Harvest Year Research Articles

Screening of NIAS World Rice Core Collection for Seeds with Long Longevity as Useful Potential Breeding Materials Focusing on the Stability of Embryonic RNAs.

Seed longevity is a crucial trait for the seed industry and genetic resource preservation. To develop excellent cultivars with extended seed lifespans, it is important to understand the mechanism of keeping seed germinability long term and to find useful genetic resources as prospective breeding materials. This study was conducted to identify the best cultivars with a high and stable seed longevity trait in the germplasm of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and to analyze the correlation between seed longevity and embryonic RNA integrity. Seeds from 69 cultivars of the world rice core collection selected by the NIAS in Japan were harvested in different years and subjected to long-term storage or controlled deterioration treatment (CDT). The long-term storage (4 °C, RH under 35%, 10 years) was performed on seeds harvested in 2010 and 2013. The seeds harvested in 2016 and 2019 were used for CDT (36 °C, RH of 80%, 40 days). Seed longevity and embryonic RNA integrity were estimated by a decrease in the germination percentage and RNA integrity number (RIN) after long-term storage or CDT. The RIN value was obtained by the electrophoresis of the total RNA extracted from the seed embryos. Seeds of "Vandaran (indica)", "Tupa 729 (japonica)", and "Badari Dhan (indica)" consistently showed higher seed longevity and embryonic RNA integrity both under long-term storage and CDT conditions regardless of the harvest year. A strong correlation (R2 = 0.93) was observed between the germination percentages and RIN values of the seeds after the long-term storage or CDT among nine cultivars selected based on differences in their seed longevity. The study findings revealed the relationship between rice seed longevity and embryo RNA stability and suggested potential breeding materials including both japonica and indica cultivars for improving rice seed longevity.

Introduction to cultivation Angelica sylvestris var. sylvestris L.: Chemical composition of essential oil and antimicrobial activity

This pioneering study investigates the essential oil content, fruit yield, and antimicrobial activity of Angelica sylvestris. var. sylvestris, comparing specimens from wild populations and cultivated between 2017 and 2022. The research documented fruit yields, which were consistent across the years, ranging from 191.7 to 208.0 g/plant. Essential oils extracted from the fruits were analysed, revealing a content variation between 0.6% and 1.05%. The analysis identified 45 components, predominantly monoterpenes, including α-pinene, α-phellandrene, limonene, β-cymene, isopropyl hexanoate, and β-phellandrene. The chemical profiles of the essential oils from both naturally occurring and cultivated A. sylvestris var. sylvestris were largely similar. The antimicrobial activity of these essential oils was assessed against a range of pathogens, namely Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19115, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. The activity varied according to the harvest year and the type of microorganism. Cultivated A. sylvestris var. sylvestris not only yielded a rich variety of essential oil components but also exhibited enhanced antimicrobial activities compared to its wild counterparts. These findings suggest that cultivation can be a sustainable means of producing high-quality essential oils with potent antimicrobial properties.

Biochemical characterisation of a cassava (Manihot esculenta crantz) diversity panel for post-harvest physiological deterioration; metabolite involvement and environmental influence

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) produces edible roots, a major carbohydrate source feeding more than 800 million people in Africa, Latin America, Oceania and Asia. Post-harvest physiological deterioration (PPD) renders harvested cassava roots unpalatable and unmarketable. Decades of research on PPD have elucidated several genetic, enzymatic and metabolic processes involved. Breeding populations were established to enable verification of robust biomarkers for PPD resistance. For comparison, these PPD populations have been cultivated concurrently with diversity population for carotenoid (β-carotene) content. Results highlighted a significant variation of the chemotypes due to environmental factors. Less than 3% of the detected molecular features showed consistent trends between the two harvest years and were putatively identified as phenylpropanoid derived compounds (e.g. caffeoyl rutinoside). The data corroborated that ∼20 μg β-carotene/g DW can reduced the PPD response of the cassava roots to a score of ∼1. Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation of β-carotene content at harvest to PPD response (R2 -0.55). However, the decrease of β-carotene over storage was not significantly correlated to initial content or PPD response. Volatile analysis observed changes of apocarotenoids derived from β-carotene, lipid oxidation products (alkanes, alcohols and carbonyls and esters) and terpenes. The majority of these volatiles (>90%) showed no significant correlation to β-carotene or PPD. Observed data indicated an increase (∼2-fold) of alkanes in varieties with β-carotene >10 μg/g DW and a decrease (∼60%) in varieties with less β-carotene. Fatty acid methyl esters with a chain length > C9 were detected solely after storage and show lower levels in varieties with higher β-carotene content. In combination with correlation values to PPD (R2 ∼0.3; P-value >0.05), the data indicated a more efficient ROS quenching mechanism in PPD resistant varieties.

