priming. Furthermore, the presence of soybean in maize system induced more SOM priming than that in wheat system with glucose addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Taiwan, the demand for rice has decreased with increasing demands for wheat and maize due to change of dietary habits. The deficiency in crop production has led to an overall food self-sufficiency rate lower than 40%, and thus strategies on planting distributions among different crops are necessary. In this study, rice, wheat, and maize were evaluated for crop suitability by considering soil, rainfall, temperature, irrigation, and soil erosion factors using multi-criteria assessment, hierarchical analysis, and one-at-a-time sensitivity analysis methods. The crop suitability maps showed that agricultural lands all over Taiwan have generally moderate or high suitability for rice cultivation, especially in southwestern Taiwan. Wheat is more suitable to grow on agricultural lands close to hills in central, northwestern, and southeastern Taiwan. Except for coastal areas in the western plains, many agricultural lands in Taiwan are found suitable for maize. Sensitivity analysis showed that provisions of water during the growing season have more evident effects on the cultivation of all three crops, compared to the effects of temperature and soil characteristics. Comparison among the cultivated regions and crop suitability maps indicated that rice has been cultivated in extensive regions throughout Taiwan, but wheat and maize were found in limited locations despite the high proportions of suitable land conditions. This suggests high potential of enhancing the cultivation areas for wheat and maize based on agroecological conditions of the lands. This study contributes to provide land allocation strategies for effective cultivation and to promote sustainable land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifying the spatiotemporal variation of crop irrigation water requirement (IWR) under the background of climate change is an essential basis for water resource management, determining the irrigation quota and adjusting the planting structure. Using 61 years of climate data from 205 stations in Northwest China, this study investigated the spatiotemporal variations of climatic factors and IWR during the growth period of five main grain crops (spring wheat, winter wheat, spring maize, summer maize, and rice) and explored the dominant climatic driving factors of IWR variation. Results showed that (1) the IWR of grain crops showed distinct differences. Rice was the highest water consumption crop (mean of 753.78 mm), and summer maize was the lowest (mean of 452.90 mm). (2) The variation trends and average values of IWR of different grain crops have spatial heterogeneity across Northwest China. For most crops, high values and increasing trends of IWR were mainly located in eastern Xinjiang, western Gansu, and western Inner Mongolia. (3) Tmax (maximum temperature), Tmin (minimum temperature), and Peff (effective precipitation) showed an increasing trend during the growth period of each grain crop, while U10 (wind speed at 10 m height), SD (solar radiation), and RH (relative humidity) presented decreasing trends. (4) SD, Tmax, and U10 promoted the increase of grain crops' IWR, while Peff and RH inhibited it. The impacts of climatic factors on the grain crop IWR differed among different regions. Peff was the most influential factor to the IWR of all grain crops in most areas. Therefore, under the premise of a significant increase in T and uncertain precipitation mode in the future, it is urgent to take effective water-saving measures according to the irrigation needs of the region. To cope with the adverse impact of climate change on the sustainable development of agriculture in the northwest dry area, to ensure regional and national food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rhizosphere microbiome plays critical roles in plant growth and is an important interface for resource exchange between plants and the soil environment. Crops at various growing stages, especially the seedling stage, have strong shaping effects on the rhizosphere microbial community, and such community reconstruction will positively feed back to the plant growth. In the present study, we analyzed the variations of bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere of four crop species: rice, soybean, maize, and wheat during successive cultivations (three repeats for the seedling stages) using 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) high-throughput sequencing. We found that the relative abundances of specific microorganisms decreased after different cultivation times, e.g., Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Rhodanobacter, and Caulobacter, which have been reported as plant-growth beneficial bacteria. The relative abundances of potential plant pathogenic fungi Myrothecium and Ascochyta increased with the successive cultivation times. The co-occurrence network analysis showed that the bacterial and fungal communities under maize were much more stable than those under rice, soybean, and wheat. The present study explored the characteristics of bacteria and fungi in crop seedling rhizosphere and indicated that the characteristics of indigenous soil flora might determine the plant growth status. Further study will focus on the use of the critical microorganisms to control the growth and yield of specific crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Untreated acid mine drainage (AMD) is being considered for crop irrigation on strategically limed soils, but foliar scorching is of potential concern. To test whether crops might be protected by antitranspirants, a field trial and two glasshouse pot trials were undertaken during the 2020/2021 growing seasons. Crops, namely Sorghum bicolor, Zea mays, Glycine max, Vigna unguiculata, Triticum aestivum, Avena sativa, Medicago sativa, and Pisum sativum, were exposed to acid water with pH levels of 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, and 7.0. The first pot trial and field trial tested the effects of sulphuric acid solutions (to simulate AMD) on leaf scorching and the second pot trial focused on the effectiveness of an antitranspirant, Wiltpruf®, in protecting crops against leaf scorching. Leaf scorching occurred at pH levels of 2.0, 2.5, and 3, but only to a maximum of 6% leaf area damage in the worst-affected crop species. Crops are likely to recover from this injury. Contrary to expectations, the antitranspirant increased the propensity for foliar injury among crops, especially at pH 2.0 and 2.5. Metal cations commonly found in AMD should be included in follow-up leaf scorching studies to better simulate likely AMD irrigation waters. However, it appears that any crop growth problems possibly encountered when irrigating with AMD are likely to stem from root zone effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future agricultural production is influenced by climate change and changes in policies and behavior, such as the proliferation of battery electric vehicles (BEV). For the United States (U.S.), the influence of the latter is more pronounced due to the size of the U.S. biofuel industry. Using a global agricultural trade model and different climate change pathways until 2050, we show that global commodity price increases triggered by declining yields due to climate change are dampened by an accelerated increase of U.S. BEV sales, which decrease maize ethanol demand. Accelerated BEV sales also reduce cropland requirements compared to baseline electrification scenarios. The accelerated market share of BEVs also (1) lowers the decrease in caloric intake