The use of a computer-aided image analysis to estimate the imbibition and vigour of spring triticale seeds

Badano proces imbibicji ziarniaków pszenżyta jarego odmiany Gabo przechowywanych uprzednio przez rok, dwa i trzy lata. W ciągu 14 godzin imbibicji dokonywano pomiarów masy oraz powierzchni, obwodu, długości i szerokosci rzutu obrazu ziarniaków. Dodatkowo wykonano jeszcze takie same pomiary w 24 i 26 godzinie pęcznienia. Uzyskane wyniki świadczą o bardzo silnej korelacji między masą pęczniejących ziarniaków a cechami geometrycznymi ich obrazu, zwłaszcza powierzchnią. Wskazuje to na możliwość zastosowania cyfrowej analizy obrazu w badaniach imbibicji ziarna zbóż.The process of imbibition of spring triticale seeds, cv. Gabo, after storage for one, two and three years, was investigated. During 14 hours of imbibition, measurements of the weight of seeds, as well as the measurements of the circumference, length and width of the seed projection were taken. In addition, the same measurements were taken in the 24th and 26th hour of imbibition. The results obtained point to a very strong correlation between the mass of the imbibing seeds and the geometrical characteristics of their projection, especially the area. This indicates the possibility of applying the computer-aided image analysis for the estimation of cereal seeds imbibition

The effectiveness of Aureobasidium pullulans, Debaryomyces hansenii and Rhodotorula glutinis yeasts in inhibiting the development of Septoria leaf blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) in wheat

Grzyb Zymoseptoria tritici, sprawca septoriozy paskowanej liści, jest jednym z najgroźniejszych patogenów pszenicy między innymi z powodu bardzo długiego okresu inkubacji w tkankach roślin (faza bezobjawowa trwa nawet 10 dni) oraz bardzo szybkiego tempa rozprzestrzeniania się na plantacji, a także trudności w jego zwalczaniu metodami chemicznymi. Jedną z naturalnych metod ograniczenia rozwoju tego patogenu jest uprawa odmian o mniejszej podatności na infekcję. Alternatywą jest także poszukiwanie skutecznych biologicznych metod ochrony. Doświadczenia polowe prowadzono w dwóch lokalizacjach w północno-wschodniej Polsce na dwóch odmianach Triticum aestivum (‘Tonacja’ i ‘Skagen’) i jednej T. durum (‘Komnata’). Celem badań była ocena skuteczności zabiegów biologicznych polegających na opryskiwaniu roślin zawiesiną drożdży Aureobasidium pullulans, Debaryomyces hansenii i Rhodotorula glutinis w ograniczeniu objawów septoriozy paskowanej liści pszenicy. Odmiana Komnata charakteryzowała się mniejszą podatnością na infekcje liści Z. tritici niż odmiany Skagen i Tonacja. Skuteczność zabiegów biologicznych w ograniczeniu objawów septoriozy paskowanej liści odmiany Tonacja oszacowano na poziomie 59,3% dla izolatu A. pullulans oraz 56,7% dla D. hansenii. Zabiegi biologiczne nie miały istotnego wpływu na plonowanie pszenicy.The causal agent of Septoria leaf blotch is one of the most dangerous fungal pathogens of wheat. It has a very long incubation period in plant tissues, spreads rapidly in crops and is highly resistant to chemical agents. Biological control methods could be used together with fungicides, but only between ten and twenty biocontrol agents have been approved for use in Europe to date. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of foliar-applied cell suspensions of Aureobasidium pullulans, Debaryomyces hansenii and Rhodotorula glutinis yeasts in eliminating the symptoms of Septoria leaf blotch in winter wheat. A field experiment was carried out in two locations in north-eastern Poland on two cultivars of Triticum aestivum (‘Tonacja’ and ‘Skagen’) and one T. durum cultivar (‘Komnata’). The yeast isolates used in the experiment were obtained from the grain of winter wheat cv. Tonacja (A. pullulans, Rh. glutinis) and apples cv. Antonówka (D. hansenii). The ITS1-5,8SrRNA-ITS2 sequences of A. pullulans, D. hansenii and R. glutinis yeasts were deposited in the NCBI database under accession numbers KX444670, KX444669 and KX444653, respectively. Yeast suspensions with density of 0.4–2.5·105 cells per cm3 of sterile water were sprayed onto plants with the use of a backpack sprayer at the first node stage, at the heading stage and at the full flowering stage. The effectiveness of biological treatments in controlling the spread of Septoria leaf depended on the susceptibility of wheat cultivars to infections caused by Zymoseptoria tritici and the yeast strain used as a biocontrol agent. Durum wheat cv. Komnata was less susceptible to leaf infections caused by Z. tritici than common wheat cvs. Skagen and Tonacja. In all analyzed wheat cultivars, the severity of Septoria leaf blotch was considerably lower on flag leaves than on penultimate leaves. The effectiveness of biological treatments in controlling the spread of Septoria leaf blotch in common wheat cv. Tonacja was estimated at 59.3% for the suspension containing the Aureobasidium pullulans isolate and 56.7% for the suspension containing the Debaryomyces hansenii isolate. In the remaining wheat cultivars, the effectiveness of biological treatments did not exceed 54.5%, and it was not statistically significant, mostly due to the low density of the cell suspension of the Rhodotorula glutinis isolate, which was characterized by a low growth rate on agar. Biological treatments had no significant influence on wheat yield. Since yeasts used as biocontrol agents are not highly effective against Z. tritici, they should be combined with chemical methods

Fourier transform infrared - attenuated total reflection for wheat grain

Mid-infrared regions of the spectrum of grain of four Triticum species were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared – attenuated total reflection. Significant variations were noted in the absorbance of all studied taxa over four wavenumber ranges. The principal component analysis supported strong discrimination of the four examined species. The percentage of variation explained by the first two principal component analyses reached 95.04%, including principal components 1-72.16% and 2-22.88%. The applied method supports quick identification of the grains of various hulled species of wheat and it is a useful tool for evaluating the seeds and food products obtained from those cereal species

Intra- and interspecific pollination between Lupinus albus L., Lupinus mutabilis Sweet. and Lupinus angustifolius L.

The pollen grain germination and the growth of pollen tubes after intra- and interspecific reciprocal pollination of Lupinus albus L., L. mutabilis Sweet, and L. angustifolius L. were examined. Results of microscopic observations of pollen grain germination and pollen tube growth enable to deny the existence of certain barriers that prevent fertilization after pollination of L. albus flowers with pollen of L. angustifolius and vice versa, as well as after pollination of L. mutabilis flowers with pollen of L. angustifolius and vice versa. Some delay in pollen grain germination and a slower growth of pollen tubes were observed in all combinations, as related to intraspecific ones, though in the case of each interspecific combination pollen tubes reached the ovary. Moreover, a different level of pollination efficiency (the number of growing pollen tubes) and various rates of pollen grain germination and pollen tube growth, depending on the direction of pollination, were found. The noted pollination efficiency may generally be considered to be low