600 years of wine must quality and April to August temperatures in western Europe 1420–2019

Abstract. This study investigates the validity of wine must quality as an April-to-August temperature proxy between 1420 and 2019 based on expert ratings and quality measurements from Germany, Luxembourg, eastern France, and the Swiss Plateau. This is highly relevant as uncertainties remain on past climate variations during this period. The evidence was reviewed according to the best practice of historical climatology. Expert ratings tended to agree with Oechsle density measurements that gradually replaced them from the 1840s. A statistical model calibrated to predict wine must quality from climate data explains 75 % of the variance, underlining the potential value of wine must quality as a climate proxy. Premium crops were collected in years of early harvest involving high insolation during maturation, while poor crops resulted from very late harvests in cold and wet summers. An analysis of daily weather types for high- and low-quality years after 1763 shows marked differences. On a decadal timescale, the average quality was highest from 1470 to 1479, from 1536 to 1545, and from 1945 to 1954. Poor crops were collected in periods with prevailing cold and wet summers such as 1453 to 1466, 1485 to 1494, 1585 to 1614, 1685 to 1703, 1812 to 1821, and 1876 to 1936. In the period of enhanced warming after 1990, high quality became the rule.

Exploring the impact of harvest year on the mineral composition of Mimosa scabrella Bentham honeydew honey from Santa Catarina (Brazil) using ICP‐MS and chemometric tools

SummaryThis study investigated the variation in mineral elements in bracatinga (Mimosa scabrella Bentham) honeydew honeys produced biannually over three consecutive harvest years. The aim was to assess the relationship between the year of production and the concentration of fourteen rare earth elements and six trace elements analysed using ICP‐MS. The concentrations of the twenty elements varied (P < 0.001) among all the honey samples. The dominant rare earth elements were Eu, followed by Nd and La, while Pd and Au were the major trace elements. Cluster analysis (CA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were performed using all the elements identified. The LDA categorised (83.3% accuracy) the bracatinga honeydew honey samples according to their harvest year. Discriminant functions, influenced by Ce, Tb, and Th, show distinct elemental patterns in bracatinga honeydew honeys, varying with harvest year. This reflects fluctuations in yearly climatic conditions and is important to guarantee accurate characterisation.

The development of honey recognition models with broad applicability based on the association of isotope and elemental content with ANNs

Honey adulteration represents a worldwide problem, driven by the illicit economic gain that producers, traders, or merchants pursue. Among the falsification methods that can unfairly influence the price is the incorrect declaration of the botanical origin and harvesting year. Therefore, the present study aimed to test the potential given by the application of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for developing prediction models able to assess honey botanical origin and harvesting year based on isotope and elemental fingerprints. For each classification criterion, significant focus was dedicated to the data preprocessing phase to enhance the models' prediction capability. The obtained classification performances (accuracy scores >86% during the test phase) have highlighted the efficiency of ANNs for honey authentication as well as the feasibility of applying the developed classifiers for a large-scale application, supported by their ability to recognize the correct origin despite considerable variability in botanical source, geographical origin, and harvesting period.