for maize, rice, and wheat which has important food security implications in the presence of climate change and (2) changes trade relationships. The implications of those findings are that policy discussions surrounding policies to promote BEVs should include lower commodity prices and increased food security that dampen some of the negative effects of climate change. Those are additional benefits besides the direct emissions reduction (assuming low-or no-carbon electricity production) from reducing vehicles with internal combustion engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the effect of nitrogen (N) fertilization on soil-derived N uptake, N difference (FNRDiff) and 15 N tracer (FNR15N) methods may give significantly different estimates of the fertilizer N recovery (FNR) in crops. To better understand quantitative differences in FNR (∆FNR) between the two methods, we evaluated the effect of fertilizer N input rates on ∆FNR and soil-derived N uptake by considering data from field 15 N tracer experiments of cereal crops across China, including N-unfertilized treatments. The FNRDiff was significantly higher than the corresponding FNR15N in wheat (38% vs. 36%), maize (38% vs. 31%), and rice (40% vs. 31%) under fertilizer applications of 40–500 kg N ha−1. Except in wheat at 250–500 kg N ha−1, FNRDiff was higher than FNR15N at various N input rates in the three crops, and ∆FNR decreased with increasing rates of applied N. The ∆FNR apparently occurred because added-N interaction (ANI) increased soil-derived N uptake (by 5% for wheat, 11% for maize, and 24% for rice). For wheat in particular, ANI values decreased significantly as N input rates increased, with a switch from positive to negative above 252 kg N ha−1. This result suggests that the decrease in soil-derived N uptake is mainly caused by the negative rhizosphere N priming and the law of diminishing returns (current-season non-fertilizer N input or previous-season residual fertilizer N) under high N input, but not by the N pool substitution. Finally, we propose a new method for accurately distinguishing direct and indirect pathway contributions to ∆FNR. This study helps to improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms of discrepancies between the N difference method and the 15 N tracer method for estimating the fertilizer N recovery in crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3ADON chemotype of Fusarium graminearum predominates in northern Europe, whereas the 15ADON chemotype is predominant in central and southern Europe. Therefore, it has been suggested that there are two F. graminearum populations in Europe, which may have been specialized to different host plants. The aim of the present work was to test this hypothesis by comparing southern European isolates (15ADON chemotype) from southern Russia and northern European isolates (3ADON chemotype) from Finland in the infection of grains in wheat cultivar Wellamo and oat cultivar Venla. F. graminearum biomass levels were measured by TaqMan (2018) and SYBR Green (2019) qPCR, while DON levels were measured by chromatographic methods. Most of the qPCR and DON results are supporting the hypothesis that in F. graminearum the 15ADON isolates from southern Russia are more specialized to wheat than the 3ADON isolates from Finland. In oat, there were not as clear differences between the 15ADON and 3ADON isolates, but in 2018 higher F. graminearum DNA levels and in 2019 higher DON and F. graminearum DNA levels were found in oat samples inoculated with 3ADON isolates. Our results are in line with literature according to which F. graminearum DNA and DON levels are also highest in oat in northern Europe, while in southern Europe they are highest in wheat and maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate eight different integrated crop management (ICM) modules for 5 years in a maize-wheat rotation (MWR); wherein, ICM1&2-ˈbusiness-as-usualˈ (conventional flatbed maize and wheat, ICM3&4-conventional raised bed (CTRB) maize and wheat without residues, ICM5&6-conservation agriculture (CA)-based zero-till (ZT) flatbed maize and wheat with the residues, and ICM7&8- CA-based ZT raised bed maize and wheat with the residues. Results indicated that the ICM7&8 produced significantly (p < 0.05) the highest maize grain yield (5 years av.) which was 7.8–21.3% greater than the ICM1-6. However, across years, the ICM5-8 gave a statistically similar wheat grain yield and was 8.4–11.5% greater than the ICM1-4. Similarly, the CA-based residue retained ICM5-8 modules had given 9.5–14.3% (5 years av.) greater system yields in terms of maize grain equivalents (MGEY) over the residue removed CT-based ICM1&4. System water productivity (SWP) was the highest with ICM5-8, being 10.3–17.8% higher than the ICM1-4. Nevertheless, the highest water use (TWU) was recorded in the CT flatbed (ICM1&2), ~ 7% more than the raised bed and ZT planted crops with or without the residues (ICM4-8). Furthermore, the ICM1-4 had produced 9.54% greater variable production costs compared to the ICM5-8, whereas, the ICM5-8 gave 24.3–27.4% additional returns than the ICM1-4. Also, different ICM modules caused significant (p < 0.05) impacts on the soil properties, such as organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), dehydrogenase (SDH), alkaline phosphatase (SAP), and urease (URE) activities. In 0.0–0.15 m soil profile, residue retained CA-based (ICM5-8) modules registered a 7.1–14.3% greater SOC and 10.2–17.3% SMBC than the ICM1-4. The sustainable yield index (SYI) of MWR was 13.4–18.6% greater under the ICM7&8 compared to the ICM1-4. Hence, this study concludes that the adoption of the CA-based residue retained ICMs in the MWR could sustain the crop yields, enhance farm profits, save water and improve soil properties of the north-western plans of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bracts of maize (Zea mays, L.), a large agro-industrial residue and a source of functional biopolymers, were evaluated as a source of additives in bread-making. After drying and milling, the dried powder obtained (BP), its alcohol insoluble residue (AIR: ~70% yield on BP; composed by 26% arabinoxylans, 26% cellulose, 7% lignin, 5.5% pectins), and the ferulate-crosslinked arabinoxylans (AX-OH) isolated by 4%-KOH treatment from AIR, were evaluated. Bread loaves were made by replacing the wheat flour in 1.5% (w/w) by each fraction, applying two elaboration methodologies: required and constant hydration. Doughs' thermomechanical behavior during kneading showed that the rheological properties and water availability were affected within both methodologies of bread making. The major effect was noted in the formulation with the fiber enriched in arabinoxylans (AX-OH) when added at required hydration. The hydration percentage tended to increase with the enrichment in arabinoxylans, varying from 58.7% in the dough made without wheat flour replacement, to 62% in AX-OH dough, with the highest content of hemicellulose. Dough stability and protein weakening were the most influenced parameters, mainly owing to AX-OH fibers, suggesting that they interfered the water distribution and hence the gluten network formation. As expected, fibers' addition decreased the specific volume of bread, while firmness analysis showed that all maize fibers also delayed bread aging at required hydration, probably by hindering the diffusion of water and, hence, leading to starch retrogradation delay. Fibers from maize bracts can be a source of biopolymers useful as natural additives in bakery products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop productivity is sensitive to climate change, especially in arid Central Asia, where few studies