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A major factor affecting male fertility is excessive death of germ cells, both immature germ cells and mature spermatozoa. It can be due to various factors causing testicular and/or post-testicular damage, such as infections, obstructive conditions, toxins, oxidative stress, hormonal imbalance, hyperthermia, and anti-sperm antibodies. Massive death of spermatozoa leads to a high proportion of dead sperm cells in the ejaculate (necrozoospermia or necrospermia) while death of immature germ cells can lead to low sperm count (oligozoospermia or oligospermia). Cell death can occur both by necrosis and by apoptosis; in recent decades, it has been found that apoptosis of mature spermatozoa is not only possible but quite common, and can contribute to infertility. Treatment approaches are primarily directed to the underlying condition, i.e. removing the cause(s) of sperm cell death whenever possible, but include also attempts to bypass the cell death event by intracytoplasmic sperm injection with testicular spermatozoa.

Decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) using anaerobic treatment are increasingly being considered for wastewater treatment with options for non-potable water reuse at the community scale. One challenge for ensuring performance and reliability of DEWATS is the lack of suitable on-site sensors to monitor failure or contamination events. In this study, the aim was to use in situ fluorescence sensors to track the performance of a DEWATS, consisting of an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) coupled to anaerobic filter (AF) and constructed wetland (CW) treatment processes. A submersible in situ fluorometer equipped with tryptophan (TRP) and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) sensors was deployed in each chamber of the ABR-AF-CW system, and results showed that TRP fluorescence was preferentially removed over CDOM fluorescence throughout the system. Significant relationships between TRP fluorescence and chemical oxygen demand (COD) also suggested that TRP fluorescence could be used as a surrogate for COD and soluble COD concentrations. Strong agreement between results obtained from the 1D in situ fluorometer and those obtained from a 3D benchtop fluorometer lends further support to the use of in situ fluorescence sensors to track DEWATS performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole kernels of cereals are the most important source of magnesium. This mineral has several positive effects on human health. However, the human body cannot absorb 100% of magnesium from plant sources during digestion. Additionally, the wheat flour milling process usually produces refined flour with a substantially lower content of magnesium. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of milling of two wheat cultivars on total and soluble magnesium distribution in milling fractions, with the purpose of creating wheat bread with a precisely defined magnesium content. Ash content, thousand grain weight (TGW), and kernel size were analysed in five wheat cultivars. Two most statistically distinguished wheat cultivars according to these analyses (Moma and Todorka) were milled in a laboratory mill to gain as many flour fractions as possible (eleven). Magnesium was extracted from the flour and its content was measured by inductively coupled plasma. The results showed that the level of soluble magnesium in refined white flours (T-500 with ash content between 0.46-0.60d.m.%) is approximately 17% and is available for uptake in the human body. Also, by milling the Moma cultivar in an industrial mill with a capacity of 100 t per day gave 6.6 t more brown flour (T-1000 with ash content between 1.05-1.15 d.m.%) than the Todorka cultivar. Furthermore, the daily consumption of brown bread (produced from brown flour) in Serbia would satisfy about 60% of the daily magnesium requirements. [Projects of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR31066 and Grant no. TR31007]

The aim of the study was to examine how a slight modification of the standard bread-making procedure for the evaluation of wheat cultivars affects bread making properties of different quality samples, without α-amylase activity. For that purpose, two wheat cultivars of different quality (Zvezdana and NS 40S) were examined from four different localities without diastatic activity. Standard physicochemical and rheological parameters for wheat cultivars evaluation were analysed on the eight samples. Also, bread made from flour of these samples was produced according to the standard bread-making procedure for evaluation wheat cultivars and with addition of sugar and malt according to a modified procedure. The results showed that a slight modification of the standard breadmaking procedure can affect the most important properties of bread (bread volume and bread crumb quality). The average values of both parameters were statistically higher. Additionally, statistical analyses showed that bread volume of both cultivars of differing quality was statistically higher, whereas only Zvezdana had statistically higher bread crumb quality.

