Improvement Of Grain Quality Research Articles

OPTIMIZATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL METHODS OF CULTIVATION OF WINTER BARLEY IN CONDITIONS EXPERIMENTAL FIELD WNAU

The spread of areas under crops of winter barley is associated with great national economic importance, since its products include malt, feed grain, hay and are used in the food industry. The main reasons for the production of an insufficient amount of winter barley grain is a violation of cultivation technologies. Among the main ones are the untimely use of means of protection or the absence of these measures to regulate the number of harmful organisms in crops of winter barley to an economically imperceptible level. Violation of the scientific foundations of agriculture and changes in weather and climatic conditions led to an increase in the development of diseases, the number of weeds in winter barley crops. During seed dressing with modern highly effective dressing agents, conditions are created under which winter barley plants better tolerate stress, improve the development of their root system, which is important for plants in preparation for winter entry. The infestation of winter barley fields is accompanied by the appearance of both early and late crops, a certain periodicity of the appearance of weeds of different biological groups. Accordingly, in different conditions and in different fields, the weed structure can differ significantly. Therefore, the development of highly effective systems for protecting winter barley crops from weeds largely depends on the completeness of the study of phytocenoses and the species composition of weeds. The introduction of herbicides on crops of winter barley contributed to a sharp decrease in weeds. Dicotyledonous weeds were almost completely destroyed, in the agrocenoses of winter barley, mainly cereal weeds remained, but they did not pose a threat to barley plants. Control of barley and weed plant diseases in agrocenoses provides an increase in crop yields, as well as an improvement in grain quality. To obtain the planned level of grain yield of winter barley of appropriate quality, it is recommended before sowing barley seeds to treat with a disinfectant Scenik 80 FS at a rate of 1,5 l/ha, and for effective weed control in winter barley crops, spray with herbicide Caliber 75 c. g. + South Africa Trend 90 at a rate of 50 g/ha + 0,2 l/ha, which helps reduce weeds to 96,5% and will allow to obtain a grain yield of winter barley at 6,24 t/ha.

Algal amendment improved yield and grain quality of rice with alleviation of the impacts of salt stress and water stress

The hazardous effect of abiotic stress and the beneficial effect of organic amendments on rice have been extensively studied during the vegetative stage, but little information is available regarding rice yield. Therefore, the response of rice yield to abiotic stress × organic amendment interaction needs thorough investigation. The differential potency of aqueous extract and biomass of the seaweed Dictyota dichotoma in alleviation of NaCl salinity and PEG-6000 water stress, at Ψw of -0.492 MPa in medium-textured soil, on yield of cv. Sakha 101 of Oryza sativa was investigated. Grain yield, number of spikes/plant, number of grains/spike, and seed index were lowered by 59%, 47%, 40%, and 35%, respectively under salt-stress with relatively severe reductions of 63%, 50%, 50%, and 40%, respectively under water stress. Also, the improvement in grain yield, number of spikes/plant, number of grains/spike and seed index by algal amendment was greater with algal extract (106%, 72%, 79%, and 81%, respectively) than algal powder (71%, 52%, 46%, and 65%, respectively). The improved grain yield of algal-amended plants was paralleled with the production of wider, heavier and drier grains. Both salinity stress and water stress significantly reduced grain protein but increased soluble sugars and starch contents. The grain content of protein, K+, Ca2+, P and N was improved while that of Na+ was reduced in response to algal amendment with marginal effects on soluble sugars and starch. Rice grain vigor was positively correlated to protein and mineral nutrient contents versus negative correlation with soluble sugar and starch contents. Both algal amendment and abiotic stress agreed in reducing grain As content. The benefit afforded by Dictyota dichotoma to rice yield justifies manipulation of the algal extract for alleviation of abiotic stress on rice yield and improvement of grain quality.

Nitrogen and cultivars as field strategies to improve the nutritional status of wheat grain and flour

Wheat grows better and accumulates more nutrients in its grains when fertilized with N. However, improvements in grain quality and flour could be affected during the milling process and by differences in the edaphoclimatic conditions where the crop is grown. Field experiments were performed in Ponta Grossa-Paraná and Itaberá-São Paulo, Brazil, during 2015, under a randomized complete block system, with three replicates and a factorial design, with five cultivars (BRS Gralha Azul, TBIO Sinuelo, TBIO Toruk, CD 1104 and ORS Vintecinto) and six rates of N fertilization (0, 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 kg N ha−1) as the factors. The N fertilization increased wheat yield (from 1315 to 3017 kg ha−1) and grain protein content (from 158 to 173 kg ha−1) in Ponta Grossa, but not in Itaberá (average grain yield of 4024 kg ha−1). The N fertilization increased the flour protein content in the two locations and the Zn content in the grains and in the flour in Itaberá, but not in Ponta Grossa. Wheat cultivars presented variable concentrations of nutrients in the grains and flour, and the nutrient status in the grains was correlated with that in the flour. In conclusion, both N fertilization and cultivar selection were effective strategies to increase the quality of wheat flour but the magnitude of the improvements were affected by edaphoclimatic conditions.