have been conducted on how crop productivity responds to global climate change. Based on the history of yield trends of major crops in Kazakhstan, this study proposed a quantitative method to estimate the sensitivity of relative crop yields to agro-technique development and temperature rise in Kazakhstan. Taking wheat and maize as typical crops, this research attempted to assess the potential impact of future global climate change scenarios on crop yields in 14 agricultural areas of Kazakhstan, based on the interaction between agro-technique development and climate change. The effects of future agro-technique development were assumed to be consistent with historical trends, which were expressed in a second-order polynomial form and adjusted by the disparity between actual yields and predicted yields. The parameters representing technology development were determined by the special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on emission scenarios and the future temperature was predicted by the global climate change model, IPSL-CM5A-LR Model (ICLM). In this study, 2060 and 2100 were selected as assessment years. The results showed that crop yields will continue to increase until 2060 under future climate change scenarios, but the estimates of yield changes after 2060 are subject to great uncertainty in the longer term. By 2100, the impact of temperature rise on crop productivity will be greater in the southern and eastern areas than that in the central and western areas. Crop productivity will be improved with the combined impact of temperature and technology under Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6 (RCP2.6), Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5) and Representative Concentration Pathway 6.0 (RCP6.0) by 2060. However, compared with 2060, the relative yields of the two crops will be improved under RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP6.0 scenarios by 2100. By contrast, the results under Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) are not uniform: the yield of wheat will decrease by 7.4%, while that of maize will increase by 23.86% compared with 2060. The contribution rate of agricultural technology to improving maize yield is higher than that to wheat yield and maize is less sensitive to temperature than wheat in terms of yield. The wheat yield increases the most in the RCP4.5 scenario and the maize yield increases most in the RCP6.0 scenario. Considering that the wheat yield counts for more than 70% of crop production in Kazakhstan, it is suggested that emissions are controlled to reach the RCP4.5 standard and maximize the agricultural yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: We propose the MADS-box transcription factor SVP-A1 as a promising candidate gene for the elongated glume locus P2, which maps to chromosome 6A instead of the previously proposed chromosome 7B. In rice and wheat, glume and floral organ length are positively correlated with grain size, making them an important target to increase grain size and potentially yield. The wheat subspecies Triticum ispahanicum is known to develop elongated glumes and floral organs as well as long grains. These multiple phenotypic effects are controlled by the P2 locus, which was previously mapped to wheat chromosome 7B. Using three mapping populations, we show that the long glume locus P2 does not map to chromosome 7B, but instead maps to a 1.68 Mbp interval on chromosome 6A. Within this interval, we identified SVP-A1, a MADS box transcription factor which is the direct ortholog of the maize gene underlying the 'pod corn' Tunicate locus and is a paralog to the T. polonicum elongated glume P1 gene. In T. ispahanicum, we identified a unique allele which has a 482-bp deletion in the SVP-A1 promoter and is associated with ectopic and higher expression of SVP-A1 in the elongated glumes and floral organs. We used near-isogenic lines (NILs) to show that P2 has a consistent positive effect on the length of glume, lemma, palea, spike and grain. Based on the mapping data, natural variation, biological function of SVP genes in cereals and expression analyses, we propose the MADS-box transcription factor SVP-A1 as a promising candidate for P2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the key factors affecting seed quality is microbial communities residing on and in the seeds. In this study, microbial populations of seeds of conventionally and organically produced wheat, barley, and maize were analyzed using two different approaches: the cultivation method and metagenomics. For cultivation, three basic media were used: DG18 (for fungi), and nutrient agar or tryptic soy agar supplemented with cycloheximide or nystatin (for bacteria). Metagenomic sequencing was performed using the Illumina MiSeq platform. A total of 452 bacterial isolates comprising 36 genera and 5 phyla and 90 fungal isolates comprising 10 genera and 3 phyla were obtained from the seed surfaces. Among bacteria, representatives from the genera Bacillus, Pantoea, Paenibacillus, and Curtobacterium predominated, and among fungi, Aspergillus predominated. A total of 142 fungal OTUs and 201 bacterial OTUs were obtained from all the samples. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroides, and Actinobacteria comprised most of the bacterial OTUs, and Ascomycota comprised most of the fungal OTUs. Only 3 fungal OTUs (representatives of Curvibasidium, Venturia, and Dermateaceae) were exclusively present only within seeds and not on the seed surfaces. Barley seeds had the highest microbial load and richness, whereas corn had the lowest. Wheat and barley shared a higher number of OTUs than either of them did with corn with higher overlap between conventionally grown cereals than between organically grown cereals. Some OTUs were farming specific. This study demonstrates that the microbiome of cereal seeds is greatly dependent on the species of the host and is less affected by agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop straw mulching is an important organic supplement in sustainable agriculture; however, the effect of increased organic matter on the diversity of micropredators such as myxobacteria and the correlation between myxobacteria and microorganisms have been little explored. In the current investigation, high-throughput sequencing was performed to analyze the myxobacterial community composition in a wheat-corn rotation experimental field with 6-year straw mulching and fertilization treatments. The results reveal no significant influence of straw mulch application on myxobacterial α-diversity (P < 0.05). NMDS (nonmetric multidimensional scaling) and perMANOVA results indicate the significant influence of straw mulching application on myxobacterial community composition (P < 0.05), and several groups, including Haliangiaceae, Polyangiaceae, and Archangiaceae, also varied in soil aggregates. RDA (redundancy analysis) results show that TOC (total organic carbon) was the most important factor affecting the myxobacterial community structure. In addition, RDA and random forest analysis results show the contribution of myxobacterial community structure to soil bacterial community α- and β-diversity, especially in the 0.25–1 mm and < 0.25 mm soil aggregate fractions. In conclusion, we suggest that the variation in myxobacterial community structure may be a driver of bacterial α- and β-diversity in soil microhabitats and might be a cause of soil microbial community changes. Our results are fruitful for finding more efficient ways to use straw from waste for the betterment of sustainable agriculture by analyzing changes in myxobacterial community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-purpose crops