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Chilli peppers (Capsicum spp.) are important plants usually consumed as food or used as a spice or medicine. They contain a wide range of phytochemicals such as capsaicinoids, polyphenols (PPH), carotenoids (CC) and vitamins. This study aimed to quantify the contents of capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, total PPH, phenolic acids (PHA) and total CC, and the antioxidant activities of the chilli peppers Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Bhut Jolokia, Habanero Red, Habanero Maya Red, Habanero Red Savina, Jamaica Rosso, Serrano, and Jalapeño. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify the contents of the bioactive compounds. The capsaicin contents in the peppers ranged from 2.1 to 124.2 mg·g^–1, the dihydrocapsaicin content ranged from 5.1 to 151.3 mg·g^–1, the total PPH content ranged from 3.53 to 25.9 mg GAE·g^–1, and the total CC content ranged from 114.7 to 1 390.8 μg·g^–1. The chlorogenic acid content was highest in Habanero Red (82.6 µg·g^–1). The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl test of free-radical scavenging activity indicated that the ethanolic extract of the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper had the highest antioxidant activity correlated with the contents of phenolic substances.

Cytochrome P450 proteins belong to one of the largest families of enzyme proteins in plants and play important roles in plant growth and development and the stress response. In our previous studies, a cytochrome P450 gene, GhCYP94C1 (cytochrome P450 94C1), was functionally characterized as a positive regulator of seed germination, main root elongation and early flowering. However, whether the gene has other potential functions remains to be further explored. In our study, expression analysis showed that GhCYP94C1 was highly expressed in roots and was suppressed by drought treatment. Endogenous silencing of GhCYP94C1 via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) increased drought resistance in cotton plants, which was accompanied by the upregulated expression of the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis gene nine-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 9 (GhNCED9) during drought stress. Our findings suggested that GhCYP94C1 may play an important role in drought resistance. Combined with previous research results, the present results provide a theoretical basis for future breeding of new cotton varieties with early maturation and drought resistance.

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of yeast cell wall parts (YCW) in reducing the severity of coccidiosis in broiler chickens. One-day-old Ross 308 chicks (n = 320) were randomly allocated to 32 floor pens in two rooms with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factors were (1) challenge: negative or positive by room, (2) feed additive: control (none), anticoccidial (salinomycin at 60 mg/kg), YCW 0.1% or 0.2%. On day 8, none-challenged room was inoculated with saline, and challenged room was inoculated with 5 000 Eimeria tenella oocysts. Performance results showed that in challenged birds, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and weight gain (WG) were poorer than in unchallenged birds on day 24 and 35. Birds given anticoccidial and YCW had improved FCR and WG (P = 0.01) over the control group. Challenge and additive interactions were observed on day 24 and day 35 for FCR and WG (P = 0.01) and for feed intake on day 24 (P = 0.01). Challenged birds fed YCW on days 24 and 35 had higher WG and better FCR compared with both challenged and non-challenged controls and anticoccidial treatment. Coccidial challenge increased crypt depth (CD), villous tip and base width, and villous surface area and decreased villous height to crypt depth ratio (VH : CD) and villous height (VH). Birds fed YCW exhibited significantly decreased CD, villous tip width, villous base width, villous surface area and increased VH, VH : CD in comparison to the control group. Challenged birds fed YCW had significantly lower bursa of Fabricius follicle length compared to birds fed the control diet. Challenged birds had significantly increased serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations than non-challenged birds. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the yeast cell wall has the ability to control coccidiosis.

The development and provision of soil spectral library (SSL) could facilitate the application of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for economical, accurate, and efficient determination of soil organic matter (SOM). In this work, the performances of partial least squares regression (PLSR) and convolutional neural network (CNN) combined with the datasets of Zhejiang provincial SSL (ZSSL) and the feature subset (FS) were compared for the prediction of SOM at the target field. The FS dataset was chosen from ZSSL based on similarity to the spectral characteristics of the target samples. The results showed that compared with modelling using ZSSL, modelling using FS can greatly improve the prediction accuracy of the PLSR model, but the impact on the performance of the CNN model was limited. The method of mean squared Euclidean distance (MSD) was an effective way for determining the optimal spiking sample size for the PLSR model only using the spectral data of the spiking subset and the prediction set. The PLSR model combined with the FS dataset and the spiking subset determined by MSD achieved the optimal prediction results among all developed models, which is an accurate and easy-to-implement solution for the SOM determination based on ZSSL.

