A field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy farm of Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), Khumaltar, Lalitpur to evaluate the effect of sowing dates and seed rates on yield and yield attributes of wheat. The experiment was laid in a split-plot design with three replications treated with 4 sowing dates as the main plot factor (12th Nov, 27th Nov, 12th Dec, and 27th Dec) and 4 seed rates as subplot factor (100 kg ha-1, 120 kg ha-1, 140 kg ha-1 and 160 kg ha-1). Results revealed that the leaf area index was significantly affected by sowing dates and was comparatively superior in 2nd sowing date (27th Nov) wheat. Similarly, in the case of seed rates, the leaf area index was influenced significantly and was recorded to be increasing with an increase in seed rates. Phenological parameters like days to 50% heading, flowering, and maturity were observed maximum (116, 123, and 179 days, respectively) in early sown wheat and reduced with the subsequent delay in sowing. Maximum values of yield and yield attributes like effective tillers per meter square (635.6), spike length (9.56 cm), grains per spike (41.49), grain yield (7.59 Mt ha-1), and straw yield (9.58 Mt ha-1) were observed in the wheat sown in 2nd date (on 27th Nov) which differed significantly to wheat sown on other dates. Seed rates had no significant influence on grain yield and yield attributes. Thousand-grain weight was found maximum (46.26 g) in early sown wheat (on 12th Nov sown wheat, reduced with the subsequent delay in sowing, and the harvest index was observed as maximum (0.51) under December 27 sown wheat. Though the yield and its attributes were not influenced significantly by seed rate, the maximum yield (6.18 Mt ha-1) was observed in wheat sown at the rate of 120 kg ha-1. Considering seed yield and its parameters, 2nd date of sowing wheat (27th Nov) and seed rate of 100 kg ha-1 could be the best option to uplift the productivity of wheat in rainfed lowland conditions of Lalitpur, Nepal.

Este estudio estima el tiempo de vaciado del estómago de la cachama blanca (Piaractus brachypomus) en el día de comienzo regular de alimentación posterior a un periodo de ayuno. Para el efecto, se recolectaron muestras de contenido estomacal en periodos de dos horas después del suministro de alimento (9:30 y 15:30 h) hasta el primer indicio de vaciado. Se utilizaron cachamas con un peso de 360 ± 12 g dispuestas en cuatro tratamientos: (1) T1 = alimentación a saciedad durante 5 días y ayuno de 2 días, (2) T2 = alimentación a saciedad durante 6 días y ayuno de 1 día, (3) T3 = alimentación a saciedad durante 7 días, y (4) TC = alimentación siguiendo las tablas recomendadas por el fabricante del alimento. El análisis de datos se realizó mediante ANOVA de medidas repetidas, empleando como factores el tratamiento y el tiempo de vaciado, siendo cada repetición la unidad experimental. Las cachamas del tratamiento T1 presentaron mayor cantidad de alimento en el estómago en los muestreos posteriores al suministro de la primera y segunda ración. A diferencia del tratamiento T1, en los demás las cachamas vaciaron su contenido en el estómago en el periodo comprendido entre la primera y la segunda ración de alimentación y en el periodo posterior a la segunda ración. Por tanto, cuando el contenido estomacal fue mayor, debido a un mayor consumo de alimento en la ración, como en el caso del tratamiento (T1), el tiempo necesario para vaciar el estómago de las cachamas se incrementó. | The study measured the time necessary to complete emptying of the stomach of white Cachama (Piaractus brachypomus) starting on the day regular feeding subsequent to a starvation period. Samples were collected from stomach contents in periods of 2 hours after feeding (9:30 y 15:30 h) until the first sign of emptying. The cachama weighing was 360 ± 12 g; designing four treatments: (1) T1 = feed to satiation for 5 days and starvation for two days, (2) T2 = feed to satiation for 6 days and starvation for one day, (3) T3 = feed to satiation for 7 days, and (4) TC = restricted feeding table recommended by the manufacturer, 7 days a week. Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA, using as factors the treatment and emptying time, with each repetition as the experimental unit. Unlike the T5 treatment, in other cachama emptied its contents into the stomach from the time period between the first and the second ration of food and in the period after the second ration. Therefore, when the stomach content was higher due to a higher feed intake in the diet, as in the case of treatment (T5), the time required to empty the stomach of cachama increased.

