Agronomic Factors Research Articles

Evaluating opportunities for an increased role of winter crops as adaptation to climate change in dryland cropping systems of the U.S. Inland Pacific Northwest

The long-term sustainability of wheat-based dryland cropping systems in the Inland Pacific Northwest (IPNW) of the United States depends on how these systems adapt to climate change. Climate models project warming with slight increases in winter precipitation but drier summers for the IPNW. These conditions combined with elevated atmospheric CO2, which promote crop growth and improve transpiration-use efficiency, may be beneficial for cropping systems in the IPNW and may provide regional opportunities for agricultural diversification and intensification. Crop modeling simulation under future climatic conditions showed increased wheat productivity for the IPNW for most of the century. Water use by winter wheat was projected to decrease significantly in higher and intermediate precipitation zones and increase slightly in drier locations, but with winter crops utilizing significantly more water overall than spring crops. Crop diversification with inclusion of winter crops other than wheat is a possibility depending on agronomic and economic considerations, while substitution of winter for spring crops appeared feasible only in high precipitation areas. Increased weed pressure, higher pest populations, expanded ranges of biotic stressors, and agronomic, plant breeding, economic, technology, and other factors will influence what production systems eventually prevail under future climatic conditions in the region.

Predicting deoxynivalenol in oats under conditions representing Scandinavian production regions

ABSTRACTDeoxynivalenol (DON) in cereals, produced by Fusarium fungi, cause poisoning in humans and animals. Fusarium infections in cereals are favoured by humid conditions. Host species are susceptible mainly during the anthesis stage. Infections are also positively correlated with a regional history of Fusarium infections, frequent cereal production and non-tillage field management practices. Here, previously developed process-based models based on relative air humidity, rain and temperature conditions, Fusarium sporulation, host phenology and mycelium growth in host tissue were adapted and tested on oats. Model outputs were used to calculate risk indices. Statistical multivariate models, where independent variables were constructed from weather data, were also developed. Regressions of the risk indices obtained against DON concentrations in field experiments on oats in Sweden and Norway 2012–14 had coefficient of determination values (R2) between 0.84 and 0.88. Regressions of the same indices against DON concentrations in oat samples averaged for 11 × 11 km grids in farmers’ fields in Sweden 2012–14 resulted in R2 values between 0.27 and 0.41 for randomly selected grids and between 0.31 and 0.62 for grids with average DON concentration above 1000 μg kg–1 grain in the previous year. When data from all three years were evaluated together, a cross-validated statistical partial least squares model resulted in R2 = 0.70 and a standard error of cross-validation (SECV) = 522 μg kg–1 grain for the period 1 April–28 August in the construction of independent variables and R2 = 0.54 and SECV = 647 μg kg–1 grain for 1 April–23 June. Factors that were not accounted for in this study probably explain large parts of the variation in DON among samples and make further model development necessary before these models can be used practically. DON prediction in oats could potentially be improved by combining weather-based risk index outputs with agronomic factors.

Agronomic factors involved in low-level wild poinsettia resistance to glyphosate

The awareness of agronomic practices that affect the resistance selection of weeds to a particular herbicide is of utmost importance in order to advocate management practices that aim to avoid or prolong the resistance. The objectives of this study were to identify and map the occurrence of the wild poinsettia’s low-level resistance to glyphosate in Rio Grande do Sul State (RS), Brazil, and to define the main agronomic factors associated with the selection of these biotypes. Seed and / or soil samples in areas with suspected resistance were collected in Roundup Ready® (RR) soybean crops in different counties in the RS region during the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons. A questionnaire on the operations history in the area was applied at each site in order to establish relationships between the distribution of wild poinsettia with cases of suspected resistance to glyphosate and the likely agronomic factors involved in this occurrence. The study included the response of wild poinsettia biotypes with suspected resistance to glyphosate and an analysis of the questionnaires carried out with producers. The main agronomic practices used by producers that favor the emergence of resistant biotypes were the continued cultivation of the RR® soybean; an overdependence on the use of glyphosate; a low rate of crop rotation and efficient chemical alternatives for wild poinsettia control and management.