Changes of eating quality of four types of rice with different amylose content under different storage temperatures

SummaryThe environment in which rice is stored has a big influence on rice quality. Four rice cultivars with various amylose content types were kept at low temperatures (LT, 4 °C) and room temperature (RT, 20 °C) in this study: NAC: (Low‐amylose content <2%), LAC: (low‐amylose content, about 10%), MAC: (medium‐amylose content, about 17%) and HAC: (high‐amylose content, about 25%). After storage at two temperatures and comparison to the harvest year, the amylose content of 4 types increased, and the change range of the HAC was the lowest. The gel consistency held at LT was higher than that at RT. Under LT storage, the breakdown values of MAC and HAC greatly increased (0.47%–0.65%), but NAC significantly reduced. The enthalpy of gelatinisation (▵Hg) drastically reduced (7.81%–49.10%) from the harvest year. Regeneration enthalpy increased at the grain after being sealed for a year at LT (except HAC) and reduced noticeably at RT. With the exception of ▵Hg and pasting temperature, the DSC profiles had a positive correlation with gel consistency. HPV, CPV and SBV showed a positive correlation with amylose content. As a result, the ideal storage temperature should be chosen based on the amylose type and use of the rice during storage.

Soybean meal nutrient composition, amino acid digestibility, and energy content according to the country of origin and year of harvest evaluated via NIRS

Soybean meal nutrient composition, amino acid digestibility, and energy content according to the country of origin and year of harvest evaluated via NIRS

Gas-chromatographic analyses of volatile organic compounds in essential oils extracted from Slovak juniper berries and needles (Juniperus communis L.)

Juniper essential oils (EOs) are mainly extracted from berries; however, nowadays studies point to needles as a viable source of EOs. Total qualitative-quantitative profiles of individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of EOs extracted from berries, old and young needles, gathered from the same locality, were obtained by GC–MS and GC–FID analyses. Moreover, qualitative-quantitative differences were determined among particular EOs within two subsequent years. Generally, VOC profiles of EOs were mainly represented by monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and their oxygenated derivatives. Depending on the harvest year, α-pinene (27.70–35.42 %) was the most abundant VOC in juniper berry EOs, followed by germacrene D, sabinene, myrcene, germacrene B and β-pinene. Overall, needle EOs were primarily characterised by sabinene, α-pinene, γ-terpinene and terpinen-4-ol, but with an intense dependence on the needle age and harvest year. β-Ylangene and α-cubebene were specific to berry EOs, whereas trans-2-hexenal was specific to needle EOs. Discriminant analysis achieved 100 % accuracy of correctly classified EOs according to the raw material and harvest year. α-Cubebene, germacrene B, γ-muurolene, one unknown compound and trans-2-hexenal were identified as the most significant for discrimination according to the source, while juniper camphort, cis-2-p-menthen-1-ol, terpinen-4-ol and β-elemene played dominant roles in discrimination according to the harvest year.

Equine relative preferences regarding selected cool-season grass hays

Horse preferences for cool season grass cultivars under grazing has been described. However, preference for cool-season grass cultivars as hays has not been widely evaluated in horses, particularly the new varieties of Tall Fescue with novel endophytes designed to produce less ergovaline, the compound to which fescue toxicosis is attributed. First cutting hay was harvested in 2019 and 2020 from seven cool season grasses: Tall Fescue v. KY 31; Tall Fescue v. Bronson, endophyte free; Tall Fescue v. Texoma MaxQ, novel/non-toxic endophyte; Meadow Fescue v. Preval; Festulolium v. Spring Green; Perennial Ryegrass v. Elgon; and Orchardgrass v. Crown Royal. First cutting yield was determined on a dry weight basis. Sub-samples were analyzed for forage quality parameters and ergovaline concentrations. The effect of cultivar on mean hay yields was analyzed using a one-way ANOVA, and since the F-Value was significant (< 0.001) the least significant differences were further determined to compare yield differences among the cultivars. All three Tall Fescue cultivars, Meadow Fescue, and Festulolium had significantly greater yields than the Perennial Ryegrass and Orchardgrass (P < 0.05). All samples tested for ergovaline were below the reporting threshold of the laboratory. Subsequently, tillers of the Tall Fescue cultivars were evaluated for endophyte presence. Endophyte was detected in only 3.3 % and 16.7 % of v Bronson and Texoma MaxQ tillers, respectively. No endophyte was detected in v KY 31. To evaluate preference four mature idle horses (6 ± 1.08 yrs) were fasted 30 min prior to being in the test stalls for 30 min. First choice and weight consumed were recorded. Preference testing occurred within harvest year. Equine preference data were analyzed within year using a one-way ANOVA pairwise comparison with the Tukey-Kramer adjustment for multiple comparisons. Both forward and backward stepwise regression modelling were used to investigate proximate analyses values as potential predictors of cultivar consumption by the horses during the preference tests. The best performing model explained 36 % of the variation in cultivar consumption. Based on amounts consumed horses had similar preferences each year; the overall rank of the cultivars was very similar with only the two least preferred cultivars transposed from 2019 to 2020. Horses most preferred the lowest yielding cultivars (Perennial Ryegrass and Orchardgrass). Despite low ergovaline and endophyte content in the Tall Fescue varieties, adult horses preferred hay of other cultivars. Festulolium is an option for hay producers that balances both yield and horse preference.

