High-quality Varieties Research Articles

Selection improvement of pear (Pyrus communis L.) in the Lower Volga region

Over the past several decades, work has been carried out in the Lower Volga region to improve the assortment of pears using classical and analytical selection methods. Until 2016, the main breeding work was carried out in the Lower Volga Research Institute of Agriculture after the reorganization in the Federal Research Center for Agroecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The selection process was based on the methods of stepwise intervarietal hybridization. High-winter-hardy, but with low quality fruits, varieties of local selection and high-quality, but not sufficiently stable, varieties of western selection were used as parent forms. As a result, varieties and hybrids were obtained that have high fruit qualities and increased resistance to abiotic and biotic stress factors of various periods of consumption. Currently, three varieties are zoned in 8 regions, a number of varieties and hybrids are undergoing preliminary and state tests, and can be used both in production and further breeding as donors and sources of economically valuable traits.

Формування сортових рослинних ресурсів та їх роль для розвитку насінництва

The purpose of the article is to develop scientifically grounded proposals for improving the varietal and seed supply of the crop industry of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine. Research methods. In the process of research, the following methods were used: dialectical knowledge of processes and phenomena; monographic (analysis of the current state of plant varieties and prospects for the development of seed production) empirical (relatively comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the use of plant varieties, seeds and planting material in Ukraine and the world) comparative analysis (identified the main problems of the formation of varietal plant resources and the seed production development in Ukraine); abstract-logical (generalization and formulation of conclusions). Research results. The development of varietal plant resources at the present stage is analyzed taking into account the peculiarities of the resource potential of domestic and foreign selection, the current state of the process of creating seeds and planting material, the role of the crop industry in ensuring the food security of the state, deepening integration into the World Trade Organization and the European Union. Promising ways to accelerate the development of the organization of the market of seeds and planting material in Ukraine are outlined. Scientific novelty. The theoretical and methodological provisions for the formation of varietal plant resources in Ukraine have been further developed, which will provide an opportunity to establish international cooperation for the development of new high-performance and high-quality varieties of domestic and foreign selection, which will contribute to the introduction of progressive technologies in crop production and increase labor productivity. Practical significance. The solution to these problems will allow Ukraine to establish international cooperation in the production of seeds and planting material and help attract additional investment funds for the development of the breeding industry. Tabl.: 8. Figs.: 2. Refs.: 18.

Recent changes in rice production in rainfed lowland and irrigated ecosystems in Thailand

ABSTRACT While Thailand is a major rice exporting country in the world, the yield is low among Asian countries. In order to identify factors determining the changes in rice productivity in the country for the last 45 years (1974–2018), various data on production statistics from the Office of Agricultural Economics were analysed for two key regions of rainfed lowland-based Northeast Thailand and irrigated lowland-based Central Thailand. Rice yield increase in Thailand was slower in the first 16 years to 1989, but more rapid to 2011 followed by a large fluctuation in more recent time, and this pattern reflected in the pattern of rice production in the country. The changes in rice production were partly associated with the changes in irrigation water availability affecting dry season rice area and grain yield, thus increasing total production up to 2011, but thereafter decreasing production. The changes in production were also associated with other factors such as increased fertiliser application rate in early years, proportion of modern high yielding varieties adopted in Central Thailand in early years, and continuous agronomic improvement in Northeast Thailand throughout the whole period. In Northeast Thailand where the largest rice production takes place in the country, the same varieties of high grain quality but rather limited yield potential have dominated since 1974, indicating the importance of grain quality rather than high varietal yield in determining the total rice production in the country. Government policy has appeared to have affected the production, though it is not quantified in the study.

