Variation in Nutritional Components in Roots from Ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa (Wedd.) Parodi) Accessions and an Interspecific Hybrid (P. ahipa × P. tuberosus (Lam.) Spreng.)

Among the many neglected underutilized species, tuberous Andean root crops such as the ahipas (Pachyrhizus ahipa) constitute a promising alternative for increasing diversity in nutrient sources and food security at a regional level. ahipa × P. tuberosus). A significant objective was to determine protein and free amino acids in the roots to evaluate their food quality as protein supply. The interspecific hybrids have been found to possess the root quality to provide the crop with a higher dry matter content. The high dry matter content of the P. tuberosus Chuin materials is retained in the root quality of the hybrids. Food functional components such as carbohydrates, organic acids, and proteins were determined in several ahipa accessions and a stable (non-segregating) progeny of the interspecific hybrid, X207. The X207 roots showed a significantly higher dry matter content and a lower content in soluble sugars, but no significant differences were found in starch content or organic acids compared to the ahipa accessions. Regarding the root mineral contents, Fe and Mn concentrations in X207 were significantly raised compared to the average of ahipa accessions. Among the ahipa and the hybrid, no prominent differences in protein content or protein amino acids were found, being both partially defective in providing sufficient daily intake of some essential amino acids. Root weight, a central component of root yield, was significantly higher in X207, but thorough field studies are required to substantiate the hybrid’s superior yield performance.

Adventitious Rooting of Lavandula x intermedia Cuttings

Due to challenges associated with lavender propagation, Texas hybrid lavender (lavandin) growers require revised propagation information. Therefore, experiments investigated effects of media and plant growth regulators (PGR) on rooting of three different lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia) cultivars. PGRs applied to cuttings were naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), or indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at three concentrations. In addition, four rooting media were examined. Cuttings exposed to a peat moss/sand medium had the greatest mean overall rooting percentage, number of roots, and regardless of cultivar, cuttings exposed to the peat moss/sand medium had the longest roots. In general, mean rooting data were also greatest for cuttings dipped in NAA at 0.5 and 1.0 g·L−1 (500 and 1000 ppm, respectively). Overall, across all media and PGR treatments ‘Grosso' cuttings tended to have the greatest rooting percentage and longest roots. In addition, compared to the no PGR treatment, ‘Provence' and ‘Hidcote Giant' cuttings exposed to the peat moss/sand medium and greater PGR concentrations produced cuttings with an increased mean rooting percentage and longer roots. When rooting lavandin cultivars, results indicate correct media selection, PGR formulation, and PGR concentration determine propagation success. Index words: lavandin, Lavandula x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel, peat moss, perlite, rooting percentage, root quality, sand. Chemicals used in this study: indole-3-butyric acid (IBA; 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 g.L−1); naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA; 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 g.L−1). Species used in this study: ‘Grosso', ‘Provence', and ‘Hidcote Giant' lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel.).

Variation in Nutritional Components in Roots From Ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa (Wedd.) Parodi) Accessions and an Interspecific Hybrid (P. Ahipa × P. Tuberosus (Lam.) Spreng.)

Among the many neglected underutilized species, tuberous Andean root crops like the ahipas (Pachyrhizus ahipa) constitute a promising alternative for increasing diversity in nutrient sources and food security at a regional level. In this study, we present the content of some functional compounds in tuberous roots from several ahipa accessions and the progenies of the interspecific hybrid X207 (P. ahipa × P. tuberosus). A significant objective was to determine protein and free amino acids in the roots to evaluate their food quality as protein supply. The interspecific hybrids have been found to possess the root quality to provide the crop with a higher dry matter content. The high dry matter content of the P. tuberosus Chuin materials is retained in the root quality of the hybrids. Food functional components like carbohydrates, organic acids, and proteins were determined in several ahipa accessions and a stable (non-segregating) progeny of the interspecific hybrid, X207. The X207 roots showed a significantly higher dry matter content and a lower content in soluble sugars, but no significant differences were found in starch content or organic acids compared to the ahipa accessions. About the root mineral contents, Fe and Mn concentrations in X207 were significantly raised compared to the average of ahipa accessions. Among the ahipa and the hybrid, no prominent differences in protein content or protein amino acids were found, being both partially defective in providing sufficient daily intake of some essential amino acids. Root weight, a central component of root yield, was significantly higher in X207, but thorough field studies are required to substantiate the hybrid’s superior yield performance..