This research was carried out to determine the pollination abilities of Domat, Gemlik and Sarı Ulak olive cultivars. Pollen viability rate, germination rate and amount of pollen production were examined during the periods when 25%, 50% and 75% of the flowers were opened.  According to the results obtained from three years’ experimental study, the highest percentages of pollen viability were found in Gemlik (81.51%) and Domat (81.50%), whereas Sarı Ulak cultivar (77.41%) showed the lowest viability. In pollen germination percentages, the highest values on the basis of cultivars were determined 59.85% (Domat), 59.74% (Gemlik) and 52.12% (Sarı Ulak). The highest amount of pollen production in a flower was found in the Sarı Ulak cultivar (329,046) while it was followed by Domat (319,693) and Gemlik (306,385). Despite the high pollen production in Sarı Ulak cultivar, the pollen viability and germination rates were found to be low. In Gemlik and Domat cultivars, all values were obtained relatively near. In addition, it had been noted that the values related to pollen viability, germination and production amount were higher during 50% and 75% flowering periods than 25%.

In this work, two methods based on microwave-assisted extraction techniques for the extraction of both anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds from açai have been developed. For that, a full factorial design (Box-Behnken design) has been used to optimize the following four variables: solvent composition (25–75% methanol in water), temperature (50–100 °C), pH (2–7), and sample/solvent ratio (0.5 g: 10 mL–0.5 g: 20 mL). The anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds content have been determined by ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography and Folin-Ciocalteu method, respectively. The optimum conditions for the extraction of anthocyanins were 38% MeOH in water, 99.63 °C, pH 3.00, at 0.5 g: 10 mL of ratio, while for the extraction of total phenolic compounds they were 74.16% MeOH in water, 99.14 °C, pH 5.46, at 0.5 g: 20 mL of ratio. Both methods have shown a high repeatability and intermediate precision with a relative standard deviation lower than 5%. Furthermore, an extraction kinetics study was carried out using extraction periods ranging from 2 min until 25 min. The optimized methods have been applied to açai-containing real samples. The results with such real samples have confirmed that both methods are suitable for a rapid and reliable extraction of anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds.

In this work, two methods based on microwave-assisted extraction techniques for the extraction of both anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds from acai have been developed. For that, a full factorial design (Box-Behnken design) has been used to optimize the following four variables: solvent composition (25-75% methanol in water), temperature (50-100 degrees C), pH (2-7), and sample/solvent ratio (0.5 g: 10 mL-0.5 g: 20 mL). The anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds content have been determined by ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography and Folin-Ciocalteu method, respectively. The optimum conditions for the extraction of anthocyanins were 38% MeOH in water, 99.63 degrees C, pH 3.00, at 0.5 g: 10 mL of ratio, while for the extraction of total phenolic compounds they were 74.16% MeOH in water, 99.14 degrees C, pH 5.46, at 0.5 g: 20 mL of ratio. Both methods have shown a high repeatability and intermediate precision with a relative standard deviation lower than 5%. Furthermore, an extraction kinetics study was carried out using extraction periods ranging from 2 min until 25 min. The optimized methods have been applied to acai-containing real samples. The results with such real samples have confirmed that both methods are suitable for a rapid and reliable extraction of anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds.