State of the Art on Functional Virgin Olive Oils Enriched with Bioactive Compounds and Their Properties

Virgin olive oil, the main fat of the Mediterranean diet, is per se considered as a functional food—as stated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)—due to its content in healthy compounds. The daily intake of endogenous bioactive phenolics from virgin olive oil is variable due to the influence of multiple agronomic and technological factors. Thus, a good strategy to ensure an optimal intake of polyphenols through habitual diet would be to produce enriched virgin olive oil with well-known bioactive polyphenols. Different sources of natural biological active substances can be potentially used to enrich virgin olive oil (e.g., raw materials derived from the same olive tree, mainly olive leaves and pomaces, and/or other compounds from plants and vegetables, mainly herbs and spices). The development of these functional olive oils may help in prevention of chronic diseases (such as cardiovascular diseases, immune frailty, ageing disorders and degenerative diseases) and improving the quality of life for many consumers reducing health care costs. In the present review, the most relevant scientific information related to the development of enriched virgin olive oil and their positive human health effects has been collected and discussed.

Fusarium head blight incidence and detection of Fusarium toxins in wheat in relation to agronomic factors

We investigated incidences of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and concentrations of six mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin and zearalenone) in wheat from 2010 to 2013. Field trials were conducted at the Experimental Station of Cultivar Testing in Chrząstowo, Poland (53o11’N, 17o35’E). We examined the effects of four agronomic factors, including pre-crop type (corn, sugar beets and wheat), date of sowing (late autumn: November 8–December 9 or spring: March 29–April 19), fungicidal application (untreated or treated with two applications) and cultivar (Monsun, Cytra), on FHB index (FHBi) and mycotoxin levels in order to minimize the risk of wheat grain contamination by mycotoxins via integrated pest management methods. The dominant Fusarium species observed on wheat heads were F. culmorum, F. avenaceum (Gibberella avenacea) and F. graminearum (Gibberella zeae), at 21.1%, 17.2% and 7.1%, respectively. A monthly rainfall sum of 113.9 mm and a relatively low air temperature (monthly average 15.5 °C) resulted in the highest FHBi in untreated wheat (25.1%). Agronomic factors crucial for the FHB incidence were the pre-crop, fungicidal treatments and cultivar selection. In wheat planted after wheat or corn, the FHBi was higher compared with a pre-crop of sugar beet. A double application of fungicides at BBCH 30–32 with prothioconazole and spiroxamine and at a BBCH 65 with fluoxastrobin and prothioconazole effectively reduced the FHBi and mycotoxin concentrations, respectively, in grain. The cultivar ‘Cytra’ had a greater FHBi (10.4%) than ‘Monsun’ (4.6%), and grain infestations by Fusarium species were also greater in ‘Cytra’, at 16.5%, than in ‘Monsun’, at 11.2%. Untreated cv. Cytra grown after corn in spring produced grains with the highest amounts of the mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, zearalenone and HT-2 (605, 103, 17.5 and 5.53 μg/kg, respectively). Total mycotoxin levels in wheat were correlated with five determinants: duration of the period between the end of flowering and the beginning of kernel abscission, FHBi, F. culmorum isolation, G. zeae isolation and Fusarium ratio (FR) as a % of total mould isolations. Although, the mean concentration of mycotoxins in grain did not exceed the maximum permissible values for unprocessed wheat our study suggests necessity to monitor and mitigate FHB risk for susceptible cultivars, when wheat spring sowing follows corn or wheat.

Antiproliferative activity of Ontario grown onions against colorectal adenocarcinoma cells

Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in Canada and other industrialized nations; the development of new/improved cancer therapies is desperately needed and continues to be a major focus of cancer research. Flavonoids, which are found in high levels in onions, have been shown to exert antiproliferative and potentially anti-cancer activities. To test their therapeutic potential, we assessed the antiproliferative, cytotoxic, apoptosis-inducing, and anti-migratory activities of five onion varieties grown in Ontario against human adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells. The properties of onion extracts were compared to pure extracts of flavonoids known to exhibit antiproliferative effects (quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol). We compared more than one variety of onion, as agronomic and genetic factors influence the composition, as well as the quality of phytochemicals (e.g. flavonoids) in plant cultivars. We found that all onion varieties exhibited antiproliferative activity similar to purified flavonoids. The cytotoxic effects of the Stanley and Fortress onion varieties were strongest among the selected cultivars, as determined via lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, while Safrane extracts showed the weakest activity. The Stanley and Lasalle cultivar extracts also had strong anti-migratory effects. Altogether these onion extracts may contain one or more compounds that may be effective anti-cancer therapies, while the Stanley extract showed the most comprehensive biological activities against Caco-2 cells.

Integrating agronomic factors into energy efficiency assessment of agro-bioenergy production – A case study of ethanol and biogas production from maize feedstock

Previous life cycle assessments for agro-bioenergy production rarely considered some agronomic factors with local and regional impacts. While many studies have found the environmental and socio-economic impacts of producing bioenergy on arable land not good enough to be considered sustainable, others consider it still as one of the most effective direct emission reduction and fossil fuel replacement measures. This study improved LCA methods in order to examine the individual and combined effects of often overlooked agronomic factors (e.g. alternative farm power, seed sowing, fertilizer, tillage and irrigation options) on life-cycle energy indicators (net energy gain-NEG, energy return on energy invested-EROEI), across the three major agro-climatic zones namely tropic, sub-tropic and the temperate landscapes. From this study, we found that individual as well as combined effects of agronomic factors may improve the energy productivity of arable bioenergy sources considerably in terms of the NEG (from between 6.8 and 32.9GJ/ha to between 99.5 and 246.7GJ/ha for maize ethanol; from between 39.0 and 118.4GJ/ha to between 127.9 and 257.9GJ/ha for maize biogas) and EROEI (from between 1.2 and 1.8 to between 2.1 and 3.0 for maize ethanol, from between 4.3 and 12.1 to between 15.0 and 33.9 for maize biogas). The agronomic factors considered by this study accounted for an extra 7.5–14.6 times more of NEG from maize ethanol, an extra 2.2–3.3 times more of NEG from maize biogas, an extra 1.7 to 1.8 times more of EROEI from maize ethanol, and an extra 2.8–3.5 times more of EROEI from maize biogas respectively. This therefore underscores the need to factor in local and regional agronomic factors into energy efficiency and sustainability assessments, as well as decision making processes regarding the application of energy from products of agro-bioenergy production.

Predicting Eggplant Individual Fruit Weight Using an Artificial Neural Network

ABSTRACTEstimation of relationships between inconstant factors can be helpful to calculate amounts of variation of a particular character with respect to others. In Eggplant (Solanum melongena L) this information could be used to improve fruit yield. Effects of agronomic and phenologic factors were studied by applying an artificial neural network (ANN) as a displaying instrument to determine how plant length; individual fruit weight, length, and width; number of fruit per plant; ratio of fruit length to fruit width; total yield; number of days to flowering; number of days to first harvest; canopy temperature; chlorophyll; and relative water content affected individual fruit weight of eggplant. There was a high accuracy obtained for the 7-4-1 ANN model based on these parameters (R2 = 93%; mean prediction error [MPE] = 2.01; mean square deviation [MSD] = 2.35). A sensitivity analysis was performed and the ratio of fruit length to fruit width, number of days to first harvest, and number of days to flowering had the greatest impact on individual fruit weight. The highest standard deviation was for total yield and individual fruit weight, respectively (308.8 and 67.5), and correlation coefficients were high between fruit weight and number of days to flowering (0.99**) and individual fruit weight and total yield (0.88**). Sensitivity analysis indicated that the ratio of fruit length to fruit width and fruit length have high and lesser effects on final individual fruit weight. Total yield is the main factor for producing change in individual fruit weight.

