Good Grain Research Articles

Winter cover crops to reduce herbicide inputs into spring-planted maize pastoral systems in New Zealand

ABSTRACT The use of cover crops can improve the environmental sustainability of intensive cropping systems. A five-year field trial was undertaken to evaluate the effect of multi-season cover cropping on weed suppression within a no-till spring-planted maize system in the Waikato region in New Zealand. Five cover crop treatments were compared: gland clover (Trifolium glanduliferum Boiss.); faba bean (Vicia faba L); oats (Avena sativa L.); and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), and winter fallow. The results demonstrated that in this system, herbicide treatments can be reduced to one application to terminate the winter cover crop and a single maize post-emergence application, thus reducing selection pressure for herbicide-resistance, without any loss in silage or grain production. Furthermore, a legume-based cover crop gave higher yields than the grass cover-crops and reduced the damage by the maize and grass pest cosmopolitan armyworm (Mythimna separata Walker). The build-up of crop residue over time was detrimental to the establishment of the small-seeded clover and ryegrass cover crops but good weed suppression and grain yields were achieved in the final season by replacing them respectively with the larger seeded woolly pod vetch (Vicia eriocarpa (Hausskn.) Halácsy) and a blue lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.)/ mustard (Sinapis alba L.) mix.

Effect of Crop Geometry and Nutrient Management Approaches on Yield and Quality of Transplanted Finger Millet

Background: An ideal crop geometry is essential for obtaining optimum plant stand in the field as the yield of a crop depends on the final plant density with effective utilization of growth resources. Conjunctive use of chemical fertilizers and organic manures is important to maintain and sustain soil fertility and crop productivity. Nutrient Management system is gaining importance among the farmers and it is advisable to optimize the use of inorganic fertilizers along with organic manures for getting high yields of better quality besides keeping the production cost at sustainable level. The current field study was aimed to evaluate the impact of various crop geometries and nutrient management treatments on yield and quality of transplanted finger millet. Methods: A Field experiment was conducted at Agricultural college farm, Bapatla during the kharif seasons of 2018 and 2019 and the experimental design was split plot with three replications. The main-plot factor comprised of three crop geometries with different age of seedlings and seven nutrient management practices in subplots. Result: The experimental results indicated that significantly higher grain and straw yields with good quality grain of finger millet were recorded in the spacing of 30 × 10 cm fb 30 × 30 cm spacing and among the nutrient management approaches application of FYM @ 10 tonnes ha-1 + 125% RDF along with wooden log treatment (S6) recorded the highest yield and however was statistically comparable with 125% of RDF + FYM (S5).

Ionic and electronic transport of dense Y-doped barium stannate ceramics for high-temperature applications

The search for new oxide materials with pronounced proton transport is of great importance for the fabrication of electrochemical devices capable of realizing various energy conversion processes with high efficiency. The state-of-the-art proton-conducting oxides based on Ba(Ce,Zr)O3 have been proposed as the most promising electrolytes for such devices, although they suffer from a number of drawbacks. Here, we report an in-depth analysis of the transport properties of Y-doped barium stannates as relatively new proton-conducting compounds. In detail, the single-phase BaSn1–xYxO3–δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) ceramics were successfully prepared and their electrochemical properties were analysed using a number of characterization methods, including conductivity and thermo-EMF measurements depending on oxygen partial pressure as well as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The data obtained clearly indicate that the Y-doping degree affects the transport properties of BaSn1–xYxO3–δ. The weakly doped stannates (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) are identified as pronounced n- and p-type electron conductors, while the heavily doped stannates (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) exhibit a higher ionic conductivity and a wider electrolytic domain boundary, which allows them to be considered as new potential electrolytes with good grain boundary conductivity for application in both protonic ceramic fuel and electrolysis cells.