This study aimed to isolate and characterise a fungal pathogen associated with stem canker on dragon fruit and to evaluate the efficacy of sodium salt as an alternative control against it. The fungal pathogen was isolated and identified by morphological and cultural methods. SMNND11 and ARPN11 isolates, which are morphologically alike Neoscytalidium sp., were selected for the present study. The colony’s mycelial mass was greyish-white and turned to dark greenish-grey. The shape of the arthroconidia was ellipsoid to ovoid and hyaline to dark brown with septate arthrospores. The hyphae were brown in colour, septate, branched and constricted into spore chains before disarticulation. Based on the blast analysis using the aligned sequences of the internal transcribed spacer, the SMNND11 isolate was highly genetically identical (100%) to Neoscytalidium dimidiatum, the ARPN10 isolate was 98.6% identical to Neoscytalidium sp. and the neighbour-joining analysis revealed that both isolates were grouped into the same genus, Neoscytalidium sp. The in vitro study revealed that sodium salt at a concentration of > 3% showed high potential in suppressing the mycelial growth of the SMNND11 isolates. In a field trial, a sodium salt solution at 30 g/L applied twice a week, along with rotating chemical fungicides applied once a week, were able to reduce the disease severity of the stem canker disease on the dragon fruit. This study revealed that Neoscytalidium sp., as well as N. dimidiatum, is the positive pathogen that infects dragon fruit plants in IP2TP Sumani and Aripan West Sumatra. Thus, the culture and field studies support the potential control technique to alternating chemical fungicide on dragon fruit.

The soil seed bank, as a potential source of ground vegetation renewal, plays an important role in the natural recovery and succession of vegetation as well as in the construction of ecosystems. To clarify the characteristics of the soil seed bank of Achnatherum inebrians and its relationship with the aboveground vegetation, the soil seed bank density, species composition and aboveground vegetation of three different grassland types, namely, desert, steppe and meadow, were investigated by means of field survey sampling and indoor germination experiments. The results showed that the seed bank densities of the three habitats were ranked as desert (1 422.22 seeds/m²), steppe (2 077.78 seeds/m²) and meadow (3 722.22 seeds/m²). The numbers of species were 16, 11 and 17, respectively. With respect to the vertical allocation, the soil seed banks in each habitat were shallow, and the seeds were mainly concentrated in the soil surface layer (0–5 cm). The species richness of the soil seed banks in the three habitats was higher than that of the aboveground vegetation, but there were some differences in richness, evenness and dominance. The species richness and diversity of soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation in meadow habitats were higher than those in desert and steppe habitats, indicating that the soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation in meadow habitats had higher stability. There was a significant positive correlation between the density of temporary soil seed banks and the density of aboveground plant communities in grassland habitats. The results may provide some reference for the prevention and control of Achnatherum inebrians in the three habitats.

Lipid-rich bovine serum albumin (LR-BSA) has been reported to increase the survival rate of blastocysts after freezing and thawing. However studies on the early development of in vitro fertilised (IVF) embryos are still insufficient in cattle. This study investigated the blastocyst productivity of in vitro culture (IVC) medium (synthetic oviductal fluid medium with amino acids, mSOFaa) supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Control) or LR-BSA (1, 2.5, 5 mg/ml dosages, respectively) and the qualitative characteristics of produced blastocysts. Cleavage rates on day 2 were similar between all groups. Significant differences were obtained in the blastocyst rate in the 2.5LR-BSA group compared with the control (23.5% vs 35.7%, P < 0.05). Hatching rates were significantly higher in all treatment groups than in control (P < 0.05). The cell number in blastocysts did not differ among groups, but the apoptotic index in the 5.0LR-BSA group was higher than the control (P < 0.05). The expression of embryo quality-related markers was affected. Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4), placenta associated 8 (Plac8), and sex-determining region Y-box 2 (Sox2) genes expression in the 2.5LR-BSA group were significantly up-regulated compared to the control (P < 0.05). Cytoplasmic lipid contents and the lipid droplet formation-related gene, sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 (Srebf1), were significantly increased in the 5.0LR-BSA group (P < 0.05). Therefore, the LR-BSA supplementation (2.5 mg/ml) to mSOFaa medium could contribute to the early development of bovine IVF embryos and the qualitative improvement of the resulting blastocysts.

