Annals of Agricultural Science最新文献

Vascular streak dieback (VSD) disease, caused by Ceratobasidium theobromae, is one of the cocoa diseases responsible for decreasing cocoa production and declining cocoa plantation area in Indonesia. Planting cocoa clones with partial resistance to VSD has been useful in managing the disease. These have been produced by grafting or budding selected resistant genotype of cocoa onto unselected seedlings. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of rootstock × scion combinations on VSD resistance through top grafting. The experiment used five rootstocks and scions selected from five clones, namely: MCC-01, Sulawesi 1 (S-1), M-05, RB, BB-01 and the disease evaluation was carried out under natural infection conditions for 18 months. The experimental area was surrounded by cocoa trees from a severely VSD-infested cocoa farm. M-05 performed well for suppression of VSD incidence and severity as a scion regardless of the genotype of the rootstocks followed by Sulawesi 1 (S-1). The rootstocks M-05 and S-1 did not significantly reduce VSD incidence or severity on the susceptible scions from different clones such as MCC-01, RB and BB-01. MCC-01 showed a higher incidence and severity of VSD as a scion regardless of the rootstock genotype. This research proves that rootstocks from cocoa genotypes considered resistant, moderately susceptible, or susceptible to VSD, have little effect on cocoa scion resistance to VSD. Cocoa scion genotypes play a crucial role in VSD resistance.

Nanotechnology paradigm is to endow the agriculture with new tools to increase sustainable food production. Although numerous benefits, the unsafe discharge of nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment is an issue. The unregulated exposure to the soil is expected to impair plant growth and accumulate into edible tissues. As a consequence, human exposure becomes inevitable. The problems of detecting NPs in soil and uptake mechanism in plants are ones of the critical aspects that necessitate being determined and understood. Therefore, the accurate determination of environmentally released NPs and their accumulation in plants, and the impact on health are imperative to assess.

Propolis is a resinous beehive product containing functional compounds and differs based on geographical region. Physicochemical properties of each propolis effectuate their uses within modern applications. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activity of propolis ethanol extracts (PEE) sourced from six geographical regions. Antioxidant potency was determined using four assays: DPPH, ABTS, reducing power, and malondialdehyde inhibition (MDA). The phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid content (TFC) was calculated as gallic acid and catechol equivalents, respectively. Antimicrobial properties of propolis against pathogens and toxigenic fungi were determined using agar well diffusion assay. The cytotoxicity effect was estimated against the human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cell line using MTT assay. The results manifested propolis variations of samples, specifically for the chemical composition (p < 0.05). Omanis' propolis recorded by the highest moisture content, while the Egyptian propolis featured by high protein content. Brazilians' propolis was distinguished among samples by the highest ash content (p < 0.05). Propolis from Saudi, Omani, China, and Bulgaria represented by higher fiber content. Egyptians' propolis showed a promising antioxidant and antimicrobial potency, reflecting a high activity against food pathogen and toxigenic fungi. The IC₅₀ values of propolis samples following 24 h exposure to the normal human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells did not show any cytotoxic effect. This study demonstrated the distinguishes between propolis sourced from different regions regarding their bioactive contents. The Egyptian's propolis can be recommended as a preservative additive that can be applied to solve numerous food safety issues.

Chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a preferred vegetable by local farmers at a riparian wetland in Indonesia due to high market demand and its economic value. Chili pepper can be grown immediately after rice harvesting, concurrently with the early dry season. Three chili pepper varieties, namely Genie, Romario, and Laris were evaluated for their adaptability to drought condition. Drought treatment was imposed for 7 days until soil water potential was dropped to around −30 to −40 kPa. Morphological and photosynthetic traits were measured at pre-, during, and post-drought exposures. Growth analysis was calculated based on measured morphological traits. Results indicated that the number of leaves (NoL), total leaf area (TLA), total accumulated dry matter (TDM), and relative growth rate (RGR) were negatively affected by drought. Water content of shoot (SWC), leaf (LWC), and root (RWC) were significantly decreased during drought exposure; yet, able to fully recover at 7 days after drought treatment was terminated. Decrease in shoot root ratio (SRR) and leaf weight ratio (LWR); reversely, increase the root weight ratio (RWR) under drought condition, was not associated with enhancement of root growth. Rather, it was due to less negatively effect of drought on roots than on the above-ground organs. Simultaneously, chlorophyll fluorescence, LWC, stomatal conductance, transpiration and photosynthetic rates declined during drought exposure. However, 7 days after drought treatment was terminated, all traits were able to return to pre-drought levels. Among chili pepper varieties studied, Genie exhibited better overall performance than Laris and Romario did under drought stress condition.

