Effect of Biochar and PGPR on the Growth and Nutrients Content of Einkorn Wheat (Triticum monococcum L.) and Post-Harvest Soil Properties

Limited availability of nutrients to crops is a major agricultural concern. Deteriorated soil health and poor fertility status decrease the bioavailability of essential nutrients to the plants. Consequently, organic soil amendment biochar is gaining attention due to its potential benefits. Rhizobacterial inoculation, are also documented as an effective technology for mobilization of immobile nutrients in soil. However, limited literature is available on combined use of rhizobacteria and biochar. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine the changes in the nutrient content of einkorn wheat and the change in some soil properties during the application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with biochar. Four doses of biochar (0, 2.5, 5, and 10%) were applied with and without PGPR in the study. Biochar increased the growth criteria such as plant fresh weight (PFW), plant dry weight (PDW), root fresh weight (RFW), root dry weight (RDW), number of tillers, germination rate (GR) and potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni) elements. While PGPR application increased soil pH, dry and fresh weight of root, R/S, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Ni contents, and it caused a decrease in PH, PFW, tillers, GR, P, Cu, and Zn values. Combined biochar applications and PGPR had a significant effect on the pH, RFW, R/S, P, Na, and Cu. In conclusion, the combination of biochar and PGPR applications has shown a positive effect in terms of soil properties, plant growth, and element contents of einkorn wheat.

Is Einkorn Wheat (Triticum monococcum L.) a Better Choice than Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)? Wheat Quality Estimation for Sustainable Agriculture Using Vision-Based Digital Image Analysis

Einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum) plays an increasingly important role in agriculture, promoted by organic farming. Although the number of comparative studies about modern and ancient types of wheats is increasing, there are still some knowledge gaps about the nutritional and health benefit differences between ancient and modern bread wheats. The aim of the present study was to compare ancient, traditional and modern wheat cultivars—including a field study and a laboratory stress experiment using vision-based digital image analysis—and to assess the feasibility of imaging techniques. Our study shows that modern winter wheat had better yield and grain quality compared to einkorn wheats, but the latter were not far behind; thus the cultivation of various species could provide a diverse and sustainable agriculture which contributes to higher agrobiodiversity. The results also demonstrate that digital image analysis could be a viable alternate method for the real-time estimation of aboveground biomass and for predicting yield and grain quality parameters. Digital area outperformed other digital variables in biomass prediction in relation to drought stress, but height and Feret’s diameter better correlated with yield and grain quality parameters. Based on these results we suggest that the combination of various vision-based methods could improve the performance estimation of modern and ancient types of wheat in a non-destructive and real-time manner.

The Early Neolithic tell of Vrbjanska Čuka in Pelagonia

Vrbjanska Čuka is a tell site in the region of Pelagonia (Macedonia) established 8000 years ago by the Neolithic communities. Later it was used as an agricultural unit during the Roman era and the Middle Ages when it was also employed as a burial area. The excavations performed in the 1980s and during the last five years indicate a Neolithic farming society that constructed large buildings made of daub in a settlement enclosed by a circular ditch. The buildings had many clay structures, such as ovens, granaries, bins and grinding areas for processing cereals and bread production. The Neolithic communities used sophisticated fine pottery and modeled figurines and altars, while the stone tools were mainly used for cutting trees, harvesting and grinding. Apart from the cereal-based food (einkorn wheat, emmer wheat or barley), the inhabitants of Vrbjanska Čuka consumed lentils, peas and a variety of gathered wild fruits, while cattle, caprovine, mussels, fish and wild game meat was also part of a diet, as well as the dairy products. This paper will be a summary of a variety of data provided from the current international and multidisciplinary research of the site that involves excavation, prospection, geomagnetic survey, study of material culture, examination of architecture, radiocarbon dating, geoarchaeological, archaeobotanical, archaeozoological, lipid and use-wear analyses, as well as the topographic and 3D modeling. The recent knowledge on Vrbjanska Čuka provides novel understanding of the Early Neolithic in Pelagonia and contributes to the more extensive research of first farming societies in the Balkans.