Targeting Cis-Regulatory Elements for Rice Grain Quality Improvement.

Rice is the most important source of food worldwide, providing energy, and nutrition for more than half of the population worldwide. Rice grain quality is a complex trait that is affected by several factors, such as the genotype and environment, and is a major target for rice breeders. Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) are the regions of non-coding DNA, which play a critical role in gene expression regulation. Compared with gene knockout, CRE modifications can fine-tune the expression levels of target genes. Genome editing has provided opportunities to modify the genomes of organisms in a precise and predictable way. Recently, the promoter modifications of coding genes using genome editing technologies in plant improvement have become popular. In this study, we reviewed the results of recent studies on the identification, characterization, and application of CREs involved in rice grain quality. We proposed CREs as preferred potential targets to create allelic diversity and to improve quality traits via genome editing strategies in rice. We also discussed potential challenges and experimental considerations for the improvement in grain quality in crop plants.

Dry cultivation and cultivar affect starch synthesis and traits to define rice grain quality in various panicle parts

A pot experiment was conducted to explore the effects of high-quality (Huanghuazhan, HH), drought-resistant (IR, IRAT109) and drought-susceptible cultivars (ZS, Zhenshan97) under flooding irrigation and dry cultivation (D) on the starch accumulation and synthesis, physicochemical traits of starch granules and rice grain quality at the upper (U) and lower panicle. Under D treatment, IR and ZS had lower rice quality, especially the appearance and cooking quality. DHH-U had the highest appearance, nutritional and cooking quality among all cultivars under D treatment, which could be ascribed to the synthesis of more short-branch chain amylopectin and correspondingly higher starch granule tightness. DHH-U also maintained ordered carbohydrate structure, crystalline regions, and many hydrophilic and hydrophobic functional groups in starch granules before pasting. It could prevent the polymerization of small molecules to avoid the formation of macromolecules after pasting. Overall, these findings may facilitate the improvement of grain quality in rice dry cultivation.

Progress on inheritance and gene cloning for rice grain quality in Jiangsu province.

In China, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major cereal crop of great importance maintaining the food security and sustainable agricultural development. Jiangsu is one of the main provinces for rice production. After more than 40 years of development, the yield and quality of rice grain have made great progress. Rice grain quality is a complex trait involving production, processing, marketing and consumption of the grain. In this review, we summarize the progress on the genetic basis of main grain quality traits in the rice variety breeding in Jiangsu province and point out the achievement of each milestone. With a focus on the genetic regulation of grain appearance, eating and cooking quality and nutritional quality, we describe the classic genetic rules and molecular basis of rice grain quality traits and review the function of major genes that regulate corresponding traits. The genetics and improvement of grain quality achieved in Jiangsu province was highlighted on the domestic and international rice breeding programs. In particular, with the advance of breeding conception in terms of functional genomics and genetic regulatory networks, the specific molecular design for grain quality improvement will be the future direction of rice genetic breeding program of Jiangsu Province.

The origin of Wxla provides new insights into the improvement of grain quality in rice

Appearance and taste are important factors in rice (Oryza sativa) grain quality. Here, we investigated the taste scores and related eating‐quality traits of 533 diverse cultivars to assess the relationships between—and genetic basis of—rice taste and eating‐quality. A genome‐wide association study highlighted the Wx gene as the major factor underlying variation in taste and eating quality. Notably, a novel waxy (Wx) allele, Wx la, which combined two mutations from Wx b and Wx in, exhibited a unique phenotype. Reduced GBSSI activity conferred Wx la rice with both a transparent appearance and good eating quality. Haplotype analysis revealed that Wx la was derived from intragenic recombination. In fact, the recombination rate at the Wx locus was estimated to be 3.34 kb/cM, which was about 75‐fold higher than the genome‐wide mean, indicating that intragenic recombination is a major force driving diversity at the Wx locus. Based on our results, we propose a new network for Wx evolution, noting that new Wx alleles could easily be generated by crossing genotypes with different Wx alleles. This study thus provides insights into the evolution of the Wx locus and facilitates molecular breeding for quality in rice.