as maize, rice, soybean, and wheat are key in the debate concerning food, land, water and energy security and sustainability. While strong evidence exists on the effects of climate variability on the production of these crops, so far multifaceted attributes of droughts—magnitude, frequency, duration, and timing—have been tackled mainly separately, for a limited part of the cropping season, or over small regions. Here, a more comprehensive assessment is provided on how droughts with their complex patterns—given by their compound attributes—are consistently related to negative impacts on crop yield on a global scale. Magnitude and frequency of both climate and yield variability are jointly analysed from 1981 to 2016 considering multiscale droughts, i.e., dry conditions occurring with different durations and timings along the whole farming season, through two analogous and standardized indicators enabling comparison among crops, countries, and years. Mainly winter wheat and then spring wheat, soybean and the main maize's season reveal high susceptibility of yield under more complex drought patterns than previously assessed. The second maize's season and rice present less marked and more uncertain results, respectively. Overall, southern and eastern Europe, the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa presents multi-crop susceptibility, with eastern Europe, Middle East and Central Asia appearing critical regions for the most vulnerable crop, which is wheat. Finally, yield losses for wheat and soybean clearly worsen when moving from moderate to extreme multiscale droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of climate change, soil is a major pool of stable carbon on earth, yet knowledge on soil carbon turnover is limited. The difference in 13C/12C content observed between C3 and C4 plant crops has been widely used to distinguish the sources of soil organic carbon under continuous monoculture, but not in C3–C4 rotations. We studied the stability of the δ13CSOC content and the effect of no tillage, conventional tillage, and rotary tillage in 4 soils sampled at 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm depth, in 2018–2019 in a field with long-term history of wheat (C3) and maize (C4) rotations. We also analyzed the results from the literature. The results show that the δ13CSOC is not statistically affected by the sampling date, thus allowing to use this method to distinguish C3 and C4 plant contributions in rotations. Moreover, no-tillage favored the preservation of wheat carbon, and this preservation was accentuated at 10–20 cm depth. δ13CSOC is also affected by fertilization and irrigation. The literature confirmed that wheat-derived carbon is better preserved that maize-derived carbon, on the average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bihar, India's poorest state, witnessed impressive yield growth in its three principal crops during the last decade or so. This paper examines whether a reduction in regional yield disparities accompanied these state-level productivity gains. The convergence test allows the district-specific element of productivity to vary with time, thus permitting divergence in interim phases. District rice yields converged towards a common growth path. The results for wheat and maize are not as conclusive. However, there is strong evidence of divergence for each crop in recent years. This divergence, nonetheless, happens in the presence of club convergence. The club classification transcends agro-climatic boundaries, indicating a role for policy to aid growth in the lagging districts. The shifts in credit allocation over the years do not appear to be driving the yield divergence, highlighting the limitations of a macro credit-driven policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modeling system was used to calculate the resource footprints (land, water, nutrients, energy, fuel, electricity, and carbon) on a large scale in agricultural production systems (Iran as a case study), and this report is an introduction of this modeling system for future studies. Under irrigated conditions, the highest land footprint was observed in pulses and oil grains (0.6 ha t−1). The lowest water footprints were found in silage corn (300 m3 t−1), and the highest water footprints were observed in oil grains (4525 m3 t−1). The highest footprints of nitrogen were observed in maize (31.7 kg t−1), wheat (30.9 kg t−1), and oil grains (30.4 kg t−1), and the lowest value belonged to production of sugar crops (2.6 kg t−1). Most of the energy, fuel, electricity, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were occurred under irrigated cropping systems compared with the rainfed systems. Under irrigated conditions, the highest footprints of energy, fuel, and electricity and GHG emissions occurred in the production of oil grains, and their values were 24397 MJ t−1, 161 L t−1, 1195 kWh t−1, and 1699 kg CO2eq. t−1, respectively. In general, wheat production in Iran has the highest cost in terms of resource use (water, elements, energy, and carbon) compared with the other plant products. Livestock and poultry products (especially red meat) also had the highest ecological footprint among the products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice blast (Pyricularia oryzae) has become a serious disease on commercial rice (Oryza sativa) crops in northern Australia and is present there on wild rice (O. australiensis). Characterisation of the host range of P. oryzae is fundamental to both reducing disease spread and to preventing development of epidemics via better management of Poaceae inoculum reservoirs in Australia. Studies on response of three different wild O. australiensis sources toward four isolates of P. oryzae showed all genotypes very susceptible to three isolates [WAC13466 (race IA-1), BRIP53376 (race IB-3), NT2014a (race unknown)], but resistant to isolate BRIP39772 (race IA-3). Studies to investigate levels of blast disease development following inoculation on a range of Poaceae hosts showed both P. oryzae isolates (WAC13466, BRIP53376) were highly virulent on barley (disease index, DI = 100%), and on Phalaris and O. australiensis (DI = 70%). However, isolate BRIP53376 showed a significantly higher level of aggressiveness (DI ~80%) on ryegrass, wild oat and rice. Of the two wheat cultivars tested, only one cultivar showed disease and only from WAC13466 (DI ~30%). Sweet corn and goosegrass were also susceptible to both blast isolates, but DI was <50%. That P. oryzae was virulent across these diverse Poaceae hosts, highlights, for Australia, the possibility for these species in, first, harbouring P. oryzae isolates highly virulent to commercial rice, second, fostering spread of rice-attacking P. oryzae strains into regions currently free of rice blast, and third, potential for these alternative host species to encourage development of more virulent host-specific strains of P. oryzae. The current study is an important step towards facilitating improved crop protection in the medium and long term from reducing P. oryzae disease epidemics via a better understanding and management of inoculum reservoirs in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intercropping of legumes with cereals help to achieve sustainable intensification by their mutual complementarity at efficiently using radiation, nutrients, etc. Several studies indicated such beneficial effects on the other component crop however, little research has been conducted to quantify their effects on the subsequent crop in a cropping system. In this study, the effect of the legume intercropping on the entire cropping system, particularly the maize + legume-wheat system was studied. Four