Root formation and mechanical properties in laser keyhole welding of 15 mm thick HSLA steel

Deep penetration laser welding is promising in joining thick (> 10 mm) steel sections. Focused laser beam by drilling vapour cavity, the keyhole, generates deep and narrow welds. Full penetration single-pass joining has a persistent problem with root quality where humping is one of the most frequent imperfection. This strongly hampers the use of high-power laser for thick plate welding. A 16 kW disk laser was used for single-pass welding of 15 mm thick plates in a butt joint configuration. Root humping occurred within a wide range of welding parameters. This provides narrow processing window. By adding an arc source to the laser beam process, the tendency of root humping increases. To achieve humping-free welds and consistent root quality over length, a delicate balance of process parameters is required. High heat input (> 0.50 kJ/mm) was positive to achieve a combination of low hardness (< 325 HV) and good Charpy toughness at -50 °C (> 50 J).

Phenotypic diversity and selection in biofortified cassava germplasm for yield and quality root traits

Increasing carotenoid content and improving other root quality traits has been the focus of cassava biofortification. This study aimed to i) evaluate the genetic variability for total carotenoid content (TCC), as well as for root yield and root quality attributes; ii) estimate potentially useful correlations for selection; and iii) select parents for breeding and estimate the genetic gain. Data from 2011 to 2020 of 265 cassava genotypes with cream and yellow roots were analyzed for dry matter content (DMC), shoot yield, fresh root yield (FRY), dry root yield (DRY), harvest index, average number of roots per plant, starch content, root pulp color, cyanogenic compounds, and TCC. The best linear unbiased predictions showed great phenotypic variation for all traits. Six distinct groups were formed for productive characteristics of root quality, mainly TCC, DMC and FRY. Only TCC showed high broad-sense heritability (\({h}^{2}\)= 0.72), while the other traits had low to medium magnitude (0.21 ≤ \({h}^{2}\) ≤ 0.60). TCC was strongly correlated with pulp color (r = 0.70), but null significance for DMC. The network analysis identified a clear separation between the agronomic and quality attributes of cassava roots. The selection of the 30 genotypes for recombination in the breeding program has the potential to raise TCC by 37.1% and reduce the cyanogenic compounds content by 19.4%, in addition to increasing FRY and DRY by 37.7% and 40.2%, respectively. This is the first consolidated study on the potential of germplasm for the development biofortified cassava varieties in Brazil.

Modeling the Effect of Temperature on Ginger and Turmeric Rhizome Sprouting

Ginger and turmeric are tropical plant species with medicinal, beverage, and edible uses. Both species are typically propagated using seed rhizomes that often lack uniformity when sprouting, ultimately affecting the transplant growth and quality. Our objectives were to (1) develop a model to predict the effect of temperature on rhizome sprouting and transplant growth and (2) characterize the morphological factors affecting the sprouting of ginger and turmeric rhizomes. Two experiments were conducted where the rhizomes were placed in plastic bags with a moist substrate inside dark incubator chambers. Five temperature treatments (21, 25, 27, 30, and 32 °C) were used for calibrating the model, and six temperature treatments (14, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 °C) were used in the validation phase. The number of days for rhizomes to develop 1- and 5-cm sprouts were counted; after which, the total number of sprouts, total leaf length, and root quality were measured. A nonlinear regression analysis was used to develop temperature–response curves. Ginger and turmeric had optimal sprouting temperatures of 27.5 and 30.1 °C, respectively. Temperatures close to the optimal reduced the time to sprout and to subsequently reach the transplant stage. No sprouting was observed at 14 °C, and the minimum temperature to develop 5-cm sprouts was estimated at slightly above 17 °C in both species. Temperatures above 32 °C resulted in tissue damage and rhizome loss. The results from this study show the potential to produce uniform ginger and turmeric transplants using temperature treatments that accelerate sprouting.