Development of new aromatic rice lines with high eating and cooking qualities

Rice is the staple food of about half of the world’s population. Preferred by consumers, aromatic rice is special rice with great commercial value. Cooking and eating quality and aroma are major grain qualities favored by most consumers. Currently, most of the available aromatic varieties have low yield with some undesirable agronomic traits. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop better aromatic rice varieties. This work aims to identify rice germplasm lines having good grain quality and to develop new varieties with desirable traits. Thirty-six out of 188 germplasm lines were identified to have betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (badh2) controlling aroma and were determined for their 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) contents. Then, 17 of these lines were identified to have alleles for low amylose content and low gelatinization temperature, controlled by waxy and starch synthase IIa (SSIIa) respectively, suggesting that they were aromatic rice lines with high cooking and eating quality. A total of 158 F7 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) generated from five crosses of selected germplasm lines were planted for phenotypic and yield observation, resulting in 27 F8 RILs selected for yield evaluation and genotyping. Finally, four out of the seven F9 aromatic RILs showed high yield, high 2AP production, and low amylose content, in agreement with their genotypes. The other 3 F9 RILs were aromatic rice lines with high amylose content and high yield. Because consumers’ preference for grain quality varies depending on regions and ethnic groups, the high-yielding aromatic RILs generated from this study can be used to increase yield of Thai rice and to raise market value and farm profit.

Bio rational green approaches for effective management of post flowering stalk rot in maize (Zea mays)

Present study was carried out to assess efficacy of bio agents and organic ITK’s against post flowering stalk rot at Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, Rajasthan during 2019–20. The results of in vitro studies revealed that Trichoderma viride (65%) significantly inhibited the mycelium growth of Fusarium verticillioides. In field conditions, T. viride showed low disease rating 3.0, low per cent disease incidence (25.20%) and high efficacy of disease control (62.27%) with good grain yield 1191 g/plot against the pathogen at 2% concentrations. Maize growers can protect their crop from this disease by using the sustainable, environmentally friendly disease control strategies that were found in our study.

AMMI and GGE biplot analysis of yield under terminal heat tolerance in wheat.

Wheat is an important cereal crop that helps to meet the food grain needs of people all over the world. Heat stress is one of the most significant abiotic stresses that wheat crops face during terminal growth stages in the wheat growing regions like India. It is very important to identify heat tolerant genotypes to be used as donors for breeding tolerant varieties. Thirty-six wheat genotypes were evaluated under different sowing dates viz., Timely sown (TS), Late sown (LS) and very late sown (VLS), and the fourth was sown in the Temperature controlled phenotyping facility (TCPF) across two years. Genotypes were planted following lattice square design with two replications. Data was recorded for yield and yield contributing traits and analysed using selection indices as well AMMI and GGE biplot stability models. Heat stress affected all the traits under different heat environments which ranged from 1.6% (Spikelet number) to 37.2% (grain yield). Regression analysis indicated that the thousand grains weight (R2 = 0.50) contributed significantly towards grain yield under heat stress. Stress susceptibility index (SSI) found genotypes GW322, RAJ3765, Raj4037and MACS6145 as heat tolerant whereas, Stress Tolerance Index (STI) identified C306, HD2967, WH1080, WH730, DBW90, HD2932, DBW17, RAJ3765 as heat tolerant and high yielding. AMMI biplot analysis indicated stable genotypes DBW90, WH730, RAJ4083, CBW38, HD2932, NI5439, WR544, whereas GGE biplot analysis revealed stable genotypes NIAW34, NI5439, RAJ4083, DBW90, PBW590, Raj3765, HUW 510, WH730, HD2967 and UP2382. Heat stress affects significantly all yield contributing traits. Thousand grain weight was the most important trait that can be used as a selection criterion for selecting tolerant lines. Based on selection indices and both AMMI and GGE analysis, genotype RAJ3765 was identified to be highly heat tolerant with good grain yield.

