Agro-Morphological, Yield and Quality Traits and Interrelationship with Yield Stability in Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Genotypes under Saline Marginal Environment

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a halophytic crop that shows resistance to multiple abiotic stresses, including salinity. In this study we investigated the salinity tolerance mechanisms of six contrasting quinoa cultivars belonging to the coastal region of Chile using agro-physiological parameters (plant height (PH), number of branches/plant (BN), number of panicles/plant (PN), panicle length (PL), biochemical traits (leaf C%, leaf N%, grain protein contents); harvest index and yield (seed yield and plant dry biomass (PDM) under three salinity levels (0, 10, and 20 d Sm-1 NaCl). The yield stability was evaluated through comparision of seed yield characteristics [(static environmental variance (S-2) and dynamic Wricke's ecovalence (W-2)]. Results showed that significant variations existed in agro-morphological and yield attributes. With increasing salinity levels, yield contributing parameters (number of panicles and panicle length) decreased. Salt stress reduced the leaf carbon and nitrogen contents. Genotypes Q21, and AMES13761 showed higher seed yield (2.30 t ha(-1)), more productivity and stability at various salinities as compared to the other genotypes. Salinity reduced seed yield to 44.48% and 60% at lower (10 dS m(-1)) and higher salinity (20 dS m(-1)), respectively. Grain protein content was highest in NSL106398 and lowest in Q29 when treated with saline water. Seed yield was positively correlated with PH, TB, HI, and C%. Significant and negative correlations were observed between N%, protein contents and seed yield. PH showed significant positive correlation with APL, HI, C% and C:N ratio. HI displayed positive correlations with C%, N% and protein content., All measured plant traits, except for C:N ratio, responded to salt in a genotype-specific way. Our results indicate that the genotypes (Q21 and AMES13761) proved their suitability under sandy desert soils of Dubai, UAE as they exhibited higher seed yield while NSL106398 showed an higher seed protein content. The present research highlights the need to preserve quinoa biodiversity for a better seedling establishment, survival and stable yield in the sandy desertic UAE environment

Assessment of Different Tannin Extracts on Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli Metabolites Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Tannins have been demonstrated to inhibit the growth of several chicken illnesses in vitro. The complex compositions of tannins make it difficult for microorganisms to develop bacterial resistance. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of condensed tannins (CT) extracts on metabolic profile of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR). The experimental groups were divided into three groups:control (no CT added), high in procyanidins (PC-CT) group, and high in prodelphinidins (PDCT) group, with exposure times of 0, 10, and 24 h. APEC was observed to respond to CT extracted from Tilia flowers (high PC-CT) and black locust leaves (high PD-CT). The levels of amino acids including lysine, leucine, glutamate, phenylalanine, and pyroglutamate were increased with the high PD-CT treatment; however, no significant differences were observed between the PC-CT group and the control. Treatment of APEC culture with high PD-CT also led to a significant decrease in the level of lactate. Thus, high PD-CT affected these metabolisms and could be exploited to control the proliferation of APEC in poultry, thereby improving their health and performance

Identification of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] lines tolerant to soil salinity

Crop tolerance to salinity is of high importance due to the extent and the constant increase in salt-affected areas in arid and semi-arid regions. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), generally considered as fairly tolerant to salinity, could be an alternative crop option for salt affected areas. To explore the genotypic variability of vegetative-stage salinity tolerance, 100 pearl millet lines from ICRISAT breeding programs were first screened in a pot culture containing Alfisol with 250 mM NaCl solution as basal application. Subsequently, 31 lines including many parents of commercial hybrids, selected from the first trial were re-tested for confirmation of the initial salinity responses. Substantial variation for salinity tolerance was found on the basis of shoot biomass ratio (shoot biomass under salinity/ non-saline control) and 22 lines with a wide range of tolerance varying from highly tolerant to sensitive entries were identified. The performance of the genotypes was largely consistent across experiments. In a separate seed germination and seedling growth study, the seed germination was found to be adversely affected (more than 70% decrease) in more than half of the genotypes with 250 mM concentration of NaCl. The root growth ratio (root growth under salinity/control) as well as shoot growth ratio was measured at 6 DAS and this did not reflect the whole plant performance at 39 DAS. In general, the whole plant salinity tolerance was associated with reduced shoot N content, increased K+ and Na+ contents. The K+/Na+ and Ca++/Na+ ratios were also positively related to the tolerance but not as closely as the Na+ content. Therefore, it is concluded that a large scope exists for improving salt tolerance in pearl millet and that shoot Na+ concentration could be considered as a potential non-destructive selection criterion for vegetative-stage screening. The usefulness of this criterion for salinity response with respect to grain and stover yield remains to be investigated

Antimicrobial in vitro activities of condensed tannin extracts on avian pathogenic Escherichia coli

Condensed tannins (CTs), which extracted from yew leaves, tilia flower and black locust leaves, were examined for their antimicrobial in vitro activity against avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). Past research demonstrated that CTs which contain procyanidins and prodelphinidins that could inhibit the growth of a wide range of bacteria. However, there is no information on how these affect pathogenic bacteria from chickens such as APEC. The high concentration of extracts, 10, 5, 2.5 mg/ml, affected the growth curves of APEC, which gave different inhibition values for the three CT extracts. Further, these CTs had significant effects (P≤0.05) on APEC biofilm and motility depending on each CT concentration and composition. However, at low concentration (0.6 mg/ml), the tilia flowers, a high molar percentage of procyanidins, enhanced bacterial cell attachment and improved the swimming motility of APEC. In contrast, yew, an equal molar percentage of procyanidins/prodelphinidins, and black locust, a high molar percentage of prodelphinidins, interrupted and blocked swarming and swimming motility. The data suggested that the antimicrobial activity of the CT extracts was elicited by a positive relationship between anti-biofilm formation and anti-motility capacities

