Protective Activity of Broccoli Sprout Juice in a Human Intestinal Cell Model of Gut Inflammation

Benefits to health from a high consumption of fruits and vegetables are well established and have been attributed to bioactive secondary metabolites present in edible plants. However, the effects of specific health-related phytochemicals within a complex food matrix are difficult to assess. In an attempt to address this problem, we have used elicitation to improve the nutraceutical content of seedlings of Brassica oleracea grown under controlled conditions. Analysis, by LC-MS, of the glucosinolate, isothiocyanate and phenolic compound content of juices obtained from sprouts indicated that elicitation induces an enrichment of several phenolics, particularly of the anthocyanin fraction. To test the biological activity of basal and enriched juices we took advantage of a recently developed in vitro model of inflamed human intestinal epithelium. Both sprouts’ juices protected intestinal barrier integrity in Caco-2 cells exposed to tumor necrosis factor under marginal zinc deprivation, with the enriched juice showing higher protection. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that the extent of rescue from stress-induced epithelial dysfunction correlated with the composition in bioactive molecules of the juices and, in particular, with a group of phenolic compounds, including several anthocyanins, quercetin-3-Glc, cryptochlorogenic, neochlorogenic and cinnamic acids

Using agricultural metadata : a novel investigation of trends in sowing date in on-farm research trials using the online farm trials database

Background: A growing ability to collect data, together with the development and adoption of the FAIR guiding principles, has increased the amount of data available in many disciplines. This has given rise to an urgent need for robust metadata. Within the Australian grains industry, data from thousands of on-farm research trials (Trial Projects) have been made available via the Online Farm Trials (OFT) website. OFT Trial Project metadata were developed as filters to refine front-end database searches, but could also be used as a dataset to investigate trends in metadata elements. Australian grains crops are being sown earlier, but whether on-farm research trials reflect this change is currently unknown. Methods: We investigated whether OFT Trial Project metadata could be used to detect trends in sowing dates of on-farm crop research trials across Australia, testing the hypothesis that research trials are being sown earlier in line with local farming practices. The investigation included 15 autumn-sown, winter crop species listed in the database, with trial records from 1993 to 2019. Results: Our analyses showed that (i) OFT Trial Project metadata can be used as a dataset to detect trends in sowing date; and (ii) cropping research trials are being sown earlier in Victoria and Western Australia, but no trend exists within the other states. Discussion/Conclusion: Our findings show that OFT Trial Project metadata can be used to detect trends in crop sowing date, suggesting that metadata could also be used to detect trends in other elements such as harvest date. Because OFT is a national database of research trials, further assessment of metadata may uncover important agronomic, cultural or economic trends within or across the Australian cropping regions. New information could then be used to lead practice change and increase productivity within the Australian grains industry. © 2021 Walters J et al