Response of early-cycle common bean cultivars with carioca, black and speckled grains to top-dressing nitrogen fertilization

The aim was to evaluate the agronomic and qualitative attributes of early-cycle common bean cultivars with different grains types grains in response to top-dressing nitrogen (N) doses. The experiment was carried out using a randomized block design, in a split-plot scheme, with 4 replicates. The plots consisted of the cultivars IAC Nuance, IAC 1849 Polaco and IAC Veloz, with speckled, Carioca and black grains, respectively. The subplots were formed by N doses applied as top-dressing: 0 kg ha-1, 60 kg ha-1 (applied in the stage of third trifoliate leaf), 120 kg ha-1 (1/2 applied at third trifoliate leaf stage + 1/2 applied at the floral bud stage) and 180 kg ha-1 (1/3 applied at the first trifoliate leaf stage + 1/3 applied at the third trifoliate leaf stage + 1/3 applied at the floral bud stage). IAC Veloz stood out for grain yield, showing the highest grain yield in the lowest N doses, being classified as efficient to the use of N. The cultivars IAC Nuance and IAC 1849 Polaco reached maximum yields with 155 and 163 kg ha-1 of N. The IAC Nuance was the most responsive, increasing grain yield by up to 25.3% due to nitrogen fertilization. Increasing N doses applied as top-dressing increased the sieve yield and crude protein content of the common bean cultivars, with IAC Nuance standing out. The cultivars showed good grain quality, and IAC 1849 Polaco and IAC Veloz had the shortest cooking time and IAC Veloz also had the fastest hydration.

Pengaruh Pengaplikasian PGPR (Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria) terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Hasil Padi (Oryza sativa L.) Varietas Lokal di Desa Jatiluwih

Effect of PGPR (Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria) Application on Growth and Yield of Local Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Varieties in Jatiluwih Village. The decline in local rice production in Jatiluwih Village needs to be overcome to meet the needs of the community, one method that can be used is the application of PGPR. This study aims to determine the differences in the effect of cultivation with PGPR application and without PGPR application on the growth and yield of local rice varieties and to find out which local rice varieties shows the highest yields. This study used a paired experiment that compared cultivation with and without PGPR application on four local rice varieties, namely Cicih, Cendana, Ketan and Mansur varieties. The results of the analysis showed that the application of PGPR in the cultivation of Jatiluwih local rice varieties was able to increase the average value of plant height, number of leaves per clump, leaf chlorophyll content, total number of tillers per clump, number of productive tillers per clump, panicle length, total grain per panicle, good grain per panicle and yield, respectively 1.66%, 16.89%, 5.97%, 18.79%, 15.65%, 11.54%, 25.65%, 30.55% and 10.53% when compared to cultivation without PGPR application. The Local varieties of Jatiluwih rice that showed the highest yield when compared between cultivation with PGPR application and without PGPR was the red rice variety Cicih, which increased by 19.27% ??from the previous 5.45 ton/ha to 6.50 ton/ha, while in Cendana variety only increased by 5.76%, Kentan variety increased by 11.33%, and Mansur variety increased by 5.57% after PGPR was applied.

Combining Controlled-Release Urea and Normal Urea to Improve the Yield, Nitrogen Use Efficiency, and Grain Quality of Single Season Late japonica Rice

Controlled-release urea (CRU) is widely adopted to improve yields and nitrogen use efficiencies (NUEs) in rice. However, there are few studies on the effects of the mixed application of CRU and normal urea (at different N ratios) on rice yield, nitrogen efficiency, and grain quality. A series of simplified fertilization modes (SFMs) were set up in 2018–2019. CRU with release periods of 80 days and 120 days were mixed with urea at N ratios of 7:3, 6:4, 5:5, 4:6, and 3:7 and applied during the rice-growing season. We determined the rice yield, dry matter accumulation, NUEs, and grain quality. The yields of SFM_80_6/4 (CRU with release periods of 80 days were mixed with urea at N ratios of 6:4) and SFM_120_5/5 (CRU with release periods of 120 days were mixed with urea at N ratios of 5:5) were 3.69% and 4.39% higher than that of fractionated urea (FU), respectively, across 2018 and 2019. Combining the application of controlled-release urea and normal urea improved the dry matter accumulation, nitrogen accumulation, and nitrogen uptake rate when compared with FU. SFMs improved the processing quality and appearance quality of rice grains and did not reduce the cooking and eating quality. SFM_80_6/4 and SFM_120_5/5 are a one-time fertilization mode with high yield, high efficiency, and good grain quality, which is worthy of further promotion and application.