Pearl millet germplasm adapted to saline conditions

Soil salinity is a major crop production constraint affecting approximately 77 million ha worldwide (5–7% of arable land). This problem has been observed to be getting further aggravated (Munns et al. 2002). Development and adoption of salinity-tolerant crop varieties is a cost-effective and sustainable approach to managing salt-affected lands (Epstein et al. 1980). Among the warm-season cereal crops, pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is comparatively more tolerant to salinity (Hajor et al. 1996). Wide genetic variability for salinity tolerance has been reported in pearl millet (Dua and Bhattacharya 1988; Ashraf and McNeilly 1992; Chopra and Chopra 1997). The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India, in collaboration with ICBA, has initiated a project to improve salinity tolerance in pearl millet. Highly significant positive correlation (r >0.65; P >0.01) has been observed between biomass yield under saline pot conditions and salinity tolerance index, indicating that biomass yield itself can be used as an effective selection criterion to select for salinity tolerance and biomass productivity under saline conditions (ICBA 2004). Among a large number and diverse range of materials, 45 germplasm accessions of diverse origin, selected on the basis of their high forage and grain yield potential, were screened for yield performance under saline conditions in pot culture at ICBA. This paper reports on the origin of accessions identified from these pot studies for adaptation to saline conditions and their yield potential under saline field situations in India and West Asia

Screening sorghum genotypes for salinity tolerant biomass production

Genetic improvement of salt tolerance is of high importance due to the extent and the constant increase in salt affected areas. Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] has been considered relatively more salt tolerant than maize and has the potential as a grain and fodder crop for salt affected areas. One hundred sorghum genotypes were screened for salinity tolerance in pots containing Alfisol and initially irrigated with a 250-mM NaCl solution in a randomized block design with three replications. Subsequently 46 selected genotypes were assessed in a second trial to confirm their responses to salinity. Substantial variation in shoot biomass ratio was identified among the genotypes. The performance of genotypes was consistent across experiments. Seven salinity tolerant and ten salinity sensitive genotypes are reported. Relative shoot lengths of seedlings were genetically correlated to the shoot biomass ratios at all stages of sampling though the relationships were not close enough to use the trait as a selection criterion. In general, the whole-plant tolerance to salinity resulted in reduced shoot Na+ concentration. The K+/Na+ and Ca2+/Na+ ratios were also positively related to tolerance but with a lesser r 2. Therefore, it is concluded that genotypic diversity exists for salt tolerance biomass production and that Na+ exclusion from the shoot may be a major mechanism involved in that tolerance

Assessment of the anti-pathogenic effects of condensed tannin extracts using scanning electron microscopy

Two diferent types of condensed tannins (CTs), which were extracted and purifed from tilia (Tilia L.) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), were studied and tested against two kinds of bacteria, including Gram-negative and Gram-positive, avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) respectively, by minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both CT extracts were signifcantly efective (p≤0.05) at MBCs of 5–10 mg CT/ml against APEC (Gram-negative), and at 1.25–5 mg CT/ml on S. epidermidis (Gram-positive). This indicated that the CTs were more potent against the Gram-positive than the Gram-negative bacteria. Further, SEM revealed that CTs caused mainly morphological deformations of the bacterial cells and some conjoined cell growth

Conventional breeding sorghum for soil salinity-stress tolerance

The increased demand for sorghum (one of the important food/fodder/feed crops in the semi-arid tropics) driven by enhanced demand for milk and milk products imposes extension of sorghum cultivation in saline soils, which severely limits crop productivity. The development and adoption of cultivars tolerant to salinity is the cost-effective approach to enhance sorghum productivity in saline soils. However, attempts to breed sorghum for salinity tolerance are limited owing to the complexity in screening for and inheritance of salinity tolerance. In this article we have reviewed and discussed the screening methods and selection criteria used to breed sorghum for salinity tolerance

Cultivar options for salinity tolerance in sorghum

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is the fifth most important cereal crop of the world and is a major source of food, feed and fodder in the semi-arid tropics (SAT). It is the third most important staple food crop after rice (Oryza sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) for millions of people in India. The grain molds, shoot fly and prolonged dry spells are main reasons for low productivity in India. Of all the soil mineral stresses or chemical toxicities, acidity, and associated Al3+ toxicity and salinity are probably the most important constraints to sorghum productivity in tropical environments. Saline and sodic soils cause mineral stresses on approximately 0.9 billion ha of land (Gourley et al. 1997). In addition, the problematic soils that include saline soils which constitute 15% (approx.) of total cultivable area in India, reduce crop productivity leading to food insecurity and rendering crop production non-remunerative. The increased demand for sorghum, especially for feed uses in SAT regions (Kleih et al. 2000) imposes extension of sorghum cultivation in saline soils. Soils with an ECe of <4 dS m-1 (Shannon 1997) are considered non-saline; an ECe of 4 to 16 dS m-1 are moderately saline and an ECe of >16 dS m-1 are highly saline (www.cahe.nmsu.edu). Development of cultivars tolerant to soil salinity along with appropriate management practices is required for enhanced production under saline conditions (Ramesh et al. 2005). Salinity causes reduction in germination (Igartua et al. 1994), growth (Maiti et al. 1994) and yields of sorghum (Macharia et al. 1994) and modifies the physiological and biochemical processes of the plant (Dubey 1994). Salinity causes more serious damage in the seedling emergence stage than in any other stage in sorghum (Macharia et al. 1994). Though sorghum is known to be relatively more tolerant to soil salinity than maize (Zea mays) (Igartua et al. 1994, Krishnamurthy et al. 2007), genetic enhancement of sorghum for salinity tolerance would further increase sorghum productivity in such soils

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries