Grain Aspect Research Articles

Determinants of smallholder farmers’ maize grain storage protection practices and understanding of the nutritional aspects of grain postharvest losses

Determinants of smallholder farmers’ maize grain storage protection practices and understanding of the nutritional aspects of grain postharvest losses

Dissecting Rice Pearl Character, an Important Added Value in High-Quality Temperate Mediterranean Japonica Cultivars

Rice holds an important sociocultural meaning in Europe, and especially in the gastronomy of its Mediterranean regions, as it is used for world-famous recipes such as Risotto in Italy and Paella in Spain. Paella is prepared with highly appreciated pearled (white-core) rice cultivars such as Bomba or Montsianell, while Risotto is prepared with white-belly Carnaroli cultivar among others. Pearled rice grains have a limited and enclosed translucent zone which is physicochemically different from stress-induced chalky grains present in any rice cultivar at a low rate, and whose opaque area covers at least three quarters of the grain surface. We have studied for the first time the physicochemical aspects of grains from pearled white-belly, white-core and crystalline rice grains of Mediterranean japonica rice cultivars in comparison with their defective stress-induced chalky grains in order to shed some light on their differences. Spanish Bomba and Montsianell white-core (pearled) cultivars have similar physicochemical behaviours but are clearly different from white-belly Carnaroli cultivar. Furthermore, their pearled fractions differ in some traits from stress-induced chalkiness, especially in terms of amyloplastic integrity, relative amylose content and relative storage protein content. This study establishes some physicochemical differences between white-belly, white-core and stress-induced defective chalky grains and will guide future studies to unravel this much-appreciated pearl character in the Mediterranean gastronomy.

The expediency of crop production in conditions of risky farming

The article presents a comprehensive author’s study of the problem of the feasibility of cultivating crops in the zone of risky farming, which includes ¾ of our country, when the impact of weather disasters and anomalies is associated with the risk of obtaining a crop and, accordingly, sources of financing for further activities. With the help of the formed system of indicators, an assessment is made of the dynamics and variations in the level and efficiency of the intensification of grain and oilseed production. In this regard, of particular interest is the criterion of expediency, which, in our opinion, in the conditions of constantly impending financial crises, should ensure the very possibility of the continued existence and functioning of an agricultural enterprise. The analysis was carried out and the trend in the yield of grain and oilseeds in the Saratov region was revealed, the degree of influence of weather and anthropogenic factors on its dynamics was determined. Considered production and economic indicators for microzones and administrative districts of the region; the grouping and classification of municipalities according to the effectiveness of the analyzed types of activities was carried out; the actual values of performance indicators were compared with the normative ones, which makes it possible to judge the degree of tension in the use of enterprise resources. A stochastic model is proposed and an assessment is made of the degree of influence of the main production factors on the variation in the value of the chosen criterion of expediency. The need for research on the regulation of labor and its tariffing in agricultural production is noted. The problematic aspects of grain and oilseed production in the context of individual territories have been identified, a number of aspects have been identified that can influence the adoption of an objective decision on the feasibility of production activities.

The Dissipative Potential of Gamma Irradiation in Residues of Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam in the Postharvest of Common Beans.

Pesticide residues remaining from bean cultivation, sensitive to optimal doses of gamma irradiation, can be transformed into other less harmful or nonharmful substances, increasing the quality of the beans before the food arrives at the consumer's table. Irradiation of the grains after harvest also eliminates the need for application of other pesticides to preserve the grains during storage, as the technique is capable of eradicating deteriorating agents, such as microorganisms and insects.

Genome prediction accuracy of common bean via Bayesian models

ABSTRACT: We aimed to apply genomic information based on SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) markers for the genetic evaluation of the traits “stay-green” (SG), plant architecture (PA), grain aspect (GA) and grain yield (GY) in common bean through Bayesian models. These models were compared in terms of prediction accuracy and ability for heritability estimation for each one of the mentioned traits. A total of 80 cultivars were genotyped for 377 SNP markers, whose effects were estimated by five different Bayesian models: Bayes A (BA), B (BB), C (BC), LASSO (BL) e Ridge regression (BRR). Although, prediction accuracies calculated by means of cross-validation have been similar within each trait, the BB model stood out for the trait SG, whereas the BRR was indicated for the remaining traits. The heritability estimates for the traits SG, PA, GA and GY were 0.61, 0.28, 0.32 and 0.29, respectively. In summary, the Bayesian methods applied here were effective and ease to be implemented. The used SNP markers can help in the early selection of promising genotypes, since incorporating genomic information increase the prediction accuracy of the estimated genetic merit.

