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This study investigates the impact of row spacing management on the yield, tillering, and water retention capacities of two maize varieties (F1 hybrids): Alombo (FAO 240) and SY Ignis (FAO 320). Through a comprehensive field experiment, we explored how varying inter-row and intra-row spacings influence plant physiological traits, including tillering frequency, relative water content (RWC), and yield components such as ear weight, seed number, and thousand kernel weight. Our findings demonstrate that narrower inter-row spacing (0.375 m) coupled with wider intra-row spacing (0.33 m) compared to inter-row spacing (0.75 m) with intra-row spacing (0.16 m) significantly enhances tillering, RWC, and grain yield, particularly for SY Ignis. The study reveals that tillering variability, influenced by spatial arrangement, serves as a potential indicator of yield outcomes, with increased tillering associated with higher biomass production and grain yield. Additionally, the research highlights the critical role of precise spatial arrangement in optimizing maize hydration, underscoring the strategic balance between inter-row and intra-row spacing for maintaining optimal moisture levels and supporting plant health. The results underscore the complexity of row spacing effects, which are not only variety-specific but also dependent on environmental and site-specific conditions, advocating for the adoption of tailored agricultural management practices to optimize crop production efficiency, especially under changing climate conditions.

The amount of total polyphenol content (TPC) in the grain could provide insights into the conditions during maturation and might also serve as an indicator of the grain's ability to germinate in the malting process or as seeds in the field. Varieties with higher natural TPC content might exhibit better germination parameters both in the field and in the malt house. This study investigates the relationship between TPC and seed germination characteristics i.e. seed vigour in four spring barley varieties over two years, considering diverse environmental conditions and exposure to drought conditions. The evaluation of seed germination characteristics in barley, with a focus on the root length and average diameter under drought conditions (-0.5 MPa) and suboptimal temperature (10 °C), was conducted. Drought conditions were induced using polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000). After durations of seven and fourteen days, the germinated seeds from the Petri dishes were scanned and subjected to analysis using WinRHIZO software following the metrics: Len 7, Len 14 (root length after seven and fourteen days in cm) and AvgD 7, AvgD 14 (root diameter after seven and fourteen days in mm). The findings support our initial hypothesis, indicating a variety-specific relationship between seed germination characteristics and increased TPC, where higher germination parameters might be associated with elevated TPC levels in some barley varieties., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Water scarcity is the primary constraint on crop productivity in arid and semiarid tropical areas suffering from climate alterations; in accordance, agricultural systems have to be optimized. Several concepts and strategies should be considered to improve crop yield and quality, particularly in vulnerable regions where such environmental changes cause a risk of food insecurity. In this work, we review two strategies aiming to increase drought stress tolerance: (i) the use of natural genes that have evolved over time and are preserved in crop wild relatives and landraces for drought tolerance breeding using conventional and molecular methods and (ii) exploiting the reservoir of neglected and underutilized species to identify those that are known to be more drought-tolerant than conventional staple crops while possessing other desired agronomic and nutritive characteristics, as well as introducing them into existing cropping systems to make them more resilient to water deficiency conditions. In the past, the existence of drought tolerance genes in crop wild relatives and landraces was either unknown or difficult to exploit using traditional breeding techniques to secure potential long-term solutions. Today, with the advances in genomics and phenomics, there are a number of new tools available that facilitate the discovery of drought resistance genes in crop wild relatives and landraces and their relatively easy transfer into advanced breeding lines, thus accelerating breeding progress and creating resilient varieties that can withstand prolonged drought periods. Among those tools are marker-assisted selection (MAS), genomic selection (GS), and targeted gene editing (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) technology). The integration of these two major strategies, the advances in conventional and molecular breeding for the drought tolerance of conventional staple crops, and the introduction of drought-tolerant neglected and underutilized species into existing production systems has the potential to enhance the resilience of agricultural production under conditions of water scarcity.

The diversity in human diets that can be reached by proper use of different crops and varieties, including some underutilized ones, is a potentially powerful strategy to ensure food security and prevent serious health problems caused by current diets that are often not fulfilling nutritional requirements. In the framework of this research, the content of tocopherols and tocotrienols, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and superoxide dismutase in nine varieties of quinoa, both colored and nonpigmented, obtained from 4 different countries, was investigated and compared to the content of the same vitamins and antioxidants in barley and wheat, both colored and nonpigmented, cultivated in the same experimental field. The aim of this work was to create a crop diversity strategy and encourage the consumption of underutilized crops to ensure that the human diet fulfills nutritional requirements. The contents of vitamin B1, B2, B6, tocopherol, and tocotrienol isomers and superoxide dismutase were determined via HPLC; imaging techniques were used to evaluate the seed color. Quinoa grains had the greatest concentration of tocopherol isomers and activity, represented mainly by α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol. Wheat and barley seeds had substantial concentrations of tocopherols and tocotrienols. The concentration of riboflavin was greater in barley and wheat than in quinoa, the concentrations of pyridoxine and thiamine were variety-dependent in all grains. Quinoa grains had greater concentration of superoxide dismutase compared to wheat and barley. The richness of each variety and crop should be recognized and used integrally to improve the diet quality., Practical Application: Nutritional potential of crops was evaluated from the viewpoint of selected vitamins and antioxidants to create a well-balanced diet. Combined use of both traditional (wheat, barley) and underutilized crops (quinoa) is recommended. HPLC methods and image analysis were successfully used as viable tools for food quality determination., (© 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Background: Fusarium toxins, secondary metabolites of toxinogenic Fusarium species, are found in a range of cereal grains. In this study the occurrence of the most commonest Fusarium toxins, namely nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON), deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside, fusarenon-X, 3- and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, HT-2 and T-2 toxins and zearalenone, in various barley cultivars harvested in 2005-2008 was monitored. The impact of weather, locality, fungicide treatment and barley cultivar (hulless or covered) on contamination was evaluated. The transfer of these mycotoxins into malt was assessed., Results: The most prevalent toxin was DON, which was found in 83% of samples (maximum level 180 µg kg(-1)), while HT-2 was detected in 62% of samples (maximum level 716 µg kg(-1)). Using analysis of covariance, weather was found to be the key factor in all years (P < 0.001). A relationship between cultivar and contamination was confirmed only for HT-2 (P < 0.001) and T-2 (P = 0.037), with higher levels of these toxins being observed in hulless cultivars. With the exception of NIV (P = 0.008), no significant relationship was found between fungicide treatment and contamination. No distinct trend regarding DON levels in malt was found, with both decreases and increases occurring., Conclusion: The results show an inter-annual variation in mycotoxin occurrence in barley cultivars as well as differences in contamination of malt produced from fungicide-treated and untreated barley., (2010 Society of Chemical Industry)