Search Results (279)

Triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) is a valuable dual-purpose crop due to its adaptability to marginal environments and its potential for both high-quality grain and forage production. However, a comprehensive evaluation of its forage quality characteristics and agronomic performances is still needed. This study evaluated the grain and forage yield potentials and nutritional compositions of 11 triticale genotypes over two consecutive years in a semi-arid region located in Shanxi province, China. Forage quality was assessed using several key parameters, including nutrient composition, fiber digestibility, mineral content, and energy density, while grain quality parameters, including nutrient composition as well as carbohydrate and fiber characteristics, were also analyzed. Significant genetic variation was observed in these traits, indicating the influence of genotype–environment interactions on these traits. The tested genotypes exhibited grain yields ranging from 4.83 to 6.92 t ha⁻¹ and fresh forage biomass yields between 20.06 and 29.78 t ha⁻¹, demonstrating their potential for sustainable forage and grain production under semi-arid conditions. Genotypes from our breeding programs, including Shengnongsicao 1 and Jinsicao 1, demonstrated superior adaptability, maintaining stable forage and grain yield potentials under adverse conditions. Their favorable nutritional characteristics further enhance their suitability for semi-arid livestock systems. High levels of essential minerals, particularly calcium and potassium, further enhanced the nutritional value of these genotypes. These results provide valuable insights for triticale breeding programs and suggest triticale’s potential as a reliable crop in semi-arid regions, where maximizing land productivity is essential. Full article

The actual environmental and energy crises are two of the main problems existing in the world. Among the different technologies that can be implemented is anaerobic digestion, which employs waste and renewable biomass materials. To reach the optimum ratio of different raw materials or substrates in the feed of digesters, laboratory tests are necessary. This work aims to study the increase in the Organic Load Rate (OLR) (1 g VS L⁻¹d⁻¹, 2 g VS L⁻¹d⁻¹, 3 g VS L⁻¹d⁻¹ and 4 g VS L⁻¹d⁻¹, VS: Volatile Solid) and the raw materials number (sorghum (S), pig manure (P), triticale (T), corn stover (C) and microalgae biomass (M)) in the feedstock of the anaerobic digestion process. Mean values of methane yields for the evaluated set were lower in SMP and SMPTC assays (149.80 L_CH4 kg VS⁻¹ and 157.15 L_CH4 kg VS⁻¹, respectively) than SP, SM and SMPT assays (195.09 L_CH4 kg VS⁻¹, 197.69 L_CH4 kg VS⁻¹ and 195.76 L_CH4 kg VS⁻¹, respectively). Along the experiments, several parameters were evaluated, along with their interactions with OLR and number of raw materials. Two kinetic models were employed to fit the COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) removal results. Full article

It has been assumed that the long-term impact of a diversified soil use system (SUS) and the continuous application of manure and/or mineral fertilizers (NPK) affects the sustainability of soil fertility components. This influence is manifested through the content and distribution of nutrients, as well as some bioavailable heavy metals in the soil. This hypothesis was verified in 2022 in a long-term field experiment that started in 1957. It consisted of a seven-course crop rotation: potato–spring barley–winter triticale–alfalfa–alfalfa–winter wheat–winter rye and monocultures of these crops plus black fallow. The studies were carried out on three separate fields: black fallow (BF), winter wheat grown in monoculture (WW-MO), and crop rotation (WW-CR). Each of these experimental objects consists of five fertilizer variants (FVs) fertilized in the same way every year: absolute control (AC)—variant without fertilizers for 75 years; farmyard manure—FM; mineral fertilizers—NPK; mixed variant—NPK + FM; mineral fertilizers plus annually applied lime—NPK + L. The second factor was the soil layer: 0.0–0.3 m, 0.3–0.6 m, or 0.6–0.9 m. The obtained results clearly indicate that long-term fertilization with NPK + FM, especially in rotation with legumes, strengthens the eluviation/illuviation processes, decreasing the sustainability of soil fertility. Liming is a factor stabilizing the content and distribution of silt and clay particles in the soil. The key factor determining the content and distribution of micronutrients and heavy metals in the soil was the content of organic carbon (C_org). Its content decreased in the following order: WW-CR (13.2 ± 5.8) ≥ WW-MO (12.3 ± 6.9) > BF (6.6 ± 2.8 g·kg⁻¹). The large variability resulted from a distribution trend with soil depth, which increased as follows: MO ≥ CR > BF. FVs with FM had the highest C_org content. NPK, regardless of the long-term soil use system (SUS), had the lowest content. Among the elements studied, the key one impacting the content of both micronutrients and heavy metals was iron (Fe). The Fe content decreased in the order BL (100%) > WW-MO (90.5%) > WW-CR (85%). The opposite tendency was found for the remaining elements, the content of which was consistent with the content of C_org, which was the highest in CR. The strongest impact of Fe, modified by the SUS, was found for Zn, Pb, and Cd. Despite the differences observed between SUSs, fertilization variants, and soil layers, the content of Fe and Mn was in the medium class, while Zn and Cu were in the high class of availability. The content of Ni was the highest for NPK + FM in WW-CR. The content of Pb was weakly affected by the long-term SUS but showed a strong tendency for accumulation in the topsoil layer. The content of Cd was the highest in BF, where it exceeded the threshold of 0.27 mg·kg⁻¹. The long-term diversified SUS, as the main factor determining the sustainability of soil fertility, makes it possible to indicate the directions of humus accumulation and its distribution in the soil. It turned out to be a key factor, but in cooperation with Fe, it determined the content of micronutrients and bioavailable heavy metals in the soil. Full article