Many alpine areas are experiencing intense deglaciation, biogeochemical changes driven by temperature rise, and changes in atmospheric deposition. There is mounting evidence that the water quality of alpine streams may be related to these changes, including rising atmospheric deposition of carbon (C) and nutrients. Given that barren alpine soils can be severely C limited, we evaluated the magnitude and chemical quality of atmospheric deposition of C and nutrients to an alpine site, the Green Lake 4 catchment in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Using a long term dataset (2002-2010) of weekly atmospheric wet deposition and snowpack chemistry, we found that volume weighted mean dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were approximately 1.0mgL-1and weekly concentrations reached peaks as high at 6-10mgL-1 every summer. Total dissolved nitrogen concentration also peaked in the summer, whereas total dissolved phosphorus and calcium concentrations were highest in the spring. Relationships among DOC concentration, dissolved organic matter (DOM) fluorescence properties, and nitrate and sulfate concentrations suggest that pollutants from nearby urban and agricultural sources and organic aerosols derived from subalpine vegetation may influence high summer DOC wet deposition concentrations. Interestingly, high DOC concentrations were also recorded during "dust-in-snow" events in the spring. Detailed chemical and spectroscopic analyses conducted for samples collected in 2010 revealed that the DOM in many late spring and summer samples was less aromatic and polydisperse and of lower molecular weight than that of winter and fall samples and, therefore, likely to be more bioavailable to microbes in barren alpine soils. Bioavailability experiments with different types of atmospheric C sources are needed to better evaluate the substrate quality of atmospheric C inputs. Our C budget estimates for the Green Lake 4 catchment suggest that atmospheric deposition represents an average input of approximately 13 kgCha-1 yr-1 that could be as high as 24 kgCha-1 yr-1 in high dust years and approaches that of autotrophic C fixation in barren soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has long been recognized that bread making quality traits vary considerably as a result of genotype, environment and their interaction. The present study was aimed at determining the effect of cultivar, environment and their interaction on several bread making quality traits as well as to analyze relationship between these traits, Methods: Hundred forty wheat genotypes originated from 28 countries were grown in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Data of 9 bread making quality traits, protein content (PC), wet gluten content (WG), farinograph absorption (FA), farinograph dough development time (FD), farinograph quality number (FQU), resistance to extension (ER), falling number (FN), loaf volume (LV), and baking score (BS), were used to evaluate the effects of cultivar, environment and their interaction. The analysis of variance, ANOVA, and estimates of the components of variance due to genotype and genotype/environment interaction were calculated according to Comstock and Moll (1963). Heritability estimates were similar to those reported by Singh et al. (1993), Results: Both cultivar and cultivar by environment interaction had significant effects on all quality traits. Variances of quality traits associated with genetic factors (cultivar) were generally larger than those for cultivar by environmental interaction effects, Conclusion: The dominant effect of the cultivar in total variance is probably due to the wide range of bread making quality traits in the examined cultivar set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U radu su prikazane glavne karakteristike 17 sorti ozime pšenice, stvorene u Naučnom institutu za ratarstvo i povrtarstvo u Novom Sadu, koje su priznate od strane Ministarstva za poljoprivredu, šumarstvo i vodoprivredu Republike Srbije u poslednje tri godine. Kod većine sorti priznatih u ovom periodu uspešno je kombinovan visoki genetski potencijal za prinos sa: vrlo dobrim pokazateljima tehnološkog kvaliteta, otpornošću prema najvažnijim bolestima (lisnoj rđi -Puce. recondita tritici, stabljičnoj rđi - Puce. graminis tritici i pepelnici - Erysiphe graminis tritici), niskim temperaturama i poleganju. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simonida was released by the Commission for Varietal Approval in 2003. It was developed from the cross: NS 63-27, NS-3142 and Novosadska Rana 5. The spike is white and smooth, medium compact, awnless, with 20-25 spikelets, and the grain is red (Triticum aestivum L. ssp. vulgare var. lutescens). Simonida is a high-yielding cultivar with a genetic yield potential of over 10 t ha-1. Successful combinations of genes responsible for important characteristics makes Simonida an important genotype for profitable and stable production. Simonida is a medium early cultivar with good resistance to winterkill. The average stem height is 80 cm, with good resistance to lodging. Resistance to leaf rust is very good and that to powdery mildew good. Distinctive features of the variety are long duration of leaf green area, a prolonged period of photosynthetic activity, and very good resistance to heat stress and air drought at grain fill. As it has a narrow and relatively short leaf, the variety can be considered fairly economical regarding its requirements for nutrients and water. The absolute mass of 1000 grains is about 40 g of d.m, while the hectoliter mass is 87.7 kg hl-1. The milling and baking qualities are very good. The dry gluten is about 11%. On the whole, Simonida has good agronomic and technological properties compared with the existing winter wheat cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad was established in 1938 as an experiment and control station. It passed through several organizational and technical transformations but it never diverged from the basic objective of work - to create scientific background for improved agricultural production. Ever since the establishment, wheat breeding was in the focus of scientific attention. In the period from 1953, when the first wheat cultivar, Novosadska 1439/3, was released, until today, 252 bread wheat cultivars were developed. Twenty-five of these cultivars were released in 11 countries at three continents. First high-yielding cultivars, Sava, Drina and Biserka, brought notable increases in wheat yields in the Vojvodina Province and the former Yugoslavia in the early 1970s. These cultivars were succeeded by Novosadska rana 2 and Novosadska rana 1, which introduced two novel features, earliness and improved bread-making quality. The cultivars Jugoslavija and Balkan, which were next in line, brought further qualitative and quantitative improvements in wheat production. These cultivars dominated the wheat production till mid-1990s. In last 5-6 years, Evropa 90, Pobeda, NSR 5, Renesansa and Pesma were the leading cultivars in the wheat production of Serbia and Montenegro. In addition to high yield potential, over 10.5 t/ha, these cultivars also possess excellent quality. High yield, good bread-making quality and high adaptability to a large range of agroecological conditions characterized the Novi Sad wheat cultivars which dominated the national wheat production in last 35 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analysed polymorphism of 15 microsatellite loci in the col­lection comprising of 40 genotypes of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), 32 genotypes belonging to other species within Triticum genus and 3 genotypes from Aegilops genus. The results showed significant differences in the variability of the tested loci in bread wheat and related species. In the collection of bread wheat genotypes, 119 alleles were detected with the average number of 7.9 alleles per locus. In wild and cultivated related species 157 alleles were identified, with the average of 10.5 alleles per locus. All analysed parameters of micro­satellite loci variability (PIC value, gene diversity, heterozygosity, etc.) indicated higher level of polymorphism in wild relatives than in the cultivated bread wheat. Analyses of individual genomes indicated that in the bread wheat genetic diversity of the B and D genomes was significantly reduced in relation to the A genome, while the differences in polymorphism between genomes in the wild relatives were significantly lower. The results showed that wild related species can be used as sources for new variability in wheat breeding. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development]

