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.
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.
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
Extra‐large (XL) hybrid confection sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) achenes are popular among snack food consumers, but these achenes perform poorly with precision planters; therefore, the option of planting coated seed from XL achenes was evaluated in this study. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of various coating materials and buildup levels on live seed emergence, precision planting, stand establishment, and crop performance under field conditions. Based on the laboratory results on germination and plantability, four coating materials (polymer A, polymer B, zeolite, and lime) at 30 and 35% buildup levels were selected for the field trails at Prosper, ND. A separate smaller field study was conducted at Minot, ND, to verify the performance of coated seed under different growing conditions. At both Prosper and Minot locations, all the coated seed treatments resulted in significantly higher live seed emergence and grain yield than XL achenes. Live seed emergence of all the coated seed (93–99%) was significantly higher than the XL achenes (88%), and similar or higher than the large achenes (94%) at Prosper. Laboratory singulation of all the coated seed was superior to both XL achenes and large achenes, which contributed to uniform seed spacing in the field for the coated seed. Overall, this study showed that coating the hulled seeds substantially increased seed plantability and crop performance compared with XL achenes and even large achenes. A successful outcome of this study may extend this research to other sunflower seed sizes and possibly other crops.
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