Assessment of Spring Barley Populations in Comparison to Homogenous Varieties

The necessity to increase genetic diversity in agriculture has been widely discussed during the last decades. Heterogeneous populations is one of the ways to increase genetic diversity in varieties of self-pollinating cereals. The aim of this research was to compare grain yield, its stability, foliar diseases severity and competitiveness against the weeds of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) populations and homogenous varieties. Field trials consisting of three types of populations (simple, complex and composite cross populations – CCP) containing different levels of diversity and three check varieties were carried out during 2015-2018 under organic and conventional farming systems. No one of the populations had a significantly higher average yield than any of the check varieties. CCP1 showed a tendency to be more productive under organic growing conditions and can be characterized as widely adaptable to various growing conditions with a significantly higher yield as the average overall environments. One of the complex populations showed adaptability to favorable growing conditions and yield insignificantly higher than overall average. Other studied populations can be characterized with wide adaptability and various yield levels. For most of the populations under organic and conventional conditions, a significantly lower net blotch (caused by Pyrenophora teres) severity was observed in comparison with the most susceptible variety; infection with powdery mildew (caused by Blumeria graminis) lower than for check varieties was observed under organic growing conditions, whereas such trend was not observed under conventional conditions. All populations had a significantly lower crop ground cover and slightly lower competiveness against weeds than the variety with the best competitiveness

The Cultivation of Chelidonium majus L. Increased the Total Alkaloid Content and Cytotoxic Activity Compared with Those of Wild-Grown Plants

Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by European Regional Development Fund project “Innovative solutions for growing technologies and applications of spring medicinal and aromatic plants” (Grant No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/ 043). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The effect of cultivation practises on both the phytochemical profile and biological activity of aqueous ethanol extracts of Chelidonium majus L. was studied. Extracts were prepared from aerial parts of the same plant population collected in the wild and grown under organic farming conditions. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of alkaloids and flavonoid derivatives were performed by LC/MS methods, and the cytotoxicity of lyophilised extracts was studied in B16-F10, HepG2, and CaCo-2 cells. Coptisine was the dominant alkaloid of extracts prepared from wild-grown plants, whereas after cultivation, chelidonine was the most abundant alkaloid. The total alkaloid content was significantly increased by cultivation. Ten flavonol glycoconjugates were identified in C. majus extracts, and quantitative analysis did not reveal significant differences between extracts prepared from wild-grown and cultivated specimens. Treatment with C. majus extracts resulted in a dose-dependent increase in cytotoxicity in all three cell lines. The extracts prepared from cultivated specimens showed higher cytotoxicity than the extracts prepared from wild-grown plants. The strongest cytotoxic effect of cultivated C. majus was observed in B16-F10 cells (IC50 = 174.98 ± 1.12 µg/mL). Cultivation-induced differences in the phytochemical composition of C. majus extracts resulted in significant increases in the cytotoxic activities of the preparations.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Wild-Grown and Cultivated Glechoma hederacea L. : Chemical Composition and Potential for Cultivation in Organic Farming Conditions

Funding Information: Funding: This work was supported by the European Regional Development Fund project “Innovative solutions for growing technologies and applications of spring medicinal and aromatic plants” (Nr. 1.1.1.1/18/A/043). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Glechoma hederacea L. is a medicinal plant that is known in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer properties. This study evaluated the potential for commercial production of G. hederacea and compared the chemical composition and activity of 70% ethanol extracts and steam-distilled essential oils from wild-grown and cultivated G. hederacea collected in different harvesting periods. The main compounds identified in the 70% ethanol extracts were phenolic acids (chlorogenic and rosmarinic acids) and flavonoid O-glycosides. The essential oil varied in the three accessions in the range of 0.32-2.98 mL/kg -1 of dry weight. The extracts possessed potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in LPS-treated bone-marrow-derived macrophages. The results of flow cytometry show that extracts from different vegetation periods reduced the conversion of macrophages to the proinflammatory phenotype M1. The chemical composition varied the most with the different harvesting periods, and the most suitable periods were the flowering and vegetative phases for the polyphenolic compounds and essential oils, respectively. G. hederacea can be successfully grown under organic farming conditions, and cultivation does not significantly affect the chemical composition and biological activity compared to wild-grown plants.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Faba Bean Cultivation – Revealing Novel Managing Practices for More Sustainable and Competitive European Cropping Systems

Faba beans are highly nutritious because of their high protein content: they are a good source of mineral nutrients, vitamins, and numerous bioactive compounds. Equally important is the contribution of faba bean in maintaining the sustainability of agricultural systems, as it is highly efficient in the symbiotic fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. This article provides an overview of factors influencing faba bean yield and quality, and addresses the main biotic and abiotic constraints. It also reviews the factors relating to the availability of genetic material and the agronomic features of faba bean production that contribute to high yield and the improvement of European cropping systems. Emphasis is to the importance of using new high-yielding cultivars that are characterized by a high protein content, low antinutritional compound content, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. New cultivars should combine several of these characteristics if an increased and more stable production of faba bean in specific agroecological zones is to be achieved. Considering that climate change is also gradually affecting many European regions, it is imperative to breed elite cultivars that feature a higher abiotic–biotic stress resistance and nutritional value than currently used cultivars. Improved agronomical practices for faba bean crops, such as crop establishment and plant density, fertilization and irrigation regime, weed, pest and disease management, harvesting time, and harvesting practices are also addressed, since they play a crucial role in both the production and quality of faba bean