Variable Returns to Fertiliser Use and the Geography of Poverty: Experimental and Simulation Evidence from Malawi

We use large-scale, panel experimental data from maize field trials throughout Malawi to estimate the expected biophysical returns to fertiliser use conditional on a range of agronomic factors and weather conditions. Using these estimated returns and historical price and weather data, we simulate the expected profitability of fertiliser application over space and time. We find that the fertiliser bundles distributed under Malawi's subsidy programme are almost always profitable for improved hybrid seeds at retail and farmer-reported maize and fertiliser prices. Our results on the profitability of fertiliser under Malawi's subsidy programme are robust to a tripling of fertiliser prices, to a 50% decrease in the maize price and to drought conditions. We also correlate the estimated expected returns to fertiliser use with geographically disaggregated estimates of headcount poverty rates. We find a very weak positive correlation between poverty and the expected returns to fertiliser, which calls into question whether fertiliser subsidies are spatially distributionally progressive in helping to reduce poverty among Malawian farmers.

Effect of agronomic programmes with different susceptibility to deoxynivalenol risk on emerging contamination in winter wheat

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most prevalent mycotoxin in small cereal crops throughout the world, and its occurrence is closely linked to the presence of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) disease. In order to minimize the sanitary risk, wheat cropping systems are commonly designed to control DON contamination, as this represents the main target contaminant. However, several other mycotoxins and secondary metabolites produced by Fusarium and other fungal species have been detected in wheat. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the application of agronomic programmes with different susceptibility to DON contamination could also affect the occurrence of emerging mycotoxins in wheat kernels. Field experiments have been conducted in North Italy, under naturally-infected conditions, over a period of 3 growing seasons, by comparing 4 field programmes, which were constituted by the combination of wheat cultivars (a durum wheat variety that is susceptible to DON contamination and a common moderately resistant one) and 2 fungicide applications at heading (untreated control compared to an azole application at heading). Grain samples have been analyzed by means of a dilute-and-shoot multi-mycotoxin LC–MS/MS method, and 43 fungal metabolites were detected. In addition to DON, the most abundant compounds were aurofusarin, culmorin and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside, which were detected in all the growing seasons and agronomic strategies. Other trichothecenes and zearalenone derivatives were also found, but in clearly lower concentrations. Contamination by enniatins and moniliformin, produced by other Fusarium species e.g. Fusarium avenaceum, alternariol, alternariol methyl ether and tentoxin, produced by Alternaria species, has been observed for all the compared growing seasons. The presence of other mycotoxins and secondary metabolites was clearly affected by the climatic conditions: fumonisins, beauvaricin, bikaverin, fusaric acid and butenolid were detected in the warmer growing seasons, while chrysogine, infectopyrone, secalonic acid and ergot alkaloids (sum of 13 toxins) were only found in the more rainy and cool seasons. Equisetin, decalonectrin, toxin T-2 and HT-2 were only found in traces. The application of the field programmes clearly affected DON contamination in each growing season: a significant increase in this toxin has been observed moving from the lowest risk agronomic strategy to the highest one. The application of the most favourable DON control field programme (a moderately resistant variety combined with fungicide application at heading) reduced the content of this mycotoxin by 89%, compared to the worst programme (untreated susceptible variety). The application of the less risky agronomic strategy for DON contamination led to a significant reduction (>84%) of all the other mycotoxins produced by the DON producing fungal species. Moreover, although the considered agronomic factors (variety susceptibility and fungicide application) resulted in a control efficacy that varied in function of the environmental conditions and the type of mycotoxin, the results show a clear reduction trend, after the application of agronomic strategies that are able to minimize the DON content, for almost all the other Fusarium, Alternaria, Claviceps and Penicillium metabolites. The results summarized in this work, which have been obtained under different environmental and agronomical conditions, allow a first assessment to be made of the agronomic strategies that could be applied to control emerging mycotoxins in wheat.