Changes in biochemical composition of Ethiopian Coffee arabica with growing region and traditional roasting.

Updating the biochemical composition of coffee beans across the years is necessary. This is important to understand the vulnerability of coffee toward climate adaptation longitudinally. Accordingly, in this study the influence of growing area and traditional roasting on the biochemical composition of five common Ethiopian Arabica coffee beans collected in the harvest year of 2021/22 were investigated. With an average of 11.34 g/100 g, the Hararge and Jimma coffee beans had the highest crude fat content (p < 0.05). The crude protein content of the five varieties was in the range of 13-15 g/100 g, with respective highest and lowest contents in the (Hararge and Nekemte) and (Sidama and Yirgachefe) coffee beans (p < 0.05). The total phenolic content (TPC) of the coffee beans was in the order of Jimma (46.52) > Nekemte (44.55) > Sidama (44.31) > Hararge (39.02) > Yirgachefe (34.25) mg GAE/100 g. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of ascorbic acid, coffee bean extract from Jimma and Hararge against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical was 19.86, 20.22 and 20.02 μg/mL, respectively. The respective highest and lowest caffeine concentration was obtained in the Yirgachefe (10.38) and Hararge (7.55 g/100 g) coffee beans (p < 0.05). The Jimma, Sidama, and Nekemte coffee varieties had the highest chlorogenic acid content of 45 g/100 g (p > 0.05); whereas the lowest content was in Hararge coffee (36.78 g/100 g). While the caffeine concentration did not show significant (p > 0.05) difference, with all the coffee beans the roasting has reduced significantly the TPC, trigonelline and mainly the chlorogenic acid (p < 0.05). These data can update the existing facts on biochemical diversity of coffee beans in the country which can be used for evidence based innovations of climate adaptation in predicting the quality of coffee. Further recommendation of optimizing the traditional coffee processing method is supported from this study.

Comparison of polyfunctional thiol, element, and total essential oil contents in 32 hop varieties from different countries

Volatile thiol 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) and particularly 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one (4MMP) are highly potent flavour compounds in hops. For the determination, a simple and robust stable isotope dilution LC–MS/MS method was developed and applied to 32 hop varieties worldwide from harvest years 2019 and 2020. Limit of detection, precision, and recovery were 0.15 μg/kg, 10%, and 97–108%, respectively. Levels of 3MH and 4MMP ranged from 1.9 to 79.2 μg/kg and from undetectable to 37.1 μg/kg, respectively. Citra, Mosaic, and Strata were rich in both thiols. ICP analyses revealed, that variation of potassium content between the two harvest years was inversely correlated with that of manganese and rubidium (|r| ≥ 0.89) among 12 US varieties excluding Citra and Mosaic. Total essential oil content (0.34–2.7 mL/100 g) was inversely correlated with calcium content (|r| ≥ 0.65). Greatly varying thiol levels depending on variety, region and harvest year might lead to differing flavour results in beer.