Grain yield is one of the most important and complex traits in cereal breeding and depends upon a combination of different plant traits. Therefore, an effective breeding program requires a proper understanding of the relationships between grain yield and agronomic traits. The objectives of this study were the evaluation of two-rowed winter malting barley genotypes and the perceiving of relationships among grain yield and their agronomic and quality traits. The trials with 19 two-rowed winter malting barley genotypes were conducted during three years. The relationships among plant lodging, height, thousand kernel weight, hectolitre mass, grain protein content and grain yield, were studied by PCA biplot analysis. The results showed that the influence of year, genotype and genotype by year interaction on barley grain yield were significant. Further, results indicate that two-rowed winter malting barley grain yield can be improved by selecting plants of average plant height with thousand kernel weight above 41.0 g and grain protein content of about 11.0 g 100-1g dm.

The high-yielding, medium late winter wheat cultivar NS Pudarka was developed by crossing genetic divergent parents: line NMNH-07 and cv. NS 40S and Simonida. In cultivar NS Pudarka genes responsible for high yield potential, very good technological quality, resistance to lodging, low temperature and diseases, were successfully combined. It was registered by Ministry of agriculture, forestry and water management of Serbia Republic in 2013. This cultivar has wide adaptability and stability of yield that enable growing in different environments with optimal agricultural practice. On the base of technological quality this cultivar belongs to the second quality class, A2 farinograph subgroup and second technological group.

Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad started a large-scale seed production of its wheat cultivars in1971. This activity was done in cooperation with a large number of seed companies from the former Yugoslavia and later on from Serbia. A total volume of production of all seed categories for the period from 1971 to 2010 was 3,790,712 tons. On average for this period, the annual production of certified seed was 94,768 t. The largest amount of seed of Novi Sad wheat cultivars was placed on the market in 1982 - 168,248 t (excluding exports). In the former Yugoslavia, Novi Sad wheat cultivars took from 30 to 65% of the total wheat market share. In the new Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, and finally in Serbia, the market share of Novi Sad cultivars ranged from 80 to 97%. The most popular and bestselling Novi Sad wheat cultivars were: Sava, Partizanka, Novi Sad Early 2 and 1, Balkan, Jugoslavija, Lasta, Evropa, Evropa 90, Pobeda, Novi Sad Early 5 and Renesansa.