Small grain crops showed significant yield variation under different nitrogen fertilization treatments. Understanding factors influencing yield is crucial for optimizing productivity. This study assessed how nitrogen fertilization affects grain number, grain weight, and other yield components in triticale, wheat, six-rowed, and two-rowed barley across multiple locations and seasons. Key traits, including grain number per spike, spike number per unit area, and spike dry weight, were analyzed. Triticale cultivars achieved the highest average grain yield (GY) of 8709 kg ha−1, significantly outperforming wheat (7656 kg ha−1) and six-rowed barley (7676 kg ha−1), particularly under high nitrogen (100 kg N) fertilization, where triticale reached 9184 kg ha−1. Grain number per unit area (GN) was strongly positively correlated with GY across all crops, with the highest GN values observed in triticale (21,937) under 100 kg N fertilization. Fruiting efficiency (FE) and spike dry weight at anthesis (SDWa) showed crop-specific relationships with GN, with the strongest association between GN and SDWa observed in triticale, while FE exhibited the highest values in wheat (112.3) and the lowest in two-rowed barley (82). Triticale’s superior yield was linked to greater grain number and spike dry weight, while wheat’s high fruiting efficiency contributed to its performance. Despite its high spike number and spike dry weight, two-rowed barley had lower grain number per spike, limiting its yield. Nitrogen fertilization improved yield components across all crops, though trade-offs between grain weight and other traits were observed. These findings provide insights for breeders and agronomists in optimizing small grain production. Full article

Small-grain producers in the southern Pannonian Plain prefer winter barley production in poor soils and drought-prone areas, assuming higher resource use efficiency in barley than in wheat. Similarly, triticale is known to perform well in low-fertility soils and dry environments. However, information about the comparative performance of these crops within the same trials is less available for the Pannonian environment. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency traits of winter wheat, triticale, and two-rowed and six-rowed barley cultivars across different N applications in different growing seasons and locations in the Pannonian Plain. The study was conducted over two seasons at three locations (Novi Sad, Sremska Mitrovica, and Sombor) using a split-plot design. Treatments consisted of winter wheat, triticale, and two-rowed and six-rowed barley under three nitrogen fertilization levels of low, moderate, and high. Averaged across species, the reduction in grain yield in 0 N compared to 100 N was 1218 kg ha⁻¹ (15.7%) in wheat, 1037 kg ha⁻¹ (11.6%) in triticale, 1128 kg ha⁻¹ (13.7) in two-rowed barley, and 1340 kg ha⁻¹ (17.1%) in six-rowed barley. Grain yield was closely related to nitrogen uptake, showing a relationship (R²) from 0.652 in triticale to 0.956 in six-rowed barley. Nitrogen use efficiency showed a positive relationship with nitrogen uptake efficiency, while the relationship with nitrogen utilization efficiency was insignificant. There was a notable difference between crops in terms of grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency traits. Notably, two-rowed barley outperformed wheat in terms of grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency, while wheat outperformed six-rowed barley. Triticale showed the highest yield among all the studied cereal crops, attributed to increased nitrogen use efficiency and uptake, especially under low fertilization conditions. Full article

