Hydrogen peroxide and thiourea both effect hormone regulation and antioxidant enzymes in microtubers and tubers -- African Crop Science Vol.21 No.3

Today we are featuring African Crop Science vol.21 no.3.

This issue includes "Estimates of Genetic Parameters for Quality of Wheat Cultivars Grown in Lesotho" by Morojele & Labuschagne, which explores different genotypes of wheat grown in Lesotho. The quality of wheat of five parents, F₁ and F₂ progeny, was examined. Among the characteristics examined were break flour yield, flour protein content, kernel weight, kernel diameter and kernel hardness. Broad heritability was found to be high for all characteristics of F₁ and F₂ progeny. The results indicated that the characteristic of kernel hardness, particularly in the F₁ progeny showed the highest prediction ratio. The study concluded that genetic variability is evident in wheat cultivars and could be used to improve wheat quality in Lesotho.

This issue also includes "Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide and Thiourea on Dormancy Breaking of Microtubers and Field-Grown Tubers of Potato" by Mani et al. This article examines the effects of hydrogen peroxide on potato (Solanum tuberosum) microtubers. Because potato microtubers have a dormant apical bud, they do not necessarily flourish even in appropriate environmental conditions. In this study, hydrogen peroxide is used by applying directly or indirectly thiourea, a catalase inhibitor, to test the dormancy release and sprouting of potato microtubers. The first step of involved looking at the percentage of microtubers that had sprouted that were planted in peat and grown in greenhouses after hydrogen peroxide and thiourea were applied in various dosages. The percentage of sprouted microtubers with time was examined with field-grown microtubers during storage, after hydrogen peroxide and thiourea were applied. The results indicated that 20 mM applications of hydrogen peroxide had a rapid and synchronous sprouting effect on microtubers, while 40 mM and 60 mM applications caused asynchronous sprouting. The results also indicated that thiourea applications of 250 mM increased sprouting of microtubers and was effective at reducing the dormancy period. For field-grown tubers, sprouting was most stimulated 60 mM of hydrogen peroxide was applied to tubers, and 250 mM of thiourea also caused maximum sprouting and better sprouting capacity of tubers. The study concluded that hydrogen peroxide and thiourea both have an effect on hormone regulation and antioxidant enzymes, affecting dormancy in both microtubers and tubers.

For the complete results of these studies and other studies from this issue, click here.

Rice production in Ghana produced more N2O than CO2 -- African Crop Science Vol.21 No.2

Today we are featuring African Crop Science vol.21 no.2, the second post in a series of posts we are doing on African Crop Science.

This issue features articles such as "Greenhouse Gaseous Emission and Energy Analysis in Rice Production Systems in Ghana" by Eshun et al. Because Africa is trying to increase its agricultural productivity, the need to examine what greenhouse gases are emitted and its energy-efficiency has grown. Little research has been done on the environmental impacts of rice production and how the management and system of rice production could be improved to be more environmentally friendly. For this study, rice (Oryza sativa) production in Ghana is analyzed. Greenhouse gas emissions and energy impacts were measured. The results indicated that rice production in Ghana produced more N₂O than the other two main greenhouse gases, followed by CO₂. During rice production, approximately 477 kg of CO₂-equivalents of greenhouse gases were emitted. The amount of greenhouse gases measured during different stages of production had varied emitted amounts, depending on the stage that was being recorded. In this study, fertilizer application produced 72% of greenhouse gases, while transportation to mills produced 10% of greenhouse gases.

This issue also includes "Markets and Rural Services As Determinants of Improved Seeds Usage by Crop Farmers in Osun State, Nigeria" by Adejobi & Kassali. This study aims to uncover how markets and rural services affect the use of better seeds by farmers. The study was conducted in Osun State in Nigeria, where 270 farming households were surveyed using the multistage sampling technique. The results indicated that accessibility to market information and socio-economic characteristics of farmers were among factors influencing the use of improved seeds.

For these articles and other articles from this issue, click here.

Fruit flies damage guava more than tropical almond or mango -- African Crop Science Journal Vol.21 No.1

Today is the first in a series of posts on African Crop Science Journal. 

Featured today is vol.21 no.1, which includes "Assessment of Invasive Fruit Fly Infestation and Damage in Cabo Delgado Province, Northern Mozambique" by Jose et al. Fruit flies, common pests in households, are examined in this study, particularly the invasive fruit fly (Bactrocera invadens), which was first discovered in Africa in Kenya in 2003. The invasive fruit fly has been found in other countries, such as Mozambique, where it was discovered in 2007. This study aims to uncover the damage and infestation levels of the invasive fruit fly in Mozambique, where there is a lack of information and studies done on the subject. Different types of fruits were used in the study, and subsequently four species of fruit flies were found: Bactrocera invadens, Ceratitis rosa, Ceratitis cosyra and Ceratitis capitata, with Bactrocera invadens being the most commonly found species. Guava was the fruit that showed the highest amount of damage from fruit flies, followed by tropical almond and mango. The results also found that tropical almond had the highest amount of Bactrocera invadens per fruit and per kilogram.

This issue also includes "Energy use in citrus production of Mazandaran Province in Iran" by Zarini et al. This study aims to uncover how energy-efficient citrus production is in the Mazandaran Province in Iran by interviewing 155 farmers. The data collected from the interviews indicated that the total energy requirement in citrus production was 17,112.2 MJ ha^-1, in which 36.3% of energy was consumed due to fertilizers, and 33.6% was consumed due to pesticides. The results also indicated that 12% of total energy output was renewable. Researchers concluded that the current citrus production system is inefficient and needs to improve energy consumption as well as adopt a plan to use renewable energy.