Implementation Action Plan for organic food and farming research

The Implementation Action Plan completes TP Organics’ trilogy of key documents of the Research Vision to 2025 (Niggli et al 2008) and the Strategic Research Agenda (Schmid et al 2009). The Implementation Action Plan addresses important areas for a successful implementation of the Strategic Research Agenda. It explores the strength of Europe’s organic sector on the world stage with about one quarter of the world’s organic agricultural land in 2008 and accounting for more than half of the global organic market. The aims and objectives of organic farming reflect a broad range of societal demands on the multiple roles of agriculture and food production of not only producing commodities but also ecosystem services. These are important for Europe’s economic success, the resilience of its farms and prosperity in its rural areas. The organic sector is a leading market for quality and authenticity: values at the heart of European food culture. Innovation is important across the EU economy, and no less so within the organic sector. The Implementation Action Plan devotes its third chapter to considering how innovation can be stimulated through organic food and farming research and, crucially, translated into changes in business and agricultural practice. TP Organics argues for a broad understanding of innovation that includes technology, know-how and social/organisational innovations. Accordingly, innovation can involve different actors throughout the food sector. Many examples illustrate innovations in the organic sector includign and beyond technology. The various restrictions imposed by organic standards have driven change and turned organic farms and food businesses into creative living laboratories for smart and green innovations and the sector will continue to generate new examples. The research topics proposed by TP Organics in the Strategic Research Agenda can drive innovation in areas as wide ranging as production practices for crops, technologies for livestock, food processing, quality management, on-farm renewable energy or insights into the effects of consumption of organic products on disease and wellbeing and life style of citizens. Importantly, many approaches developed within the sector are relevant and useful beyond the specific sector. The fourth chapter addresses knowledge management in organic agriculture, focusing on the further development of participatory research methods. Participatory (or trans-disciplinary) models recognise the worth and importance of different forms of knowledge and reduced boundaries between the generators and the users of knowledge, while respecting and benefitting from transparent division of tasks. The emphasis on joint creation and exchange of knowledge makes them valuable as part of a knowledge management toolkit as they have the capacity to enhance the translation of research outcomes into practical changes and lead to real-world progress. The Implementation Action Plan argues for the wider application of participatory methods in publicly-funded research and also proposes some criteria for evaluating participatory research, such as the involvement and satisfaction of stakeholders as well as real improvements in sustainability and delivery of public goods/services. European agriculture faces specific challenges but at the same time Europe has a unique potential for the development of agro-ecology based solutions that must be supported through well focused research. TP Organics believes that the most effective approaches in agriculture and food research will be systems-based, multi- and trans-disciplinary, and that in the development of research priorities, the interconnections between biodiversity, dietary diversity, functional diversity and health must be taken into account. Chapter five of the action plan identifies six themes which could be used to organise research and innovation activities in agriculture under Europe’s 8th Framework Programme on Research Cooperation: • Eco-functional intensification – A new area of agricultural research which aims to harness beneficial activities of the ecosystem to increase productivity in agriculture. • The economics of high output / low input farming Developing reliable economic and environmental assessments of new recycling, renewable-based and efficiency-boosting technologies for agriculture. • Health care schemes for livestock Shifting from therapeutics to livestock health care schemes based on good husbandry and disease prevention. • Resilience and “sustainagility” Dealing with a more rapidly changing environment by focusing on ‘adaptive capacity’ to help build resilience of farmers, farms and production methods. • From farm diversity to food diversity and health and wellbeing of citizens Building on existing initiatives to reconnect consumers and producers, use a ‘whole food chain’ approach to improve availability of natural and authentic foods. • Creating centres of innovation in farming communities A network of centres in Europe applying and developing trans-disciplinary and participatory scientific approaches to support innovation among farmers and SMEs and improving research capacities across Europe

Characterizing acclimation of pansy and petunia to CO₂ enrichment for controlled environment production

2021 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.While crops often respond immediately to enriched CO2 concentrations (e.g., increased photosynthesis), this initial response is often not sustained throughout production, reducing the benefit of this input. For horticulture species, the timing and extent of these acclimation responses is still widely uncertain. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine species-specific acclimation responses to enriched CO2 concentrations for pansy (Viola ×wittrockiana 'Matrix Blue Blotched Improved') and petunia (Petunia ×hybrida 'Dreams Midnight) during both propagation and finishing. To investigate the effects of enriched CO2 concentrations on pansy and petunia during finishing production, seedlings were transplanted into 11.5-cm pots and placed in growth chambers with air temperature, relative humidity, and radiation intensity setpoints of 21 °C, 55%, and 250 µmol∙m–2∙s–1, respectively. Carbon dioxide treatments were established using the two growth chambers with setpoints of either 400 (ambient) or 1000 μmol·mol–1 (enriched) maintained during a 16-h photoperiod. In addition to data collected through destructive harvest, rate of photosynthesis (A) in response to increasing internal leaf CO2 concentration (A-Ci) and ambient CO2 concentration (A-Ca) were measured weekly with a portable leaf photosynthesis system at saturating (A-Ci; 1000 µmol∙m–2∙s–1) or production (A-Ca; 250 µmol∙m–2∙s–1) radiation intensities. For both pansy and petunia, plants grown under the enriched CO2 concentration produced higher total shoot dry mass compared to ambient after 4 weeks. However, decreased maximum rate of photosynthetic electron transport (Jmax), maximum rate of Rubisco carboxylase (Vcmax), and similar photosynthesis at operating Ci concentration were observed under the enriched CO2 concentration after 4 weeks. Additionally, A measured at 1000 and 400 μmol·mol–1 was lower for both pansy and petunia grown under the enriched compared to ambient CO2 concentration based on A-Ca responses after 1 week, further indicating quick physiological acclimation to this input. This indicates little benefit of elevated CO2 to increase plant quality during the finishing stage of production in pansy and petunia, however there is possible marginal benefit due to increased biomass with no effect on overall plant size. To evaluate the impact of CO2 enrichment at varying timing and duration during propagation, pansy and petunia seeds were sown in 128-cell trays and placed in growth chambers with air temperature, relative humidity, and radiation intensity setpoints of 21 °C, 55%, and 250 µmol∙m–2∙s–1, respectively. Carbon dioxide treatments were established using the two growth chambers with setpoints of either 400 (ambient) or 1000 μmol·mol–1 (enriched) maintained during a 16-h photoperiod. Treatments consisted of seedlings grown for 28 days at ambient (Amb28), 28 days at elevated (Elv28), 14 days at ambient then 14 days at elevated (Amb14:Elv14), and 14 days at elevated then 14 days at ambient CO2 concentration (Elv14:Amb14). Harvest data was collected weekly, and four weeks after germination seedlings were transplanted into the greenhouse to determine impacts on finishing quality and flowering. Pansy and petunia produced higher total dry mass (roots + leaves + stem) under Elv28 and Amb14:Elv14 compared to Amb28 after 4 weeks, but showed no difference in leaf area. Additionally, plants grown under Elv28 and Amb14:Elv14 produced higher leaf mass area than Amb28 and Elv14:Amb14 for both species. Pansy showed decreased days to flower under Elv28, but no difference in biomass or size after transplant into the greenhouse. Therefore, elevated CO2 during seedling production may influence days to flower but does not contribute to growth rate long term after transplant. Likewise, similar morphological responses can be achieved with elevated CO2 being applied during the last two weeks of seedling production compared to elevation throughout the propagation stage. These results provide useful information regarding the timing and extent of physiological acclimation in response to enriched CO2 concentrations for pansy and petunia. However, due to physiological acclimation potentially occurring within one week of treatment initiation, additional research is needed to best understand how this input can be further optimized for controlled environment production

