Sensory quality of turnip greens and turnip tops grown in northwestern Spain

In Galicia (northwestern Spain), Brassica rapa var. rapa L. includes turnip greens and turnip tops as vegetable products. They are characterized by a particular sulfurous aroma, pungent flavor, and a bitter taste. In this work twelve local varieties grown as turnip greens and turnip tops were evaluated to define the sensory attributes, to relate them with secondary metabolites, and to select those sensorial traits that better describe these crops. Results showed differences in the sensory profiles of B. rapa varieties. Turnip greens were significantly differed for aroma intensity, leaf color, and salty taste, while turnip tops were for color and firmness of leaves, moistness and fibrosity in mouth, sharpness, and bitter taste. Secondary metabolites as glucosinolates in turnip greens and phenolic compounds in turnip tops were highly correlated with texture and flavor. Glucosinolates especially progoitrin (in turnip greens) and gluconapin (in turnip tops) showed correlation with bitter taste and aftertaste persistence. Correlation between sensory traits showed highest values between leaf firmness and stalk firmness (0.94**), leaf firmness and fibrosity (R=0.92**), aftertaste persistence and bitterness (R=0.91**) and between bitterness and moistness (R=-0.89**).Research supported by the Xunta de Galicia (PGIDIT06RAG40302PR) and Excma. Diputación Provincial de Pontevedra.Peer reviewe

Development of Microsatellite Markers in the Razor Clam Solen Marginatus (Bivalvia: Solenidae)

[Abstract] Four microsatellite loci in the razor clam Solen marginatus are described. Loci were isolated from the sequences of intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers and an enriched library. Detailed analysis of these sequences led to the design of eight primer pairs. Allelic variation was assessed in 20 individuals from Redondela, Spain. The genetic variation observed in the markers presented here will be useful for future studies on the population structure of Solen marginatus in the wild and for aquaculture of this species.Xunta de Galicia; PGIDT03MA10301PR

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in the razor clam "Ensis siliqua"

[Abstract] Five polymorphic microsatellite loci in the razor clam Ensis siliqua are described. A collection consisting of 34 individuals from Finisterre, Spain, was analysed. Loci were isolated from the sequences of intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Detailed analysis of 42 ISSR markers led to the design of 16 primer pairs. Five of these yielded consistent and polymorphic products. The number of alleles ranged from five to 23 per locus with the observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.46 to 0.94. Linkage equilibrium was observed in all loci and three of them showed significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium

Efecto de la variabilidad de las propiedades físico-químicas del suelo en el rendimiento de la halófita costera Crithmum maritimum L.

Póster presentado en el XV Congreso Nacional de la AEET. "El valor de la naturaleza par una sociedad global"18-21 de octubre, Plasencia, CáceresEl hinojo marino (Crithmum maritimum L.) es una planta halófita perenne perteneciente a la familia Apiaceae, típica de ecosistemas costeros de Europa Occidental. Dada su elevada calidad nutricional para consumo humano, en los últimos años diferentes estudios han resaltado su potencial como cultivo comercial para la agricultura salina, una alternativa sostenible y prometedora ante la creciente salinización de las tierras agrícolas. Sin embargo, existe una falta de información referente a los rangos de tolerancia de la especie frente a los principales factores ambientales ligados a su cultivo, a lo que se suman diversas dificultades prácticas ligadas al cultivo de una especie no domesticada. Además, varios estudios han puesto de manifiesto un alto grado de variabilidad en los rangos de tolerancia a la sal, así como en el perfil nutricional en función de la procedencia geográfica del material. En este estudio se analizó el rendimiento de la especie (en términos de crecimiento, productividad, éxito reproductivo y calidad nutricional) en relación a las propiedades físico-químicas del suelo (pH, conductividad eléctrica, textura, contenido en materia orgánica y macro- y micronutrientes) en siete poblaciones naturales, representativas de los diferentes tipos de hábitat de la especie, localizadas en el sur de la Península Ibérica. Los resultados de este estudio permiten avanzar en el conocimiento ecológico y los mecanismos de tolerancia de las halófitas frente a diferentes factores abióticos, como la salinidad y la riqueza nutricional del suelo, aportando asimismo información relevante de cara a la valorización de la especie para su explotación en agricultura salinaN