农艺与气候因素对青藏高原栽培大麦淀粉含量空间分布的影响

农艺与气候因素对青藏高原栽培大麦淀粉含量空间分布的影响

Phytochemical properties of Iranian organic saffron stigma: antioxidant, anticancer and apoptotic approaches

Agronomic and environmental factors affect quality and quantity of constituents in Saffron. In this study, we compared chemical and antioxidant compounds of organic (OS) and inorganic (IOS) stigma of saffron and evaluated their anti-proliferative and apoptosis effects on cancer cells. Total antioxidant capacity of both saffron were characterized by FRAP, DPPH and Folin-Ciocalteu. HPLC and MTT methods were used to assay the amount of their secondary metabolites and anticancer effects, respectively. The expression of two apoptosis-related genes in treated cells evaluated by quantitative Real Time-PCR analysis. Our data indicated that OS has more secondary metabolites, antioxidant and cytotoxic properties compared to IOS. OS significantly inhibited cell viability in a dose- and time- dependent manner. Herb-induced apoptosis associated with increased expression of Bax and decreased Bcl2 gene leading eventually to a time-dependent increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Therefore, we can suggest organic saffron has promising and selective inhibitory effects on cancer cell proliferation.

Phytochemical properties of Iranian organic saffron stigma: antioxidant, anticancer and apoptotic approaches.

Agronomic and environmental factors affect quality and quantity of constituents in Saffron. In this study, we compared chemical and antioxidant compounds of organic (OS) and inorganic (IOS) stigma of saffron and evaluated their anti-proliferative and apoptosis effects on cancer cells. Total antioxidant capacity of both saffron were characterized by FRAP, DPPH and Folin-Ciocalteu. HPLC and MTT methods were used to assay the amount of their secondary metabolites and anticancer effects, respectively. The expression of two apoptosis-related genes in treated cells evaluated by quantitative Real Time-PCR analysis. Our data indicated that OS has more secondary metabolites, antioxidant and cytotoxic properties compared to IOS. OS significantly inhibited cell viability in a dose- and time- dependent manner. Herb-induced apoptosis associated with increased expression of Bax and decreased Bcl2 gene leading eventually to a time-dependent increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Therefore, we can suggest organic saffron has promising and selective inhibitory effects on cancer cell proliferation.

Ecological risk assessment for aquatic invertebrate communities exposed to imidacloprid as a result of labeled agricultural and nonagricultural uses in the United States

A probabilistic ecological risk assessment (ERA) was conducted to determine the potential effects of acute and chronic exposure of aquatic invertebrate communities to imidacloprid arising from labeled agricultural and nonagricultural uses in the United States. Aquatic exposure estimates were derived using a higher-tier refined modeling approach that accounts for realistic variability in environmental and agronomic factors. Toxicity was assessed using refined acute and chronic community-level effect metrics for aquatic invertebrates (i.e., species or taxon sensitivity distributions) developed using the best available data. Acute and chronic probabilistic risk estimates were derived by integrating the exposure distributions for different use patterns with the applicable species or taxon sensitivity distributions to generate risk curves, which plot cumulative probability of exceedance versus the magnitude of effect. Overall, the results of this assessment indicated that the aquatic invertebrate community is unlikely to be adversely affected by acute or chronic exposure to imidacloprid resulting from currently registered uses of imidacloprid in the United States. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1375-1388. © 2016 SETAC.

Irrigation water productivity is more influenced by agronomic practice factors than by climatic factors in Hexi Corridor, Northwest China.

Quantifying the influence of driving factors on irrigation water productivity (IWP) is vital for efficient agricultural water use. This study analyzed contributions of agronomic practice and climatic factors to the changes of IWP, based on the data from 1981 to 2012 in Hexi Corridor, Northwest China. Cobb-Douglas production functions were developed by the partial least squares method and contribution rates of the driving factors were calculated. Results showed that IWP and its driving factors increased during the study period, with different changing patterns. IWP was significantly correlated with the agronomic practice factors, daily mean temperature and solar radiation of the crop growing period. The agronomic practice factors including irrigation, fertilization, agricultural film, and agricultural pesticide contributed 20.6%, 32.8%, 42.3% and 11.1% respectively to the increase of IWP; and the contribution rates of the climatic factors, i.e. daily mean temperature and solar radiation, are −0.9% and 0.9%. And the contributions of these factors changed in different sub-periods. It is concluded that agronomic practice factors influenced IWP much more than climatic factors. The improvement of IWP should rely on advanced water-saving technology and application of optimum (need-based) fertilizer, agricultural film and pesticide, ensuring efficient use of agronomic inputs in the study area.