Responses of Bambara groundnut (Vigna Subterannea L. Verdc) landraces to field and controlled environment conditions of water stress.

Thesis (M.Sc.Agric.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc) is a drought tolerant African legume capable of producing reasonable yields where other crops may fail. However, it remains an underutilised crop, owing to limited research, cultivated using landraces, of which scant information is available describing their agronomy and genetic diversity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of bambara landraces from different geographical locations to water stress under controlled and field conditions. Seeds were sourced from subsistence farmers of Tugela Ferry and Deepdale in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and Zimbabwe, and characterised into three seed coat colours: light-brown, brown and red. Seed quality was assessed using the standard germination test. Vigour indices of germination velocity index and mean germination time were determined. Seedling establishment was evaluated using seedling trays using a factorial experiment, with four factors: 1. provenance – (Tugela Ferry and Deepdale), 2. seed colour – (red, light-brown and brown), 3. water regimes – (30%, 60% and 100% field capacity), and 4. soil media – (clay, sand and clay + sand). Seedling leaf samples were used to evaluate proline accumulation as an indicator of stress tolerance. A field trial was used to evaluate productivity of bambara landraces under rainfed and irrigated conditions. A pot trial was conducted under controlled environment conditions with three factors: temperature (33/27°C and 21/15°C), water regimes (30% and 100% of crop water requirement) and bambara landrace selections. Results showed no significant differences in germination capacity between bambara landrace selections. Germination time differed significantly (P<0.001) between bambara landrace selections. The Jozini provenance was shown to perform best, followed by Zimbabwe, Tugela Ferry and Deepdale. Brown landrace selections had higher (P<0.001) germination compared with red and light-brown selections, respectively. Seedling establishment showed that emergence was higher (P<0.001) at 100% FC compared with 60% FC and 30% FC. Emergence was higher (P<0.001) in the Sand+Clay mixture compared with Clay and Sand media. Dark-coloured selections had higher (P<0.001) emergence compared with light-coloured selections. Results from the field trial showed that the red landrace selections emerged better (P<0.001) than the light-brown and brown landrace selections, respectively. Plant growth was lower under irrigated compared with rainfed conditions. Stomatal conductance was higher (P<0.001) under irrigated compared with rainfed conditions, whereas chlorophyll content index was higher (P<0.05) under rainfed compared with irrigated conditions. Results of the pot trial showed that emergence was significantly (P<0.001) affected by temperature. It was higher at 33/27°C compared with 21/15°C (P<0.001). Dark-coloured landraces had higher emergence compared with the light-brown landraces. Stomatal conductance was lower at 30% ET relative to 100% ETc. There were no significant differences between water regimes with respect to biomass, pod number per plant, pod mass per plant, seed number per pod, seed mass per plant and harvest index. It is concluded that seed colour is an important variable in the identity of bambara landraces. Provenance plays a significant role in seed performance and there is a significant interaction between provenance and seed coat colour. This study could be expanded to obtain more data for crop improvement through inclusion of many sites and seasons for better agronomic advice to farmers