With a long tradition of brewing history, Chinese strong-flavour Baijiu (SFB) developed prosperously in the southwest, especially in Luzhou, and has existed for more than 300 years building craftwork and brewing techniques. As a product of the distillation of fermented grains, its production involves many microbial communities. During this time, microbial communities within production have burgeoned and evolved throughout the development history, enhancing unique texture and flavour. Meanwhile, environmental factors are critical constituents in the production, which provide the optimal conditions for processing procedures and various microorganisms, including externally controlled macro-environment and micro-environment of fermentation. By studying the correlation with environmental factors from macro and micro perspectives, we illustrated the bond with environmental symbiotic and holistic patterns of the intrinsic microbial community and fermentation characteristics. This review is essential to study and control the whole ecological conditions of the Baijiu fermentation process, aiming to gain insight into the dynamics of the microorganisms and ensure a traditional fermentation environment for quality control.

Aquaculture is an essential and growing component of agricultural and global ecosystems worldwide. Aquaculture provides more than 25% of the total aquatic food consumption by humans. The development of the aquaculture industry should be followed in successive industrial years, and therefore it is necessary to pay attention to the management and type of farming system that is compatible with the environment. The use of antibiotics for disease control has been criticised for their negative effects, including the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the suppression of the immune system and the environment, and the accumulation of residue in aquatic tissues. The use of these products reduces the need for treatments, enhances the effect of vaccines, and, in turn, improves production indicators. Medicinal plants have increasingly been used in recent years as a disease control strategy in aquaculture, boosting the immune system of aquatic animals and helping to develop strong resistance to a wide range of pathogens. Therefore, this review aims to provide an overview of the recent evidence on the beneficial use of medicinal plants to promote growth and strengthen the immune system in farmed aquatic animals.

Crop residue management and water saving are the two major issues for the sustainability of the rice-wheat cropping system. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was conducted in a split-plot design to study the combined effect of three rice residues (residue incorporation (RI), residue standing (RS) and residue removal (RR) and two wheat residue incorporation (WI) and residue removal (WR) management in main plots and two irrigation regimes, i.e., flood (F) and surface drip (SD) in subplots on the growth and water productivity of direct seeded rice (DSR). During both years, RI-WI resulted in significantly higher plant height (PH), leaf area index (LAI) and dry matter accumulation (DMA) than in other residue management treatments. Drip irrigation significantly increased PH, LAI, DMA grain yield, straw, and biological yield, along with a 9.6% irrigation water savings over flood irrigation. During both years, grain yield, straw and biological yield of DSR were significantly higher in RI-WI than in RR-WR and RR-WI. RI-WI had significantly greater apparent water productivity (AWP) and actual water productivity (RWP) of DSR. Drip irrigation had significantly higher AWP and RWP during both years than flood irrigation except RWP during 2017. Transpiration efficiency (TE) in rice residue incorporation was significantly higher than in rice residue standing and removal. During both years, the TE of drip irrigation was also significantly higher than flood irrigation. So, incorporating rice and wheat residues along with drip irrigation improves crop growth and water productivity.