Parâmetros genéticos e seleção de linhagens de feijão-carioca resistentes à murcha-de-fusário

Abstract The objective of this work was to estimate genetic parameters and to select lines of carioca commercial bean group with high yield, great 100-seed weight, good grain appearance, and good resistance to fusarium wilt, disease caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli that inhabits the soil. A total of 114 lines coming from two populations were evaluated together with seven control genotypes in the winter crop season in the years/generations of 2015/F5:7 and 2016/F5:8. There is a genetic variability among the carioca common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) lines for all the traits evaluated, and the estimates of the genetic parameters show a possible successful selection for reaction to fusarium wilt, yield, grain appearance, and 100-seed weight. Twenty-four lines of carioca common bean that were selected combine high resistance to fusarium wilt, yield, 100-seed weight, and good grain appearance. CNFC 19126, CNFC 19205, and CNFC 19131 show a better performance than the control genotypes with the highest level of resistance, so their evaluation in multiple environments is recommended, aiming at new resistant cultivars to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli.

Path Planning of Randomly Scattering Waypoints for Wafer Probing Based on Deep Attention Mechanism

Wafer probing is a critical process employed to measure the yield of wafer fabrication. The primary object of wafer probing is to find the defect grain on the wafer. After a full coverage check, there are always some suspected grains existing for further inspection. However, this second probing result could be affected by the shape of the probe card and the setting actions (path planning) of operators for grains randomly scattering on the wafer. Good grains can be damaged by reprobe actions, which decrease production performance and customer trust. In general, it also requires manpower to perform reprobing, which dramatically deteriorates the throughput of production. This article has studied this problem, and an adaptive coverage path planning (CPP) method for randomly scattering grains using an attention interface is proposed. The proposed randomly scattering waypoints method uses deep reinforcement learning (DRL) for automatic real-time path planning of the second detection. A soft attention interface accelerates the process with a less overlapped check. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method in terms of less overlapping and steps, and this method learns a better CPP strategy for wafer probing than programmed paths and other RL-based methods.

Comparative analysis of cooking quality and physico chemical properties of some local checks and newly developed rice varieties

Rice is predominantly consumed as a whole grain. So, the grain quality of rice is of crucial importance to determine the market price. Present experiment was conducted at our R &D farm at Bolpur during last four consecutive years of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021. Average value of four year’s study is considered here for comparative analysis of cooking quality and physico chemical properties of our own developed 9 Open Pollinated (OP) and 10 hybrids with 19 popular OP and 6 hybrid rice varieties. Correlation study reveals significant correlation between cooking characteristic and physical properties, indicating the core relationship of physico-chemical attributes with cooking quality of the rice grain. Results also suggested that among the GMS developed lines, GMS-165B (OP), GMS-H-2515 and GMS-H-2464 were found to be the best performer recording desirable results for both grain and cooking qualities. Similarly, some lines like GMS-737, GMS-664 A and GMS-H-2499 reported to have good grain characters but some weakness in case of cooking qualities. So these lines can be used for making rice based products. The overall cooking quality and physico-chemical attributes of some of our own developed rice varieties were relatively better and / or at par as compared to other popular varieties. Our hybrids also performed as good as popular OP varieties.

Effects of Paddy Straw Incorporation on Growth and Yield Attributes of Low Land Rice