Big data analytics tools for improving the decision-making process in agrifood supply chain

Introduzione: Nell'interesse di garantire una sicurezza alimentare a lungo termine di fronte a circostanze mutevoli, è necessario comprendere e considerare gli aspetti ambientali, sociali ed economici del processo di produzione. Inoltre, a causa della globalizzazione, sono stati sollevati i problemi delle lunghe filiere agroalimentari, l'asimmetria informativa, la contraffazione, la difficoltà di tracciare e rintracciare l'origine dei prodotti e le numerose questioni correlate quali il benessere dei consumatori e i costi sanitari. Le tecnologie emergenti guidano verso il raggiungimento di nuovi approcci socioeconomici in quanto consentono al governo e ai singoli produttori agricoli di raccogliere ed analizzare una quantità sempre crescente di dati ambientali, agronomici, logistici e danno la possibilità ai consumatori ed alle autorità di controllo della qualità di accedere a tutte le informazioni necessarie in breve tempo e facilmente. Obiettivo: L'oggetto della ricerca riguarda lo studio delle modalità di miglioramento del processo produttivo attraverso la riduzione dell'asimmetria informativa, rendendola disponibile alle parti interessate in un tempo ragionevole, analizzando i dati sui processi produttivi, considerando l'impatto ambientale della produzione in termini di ecologia, economia, sicurezza alimentare e qualità di cibo, costruendo delle opportunità per le parti interessate nel prendere decisioni informate, oltre che semplificare il controllo della qualità, della contraffazione e delle frodi. Pertanto, l'obiettivo di questo lavoro è quello di studiare le attuali catene di approvvigionamento, identificare le loro debolezze e necessità, analizzare le tecnologie emergenti, le loro caratteristiche e gli impatti sulle catene di approvvigionamento e fornire utili raccomandazioni all'industria, ai governi e ai policy maker.Introduction: In the interest of ensuring long-term food security and safety in the face of changing circumstances, it is interesting and necessary to understand and to take into consideration the environmental, social and economic aspects of food and beverage production in relation to the consumers’ demand. Besides, due to the globalization, the problems of long supply chains, information asymmetry, counterfeiting, difficulty for tracing and tracking back the origin of the products and numerous related issues have been raised such as consumers’ well-being and healthcare costs. Emerging technologies drive to achieve new socio-economic approaches as they enable government and individual agricultural producers to collect and analyze an ever-increasing amount of environmental, agronomic, logistic data, and they give the possibility to the consumers and quality control authorities to get access to all necessary information in a short notice and easily. Aim: The object of the research essentially concerns the study of the ways for improving the production process through reducing the information asymmetry, making it available for interested parties in a reasonable time, analyzing the data about production processes considering the environmental impact of production in terms of ecology, economy, food safety and food quality and build the opportunity for stakeholders to make informed decisions, as well as simplifying the control of the quality, counterfeiting and fraud. Therefore, the aim of this work is to study current supply chains, to identify their weaknesses and necessities, to investigate the emerging technologies, their characteristics and the impacts on supply chains, and to provide with the useful recommendations the industry, governments and policymakers

Screening and cultivation of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) under Central European conditions : the potential of a re-emerged multipurpose crop