In this study, the effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and humic acid (HA) chelate applied to soils contaminated with heavy metals on the development, antioxidant defence system, and phytoremediation of forage turnip (Brassica rapa L.) were investigated for the first. Three doses of EDTA (E1: 5 mmol/kg, E2: 10 mmol/kg, E3: 15 mmol/kg) and three doses of HA (HA1: 500 mg/kg, HA2: 1 000 mg/kg, HA3: 2 000 mg/kg) were applied to soils contaminated with heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr) in the pot. According to experiment results, HA application as chelate to the polluted soil caused a significant increase in the growth of forage turnip. Phytoremediation values of the plant for Cd heavy metal were found to be BCFshoot, BCFroot > 1, and translocation factor > 1. This result proved that forage turnip has Cd accumulating properties. Also, HA application caused a decrease in H2O2 (46%) and malondialdehyde (6%) levels and antioxidative enzyme activity in polluted soil. It has been concluded that humic acid improves the oxidative stress conditions in the plant and is more effective in the development and growth of the plant than EDTA, so that it can be used effectively in phytoremediation studies.

Effect of pre-harvest calcium chloride (CaCl2) treatment on fruit quality attributes of three apple cultivars (‘Golden Delicious Reinders®’, ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Red Chief’) at harvest and after two and four months of cold storage during two consecutive years was studied. Trees were sprayed four times starting from the beginning of June at 20-day intervals. After harvest, fruits were stored in a regular atmosphere (RA) for further analysis. Measurements included fruit weight, weight loss, firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), titrable acidity (TA), total sugars (TS), TS/TA, total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA). CaCl2 had a positive impact on fruit firmness of all cultivars in both years. Higher values of TSS and TS of ‘Golden Delicious Reinders®’ were determined in CaCl2 treatment in both years. TSS, TS and TS/TA were increased by prolonging storage in ‘Red Chief’ in CaCl2 treatment and control, in both years. TSS and TS proved similarly stable in ‘Granny Smith’ during storage in CaCl2 treatment and control in the second year of examination, but a decrease of TA and TS/TA has been detected in both years of storage. The AA of cultivars ‘Golden Delicious Reinders®’ and ‘Red Chief’ was stronger affected by the storage compared to CaCl2 treatment. Through a comprehensive analysis of apple cultivars it can be concluded that pre-harvest application of CaCl2 in cultivars ‘Golden Delicious Reinders®’ and ‘Red Chief’ can be used to improve fruit quality during storage.

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) is a common pathogen around the world that can cause disease with symptoms of diarrhoea. We collected all clinical DEC isolates from diarrhoea samples in three sentinel hospitals for active surveillance of foodborne diseases in Huzhou, China, between 2020 and 2022. The isolates were characterised according to demographic characteristics, time distribution, distribution of suspected culprit foods, antimicrobial results of susceptibility testing, analysis of virulence genes, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing. The positive detection rate was 7.28%, the highest for enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) strains, followed by enterotoxic E. coli (ETEC) strains. The predominant virulence genes were astA/pic in EAEC (57.25%) and estIa/estIb in ETEC (17.94%) strains. The proportion of cases was relatively high in children aged 6 years old (15.27%), and the peak of incidence was between June and September. The rates of drug resistance in DEC were high in Huzhou, and the spectrum of drug resistance was wide. The highest rate of drug resistance was for AMP (63.51%), and multiple drug resistance was common. The household was the leading site of DEC infection, and meat and meat products were the main suspected culprit foods (18.15%). EAEC strains showed 52.4–100.00% sequence identity, and ETEC strains showed 52.2–100.00% sequence identity. All cases of DEC infection in Huzhou were sporadic between 2020 and 2022. Strengthening continuous surveillance will be useful in the risk assessment of foodborne diseases caused by DEC.

Raspberry has acquired great interest in human health due to its content of bioactive compounds that provide protection against diseases caused by non-communicable diseases. Bioactive compounds are mainly represented by secondary metabolites such as phenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids. Biostimulants and elicitors are substances or microorganisms that provide protection and defence to the physiological processes of plants. The present study evaluated the effect of two elicitors (hydrogen peroxide, salicylic acid) and three biostimulants (humic and fulvic acids, glutamic acid, seaweed extracts) on the content of bioactive compounds in raspberry fruits, agronomic and fruit yield parameters in plants. Hydrogen peroxide increased the content of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, omega 3 and oleic acid. Salicylic acid increased the content of flavonoids, anthocyanins, and citric acid in raspberry fruits; the number of fruit loaders and fruits per plant was also increased. Humic and fulvic acids, glutamic acid, and glutamic acid combined with seaweed extracts increased the content of flavonoids and anthocyanins, without affecting growth parameters and fruit yield. Glutamic acid and seaweed extracts were the only treatments that increased the content of palmitic acid, while seaweed extracts increased °Brix content in fruits.