Some aspects of grain refining of Al-Si cast alloys

ABSTRACTA study on the effect of different grain refiners and addition technique in Al-7%Si alloys was carried out. The results show that the Al3Ti phase reacts with silicon (Si) in the molten alloy forming a new compound (Al,Si)3Ti. This reaction is independent of the grain refiner addition technique. The temperature of the liquid metal causes a significant change in the Al3Ti phase morphology, which precipitates in the form of platelets at 750°C and in a dendritic form at 950°C. It has also been observed that while (Al,Si)3Ti phase platelets precipitate within the α-aluminum dendrites, the TiB2 or AlB2 particles are rejected into the surrounding interdendritic regions. The results also reveal that addition of 100ppm B will reduce the initial grain size by ~ 85%, which is more than the reduction obtained with the addition of 0.2%Ti in the form of Al-10%Ti (about 65%).

Genetic progress resulting from forty-three years of breeding of the carioca common bean in Brazil.

We aimed to evaluate 40 common bean cultivars recommended by various Brazilian research institutions between 1970 and 2013 and estimate the genetic progress obtained for grain yield and other agronomic traits. Additionally, we proposed a bi-segmented nonlinear regression model to infer the year in which breeding began to show significant gains in Brazil. The experiment was carried out in Viçosa/MG and Coimbra/MG, in the dry and winter seasons of 2013. For this, a randomized complete block design with three replications was employed. The following traits were evaluated: number of pods per plant (NPP); number of seeds per pod (NSP); 1000-seed weight (W1000); grain yield (Yield); plant architecture (Arch); and grain aspect (GA). Genotypic means were estimated over years using linear mixed models, and genetic gains were estimated using bi-segmented nonlinear regression models. In summary, the methodology proposed in the present study indicated that bean breeding programs in Brazil began to influence Yield beginning in 1990, resulting in a gain of 6.74% per year (68.15 kg/ha per year). The years from which estimated genetic progress for NPP (5.62% per year), NSP (4.59% per year), W1000 (2.08% per year), and GA (1.36% per year) began to increase were 1994, 1990, 1989, and 1986, respectively.

Experimental infrared spectroscopic measurement of light extinction for agglomerate dust grains

Optical properties of aggregate dust grains hold a key to understand many astrophysical problems. Scattering and absorption features are strongly influenced by morphological aspects of grains (particle size, shape, and agglomeration). We have experimentally investigated the morphological effects on the 9.0 μ m extinction band in the infrared region for amorphous silica ( SiO 2 ) particles which are of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 μ m in diameter. Deviations of the peak position of this band have been detected depending on environment (air or KBr), particle size, and manufacturer of the samples. We found that the peak position difference of silica particles with a diameter of 0.5 and 1.5 μ m was 0.04 μ m in wavelength whereas the effect of different environments were approximately 0.1 μ m . In addition, the measured band profiles were compared with calculations for five cluster shapes applying three different theoretical approaches (Mie, T-matrix, and DDA). The calculated extinction efficiencies beyond the peaks rose as the particle size and the particle numbers in the clusters increased. The same rise compared to the Mie calculation was observed in the experimental spectra, which was, therefore, interpreted as a result of the clustering of the particles.

Modelling aspects of grain drying with a neural network

This paper deals with a neural network (NN) application to an agricultural fixed-bed dryer. The aim of the study was to set-up a NN in order to determine the relationship between the moisture distribution of the material to be dried and the physical parameters of the drying air temperature, humidity and air flow rate. Input data was randomly changed, while output was generated by O’Callaghan’s model based on the input specifically for barley. A selected NN structure was used for studying the influence of sampling time, randomised training, different back-propagation training algorithms and the number of hidden neurones. It was concluded that the artificial NN could be effective for modelling of the grain drying process.

Phenological and Quality Aspects of Grains of Rice O. sativa L

Phenological and Quality Aspects of Grains of Rice O. sativa L