Nowadays, lifestyle and health consciousness are leading to an ever-increasing consumer demand for so-called superfoods, which are believed to provide multiple simultaneous health benefits beyond their nutritional value. In parallel, there is greater awareness regarding food origin, social and environmental impacts of consumers food choices. To meet those consumer demands, a regional, sustainable production of chia as the most well-accepted superfood among German consumers, presents a highly promising opportunity in different industries (packaging, cosmetic, medical, pharmaceutical, neutraceutical, technological, and crop protection) and fields of applications. The potential usage and application of chia is plenty fold and live up to the status of a multipurpose crop. However, as chia is a short-day plant with a threshold of 1213 h, cultivation was geographically limited to the tropics and subtropics. Yet cultivation expansion of chia to temperate regions (40°-60°) within the cool temperate climate as it prevails for example in Germany however, required an adaptation of genotypes regarding day length sensitivity as cultivation is only feasible during the summer months as the temperature conditions are only fulfilled in these months. Due to the efforts of breeders the photoperiodic sensitivity was overcome and new long-day flowering species, able to induce flower formation under day lengths of up to > 15 hours, were developed. The breakthrough in overcoming the photoperiodic sensitivity enabled the cultivation of chia for its seed production in Europe and made the development of a holistic cultivation system for chia under the given climatic conditions essential. However, abroad from day length additional climate requirements need to be fulfilled, and agronomic management practices need to be developed to finally meet chis seed yield and quality goals. Therefore, within the current thesis the following objectives were evaluated to select new chia genotypes and establish agronomic management practices improving chia yield and quality traits under European conditions: - to investigate the cultivability of different chia genotypes under Central European climate conditions - to determine and specify agronomic and quality traits of different chia genotypes cultivated under Central European climate conditions - to optimize and establish an applicable cultivation system for chia under the climatic conditions given in Central Europe - to select new chia genotypes that can be cultivated under Central European climatic conditions In this respect, climate chamber and field experiments at the University of Hohenheim and its experimental stations Ihinger Hof and Eckartsweier were conducted between 2015 and 2018. Findings of the first publication showed that three cultivated chia genotypes either day length insensitive (Sahi Alba 914) or adapted to day lengths greater than 12 h surpassed the yields obtained by their countries of origin, and obtained oil, protein, and mucilage contents in line with current literature and the Novel Food-Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, thus possibly representing an attractive alternative to local farmers in Germany. Considering the results, it became apparent that Germany could be seen as a seminal opportunity to expand the cultivation area of chia to latitudes up to 48° N. In times of climate change the broadening of the food base with respective crops could be crucial in the future. Results presented within the second publication confirmed that the given environmental conditions significantly influenced seed yield and nutrient composition of chia, while the applied agronomic management practices (i) row spacing (35, 50, and 75 cm), (ii) sowing densities (1, 1.5 and 2 kg ha-1) and (iii) N-fertilization rates (0, 20 and 40 kg N ha-1) showed a limited influence. Nevertheless, under the prevailing conditions in Germany, a row spacing of 50 cm, a sowing density of 1.5 kg ha-1 and an N-fertilization rate of 20 to 40 kg N ha-1 could be recommended. It became obvious that more field trials were necessary to provide information regarding the influence of agronomic management practices on overall chia performance and to adapt management practices to maximize chia seed yields and their associated seed quality traits under the given conditions. Within the third publication it could be concluded that within the given biodiversity of Salvia species, there are existing Salvia hispanica L. (SALV66) and Salvia columbariae Benth. (Golden Chia) varieties adapted to day lengths greater than 12 h showing seed yields almost in line with those of their countries of origin. Both selected chia varieties SALV66 and Golden Chia represented very promising raw materials from a nutritional point of view. The significant seed shattering level of Golden Chia, however, is a huge drawback regarding its commercial production. Therefore, especially concerning Golden Chia breeding efforts and scientific studies on agronomic management practices are of enormous importance. The establishment of chia cultivation under local conditions could be considered as the first step towards a local and sustainable chia value chain in Europe. Chia cultivation in Europe, including Germany would on the one hand fulfil the steadily increasing demand for healthy, environmentally sustainable, and regionally produced food and non-food products. While on the other hand, it would simultaneously represent a profitable economic source of income for local farmers, potentially leading to an economically and environmentally profitable way of broadening the food chain and food base. Improved basic understanding about chia cultivation, the effect of plant constituents, and processing possibilities could help to translate research into new technological advances.Ein zunehmendes Lifestyle- und Gesundheitsbewusstsein der Verbraucher führte in jüngster Zeit zu einer gesteigerten Nachfrage nach sogenannten "Superfoods", welchen gesundheitsfördernde Eigenschaften zugeschrieben werden. Parallel dazu