The ability to adapt, survive, and compete with weeds of transgenic plants is the necessary evaluation content to release transgenic lines in target regions. We compared weediness and agronomic traits of transgenic maize lines G1F-8 and G1F-19 carrying the mcry1F gene with their near-isogenic maize inbred line Zheng 58 in the wasteland and cultivated field under natural conditions for two consecutive years. The results showed that there was no significant difference identified in the species, quantity, and relative coverage ratio (RCR) of weeds between fields with G1F-8, G1F-19, and Zheng 58, regardless of the sowing pattern in the wasteland. Compared with the vigour of weeds, none of G1F-8, G1F-19, and Zheng 58 showed survival advantages, and all showed weak growth potential with no final grain yield. Meanwhile, no volunteer seedlings were found upon investigation in the following year. The simulated seed overwintering experiment in the wasteland further showed that the three kinds of maize could not germinate in the second year. In cultivated land, G1F-8 and G1F-19 had the same growth stages, plant height, and RCR as Zheng 58 throughout two years. In conclusion, the transgenic lines G1F-8 and G1F-19 exhibited no adaptability risk in Gongzhuling, Jilin, China.

The determination of the saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks on a field scale presents a challenge in which several variables have to be considered. As there is no benchmark or reference method for the Ks determination, the suitability of each available method has to be evaluated. This study is aimed at the functional evaluation of three publicly available types of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) with different levels of utilised predictors. In total, ten PTF models were applied to the 56 data sets including the measured Ks value and the required predictors (% sand, silt and clay particles, dry bulk density, and organic matter/organic carbon content). A single agricultural field with a relatively homogenous particle size distribution was selected for the study to evaluate the ability of the PTF to reflect the variability of Ks. The correlation coefficient, coefficient of determination, mean error, and root mean square error were determined to evaluate the Ks prediction quality. The results showed a high variability in Ks within the field; the measured Ks values ranged between 10 and 1261 cm/day. Although the tested PTF models are based on a robust background of soil databases, they could not provide estimates with satisfactory accuracy unless local soil data were incorporated into the PTF development.

One of the efforts to produce functional foods is using ingredients containing health-beneficial bioactive compounds. Another way to produce functional foods is fermentation generating bioactive compounds or fortification with the bioactive compound extract. An ingredient historically believed to have benefits on health is moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf powder. Moringa leaf powder is a valuable source of functional ingredients, including protein, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients such as carotenoids, tocopherols, polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins. However, moringa is a plant that is distributed in various tropical countries in the world. Its quality depends on geographical differences, cultivars, environmental conditions, seasons, genotypes, and varieties. This article reviews the bioactive compounds of moringa leaf powder and the characteristics of moringa leaf powder extract. The effect of moringa leaf powder fortification on food product characteristics is also discussed. Moringa leaf powder possesses many pharmacological properties, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and antioxidant ones. The bioactivity of leaf extract is extracting solvent dependent. Therefore, fortification results in nutritional improvement and increasing health benefits of food products. However, the adverse effect is found in sensory. Thus properties, thus the moringa leaf powder fortification level usually is less than 10%. Changes in the functional properties of foods due to moringa leaf powder fortification have been studied to a limited extent. A low level of fortification might not affect the properties of food products. Therefore, moringa leaf powder is potentially used as a functional food ingredient. Some studies reported the toxicological effects of moringa leaf powder and the use of this ingredient, should be below the harmful doses.

