A further insight into the environmental factors determining potential grain size in malt barley under Mediterranean conditions

Vahamidis, Petros; Stefopoulou, Angeliki; Kotoulas, Vassilis; Voloudakis, Dimitrios; Dercas, Nicholas; Economou, George

doi:10.1016/j.eja.2020.126184

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Studies have shown that the environment (climatic and soil conditions) plays a major role in the determination of grain size and weight in barley. Drought has a more significant negative effect on grain growth, compared to the effect of high temperature [54,55]. Low rainfall during the grain filling period, and thus less soil water availability, results in lower grain yield and dry matter accumulation in barley [56], affecting the final yield of the crop.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration of Abandoned Lands in Sustainable Agriculture: The Case of Terraced Landscape Re-Cultivation in Mediterranean Island Conditions

Sakellariou

Psiloglou

Giannakopoulos

et al. 2021

Land

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agriculture terraces constitute a significant element of the Mediterranean landscape, enabling crop production on steep slopes while protecting land from desertification. Despite their ecological and historical value, terrace cultivation is threatened by climate change leading to abandonment and further marginalization of arable land imposing serious environmental and community hazards. Re-cultivation of terraced landscapes could be an alternative strategy to mitigate the climate change impacts in areas of high vulnerability encouraging a sustainable agroecosystem to ensure food security, rural development and restrain land desertification. The article presents the case study of abandoned terrace re-cultivation in the Aegean Island of Andros, using a climate smart agriculture system, which involves the establishment of an extensive meteorological network to monitor the local climate and hydrometeorological forecasting. Along with terrace site mapping and soil profiling the perfomance of cereal and legume crops was assessed in a low-input agriculture system. The implementation of a land stewardship (LS) plan was indispensable to overcome mainly land fragmentation issues and to transfer know-how. It was found that climate data are key drivers for crop cultivation and production in the island rainfed farming system. The study revealed that terrace soil quality could be improved through cultivation to support food safety and stall land degradation. In line with global studies this research suggest that cultivation of marginal terraced land is timely through a climate smart agriculture system as a holistic approach to improve land quality and serve as means to combat climate change impacts. The study also discusses land management and policy approaches to address the issue of agricultural land abandonment and the benefits gained through cultivation to the local community, economy and environment protection and sustainability.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration of Abandoned Lands in Sustainable Agriculture: The Case of Terraced Landscape Re-Cultivation in Mediterranean Island Conditions

Sakellariou

Psiloglou

Giannakopoulos

et al. 2021

Land

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This can be attributed to the favourable meteorological conditions-characterised by adequate precipitation (>60 mm) and moderate temperatures-that prevailed during the period when grain size was determined (Figure 1). As recently demonstrated [52], cumulative rainfall from 6 days pre-anthesis to 20 days post-anthesis emerges as a dominant factor (or the most limiting factor) in determining grain size in malted barley grown in Mediterranean environments. Consequently, it has the capacity to offset the impact of other stresses [26,98].…”

Section: Decoding the Impact Of The Tested Nitrogen Strategies On Gra...mentioning

confidence: 74%

Optimizing Sustainability in Malting Barley: A Practical Approach to Nitrogen Management for Enhanced Environmental, Agronomic, and Economic Benefits

Vahamidis,

Stefopoulou,

Kotoulas

2023

Agriculture

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nitrogen (N) fertilisers used in barley production serve as the primary contributors to total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Consequently, to lower the carbon footprint (CF) and GHG emissions, it is imperative to either reduce N fertiliser rates or enhance grain yield and improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). To address this challenge, we combined two strategies related to N: (1) a 34% reduction in the total N rate compared to the control (total N rate 108–110 kg N ha−1), and (2) testing two types of N fertilisers for topdressing against the control (common sulfur urea). These types included (a) a mixture comprising controlled-release fertiliser (CRF) combined with ammonium sulfate nitrate fertiliser in a 40:60 ratio (CRF + Nitro) and (b) ammonium sulfate nitrate (Nitro). Experiments were conducted in two distinct areas of Greece specialising in cereal production, aiming to unveil the effects of these strategies on all sustainability aspects of malting barley production. The results showed that although a 34% reduction in N rate did not result in yield penalties or a decrease in grain size, it did have a negative impact on grain protein content (GPC). CRF + Nitro not only reduced CF by approximately 30% compared to the control but also increased N agronomic efficiency by 51.5% and net profit by 7.1%. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the maximum achievable reduction in total GHG emissions and CF, by excluding N fertilisation from the crop system, ranged from 68.5% to 74.3% for GHG emissions and 53.8% to 67.1% for CF.

show abstract

“…Another explanation to differences between spring and winter barley can be variation in environmental conditions during barley growth cycle. Several critical growth periods, as tillering, flowering, filling and ripening, are sensitive to rainfall [ 63 ], drought [ 64 , 65 ], available soil water [ 66 ]. The impact of environmental variability could be increased in our dataset as in the BRC of Clermont-Ferrand varieties were not always sown in the season they were supposed to be, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barley systematics and taxonomy foreseen by seed morphometric variation

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Since its Neolithic domestication in the Fertile Crescent, barley has spread to all continents and represents a major cereal in many modern agrarian systems. Current barley diversity includes thousands of varieties divided into four main categories corresponding to 2-row and 6-row subspecies and naked and hulled types, each of them with winter and spring varieties. This diversity is associated to different uses and allow cultivation in diverse environments. We used a large dataset of 58 varieties of French origin, (1) to assess the taxonomic signal in barley grain measurements comparing 2-row and 6-row subspecies, and naked and hulled types; (2) to test the impact of the sowing period and interannual variation on the grains size and shape; (3) to investigate the existence of morphological differences between winter and spring types; and finally (4) to contrast the relationship between the morphometric and genetic proximity. Size and shape of 1980 modern barley caryopses were quantified through elliptic Fourier Transforms and traditional size measurements. Our results indicate that barley grains record morphological diversity of the ear (89.3% classification accuracy between 2-row/6-row subspecies; 85.2% between hulled and naked type), sowing time of the grains (from 65.6% to 73.3% within barley groups), and environmental conditions during its cultivation and varietal diversity. This study opens perspectives for studying archaeological barley seeds and tracing the barley diversity and evolution since the Neolithic.

show abstract

A further insight into the environmental factors determining potential grain size in malt barley under Mediterranean conditions

Cited by 7 publications

References 53 publications

Integration of Abandoned Lands in Sustainable Agriculture: The Case of Terraced Landscape Re-Cultivation in Mediterranean Island Conditions

Integration of Abandoned Lands in Sustainable Agriculture: The Case of Terraced Landscape Re-Cultivation in Mediterranean Island Conditions

Optimizing Sustainability in Malting Barley: A Practical Approach to Nitrogen Management for Enhanced Environmental, Agronomic, and Economic Benefits

Barley systematics and taxonomy foreseen by seed morphometric variation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About