Phenolic-enriched foods: sources and processing for enhanced health benefits.

Polyphenols are ubiquitous secondary products present in many plant foods. Their intake has been associated with health benefits ranging from reduced incidence of CVD, diabetes and cancers to improved neurodegenerative outcomes. Major dietary sources include beverages such as coffee, teas and foods such as chocolate. Fruits are also major sources and berries in particular are a palatable source of a diverse range of polyphenol components. There are a number of ways that polyphenol uptake could be increased and healthier polyphenol-rich foods could be produced with specific compositions to target-specific health effects. Firstly, we could exploit the genetic diversity of plants (with a focus on berries) to select varieties that have enhanced levels of specific polyphenols implicated in disease mitigation (e.g. anthocyanins, tannins or flavonols). Working with variation induced by environmental and agronomic factors, modern molecular breeding techniques could exploit natural variation and beneficially alter polyphenol content and composition, although this could be relatively long term. Alternatively, we could employ a synthetic biology approach and design new plants that overexpress certain genes or re-deploy more metabolic effort into specific polyphenols. However, such 'polyphenol-plus' fruit could prove unpalatable as polyphenols contribute to sensorial properties (e.g. astringency of tannins). However, if the aim was to produce a polyphenol as a pharmaceutical then 'lifting' biosynthetic pathways from plants and expressing them in microbial vectors may be a feasible option. Secondly, we could design processing methods to enhance the polyphenolic composition or content of foods. Fermentation of teas, cocoa beans and grapes, or roasting of cocoa and coffee beans has long been used and can massively influence polyphenol composition and potential bioactivity. Simple methods such as milling, heat treatment, pasteurisation or juicing (v. pureeing) can have notable effects on polyphenol profiles and novel extraction methods bring new opportunities. Encapsulation methods can protect specific polyphenols during digestion and increase their delivery in the gastrointestinal tract to target-specific health effects. Lastly we could examine reformulation of products to alter polyphenol content or composition. Enhancing staple apple or citrus juices with berry juices could double polyphenol levels and provide specific polyphenol components. Reformulation of foods with polyphenol-rich factions recovered from 'wastes' could increase polyphenol intake, alter product acceptability, improve shelf life and prevent food spoilage. Finally, co-formulation of foods can influence bioavailability and potential bioactivity of certain polyphenols. Within the constraints that certain polyphenols can interfere with drug effectiveness through altered metabolism, this provides another avenue to enhance polyphenol intake and potential effectiveness. In conclusion, these approaches could be developed separately or in combination to produce foods with enhanced levels of phenolic components that are effective against specific disease conditions.

Nutritional and phytochemical value of Brassica crops from the agri‐food perspective

AbstractBrassica foods are among the top 10 economic crops in the world (i.e. broccoli, kale, cauliflower and Chinese cabbage). These vegetables have been identified as important components of a healthy diet because of their high levels of nutrients and health‐promoting phytochemicals (i.e. phenolics, glucosinolates, vitamins and minerals). Epidemiological studies have shown that increased consumption of Brassica foods is strongly associated with a reduced risk of degenerative diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease and immune dysfunction. Nevertheless, the nutritional content and profile in Brassica vegetables have been reported to vary considerably during the growth period due to agronomical factors including light, temperature, water availability and soil fertility among others. Moreover, the conditions of postharvest processing and cooking are also important factors on food quality. A better understanding of specific preharvest and postharvest conditions is essential to improve cultivars with value‐added nutritional quality. Thus, in this article are going to be addressed the effects of the most common crop management strategies and processes on the variation of nutritive compounds present within Brassica from the agri‐food perspective.