This study aims to describe the most important cardiac structures in the Heterodon nasicus through echocardiography and anatomical dissection. Echocardiographic and echo-Doppler measurements were performed on twenty healthy adult Heterodon nasicus (10.10). The values of the ventricular length, aortic diameter, pulmonary trunk diameter, the mean thickness of the interventricular septum, and thicknesses of the wall of the cavum pulmonale (Cav. P) and cavum arteriosum (Cav. A), were measured. The aortic flow and pulmonary trunk flow were recorded. Two dead specimens (1.1) were dissected. The male’s pulmonary trunk diameter was bigger compared to the female’s in both the long and short axis. The reproductive ecology of Heterodon nasicus has yet to be fully elucidated upon, however, male territorialism and dispersal from the hibernacula, and multiple male courtships toward a single female were described, hence, the more active reproductive activity of the male and the consequent sexual selection toward a higher aerobic performance can be hypothesised. A moderate interventricular right to left shunt was noticed in the Cav. V of all the specimens, which is considered normal and should not confuse the clinician. Congenital defects, cardiomyopathies, valvulopathies, and pericardial diseases are known to occur in ophidians and other reptiles. Reliable data and profound knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the ophidian heart are fundamental for the in vivo diagnosis of cardiac diseases in snakes.

Knowledge of gene actions governing begomovirus resistance and plant architectural traits is a prerequisite for a successful hybrid breeding programme. Therefore, the gene actions associated with these traits were studied in two intervarietal crosses of Cucurbita moschata (C₁: Punjab Nawab × MVSR-6711 and C₂: Punjab Nawab × P-135). We used the generation mean analysis of six generations for this purpose. Significant differences between the generation means were observed for all the traits in both crosses. The parental lines differed significantly in most of the studied traits. The nature and magnitude of the gene effects of seventeen traits varied by trait and cross. A simple additive dominance model was adequate for the internode number, leaf length and width, petiole length, fruit weight and cavity diameter in C₁ and the number of fruits/plant in C₂. The non-allelic interaction was found to be significant for a majority of the traits including the per cent disease index of the squash leaf curl China virus, tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus and their mixed infections, which indicated, that recurrent selection in biparental progeny might be useful for the accumulation of genes with additive effects. Duplicate epistasis was observed for the vine, internodal and peduncle length in C₁ and the internode number, petiole and peduncle length, peduncle and fruit polar diameter in C₂. This information will help to establish a breeding program for the simultaneous improvement of virus resistance and yield traits in pumpkins.

Research was conducted to determine the content of total polyphenols (TP) in table potato tubers obtained in a three-year field experiment arranged as a split-plot design with three replicates. The first experimental factor included two potato cultivars: Oberon and Malaga, the second one being an application of the following biostimulants: PlonoStart, Aminoplant, Agro-Sorb Folium and the herbicide Avatar 293 ZC (clomazone + metribuzin). The polyphenol content of potato tubers was determined in the fresh tuber mass by the spectrophotometric method with the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The tuber content of polyphenols was affected by cultivars and test biostimulants. Cv. Malaga accumulated more polyphenols than cv. Oberon. Biostimulants + herbicide significantly increased an accumulation of polyphenolic compounds compared with tubers cultivated in the control unit which was not treated with the test products.

Sorghum production energy input-output balance was studied during the 2020/2021 production year in Hararghe lowland areas of Ethiopia under farming methods practised by the farmers. The study aimed to assess the energy input and output and to analyse the energy use efficiency of sorghum production under farming practices of the farmers using the recently adopted early maturing varieties. Three sorghum varieties were used with Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in 3 replications. Production inputs were uniformly applied to the entire unit plots. The average total production energy input was 12 188.07 MJ·ha^–1 in which chemical fertiliser and mechanical energy contributed 47.40% (5 771.48 MJ·ha^–1) and 43.60% (5 314.10 MJ·ha^–1), respectively. The highest energy consumer stage was top-dressing followed by land preparation and sowing stages with values of 33.7, 25.20 and 20.20% of the total input, respectively. The remaining 20.90% of the input was distributed among the rest production operations. The mean energy output of 77 284.59 MJ·ha^–1 for Makko was significantly higher than that of Qaqaba and Malkam varieties. Makko was also superior to Malkam and Qaqaba in mean energy ratio with values of 6.31, 5.48 and 5.84, respectively.

