Amaranthus grain as a new ingredient in diets for dairy cows: productive, qualitative, and in vitro fermentation traits

Background: In recent decades, grain amaranths have attracted attention due to their valuable combination of nutritional traits, with higher protein and oil content than conventional cereals. Before they can be proposed as an unconventional ingredient in animal feed, many aspects still need to be investigated from field production to nutritive value. The present research aimed to study the agronomic traits, proximate composition, and digestibility/degradability, fatty acid profile, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content of two grain amaranth species, Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus (for a total of six accessions), grown in a Mediterranean environment. Results: Both species showed seed yields comparable to or higher than the traditional cereal crops in the same environment. On the whole, A. cruentus resulted in a higher seed production than A. hypochondriacus. Mexico and Montana accessions, both belonging to A. cruentus, showed the highest yield (3.73 t ha-1 , on average). Few differences emerged in nutritive value between species and accessions: the Illinois accession of A. cruentus showed the best performance in terms of in vitro degradability and gas production, but not for volatile fatty acid production; the fermentation kinetics was slowest in the Illinois accession and fastest in the Montana accession of A. cruentus and the India accession of A. hypochondriacus. Conclusion: From a health perspective, the Nebraska accession of A. hypochondriacus represents the best accession, with the lowest saturated fatty acid content and the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid content. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry

Economic and environmental sustainability analysis of guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) farming process in a Mediterranean area: two case studies

Guar ( Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) is a spring-summer legume with a high drought tolerance, grown mainly in India, Pakistan, United States and South Africa, whose seeds contain galactomannans. These can be used as an emollient, softening or thickening agent, a flocculant, as well as in hydraulic fracturing, and as a stabiliser in a wide range of other industrial activities: the production of cosmetics, paper, textiles, paints and varnishes, detergents, in construction, and in food products (jams, jellies, yogurt, mayonnaise, ketchup, diet foods, foods for coeliacs, etc .). In the light of a growing industrial demand for guar flour, in May 2012 a trial was carried out in southern Italy. Seeds from South Africa were sown in large plots on two farms with different soil characteristics. The crop showed yields varying between 1.8 and 2.2 t ha –1 . Agronomic results were then used to conduct an integrated sustainability analysis using the production cost analysis and the life cycle assessment, in order to assess, respectively, the cost-effectiveness and the environmental impact of the production process of guar in a Mediterranean environment. Compared to other competitive crops, guar, with less than 3000 kg of CO 2 eq. emissions, can be considered as a low-emission crop. Given the above-mentioned yield, guar growing is economically sustainable when the purchase price of seeds is not less than 0.96 € kg –1

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Growth and Yield Performance of Five Guar Cultivars in a Mediterranean Environment

In order to evaluate growth and yield performance of guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) in Mediterranean area, main morphological parameters (plant height, dry weight of single plant parts, branch and leaf number), dry biomass accumulation and seed yield response of five varieties of guar (Esser, Malosan, Kinman, Lewis and Santa Cruz) were studied. Seed crude protein and fibre content were also determined. Irrigation was applied to ensure that water availability did not limit production. The growing season of guar lasted for 120 days for all the varieties. Average plant height at harvest was about 63 cm (ranging from 56.0 to 70.6 cm). The highest dry weight increment was recorded during 55-70 days after sowing. Malosan, Santa Cruz and Kinman showed the highest individual seed weight (> 30 mg). Above average leaf and branch number were observed in Kinman, Esser and Santa Cruz. The greatest seed protein content was observed in Lewis and Esser (35.6% and 34.7%). High yield and seed quality were obtained in these environments with limited water supply, indicating that guar may represent a valid alternative multipurpose crop for semiarid regions

Industrial orange waste as organic fertilizer in durum wheat

Nowadays agro-industrial waste induces increasing problems due to the high economic cost and heavy environmental impact of disposal. By contrast, its potential re-use as organic fertilizer could represent a sustainable approach to recycling nutrients and reintegrating organic matter into soil. Such recycling should be particularly beneficial in Mediterranean areas because there is a progressive loss of soil fertility. To assess the possible re-use of industrial citrus waste as organic fertilizer, a two-year research project was carried out to study the effects of dried orange waste on the growth and production of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). Two dried orange waste doses of 4 and 8 kg/m$^{2}$ were compared with conventional mineral fertilization, of 80 kg/ha$^{2}$ of nitrogen, and with a control without fertilization in the first year. During the second year, the residual effects of the past year's fertilization and two-year application of the orange waste doses and mineral fertilization on duration of biological cycle, grain yield, leaf area index, above-ground biomass and crop growth rate were studied. Our results show that organic fertilization gave similar wheat yields to the mineral fertilization, averaging at 3.63 t/ha. Organic fertilization promoted crop growth much more than mineral fertilization, by up to +400%. However, at the highest dose repeated organic fertilization induced a severe depressive effect on crop establishment. It indeed gave the lowest values for leaf area index of 0.6, biomass of 222 g/m$^{2}$ dry weight and crop growth rate of 2.5 g m$^{-2}$ d$^{-1}$ at the heading stage, and a 50% decrease in wheat grain yield. In both years, the lowest dose of orange waste produced maximum agronomic efficiency. We conclude that an appropriate use of dried orange waste as fertilizer can partially solve environmental problems related to the citrus fruit processing industry, and represents a low cost organic matter source for Mediterranean soil with poor fertility

