Wild cereal grain consumption among Early Holocene foragers of the Balkans predates the arrival of agriculture

Forager focus on wild cereal plants has been documented in the core zone of domestication in southwestern Asia, while evidence for forager use of wild grass grains remains sporadic elsewhere. In this paper, we present starch grain and phytolith analyses of dental calculus from 60 Mesolithic and Early Neolithic individuals from five sites in the Danube Gorges of the central Balkans. This zone was inhabited by likely complex Holocene foragers for several millennia before the appearance of the first farmers ~6200 cal BC. We also analyzed forager ground stone tools for evidence of plant processing. Our results based on the study of dental calculus show that certain species of Poaceae (species of the genus Aegilops) were used since the Early Mesolithic, while ground stone tools exhibit traces of a developed grass grain processing technology. The adoption of domesticated plants in this region after ~6500 cal BC might have been eased by the existing familiarity with wild cereals.

TaWAK2A-800, a Wall-Associated Kinase, Participates Positively in Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight and Sharp Eyespot in Wheat

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and sharp eyespot are important diseases of the cereal plants, including bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley. Both diseases are predominately caused by the pathogenic fungi, Fusarium graminearum and Rhizoctonia cerealis. The roles of the wheat-wall-associated kinases (WAKs) in defense against both F. graminearum and R. cerealis have remained largely unknown. This research reports the identification of TaWAK2A-800, a wheat WAK-coding gene located on chromosome 2A, and its functional roles in wheat resistance responses to FHB and sharp eyespot. TaWAK2A-800 transcript abundance was elevated by the early infection of R. cerealis and F. graminearum, or treatment with exogenous chitin. The gene transcript seemed to correspond to the resistance of wheat. Further functional analyses showed that silencing TaWAK2A-800 compromised the resistance of wheat to both FHB (F. graminearum) and sharp eyespot (R. cerealis). Moreover, the silencing reduced the expression levels of six defense-related genes, including the chitin-triggering immune pathway-marker genes, TaCERK1, TaRLCK1B, and TaMPK3. Summarily, TaWAK2A-800 participates positively in the resistance responses to both F. graminearum and R. cerealis, possibly through a chitin-induced pathway in wheat. TaWAK2A-800 will be useful for breeding wheat varieties with resistance to both FHB and sharp eyespot.

Biotechnological Addition of β-Glucans from Cereals, Mushrooms and Yeasts in Foods and Animal Feed

Varied cereal plants including, mushrooms, yeast, bacteria and algae are important sources of β-glucans, and many extraction procedures have been used in order to recover these valuable naturally occurring polysaccharides. The rheological and molecular properties of β-glucans can be utilized to be incorporated into various foods and to offer properties extremely beneficial to human health. Their functional effects are mainly determined by their molecular and structural characteristics. Consumption of foods fortified and enriched with β-glucans can contribute to the treatment of certain chronic diseases. Reduced cholesterol, cardiovascular and diabetic risk and moderate glycemic response of foods have been recorded with the consumption of these biologically active compounds. In addition, β-glucans are characterized by anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities. As β-glucans interact with the foods in which they are incorporated, this review aims to discuss recent applications with quality and nutritional results of β-glucans incorporation with foods such as beverages, dairy, bakery, meat and pasta products, as well as their addition in animal feeds and their uses in other fields such as medicine.

Assessment of the Role of PAL in Lignin Accumulation in Wheat (Tríticum aestívum L.) at the Early Stage of Ontogenesis

The current study evaluates the role of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and the associated metabolic complex in the accumulation of lignin in common wheat plants (Tríticum aestívum L.) at the early stages of ontogenesis. The data analysis was performed using plant samples that had reached Phases 4 and 5 on the Feekes scale—these phases are characterized by a transition to the formation of axial (stem) structures in cereal plants. We have shown that the substrate stimulation of PAL with key substrates, such as L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine, leads to a significant increase in lignin by an average of 20% in experimental plants compared to control plants. In addition, the presence of these compounds in the nutrient medium led to an increase in the number of gene transcripts associated with lignin synthesis (PAL6, C4H1, 4CL1, C3H1). Inhibition was the main tool of the study. Potential competitive inhibitors of PAL were used: the optical isomer of L-phenylalanine—D-phenylalanine—and the hydroxylamine equivalent of phenylalanine—O-Benzylhydroxylamine. As a result, plants incubated on a medium supplemented with O-Benzylhydroxylamine were characterized by reduced PAL activity (almost one third). The lignin content of the cell wall in plants treated with O-Benzylhydroxylamine was almost halved. In contrast, D-phenylalanine did not lead to significant changes in the lignin-associated metabolic complex, and its effect was similar to that of specific substrates.

SUSTAINABLE USE OF LAND RESOURCES FOR PRODUCTION OF BASIC CEREAL PLANTS AND OILSEED CROPS IN BULGARIA

Bulgaria is an agrarian country and this is not only a personal assertion or a statement, nor is it just a stand on the matter. In our country, for many years, there have been long traditions in the production of cereal plants and oilseed crops. In Northeast Bulgaria - General Toshevo region, in 1951, Dobrudzha Agricultural Research Institute was established, which is known today as Dobrudzha Agricultural Institute, and it performs selection in the field of wheat varieties and sunflower seeds production. The agricultural land in Bulgaria is cultivated and cropped with seeds of high quality, which results in good harvest of cereals and oilseed crops. The chief purpose of this paper is to establish the indicators that can guarantee a sustainable use of the land resources in our country for production of cereal plants and oilseed crops throughout a long period of development and to analyze the dynamics in the process of their use.