Gradual Application of Potassium Fertilizer Elevated the Sugar Conversion Mechanism and Yield of Waxy and Sweet Fresh-Eaten Maize in the Semiarid Cold Region

Fresh-eaten maize (Zea mays L.) is favored by consumers for its unique flavor, good health, and medical effects. Heilongjiang province is a semiarid cold region with the annual output of 3.35 billion ears, and the demand for fresh eaten maize is increasing in the region. Therefore, improving its yield and quality is urgently needed in this area. In this study, two of thirty varieties (waxy maize Jin-262 and sweet maize Jingke-183) were used and five proportions of potassium (K2O, 120 kg/ha) were applied at sowing, jointing, and large trumpet stages to identify the high yield and quality of fresh-eaten maize under a semiarid cold ecological condition in Daqing, Heilongjiang province, China, during 2017-2018. The results from the screening of eighteen maize varieties showed that waxy maize Jin-262 and sweet maize Jingke-183 had higher starch content and soluble sucrose contents than those of other varieties. While the potassium proportions application during the sowing (20%), jointing (40%), and large trumpet stages (40%) had further significantly increased the starch content, soluble sugar content, sucrose content, and sucrose metabolic enzymes activities of Jin-262 and Jingke-183, however, the yields of Jin-262 and Jingke-183 had increased by applying potassium fertilizer during the sowing stages (50%) and jointing stages (50%). Considering the overall higher maize quality, we recommended the waxy maize Jin-262 and sweet maize Jingke-183 varieties along with application of 20% (sowing), 40% (jointing), and 40% (large trumpet stages) of 120 kg/ha potassium fertilizer for the improvement of grain quality of maize planting in the semiarid cold region. Otherwise, reasonable gradual potassium fertilization might be a wiser option.

ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТЬ ПРЕДПОСЕВНОЙ ОБРАБОТКИ СЕМЯН ЯРОВОГО ЯЧМЕНЯ НАНОСТРУКТУРНОЙ ВОДНО-ФОСФОРИТНОЙ СУСПЕНЗИЕЙ

This article presents the results of a study on the use of phosphorite rock of the usual grinding of the Syundyukovskoye deposit in the Republic of Tatarstan and nanostructured water-phosphorite suspension as a means for pre-sowing seed treatment of the main feed crop of the republic – spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) when grown on heavy loamy leached chernozem based on an experimental field in the Buinsky municipal district of Tatarstan. The effect of phosphorite rock and nanostructured water-phosphorite suspension on the yield and quality indicators of spring barley cultivar Rakhat was studied. In field experiments, the effectiveness of treating barley seeds with a nanostructured water-phosphorite suspension was revealed. In field experiments, the effectiveness of treating barley seeds with a nanostructured water-phosphorite suspension at a dose of 1.25 kg per ton of seed was revealed. The acceleration of the passage of the phases of plant development (seedlings, tillering, exit to the tube) by 2-5 days, an increase in productivity by 2.0-15.0 centner per hectare and an improvement in grain quality in terms of protein content of up to 10.8 % in comparison with other experience options were established.

ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ ПРЕПАРАТА «МЕФОСФОН» ДЛЯ ПОЛУЧЕНИЯ ПОЛЕЗНЫХ ПРОДУКТОВ, ПОВЫШАЮЩИХ УРОЖАЙНОСТЬ ПШЕНИЦЫ

The article presents the results of the practical application of products obtained from waste from poultry farming and the oil industry using the biologically active drug “Mefosfon”. Field tests using an aqueous solution of “Mefosfon” at extremely low concentrations (10-6 - 10-8%) made it possible to obtain “Kompost UP-1” product of IV hazard class from chicken manure, and “Meliorant” product of V hazard class from drilling waste. Field studies to study the effect of products on spring wheat growth were carried out in the experimental fields of the Laishevsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan. “Kompost UP-1” and “Meliorant” were introduced under pre-sowing cultivation in the amount of 50 tons per hectare and 1.3 tons per hectare, respectively. For comparison, control plots were organized (Control). The seeds used were spring wheat of Yoldyz variety (“Kompost UP-1”) and Idelle (Meliorant). Analysis of growth and productivity indicators of plants grown in different areas showed that the application of “Meliorant” optimizes soil pH, activates mass transfer processes, and the application of “Kompost UP-1” helps to increase the content of nutrients (N, P, K). At the stage of tillering of plants in the area with “Kompost UP-1”, the average phytomass per unit length of plants was 1.8 times higher than in the control. The use of “Kompost UP-1” leads to a significant improvement in grain quality: the mass fraction of protein increased by 32%, vitreous content by 60%, and the content of crude gluten by 34%. Productivity increased and amounted to 42 kg/ha, which is 14 kg more than in the control.