Discrimination of New and Aged Seeds Based on On-Line Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Technology Combined with Machine Learning

The harvest year of maize seeds has a significant impact on seed vitality and maize yield. Therefore, it is vital to identify new seeds. In this study, an on-line near-infrared (NIR) spectra collection device (899–1715 nm) was designed and employed for distinguishing maize seeds harvested in different years. Compared with least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and extreme learning machine (ELM), the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model has the optimal recognition performance for maize seed harvest years. Six different preprocessing methods, including Savitzky–Golay smoothing (SGS), standard normal variate transformation (SNV), multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), Savitzky–Golay 1 derivative (SG-D1), Savitzky–Golay 2 derivative (SG-D2), and normalization (Norm), were used to improve the quality of the spectra. The Monte Carlo cross-validation uninformative variable elimination (MC-UVE), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), bootstrapping soft shrinkage (BOSS), successive projections algorithm (SPA), and their combinations were used to obtain effective wavelengths and decrease spectral dimensionality. The MC-UVE-BOSS-PLS-DA model achieved the classification with an accuracy of 88.75% using 93 features based on Norm preprocessed spectral data. This study showed that the self-designed NIR collection system could be used to identify the harvested years of maize seed.

Intelligent control of microwave vacuum drying based on online aroma monitoring

Astragalus is a common medicinal food that has many benefits for the human body. Some medicinal components in the astragalus would decompose or volatilize at high temperature. Therefore, vacuum drying at a low temperature is a common post-harvest processing for the astragalus. The components and the internal structure of the astragalus change along with the planting range and the harvest year. Therefore, only trained experts with years’ experience can adjust the vacuum drying parameters properly based on their aroma perception, which is backward in the industrial age. In this study, astragalus aroma in microwave vacuum drying was online measured with an electronic nose. Volatiles were verified with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Drying temperature was PID controlled to maintain constant values. Microwave power was automatically regulated through a Triac circuit. Vacuum degree was adjusted instantly with a step motor. The physical and chemical quality changes of astragalus in drying process were investigated at various temperature and vacuum conditions. To optimize the drying effects, an Artificial Neural Network-based predictive control was designed to adjust the vacuum degree intelligently. The astragalus from Dingxi City, Gansu Province, China was conducted for experiments. By applying different control strategies, the astragalus quality was greatly improved, including more contents of total polysaccharides，astragaloside, total flavonoid, total saponin as well as the enhancement of beany flavor.

Assessing the Impact of Botanical Origins, Harvest Years, and Geographical Variability on the Physicochemical Quality of Serbian Honey.

This study summarized the physicochemical analysis of 609 honey samples originating from the Republic of Serbia. Variations among honey samples from different botanical origins, regions of collections, and harvest years were exposed to descriptive statistics and correlation analysis that differentiated honey samples. Furthermore, most of the observed physicochemical parameters (glucose, fructose, sucrose content, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) levels, acidity, and electrical conductivity) varied significantly among different types of honey, years, and regions. At the same time, no noticeable difference was found in diastase activity, moisture content, and insoluble matter. Based on the obtained results, 22 honey samples could be considered adulterated, due to the irregular content of sucrose, 5-HMF, acidity, and diastase activity. In addition, 64 honey samples were suspected to be adulterated. Adulterated and non-compliant samples present a relatively low percentage (14.1%) of the total number of investigated samples. Consequently, a considerable number of honey samples met the required standards for honey quality. Overall, these findings provide insights into compositional and quality differences among various types of honey, aiding in understanding their characteristics and potential applications.