Factors Affecting the Development and Severity of Goss's Bacterial Wilt and Leaf Blight of Corn, Caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis.

Goss's bacterial wilt and leaf blight, which is caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis, is a disease of corn (Zea mays) that has been increasingly reported across the Midwest since its reemergence in western Nebraska, northeastern Colorado, and southeastern Wyoming during the 2006 growing season. The objective of this study was to identify environmental and agronomic factors contributing to the incidence of the disease across the Corn Belt through a multistate survey conducted during the 2011 growing season. Of the 2,400 surveys distributed throughout nine states, 486 were returned with corn leaf samples, of which 70% tested positive for C. michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The agronomic data associated with each field were analyzed using classification and regression tree and random forest analyses to identify the factors that contributed most to Goss's bacterial wilt and leaf blight development. A χ2 test of independence was also done to determine relationships between certain variables and disease incidence. The two best predictors of Goss's bacterial wilt and leaf blight were hybrid resistance to Goss's bacterial wilt and leaf blight, as indicated by the seed companies' score and a planting population density >67,500 plants ha-1. Other important predictors included longitude, planting date, crop rotation, percent residue, yield history, tillage, and growth stage. Relationships between glyphosate applications, foliar fungicide applications, and corn rootworm beetle with samples testing positive for C. michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis were also detected. These data contribute to our understanding of factors that increase the risk of Goss's bacterial wilt and leaf blight, and should enable more effective management practices to be adopted or developed.

Multi-Criteria Analysis of Suitability for Energy Crops under Structural and Environmental Constraints: A Case Study in a Northeastern Italian Region

Abstract. This article assesses the potential of introducing energy crops for the biofuel chain in rural areas based on a land suitability analysis. The most suitable areas for cultivation of energy crops were evaluated using a geographic information system (GIS) based on a cartographic database merged with pedoclimatic and structural factors. The land evaluation model was integrated into a multi-criteria framework for classifying the land on the basis of pedoclimatic and structural opportunities and constraints in a multidisciplinary approach. The model was applied to a case study in the province of Ferrara, northeastern Italy, considering three crops (sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean) for the production of biofuels as an alternative to traditional crops. The results indicated that, while the structural factors (farm size, mechanization level, and road network) presented intermediate and severe limitations in most of the territory, the agronomic and pedoclimatic factors showed no limiting values for the crops. The matching of pedoclimatic and structural factors determined that the most suitable crop was sunflower, with more than half of the area (55.3%) very suitable, while soybean was the crop most penalized by pedoclimatic factors.

The influence of selected agronomic factors on the chemical composition of spelt wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta L.) grain

The increase of spelt crop area is a result of overproduction of the basic cereals and the introduction of environmentally-friendly cultivation methods. Due to high interest in healthy lifestyle, healthy food and intensive development of organic agriculture, it was necessary to thoroughly examine the newly-formed cereal strains in order to register the best ones as varieties in the future. The experimental factors included: two weed control methods (mechanical and chemical), two sizes of sowing rate (300 and 500 seeds m−2) and the strains of spelt: three new breeding strains (STH 28-4609, STH 28-4614, STH 28-4619) and Oberkulmer Rotkorn cultivar. The research did not show protein diversity depending on a genotype, mean protein content reached 13% in grain dry mass. The plants weeded mechanically showed the significantly highest crude fat content (2% dry matter (DM)). Mean value of crude fibre for all plants equalled 3.3% DM. The increase of neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre and acid detergent lignin fractions was directly proportional to the increase in crude fibre content, which is beneficial for civilisation diseases prophylaxis. The studied agronomic factors did not significantly influence the essential amino acids content or total amino acids. The harrowed plants had grain with significantly increased nutrient content (crude protein, ether extract, crude fibre, acid detergent fibre (ADF), cellulose, sulphur amino acids, leucine, and sum of essential amino acids) which is very important for organic farming.