Comparative changes in the physiological traits in the flag leaf of two senescing varieties of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Yield gains in wheat are a result of greater plant photosynthetic efficiency and better ability to tolerate biotic or abiotic stresses due to the protection of photosynthetic structures from reactive oxygen species (ROS) by efficient antioxidative system. The slower rate of senescence could be associated to higher grain yield. The objective of this study was to identify antioxidative signalling in two different winter wheat varieties which regulates the process of senescence. Concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, activities of the antioxidant enzymes (catalase (CAT; EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbate peroxidase (APX; EC 1.11.1.11), guaiacol peroxidase (GPOD; EC 1.11.1.7) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO; EC 1.14.18.1)), chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoid (Car) concentration as well as photosynthetic efficiency in the flag leaves were determined. Results showed that compared to high-quality variety (Olimpija), Kraljica (high-yielding variety) increased CAT, APX, GPOD and PPO activities earlier during the course time experiment, which could be the reason of delayed senescence process. Oxidative damage resulting from increased H2O2 accumulation with increased lipid peroxidation and a decline in antioxidative enzymes activity may contribute to accelerated senescence in Olimpija. Furthermore, delay in senescence in Kraljica was associated with a decrease in the grain protein content. As a result of declination in Chl a + b and carotenoid content, MDA concentration in the flag leaves of Olimpija gradually increased at each sampling point with decline in antioxidant enzymes activity. However, the rate of protein and chlorophyll degradation occurs normally below the green tissue where Kraljica maintained higher chlorophyll level longer then Olimpija.

Melon Growing Industry Analysis in Modern Economic Conditions

The purpose of this study is to analyze the development of the melon cultivation industry in the world and in Russia in the context of globalization and economic integration. Systematic and comparative analyzes of information and statistical data of the Russian Federation and the United Nations were used in the research. Despite the fact that Russia has significant soil and climatic resources for the production of melons and gourds, the crop productivity is almost three times lower than the world average. The main areas of commercial melon cultivation in Russia are highlighted. Data on the main indicators are given (crop productivity, land under cultivation and gross output) for the regions of the Russian Federation and the districts of the Volgograd region. The analysis findings are the identification of the main trends in the development of Russian melon cultivation industry. The main ways to increase the gross output of melons and gourds are outlined. An increase in crop productivity is one of the reserves for growth in the production of food melons and gourds. The determining factor for a high and stable productivity of melons and gourds is the creation and introduction of high-quality varieties and hybrids of intensive type crops into production, as well as the use of new agricultural techniques.

Parallel imports in large developing countries

We formulate a two-stage game to examine the parallel import (PI) policies for large developing countries. Two countries, a developed (N) and a developing (S), make their PI policies in the first stage. A high-quality variety is produced in N by a monopoly firm, and a low-quality variety is produced in S by a lot of firms under perfect competition. The monopoly firm chooses the optimal pricing strategy in the second stage. We clarify how market outcomes and PI policies depend on the quality difference, the income differential, country sizes, and the weights of consumer surplus and firm profits in measuring the national welfare. Our results provide a theoretical base for developing countries to make their PI policies according to their market sizes. Discriminatory pricing is obtained when governments care about consumer surplus, while uniform pricing is obtained when governments care about firm profit.

A test of the Alchian–Allen conjecture with transaction-level trade data

ABSTRACTWe use Kosovo’s transaction-level import value, tariff duties and transport cost data for very finely disaggregated products to test the Alchian–Allen conjecture. First, we show that the elasticity of freight costs to import prices is much lower than the unitary elasticity predicted by the iceberg transport cost hypothesis. Second, we find that import unit values rise with transport costs and decline with ad valorem tariffs. Our results confirm the Alchian–Allen conjecture that per-unit transport costs reduce the price of high-quality varieties relative to low-quality varieties, raising their relative demand in high freight cost destinations.