A field experiment on effects of paddy straw incorporation on growth, physiology and yield attributes of low land rice was conducted at Agronomy experimental field of Central farm, College of Agriculture, Bhubaneswar during rabi-2020.The experiment was laid out in completely randomized block design with six treatments symbolyzed as T1 to T6 along with recommended dose of fertiliser (80:40:40::N: P2O5:K2O kg/ha). Results showed highest plant height, tiller number, leaf number, SPAD and LCC were in T5 followed by T4 and T6. These parameters were found to be highly correlated with grain yield. The growth analysis during different period of growth of the rice cultivar, Lalat, in respect to leaf area index(LAI), crop growth rate(CGR), specific leaf area(SLA), leaf area ratio(LAR), LAD(leaf area duration), total chlorophyll, total carbohydrate, amino acid and protein contents were found to be correlated with grain yield. Maximum values regarding these parameters were found to be highest in T5 followed by T4 and T6. The total biomass was found significant among the treatments and was highest in T5 followed by T4 and T6. Grain yield and straw yield were found to be highly correlated with total biomass (r2=0.70) and physiological growth traits (LAI, SLA, CGR) were prominently significant in T5 with a tune of 4.94t/ha and 5.21t/ha, respectively followed by T4 and T6. In T5 yield attributing parameters like number of panicles, panicle weight, filled grain per panicle, 1000-grain weight were highest. The high percentage of C, H, N, S concentration and high ratio of C:N, C:H implies good quality grain harvested in T5. The soil microbial population and status after harvest was also found to be high inT5. Thus, paddy straw incorporation coupled with chemical fertilizer had significant effect on rice growth and yield with proper maintenance of microbial population in soil when the crop is treated with T5 with booster application of 20 kg/ha of N and P in the form of urea and DAP, respectively. Bangladesh J. Bot. 51(4): 713-719, 2022 (December)

Adaptability of high-protein barley genotypes under the conditions of the Volga-Vyatka region

Background. Barley grain is unique raw material of versatile uses. More than 60% of the grain produced In the Volga-Vyatka region goes directly to fodder production purposes. One of the urgent tasks is to develop high-yielding cultivars with good grain quality, thus reducing protein deficiency in farm animal feeds and meeting the need for fodder grain that increases every year. Its successful solution requires a search for new high-yielding and high-protein source genotypes adapted to the conditions of the Volga-Vyatka region and their involvement in the breeding process.Materials and methods. Experimental work was carried out in 2018–2020 at the Federal Agricultural Research Center of the North-East named N.V. Rudnitsky, Kirov. Protein content in grain, yield, resistance to lodging, and duration of the growing season of 31 barley accessions were assessed. The barley collection was studied according to the International COMECON List of Descriptors for the Genus Hordeum L. and Methodological Guidelines. Protein content was measured using a universal rapid analyzer (INFRAMATIC 8620).Results and conclusions. Protein content had a strong correlation with Selyaninov’s hydrothermal coefficient in the interphase period from ear emergence to maturity (r = 0.85); the sum of effective temperatures during the entire growing season (r = 0.75); and precipitation in the period from seedling emergence to maturity (r = 0.67). Traits of breeding value (yield, lodging resistance, environmental plasticity, and stability) were observed in the following accessions: k-30574 (‘Filippa’, Sweden), k-30256 (‘Rodos’, Poland), ya-52 (‘Crusades’, Great Britain), k-35415 (NCL 95098, Argentina), k-30892 (‘Naran’, Russia), k-15619 (‘Polyarny 14’, Russia), ya-4 (752A, Switzerland), k-30349 (Landrace, Peru), k-5983 (Local, Afghanistan), k-3506 (Local, India), k-2929 (Local, China), k-2930 (Local, China), and k-5210 (‘Makbo’, Australia).

Low temperature and light combined stress after heading on starch fine structure and physicochemical properties of late-season indica rice with different grain quality in southern China

Late-season indica rice frequently encounters low temperature (LT) along with low light (LL) after heading in southern China, which deteriorates the grain quality by altering starch quality. However, the detailed effects on starch properties of these stressors remain unclear. Herein, two indica rice cultivars with good and poor grain quality were grown under control (CK), LT, and LT + LL conditions after heading and the structural and physicochemical properties of their starch were evaluated. Compared with CK, LT and LT + LL worsened thermal and pasting properties of starch in the two cultivars, mainly because they increased branch chain branching and A chain (DP ≤12), and decreased average branch chain length and crystallinity. Compared with LT, LT + LL deteriorated the pasting properties of the poor-quality cultivar, such as reducing breakdown (BD), final and peak viscosity, which mainly owing to decreasing the starch branching and crystallinity degrees, and increasing the small starch granules (d < 10 μm). Gelatinization enthalpy and BD both had significant and positive correlations with amylose content, the ratio of amylose and amylopectin, B3 chain and crystallinity. Taken together, these results suggest that LT and LT + LL during grain filling can deteriorate the physicochemical properties of starch in late-season indica rice cultivars by disrupting starch multilevel structure, especially upon LT + LL. In particular, while poor-quality cultivar had poorer physicochemical properties, the good-quality cultivar had poorer thermal properties under LT + LL.