PSV-20 Mycotoxin contamination trends in United States corn grain: 2019-2023

Abstract Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites which may affect animal health, reproduction, and performance. These naturally occurring toxic metabolites are found in a variety of feedstuffs worldwide. Classic signs of mycotoxicosis in livestock can include reduced feed intake, diarrhea, and vomiting. Consideration of clinical signs alone will underestimate the true impact of mycotoxins on animals as inflammation, decreased nutrient digestibility, impaired gut integrity, and altered immune responses have also been associated with mycotoxin exposure. The objective of this study was to compare mycotoxin contamination levels of the 2023 corn crop with previous year trends. Samples were analyzed utilizing the liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for six major mycotoxin groups: aflatoxins (Afla), type A trichothecenes (A-Trich), type B trichothecenes (B-Trich), fumonisins (FUM), zearalenone (ZEN), and ochratoxin A (OTA). Statistical analyses were performed with JMP Pro 16 software using one-way ANOVA and means were separated using Tukey’s HSD with significance reported at P ≤ 0.05. A limited number of 2023 samples were screened by time of abstract submission (n = 37); therefore, the contamination profile of this crop year will likely change as the sample pool expands and includes more samples originating from the Midwest. Contamination levels in corn for the tested toxin groups have remained consistent over the survey period. To date, 100% of the samples evaluated contained at least one mycotoxin, compared with 91% that was observed in 2022. Aflatoxin occurrence was numerically greater in 2023 corn compared with previous harvest years (27 vs. 11, 7, 5, and 3%, 2022 through 2019, respectively) while Afla mean contamination levels were similar across the study period (P &amp;gt; 0.05). The occurrence of FUM in 2023 corn was also numerically the greatest (97 vs. 79, 64, 64, and 78%, 2022 through 2019, respectively) and mean FUM contamination levels did not differ across the study period (P &amp;gt; 0.05). Occurrence of A-Trich was numerically increased in 2023 vs. 2022 (22 vs. 3%) but mean contamination level of positive samples for A-Trich was significantly less (P &amp;lt; 0.05) in 2023 vs. 2019 (21 vs. 330 parts per billion) and did not differ from other years in the study. The occurrence of B-Trich was numerically less in 2023 vs. 2022 (35 vs. 68%) while B-Trich mean contamination levels were similar across the study period (P &amp;gt; 0.05). Preliminary results of the 2023 US corn grain survey indicate mycotoxin occurrence is numerically increased while mean contamination levels are similar for most mycotoxin groups other than A-Trich. Continued surveillance is advised to assess the risk to livestock as new crop corn is fed out over the coming months.

Sensory profiles of Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) genetic resources from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

IntroductionThe genetic diversity of Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora), a cornerstone in the global coffee industry, remains not fully explored, leading to a significant gap in our understanding of its sensory intricacies. Our study evaluated the sensory quality potential of the Robusta cultivars from the INERA Coffee Collection in Yangambi (the Democratic Republic of the Congo), the local wild diversity, and their hybrids.MethodsWe evaluated the sensory attributes of 70 genotypes representing the genetic structure of the coffee collection. Of those 70, 22 genotypes were evaluated for two consecutive years to assess the consistency of the sensory quality. Standard coffee cupping with the Fine Robusta Standards and Protocols was enhanced through sensory descriptors from the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel. Each genotype’s sensory profile was constructed based on the Total cupping score and the frequency of reported sensory descriptors. The Total cupping score ranged from 75.75 to 84.75, with a substantial variation in sensory profiles, even within a genetic cluster.Results and discussionNutty/Cocoa was the most frequently reported descriptor class. The sensory profile ideotype exhibits a high frequency of Fruity, Sweet, and Sour/Fermented descriptors and a low frequency of Green/Vegetative, Other, and Roasted descriptors. Evidence suggests that the sensory profile of a genotype is consistent over two harvest years. Genotypes with promising and unique sensory profiles were discovered within the cultivars and the wild – cultivar hybrids. The genetic diversity of wild and cultivated Robusta in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could play an essential role in understanding and improving its sensory quality.

Effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in Wisconsin, USA.

Direct human-caused mortality accounts for about half of all large mammal mortality in North America. For social species like gray wolves (Canis lupus), the death of pack members can disrupt pack structure and cause pack dissolution, and mortality of breeding adults or wolves during reproduction and pup-rearing can decrease pup recruitment. We estimated minimum and maximum probability of wolf pack persistence in Wisconsin, USA, during biological years (15 April-14 April) 2011-2019 and evaluated the influence of pack size and legal harvest mortality on pack persistence during 2012-2014. Harvests comprised 75-161 mortalities within 194 monitored packs during 2012-2014, with 56-74% of packs having no wolves harvested each year. As an index of reproduction during 2013-2019, we also estimated the proportion of packs where pups responded to howl surveys. We evaluated the influence of pack size, legal harvest, and agency removal on reproduction during 2013-2015. Annual maximum pack persistence probability was uniformly high (0.95-1.00), and annual minimum pack persistence probability ranged from 0.86-0.98 with a possible decline during years of harvest. Reproduction was similar in years following harvest and agency removal (2013-2015, pup response = 0.27-0.40), and years without harvest or agency removal the year prior (2016-2019, pup response = 0.28-0.66). Pack size had a positive effect on pack persistence and reproduction. Total number of wolf mortalities and number of adult male and females removed did not influence pack persistence or reproduction. We suggest that low per-pack mortality, timing of harvest and agency removal, and harvest characteristics during 2012-2014 supported stable pack persistence and reproduction.