Prospects for the use of poultry and drilling waste in agriculture

The article presents the possibilities of obtaining useful products from poultry and oil industry wastes using Mephosphon biologically active agent. The use of an aqueous solution of the Mephosphone preparation in ultra-low concentrations (10−6–10−8%) allowed obtaining the Compost UP-1 product from chicken manure and the Meliorant product from drilling waste. The Compost UP-1 belongs to the 4th hazard class in terms of physico-chemical and sanitary-biological characteristics, and the Meliorant product in terms of pollutant content belongs to the 5th hazard class. Studies on the influence of useful products derived from waste were carried out in the field in the experimental fields of the Laishevsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan. The Compost UP-1 and Meliorant products were introduced during pre-sowing cultivation in an amount of 26 t/ha and 1.3 t/ha, respectively. For comparison, during the research, reference plots were organized (Reference). The seeds were spring wheat of the Yoldyz variety (Compost UP-1) and Idelle (Meliorant). The analysis of growth and productivity indicators of plants grown in different areas showed that the use of the obtained products improved soil fertility: the introduction of the Meliorant product optimizes soil pH, activates mass transfer processes, and the introduction of the Compost UP-1 product increases the content of nutrients (N, P, K). So at the tillering stage in the section with Compost UP-1, the average phytomass per unit length of plants was 1.8 times higher than in the Reference. The use of Compost UP-1 leads to a significant improvement in grain quality: the mass fraction of protein increased by 32 %, vitreous content by 60 %, and the content of crude gluten by 34 %. Productivity increased and amounted to 42 kg/ha, which is 14 kg more than in the Reference. The use of the Meliorant also activated the growth of plants, and led to an improvement in the quality of grain.

Research on Quality of Maize Grain as a Result of the Application of an Innnovative System for Storing Grain Under Operating Conditions

Abstract This study analyses the results of research on the improvement of grain quality using a filling core in a grain silo. The research is a part of the research project aimed at developing an innovative system for drying and storing maize grain that, among other benefits, reduces grain damage. Two series were carried out: a control series, in which a chute was applied as the main element, and an operation series, in which a cascade chute was used for testing. The analysis conducted on the simulated operating conditions showed a 4-5-fold reduction in the amount of grain damaged following the application of the filling core compared with the control series. It has also been shown that a 6-meter cascade chute considerably decreases the velocity of the falling grain when loading the silo.

Genotype x environment interaction and genetic gain for grain yield and grain quality traits in Turkish spring wheat released between 1964 and 2010.

The study was conducted to determine the effects of genotype (G), environment (E), their interaction (GEI) and genetic gain on yield and grain quality traits in Turkish spring wheat cultivars released between 1964 and 2010. We conducted a multi-environment trial at three testing locations: Adana, Adapazarı, and Izmir, during the 2009, 2011 and 2013 cropping seasons and tested 35 cultivars released by the respective breeding programs. Allelic variations of high and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS and LMW-GS) and 1B/1R translocation was also determined and evaluated in all cultivars. Comparing yield across three locations, Adana (6416 kg ha-1) yield was relatively higher than in Izmir (5887 kg ha-1) and Adapazarı (5205 kg ha-1) (P<0.001). Overall, GY was influenced by the varieties, testing location and breeding programs (P<0.001). Cultivars from Izmir breeding program performed relatively better (6174 kg ha-1) than those from Adana (5996 kg ha-1) and Adapazarı (5351 kg ha-1) (<0.001). We recommend Ziyabey-98, Menemen, and Basribey-95, for stable grain yield in spring wheat production across the studied regions because of their wide adaptability, and Pamukova-97 for future breeding to improve grain quality parameters. We found three breeding programs have successfully increased the grain yield and quality traits for 46 years. As a group, cultivars released after 2000 had the highest yield indicating breeding progress. Genetic gain for GY was 30.9 kg ha−1 per year from 1964 with annual increase compared to the yield of older cultivar Akova B-2 (4102 kg ha-1) which constitutes a 0.75% rate of genetic gain. Improvement in grain quality was related to change in protein composition rather than an increase in protein content whereas yield improvement seems to mainly be related to increases in test weight and 1000 kernel weight. High molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) 5+10 showed an increase in frequency whereas 2+12 showed a decrease over the breeding period.