The reduction of NaCl content in cheeses is nutritionally desirable but quite challenging due to NaCl's key role during cheese production and ripening. We focused on reformulated Dutch-type cheeses ripened for 120 days and their microbiological and sensory characteristics, including of determining organic acids (electrophoresis) and volatile substances (SPME-GC-MS analysis). Experimental batches contained 0.64, 0.90, and 1.19% NaCl or 0.77% NaCl together with 0.33% KCl. The influence of salts on lactose and citrate metabolism (the formation of lactic, acetic, and formic acid, ethanol, diacetyl, acetoin and 2,3-butanediol), proteolysis (the formation of glutamic acid), lipolysis and β-oxidation of fatty acids (the formation of 2-butanone, 2-butanol, hexanal, hexanoic and octanoic acid) was undetected. Contrarily, brining conditions affected the contamination of cheese surfaces with yeasts and halotolerant microorganisms and cheese consistency. While a typical consistency was formed only in the cheeses with 1.19% NaCl acceptable saltiness was declared in the cheeses with the content of salts 0.90% or higher. The partial replacement of NaCl with KCl caused metallic off-taste in the cheeses that ripened longer than Consistent acceptance seems to be the most limiting factor for the tested reformulation appears.

Results of a vast research activity carried out worldwide in the last decades have demonstrated that endophytic fungi hold a fundamental role in improving plant fitness based on their aptitudes as growth promoters and/or defensive mutualists. These properties may have applicative perspectives in crop production, particularly for tree species such as hazelnut (Corylus avellana), which is mostly cropped extensively in semi-natural contexts of highland regions throughout the temperate zones. The available data on the occurrence, ecological roles, and applications in biotechnology of endophytic fungi associated with hazelnuts are revised in this paper in view to provide a reference supporting future investigations and projects aimed at exploiting the potential of this component of the plant microbiome.

Coxiella burnetii is the aetiological agent of Q fever, which is highly prevalent in Turkiye, but information on the genetic profiles of the bacterium is limited. This study aimed to investigate the presence of C. burnetii in bovine bulk tank milk (BTM) samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and to investigate the genotypes by means of multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). A total of 25 markets that sold raw cow’s milk were analysed by conventional PCR analysis. An MLVA analysis was performed at six loci, namely MS23, MS24, MS27, MS28, MS33, and MS34, to determine the genotypic variations of C. burnetii found in the positive DNA samples. The DNA of C. burnetii was detected in 16% of the BTM samples. The C. burnetii strains identified in the bovine milk samples collected in this study were found to belong to the same genotypic group as those detected in the bovine milk samples gathered in Greece. As a result, both the presence and genotyping studies of C. burnetii on the BTM samples in Turkiye will contribute to the determination of the geographical distribution of the agent.

The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity of 59 accessions of barley using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR), conserved DNA-derived polymorphism (CDDP), and start codon targeted (SCoT) markers. A total of 391 amplified polymorphic bands were generated using 44 ISSR, 9 CDDP, and 12 SCoT primers that produced 255, 35, and 101 polymorphic bands, respectively. The average values of gene diversity were 0.77, 0.67, and 0.81 for ISSR, CDDP, and SCoT markers, respectively. The mean values of polymorphism information content for ISSR, CDDP and SCoT markers were 0.74, 0.63, and 0.80 respectively. The discrimination power of the three approaches for assessing allelic diversity in barley accessions ranked as follows: SCoT > ISSR > CDDP. The barley accessions were classified and clustered into two main groups. Molecular variance analysis revealed 15, 9, and 14% variability among populations with ISSR, CDDP, and SCoT markers, respectively. The Mantel test results revealed that the three molecular marker matrices had significant positive relationships. The SCoT markers might be useful tools for selecting appropriate parents for a breeding program.

