Speed breeding in growth chambers and glasshouses for crop breeding and model plant research

‘Speed breeding’ (SB) shortens the breeding cycle and accelerates crop research through rapid generation advancement. SB can be carried out in numerous ways, one of which involves extending the duration of plants’ daily exposure to light, combined with early seed harvest, to cycle quickly from seed to seed, thereby reducing the generation times for some long-day (LD) or day-neutral crops. In this protocol, we present glasshouse and growth chamber–based SB approaches with supporting data from experimentation with several crops. We describe the conditions that promote the rapid growth of bread wheat, durum wheat, barley, oat, various Brassica species, chickpea, pea, grass pea, quinoa and Brachypodium distachyon. Points of flexibility within the protocols are highlighted, including how plant density can be increased to efficiently scale up plant numbers for single-seed descent (SSD). In addition, instructions are provided on how to perform SB on a small scale in a benchtop growth cabinet, enabling optimization of parameters at a low cost

Dry Needling for Spine Related Disorders: a Scoping Review

Introduction/Background: The depth and breadth of research on dry needling (DN) has not been evaluated specifically for symptomatic spine related disorders (SRD) from myofascial trigger points (TrP), disc, nerve and articular structures not due to serious pathologies. Current literature appears to support DN for treatment of TrP. Goals of this review include identifying research published on DN treatment for SRD, sites of treatment and outcomes studied. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following Levac et al.’s five part methodological framework to determine the current state of the literature regarding DN for patients with SRD. Results: Initial and secondary search strategies yielded 55 studies in the cervical (C) region (71.43%) and 22 in the thoracolumbar-pelvic (TLP) region (28.57%). Most were randomized controlled trials (60% in C, 45.45% in TLP) and clinical trials (18.18% in C, 22.78% in TLP). The most commonly treated condition was TrP for both the C and TLP regions. In the C region, DN was provided to 23 different muscles, with the trapezius as treatment site in 41.88% of studies. DN was applied to 31 different structures in the TLP region. In the C region, there was one treatment session in 23 studies (41.82%) and 2–6 treatments in 25 (45.45%%). For the TLP region, one DN treatment was provided in 8 of the 22 total studies (36.36%) and 2–6 in 9 (40.9%). The majority of experimental designs had DN as the sole intervention. For both C and TLP regions, visual analogue scale, pressure pain threshold and range of motion were the most common outcomes. Conclusion: For SRD, DN was primarily applied to myofascial structures for pain or TrP diagnoses. Many outcomes were improved regardless of diagnosis or treatment parameters. Most studies applied just one treatment which may not reflect common clinical practice. Further research is warranted to determine optimal treatment duration and frequency. Most studies looked at DN as the sole intervention. It is unclear whether DN alone or in addition to other treatment procedures would provide superior outcomes. Functional outcome tools best suited to tracking the outcomes of DN for SRD should be explored.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-020-00310-

The wheat stem rust resistance gene Sr43 encodes an unusual protein kinase

To safeguard bread wheat against pests and diseases, breeders have introduced over 200 resistance genes into its genome, thus nearly doubling the number of designated resistance genes in the wheat gene pool1. Isolating these genes facilitates their fast-tracking in breeding programs and incorporation into polygene stacks for more durable resistance. We cloned the stem rust resistance gene Sr43, which was crossed into bread wheat from the wild grass Thinopyrum elongatum2,3. Sr43 encodes an active protein kinase fused to two domains of unknown function. The gene, which is unique to the Triticeae, appears to have arisen through a gene fusion event 6.7 to 11.6 million years ago. Transgenic expression of Sr43 in wheat conferred high levels of resistance to a wide range of isolates of the pathogen causing stem rust, highlighting the potential value of Sr43 in resistance breeding and engineering

The effect of apricot kernel flour incorporation on the physicochemical and sensory properties of noodle

This study considers the application of apricot kernel (AK), a by-product of apricot processing plants containing wide range of nutrients, in enrichment of noodle. The alterations in chemical (moisture, oil, protein and ash content), physical (colour), cooking (optimum cooking time, cooking loss, volume and weight increase), and sensory properties (odour, appearance, mouthfeel, taste, total acceptability) of noodles were examined by adding apricot kernel flour (AKF) to the noodle formulation at the level of 5, 10, 15, 20% flour weight basis. The results of the study indicated that samples of AKF added noodles, for all addition levels, contained more protein, lipid and ash as compared to control sample. Colour and cooking properties were altered by the addition of AKF. In the sensory analysis, the control noodle had the highest score and 20% AKF added noodle had statistically significant (

The effect of fermentation on viscosity and protein solubility of Boza, a traditional cereal-based fermented Turkish beverage

Boza was prepared with corn, rice and wheat flour. Alterations in pH, water-soluble protein content and viscosity were observed during a 30 h fermentation period. Fermentation caused a reduction in pH, whereas the water-soluble protein content of boza significantly increased (P<0.05). The power law model described the pseudoplastic behaviour of boza. The consistency (k) and flow behaviour index (n) values indicated that the viscosity of boza decreases as the temperature increases. The k values of fermented and unfermented boza samples were significantly (P<0.05) different from each other at 10, 20 and 30 degreesC. The n values of unfermented boza did not vary significantly with temperature whereas n values of fermented boza changed significantly

Effect of row space and irrigation on seed composition of Turkish sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

The effect of row space (RS) and irrigation (IR) on total protein, total oil, and fatty acid composition of Harran-grown sesame seed was studied. Total oil content of sesame varied from 46.4 to 51.5%. The oil and protein contents were significantly different among treatments (P < 0.01) in 1998 and 1999. IR affected oil content significantly (P < 0.01) in both years, and RS had no significant effect. The protein content was significantly influenced by RS and IR at P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively. RS 70 cm had the highest protein content followed by RS 60, 50, and 40 cm, respectively. IR every 24th day resulted in the highest level of protein, followed by 18th-, 12th-, and 6th-day irrigation, respectively. Correlation coefficients between protein and oil content were -0.34 in 1998 and -0.59 in 1999. RS (P < 0.05) and IR (P < 0.01) influenced oleic and linoleic acid contents significantly. Interactions of RS and IR were also found to be significant (P < 0.05) over the oleic and linoleic acid levels

Seed composition of Soybeans grown in the Harran region of Turkey as affected by row spacing and irrigation

This study was conducted to determine the effects of row spacing (RS) and irrigation (IR) on protein content, oil content, and fatty acid composition of soybeans grown in the Harran region of Turkey. Oil content of the seed varied from 20.9 to 22.3%. Oil and protein contents were both affected by year. RS and IR affected protein and oil contents significantly (P < 0.01) in both years. RS of 70 cm had the highest protein content, followed by RS of 60, 40, and 50 cm, respectively. IR every 3rd day resulted in the highest level of protein, followed by 6th, 9th, and 12th day irrigation, respectively. The correlation coefficient (r) between protein and oil content was -0.791 in 1998 and -0.721 in 1999. RS (P < 0.01) and IR (P < 0.01) influenced oleic and linoleic acid contents significantly. Interactions of RS and IR were also found to be significant (P < 0.05) for the oleic and linoleic acid contents of soybeans