Brašno - Kruh '15

Proceedings contains 28 original research articles presented at 8th International Congress Flour – Bread ’15 and 10th Croatian Congress of Cereal Technologists Brašno – Kruh ’1

Tritikales selekcijas izejmateriala raksturojums un Latvijas agroekologiskajiem apstakliem piemerota skirnes modela izstrade

Available from Latvian Academic Library / LAL - Latvian Academic LibrarySIGLELVLatvi

Large-Scale In Vitro Propagation and Ex Vitro Adaptation of the Endangered Medicinal Plant <i>Eryngium maritimum</i> L.

The endangered medicinal plant Eryngium maritimum L. faces significant natural and anthropogenic threats. Therefore, in vitro propagation is recommended for both conservation and commercial purposes. The aim of the study was to develop a series of protocols for seed disinfection, in vitro multiplication and rooting, and ex vitro and field adaptation. For explant disinfection, the length and temperature of three consecutive disinfectants were investigated. Macrosalt modifications of MS medium and plant growth regulator addition to media effect on axillary bud propagation rate and rooting was studied. Survival and leaf growth during ex vitro and field adaptation in response to potting media, pot cell diameter, and light spectrum were tested. Seeds treated with diluted detergent at 40 °C for 180 min, followed by 0.01% KMnO4 for 3 h and commercial bleach for 11 min, achieved a lower rate of contamination and high germination rate. Axillary bud proliferation and rooting were enhanced by reducing nitrogen content in media and adding plant growth regulators. Potting media and pot size affect survival and growth ex vitro. Timely transplantation to field conditions before overwintering increases plantlet survival. In the present work, a suitable foundation is laid to scaleup the production of E. maritimum by micropropagation

Pirmās Latvijā izveidotās kombinēto krustojumu populācijas izvērtējums

Heterogeneous populations is one of the ways to increase genetic diversity in varieties of self-pollinating cereals. The aim of this research was to evaluate performance of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) composite cross population ‘Mirga’ in comparison to three homogenous varieties. Field trials were carried out during 2015–2018 under organic and conventional farming systems. ‘Mirga’ showed a tendency to be more productive under organic conditions and could be characterized as widely adaptable to various growing conditions. Net blotch (Pyrenophora teres) severity was significantly lover for ‘Mirga’ than that of checks under both conditions in most of the cases. Competitiveness against weeds for ‘Mirga’ and checks did not differ

ĢENĒTISKĀS DAUDZVEIDĪBAS IZMANTOŠANA STABILAS RAŽAS IEGUVEI BIOLOĢISKAJĀ LAUKSAIMNIECĪBĀ

Šajā pētījumā iegūtie ražas stabilitātes rezultāti vasaras miežu genotipu maisījumiem un kombinēto krustojumu populācijām liecina, ka ģenētiskā daudzveidība šķirnē var nodrošināt ražas stabilitāti pa gadiem un audzēšanas vidēm. Vienkāršo un salikto populāciju ražas rezultāti skaidrojami ar mazāku vecākaugu skaitu un to ražas potenciālu, jo atbilstošu vecākaugu izvēle ir viens no būtiskākajiem kritērijiem šķirņu veidošanā

EVALUATION OF THE COMPOSITION OF WINTER WHEAT GRAINS GROVN IN LATVIA AND NORWAY

Wheat is one of the major grains in the diet of the world’s population and thereforeit may have a great impact on human health. The yield and chemical compositionof grains can vary greatly due to genetic and environmental factors. The aim of thepresent study was to assess how different climatic conditions affect the chemicalcomposition of wheat grains of the same genotipe. The field trials were establishedin Stende (Latvia) and at Apelsvoll (Norway). Wheat varieties used were ‘Edvins’,‘Ellvis’ and ‘Skagen’ In the studied samples the content of protein, amino acids,1000 grain weight, hectolitre weight and falling number were determined. Theprotein content in the grains ranged from 8.9% to 11.8% in organic fields and from10.0 to 13.1% in conventional fields and differed between the varieties. The proteincontent in the samples of the same variety differed significantly due toenvironmental conditions. The difference in protein content was greater in theorganic fields. The 1000 kernel weight in the wheat grain samples varied from 39.9to 49.2 and depended on the variety and the growing place. The ratio of essentialamino acids to the total content of amino acids (in %) ranged from 30.8 to 33.3% inthe conventional growing system and from 30.5 to 32.9% in the organic growingsystem. Significant difference between the varieties was not detected