Differentiation of eiincorns by water retention capacity

Aim. On the basis of multivariate analysis, to differentiate einkorn wheat accessions by the water-holding capacity of leaves and ears and the parameters of these organs at the level of species and genotypes. Methods. The water-holding capacity was assessed by the moisture-yielding coefficient which was determined by the method of N.N. Kozhushko (Kozhushko, 1988). Differentiation of einkorn samples was carried out by the method of principal components in the interpretation of A.V. Korosov (Korosov, 1996). Results. Triticum monococcum UA0300113, Syria, and UA0300282, Hungary were characterized by the lowest specific moisture-yielding coefficients: for the second and flag leaves, respectively, (mg / cm2) 10.9, 7.0 and 11.4, 10.7; ears – the same samples as well as Triticum boeoticum UA0300401, Ukraine-Crimea: (mg / cm) 29.6, 28.2, 25.4. With an increase in the size of the lamina, there is a tendency to a decrease in its specific moisture yield. The samples of eincorn are differentiated into 4 clusters corresponding to the species. Conclusions. T. monococcum UA0300113, Syria, and UA0300282, Hungary are relatively drought tolerant. The complex of features characterizing leaf and spike size in combination with the moisture-yielding coefficients processed by the method of principal components makes it possible to differentiate einkorn oaccessions by species and genotype. Keywords: einkorns, moisture yield, drought resistance, leaf, ear.

​Effects of Microbial Fertilizer and Vermicompost Applications on the Yield and Yield Related Parameters of Broad Bean (Vicia faba L.) under Eastern Mediterranean Highland Agroclimatic Conditions

Background: This study was conducted to determine the effects of microbial fertilizer and vermicompost applications on the yield and yield related parameters of broad beans (Vicia faba L.) under zero chemical fertilizer applied conditions. Trial area was a highland remote to sea under Mediterranean climate in South Eastern Anatolia of Turkey. It is located in fertile crescent and 180 km away to Karacadag Mountains (Diyarbakir) where Einkorn wheat (Aegilops monococcum L.) was first cultivated in history approximately ten thousand years ago. The broad bean was also among the founder crops of the Near East including the trial location. Methods: Rhizobium leguminosarum inoculant were used as microbial fertilizer in the experiments. Applied vermicompost doses were 0, 400, 800 and 1200 kg ha-1. The trials was conducted for two years and replicated thrice in a randomized block deign. Conclusion: Application of vermicompost was found significantly effective on the plant height, first pod height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 100 grain weight and grain yield. Aapplication of 800 kg ha-1 and 120 kg ha-1 vermicompost along with Rhizobium leguminosarum inoculation was found superior for grain yield.

In vitro mature embryo culture protocol of einkorn (Triticum monococcum ssp. monococum) and bread (Triticumaestivum) wheat under boron stress

Mature embryos of einkorn (Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum) and bread (Triticum aestivum) wheat were used for callus induction on media containing four (0, 1, 2 and 4 mg L− 1) different doses of 2,4-D and dicamba supplemented with under five (0, 6.2, 12.4, 24.8, and 37.2 mg L− 1) different boron stresses. The obtained callus was transferred to culture media with three (0, 0.5, and 2 mg L− 1) different BAP doses with five boron stresses for regeneration. The heaviest callus weight in einkorn wheat was in culture media with 1 mg L− 1 dicamba and 6.2 mg L− 1 (3.71 ± 0.13 g). Bread wheat had the heaviest callus weight on culture media with 4 mg L− 1 dicamba and 12.4 mg L− 1 (3.46 ± 0.40 g). Callus diameters were observed as the highest in culture media with 1 mg L− 1 and 12.4 mg L− 1 (1.10 ± 0.31) for einkorn and 4 mg L− 1 dicamba with 6.2 mg L− 1 boron (1.22 ± 0.27 cm) for bread wheat. Regeneration capacity was highest in control group with 6.2 mg L− 1 for both wheat genotypes (einkorn, 71.33% ± 11.78 and bread, 65.33% ± 10.80). The highest plantlet numbers were in only 2 mg L− 1 BAP (2.92 ± 0.88) for einkorn wheat and 0.5 mg L− 1 BAP supplemented with 6.2 mg L− 1 boron (3.71 ± 1.12) for bread wheat. This indirect regeneration protocol using mature embryos of einkorn and bread wheat under boron stresses may be useful for wheat breeding studies.

The Occurrence of Cultivated Plants in the Region of Styria from the Palaeolithic till the Middle Ages

The aim of this review study was to analyse large paleo-botanical datasets derived from investigations of 35 archaeological sites and published during a longer time period. The presence of 18 selected crop taxa has been monitored in the region of Styria. Our results indicate that in the Copper Age, the cultivation and usage of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) and the einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum) was present. From the Bronze Age period, the most commonly grown taxa are barley (Hordeum vulgare), proso millet, emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum) and spelt wheat (Triticum spelta). In the Iron Age, some new crops emerged along with the already common foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and common flax (Linum usitatissimum), a species first found in Styria during this exact period. The importance of Roman period for Styria lies in the introduction of new taxa like the Persian walnut (Juglans regia), of which remnants were also found in the studied area. The late Antiquity and Middle Ages are a wide time frame where all important cereal taxa were already known from previous periods and were also grown in the studied area, with the exception of oat (Avena sativa) and durum wheat (Triticum durum), of which remnants were absent from this period.