Effect of Elicitor Treatments on Quality Attributes in Blueberry: Implications of Cultivar and Environmental Conditions.

Elicitors of plant defence responses can trigger defence mechanisms that are able to protect plant tissues from biotic or abiotic stresses. Since one defence response involves the activation of secondary metabolites' biosynthesis, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of chitosan and melatonin pre-harvest treatments on the quality and the nutritional parameters of the fruits of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). Across the two years of experiment, three different cultivars (cv.s. 'Cosmopolitan', 'Hortblue Poppins' and 'Legacy') were treated with 1% chitosan or 100 µM melatonin every two weeks during the ripening season and ripe fruits were progressively harvested and analysed. The treatment with both elicitors had only slight effects on dry matter, soluble solids content, titratable acidity and pH, with a cultivar-dependent response. On the other hand, elicitors significantly affected the levels of phenylpropanoid and antioxidant compounds in all cvs. in both years, with a higher accumulation of total anthocyanins and phenolics and the enhancement of the antioxidant capacity, with positive effects on the nutraceutical quality of fruits. The anthocyanin profile in terms of both absolute concentrations and the relative proportion of single anthocyanins was affected by both harvest year and cv., highlighting the role of the genetic background in the plant response to environmental conditions (with particular reference to summer heat stress) and to elicitor treatments.

Spatial Distribution and Characteristics of Protein Content and Composition in Japonica Rice Grains: Implications for Sake Quality

The quantity and composition of rice proteins play a crucial role in determining taste quality of sake, Japanese rice wine. However, the spatial distribution of proteins within rice grains, especially in endosperm tissue, and the differences between rice varieties remain unclear. Here, we analyzed the crude protein contents and composition ratios of table (Nipponbare and Koshihikari) and genuine sake rice varieties (Yamadanishiki, Gohyakumangoku, Dewasansan, Dewanosato, and Yumenokaori) to elucidate their spatial distribution within the Japonica rice grain endosperm. Seven sake rice varieties were polished over five harvest years using a brewer’s rice-polishing machine. We obtained fractions at 90–70% (the outermost endosperm fraction), 70–50%, 50–30%, and 30–0% (the central region of the endosperm fraction). Yamadanishiki and Dewanosato exhibited considerably lower crude protein contents than the other cultivars. After applying SDS-PAGE, the protein composition, comprising glutelin/total protein (G/TP), prolamin/TP (P/TP), and G/P ratios of these fractions was determined. In white rice (at a 90% rice-polishing ratio), the average ratio of the major protein composition was G/TP 41%, P/TP 21%, and G/P ratios of 1.97. Gohyakumangoku and Yamadanishiki had higher G/TP ratio, while Dewanosato had a lower value. Despite having lower crude protein contents, Yamadanishiki and Dewanosato exhibited significantly varying G/TP ratios. The G/TP ratio markedly varied among rice varieties, particularly in the rice grains’ central region. The 50–30% fraction had the highest P/TP ratio among all tested rice varieties, suggesting spatial differences in P/TP within rice grains. Koshihikari had the lowest P/TP ratio. In addition, the 50–30% fraction had the lowest G/P ratio among all tested rice varieties, with Gohyakumangoku having the highest G/P ratio. Dewanosato had the lowest G/P value, and this value significantly differed from that of Yamadanishiki in the 30–0% fraction. We found substantial differences in protein composition within distinct spatial regions of rice grains, and larger differences among rice varieties were observed in the rice grain’s central region.