Bottom electrode dependence of electrical and optical properties in Bi0.96Sm0.04Fe0.98Mn0.02O3 films

Bi0.96Sm0.04Fe0.98Mn0.02O3 (BSFM) films with ITO/glass (ITO), FTO/glass (FTO), Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si (Pt) as the bottom electrode and Au as the top electrode were prepared using the sol-gel method. The crystal structure, phase composition, oxygen vacancy content, dielectric property, ferroelectric and leakage characteristics, optical absorption and aging property of BSFM films with different bottom electrodes were studied. XRD results show that BSFM films with different bottom electrodes have different crystallinities, and that no heterophase is formed in all films and contains R3c and Pnma phases. SEM and TEM analysis shows that the BSFM film deposited onto ITO exhibits good grain growth and a dense surface structure, and the cross-section shows that the thickness of the prepared film is approximately 445 nm. XPS analysis shows that the film with the ITO bottom electrode has the smallest oxygen vacancy content. Concurrently, ferroelectric and leakage tests show that the film deposited onto ITO has the largest remnant polarization strength (2Pr = 92.35 μC/cm2) and the smallest leakage current density. Under a 200 kV/cm electric field, the leakage current density is 7.47 × 10−5 A/cm2, which is approximately 2 orders of magnitude lower than that with the Pt bottom electrode (1.16 × 10−3 A/cm2). Concurrently, the band gap (2.60 eV) of BSFM films can be narrowed using ITO as the bottom electrode. In addition, the BSFM films deposited onto ITO exhibit excellent ferroelectric and dielectric stability.

Microstructure, mechanical and wear characteristics of CeO2-Mg metal matrix composites

In this study, an attempt is made in producing composite materials by reinforcing cerium oxide with magnesium matrix. Very limited research has been carried out by using cerium oxide as a reinforcement through powder metallurgy technique. Hence the effects of reinforcing cerium oxide on microstructure, mechanical and wear properties in magnesium matrix are studied. The weight percentage of the reinforcement is varied by 3, 6, 9 and 12. Microstructural, mechanical properties like density, microhardness and compression strength and wear properties were studied for the fabricated composites. Scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) exhibited uniform distribution of cerium oxide and its presence in the matrix, respectively. Line scan mapping was also carried out on the samples to identify the particles present at that particular region in the matrix. The increase in cerium oxide has reduced the density but increased porosity in the composite materials. The microhardness and compressive strength have gradually increased with an increase of reinforcements. The microhardness has increased up to 40% and compressive strength has increased from 83 to 176 MPa for 12% cerium oxide, respectively. The wear resistance has also increased with an increase in reinforcement and a 28% increase in wear rate was inferred. SEM images of the worn surface exhibited good grain refinement of ceramic oxide in the matrix.

Interrelationship between grain yield components and nutritional quality traits in cowpea genotypes

