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The effects on grain filling and morphometry of natural drought, late sowing and simulated drought by means of a chemical treatment with potassium iodide (KI) were compared over 3 years of field trials in triticale ( ¥ Triticosecale Wittmack) cv. Trujillo and three near-isogenic lines derived from it. Grain weight data fitted accurate to a logistic curve. The maximum rate of grain filling was the curve coefficient most sensitive to drought stress, and accounted for 7–50% of grain yield variation. Chemical treatment with KI caused greater variation in grain filling curve coefficients and grain morphometry than did a delay in the sowing date, which in turn caused greater variation than natural drought. The type and magnitude of the effects of the different kinds of stresses on grain growth and morphometry could be related to the time that elapsed from anthesis, at which time the effects were perceptible. KI reduced the maximum rate of grain filling and final grain weight by 38 and 32%, respectively, its effect being significant from 8 d after the treatment. The volume of grain was reduced 11% by KI. The impact of delayed sowing date and drought were significant 29 and 33 d after anthesis, respectively, corresponding to the end of the linear phase of the grain filling curves. Both treatments diminished grain filling duration (13% by delayed sowing, and 6% by drought, respectively), final grain weight (16 and 12%, respectively), grain volume (15% and 8%, respectively), and embryo area (8% in both cases), but neither altered the maximum grain filling rate.

Due to the serious damage caused by fungal pathogens of vegetables and mushrooms, it is necessary to search for integrated strategies of disease control. This study provides relevant information about the effects of 12 essential oils (EOs) against eight pathogens of agricultural interest, included mycopathogens with emphasis on the possible future application of the EOs as alternative antifungal agents.

Knowledge of spatial variability of soil fertility and plant nutrition is critical for planning and implementing site specific vineyard management. To better understand the key drivers behind vineyard variability, yield mapping from 2002 to 2005 and 2007 (the monitor broke down in 2006) was used to identify zones of different productive potential in a Pinot Noir field located in Raimat (Lleida, Spain). Simultaneously, the vineyard field was sampled in 2002, 2003 and 2007, applying three different schemes (depending on the number of target vines in different grape yield zones). The sampling carried out in 2002, which involved different soil, topographic and crop properties (mineral contents in petiole), made it possible to evaluate the influence of these parameters on the grape yield variability. The zones of lowest yield coincided with locations in which the nutritional status of the crop exhibited the lowest values, particularly with respect to petiole contents of calcium and manganese. Sampling systems adopted in 2003 and 2007 (grape quality and soil attributes) confirmed the inverse spatial correlation between grape yield and some grape quality parameters and, more importantly, showed that the percentage of soil carbonates had a great influence 2 on grape quality probably due to the reduced availability of manganese in calcareous soils. Site-specific vineyard management could therefore be considered using two different strategies: variable-rate application of foliar fertilizers to increase the yield in areas with low production and also foliar or soil fertilizers to improve the quality specifications in some areas.

This work evaluated the effect of seed size and morphology on the development and biomass of durum wheat seedlings. Three different seed-grading sizes selected by sieving were used in glasshouse experiments, and a set of three developmental and 23 biomass-related indices were measured on eight genotypes, at two moisture levels. The influence of seed size on seedling development was studied at high and low temperatures (22/12 °C, and 15/5 °C day/night temperatures, respectively), in growth chambers.The area of the seed and the area of the embryo were the seed morphological traits most affected by seed size. Seed size was strongly associated with seedling development and seedling biomass until the complete extension of the first two leaves, at the fourth leaf stage. The rate of first-leaf growth and the area of the first leaf were the developmental and biomass traits, respectively, most sensitive to seed-grading size.