TWENTY-TWO-YEAR PAPAYA BREEDING PROGRAM: FROM BREEDING STRATEGY ESTABLISHMENT TO CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT

The papaya crop occupies 32 thousand hectares of planted area in Brazil, with a total annual production of 1.6 million tons (12.5% of the world supply). The country stands out in this scenario as the second biggest producer of the fruit worldwide, only after India. The narrow genetic base of the crop once limited its variability, but the use of classical and molecular plant breeding techniques has enabled the development of a number of higher-yielding cultivars with different levels of resistance to fungal diseases. However, many studies still ought to be undertaken to investigate the papaya crop, given the constant search for higher-yielding cultivars with quality and flavor attributes and the wide range of pathogens affecting the crop, which has not yet shown fully resistant genotypes. Advances in the genomics of papaya provide tools that may improve cultivar production and development systems. This article describes studies conducted by the genetics and breeding group at UENF, in a partnership with Caliman Agricola S.A., using conventional breeding, diallel cross, and topcross, among other techniques, for the development of 21 hybrids, which were registered at MAPA, in addition to studies with DNA-based markers for sex determination and for the generation of resistant and productive cultivars. This review focuses on the 22 years of conventional breeding for the most recent molecular progress in papaya growing. The information reported here is extremely useful for breeders to develop resistant, productive, and high-quality varieties through assisted selection.

Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Fuzzy-Seed Counting by Image Analysis

In recent years cottonseed size has been reduced as a result of the substantial fiber yield increases cotton breeders have made. Small cottonseed size has been associated with reduced germination, low seedling vigor and stand establishment, and has created production problems for downstream whole seed users. The potential loss in revenue to the cotton industry due to small seed size is substantial and has prompted a renewed effort by breeders to generate high-yielding, high-quality varieties with increased seed size. To aid these efforts and enable a better understanding of the effects of seed characteristics on fiber, a fuzzy-seed imaging method was developed. The method utilizes inexpensive, off-the-shelf equipment and an open source image processing pipeline to derive the number of seeds, seed index, and seed area, height, width, and perimeter. The time to image the seed and process the image takes less than three minutes per sample on average. The seed counts and seed index were strongly correlated with manual measurements at r = 0.967 and 0.693, respectively. Associations among seed characteristics and fiber indicate seed area, when used to calculate lint density, could be a useful selection criterion for breeders to increase both yield and seed size.

Visible and Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Discriminant Analysis Applied to Brand Identification of Wine

High-end wine brand is made through the use of high-quality grape variety and yeast strain, and through a unique process. Not only is it rich in nutrients, but also it has a unique taste and a fragrant scent. Brand identification of wine is difficult and complex because of high similarity. In this paper, visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to explore the feasibility of wine brand identification. Chilean Aoyo wine (2016 vintage) was selected as the identification brand (negative, 100 samples), and various other brands of wine were used as interference brands (positive, 373 samples). Samples of each type were randomly divided into the calibration, prediction and validation sets. For comparison, the PLS-DA models were established in three independent and two complex wavebands of visible (400 - 780 nm), short-NIR (780 - 1100 nm), long-NIR (1100 - 2498 nm), whole NIR (780 - 2498 nm) and whole scanning (400 - 2498 nm). In independent validation, the five models all achieved good discriminant effects. Among them, the visible region model achieved the best effect. The recognition-accuracy rates in validation of negative, positive and total samples achieved 100%, 95.6% and 97.5%, respectively. The results indicated the feasibility of wine brand identification with Vis-NIR spectroscopy.

贵州大蒜优质品种品质筛选初报

贵州大蒜优质品种品质筛选初报

Using CRISPR-Cas9 to generate semi-dwarf rice lines in elite landraces

Genetic erosion refers to the loss of genetic variation in a crop. In China, only a few original landraces of rice (Oryza sativa) were used in breeding and these became the primary genetic background of modern varieties. Expanding the genetic diversity among Chinese rice varieties and cultivating high-yielding and high-quality varieties with resistance to different biotic and abiotic stresses is critical. Here, we used the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein9(Cas9) genome editing system to edit Semi-Dwarf1 (SD1) in the elite landraces Kasalath and TeTePu (TTP), which contain many desired agronomic traits such as tolerance to low phosphorous and broad-spectrum resistance to several diseases and insects. Mutations of SD1 confer shorter plant height for better resistance to lodging. Field trials demonstrated that the yield of the new Kasalath and TTP mutant lines was better than that of the wild type under modern cultivation and that the lines maintained the same desirable agronomic characteristics as their wild-type progenitors. Our results showed that breeding using available landraces in combination with genomic data of different landraces and gene-editing techniques is an effective way to relieve genetic erosion in modern rice varieties.