Salinity and water scarcity are among the major environmental challenges requiring the use of non-conventional water sources and the adoption of salt-tolerant crops. We assessed the impact of irrigation with different concentrations of NaCl: 50 mM and 150 mM on the growth parameters and yield of triticale, soil salinity, distribution of active root density, and concentrations of Na⁺ and NO₃⁻ ions at harvest compared to freshwater under zero leaching conditions. Irrigation was applied on a daily basis based on weight measurements of micro-lysimeter pots. Growth parameters, including plant height, LAI, number of leaves, number of tillers, and soil salinity, were observed across the growing season. Spatial distributions of soil salinity, normalized root length density (NRLD), concentrations of Na⁺ and NO₃⁻ in soil profile were measured in two dimensions. The results indicate that irrigating with 150 mM of NaCl H₂O significantly affected the crop growth, causing salts, particularly Na⁺, to reside in the topsoil, reducing NRLD with soil depth, crop water demand, and NO₃⁻ uptake. The application of 150 mM and 50 mM of NaCl H₂O reduced crop water use by 4 and 2.6 times as well as grain yield by 97% and 42%, respectively, compared to freshwater. This shows that irrigation with concentration equal to or higher than 150 mM NaCl will result in very low production. To achieve higher yield and crop water productivity, irrigation with NaCl concentration of 50 mM or less is recommended to grow triticale in marginal regions with limited freshwater resources. Full article

The quality characteristics of seven triticale grain varieties were determined by different physiochemical analyses. For this purpose, the content of protein, wet gluten, fat, ash, moisture, carbohydrates, test weight, and thousand-kernel mass; mineral elements Ca, Na, Zn, Fe, and Cu; and total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), free radical scavenging activity (DPPH assay), and phenolic profile (4-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, and rosmarinic acid) were analyzed. Also, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to evaluate the quality parameters of triticale grains. According to the chemical data obtained, all triticale varieties may be used for breadmaking. A high variability was obtained among triticale varieties for mineral elements and antioxidant compounds. The highest values were recorded for Ca, followed by Fe, Na, Zn, and Cu. The TPC, TFC, DPPH, and phenolic compounds of the analyzed triticale samples increased with the increasing temperature used in the extraction method. Generally, the highest value for phenolic acid was obtained by p-coumaric acid followed by rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, and chlorogenic acid. Principal component analysis of triticale cultivars related to their physicochemical data showed close association between some varieties such as Costel; Ingen 54, Ingen 35, Ingen 33, and Ingen 93, and Ingen 40; and Fanica varieties. Full article

Due to the increasing demand for food, the agricultural sector is facing a huge challenge related to its production without having a negative impact on the environment. The above issues are regulated by the current EU policy, indicating the need to conduct plant production by the European Green Deal strategy (2020), based on reducing the use of chemical plant-protection products by 50% and reducing the level of mineral fertilization by 20% by 2030. Using appropriate techniques of applying mineral fertilizers, which have a positive effect on the development and activity of soil microorganisms, the availability of nutrients in the soil can be increased while reducing fertilizer applications. This study aims to show whether the use of foliar nitrogen fertilizers in combination with sulfur in a two-year field experiment with triticale stimulates the multiplication of selected groups of microorganisms and the level of soil enzymatic activity. In addition, effects on the content of available forms of nutrients in the soil, triticale yield, and total nutrient uptake were analyzed. It is shown that the applied foliar fertilizers enriched with sulfur, compared to fertilization with ammonium nitrate, contributed to a 100% increase in the number of analyzed groups of microorganisms, urease, and alkaline phosphatase activity; a 44% increase in dehydrogenase activity; and a 15% increase in acid phosphatase activity. The hybrid application technique, with reduced doses of nitrogen fertilizers enriched with sulfur by 20 and 25%, resulted in grain yields exceeding 8 t/ha. Moreover, compared to conventional fertilization based on ammonium nitrate, an increase in the grain yield of triticale was obtained in the range of 16 to 24%, as well as an increase in the accumulation of nutrients in the plant. It is shown that foliar fertilization is a promising alternative to standard fertilization techniques. Full article

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different N application rates on the yield, N accumulation, and grain quality of triticale and provide a theoretical basis for selecting the best N application rate for sowing triticale in the loess parent material area. This experiment was conducted at the experimental station of Shanxi Agricultural University in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, China, from 2021 to 2023 to study the effects and differences of different N application rates (N application rates 180, 210, 240, 270, and 300 kg ha⁻¹) on the yield formation, N utilization, and quality of the two triticale varieties Donghei10 (DH10) and Taizi6336 (TZ6336). The results showed that, compared with other N application rates, N240 increased the number of spikes and grains per spike of triticale and increased the yield by 6–19%. The yield increased most significantly when the N application range was 210–240 kg ha⁻¹; the yield change rate per 2 kg of N increase was the largest within this range, and the continued increase in yield with increasing N application was slow. N240 also improved the NUE, NUPE, nutritional quality, and processing quality of triticale. The results of the pathway analysis showed that the N application rate affected the spike number, grain number per spike, and 1000-grain weight of triticale. N accumulation at the anthesis and maturity stages affected GS and GOGAT activities in the flag leaf and grain, thus affecting the N efficiency, yield, and protein content. Overall, a N application at 240 kg ha⁻¹ increased the yield, nitrogen efficiency, and quality of triticale, and there was no significant difference in yield between DH10 and TZ6336. Full article