werden Lebensmittelkaufentscheidungen immer stärker durch das erhöhte Bewusstsein der Verbraucher hinsichtlich der sozialen und ökologischen Auswirkungen in den Herkunftsländern beeinflusst. Eine regionale, nachhaltige Produktion von Chia in Mitteleuropa, kann dieser Nachfrage und dem entsprechenden Verbraucherbewusstsein entgegenkommen. Das breite Spektrum an Einsatz- und Anwendungsmöglichkeiten in diversen Industrien (Verpackung, Kosmetik, Medizin, Pharmazie und Nutrazeutika) abseits der Nahrungsmittelindustrie spricht darüber hinaus auch aus wirtschaftlicher Sicht für den regionalen Anbau. Da Chia jedoch eine Kurztagpflanze ist, welche Tageslängen von 12-13 Stunden für die Blütenbildung benötigt, war der Anbau bislang geographisch auf die Tropen und Subtropen beschränkt. Eine Ausweitung des Anbaus von Chia in gemäßigte Regionen (40°-60°) innerhalb des kühl-gemäßigten Klimas, wie es z.B. in Deutschland vorherrscht, erforderte jedoch eine Anpassung der Genotypen hinsichtlich der Tageslängenempfindlichkeit. Der Anbau wäre bis dato nur in den Sommermonaten möglich, da nur in diesen Monaten die Temperaturbedingungen erfüllt wurden, dies allerdings dem Tageslängenanspruch einer Kurztagpflanze entgegensteht. Durch züchterische Bemühungen wurde die photoperiodische Sensibilität überwunden und neue Sorten entwickelt, die in der Lage sind, die Blütenbildung unter Tageslängen von bis zu > 15 Stunden zu induzieren. Durch die Überwindung der photoperiodischen Sensibilität wurde der Anbau von Chia für die Samenproduktion in Mitteleuropa ermöglicht. Dies erfordert jedoch die Entwicklung eines ganzheitlichen Anbausystems für Chia, um letztendlich die geforderten Ertrags- und Qualitätsziele für Chiasamen unter den gegebenen klimatischen Bedingungen zu erreichen. Daher wurden im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit folgende Ziele evaluiert, um neue Chia- Genotypen zu selektieren und agronomische Managementpraktiken zu etablieren, die zur Verbesserung des Ertrags und der Qualitätsmerkmale von Chia unter mitteleuropäischen Bedingungen beitragen könnten: - Untersuchung der Anbaufähigkeit verschiedener Chia-Genotypen unter mitteleuropäischen Klimabedingungen - Bestimmung und Spezifizierung von agronomischen und qualitativen Merkmalen verschiedener Chia-Genotypen, die unter mitteleuropäischen Klimabedingungen angebaut werden - Optimierung und Etablierung eines Anbausystems für Chia unter den in Mitteleuropa gegebenen klimatischen Bedingungen - Selektion neuer, weiterer Chia-Sorten, die unter mitteleuropäischen Klimabedingungen anbaufähig sind Hierzu wurden in den Jahren zwischen 2015 und 2018 Klimakammer- und Freilandversuche an der Universität Hohenheim und den Versuchsstationen Ihinger Hof und Eckartsweier durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse der ersten Publikation zeigten, dass drei kultivierte Chia-Genotypen, die entweder tageslängenunempfindlich (Sahi Alba 914) oder an Tageslängen von mehr als 12 Stunden angepasst waren, Erträge erreichten, die über den Erträgen der Herkunftsländer lagen. Des Weiteren wurden Öl-, Protein- und Schleimstoffgehalte erzielt, die der aktuellen Literatur und der Novel-Food-Verordnung (EU) 2015/2283 entsprachen und somit stellt Chia möglicherweise eine attraktive, alternative Feldfrucht für hiesige Landwirte in Deutschland dar, da in Anbetracht der Ergebnisse deutlich wurde, dass der Anbau von Chia auf Breitengrade bis 48° N ausgedehnt werden könnte. In Zeiten des Klimawandels könnte die Erweiterung der Nahrungsmittelbasis mit entsprechenden Nutzpflanzen essentiell sein. Die in der zweiten Publikation vorgestellten Ergebnisse bestätigten, dass die gegebenen Umweltbedingungen einen signifikanten Einfluss auf den Samenertrag und die Nährstoffzusammensetzung von Chiasamen hatten, während die angewandten agronomischen Managementpraktiken (i) Reihenabstand (35, 50 und 75 cm), (ii) Aussaatstärke (1, 1,5 und 2 kg ha-1) und (iii) N-Düngungsrate (0, 20 und 40 kg N ha-1) einen begrenzten Einfluss aufwiesen. Dennoch konnte unter den in Deutschland vorherrschenden Bedingungen ein Reihenabstand von 50 cm, eine Aussaatdichte von 1,5 kg ha-1 und eine N-Düngermenge von 20 bis 40 kg N ha-1 empfohlen werden. Es wurde deutlich, dass weitere Feldversuche notwendig sind, um Informationen über den Einfluss der agronomischen Managementpraktiken auf die allgemeine Pflanzenentwicklung zu erhalten und final den Saatgutertrag und die entsprechenden Qualitätsmerkmale von Chia unter den gegebenen Bedingungen zu maximieren. Im Rahmen der dritten Publikation konnte festgestellt werden, dass innerhalb der gegebenen Diversität der Salvia-Arten, bereits Salvia hispanica L. (SALV66) und Salvia columbariae Benth. (Golden Chia) Sorten verfügbar waren, die an Tageslängen von mehr als 12 Stunden angepasst waren und deren Samenerträge annähernd der der Herkunftsländer entsprachen. Beide ausgewählten Chia-Sorten SALV66 und Golden Chia stellen aus ernährungsphysiologischer Sicht vielversprechende Rohstoffe dar. Der signifikante Samenausfall von Golden Chia ist jedoch ein großer Nachteil für die kommerzielle Produktion. Daher sind insbesondere hinsichtlich der Golden Chia Züchtungsbemühungen und wissenschaftliche Studien zu agronomischen Managementpraktiken von enormer Bedeutung. Die Etablierung des Chia-Anbaus unter lokalen Bedingungen könnte als erster Schritt zu einer lokalen und nachhaltigen Chia-Wertschöpfungskette in Mitteleuropa angesehen werden. Der Chia-Anbau in Europa einschließlich Deutschland würde einerseits die steigende Nachfrage nach gesunden, nachhaltigen und regional erzeugten Lebensmitteln und Non-Food-Produkten erfüllen. Andererseits würde er gleichzeitig eine lukrative wirtschaftliche Einnahmequelle für lokale Landwirte darstellen. Dies könnte zu einer ökonomisch und ökologisch gewinnbringenden Erweiterung der Nahrungskette und Nahrungsmittelbasis führen. Ein verbessertes Grundverständnis hinsichtlich des Chia-Anbaus, der Inhaltsstoffe und Verarbeitungsmöglichkeiten könnte helfen, Forschung in neue technologische Entwicklungen umzusetzen

