The crop yield and quality of seven annual forages (four grasses and three legumes) in sole crop and in mixtures (ratio 50:50) for oat (Avena sativa L.), Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.), berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) and common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) were evaluated in a two-year field experiment adopting two harvesting times, green fodder and silage. The main bio-agronomic traits, dry matter forage yield (DMY) and quantity of crude protein (CP) were determined in both sole crop and intercrop. The land equivalent ratio (LER) was used for evaluating biological efficiency and competitive ability of the intercrops. Our results showed that the total calculated LER for fodder and protein yields was always greater than one and corresponded to crop yield advantages of 16.0% and 11.5%, respectively. Our data also highlighted the low competitive ability of the ryegrass in intercrop, which achieved the lowest yield among all the mixtures. Conversely, the same grass showed the best green fodder quality, due to the high incidence of the legume, equal (on average) to 46%. Triticale and barley, harvested for silage (hard dough stage), provided the best quantitative and qualitative results both in sole crop and intercropped with common vetch and pea, determined mainly by the cereal grain.
In this paper volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from durum wheat cultivars and landraces were analyzed using PTR-TOF-MS. The aim was to characterize the VOC’s profile of the wholemeal flour and of the kernel to find out if any VOCs were specific to varieties and sample matrices. The VOC data is accompanied by SDS-PAGE analyses of the storage proteins (gliadins and glutenins). Statistical analyses was carried out both on the signals obtained by MS and on the protein profiles. The difference between the VOC profile of two cultivars or two preparations of the same sample - matrices, in this case kernel vs wholemeal flour - can be very subtle; the high resolution of PTR-TOF-MS - down to levels as low as pptv - made it possible to recognize these differences. The effects of grinding on the VOC profiles were analyzed using SIMPER and Tanglegram statistical methods. Our results show that it is possible describe samples using VOC profiles and protein data.
Grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) and its relatives are considered resilient legumes due to their high ability to cope with different stresses. In this study, the genetic diversity of three Lathyrus species (L. sativus, L cicera and L. ochrus) was assessed by agronomic traits and molecular markers (Simple Sequence Repeat-SSR) in order to detect accessions useful for future breeding strategies. Phenotypic traits showed a high significant variation in which 1000 seed weight (1000 SW) and protein content appeared the most discriminant, as observed by principal component analysis (PCA). SSR analysis was able to detect forty-eight different alleles with an average of 9.6 allele per locus, and a Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) and a gene diversity of 0.745 and 0.784, respectively. Cluster analysis based on agronomic traits as well as molecular data grouped accessions by species but not by geographical origin. This result was confirmed by Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) and Structure Analysis as well. Moreover, genetic structure analysis revealed a high genetic differentiation between L. ochrus and the other species. Analysis of MOlecular Variance (AMOVA) displayed a greater genetic diversity within species (77%) than among them (23%). Finally, a significant positive correlation was observed between agronomic and genetic distances (Mantel’s test). In conclusion, the variability detected within accessions in each species and the differences among species may be useful to plan next breeding programs, focusing on biomass production as well as protein content.
The control strategies for the olive crop key pest, Bactrocera oleae, involve synthetic chemical insecticides and few eco-sustainable alternatives, such as ovideterrents and lures. In the last few decades, the interest concerning the formulation of botanical based biopesticides increased, but little research investigated the suitability of these approaches for B. oleae control. This research aimed to investigate the residual contact toxicity and the oviposition deterrence of three essential oil (EO)-based nano-emulsions (Pimpinella anisum, Foeniculum vulgare, Mentha × piperita) against B. oleae adult flies. All the nano-emulsions possessed optimal physical characteristics, with droplets dimensions ranging from 115 to 152 nm and low PDI values (<0.2), even after 1 year of storage. Although no notable residual contact toxicity was noted, all the tested formulations reduced the number of oviposition puncture in no-choice tests (percent repellence: mint < fennel < anise). In choice trials, olives treated with fennel and anise EO-formulations at the highest concentration (7.5%, 75 g of EO/L) were less attractive respect to control fruits and a significant reduction of olive punctures was recorded. Nano-biopesticides are promising eco-friendly tools to integrate B. oleae pest management programs and to reduce the use of harmful conventional active ingredients.
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