Impacts of Irrigation and N Management on Yield, Protein, and Amino Acid Composition in Grain Sorghum

HighlightsIrrigated grain sorghum yield and irrigation water use decreased under climate change.Increase in growing season temperature beyond 26°C resulted in a sharp decline in grain sorghum yield.Irrigating during early reproductive stages resulted in the most efficient use of limited water.Irrigating to replenish soil water to 80% of field capacity was found suitable for both current and future climates. Groundwater overdraft from the Ogallala Aquifer for irrigation use and anticipated climate change impacts pose major threats to the sustainability of agriculture in the Texas High Plains (THP) region. In this study, the DSSAT-CSM-CERES-Sorghum model was used to simulate climate change impacts on grain sorghum production under full and deficit irrigation strategies and suggest optimal deficit irrigation strategies. Two irrigation strategies were designed based on (1) crop growth stage and (2) soil water deficit. For the first strategy, seven deficit irrigation scenarios and one full irrigation scenario were simulated: three scenarios with a single 100 mm irrigation scheduled between panicle initiation and boot (T1), between boot and early grain filling (T2), and between early and late grain filling (T3) growth stages; three 200 mm irrigation treatments with combinations of T1 and T2 (T4), T1 and T3 (T5), and T2 and T3 (T6); one 300 mm irrigation scenario (T7) that was a combination of T1, T2, and T3; and a full irrigation scenario (T8) in which irrigation was applied throughout the growing season to maintain at least 50% of plant-available water in the top 30 cm soil profile. For the second strategy, the irrigation schedule obtained from auto-irrigation (T8) was mimicked to create a full irrigation scenario (I100) and six deficit irrigation scenarios. In the deficit irrigation scenarios, water was applied on the same dates as scenario I100; however, the irrigation amounts of scenario I100 were reduced by 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% to create deficit irrigation scenarios I90, I80, I70, I60, I50, and I40, respectively. Projected climate forcings were drawn from nine global climate models (GCMs) and two representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). Climate change analysis indicated that grain sorghum yield under full irrigation was expected to be reduced by 5% by mid-century (2036 to 2065) and by 15% by late-century (2066 to 2095) under RCP 8.5 compared to the baseline period (1976 to 2005). Simulated future irrigation water demand of grain sorghum was reduced due to the shorter growing season and improved dry matter- and yield-transpiration productivity, likely due to CO2 fertilization. Based on the simulated grain sorghum yield and irrigation water use efficiency, the most efficient use of limited irrigation was achieved by applying irrigation during the early reproductive stages of grain sorghum (panicle initiation through early grain filling). A 20% deficit irrigation scenario was found to be optimal for current and future conditions because it was more water use efficient than full irrigation with a minor yield reduction of <11%. In summary, these results indicated that strategic planning of when and how much to irrigate could help in getting the most out of limited irrigation. Keywords: CERES-Sorghum, Critical growth stages, Crop yield, Global climate model, Irrigation demand, Soil water depletion.