legumes intercropped to maize followed by wheat crop were studied for intensification measures such as wheat equivalent yield (WEY), land equivalent ratio (LER), sustainable value index (SVI), and economic returns. N saving effect of legumes on the subsequent wheat crop was quantified with two N levels. Maize + cowpea-wheat combination was the most productive and economic intercrop combination (LER = 1.71, SVI = 0.96) with an increase in net economic return (43.63%) with a B:C ratio of 1.94. An additional 25% N (37.5 kg ha−1) was saved in the wheat crop when the legume intercropping was undertaken with maize. The results suggest that intercropping is the key to diversification and reduces the risk of crop failures by enhancing land-use efficiency, soil fertility, and economic returns under weather vagaries. This will be beneficial to small and marginal farmers of many countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited information is available on the C stabilization mechanism of tropical soils under different management practices including long-term organic manuring, mineral fertilization alone, or in combination with lime. Hence, to understand the effect of continuous application (for 60 years) of organic manure, fertilizer, and lime alone or in combination on an acidic Alfisol, stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC) was evaluated under maize (Zea mays L.) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping. There were eight treatments that included farmyard manure (FYM) and nitrogen (N) applied in terms of FYM, additional dose of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) applied in terms of inorganic fertilizer (FYM + P'K'), FYM + P'K' with liming (FYM + P'K' + L) and NPK alone. These treatments were laid in a randomized block design with three replications. Results indicated that FYM + P'K' plots had maximum amount of SOC inside large macroaggregates. The value was 33 and 92% greater than only minerally fertilized (NPK) and unfertilized control plots, respectively, whereas microaggregate-associated C was highest in plots with FYM + P'K' and lime (FYM + P'K' + L), which was 48 and 183% more than unfertilized control and NPK plots, respectively. Inside soil microaggregates, plots under FYM + P'K' had highest labile C, while NPK + L plots had highest recalcitrant C. Plots with organic amendments contained higher glomalin in large macroaggregates. Plots treated with FYM + P'K' had maximum intra-aggregate particulate organic matter within microaggregates inside macroaggregates (iPOM_mM), which was 28 and 74% higher than NPK and unfertilized control plots, respectively. Total C stock inside the protected microaggregates within macroaggregates was maximum for FYM + P'K' plots. It had 38, 67, and 171% higher C stock than NPK, FYM, and unfertilized control plots, respectively. Interestingly, despite estimated C input in FYM-treated plots was much higher than NPK plots, FYM-treated plots had less C stabilization within microaggregates and within microaggregates inside macroaggregates. Microaggregates within macroaggregates accounted for ~54% of the recalcitrant C content. Thus, macroaggregates stabilization through occlusion of microaggregates was accountable for sequestration of SOC and only FYM application did not promote that mechanism compared to NPK. Carbon stabilization within macroaggregates under FYM plots was mainly governed by amorphous iron oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet corn is popular worldwide as vegetable. Though large numbers of sugary1 (su1)-based sweet corn germplasm are available, allelic diversity in su1 gene encoding SU1 isoamylase among diverse maize inbreds has not been analyzed. Here, we characterized the su1 gene in maize and compared with allied species. The entire su1 gene (11,720 bp) was sequenced among six mutant (su1) and five wild (Su1) maize inbreds. Fifteen InDels of 2–45 bp were selected to develop markers for studying allelic diversity in su1 gene among 19 mutant- (su1) and 29 wild-type (Su1) inbreds. PIC ranged from 0.15 (SU-InDel7) to 0.37 (SU-InDel13). Major allele frequency varied from 0.52 to 0.90, while gene diversity ranged from 0.16 to 0.49. Phylogenetic tree categorized 48 maize inbreds in two clusters each for wild- type (Su1) and mutant (su1) types. 44 haplotypes of su1 were observed, with three haplotypes (Hap6, Hap22 and Hap29) sharing more than one genotype. Further, comparisons were made with 23 orthologues of su1 from 16 grasses and Arabidopsis. Maize possessed 15–19 exons in su1, while it was 11–24 exons among orthologues. Introns among the orthologues were longer (77–2206 bp) than maize (859–1718 bp). SU1 protein of maize and orthologues had conserved α-amylase and CBM_48 domains. The study also provided physicochemical properties and secondary structure of SU1 protein in maize and its orthologues. Phylogenetic analysis showed closer relationship of maize SU1 protein with P. hallii, S. bicolor and E. tef than Triticum sp. and Oryza sp. The study showed that presence of high allelic diversity in su1 gene which can be utilized in the sweet corn breeding program. This is the first report of comprehensive characterization of su1 gene and its allelic forms in diverse maize and related orthologues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have previously reported that nanomaterial uptake and toxicity in plants are species dependent. However, the differences between photosynthetic pathways, C3 and C4, following nanomaterial exposure are poorly understood. In the current work, wheat and rice, two C3 pathway species are compared to amaranth and maize, which utilize the C4 photosynthetic mechanism. These plants were cultured in soils which were spiked with CuO, Ag, TiO2, MWCNT, and FLG nanomaterials. Overall, the C4 plant exhibited higher resilience to NM stress than C3 plants. In particular, significant differences were observed in chlorophyll contents with rice returning a 40.9–54.2% decrease compared to 3.5–15.1% for maize. Fv/Fm levels were significantly reduced by up to 51% in rice whereas no significant reductions were observed in amaranth and maize. Furthermore, NM uptake in the C3 species was greater than that in C4 plants, a trend that was also seen in metal concentration. TEM results showed that CuO NPs altered the chloroplast thylakoid structure in rice leaves and a large number of CuO NPs were observed in the vascular sheath cells. In contrast, there were no significant changes in the chloroplasts in the vascular sheath and no significant CuO NPs were found in maize leaves. This study was the first to systematically characterize the effect of metal and carbon-based nanomaterials in soil on C3 and C4 plants, providing a new perspective for understanding the impact of nanomaterials on plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Success in agronomic biofortification of maize and wheat is highly variable. This study aimed to elucidate the differences in uptake and translocation of foliar-applied zinc (Zn) in maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using different experimental approaches. Methods: Old leaves of plants cultured with low or adequate Zn supply in soil were treated with natural Zn (as ZnSO4) or enriched stable isotope 70Zn as SO4 salt. Treated leaves, and the remaining untreated shoot and roots were analyzed for Zn using quantitative (ICP-OES and ICP-MS after acid digestion) and qualitative (fluorescence microscopy after Zinpyr-1 staining) techniques. Results: Application of Zn to a single old leaf resulted in significantly higher increments in Zn concentration of the treated leaf, remaining untreated shoot and roots in wheat than in maize, particularly