Selection Model for Optimization of the Gene Bank of Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) and plum (Prunus domestica L.) in the Low Volga Region

The researchers of the Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture of the Low Volga region – the branch of FSC of agroecology of RAS – have developed the regulations for the selection model of optimization of genetic pool and created a number of varieties of cherry and plum by hybridization of local and southern varieties and by use of hybrids of free pollination. The optimization of gene bank of cherry and plum on the basis of the study of genetic biodiversity and regulations for the selection model and programs provides the adaptation of the newly developed varieties for the creation of industrial crops in agrosystems of the Low Volga and other regions of Russia. The catalog of assortment has been developed and the six varieties of garden plum (Prunus domestica L.) regionalized, including Volgogradskaya, Bogatyrskaya, and Vengerka korneyevskaya varieties, as well as a number of other ones that have been created during hybridization of the local varieties of the Volga region, such as, Volzhskaya sinyaya, Ternosliv letniy, Ternosliv osenniy with the most adaptive introduced varieties. The new varieties and elites (best specimens) of sour cherry (Prunu scerasus L.): Loznovskaya, Dubovskaya krupnoplodnaya, Melodiya, Lyubimitsa, Peskovatskaya, Dubovochka, Temnookrashennaya, Sharada, Pamyat‘ Zhukovoy – have been selected by intervarietal hybridization and by sowing of seeds collected during free pollination of the following varieties: Zhukovskaya, Lyubskaya, Krasa Severa, Shirpotreb chernaya, Ujfeherto furtos. The above-mentioned forms contributed to a richer assortment of garden plum and sour cherry in the Low Volga region, meaning adaptive, high-yielding, high-quality varieties of universal use. There is a good reason to use the above-mentioned assortment as the integrated donors during the development of selection programs aimed at continued improvement of varieties of stone fruit crops.

Autopolyploid induction via somatic embryogenesis in Lilium distichum Nakai and Lilium cernuum Komar

New ornamental varieties of high quality can be created via artificial polyploid induction. In the present study, the first system of polyploid induction with somatic embryogenesis of Lilium distichum Nakai and Lilium cernuum Komar. was developed. Somatic embryos were cultured on MS with 0.41 μmol L−1 picloram and 1.07 μmol L−1 NAA by scales (5 mm2). After 40 days, somatic embryos were transferred to MS with 2.21 μmol L−1 BA for somatic embryogenesis. As determined from observations of paraffin sections, embryonic cells of L. distichum originated from outer cells at first, and somatic embryogenesis occurred through an indirect pathway. In L. cernuum, embryonic cells originated from inner cells at first, and somatic embryogenesis occurred through a direct pathway. Polyploids were successfully formed from somatic embryos and scales by the soaking and mixed culture methods with different colchicine concentrations (0.01%, 0.05%, and 0.1%; v/v) and durations (24, 48, and 72 h). The polyploid induction rate reached 57.14% and 46.15% with 0.05% colchicine treatment in L. distichum (48 h) and L. cernuum (24 h), respectively. Tetraploids (28.57% and 23.08%) and aneuploids without chimeras among the obtained polyploid plantlets were identified by chromosome counts of root-tip tissue squashes in L. distichum and L. cernuum. Tetraploid plantlets of L. distichum exhibited broader leaves, longer guard cells, larger stomata and higher stomatal conductance than diploid plantlets. Tetraploid plantlets of L. cernuum showed 1.76 × higher chlorophyll content, significantly more leaves, longer guard cells, larger stomata and lower stomatal conductance than diploid plantlets. For the first time, we established a somatic embryogenesis system for L. distichum and L. cernuum using somatic embryos and scales to induce polyploids by soaking and mixed culture. Combinations of colchicine concentrations and periods of time were compared to select the best treatment combination. Comprehensive morphological observations, stomatal observations and root-tip tissue squashes were used to identify the ploidy of doubling plants. Our results provide a foundation for improving the ornamental value of two wild lily species, creating new Lilium germplasm and improving the reproduction coefficient of these resources.