Duplex-RT-PCR assay for the simultaneous detection and discrimination of Brome mosaic virus and Cocksfoot mottle virus in cereal plants

Brome mosaic virus (BMV) and cocksfoot mottle virus (CfMV) are pathogens of grass species including all economically important cereals. Both viruses have been identified in Poland therefore they create a potential risk to cereal crops. In this study, a duplex—reverse transcription—polymerase chain reaction (duplex-RT-PCR) was developed and optimized for simultaneous detection and differentiation of BMV and CfMV as well as for confirmation of their co-infection. Selected primers CfMVdiag-F/CfMVdiag-R and BMV2-F/BMV2-R amplified 390 bp and 798 bp RT-PCR products within coat protein (CP) region of CfMV and replicase gene of BMV, respectively. Duplex-RT-PCR was successfully applied for the detection of CfMV-P1 and different Polish BMV isolates. Moreover, one sample was found to be co-infected with BMV-ML1 and CfMV-ML1 isolates. The specificity of generated RT-PCR products was verified by sequencing. Duplex-RT-PCR, like conventional RT-PCR, was able to detect two viruses occurring in plant tissues in very low concentration (as low as 4.5 pg/µL of total RNA). In contrast to existing methods, newly developed technique offers a significant time and cost-saving advantage. In conclusion, duplex-RT-PCR is a useful tool which can be implemented by phytosanitary services to rapid detection and differentiation of BMV and CfMV.

Acoustic Vulnerability, Hydraulic Capacitance, and Xylem Anatomy Determine Drought Response of Small Grain Cereals

Selection of high-yielding traits in cereal plants led to a continuous increase in productivity. However, less effort was made to select on adaptive traits, favorable in adverse and harsh environments. Under current climate change conditions and the knowledge that cereals are staple foods for people worldwide, it is highly important to shift focus to the selection of traits related to drought tolerance, and to evaluate new tools for efficient selection. Here, we explore the possibility to use vulnerability to drought-induced xylem embolism of wheat cultivars Excalibur and Hartog (Triticum aestivum L.), rye cultivar Duiker Max (Secale cereale L.), and triticale cultivars Dublet and US2014 (x Triticosecale Wittmack) as a proxy for their drought tolerance. Multiple techniques were combined to underpin this hypothesis. During bench-top dehydration experiments, acoustic emissions (AEs) produced by formation of air emboli were detected, and hydraulic capacitances quantified. By only looking at the AE50 values, one would classify wheat cultivar Excalibur as most tolerant and triticale cultivar Dublet as most vulnerable to drought-induced xylem embolism, though Dublet had significantly higher hydraulic capacitances, which are essential in terms of internal water storage to temporarily buffer or delay water shortage. In addition, xylem anatomical traits revealed that both cultivars have a contrasting trade-off between hydraulic safety and efficiency. This paper emphasizes the importance of including a cultivar’s hydraulic capacitance when evaluating its drought response and vulnerability to drought-induced xylem embolism, instead of relying on the AE50 as the one parameter.

Optimization of Sowing Dates and Seeding Rates with Adaptive Control of The Technology of Cultivation of Winter Barley Varieties Mavlono

One of the determining periods in the life of winter cereal plants is sowing (autumn). Only under the condition of good moisture supply and at optimal air temperature, timely and high-quality seedlings can be obtained, tillering shoots and processes of verbalization and hardening of plants to be formed. Based on the importance of the foregoing, this work presents the results of studies in bright gray-earth soils of the Kashkadarya region of the reaction of winter barley of the Mavlono variety for different periods of sowing and seed sowing rate. It was found that plant survival ranged from 86.0 to 89.9%. No significant differences in wintering of plants between crops of different sowing dates were revealed. Seeding rates did not significantly affect the height of plants, spike length and the number of grains in it, which confirms the high plasticity of winter wheat of the Mavlono variety. Our studies have shown that for winter barley of the Mavlono variety in the conditions of the Kashkadarya region, the sowing season is favorable – from 15 October to 1 November, with an optimum sowing rate of 4 million pcs / ha.

Optimization of Sowing Dates and Seeding Rates with Adaptive Control of The Technology of Cultivation of Winter Barley Varieties Mavlono

One of the determining periods in the life of winter cereal plants is sowing (autumn). Only under the condition of good moisture supply and at optimal air temperature, timely and high-quality seedlings can be obtained, tillering shoots and processes of verbalization and hardening of plants to be formed. Based on the importance of the foregoing, this work presents the results of studies in bright gray-earth soils of the Kashkadarya region of the reaction of winter barley of the Mavlono variety for different periods of sowing and seed sowing rate. It was found that plant survival ranged from 86.0 to 89.9%. No significant differences in wintering of plants between crops of different sowing dates were revealed. Seeding rates did not significantly affect the height of plants, spike length and the number of grains in it, which confirms the high plasticity of winter wheat of the Mavlono variety. Our studies have shown that for winter barley of the Mavlono variety in the conditions of the Kashkadarya region, the sowing season is favorable – from 15 October to 1 November, with an optimum sowing rate of 4 million pcs / ha.