under low Zn supply. The relative Zn uptake (i.e., the portion of 70Zn taken up by the treated leaf) was also estimated to be significantly higher in wheat than maize, irrespective of the rate of Zn supply to plants. Higher uptake and translocation of Zn in wheat compared to maize was also visualized and demonstrated by using Zinpyr-1 fluorescent dye. Conclusions: Our results conclude that wheat is superior to maize in terms of leaf penetration and uptake, as well as subsequent translocation of foliar-applied Zn, therefore, the agronomic biofortification potential is better for wheat than for maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current noticeable climate change that has a significant impact on the environment and agricultural systems has become a serious concern for human society. Followed by the industrial activities of the global community and increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, these changes are still considered as a threat to food safety and the environment. Changes in minimum and maximum temperature, rainfall amounts, and precipitation pattern, changes in CO2 concentrations, and complex interactions between these factors and different crops are studied in the form of different probabilistic scenarios to get a glimpse of the future cultivation situation. Agriculture in Qazvin Plain is based on the water transferred from Taleqan Dam and groundwater. Since today these resources are facing issues like restriction on transfer and draw off, which is because of growth of interest in city dwelling, inappropriate water consumption patterns and over-exploitation, agriculture is sensitive to probable changes in water requirements and it is necessary to predict these changes for better management in the future. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of climate change on growth indices for three crops including wheat, barley, and maize in Qazvin Plain with different possible climate change scenarios, in the form of five large-scale climate models and three greenhouse gas emissions scenarios in 30 years' time from 2021 to 2050 as well as from 2051 to 2080. Results showed that biomass production, grain yield, and water use efficiency in three crops of wheat, barley, and maize have increased up to 20–40% in future periods in Qazvin region climate. Growing degree-days (GDD) of these three crops have increased by 20%. Transpiration has risen by 10% in wheat and maize; however, it was stable on average in the first period and slightly decreased in the second period in barley. The transpiration coefficient has reduced by 5% for wheat and barley and has increased by 15% for maize. Results are valid as long as the initial growing conditions of these three plants are done as before, and the irrigation scheduling is performed according to the present period in spite of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irrigation is the largest sector of human water use and an important option for increasing crop production and reducing drought impacts. However, the potential for irrigation to contribute to global crop yields remains uncertain. Here, we quantify this contribution for wheat and maize at global scale by developing a Bayesian framework integrating empirical estimates and gridded global crop models on new maps of the relative difference between attainable rainfed and irrigated yield (ΔY). At global scale, ΔY is 34 ± 9% for wheat and 22 ± 13% for maize, with large spatial differences driven more by patterns of precipitation than that of evaporative demand. Comparing irrigation demands with renewable water supply, we find 30–47% of contemporary rainfed agriculture of wheat and maize cannot achieve yield gap closure utilizing current river discharge, unless more water diversion projects are set in place, putting into question the potential of irrigation to mitigate climate change impacts. There are big uncertainties in the contribution of irrigation to crop yields. Here, the authors use Bayesian model averaging to combine statistical and process-based models and quantify the contribution of irrigation for wheat and maize yields, finding that irrigation alone cannot close yield gaps for a large fraction of global rainfed agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess relative efficiency and identify efficient pollen source among maize and Imperata cylindrica for haploid induction, 21 maize and two Imperata cylindrica genotypes were hybridized as pollen parent with each of the four hexaploid, two tetraploid wheats and two genotypes of triticale following wheat × maize and wheat × Imperata cylindrica system of haploid induction. Observations for haploid induction parameters showed Imperata cylindrica as significantly superior pollen source than maize. Mean PFF, EFF, HRF and HFF obtained with Imperata were 55.05%, 24.07%, 18.58% and 4.96%, respectively, whereas the frequencies recorded with maize were 53.80%, 6.72%, 39.36% and 1.71%, respectively. Triticale remained nonresponsive to embryo formation with both the pollen species. The line × tester analysis showed significant effects of both male and female genotypes on all the haploid induction parameters. Analysis of GCA revealed differences among pollen sources in their potential to induce haploids. In maize, genotypes HPMC-57, HPMC-58, HPMC-25 for EFF and HPMC-58 for HFF emerged out to be best general combiners, while in the case of Imperata, GCA values were high for Ic-ye genotype. The present study put forth Imperata as an efficient pollen source over maize for haploid induction in hexaploid and tetraploid wheats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimates of fluctuation in climatic condition have a large impact on the production of selected crops such as rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), maize (Zea mays), pulse, and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) which are the most prominent crops over Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). The influence of El Nino/La Nina on monsoon rainfall directly or indirectly affects the Indian crop over the Agro-Climatic Zones of Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). The detailed analysis has been carried out to show the impact of El Nino/La Nina and its association with crop production over sub-regions of IGP (lower, middle, upper, and trans IGP) during 1966–2009. During El Nino years, the production and yield of Rice and sugarcane have been affected in the middle and upper regions of IGP. The production of wheat decreased during La Nina events in the middle regions of IGP. The rice production has been severely affected by El Nino events over middle and upper IGP regions whereas wheat production increased. The decrease in maize production is observed in the upper and trans regions of IGP during El Nino. Pulse production decreased mainly in the middle, upper, and trans IGP during both events. The sugarcane production was highly affected during La Nina events overall sub-regions of IGP. The correlations among crop production, monsoon rainfall, and sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly of Nino 3.4 region during monsoon season are very insignificant during El Nino events. On other hand, La Nina event shows significant correlation over IGP. It has been noticed that on many occasions, deficit rainfall over IGP during summer monsoon season was responsible for decrease in crop production. Hence, alteration in Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) and sea surface temperature modulation of Nino 3.4 might have caused increase/decrease in the production of the crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycotoxigenic fungi and pests are responsible for