INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL FORMS ON CHANGES IN THE CONTENT OF MINERAL ELEMENTS IN GRAIN OF NEW WINTER TRITICALE HYBRID STRAINS
The paper presents a study on the content of Ca, Mg, K, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe in kernels (F5 generation) of winter triticale produced by crossbreeding three maternal with two paternal forms. As maternal forms, two strains were used, IGS 5101, FDT 975, as well as cultivar Alzo. The paternal components consisted of strains LAD 122 and F 8063. Morphologically established hybrid strains were selected at the Institute of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin. The component selection for crossbreeding was performed to achieve hybrids with great yield-forming potential and to improve the resistance to grain sprouting. Minerals were determined by the atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) method. The results revealed differentiation in amounts of the analysed mineral components in hybrids depending on genotypes of the parental forms. Hybrid strains were usually characterized by a lower ash content in kernels than the parental forms. Among all the hybrids, strain IGS 5101 × F 8063 was distinguishable by its higher content of K, Ca, Mn, and Fe in grain versus both parental forms. It also excelled exceeded the other hybrids in respect of Ca, K and Mn. Tests on the mineral components in hybrid triticale strains indicate that it is possible to shape their levels through an appropriate selection of parental forms and selection during breeding work on X Triticosecale Wittmack genus to achieve cultivars of improved nutritional value.
Effect of fertilisation technique on some indices of nutritional value of spring triticale grain
Triticale is a cereal which may compete with other species of crop plants in terms of the nutritional value. This grain crop enjoys an increasing popularity among farmers as well as food and animal feed manufacturers, hence there is a growing interest in foliar fertilisation with micronutrients in order to ensure fast and effective nutrition. This study discusses the effect of soil fertilisation or soil and foliar fertilisation with nitrogen (with or without multi-component fertilisers) on the content of macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium), total protein and protein fractions in the grain of spring triticale of the Andrus cultivar grown in north-eastern Poland. The fertilisation of cv. Andrus spring triticale involved a pre-sowing application of ammonium nitrate, an application of 46% urea in the period of tillering, (with and without the fertiliser Azofoska) and an application of ammonium nitrate as well as a soil and the foliar application of urea (10% solution, with and without an addition of Ekolist Z) in the period of stem shooting. Differentiation of the experimental results on the content of the analysed macronutrients as well as the protein composition was caused by differences of habitat conditions in the two experimental seasons. Higher nitrogen doses applied as a split urea dose resulted in a higher concentration of phosphorus, calcium and magnesium in grain from cv. Andrus spring triticale. The dose of 120 kg N ha-1 in ammonia nitrate and urea applied to soil or as foliar spray resulted in an increase of total protein. The accumulation of glutenins in triticale grain usually increased in response to the higher dose of nitrogen (120 kg ha-1) applied both with and without the multi-component fertilisers. The foliar supplementation with urea and micronutrients in multi-component fertilisers contributed to a reduced accumulation of alpha/beta-type gliadins, regardless of the nitrogen dose.
Spatial distribution of root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) in a long-term no-till cropping system and their relationship with soil and landscape properties
The Cook Agronomy Farm of Washington State University is a long-term precision agriculture study site. Since 2000, the farm has been in various three-year no-till rotations with winter wheat, spring wheat, and various rotation crops such as barley, canola, peas, lentils, and chickpea. The spatial distribution of root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) and their relationships with soil and terrain variables were studied by collecting soil samples at 127 and 124 geo-referenced points in two 12-ha fields during the spring of 2010 and 2011, respectively. Pratylenchus spp. were detected in more than 85% of the sampled locations in both fields. Nematode densities spatially mapped using ArcGIS software occurred in an aggregated pattern. Previous rotation crops had no effect on the spatial distribution. Classification and regression tree analysis (CART) using soil and terrain variables, and nematode density, explained 61 and 34% of the variability associated with nematode density in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Soil edaphic factors, such as organic matter, were stronger predictors of nematode populations than rotation effects.