Impacts of urbanization on insect herbivory and plant defences in oak trees

Systematic comparisons of species interactions in urban versus rural environments can improve our understanding of shifts in ecological processes due to urbanization. However, such studies are relatively uncommon and the mechanisms driving urbanization effects on species interactions (e.g. between plants and insect herbivores) remain elusive. Here we investigated the effects of urbanization on leaf herbivory by insect chewers and miners associated with the English oak Quercus robur by sampling trees in rural and urban areas throughout most of the latitudinal distribution of this species. In performing these comparisons, we also controlled for the size of the urban areas (18 cities) and gathered data on CO emissions. In addition, we assessed whether urbanization affected leaf chemical defences (phenolic compounds) and nutritional traits (phosphorus and nitrogen), and whether such changes correlated with herbivory levels. Urbanization significantly reduced leaf chewer damage but did not affect leaf miners. In addition, we found that leaves from urban locations had lower levels of chemical defences (condensed and hydrolysable tannins) and higher levels of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) compared to leaves in rural locations. The magnitude of urbanization effects on herbivory and leaf defences was not contingent upon city size. Importantly, while the effects of urbanization on chemical defences were associated with CO emissions, changes in leaf chewer damage were not associated with either leaf traits or CO levels. These results suggest that effects of urbanization on herbivory occur through mechanisms other than changes in the plant traits measured here. Overall, our simultaneous assessment of insect herbivory, plant traits and abiotic correlates advances our understanding of the main drivers of urbanization effects on plant–herbivore interactions.This research was financially supported by a Spanish National Research Grant (AGL2015-70748-R), a Regional Government of Galicia Grant (IN607D 2016/001) and the Ramón y Cajal Research Programme (RYC-2013-13230).Peer reviewe

Compuestos bioactivos y producción de grelos y nabizas: variación fenotípica y ambiental