<abstract><title><italic>Abstract.</italic></title> With uncertainty in future irrigation water availability and regulations on nutrient application amounts, experimentally determined effects of “controllable” management strategies such as nitrogen (N), water, and their combination on crop water productivity (CWP, also known as crop water use efficiency) and actual evapotranspiration (ET_a) are essential. The effects of various N application rates (0, 84, 140, 196, and 252 kg ha^-1) under fully irrigated (FIT), limited irrigation (75% FIT), and rainfed conditions on maize (Zea mays L.) yield and various CWP indices were investigated in 2011 and 2012 growing seasons under linear-move sprinkler irrigation in south central Nebraska. CWP was presented as crop water use efficiency (CWUE), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), and evapotranspiration water use efficiency (ETWUE). The seasonal rainfall amounts in 2011 and 2012 were 371 mm and 296 mm, respectively, as compared with the long-term average of 469 mm. Two experimental seasons were contrasted with extreme warmer temperatures, greater solar radiation, and lower rainfall in 2012. Maximum grain yield of 12.68 metric tons ha^-1 and 14.42 tons ha^-1 was observed in 2011 and 2012, respectively, under the fully irrigated and 252 kg N ha^-1 treatment. Grain yield was linearly related to ET_a and curvilinearly related to N and irrigation application amounts. Lower N treatments were more susceptible to interannual effects on the grain yield response to irrigation water amount. CWUE ranged from 1.52 kg m^-3 (FIT and 84 kg N ha^-1) to 2.58 kg m^-3 (rainfed and 196 kg N ha^-1) with an average of 2.15 kg m^-3 in 2011, and from 1.49 kg m^-3 (FIT and 0 kg N ha^-1) to 2.72 kg m^-3 (rainfed and 252 kg N ha^-1) with an average of 2.33 kg m^-3 in 2012. CWUE had a positive quadratic relationship with N application amount and decreased with both the presence and amount of irrigation at a given N application amount. The maximum IWUE for 75% FIT and FIT in 2011 was 1.80 kg m^-3 (252 kg N ha^-1) and 1.51 kg m^-3 (252 kg N ha^-1), respectively, whereas in 2012 the maximum IWUE values were 1.40 kg m^-3 (196 kg N ha^-1) and 1.78 kg m^-3 (252 kg N ha^-1), respectively. A curvilinear relationship was observed between IWUE and N application amount. An optimal N application amount of 196 kg ha^-1 was identified for the pooled data to maximize the increase in grain yield above rainfed conditions per unit of applied irrigation water under limited irrigation management practices. In 2011, ETWUE ranged from 0.22 kg m^-3 (140 kg N ha^-1) to 1.46 kg m^-3 (196 kg N ha^-1) and from -0.21 kg m^-3 (84 kg N ha^-1) to 3.74 kg m^-3 (252 kg N ha^-1) for 75% FIT and FIT, respectively, whereas in 2012 ETWUE ranged from -0.07 kg m^-3 (0 kg N ha^-1) to 1.87 kg m^-3 (252 kg N ha^-1) and from -0.14 kg m^-3 (0 kg N ha^-1) to 3.65 kg m^-3 (196 kg N ha^-1) for 75% FIT and FIT, respectively. The results support that there is an optimal N level for each irrigation regime and, in general, lower N application amounts are required to reach maximum productivity (e.g., CWUE) under limited and rainfed conditions as compared with the FIT. In other words, there is an optimal N application amount to maximize the effectiveness of irrigation water on increasing grain yield above rainfed yields. The optimal N level for maximum productivity varied not only between the irrigation levels, but also exhibited interannual variability for the same irrigation level, indicating that these variables are impacted by the climatic conditions.

The limited water and land resource in Egypt is faced with thechallenge of currently feeding more than 85 million people and about100 million by the year 2025. As there are no new water resourcesexpected in the near future and that more water is diverted todomestic and industrial purposes. There is an urgent need to increasewater productivity to meet the increasing demand for food and foodsecurity. In this respect, National Agricultural Research System(NARS) in Egypt, had joined hands with the International Center forAgricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) to initiate acommunity-based participatory approach for identifying anddisseminating interventions for increasing water productivity. Basedon the socio economic and technical criteria four farms at MonofiaGovernorate (Nile Delta) were selected to research options forimproving water productivity (WP) at the farm and communityscheme levels. New interventions included:1- Planting wheat, berseem and maize crops on wide furrows (raised-seed bed).2- Irrigating wheat, berseem clover and maize under deficitirrigation. The field trials were executed in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009seasons. The most important findings could be as follows :-* Planting wheat, berseem and maize crops on raised - seed bedsaved water, increased yield and improved WP as compared tofarmer practice.* Under irrigation regime at 1.2 ETc and deficit irrigation at 0.70ETc, the reductions in water applied for wheat and berseem cropsreached 6.90 and 39.85% and 5.77 and 26.69%, respectively,comparable with the farmer practice. Similar trend was noticedwith maize crop where the reductions in water applied, due toirrigating at 1.2 and .075 ETc, ranged from 5.89 to 25.54%,compared with farmer practice. In 2007/2008 season full anddeficit irrigation(0.70 ETc) regimes slightly reduced wheat grainyield by 0.83 and 2.65%, whereas in 2008/2009 season, full anddeficit irrigation (0.70 ETc) regimes increased wheat grain yield by6.78 and 1.95%, respectively, in comparison with farmer practice.In 2008 season, maize yield was reduced by 8.01 and 12.49% dueto full and deficit (0.75 full irrigation) irrigation regimes,respectively, as compared with farmer practice. In 2009 season, thetrend was differed where full irrigation exhibited higher maizegrain yield value (7.34%) and deficit irrigation still reducing themaize grain yield by 28.85%, in comparison with farmer practice. Water productivity value for wheat under fulll irrigationregime(1.2ETc) ranged from 6.25 to 19.88% and, while underdeficit irrigation (0.70 ETc), the figures ranged from 46.05 to61.25%, comparable with farmer practice. Water productivityvalues for berseem were increased by12.40 and 25.16% higher thanthose under farmer practice, respectively, due to irrigating at 1.2and 0.70 ETc regimes. Full and deficit irrigation (0.75 fullirrigation) regimes still improving WP for maize to be 24.36 and43.13% in 2008 season and 13.79 and 21.41% in 2009 one,respectively, as compared with farmer practice.