The Synthesis and Regulation of Micronutrients in Rice Grains

Amino acids, vitamins and lipids are the important micronutrients in rice grains. Their synthesis and regulation have important effects on the normal growth and development in rice seeds. This review has mainly summarized the new advances in the synthesis and regulation of amino acids, vitamins and lipids in rice grains. Simultaneously, the challenges of the synthesis and accumulation of the micronutrients in rice grains were also discussed. This review provides important information for genetic improvement of grain quality in rice and, potentially, other staple cereals.

АКТИВНОСТЬ ИНГИБИТОРОВ ТРИПСИНА В СЕМЕНАХ ФАСОЛИ ОБЫКНОВЕННОЙ (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.) ИЗ КОЛЛЕКЦИИ ВИР: ИЗМЕНЧИВОСТЬ И ИСХОДНЫЙ МАТЕРИАЛ ДЛЯ СЕЛЕКЦИИ

Background. An important trend in modern common bean breeding is the improvement of grain quality, including by reducing the content of anti-nutrients, so it is important to identify accessions that are free of inhibitors or contain minimal amounts of them. The search for samples with high content of inhibitors is also relevant, since inhibitors play a crucial role in the functioning of the basic biochemical mechanisms that determine and regulate the physiological state of the cell. Materials and methods. Presented here are the results of biochemical and field screening of 141 common bean accessions (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) of different ecogeographic origin from the collection of VIR. Various sets of accessions were grown at VIR's experimental stations - Krymsk Experiment Breeding Station, branch of VIR (Town of Krymsk); Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR (City of St. Petersburg) - in 2000-2003. Field study of economically valuable traits was carried out according to VIR's methods. Trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) was calculated at the biochemical laboratory of VIR by spectrophotometry. The program Statistica 7.0. (StatSoft, Inc., USA) was used for statistical analysis. Results. TIA assessment in the seeds of common bean accessions showed that the mean value of the trait varied depending on the country of origin and the year of study. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the values of correlation coefficients were unstable over the years of study, and did not allow us to reveal stable relationships between TIA in bean seeds and meteorological conditions (-0.39 ≤ r ≤ 0.41), morphological (0.03 ≤ r ≤ 0.23) and economically valuable (-0.05 ≤ r ≤ 0.21) traits. The analysis of variance showed that the content of trypsin inhibitors in seeds depends more on the genetic properties of plants (effect-size percentage is 88.6%), less on weather conditions (12.24-20.16%), the year of reproduction (20.16%) or origin (18.87%), and only to a small extent on the place of reproduction (10.76%). Conclusions. The study helped to find 8 sources of low TIA ( 13 mg/g). Accessions combining high seed protein content (> 30%) with low (< 7 mg/g) or medium (7-9 mg/g) TIA levels were also identified. Those accessions can be included in future breeding programs. The lowest mean TIA values were observed in the accessions from Azerbaijan (7.55), Madagascar (8), Costa Rica (8.05), and Denmark (8.98), while high mean TIA was manifested by the accessions from Bhutan (17.8), Russia (13.4), Kenya (13.2), and Sweden (12, 97). The correlation analysis failed to reveal stable interrelations between TIA and meteorological conditions or morphological and economically valuable traits. The TIA level basically depends on the genetic properties of plants.

Genetic Improvement of Grain Quality Promoted by High and New Technology in Rice

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is considered as one of the most important food crops all over the world. Because of the improvement of the actual living standards, there is more and more demand for improved grain quality. Although, the grain quality is a very complex quantitative trait in rice, it has great scientific significance and practical application value for the improvement of the quality of rice grain using high and up to date techniques. Here, we focus on the new advances in the application of the genetic improvement of grain quality by high throughput sequencing, genomic editing, near infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and other new techniques. Simultaneously, the application prospects of these high and up to date techniques have also been expected in the genetic improvement of rice quality. Thus, this will provide important information for genetic improvement of grain quality in rice breeding.

