Enhancement of Micronuclei Frequency in the Tradescantia/Micronuclei Test Using a Long Recovery Time

The Tradescantia/micronuclei test (TRAD/MCN) is a well-validated test for monitoring environmental genotoxicants. These pollutants induce at the early meiotic stage of pollen mother cells chromosome fragments which become micronuclei at the tetrad stage. The standard test protocol requires some hours of exposure of the inflorescences and a recovery time of about 24 hours to reach the early tetrad stage. Since the recovery period represents a critical step of the TRAD/MCN, experiments were performed to establish its length in plants of clone #4430 of the hybrid T. hirsutiflora x T. subacaulis which is widely used in environmental monitoring. The aim of the present research was to ascertain the exact duration of recovery time in order to improve the sensitivity of the TRAD/MCN test. First, studies were performed to select the flowers at the beginning of the meiosis, and then anthers were sampled and studied for a period of 48-86 hours. The complete meiosis in the plants examined required about 80 hours. Second, exposure to genotoxic substances followed by different recovery times was carried out to demonstrate that effectiveness of the TRAD/MCN test is closely related to the duration of the recovery time. The test was carried out by exposing inflorescences to known mutagens (sodium azide and maleic hydrazide) for six hours followed by different recovery times (24-72 hours). The results showed that the frequency of micronuclei in the pollen mother cells increased with the length of the recovery time

Multi-Environment Evaluation and Genetic Characterisation of Common Bean Breeding Lines for Organic Farming Systems

It is recognised that one of the main causes for the relative low yields under organic conditions is the use of modern cultivars which are bred for high-input management systems. The work described here aimed to study and test possible breeding strategies to produce cultivars of common bean for organic agriculture. To this purpose, crosses between a traditional Italian landrace named “Gnocchetto” and a cultivar were carried out. The F1 plants obtained were either backcrossed or self-fertilised and the obtained materials subjected to selection for quality traits at different development stages. The resulting lines were tested under four different environmental conditions for three years in order to determine their potential performance. The resulting data were analysed using a Multi-Environment Trial Analysis (MET) approach and different visualisations of the GGE biplot were generated. Furthermore, to assess the level of genetic similarity, the lines were characterised using 25 Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) molecular markers. Results showed that the breeding approach applied allowed to select lines with the same technological and agronomic characteristics as commercially available cultivars, but with different adaptation abilities that make them suitable for organic agriculture

Criteria for the Registration of \u3cem\u3eMedicago polymorpha\u3c/em\u3e L. and \u3cem\u3eLolium rigidum\u3c/em\u3e Gaud. Varieties in a Voluntary Register in Italy

Extensive and semi-extensive livestock systems in Southern Europe rely largely on permanent pastures, the productivity of which could be improved by sowing adapted species. Native forage species are a valuable tool for Mediterranean livestock production, owing to their specific adaptation to the harsh environment (featuring prolonged and severe spring-summer drought) and their generally good tolerance to grazing. Annual, self-reseeding species are able to cope with the prevailing drought stress by terminating the vegetative phase and setting seed before the onset of the stressful period, and enhance the durability of the sward by their self-reseeding capacity and subsequent seedling regeneration. Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) and medics (annual Medicago spp.) among the legumes, and annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.) among the grasses, are the most exploited self-reseeding species for pasture establishment

Vergleich genetisch diverser Brokkoli-Populationssorten mit einer F1-Hybride unter ökologischen Anbaubedingungen

Field trials were conducted for three years on an organic farm in England to assess the performance and yield variability of two synthetic sprouting broccoli populations with 4 or 8 parents respectively, along with the original landrace mother plants and a commercial F1 hybrid variety as control (Santée). In terms of total yield, Santée outperformed the other entries, but for some other traits, e.g. heading time and number of sprouts, Santée was comparable with the mean of one or more of the genetically diverse entries. Analysis of yield variability over time showed mixed results. With regard to total yield and total sprout number, variability was higher in the F1 hybrid than in the genetically diverse populations, but for other parameters such as average sprout weight and time to maturity, patterns were less clear. Using broccoli populations in commercial production will depend on acceptability of within-population variability of phenotypic traits, especially maturation time

The Italian Catalogue of Herbage Varieties

With 3.4 million hectares, permanent grassland covers 25.8% of Italian U.A.A. (Usable Agricultural Area). Most of this is located in hilly and mountainous areas and is important for the stability of the soil even if their productivity is low. Alfalfa and annual forages cover 1.8 million hectares (C.R.P.A. 2010). Italy’s large longitudinal extension (between latitudes 35° and 47° N), delivers a great variety of climates (Fig. 1). The northern regions bordering the rest of Europe differ greatly from the southern regions surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea

In vitro bactericidal activities of various extracts of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) stigmas from Torbat-e Heydarieh, Gonabad and Khorasan, Iran

Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world (20,000 €/kg) and this is due not only to the high demand for its various uses such as cooking, production of staining medicines, cosmetics etc., but also for the high costs of cultivation and production. Several studies have demonstrated that differences in saffron quality are mainly due to the methodology followed in the processing of stigmas, and environmental conditions independent of the origin. Some authors found phenotypic variations within cultivated saffron, but very limited genetic diversity. The reason for the very limited genetic diversity in cultivated saffron is explained by its asexual mode of reproduction (propagation). The aim of this study was to assess the antimicrobial activity of stigma saffron, which were tested against different bacteria strains. The results obtained from the antimicrobial activity study indicate that stigmas of C. sativus have some antimicrobial effect

Enhancing legume ecosystem services through an understanding of plant–pollinator interplay

Legumes are bee-pollinated, but to a different extent. The importance of the plant– pollinator interplay (PPI), in flowering crops such as legumes lies in a combination of the importance of pollination for the production service and breeding strategies, plus the increasing urgency in mitigating the decline of pollinators through the development and implementation of conservation measures. To realize the full potential of the PPI, a multidisciplinary approach is required. This article assembles an international team of genebank managers, geneticists, plant breeders, experts on environmental governance and agro-ecology, and comprises several sections. The contributions in these sections outline both the state of the art of knowledge in the field and the novel aspects under development, and encompass a range of reviews, opinions and perspectives. The first three sections explore the role of PPI in legume breeding strategies. PPI based approaches to crop improvement can make it possible to adapt and re-design breeding strategies to meet both goals of: (1) optimal productivity, based on an efficient use of pollinators, and (2) biodiversity conservation. The next section deals with entomological aspects and focuses on the protection of the “pest control service” and pollinators in legume crops. The final section addresses general approaches to encourage the synergybetweenfoodproductionandpollinationservicesatfarmerfieldlevel.Twobasic approaches are proposed: (a) Farming with Alternative Pollinators and (b) Crop Design System

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 Genetic Structure of the Field Pea Landrace “Roveja di Civita di Cascia”

“Roveja di Civita di Cascia” is a landrace of Pisum sativum grown in marginal land habitats of the Apennines, Central Italy, and is one of the eleven herbaceous crop landraces listed in the Regional Register of local varieties. The objective of the present paper was to assess its genetic structure using 62 morphological traits and five microsatellites. As many as 55 traits showed significant differences with the control entries (P. sativum subsp. sativum var. arvense and var. sativum). We tested P. sativum Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) for their transferability to “Roveja”, and found that only 12 out of 35 performed well. Of these, we demonstrated that five were sufficient to assess the genetic structure of this landrace, characterized by several private alleles, differentiating it from Paladio and Bluemoon, which were used as controls. Phenotypic and genotypic data evidenced a genetic structure based on a blend of several pure-bred lines. The sustainability of on-farm landrace conservation is discussed