In northern Togo where rainfed maize is one of the major crops grown, agriculture is subject to frequent yield losses due to erratic rainfall. To ensure food availability and improve agricultural productivity, it is necessary to produce maize during the dry season under irrigation. A sound application of full and deficit irrigation requires a thorough understanding of the crop parameters and yield response to water. Thus, this study investigated the effect of full and deficit irrigation on maize plant above-ground biomass, leaf area index, canopy cover, plant height, and grain yield. A field experiment was carried out from December 2017 to April 2018 in northern Togo at the agronomic research institute. Full irrigation (FI), 80% FI, and 60% FI treatments were applied. The results showed that in the late-season stage, the differences in biomass between FI and 60% FI were significant (p &lt; 0.05). On average, FI had the greatest grain yield (2 200.4 kg/ha), while the lowest grain yield was recorded under 60% FI (1,068.3 kg/ha). The grain yield differences between FI and 60% FI were significant. Nevertheless, the grain yield differences between FI and 80% FI were not significant (p &gt; 0.05). 80% FI had water use efficiency (WUE) (0.22 kg/m3) similar to that of FI (0.21 kg/m3), on average. The results of this study illustrate that deficit irrigation must be carefully managed since slight differences in the application volumes affect the biomass and yield of maize significantly. Under a moderate level of deficit irrigation (vegetative and reproductive growth stages) the biomass and the grain yield of maize are reduced. However, a moderate level of deficit irrigation during the vegetative growth stage could result in similar values of WUE to that of FI.

The nutritional value and flavor and texture characteristics of fruits from different Actinidia argute resources were scientifically evaluated and compared. Using 35 A. arguta fruits as materials, the amino acid composition and content were determined by an automatic amino acid analyzer, and differentiation analysis, amino acid nutritional value evaluation, TAV flavor analysis, correlation analysis, PCA comprehensive evaluation, and cluster analysis were conducted to clarify the diversity of A. arguta resources in terms of amino acid content, composition, and flavor characteristics. Analysis of differential results showed that the A. arguta resource fruits contained 17 amino acids with a total amino acid content of 384.20∼2590.56 mg/100 g. The results of the nutritional value evaluation showed that the Leu of the fruits of the A. arguta resources all conformed to the ideal model proposed by FAO/WHO, and the Leu content of all the resources exceeded the human body’s needs, and it was also found that the first limiting amino acid of the Actinidia argute resources was Ile and the second limiting amino acid was Lys. TAV of the flavor-presenting amino acids was calculated to evaluate the flavor-presenting taste characteristics, and the amino acids that influenced the flavor of A. arguta fruit were Glu and Cys. PCA showed that the 2 principal components could better reflect the comprehensive information of amino acids in A. arguta, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 87.88%, which could represent the main trend of amino acids in A. arguta. A comprehensive amino acid evaluation model was established, and the composite scores indicated that the top 5 excellent resources were S4, S10, S18, S25, and S30. Hierarchical cluster analysis classified the 35 A. arguta resources into 4 categories, which better reflected the differences in amino acid content and composition, nutritional value, and taste characteristics among A. arguta fruits from different collection sites.

Індекс біологічної цінності м’яса курчат-бройлерів за експериментального випоювання антибіотику Даноксан-50

Crude proteins and their amino acid composition, fats, carbohydrates, cellulose, ashes, nucleic acids and minerals were determined in two edible and commercially available brown marine algae (Phaeophyceae), Arame (Eisenia bicyclis) and Hijiki (Hijikia fusiforme). The essential amino acid ratios for five key essential amino acids as well as the amino acid score based on the first limiting amino acid, Lys-Met-Cys score, Lys-Met-Cys-Trp score and Lys-Met-Cys-Trp-Thr score were calculated. The results have shown:– rather high contents of proteins, containing all essential amino acids– high amino acid ratios which are nearly as high as the value suggested by FAO/WHO/UNU pattern or higher– the first limiting amino acid in both analysed algae is tryptophane– very low contents of fats and nucleic acids– high contents of cellulose and other carbohydrates– large quantities of minerals and very low amounts of heavy metals.