This paper provides a narrative systematic review (SR) of the impacts of sugarcane production on different ecosystems employing the ecosystem services framework. The literature assessed showed that sugarcane, like all agro-systems, depends on practices and techniques to transform negative impacts into positive externalities on ecosystems. However, the literature studied failed to include the inter-linkage in the effects of sugarcane production and therefore, evaluate the ecosystem services and account for existing trade-offs.

Mixture cropping of annual forage legumes and grasses is a common strategy to support sustainable forage supply in low input agricultural systems, especially in the Mediterranean basin. In a two-year field study, conducted in Northern Egypt, productivity and nutritive value of four cuts of berseem clover, triticale, and oat, cultivated as monocultures as well as legume-grass binary mixtures, with variable mixing rates, were investigated using a split plot design in three replicates. The tested mixing rates were: 1. 0% Grass (G) + 100% Berseem clover (BC), 2. 25% G + 75% BC, 3. 50% G + 50% BC, 4. 75% G + 25% BC, and 5. 100% G + 0% BC. Berseem clover mixtures with triticale produced the highest significant 3rd cut fresh yield, while BC mixtures with oat were superior at the 1st and 2nd cut's fresh yield. Crude protein (CP) content was highest in BC monocultures and clover-triticale mixture (75%:25%). Grasses, in general, improved the dry matter accumulation and carbohydrate components in the forage mixtures, with triticale being superior to oat. The significantly highest digestible organic matter (DOM) was a character of the pure BC stands, and mixtures with 75% BC. Noticeably, the tested grasses did not regrow after being cut for the third time; thus, the fourth cut was composed only of BC. Variations in DOM were most dependent on variations in CP content. Results revealed that mixtures of BC with triticale at 75%:25% mixing rate produced high forage yield with improved quality than the other mixtures.

Texture and color are some of the most important qualitative features of meat and its products. They affect the acceptance among consumers, and they are very important parameters of the culinary and meat industry's usefulness of meat. However, cooked meat is usually not enough soft and juicy to satisfy consumers. Researches try to find methods to improve the texture of the meat products. One method is acidic marinating meat. But there are no reports on the use of fermented dairy products (FDP) for meat marinating. The acids contained in FDP can be improved tenderness, juiciness and color of meat products. Also, the use of lower heat treatment temperature for cooking meat positively affects its sensory properties and texture. The aim of the study was the impact of meat marinating in FDP (kefir, yoghurt and buttermilk) marinating time (3, 6, 9 and 12 days) and sous-vide (SV) cooking temperature (vacuum, 60 or 80 °C, 6 h), on texture and color parameters of pork steaks. Marinating the meat increased the tenderness (lowering the hardness and chewiness) of steaks. The best results were obtained by marinating steaks in buttermilk or yoghurt for 6 or 9 days and SV cooking at 60 °C for 6 h. There was no influence of the marinade type and SV cooking temperature on L* and b* color parameters. Redness increased with marinating time and cooking temperature. Kefir and buttermilk did not affect the a* value of SV cooked steaks; however, marinating in yoghurt reduced that value.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important worldwide vegetable crop. This paramount crop would be infected by a serious set of pathogenic fungal diseases. Growth and production are hampered by early blight caused by Alternaria phragmospora. In vitro the production of growth promoted hormone indole acetic acid (IAA) by Aspergillus flavus isolated from the medicinal plant, Euphorbia geniculata was stimulated in culture media supplemented or not by tryptophan (120 and 40 μg mL⁻¹) respectively. The blue fluorescence test showed that the endophytic A. flavus was lacking to produce aflatoxins. Inoculation of S. lycopersicum with A. flavus enhanced the fresh weight (FW) and plant length (PL) of S. lycopersicum significantly in comparison to untreated plants. The PL of treated plants was 39.05 cm ± 3.16, while control was 22.19 cm ± 4.54. IAA stimulated overproduction of lateral roots and root hairs in treated plants compared to control. After spraying with A. phragmospora, the treated plant with A. flavus showed healthy leaves and completely protected (100%) from the disease symptoms. There were significant increases in chlorophyll (1.68 mg g⁻¹ FW), flavonoids (105.4 mg g⁻¹ dry weight), carbohydrates (155.5 mg g⁻¹ dry weight), phenolics (0.9 mg g⁻¹ dry weight) and total proteins contents (94.13 mg g⁻¹ dry weight) in treated plants relative to untreated control plants. Our findings demonstrated the contribution of A. flavus to improve the growth and the secondary metabolites contents of tomato, which subsequently leads to the improvement of the resistance of this plant to an aggressive plant pathogen like A. phragmospora.