Search results for "crop"
showing 10 items of 3837 documents
Addition of high C:N crop residues to a P-limited substrate constrains the benefits of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis for wheat P and N nutrition
2021
Many aspects concerning the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in plant nutrient uptake from organic sources remain unclear. Here, we investigated the contribution of AM symbiosis to N and P uptake by durum wheat after the addition of a high C:N biomass to a P-limited soil. Plants were grown in pots in the presence or absence of a multispecies AM inoculum, with (Org) or without (Ctr) the addition of 15N-labelled organic matter (OM). A further treatment, in which 15N was applied in mineral form (Ctr+N) in the same amount as that supplied in the Org treatment, was also included. Inoculation with AM had positive effects on plant growth in both control treatments (Ctr and Ctr+N), mainly …
Agricultural feedstocks of two Brassica oilseed crops and energy cogeneration with pure vegetable oil for a sustainable short agro-energy chain in Si…
2018
Abstract Potential energy feedstocks from conventional agriculture usually include pure vegetable oil (PVO) and agricultural/forest residues. Their uses can represent a starting point for the development of short agro-energy chains in the south areas of the Mediterranean region. This paper focused on testing and awareness raising of biofuel production for the cogeneration of electricity and heat from PVO of two Brassica oilseed crops in Sicily (Italy). The main aims of this study were: i) to evaluate the agronomic performance of rapeseed (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera D.C.) and Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) in semi-arid climate condition; ii) to analyze the quality of PVO…
The application of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing machinery in food and agricultural science: Current status, future perspectives, and associated cha…
2019
The recent progress in genetic engineering has brought multiple benefits to the food and agricultural industry by enhancing the essential characteristics of agronomic traits. Powerful tools in the field of genome editing, such as siRNA-mediated RNA interference for targeted suppression of gene expression and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) and zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) for DNA repair have been widely used for commercial purposes. However, in the last few years, the discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 system has revolutionized genome editing and has attracted attention as a powerful tool for several industrial applications. Herein, we review current progresses in the uti…
Towards food, feed and energy crops mitigating climate change
2011
Agriculture is an important source of anthropogenic emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG), methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and crops can affect the microbial processes controlling these emissions in many ways. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of plant–microbe interactions in relation to the CH 4 and N 2 O budgets and show how this is promoting new generations of crop cultivars that have the potential to mitigate GHG emissions for future agricultural use. The possibility of breeding low GHG-emitting cultivars is a paradigm shift towards sustainable agriculture that balances climate change and food and bioenergy security.
Binding Site Alteration Is Responsible for Field-Isolated Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry2A Insecticidal Proteins in Two Helicoverpa Species
2010
Background Evolution of resistance by target pests is the main threat to the long-term efficacy of crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins. Cry2 proteins play a pivotal role in current Bt spray formulations and transgenic crops and they complement Cry1A proteins because of their different mode of action. Their presence is critical in the control of those lepidopteran species, such as Helicoverpa spp., which are not highly susceptible to Cry1A proteins. In Australia, a transgenic variety of cotton expressing Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab (Bollgard II) comprises at least 80% of the total cotton area. Prior to the widespread adoption of Bollgard II, the frequency of alleles conf…
Insecticidal Activity of Bacillus thuringiensis Proteins against Coleopteran Pests
2020
Bacillus thuringiensis is the most successful microbial insecticide agent and its proteins have been studied for many years due to its toxicity against insects mainly belonging to the orders Lepidoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera, which are pests of agro-forestry and medical-veterinary interest. However, studies on the interactions between this bacterium and the insect species classified in the order Coleoptera are more limited when compared to other insect orders. To date, 45 Cry proteins, 2 Cyt proteins, 11 Vip proteins, and 2 Sip proteins have been reported with activity against coleopteran species. A number of these proteins have been successfully used in some insecticidal formulations and…
Chemical Composition and Broad-Spectrum Insecticidal Activity of the Flower Essential Oil from an Ancient Sicilian Food Plant, Ridolfia segetum
2021
Several species of the family Apiaceae are aromatic herbs that produce essential oils usable on an industrial scale for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food purposes. In particular, some essential oils, such as green insecticides for example, may replace synthetic insecticides, keeping most of their efficacy and avoiding environmental pollution or human poisoning. In the present study, we explored the insecticidal potential of Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris essential oil (EO) against three different pests: Culex quinquefasciatus Say, Musca domestica L., and Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval). For this purpose, the EO was obtained by hydrodistillation of flowers and its composition was achieved by…
Effect of the cytochrome P-450 inactivator 1-aminobenzotriazole on the metabolism of chlortoluron and isoproturon in wheat
1987
Abstract Roots of young wheat plants ( Triticum aestivum cv Clement) were treated with [ 14 C]chlortoluron or [ 14 C]isoproturon alone or mixed with 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT), a mechanism-based inactivator of cytochrome P -450 monooxygenases. Radioactivity extracted from shoots slightly decreased during periods of metabolism, this decrease being reduced by ABT in the case of isoproturon. ABT strongly inhibited the metabolism of both herbicides. Accumulation of metabolites was generally depressed in the presence of ABT; however, levels of the free N -monodemethylated derivatives were little or not affected. It is concluded that ABT is a synergist of chlortoluron and isoproturon in wheat bec…
Metabolism of chlortoluron in tolerant species: possible role of cytochrome p-450 mono-oxygenases
1988
Summary Pathways of chlortoluron metabolism were compared in excised leaves of four tolerant species, namely wheat (Triticum aestivum var Clement), Bromus sterilis, Galium aparine and Veronica persica. The herbicide was principally detoxified by hydroxylation of the ring methyl in wheat and by N-dealkylation in Veronica persica. Both pathways were involved in Bromus sterilis and Galium aparine. Kinetic study of the degradation showed that capacity to form non-toxic conjugates could, at least partially, explain the tolerance of these species to chlortoluron. In plants treated with 1-aminobenzotriazole, a cytochrome P-450 enzyme inactivator, N-dealkylation of chlortoluron was little or not af…
Seed oils as additives: penetration of triolein, methyloleate and diclofop-methyl in maize leaves
1992
Summary: Resume: Zusammenfassung Methyl ester derivatives of seed oils have a greater effect on graminicide efficacy than the parent oils. To explain this difference, we investigated the penetration of the radiolabelled oils, triolein (TRI) and methyl oleate (MEO), in maize leaves, and their influence on diclofop-methyl penetration. Over a period of 3 h 30% of applied TRI penetrated maize leaves, but no further penetration was observed. In contrast, MEO entry proceeded regularly to 72% over a period of 27 h. The amount of oil found in epicuticular wax (chloroform wash) was generally less than 4% of the recovered label, and was even lower (<1%) in ‘glossy 1’ hybrids which have no crystalline…