The abstracts for this issue can also be found in French. For these articles and other articles from this issue, click here.

Featured Issue: African Crop Science Vol.21 Special Issue No.3

African Crop Science Journal was recently updated on Bioline. Vol.21 special issue 3 includes "Tree and Shrub Species Integration in the Crop-Livestock Farming System" by Sisay and Mekonnen. This article aims to look at the difficulties of integrating trees and shrubs in a watershed in central Ethiopia. The study found that some of the key constraints to integration included soil cracking, lack of seedling of desired species of trees and shrubs, and water-logging. The study recommends that more information be made available on tree and shrub integration so that farmers can be given training on tree planting, management and utilisation practices.

This issue also includes "Participatory identification of farmer acceptable improved rice varieties for rain-fed lowland ecologies in Uganda" by Nanfumba et al. This article studies improved rice varieties, in the Kyoga plains in eastern Uganda. The objective was to determine the preferences of farmers of different varieties of rice. According to the study, improved varieties and production techniques instead of expansion of production could be a viable option to explore. The study evaluates six varieties of rice growin in the Kyoga plain in eastern Uganda. The results indicated that farmers preferred varieties of rice with higher levels of grain yield and short maturity time among other factors.

For these articles and others from this issue, click here.

African Crop Science Society - conference announcements!

Bioline is pleased to pass on the following news on behalf of the African Crop Science Society:

10th ACSS Conference Proceedings (NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE): http://www.acss.ws/?t=a_conf&s=4

The ACSS have also announced that their 11th Conference will take place from October 14th to 17th, 2013 in Entebbe, Uganda. The conference theme is Sowing innovation for sustainable African crops production to meet food security under climate change.
The deadlines for submission and receipt of abstracts and papers are August 31st and September 15th respectively. The abstracts shall be sent to: prubaihayo@gmail.com. It is urged that all material be sent as soon as possible and on time as to avoid any organizational issues.

We are proud to have the ACSS as a contributor to Bioline and wish them a successful and engaging 11th conference!

Did you know...

Did you know that the oil from the seeds of the tree species Jatropha curcas can be used to produce biofuel?

African Crop Science Journal vol.21 no.2 was updated on Bioline in early June. It features "Potential Pollinators and Floral Visitors of Introduced Tropical Biofuel Tree Species Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae) in Southern Africa" by Negussie et al., which discusses the Jatropha curcas species and its vulnerability to pollinators and other insects in the two countries of Zambia and Malawi. Studying the species' vulnerability could help protect this valuable biofuel resource!

Check out vol. 21 no.2 of the African Crop Science Journal here: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=cs&year=2013&vol=21&num=02&keys=V21N2

Did you know...

Did you know that fruit flies are not just domestic pests, but can also severely damage crops as well? The species of invasive fruit fly, Bacteria invadens, was first detected in Africa in 2003 in Kenya. One article by José et al. titled "Assessment of Invasive Fruit Fly Fruit Infestation and Damage in Cabo Delgado Province, Northern Mozambique" studies the effects of B.invadens on crops and the extent of their damage, as well as the infestation levels in different fruits in Mozambique.
You can find this article and others from this issue here: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=cs&year=2013&vol=21&num=01&keys=V21N1

African Crop Science Journal - vol. 20 no. 4 and vol. 20 supp. 2

Bioline is happy to announce that vol. 20 no. 4 and vol. 20 supplement 2 of the African Crop Science Society's journal have been uploaded to the Bioline website!

Vol. 20 no. 4 of African Crop Science journal covers a range of topics, including the Effect of Nitrogen on Safflower Physiology and Productivity as well as the Impact of Some Climatic and Phenological Parameters on the Callogenesis and Somatic Embryogenesis Variations in Cocoa. The topic of climate is continued in articles through vol. 20 supplement 2. Bagamba, Bashaasha, Claessens and Antle tackle adaptation strategies in response to climate change in their article, titled Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategies for Smallholder Agricultural Systems in Uganda.

Full text PDF articles with abstracts in English and French are available through the following links:

• Vol. 20 no. 4 - http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=cs&year=2012&vol=20&num=04&keys=V20N4
• Vol. 20 supp. 2 - http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=cs&year=2012&vol=20&num=S2&keys=V20NS2

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The African Crop Science Society also recently announced that two fully funded Crop Science PhD studentships are available at Lancaster University:
The Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC), Lancaster University, is pleased to announce a significant number of PhD Studentships for October 2013. LEC forms one of the largest centres for environmental research in Europe. LEC's inter-disciplinary research themes focus on atmospheric science, biodiversity and global change, catchment and aquatic processes, environmental geosciences and the relationships between the environment and society. The excellent research environment and facilities these themes offer provides the setting for our PhD training. LEC has 160 full and part time PhD and Masters by Research students who contribute to a vibrant research environment and the research achievements of LEC. Enquiries and applications from well-qualified applicants who wish to join this thriving research community are welcomed.

LEC is pleased to be offering two BBSRC funded PhDs, which are part of a Doctoral Training Programme in Food Security:

• Benefits of controlled soil drying on crop yields: disentangling nutritional and phytohormonal effects PhD
• Using chemical genetics as a tool to explore nitrogen regulatory pathways in wheat development PhD

Deadline: 22 February

For more information, see: http://www.lec.lancs.ac.uk/postgraduate/pg_news/?article_id=1277