Correlations and path coefficient analysis provide knowledge on trait interrelationships and potential for simultaneous, direct, or indirect selection in plant breeding. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic and phenotypic correlations as well as the path coefficient analysis among grain yield components and nutritional quality traits in cowpea genotypes. Data for grain yield components and mineral elements were collected from 70 cowpea genotypes planted at two environments in 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons in South Africa. Grain yield had significant (P<0.05) positive phenotypic correlations with number of seeds per pod (SPP), indicating that selection of cowpea genotypes based on SPP could be effective in maximizing grain yield. The heat map showed that grain yield was strongly associated with number of branches (NB), SPP and number of pods per plant. Among the yield components, only SPP showed significant (P<0.05) positive phenotypic correlations with Zn, Mn, and Mg. Grain yield showed no genetic correlations with yield components and nutritional quality traits. Significant (P<0.05) positive genetic correlations were observed between yield components and most of the nutritional quality traits, indicating inherent association among the traits. Path coefficient analysis identified SPP and NB as major contributors to grain yield. The PCA identified cowpea genotypes such as ARC030, ARC011, ARC016, ARC024, NGOII, ARC032, IT90K59, and ARC047 with high grain yield and good nutritional quality traits that can be used further as potential parents for crop improvement through biofortification. The clustered heat map distingished five groups of cowpea genotypes and three of those were associated with good grain yield and nutritional quality traits which could make cowpea a good choice to combat food security and malnutrition in the world.

Identification of Glu-D1 Alleles and Novel Marker-Trait Associations for Flour Quality and Grain Yield Traits under Heat-Stress Environments in Wheat Lines Derived from Diverse Accessions of Aegilops tauschii.

Heat stress during grain filling is considered one of the major abiotic factors influencing wheat grain yield and quality in arid and semi-arid regions. We studied the effect of heat stress on flour quality and grain yield at moderate and continuous heat stress under natural field conditions using 147 lines of wheat multiple synthetic derivatives (MSD) containing Aegilops tauschii introgressions. The study aimed to identify the marker–trait associations (MTAs) for the quality traits and grain yield under heat-stress conditions and identify stress-resilient germplasm-combining traits for good flour quality and grain yield. The MSD lines showed considerable genetic variation for quality traits and grain yield under heat-stress conditions; some lines performed better than the recurrent parent, Norin 61. We identified two MSD lines that consistently maintained relative performance (RP) values above 100% for grain yield and dough strength. We found the presence of three high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GSs) at the Glu-D1 locus derived from Ae. tauschii, which were associated with stable dough strength across the four environments used in this study. These HMW-GSs could be potentially useful in applications for future improvements of end-use quality traits targeting wheat under severe heat stress. A total of 19,155 high-quality SNP markers were used for the genome-wide association analysis and 251 MTAs were identified, most of them on the D genome, confirming the power of the MSD panel as a platform for mining and exploring the genes of Ae. tauschii. We identified the MTAs for dough strength under heat stress, which simultaneously control grain yield and relative performance for dough strength under heat-stress/optimum conditions. This study proved that Ae. tauschii is an inexhaustible resource for genetic mining, and the identified lines and pleiotropic MTAs reported in this study are considered a good resource for the development of resilient wheat cultivars that combine both good flour quality and grain yield under stress conditions using marker-assisted selection.

Quality Deterioration of Rice Grains under High Temperature Stress

High temperatures, which cause a decline in grain weight and quality, are one of the most significant environmental concerns checking productivity of rice in tropical areas. To combat these problems, understanding the consequences of high temperature stress on nutritional qualities of rice is imperative. An experiment was conducted at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi during 2019-2020 with rice variety Jyothi cultivated during five dates of planting [June 1st (D1), June 30th (D2), October 1st (D3), October 30th (D4) and January 1st (D5)] under open condition (O) and climate-controlled green house (GH). Grains obtained from different treatments were analyzed for different quality parameters like milling percentage, head rice recovery, starch, amylose, protein, fat and mineral (Ca, Fe, Zn, P) content. Highest milling percentage, head rice recovery, starch, amylose, protein, fat and mineral (Ca, Fe, Zn, P) content were observed during June 1st planting and lowest during January 1st planting. When comparing the two growing conditions, grains obtained from open condition had high milling percentage, head rice recovery, starch, amylose, protein, fat and mineral (Ca, Fe, Zn, P) content than that under climate-controlled greenhouse. The study shows that high temperature stress on plants can be managed by early sowing of rice cultivars in all the three seasons viz. virippu, mundakan and puncha and rice grains obtained from virippu sowing gives good quality grains as compared to that of mundakan and puncha planted grains.