G-protein \u03b2\u03b3 subunits determine grain size through interaction with MADS-domain transcription factors in rice

The simultaneous improvement of grain quality and yield of cereal crops is a major challenge for modern agriculture. Here we show that a rice grain yield quantitative trait locus qLGY3 encodes a MADS-domain transcription factor OsMADS1, which acts as a key downstream effector of G-protein βγ dimers. The presence of an alternatively spliced protein OsMADS1lgy3 is shown to be associated with formation of long and slender grains, resulting in increases in both grain quality and yield potential of rice. The Gγ subunits GS3 and DEP1 interact directly with the conserved keratin-like domain of MADS transcription factors, function as cofactors to enhance OsMADS1 transcriptional activity and promote the co-operative transactivation of common target genes, thereby regulating grain size and shape. We also demonstrate that combining OsMADS1lgy3 allele with high-yield-associated dep1-1 and gs3 alleles represents an effective strategy for simultaneously improving both the productivity and end-use quality of rice.

Changes in Rice Grain Quality of Indica and Japonica Type Varieties Released in China from 2000 to 2014.

China is the first country to use heterosis successfully for commercial rice production. This study compared the main quality characteristics (head rice rate, chalky rice rate, chalkiness degree, gel consistency, amylose content, and length-to-width ratio) of 635 rice varieties (not including upland and glutinous rice) released from 2000 to 2014 to establish the quality status and offer suggestions for future rice breeding for grain quality in China. In the past 15 years, grain quality in japonica rice and indica hybrid rice has improved. In japonica rice, inbred varieties have increased head rice rates and decreased chalkiness degree over time, while hybrid rice varieties have decreased chalky rice rates and chalkiness degree. In indica hybrid rice, the chalkiness degree and amylose contents have decreased and gel consistency has increased. Improvements in grain quality in indica inbred rice have been limited, with some increases in head rice rate and decreases in chalky rice rate and amylose content. From 2010 to 2014, the percentage of indica varieties meeting the Grade III national standard of rice quality for different quality traits was low, especially for chalky rice rate and chalkiness degree. Japonica varieties have more superior grain quality than indica rice in terms of higher head rice rates and gel consistency, lower chalky rice rates and chalkiness degree, and lower amylose contents, which may explain why the Chinese prefer japonica rice. The japonica rice varieties, both hybrid and inbred, had similar grain qualities, but this varied in indica rice with the hybrid varieties having higher grain quality than inbred varieties due to significantly better head rice rates and lower chalkiness degree. For better quality rice in future, the chalky rice rate and chalkiness degree should be improved in japonica rice along with most of the quality traits in indica rice.

Rice variety improvement and the contribution of foreign germplasms in China

AbstractThe introduction and use of foreign germplasms have played an important role in the improvement of crop varieties in China. Based on published materials and scientist interviews, we collected data on the sown area, morphological characteristics, and pedigree of the popular rice varieties grown in the 15 major rice production provinces and 1 autonomous region in China, from 1982 to 2011. Results showed that China's scientists developed the largest number of rice varieties worldwide, and that rice yield potential and grain quality have substantiality improved during the studied period. In contrast, resistance of newly-released varieties to diseases and insect pests has decreased since the 1990s. Germplasms from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and from Japan have contributed 16.4 and 11.2% of genetic materials to China's rice varieties developed between 1982 and 2011, respectively. While IRRI's materials contributed to the improvement of yield potential, growth duration, and blast and bacterial blight resistance, Japanese materials contributed to the improvement of grain quality. Materials from other countries contributed to the improvement of resistance to diseases and insect pests, particularly to rice blast disease, brown planthoppers, white-backed planthoppers, and striped stem borers.

Progression in yield and value addition of Indian bread wheat-An analysis

National wheat programme of India was examined for progress made in yield and quality in ten different production environments. During the period 2000–16, productivity improved in three environments namely timelysown condition of north-western plains zone (NWPZ) and timely and late-sown wheats of central zone (CZ). Certain non-grain parameters like plant height, vegetative period and crop duration were the significant contributors in these environments. Improvement in grain quality was zonespecific but simultaneous increase in productivity and value addition was witnessed in the most important region of the country i.e., NWPZ. Chapati quality and physical grain quality improved in the Indo-Gangetic plains and peninsular zone (PZ). Amongst the baked products; quality of the cookies was improvised in the hills whereas progress in bread loaf volume was visible in NWPZ and PZ. In quality components, protein content was enhanced in PZ and gluten characteristics were improved in NWPZ. Except reduction in bread quality score, no major change occurred in grain quality of the new varieties developed for hot and dry climate of central India.