Impact of maize hybrid selection on water productivity under deficit irrigation in semiarid western Nebraska

Abstract. Farmers are encouraged to shift conventional surface irrigation to sprinkler irrigation in semi-arid regions of China to cope with the decreasing availability of water for agricultural irrigation and frequent occurrence of droughts. This study was aimed at providing an optimal management practice of irrigation and fertilization for sprinkler irrigation of maize. The experiments were conducted on a 14.8 ha field with sandy soil irrigated by a one-span (85.5 m) lateral move sprinkler system in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Three irrigation levels of 40, 70, and 100% of full irrigation (referred to as I1, I2, and I3, respectively) and four nitrogen rate of 80, 160, 240, and 320 kg ha -1 (referred to as N1, N2, N3, and N4, respectively) were tested using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Irrigation level demonstrated a substantially more important influence on plant height, leaf area index (LAI), dry matter above ground, and yield than nitrogen applied. A higher irrigation level produced a significantly greater plant height, LAI, dry matter above ground, and yield. The yield averaged over the four nitrogen rates for the full irrigation (100%) level was 19.3% and 5.3% greater than the 40% irrigation level and the 70% irrigation level, respectively. For a given irrigation level, the nitrogen rate of 160 kg ha -1 (N2) usually gave a slightly higher yield than the other three nitrogen levels. A management practice of nitrogen rate of 160 kg ha -1 and 100% full irrigation was recommended by the current study to obtain a high production at a relatively low fertilizer input.

In areas of finite groundwater resources, the groundwater used for irrigation must be used as efficiently as possible. Yields and water use characteristics of longer-maturity corn (Zea mays L.; 118-d relative maturity), shorter-maturity corn (97-d relative maturity), and grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] under full and limited irrigation were evaluated from 1993 to 1996. Mean yield of longer-maturity corn was 15 bu/acre greater than that of shorter-maturity corn and 50 bu/acre greater than that of grain sorghum. Longer-maturity corn used the greatest amount of water, 3.4 in, greater than shorter-maturity corn or grain sorghum. Average water use rates were similar among the three crops. Mean water use efficiency for longer-maturity corn was not different from that of shorter-maturity corn; mean water use efficiency of grain sorghum was 1.4 bu/acre per in, less. Mean yield of fully irrigated crops was 15 bu/acre greater than that for crops under limited irrigation (replacing 70% of crop evapotranspiration [ET]). Water use efficiency of crops under limited irrigation was 0.7 bu/acre per in, greater than under full irrigation, but full irrigation of corn was more profitable than limited irrigation. These yields, average water use rates, and water use efficiencies indicate no justification for choosing shorter- over longer-maturity corn.

Milk chocolate is particularly popular with different age groups. It is characterized by low protein content with a large amount of fats and carbohydrates determining the food imbalance of the product. In conditions of high-grade animal proteins deficiency the selection of high-quality protein-containing ingredients for food production is very relevant. The aim of this work is to study the protein adequacy of various components of milk chocolate to enhance its biological value. The amino acid scale method has been used to assess the biological value of proteins; it is based on the determination of amino acid (chemical) score. It has been found that the limiting biological value amino acid for classical white raw ingredients of milk chocolate (cocoa products and milk powder) is methionine + cysteine. For constructing chocolate formulas with increased biological value it is advisable to use protein-containing raw materials (whey protein concentrate, oat flour, etc.) to compensate for the limiting amino acids. The indicator of amino acids utilitarianity of proteins of raw milk chocolate components has been calculated. On the basis of the utilitarian index we have established the coefficient of utilitarian of the amino acid composition of the raw materials characterizing essential amino acids' balance. We have determined the biological value of protein and the amino acid composition imbalance coefficient. It has been found that the amino acid composition of milk and whey protein concentrates is most balanced compared to the amino acid composition of traditional protein-containing raw components of milk chocolate. The limiting acid of whey protein concentrate is valine, which makes its use in the manufacture of chocolate products more attractive compared to milk protein concentrate (the limiting amino acid is methionine + cysteine). In the group of vegetable non-conventional raw materials oat and buckwheat flour are characterized by the best indicators of biological value. The amino acid adequacy of oat flour is comparable to the qualitative protein indicators of cocoa products, the limiting amino acid is lysine. Buckwheat flour is characterized by the smallest imbalance in amino acid composition, which distinguishes the proteins of this raw material with the highest degree of digestibility compared with the proteins of all the studied protein-containing components of milk chocolate.