The belief that ancient wheat is more beneficial than common wheat has been growing trend in recent years among the consumers. The present study aims to compare bioactive peptide, allergen peptide and toxic peptide generation after gastrointestinal digestion of modern wheat (Triticum aestivum) and ancient wheat, einkorn (Triticum monococcum var. monococcum), using in silico tools. The primary sequences of both kinds of wheat were obtained from BIOPEP-UWM and UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot database. In silico digestion was applied using BIOPEP-UWM online tool. For the simulation of gastrointestinal digestion pepsin (pH 1.3) (EC 3.4.23.1), trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4), and chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1) were selected and analyzed. Homology analysis was performed for each protein sequences using EMBOSS Needle program. Toxic and allergen peptides were predicted using ToxinPred online tool and Allergen FP v.1.0. The results showed that einkorn and common wheat proteins exhibited similar properties including high similarity rate (58.72-87.40%) indicating the percentage of matches between the two sequences and the identical bioactivities for peptides generated after digestion. Most of the bioactive peptides were dipeptides and the majority of them displayed more than one bioactivities including ACE inhibitory, DPP IV inhibitory or antioxidant activity, etc. Allergen peptides generated after in silico digestion were found to be similar for both kinds of wheat. In silico gastric digestion of einkorn and wheat caused toxic peptides production, but they were disappeared after in silico intestinal digestion. In conclusion, although there is a perception related to the Einkorn that is healthier than common wheat, in silico digestion of common wheat and einkorn did not support this perception.

Se evaluaron familias de hongos formadores de micorriza arbuscular (HMA) asociados a dos variedades de aguacate Persea americana Mill (hass y lorena), en 12 muestras de suelo rizosférico y raíces en Caldas, Colombia. Las esporas se obtuvieron por tamizado húmedo y centrifugación en gradiente de sacarosa, y montadas en los reactivos Polivinilactoglicerol y Melzer para determinar su morfología, y las raíces tratadas con hidróxido de potasio, ácido acético, azul de tripano y lactoglicerol, para establecer su colonización. El ADN fue extraído por DNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen™) y amplificado por PCR utilizando iniciadores sobre los genes 18S y 28S del ADNr nuclear, visualizado y purificado en geles de agarosa, y secuenciado por Macrogen Advancing Through Genomics-Corea del Sur. Los resultados muestran presencia de 12 morfotipos pertenecientes a las familias Acaulosporaceae, Gigasporaceae, Diversisporaceae y Glomeraceae, y una colonización micorrízica superior al 90% en ambas variedades de aguacate. Se logró aislar ADN de nueve morfotipos y amplificar siete. El alineamiento de las secuencias de ADN se realizó en el programa ClustalW incluido en el programa Mega 6, junto con secuencias depositadas en el GenBank, utilizando el parámetro de distancia Kimura 2 (K2P), permitieron construir un árbol de similitud por el método Neighbor-Joining (NJ) agrupando las muestras determinadas por morfología en las familias correspondientes. Estos resultados permitieron estandarizar protocolos para familias de este grupo, donde su taxonomía es dificultosa y controversial, registrando familias citadas en la literatura como de elevada importancia para la protección e incorporación de nutrientes en la planta. | Families of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated to two varieties of avocado Persea americana Mill (hass and lorena), in 12 samples of rhizosphere soil and roots in Caldas, Colombia were evaluated. Spores were obtained by wet sieving and sucrose gradient centrifugation, and mounted on polyvinyl alcohol using glycerol and Melzer's reagents, to determine their morphology, and roots treated con potassium hydroxide, acetic acid, Trypan Blue and lactoglycerol, to establish colonization. The DNA was extracted by DNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen™) and amplified by PCR using primers for genes 18S and 28S nuclear rDNA, visualized and purified on agarose gels and sequenced by Macrogen Advancing throughout Genomics-South Korea. The results show presence of 12 morphotypes belonging to the families Acaulosporaceae, Gigasporaceae, Diversisporaceae and Glomeraceae, and mycorrhizal colonization higher 90% in both varieties of avocado. It was possible to isolate DNA of nine morphotypes and amplify seven. Alignment of DNA sequences carried out in the ClustaW software included in the program Mega 6, together with sequences deposited in GenBank, using the distance parameter Kimura 2 (K2P), they allowed to build a tree of similarity for the method Neighbor-Joining (NJ) clustering the samples determined by morphology in the corresponding taxonomical families. These results allowed to standardize protocols for families in this group, where his taxonomy is difficult and controversial, registering families cited in the literature as highly important for the protection and incorporation of nutrients into the plant.