Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum, Moench) is a specialty crop of interest because of its numerous nutritional, health, and agronomic benefits. A high microbial load on the seed often limits its export and use in functional foods; therefore, these generally recognized as safe antimicrobial treatments were evaluated for buckwheat disinfection: ozone gas, ozonated water, acetic acid (AA), acidic calcium sulfate (ACS), and combinations thereof. The liquid treatments were sprayed on buckwheat grain in a fluidized bed and the treated buckwheat was analyzed for aerobic plate count (APC) and yeast and mold count (YMC). Ozone gas and ozonated water treatments were not significantly (P < 0.05) effective in reducing the microbial load, and AA + ozonated water had significant but low effectiveness. Electron microscopic imaging suggested that rough surfaces and crevices in the seed hull shielded microbes from ozone treatments. Effectiveness of treatments was also limited by the industry limits on the amount of moisture that can be added to buckwheat grain. The ACS (50 mL/L) treatment was most effective with 3.9-log10 reduction in APC and complete elimination of YMC. ACS (50 mL/L) caused bleaching and increased redness. Sufficient reduction of microbes could be achieved at a lower concentration of ACS, thereby reducing the effect on color.
The germination of spores of Bacillus stearothermophilus was studied in nutrient broth in relation to the water activity (a,.,) of the medium, the nature of the a, controlling solutes glycerol, sucrose, KCI, and NaCI, and temperature. Quantitation of germination was based on the change of the phase-bright spore to phase-dark. Activation of spores was by exposure to 100°C/10 min in a medium of the same composition as that used for germination.Of the four solutes used, sucrose proved most inhibitory to germination, especially in the upper part of the temperature range 38-75"C, glycerol was the most favourable whereas KCI and NaCI, whose effect was almost identical, occupied an intermediate place. The glycerol effect became more pronounced as the a, of the medium decreased towards 0.960, becoming inhibitory thereafter.The solute effect on spore germination followed a pattern that related to the class of solute, i.e. electrolyte or non-electrolyte, and its cell penetration characteristics.Solute penetration during heat activation and germination was considered as the major germination. factor and was associated with the osmoregulation mechanism within the spore proposed recently as the basis of spore dormancy and resistance.
Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) is widely used for quantitative analysis of oilseeds in a non-destructive manner. Canola (Brassica napus) is a popular oilseed crop that is used for food and biofuel markets. Due to limited seed availability in plant breeding programs, single plant analysis is often preferred. An NIRS commercial calibration model was evaluated to predict single plant canola seed, but the results showed the need for new NIRS calibration models to predict moisture content, oil content, and fatty acid content for single plant canola seed (3 g) with minimal sample preparation. A separate NIRS calibration model was developed for glucosinolates content utilizing 20 g seed. The resulting NIRS calibration models for moisture and oil content were acceptable. However, suitable NIRS calibration models were not obtained for fatty acids and glucosinolates content due to limited constituent variability and the narrow wavelength range used to collect spectra. vi
Background
Organic amendments are well known for influencing soil nematode community structure, diversities, and activities. Most of the previous studies focused on effects of organic amendments on plant-parasitic nematodes, but only a few investigated the effect of combination of biocontrol agents and organic amendments on soil nematodes.
Main body
Different organic amendments (neem cake, poultry manure, and neem leaves) were combined with the predatory nematode, Fictor composticola, for the control of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, in cucumber. Organic amendments were mixed in pots containing 1 kg soil, 15 days before sowing. Cucumber (cv. CCH-1) plants grown in these pots were inoculated by 2000 J2 of M. incognita and 400 F. composticola per pot, after 1 week of germination. Fictor composticola in combination with chicken manure + neem cake + neem leaves was found the best mixture for reducing the number of galls, egg masses, and final root-knot nematode population. The predator’s population reached the maximum in this treatment. All combinations of organic amendments in the presence of F. composticola were found significantly superior over inoculated check in reducing nematode’s population and in improving plant growth over the un-inoculated check.
Conclusions
Data indicated the suitability of using the predatory nematode, F. composticola, and organic amendments for potential use in sustainable nematode management strategies.
Predatory nematodes are important as they fed upon several prey nematode species. The diplogasterid predators are characterized by distinguished alterations in feeding apparatus. The diplogasterid predator, Fictor composticola, feeds on different categories of nematodes like microbivorous, mycophagous, and plant-parasitic nematodes. This study was undertaken under in-vitro conditions, in 1% water-agar plates, and in pots under screen house. In lab. study, 250, 500, 1000, 2000 freshly hatched juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita, and 2 females and 2 males of F. composticola were released in each plate. Observations on prey consumed were recorded after 24 and 48 hrs. of deliverance. Prey consumption of F. composticola boosted as the number of prey increased from 250 to 2000 per plate. At prey density of 500 per plate, maximum per cent consumption was observed and minimum at prey density 2000 per plate. Maximum predation found at a prey population density of 2000 individuals and minimum in 250 individuals per plate. This finding led to the conclusion of increased contacts between prey and predator at higher densities. In the pot experiment, plant height and shoot weight were reduced significantly over untreated control at 500 J2 and above. Root weight increased at 500 and 1000 levels, though it was similar to the control at 2000 level due to poor root development at this level. The number of galls and egg masses of M. incognita and final population of predator increased with increasing inoculum level of M. incognita.
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