quality losses during medium to long-term storage of grain. Since gas composition is considered one of the most important abiotic conditions that influence fungal and pest growth, the use of a controlled atmosphere with a very high N2 concentration is a valid tool to control grain quality in post-harvest. Aim of the present work is to evaluate the use of a highly purified N2 controlled atmosphere – generated in situ by a Membrane Nitrogen Separator (Eurosider s.a.s) – for safely storage of corn and wheat grains. Two different parallel lab-scale experiments were performed in order to assess the effect of N2 atmosphere on: (1) the growth of Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium langsethiae, Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium verticillioides on agar and the production of aflatoxins on corn grains; (2) the populations of the most important post-harvest pests such as Sitophilus oryzae and Tribolium confusum on wheat grains and flour, respectively. When exposed to highly purified N2 controlled atmosphere (98.5%±0.5), growth and sporulation of all the four pathogens and aflatoxins production by Aspergillus were significantly reduced. In addition, atmosphere containing 98.5%±0.5 N2 caused the complete mortality of adults of S. oryzae after 3 days on wheat and of T. confusum after 7 days on flour. Results herewith reported suggest that N2 controlled atmosphere represents an eco-friendly tool that could be transferred to a large-scale system for grain storage in order to avoid or reduce chemical treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey was conducted in southern Alberta, Canada, to collect Fusarium stalk rot and Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease samples from corn and wheat fields, respectively, with an aim to understand the diversity in the population of Fusarium graminearum. From 77 wheat and 80 corn samples, 79 isolates of F. graminearum were obtained. These 79 isolates were evaluated for their growth rate, sporulation ability, pathogenicity and trichothecene genotype. Eighty-two percent of the isolates were recovered from corn, which suggests corn residue may be better suited than wheat for perpetuating the FHB pathogen. Three genotypes with potential of producing 3-ADON, 15-ADON and NIV were present in the population, and among them, 15-ADON producing genotype was predominant, and 3-ADON genotype produced more spores than the 15-ADON genotype. The proportion of 3-ADON genotype is increasing overtime in Alberta. The impact of increasing population of 3-ADON genotype is worthy of to be monitored for the management of FHB. There were variations in the population of F. graminearum isolates for growth rate, sporulation and pathogenicity but revealed no association among the parameters suggesting other factors like host susceptibility and environment play a significant role in the development of FHB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: An InDel marker closely linked with a major and stable quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 4BS, QSnpa.cau-4B, controlling spike number per unit area will benefit wheat yield improvement. Spike number per unit area (SNPA) is an essential yield-related trait, and analyzing its genetic basis is important for cultivar improvement in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, we used the F2 population derived from a cross between two wheat accessions displaying significant differences in SNPA to perform quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis. Through bulked segregant analysis, a major and stable QTL that explained 18.11–82.11% of the phenotypic variation was identified on chromosome 4BS. The QTL interval was validated using F4:5 and F6:7 families and narrowed it to a 24.91–38.36 Mb region of chromosome 4BS according to the 'Chinese Spring' reference genome sequence. In this region, variations in 16 genes caused amino acid changes and three genes were present in only one parent. Among these, we annotated a gene orthologous to TB1 in maize (Zea mays), namely TraesCS4B01G042700, which carried a 44-bp deletion in its promoter in the higher-SNPA parent. An InDel marker based on the insertion/deletion polymorphism was designed and used to diagnose the allelic distribution within a natural population. The frequency of the 44-bp deletion allele associated with higher SNPA was relatively low (13.24%), implying that this favorable allele has not been widely utilized and could be valuable for wheat yield improvement. In summary, we identified a major and stable QTL for SNPA and developed a diagnostic marker for the more-spiked trait, which will be beneficial for molecular-assisted breeding in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is one of the largest landmasses under crop cultivation with staple consumption of food security crops. Post green revolution (since 1967), there has been a steady March towards self-sustainability in food production. Though the general trends speak of an increase in crop yields, the detailed study on decade wise trends and fast approaching state of stagnation in crop yields is largely missing. The present manuscript is the first study examining the crop yield trends of three major food crops—wheat, rice, and maize across Indian states. The four types of regression models were fitted on the annual yield data from all the 29 Indian states over the period 1967–2017. The best-fit statistical models were chosen using the Akaike information criterion. Our results suggest that (1) Wheat yields in 13 Indian states, rice yields in eleven Indian states, and maize yields in six Indian states are now not improving. (2) The yields in ~ 76% of wheat harvested area (~ 18.5 million hectares), ~ 47% of rice harvested area (~ 19.5 million hectares), and ~ 18% of maize harvested area (~ 1.2 million hectares) are not improving for the recent decade. The detailed mapping of current crop yield trends across Indian states is the first step towards achieving a bigger goal of identifying the responsible factors affecting current crop yield trends and then identifying and recommending appropriate mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Previous studies showed that the competition-recovery principle is one of the mechanisms underpinning overyielding in wheat/maize intercropping. However, few studies have focused on the effects of root morphological and physiological changes during the recovery growth of late-maturing species. The present study aimed to determine the mechanism underlying the recovery growth in terms of root distribution and nitrogen (N) uptake in response to different N supplies. Methods: The roots of maize were sampled three times by auger after wheat harvest in the intercropping system with six levels of N application and sole crops at one N-application rate under field condition. Results: Intercropped maize adjusted its root length density (RLD) and root distribution and enhanced its N absorption per unit root length with increasing soil N concentration. Soil inorganic N concentration had a direct influence on RLD of intercropped maize which was related to shoot N concentration. In addition, maize took up 93% more N per unit root length when intercropped with maize compared with sole cropping. Conclusions: Our findings show that the recovery growth of late-maturing species involves phenotypic plasticity of maize root architecture, and the enhanced N uptake resulted from extra soil N acquired from the area where wheat was growing before its harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northwest China is characterized by a high water deficit and regular water resource shortages. These issues have become limiting