Effects of environment and sowing time on growth and yield of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars in Sicily (Italy)

Cotton is one of the most important industrial crops in the world. Though widely cultivated in Sicily (Italy) in the past, cotton growth on the island has disappeared today due to a complex variety of agronomic, economic and socio-political reasons. In recent years, increased interest in natural fibers worldwide has led to a revival in cotton plants in the Mediterranean area. The aim of this paper was to assess the response ofGossypium hirsutumL. cultivars to different environments and sowing times. Elsa and Juncal were selected from the most promising cotton cultivars regarding earliness and productivity. Plants were tested with three sowing times and in two Sicilian environments. Cotton yield and yield components were significantly affected by experimental station, sowing time and cultivar. Lint yield of cultivars was 1.60 t ha(-1)on average, and the highest value of 1.99 t ha(-1)was obtained from an early sowing time. The three indices of agronomic earliness varied significantly based on treatments. In conclusion, the evaluation of response genotype-by-environment under different sowing times could represent a strategy to obtain optimal cotton seed and lint yields, although other general aspects, such as labor costs, land availability and capital resources, should be also considered when evaluating the reintroduction of the species in Sicily

Deficit Irrigation on Guar Genotypes (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.): Effects on Seed Yield and Water Use Efficiency

For guar, a well-known drought and heat-tolerant industrial legume with a spring–summer cycle, limited research has been conducted into measuring the effects of drought on yield potential. A two-year field experiment was conducted to explore the effects of different irrigation regimes on yield, yield components and water use efficiency (WUE) on five cultivars of guar (Kinman, Lewis, Matador, Monument, and Santa Cruz) in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment. Three different water replenishment levels were used: fully irrigated (IH, 100% of the ET), and 50% (IM) and 25% (IL) irrigated. Seed yields ranged from 1.24 (IL) to 3.28 t ha−1 (IH) in 2011, and from 0.98 (IL) to 2.88 t ha−1 (IH) in 2012. Compared to IH, the two-year average seed yield reductions for IL and IM were 49% and 26%, respectively. Lewis and Santa Cruz showed significantly greater grain yields under fully-watered and water-limited conditions. The number of pods per plant achieved the highest positive direct effects on seed yield (r = 0.924***). The highest values of water use efficiency were observed in the IL water regime (1.44 kg m−3 with increments in improved water use efficiency of +34 and +95% when compared with IM and IH, respectively)

Lupin Seed for the Crop-Livestock Food Chain

The ban on animal protein supplements in animal nutrition and, particularly, the increase in the demand for alternative protein sources to replace soybean meal in organic farming has stimulated research on GM-free feeds and renewed interest in grain legumes. Of these lupin appears to be one of the more interesting and promising crops for ruminant diets, due to its key role in low-input cropping systems and its high protein content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the productive and nutritional characteristics of several sweet varieties of lupin seeds cultivated in the Mediterranean region. The trial was carried out during the years 2007/08 on a volcanic soil in East Sicily, employing 8 sweet cultivars belonging to Lupinus albus, L. angustifolius and L. luteus species. Yield and its components (pod plant-1, seed pod-1, 1000 seed weight) were evaluated. Crude protein, fibre fractions and alkaloid content were also determined. L. albus exhibited the highest yields (2.2 t ha-1), with an intermediate value of pod x plant (15.4). L. luteus yielded 1.5 t ha-1 and L. angustifolius 0.5 t ha-1. L. luteus showed higher levels of crude protein (34.2%) although the greatest protein yield per hectare was recorded in L. albus (0.7 t ha-1). L. angustifolius showed the highest mean values of NDF (28.1%) and ADF (25%), whereas L. luteus the lowest mean values of ADL (1.75%). Six alkaloids were detected and quantified, among which, the Iso-lupanine always was the most abundant (1.5 mg 100g-1, on average). Lower concentrations of quinolizidine were observed in L. luteus (0.9 – 1.4 mg 100g-1) as compared with L. angustifolius (1.5 – 5.5 mg 100g-1) and L. albus (3.8 – 7.5 mg 100g-1). Alkaloid content was always lower than the safe limit of toxicity (< 0.20‰) indicated for human and animal consumption

Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. as a Sustainable Source of Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds for Animal Feeding

With the aim to explore the use of A. hypochondriacus seeds for animal feeding, the agronomic traits, nutrients, and bioactive compounds of four accessions with different origin (India, Nebraska, Iowa, and Pennsylvania) grown in a Mediterranean environment were studied. Proximate composition was determined using the official methods of analyses, fatty acid profile by gas chromatography, total phenolic content (TPC) and the scavenging activity (DPPH• and ABTS•+) by colorimetric method. A one-way ANOVA model was performed to determine the differences between accessions. The four A. hypochondriacus accessions showed interesting seed yield results. No significant differences were observed for crude protein and crude fiber; the oil content showed the significant highest values in the seeds from Nebraska and Pennsylvania, but their nutritional characteristics were significantly different. The accession from Nebraska showed the highest oleic and linoleic acid levels, the highest values of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the best atherogenic and thrombogenic indices and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolaemic ratio, and the highest TPC content. The accession from Pennsylvania showed the highest antioxidant activity and lowest peroxidation index. On the whole, A. hypochondriacus seeds can be used as pseudo-cereal to balance the animal diet and the accession should be chosen according to the different metabolic pathways of unsaturated fatty acids in ruminant and monogastric animals