The article studies the amino acid composition of the developed biscuit semi-finished products. When developing the recipe for gluten-free products, special attention was paid to the protein composition of the raw materials and the calculation of the amino acid score, since the lack of a certain amino acid affects the ability of gluten formation during the kneading process. In addition, an unbalanced amino acid composition can cause an imbalance in the human body and negatively affect the functioning of muscles, heart, brain and other organs, leading to diseases. The objectives of the research included the following: determination of the amino acid composition of gluten-free biscuit semi-finished products; analysis of amino acid composition and calculation of the amino acid score of gluten-free biscuit products. The amino acid composition was calculated according to well-known methods, taking into account the chemical composition of food products. During the calculation, the biological value of proteins was assessed, the utility coefficient, the amino acid composition balance coefficient, and the amino acid score difference coefficient were determined. It was established that the developed gluten-free biscuit contained a significant amount of threonine, namely 11.38 g per 100 g of protein. As a result of calculations, it was determined that the first limiting amino acid was tryptophan, the second was the compound «phenylalanine + tyrosine», the shares of which in the amino acid score were 0.12 and 0.90, respectively. An assessment of the complex balance of a gluten-free biscuit semi-finished product showed an insufficient level of balance in human nutrition, but the indicators of individual amino acids compared to the control made from wheat flour were higher, for example, valine by 1.8 times, isoleucine, leucine and lysine by 1.1 times, metheonine + cysteine 2.7 times and threonine 2.8 times.

The proximate, amino acid and fatty acid compositions of the fillet and oil from Clarias gariepinus (Catfish) and Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia) were determined. The moisture content ranged from 76.27 % for catfish to 79.97 % for tilapia while the oil content ranged from 7.80 % for tilapia and 11.00 % for catfish. Ash content was in the range 8.03 – 9.16 % and the protein content was 15.83 - 18.48 %. Cooking – boiling, roasting or frying – resulted in a variation in the nutrient composition but with no significant effect on the amino acid composition except for the samples fried with palm oil which resulted in significantly reduced essential amino acids contents. All the fish samples – both fresh and processed – have amino acid scores less than 100, with lysine, threonine and the sulphur-containing amino acids being among the limiting amino acids. Both fish samples contain more unsaturated than saturated fatty acids.

Influence of tillage systems and seedbed types on sorghum yields and economics in northern Ghana

Parkia biglobosa (PB) is among the various underexploited nutritious plants. A comparative study was conducted on the effect processing PB has on the amino and fatty acid composition. Fermented (FPB), defatted (DPB), and protein isolates (PI) samples were prepared from Parkia biglobosa seeds using various processing methods, and evaluated using standard analytical protocols. The PI showed the highest significant total non-essential amino acids, essential amino acids, and conditionally essential amino acids when compared with FPB and DPB. In addition, the PI showed the highest significant (p &lt; 0.05) total neutral amino acids, basic amino acids, total aromatic amino acids, and the lowest percentage cystine ratio of total sulphur amino acids and total amino acids in comparison with FPB and DPB. The PI also showed a better-predicted protein efficient ratio, essential amino acid index, biological value, protein content, and nutritional index than FPB and DPB. Furthermore, PI amino acid composition was compared favourably with the reference scores for a whole hen’s egg, preschool child, and provisional scoring pattern. Arginine and histidine values of PI were higher than the recommended values. The FPB (42.29%) showed the highest polyunsaturated fatty acids compared with the DPB (41.94%) and PI (26.7%). The dominant saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids were stearic acid (15.1 DPB), linoleic acid (42.29 DPB), and oleic acid (14.05 PI). The DPB (1.84) showed a better polyunsaturated to saturated (P:S) ratio than FPB (1.74) and PI (0.91). The results revealed that the processing methods improved the relative amino acid composition, whereas the fatty acid composition improved in DPB. Therefore, PI could serve as an alternative in the formulation of complementary foods.