factors for agricultural and socioeconomic development. Based on a trend-preserving method of bias correction, we calibrated the maximum temperature and minimum temperature in four CMIP5 GCMs (CNRM, IPSL, BCC, and CMCC). Then, we investigated variations in the regional crop water requirement (CWR) in the total growth stages for five main crops (cotton, spring corn, summer corn, spring wheat, and winter wheat) in the past (1961–2005) and future (2006–2100). The results suggest that the MK test yielded insignificant decreasing CWR trends in the total growth stages of cotton (0.10 mm/year), spring corn (0.13 mm/year), and spring wheat (0.05 mm/year) and insignificant increasing trends for summer corn (0.02 mm/year) and winter wheat (0.32 mm/year) historically. In the future period, for the same type of crops (cotton), the CWRs in all scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 scenarios) for all GCMs exhibited significant positive trends; for the same GCM (BCC), the CWRs projected for five major crops in the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios all exhibited extremely significant MK trends (99%); in addition, the CWRs' rate increases of the five crops projected in RCP8.5 scenario by BCC exhibited the following order: winter wheat (1.25 mm/year), summer corn (1.15 mm/year), spring corn (1.02 mm/year), cotton (0.97 mm/year), and spring wheat (0.87 mm/year). The maximum CWRs of winter wheat were mainly observed in southeastern Northwest China, while those of the other four crops occurred in southern Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Understanding the characteristics of root system is important for optimization of intercropping systems and increased utilization efficiency of limited resources. However, few studies have examined root development and water uptake in wheat/maize intercropping system under different water conditions. Methods: A two-year field experiment of sole wheat, sole maize, and intercropped wheat/maize was carried out under rainfed conditions and supplementary irrigation. Roots of wheat and maize were sampled seven times over the two growing seasons (2014–2015 and 2015–2016) using auger and monolith methods. Results: Root growth and distribution were promoted in intercropped wheat, while in intercropped maize roots both were suppressed. The maximum lateral extension distance of intercropped wheat under rainfed conditions varied from 40 to 50 cm during the co-growth period, which was significantly (p < 0.05) greater than that under supplementary irrigation conditions (25–30 cm), allowing intercropped wheat to access soil water in the area between the wheat and maize strips. Meanwhile, after wheat harvest, intercropped maize roots grown under supplementary irrigation showed growth recovery mainly in a horizontal direction with maximum lateral distance of 50 cm. Conclusions: Intercropping boosted the capacity of wheat roots but suppressed root growth in maize, and rainfed conditions encouraged the lateral distribution of intercropped wheat roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation to standardize the protocol for in vitro application of colchicine for enhancing the doubled haploid production in wheat was done. Two tetraploid (PDW-314 and A-9-30-1); and two hexaploid (DH-40 and C-306) wheat genotypes were used as maternal parents, whereas, the pollen sources involved Zea mays (cv. Bajaura Makka) and Imperata cylindrica. During the rabi seasons of years 2013–14 and 2014–15, wheat × maize and wheat × I. cylindrica hybridization was carried out followed by treatment of their haploids produced as a result of elimination of chromosomes of maize and I. cylindrica respectively, with varied doses of colchicine for different durations The various doses of colchicine were categorized into two groups: lower doses for longer durations (0.01, 0.025, 0.05% each for 5, 7, 9, 11 hrs) and higher doses for shorter durations (0.05, 0.075, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25% each for 5, 4, 3, 2 hrs). The response of different concentrations of colchicine applied for varied durations revealed significant differences for various doubled haploidy parameters viz., per cent survived plants, per cent doubled haploid formation and per cent doubled haploid seed formation. In hexaploid and tetraploid wheats, colchicine doses of 0.075% for 4 hrs and 0.15% for 4 hrs, respectively were established as optimum for enhanced doubled haploid production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Traits of the plant root system architecture (RSA) play a key role in crop performance. Therefore, architectural root traits are becoming increasingly important in plant phenotyping. In this study, we use a mathematical model to investigate the sensitivity of characteristic root system measures, obtained from different classical field root sampling schemes, to RSA parameters. Methods: Root systems of wheat and maize were simulated and sampled virtually to mimic real field experiments using the root system architecture (RSA) model CRootBox. By means of a sensitivity analysis, we found RSA parameters that significantly influenced the virtual field sampling results. To identify correlations between sensitivities, we carried out a principal component analysis. Results: We found that the parameters of zero order roots are the most sensitive, and parameters of higher order roots are less sensitive. Moreover, different characteristic root system measures showed different sensitivity to RSA parameters. RSA parameters that could be derived independently from different types of field observations were identified. Conclusions: Selection of characteristic root system measures and parameters is essential to reduce the problem of parameter equifinality in inverse modeling with multi-parameter models and is an important step in the characterization of root traits from field observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human health risks of five different heavy metals were assessed in nine typical areas in Asia, Europe, and Africa. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) of arsenic (As) in Hyderabad (HB), cadmium (Cd) in Veles (VL), and lead (Pb) in Murcia (MC) were found to be 5, indicating extreme contamination. This is related to their high concentrations in soil. The concentration of As in wheat in Niger Delta (ND) and European Union (EU) areas were 3.3 and 2.55 mg/kg, which were 22 and 17 times respectively of the World Health Organization (WHO)/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) criteria. In general, the concentrations of heavy metals in wheats were higher than those in corns, indicating that heavy metals were easier to accumulate in wheats than in corns. The human risks induced by the carcinogenic metals As and Cd were much higher than those induced by noncarcinogenic metals in different exposure ways. The human health risks of heavy metals in different exposure ways were Rw-ing > Rc-ing > Rs-ing > Rs-der > Rs-inh. The human health risks induced by wheat ingestion for adults and children accounted for 67.75–97.52% and 69.52–98.04%, respectively, of the total human health risks. The total human health risks in the VL and MC areas were 1.58 × 10−4 a−1 and 1.3 × 10−4 a−1 for adults and 1.14 × 10−4 a−1 and 9.47 × 10−5 a−1 for children, respectively, which were significantly high according to the Environmental Protection Agency and International Commission on Radiological Protection. The ranking of the total human health risks in different areas were RVL > RMC > RND > REU > RHB > RKY > RTB > RMLV > RNHM. The total human health risks of adults were higher than those of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]