National parks (NP) are the last refugia of forests dominated by the Nothofagus species in Chile. However, frequent, careless human-caused fires are destroying these forests even within the national parks. After large-scale fires, N. pumilio stands are unable to recover naturally neither in generative nor in vegetative ways and artificial regeneration must be resorted to in order to maintain their extent. However, even artificial regeneration is not successful without protection against browsing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to experimentally test a range of repellents and other methods of mechanical protection of seedlings against browsing. Five replicates of plots were placed in Torres del Paine NP, in different habitat conditions and with different methods of protection against browsing (11 repellents, wire mesh, plastic tube and control). In each plot, 12 seedlings were treated with each type of protection. In our experiment, only 8% of the seedlings were damaged by browsing, while the mortality rate was 38%. The results indicate a more significant effect of abiotic factors (mainly frost, drought or wind) on seedling mortality than browsing. In parallel, however, it is clear that, compared with the control, six of the eleven repellents used in the experiment showed a significantly positive effect. We suggest the use of plastic tubes as the best option to protect seedlings, which, in addition to providing 100% protection against browsing, are likely to provide more favourable microclimatic conditions for seedlings, similar to leaving the burned snags.

Gluten-free (GF) bakery products differ significantly from standard wheat flour products, usually with inferior characteristics. To reproduce the visco-elastic properties of wheat flour dough, GF bread is balanced by complex formulations based on gluten-free flour and starches, including hydrocolloids. They must ensure maximum similarity with conventional products to reduce the resistance of final consumers to GF products. Identifying formulations or technologies that would help mimic the gluten matrix has been and remains the focus of research in GF product design. Most research focuses on ingredients. This study provides an overview of the various technological strategies in designing GF bakery products: technologies applied to cereals, flours, dough, and final products. The study could broaden the boundaries regarding developing, selecting, and using technologies to design GF products. It would also serve as a support for further research into the development of GF products, perhaps by leveraging local products and ingredients and adapting efficient, low-cost, environmentally friendly (including combined) technologies in such a way as to obtain products with high nutritional, rheological and organoleptic value.

Food surplus recovery is one of the priorities of modern society. Mass distribution allows one to reserve goods unsuitable for selling for organisations able to distribute them to people in need. This work contributes to this direction by considering a reward programme for donors. A methodology for supporting the cycle of the reallocation of the food surplus to people in need usingblockchain technology to support the traceability of the flows and to allow the exact evaluation of the rewards to be assigned to each retailer is described. A mathematical model is proposed for calculating the reward. An actual application of the methodology is also described.

In this study, a global agricultural trade network was constructed, and its topological characteristics from 1991 to 2021 were analysed. The influences of nine variables were empirically tested, including factor endowments and economic, geographical, and institutional factors. The research results show that the scale of trade networks is constantly expanding, and trade relations are becoming increasingly concentrated. Further, global agricultural trade patterns are gradually being reshaped. However, European economies and the United States still dominate the power of network control, with a clear ‘core-edge’ hierarchy. Among the factors influencing the global agricultural trade network, differences in arable land areas, agricultural product prices, geographical distances, and financial institutions have proven important. However, their influence varies. Compared to the differences in the endowments of other factors, the comparative advantage of agricultural trade in various nodes worldwide comes more from the arable land areas. The greater the difference in agricultural prices, the closer are the trade ties between nodes. Differences in geographical distance have proven conducive to establishing agricultural trade relations. Finally, the greater the difference in financial systems, the greater the likelihood that agricultural trade links will occur.

This study aimed to evaluate alfalfa meal's chemical and nutritional composition and effectiveness on broiler chicken thigh meat quality. Alfalfa contains significant content of crude protein and fibre, minerals (iron and zinc), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and antioxidant compounds, especially total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total polyphenols content (TPC). To test its effectiveness on chicken tight meat quality, we developed a trial on 60 Cobb 500 broilers, divided into two groups of 30 animals each and fed during growing-finishing phases (11–42 days) a control diet (C) and an experimental diet (A), in which 5% alfalfa meal was added. At the end of the trial, six animals from each group were selected for slaughter and sampling. The analyses on meat samples revealed that alfalfa significantly affected bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential, such as zinc, vitamin E and TPC, compared with the C samples. The utilisation of 5% alfalfa was also very effective on the fatty acids composition of thigh meat samples in the A group by increasing the concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid and significantly decreasing the n-6/n-3 ratio as well as cholesterol content with 10.41% in experimental samples. Therefore, alfalfa can be a potential alternative to synthetic feed additives in producing healthier chicken meat, with increased content of bioactive compounds and essential fatty acids for human health.