Problems of modern enterprise’s economic security estimation

Different approaches to the definition of the essence of the concept security enterprise, and to the identification of the threats to the economic security of the national entity and the current state of economic security enterprises of Ukraine have been investigated in the article. The basic theoretical approaches to defining the essence of the concept of security of the are considered, as well as threats to the economic security of domestic economic entities are identified and systematized. Economic security of business entities is a basic component of the micro level. It determines and defines the economic security regions, sectors (areas) and the state in general. The financial security of a modern company is determined by a variety of high quality, as well as numerical characteristics, among which is considered an indicator of the level of financial security. The degree of financial security of the company is an analysis of the productivity of using the company's resources at the existing degree of economic and entrepreneurial risk. In order to achieve a higher degree of financial security, an organization is required to observe the highest security of key flows of its activities. The main trends of the company can be represented from a multifunctional as well as institutional point of view. The potential threats to economic security of the company are identified. They can be divided into external and internal ones. External threats do not depend on the enterprise activity. They can be only considered (if they are identified) in the in the process of organization of the company activity. Internal threats are caused by the activities of the enterprise itself: the by the system organization of such activities, by the level of financial management, by the qualification of its leaders etc. more. Recently, many factors, that cause a threat and negative impact on the economic security of domestic enterprises, have intensified. That fact, that the threats to economic security of the company have been increasing, causes the need for some rapid actions which should be done by the owners of the enterprise and its top managers.

Development of EST-based SSR and SNP markers in Gastrodia elata (herbal medicine) by sequencing, de novo assembly and annotation of the transcriptome.

Tianma (Gastrodia elata Blume) has unique biological characteristics and high medicinal value. The wild resource of G. elata is being overutilized and should be conserved as it is already included in the list of endangered species in China. The population size of cultivated G. elata is small because of domestication bottleneck. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to evolve high-quality varieties and conserve wild resources of G. elata. In this study, we sequenced tuber transcriptomes of three major cultivated sub-species of Gastrodia elata, namely G. elata BI. f. elata, G. elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow, and G. elata Bl. f. Viridis, and obtained about 7.8G clean data. The assembled high-quality reads of three sub-species were clustered into 56,884 unigenes. Of these, 31,224 (54.89%), 25,733 (45.24%), 22,629 (39.78%), and 11,856 (20.84%) unigenes were annotated by Nr, Swiss-Port, Eukaryotic Ortholog Groups (KOG), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases, respectively. Here, a total of 3766 EST-SSRs and 128,921 SNPs were identified from the unigenes. The results not only offer huge number of genes that were responsible for the growth, development, and metabolism of bioactive components, but also a large number of molecular markers were detected for future studies on the conservation genetics and molecular breeding of G. elata.

Theoretical basis of concept interpretation of "investment" and "investment activity"

It is proved that dynamic and efficient development of investment activity is a prerequisite for ensuring economic growth of the country and ensuring reproductive dynamics on an innovative basis. Activation of investment activity results in the manifestation of economic, environmental, social effects at the macro, meso and micro levels. The approaches of foreign and domestic theory of investment activity are generalized, the methods of state regulation of the investment process are systematized, which facilitated the substantiation of the components of the investment mechanism. The means of cognition and economic categories are described as an instrument for understanding the functioning of the investment mechanism and the financial regulation of the activities of investment institutes, as well as the results and means of this knowledge used in the theory and practice of studying the problems of improving the investment mechanism. The information and analytical provision by statistical authorities of the process of studying investment processes in the context of the main forms of investment is emphasized, investments in fixed capital are described, which characterize direct investments in the reproduction of fixed assets of economic entities. The peculiarities of investing activities of agricultural enterprises and the main forms of its implementation are characterized. It is substantiated that investment activity is one of the types of economic activity, which represents an important form of realization of the economic interests of its participants, namely increasing competitiveness, stability and sustainability of functioning in the conditions of a changing environment of an agricultural enterprise. It was established that investment activity to ensure the reproduction of the components of resource support of enterprises is oriented towards capital investments for the following purposes: timely updating of basic means of production, introduction of new or improved equipment, equipment, technologies, new high-quality varieties of plants and animal breeds, etc., which leads to significant positive changes in production activity. The main elements of the project documentation and the procedure for conducting their examination are described. It is proved that investment activity on the reproduction of resource support is connected with the provision of positive reproductive dynamics in the processes of economic activity, which are achieved by the interaction of the complex of organizational and economic mechanisms, and the purposeful development of the agricultural enterprise and the economy of the industry as a whole. Presented measures related to the processes of reproduction of resource supply of agricultural enterprises, provide long-term sustainable development, which involves achievement of high financial and economic results, social and ecological effect, while using the resources available at the disposal of the enterprise are highlighted. These aspects are closely linked to the formation of a reproductive policy of an agricultural enterprise on the principles of sustainable development. Key words: investment, investment activity, enterprise, investment risk, resources, investments.