Conservation agriculture (CA) is a sustainable land management approach to improve soil quality while mitigating degradation. Although extensive information regarding the effect of CA on soil properties and microbiome is available, complete studies on the cumulative effect on specific interactions between soil parameters, crop productivity, and microbial communities over time are still lacking, mainly in arid regions. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of no-tillage and residue retention over long- and short-term (24 and 3 years, respectively) periods. Six treatments were established in a maize–oat–triticale system from 1995 in a semiarid region: P + H—plow + harrow; H—harrow; MP—multi-plow (short-term); NT—no-tillage; NT33—NT + 33% residue surface cover (long-term); NT66—NT + 66% residue surface cover. Results indicated that CA improved soil quality by increasing soil organic matter (SOM), total carbon, and glomalin; it also enhanced microbial abundance, particularly fungi, and β-galactosidase activity. Nevertheless, conventional tillage practices led to SOM degradation and reduced crop yields. Principal component analysis revealed distinct groupings of treatments based on soil properties and microbial communities. Furthermore, changes could be detected from the short term. These findings highlight the importance of adopting sustainable agricultural practices to maintain soil health and ensure agricultural productivity in semi-arid regions. Full article

Accurate leaf segmentation and counting are critical for advancing crop phenotyping and improving breeding programs in agriculture. This study evaluates YOLOv11-based models for automated leaf detection and segmentation across spring barley, spring wheat, winter wheat, winter rye, and winter triticale. The key focus is assessing whether a unified model trained on a combined multi-crop dataset can outperform crop-specific models. Results show that the unified model achieves superior performance in bounding box tasks, with mAP@50 exceeding 0.85 for spring crops and 0.7 for winter crops. Segmentation tasks, however, reveal mixed results, with individual models occasionally excelling in recall for winter crops. These findings highlight the benefits of dataset diversity in improving generalization, while emphasizing the need for larger annotated datasets to address variability in real-world conditions. While the combined dataset improves generalization, the unique characteristics of individual crops may still benefit from specialized training. Full article

Portugal exhibits a large deficit in cereals with an import/export ratio of about 18%. Alentejo is a southern vast plain region, which is the largest cereal producer in the country, with about 80% of the total cereal area. The region also shows a huge local energy deficit with a ratio of about 17% between spent and produced energy. In this context, this work used GIS modeling based on available digital geographical information on soil and topographic conditions in Alentejo for estimating optimal production areas of four main classes of cereal and legume classes, which were wheat, barley, oat/lupin, and triticale/broad bean. The estimated areas were validated by 199 sample points in the field and allowed to quantify a potential of bioenergy production from straw biomasses based on yields of biomass net calorific values of 18 MJkg⁻¹ and yields of 6, 9, 6, and 9 tons/ha for the four classes in the order indicated. The estimated areas allocated to the cereal and legume classes covered approximately four municipalities in the region. The total modeled area in Alentejo for the four cultivation classes was 44,980 ha. The results showed that even if 50% of the estimated total straw biomass produced was used for animal feed, the estimated bioenergy production of the remaining half biomass would be of about 2940 TJy⁻¹, or about 12.5% of the actual regional energy production, which is an energy amount able to supply 35 organic Rankine cycle (ORC) 2.5 MW cogeneration units and 347 boilers with 125 kW thermal power, delivering renewable electricity to the grid, and heating facilities as diverse as buildings, nursing homes, or horticultural greenhouses. More than 160 kton of CO₂ fossil emissions would also be avoided, delivering a contribution to mitigating effects of climate change. By contributing to the reduction of the large cereal dependence and the carbon emissions of the country, the proposed strategy would contribute to increasing the decentralized bioenergy production for applications in buildings and local facilities, significantly boosting the socio-economic dynamics of rural areas involved. Full article