Phenolic content and antioxidant activity of wholegrain breads from modern and old wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars and ancestors enriched with wheat sprout powder

In this study, we compared nutritional characteristics of breads from wholegrain flours of three modern cultivars, four old cultivars and one landrace population of common wheat (Triticum aestivum), one Khorasan (Triticum turgidum var turanicum) accession and one einkorn (Triticum monococcum) cultivar. One bread from refined flour was also included. All flours were enriched or not with 5% (w:w) of wheat sprout powder (WSP) to obtain enriched breads (EB) or control breads (CB), respectively. Total phenolics and flavonoids, reducing power, radical scavenging and TBARS production inhibition were measured on bread aqueous extracts. CB from old cultivars were generally higher in phenolic content and antioxidant activity than CB from modern cultivars. All EB showed increased phenolic content and antioxidant activity compared to CB, but the increase varied with the source flour, despite WSP supplementation was the same for all breads. In particular, the increase in phenolic content was much relevant for EB of modern cultivars

The tricot citizen science approach applied to on-farm variety evaluation: methodological progress and perspectives

Tricot (triadic comparisons of technologies) is a citizen science approach for testing technology options in their use environments, which is being applied to on-farm testing of crop varieties. Over the last years, important progress has been made on the tricot methodology of which an overview is given. Trial dimensions depend on several factors but tricot implies that plot size is as small as possible to include farmers with small plots (yet avoiding excessive interplot competition) while many locations are included to ensure representativeness of trials. Gender and socio-economic work is focused on better household characterization and recruitment strategies that move beyond sex-aggregation to address aspects of intersectionality. Ethics, privacy and traditional knowledge aspects will be addressed through expanding digital support in this direction. Genetic gain estimates need to be addressed by yield measurements, which can be generated by farmers themselves. There is conceptual clarity about the needs for documentation of trials and publishing data but this aspect requires further digital development. Much progress has been made on the ClimMob digital platform already, which is user friendly and supports trials in the main steps and includes open-source data analytics packages. Further improvements need to be made to ensure better integration with other tools. A next step will be the development of scaling strategies that involve business development. An important input into these strategies are economic studies, which are ongoing