Penerapan Teknologi Budidaya Inpago Unsoed 1 di Kelompok Tani Padi Desa Tinggarjaya, Kecamatan Jatilawang, Kabupaten Banyumas

Tegaljaya and Mekarjaya are farmer groups in Tinggarjaya Village, Jatilawang District, Banyumas Regency. The narrow land area causes the welfare of farmer groups members to be still low. In order to improve well-being, it is necessary to increase rice productivity using high yield and high quality varieties, namely Inpago Unsoed 1. The purpose of this activity is to increase rice production in Tinggarjaya Village through the application of Inpago Unsoed 1 cultivation technology. This activity was carried out through the Inpago Unsoed 1 Rice Crop Management Field School approach which was translated into three activities, namely 1) Technology Transfer; 2) Plotting Demonstration; and 3) Evaluation of activities. The results of this activity were farmers of the Tegaljaya and Mekarjaya Farmers who received the Inpago Unsoed 1 superior variety and were willing to replan and the farmer gets a new superior variety alternative, Inpago Unsoed 1 which has good competitiveness.

IOC lets contracts for units and catalysts at Indian refineries to McDermott Int’l

Transmission of price shocks among related markets is a necessary condition for economic efficiency. Earlier empirical studies have investigated price spillovers in green coffee markets across physical space, quality space, and/or time through highly restrictive models. The present work examines price transmission “at the extremes” using penalized quantile regressions, an econometric tool that allows one to analyze complex market networks. The analysis relies on daily green coffee prices from two geographically separated markets (USA and EU), four coffee varieties, and two futures markets. The empirical results suggest: (a) price risk spillovers are stronger when quality differentiation is low and when green coffee varieties are traded within the same spatial market; (b) higher quality varieties are net-transmitters of price risk to lower quality ones while futures markets are net-receivers of price risk from spot markets; and (c) asymmetric price spillovers are more likely to occur for coffee beans traded in different spatial markets.

Significance of sustainable eco-tourism for Serbia's economic development

Sustainable development of eco-tourism in Serbia has great prospects and opportunities for the intensification of entrepreneurship based on natural resources in rural and mountainous areas. In the world after euphoria due to staying in hotelsskyscrapers, ice hotels, boat hotels and other exotic places with Japanese, Thai, Italian and French specialties, tourists return to the gentle landscapes, primal values and ethnic food. Food producers in Serbia have potential on large areas of fertile soils and pastures, high-quality varieties of crops, good breeds of sheep, pigs, cows, goats and mangules. There is practically no general marketing and promotion of the tourist offer in our country, as well as branding of Serbian food products for placement on world markets. To attract investment, it is necessary to develop Serbian tourism brands and promote eco-tourism in mountainous and rural areas at international fairs. Hunting, fishing, hiking, trekking and horseback riding, supplemented by the consumption of ethnic food and organic food products, marked with local brands and geographical origin can make a significant contribution to the sustainability of tourism, ecotourism and other forms of entrepreneurship in Serbia.