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of extrusion processing parameters—moisture content (M = 20 and 24%), feeding rate (FR = 20 and 25 kg/h), and screw speed (SS = 300, 390 and 480 RPM), on the content of deoxynivalenol (DON), 15-Acetyl Deoxynivalenol (15-AcDON), 3-Acetyl Deoxynivalenol (3-AcDON), HT-2 Toxin (HT-2), tentoxin (TEN) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), using a pilot single-screw extruder in whole-grain triticale flour. The temperature at the end plate of the extruder ranged between 97.6 and 141 °C, the absolute pressure was from 0.10 to 0.42 MPa, the mean retention time of material in the barrel was between 16 and 35 s, and the specific energy consumption was from 91.5 to 186.6 Wh/kg. According to the standard score, the optimum parameters for the reduction of the content of analysed mycotoxins were M = 24 g/100 g, FR = 25 kg/h, SS = 480 RPM, with a reduction of 3.80, 60.7, 61.5, 86.5, 47.7, and 55.9% for DON, 3-AcDON, 15-AcDON, HT-2, TEN, and AME, respectively. Under these conditions, the bulk density, pellet hardness, water absorption index, and water solubility index of the pellet were 0.352 g/mL, 13.7 kg, 8.96 g/g, and 14.9 g/100 g, respectively. Full article

Triticale grains and brewers’ spent grain (BSG) can be new sources to develop food products. From a socio-economical point of view, this fact is important since triticale is easily adapted to the climatic changes and BSG is a low-cost material which may lead to a “zero-waste” desiderate. In this study, dough rheological properties obtained from different triticale cultivars (Ingen 33, Ingen 35, Ingen 54, and Ingen 93) cultivated in the Republic of Moldova and BSG in a fermented form (BSF) in an addition level of 10% and 17.5% were analyzed. For this purpose, different rheological devices, such as Mixolab, Alveograph, HAAKE MARS 40 Rheometer, Falling Number, and Rheofermentometer, were used. Also, the pH value of the dough samples with different levels of BSF addition during fermentation was determined. According to the data obtained, BSF addition decreased water absorption values; torques values corresponding to stages 1–5 of the Mixolab curve; and dynamic rheological elastic, viscous, and complex modules. For the 17.5% BSF addition to triticale flour, the best rheological results were obtained for the Ingen 33 and Ingen 54 varieties. In addition, the BSF addition decreased the baking strength and tenacity of the Alveograph curve. The pH values of the dough samples during fermentation significantly decreased (p < 0.05) with the increased amount of BSF incorporated into the dough recipe. The highest pH decreased values were obtained for Ingen 35 with a 17.5% BSF addition, which varied between 5.58 and 5.48. During fermentation, all data recorded by the Rheofermentometer device were improved. The dough samples presented a high retention coefficient, which varied between 99.1 and 99.5%. The falling number decreased with the increasing level of BSF in triticale flour, indicating an increase in α-amylase activity in the mixed flours. The principal component analysis data showed a strong association between triticale flour varieties without a BSF addition and those with a high amount of BSF incorporated into the dough recipe. The results obtained indicate the fact that many mixes between BSF and different triticale varieties may lead to bakery products of a good quality. Full article

Sustainable nutrition and food production involve dietary habits and farming systems which are eco-friendly, created to provide highly nutritious staple crops which could serve as a functional food at the same time. This research sought to provide a comprehensive analysis of whole-grain cereals, and some ancient grains toward important macro- (protein), micro-nutrients (mineral elements), and bioactive compounds, such as dietary fiber (arabinoxylan and β-glucan) and antioxidants (phytic acid, total glutathione, yellow pigment, and phenolic compounds) to provide functionality in a sustainable diet. Genotypes, such as durum wheat, triticale, spelt, emmer wheat, and barley, could be considered important and sustainable sources of protein (ranging 11.10–15.00%), as well as prebiotic fiber (β-glucan and arabinoxylan, ranging 0.11–4.59% and 0.51–6.47%, respectively), essential elements, and various antioxidants. Ancient grains can be considered as a source of highly available essential elements. Special attention should be given to the Cimmyt spelt 1, which is high in yellow pigment (5.01 μg·g⁻¹) and has a capacity to reduce DPPH radicals (186.2 µmol TE·g⁻¹), particularly Zn (70.25 mg·kg⁻¹). The presence of phenolics, dihydro-p-coumaric acid, naringin, quercetin, epicatechin in grains of oats (Sopot), as well as catechin in barley grains (Apolon and Osvit) underline their unique chemical profile, making them a desirable genetic pool for breeding genotypes. This research provides a comprehensive assessment of different nutritional aspects of various cereals (some of which are commonly used, while the others are rarely used in diet), indicating their importance as nutraceuticals. It also provides a genetic background that could be translated the genotypes with even more profound effects on human health. Full article