198 p.[EN] In Galicia (northwestern Spain), Brassica rapa subs. rapa L. includes turnip greens and turnip tops as main crops and are widely distributed and consumed in this region. Turnip greens are the leaves harvested in the vegetative period, while turnip tops are the fructiferous stems with the flower buds and the surrounding leaves. According to the particularities of Galician agriculture (small familiar farms and tradicional cultural practices), farmers obtain their own seeds for sowing. This process has led to a great number of landraces adapted to different conditions and uses all along Galician geography. This diversity makes them a promising source to find desirable properties, either from the standpoint of quality, production or resistance to stresses. In the present thesis the study of several agronomic, nutritional and sensory traits in 12 local varieties of B. rapa grown in different environments has been carried out. Overall, results showed that there is a great variability in the local B. rapa varieties, therefore, it was possible to select the most suitable varieties for turnip greens or turnip tops production and the varieties with enhanced and stable levels of health-beneficial compounds. The study of genotype × environment interaction allowed to determine the most stable varieties and also the suitable environments for fresh crop production. Besides, this work assessed the nutritional quality of turnip greens and turnip tops with the identification and quantification of health-beneficial compounds. On some of these compounds a detailed study to determine the effect of genotype, environment and procesing methods on the final concentrations of these metabolites was carried out. Furthermore, were defined the sensory attributes of turnip greens and turnip tops as well as their relationship with secondary metabolites. In conclusion, the data reported in this work may be usefull to deeper understanding about these crops, either for nutritional or sensory quality and its relationship with the culture environment or for selecting varieties for future breeding programs based on producers and consumers preferences.[ES] En Galicia, los cultivos de la especie Brassica rapa subs. rapa L conocidos como nabizas y grelos tienen una larga tradición y amplia distribución. Las nabizas son las hojas vegetativas y los grelos son los brotes florales junto con las hojas que los rodean. El cultivo de estas hortalizas se realiza en pequeños minifundios y los agricultores cosechan su propia semilla año tras año. Estos hechos favorecieron la generación de numerosas variedades adaptadas a las condiciones ecológicas de cada zona así como a las preferencias de los consumidores locales lo que implica una amplia diversidad de los cultivos en toda la geografía gallega. Esta diversidad hace que sean una fuente prometedora para buscar características deseables, ya sea desde el punto de vista de la calidad, producción o resistencia a estreses. En la presente tesis se ha llevado a cabo el estudio de diferentes caracteres agronómicos, nutritivos y sensoriales en 12 variedades locales de B. rapa cultivadas en diferentes ambientes. En conjunto, los resultados obtenidos demuestran que existe una gran variabilidad entre variedades locales de B. rapa, por lo que fue posible seleccionar aquellas más productivas en función de su uso (nabiza o grelo), o de sus cualidades nutritivas. Gracias al estudio de la interacción de los distintos genotipos con el ambiente fue posible determinar las variedades más estables así como los ambientes más idóneos para su producción. Además, se completó el estudio nutricional de nabizas y grelos con la identificación y cuantificación de compuestos beneficiosos para la salud humana. Sobre algunos de estos compuestos se realizó un estudio más detallado para determinar el efecto del genotipo, el ambiente y el procesado en su contenido final. Así mismo se definieron las cualidades organolépticas de nabizas y grelos y su relación con la presencia de determinados metabolitos secundarios. Como conclusión, los datos aportados en este trabajo pueden ser de utilidad, por un lado para profundizar en el conocimiento acerca de estos cultivos, ya sea de su calidad nutritiva u organoléptica como de su relación con el medio ambiente de cultivo, como a la hora de seleccionar variedades para futuros programas de mejora en base a preferencias tanto del agricultor como del consumidor.Agradecimientos al Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, por la concesión de la beca predoctoral I3P (BPD-2006) y al proyecto ‘Potencial fitogenético de grelos y nabizas (Brassica rapa): valor agronómico y nutritivo (PGIDIT06RAG40302PR), financiado por la Xunta de Galicia por aportar medios económicos con los que realizar este trabajo.Peer Reviewe

Natural genetic variation in growth and metabolite regulatory roles of Allyl glucosinolate in Arabidopsis thaliana

Comunicación presentada en Proceedings of the 3rd International Glucosinolate Conference 2014 “Glucosinolates and Beyond”. Celebrada en Wageningen (The Netherland) del 12 al 15 de Octubre de 2014.Peer reviewe

Cyclin-dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 is a Crucial Molecular Target for the Potential Antitumor Efficacy of Erucin from Rocket Salad Species against Prostate Cancer

Trabajo presentado en Messina (Italia) en Junio del 2010.-- et al.Peer reviewe

Natural genetic variation in Arabidopsis thaliana defense metabolism genes modulates field fitness

Natural populations persist in complex environments, where biotic stressors, such as pathogen and insect communities, fluctuate temporally and spatially. These shifting biotic pressures generate heterogeneous selective forces that can maintain standing natural variation within a species. To directly test if genes containing causal variation for the Arabidopsis thaliana defensive compounds, glucosinolates (GSL) control field fitness and are therefore subject to natural selection, we conducted a multi-year field trial using lines that vary in only specific causal genes. Interestingly, we found that variation in these naturally polymorphic GSL genes affected fitness in each of our environments but the pattern fluctuated such that highly fit genotypes in one trial displayed lower fitness in another and that no GSL genotype or genotypes consistently out-performed the others. This was true both across locations and within the same location across years. These results indicate that environmental heterogeneity may contribute to the maintenance of GSL variation observed within Arabidopsis thaliana.National Science Foundation (NSF): DGE 0653984, DBI 0820580, MCB 1330337; Danish National Research Foundation: DNRF99Peer reviewe

Promising selectivity of dietary isothiocyanates from cruciferous vegetables for human cancer cells

Trabajo presentado al FITOMED celebrado en Messina (Italia) en Junio del 2010.- Melchini, Antonietta et al.Peer reviewe