Supraoptimal Root-zone Temperatures Affect Dahlia Growth and Development

Dahlia (Dahlia ×hybrida) is an important floriculture crop that has gained popularity in recent years. Greenhouse growers have recently reported a phenomenon known as “dahlia decline,” that can affect potted dahlias in greenhouse production. The crop exhibits graying foliage, root decline, and plant death, and the phenomenon has reportedly caused partial or total crop loss and has no known initiating factor. We hypothesized that plant exposure to supraoptimal root-zone temperatures (RZTs) during production may decrease dahlia root quality, especially above 40 °C and could initiate dahlia decline. Because there is a lack of understanding on how supraoptimal RZT may impact dahlia growth and development, experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of supraoptimal RZTs on seven dahlia cultivars in Spring 2019 and 2020. Dahlias were grown for 4 to 5 weeks in the greenhouse and then root zones were exposed to ≈22 (control), 35, 40, 45, or 50 °C using a water bath. Root quality was rated before treatment and rated weekly after the hot water bath treatment, along with vegetative growth parameters for 4 weeks. In both years, significant decline in root ratings were observed. ‘XXL Veracruz’ and ‘XXL Sunset’ average root ratings decreased after a 45 and 50 °C treatments in year 2 and both cultivars demonstrated increased root rating averages by 3 weeks after treatment. Cultivars exhibited a significant increase in root rating in the final observations when compared with root ratings taken 1 week posttreatment even if the initial decline after treatment was not significant. Overall plant height was significantly impacted, resulting in shorter heights in both years for all cultivars as treatment temperatures increased to 50 °C in comparison with the control and 35 °C, and a few cultivars exhibited significantly shorter height at 40 and 45 °C. Ultimately, our research did not show typical plant responses that were consistent with reported dahlia decline, but we were better able to characterize dahlia response to supraoptimal RZT.

Optimization of factors affecting the rooting of pine wilt disease resistant Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) stem cuttings

Pine wilt disease (PWD) is a devastating disease affecting trees belonging to the genus Pinus. To control the spread of PWD in the Masson pine forest in China, PWD resistant Masson pine clones have been selected by the Anhui Academy of Forestry. However, because Masson pine is a difficult-to-root species, producing seedlings is challenging, especially from trees older than 5 years of age, which impedes the application of PWD resistant clones. In this study, we investigated the factors affecting rooting of PWD resistant clones and established a cheap, reliable, and simple method that promotes rooting. We tested the effects of three management methods, four substrates, two cutting materials, two cutting treatments, and three collection times on the rooting of cuttings obtained from 9-year-old PWD resistant clones. Rooting was observed only in stem cuttings treated with the full-light automatic spray management method. Additionally, stem cuttings showed a significantly higher rooting rate and root quality than needles cuttings. Compared with other substrates, stem cuttings planted in perlite produced the longest adventitious root and the highest total root length and lateral root number. Moreover, stem cuttings of PWD resistant clones collected in May showed a significantly higher rooting rate and root quality than those collected in June and July. Moreover, stem cuttings prepared with a horizontal cut while retaining the needles showed significantly higher rooting rate and root quality than those prepared with a diagonal cut while partly removing the needles. This study promotes the reproduction of seedlings of PWD-resistant Masson pine clones which helps control the spread of PWD, meanwhile, provides a technical reference for the propagation of mature pine trees via cuttings.

Agronomic performance of the beet Tall Top Early Wonder as a function of nitrogen and borate fertilization

the growth process and root quality. However, few studies are evaluating the influence of the interaction between nutrients in this culture. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of the combination of nitrogen fertilization with boron on the production characteristics and quality of the beet Tall Top Early Wonder. The experiment was carried out at the São Manuel Experimental Farm (FCA/Unesp), located in São Manuel-SP. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four replications. The evaluated factors were: nitrogen and boric fertilization, in the factorial scheme (2 x 2), totaling 4 treatments: T1 (0 kg ha-1 of N and 0 kg ha-1 of B), T2 (0 kg ha-1 of N and 4 kg ha-1 of B), T3 (90 kg ha-1 of N and 0 kg ha-1 of B) and T4 (90 kg ha-1 of N and 4 kg ha-1 of B). The results showed that there was a positive interaction between nitrogen and boron when applied together, providing increases in productivity and greater uniformity in beetroots.