Four types of ripe mango powders prepared from three varieties of mangoes were stored in two types of flexible packaging material for six months and the nutrient and physicochemical changes were analysed at regular periods. The Baneshan powder had the highest nutrient retention followed by Baneshan+Suvarnarekha blend, Suvarnarekha and Suvarnarekha+Totapuri blend. The physicochemical changes as well as nutrient changes were less pronounced in the powders packaged in metallized polyester/polyethylene than the powders in the polyester poly packaging.

The objective of this study was to determine if the nutrient and gossypol contents and in vitro digestibility of 3 types of genetically modified whole cottonseed differed from traditional whole cottonseed. Samples of seed from traditional (no genetic modifications) and genetically modified varieties of cotton grown in 1999 and 2000 were analyzed. Genetic modifications included the insertion of genes to protect cotton from insect pests (Bt), and damage from glyphosate herbicides (RR), and from both (Bt/RR). Year effects were significant for in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility, gossypol, DM, crude protein (CP), fat, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and ash. Higher rainfall resulted in higher CP, fat, and ash and lower NDF and gossypol. There were no differences among seed types for ground or whole seed digestibility, DM, CP, fat, NDF, ADF, ash, lignin, net energy for lactation, amino acids, total fatty acids, or seed index. Overall, the nutrient content and digestibility of varieties of genetically modified seed were similar to that of varieties of traditional whole cottonseed.

The purpose of this experiment was to select proper nutrient solution for the water culture of young welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.). Using two welsh onion varieties, 'Geumjanguedaepa' and 'Tokyokuro', which are good for water culture, four different nutrient solutions which were Chiba Agricultural Experiment Station solution for welsh onion, M's solution for leafy vegetables, Takekawa's solution for welsh onion, and Yamazaki's solution for welsh onion seedling were tested. Among the four nutrient solutions, increments of fresh weight and dry weight per block were the highest in Yamazaki's solution and, in the next, were placed by the order of M's solution, Chiba Agricultural Experiment Station solution and Takekawa's solution.

Breeding for higher concentrations of minerals in food crops is one option for improving the health of humans suffering from the consequences of mineral deficiency. The plant breeding approach requires that varietal differences are stable across different environmental conditions. The main objective of our research was, therefore, to determine whether differences in the concentration of grain minerals (P, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Zn, and Cu) among tropical maize varieties are affected by the level of water and N supply. A 3-yr study with two water regimes (preanthesis drought vs. irrigation throughout the vegetation cycle), three levels of N fertilization (0, 80, 160 kg N ha(-1), applied as ammonium sulfate), and four varieties (Suwan 1, La Posta Sequia, KTX2602, DK888) was conducted in the tropical lowlands of Thailand. The water regime did not affect the mineral composition of the grains. Application of N fertilizer reduced the concentrations of Ca and Zn, and increased the concentration of Mn in the grains. The top yielder, DK888, had the lowest concentrations of N, P, Mg, and Cu in the grain. The varietal differences in the concentrations of grain N and minerals were fairly stable across the levels of N and preanthesis water supply. The varieties that differed most in the grain N and P concentrations (DK888 and KTX2602) had almost the same endosperm/germ dry weight ratio. It remains to be determined whether breeding for high grain yield inevitably lowers the concentrations of grain minerals and protein.

Our two-years experiment was carried out under natural conditions at an apple plantation of the Experimental Station in Pölöske for studying the effects of N and K fertilization on the soil and leaf nutrient contents as well as on yield components of four apple varieties (Jonagold, Elstar, Braburn, Granny Smith).

Evaluation of the usefulness of six common winter wheat varieties (Kobra, Roma, Korweta, Sukces, Zyta, Mewa) and one variety (Schwabenkorn) of spelt winter wheat (Triticum spelta) for cultivation in organic farming was the aim of the research. The research was based on a special field experiment established in 1994 on a grey-brown podzolic soil in which different crop production systems (organic, integrated and conventional) are compared. The research was conducted between 2002 and 2004 on the field of winter wheat in the organic system. The following parameters were taken into account in the research: Leaf Area Index, nitrogen nutrient status and grain yield. Average grain yields of winter wheat independently of the year and variety amounted to 4.36 t/ha. The largest yields were observed for Mewa and Kobra variety. Schwabenkorn variety of spelt wheat was characterised by the highest values of Leaf Area Index. According to 3 different tests Mewa variety was in the best nitrogen nutrient status and it seems to be the most useful one for organic farming. Efficiency of nitrogen utilization is an interesting test of usefulness of cereals varieties for organic farming.

Two breadmaking traits of fundamental importance, the wet gluten content and the valorigraph index, were examined in various wheat varieties in treatments with different nutrient supplies in a long-term experiment carried out between 1985 and 2003 on a chernozem soil in the Hajdusag region of East Hungary. The effect of the year on the quality was found to differ for the two breadmaking parameters.

Lentil is a protein-rich pulse, grown mainly in developing countries as a rain-fed crop in nutrient-poor soils. Hence, the importance of root traits for efficient capture of soil nutrients and water can be crucial to its economical yield. Little is known about the lentil root system and even less about its relationship to grain yield. We compared the root system of two Bangladeshi lentil varieties, Barimasur-3 (BM-3) and Barimasur-4 (BM-4), in a pot experiment and related it to their multi-location grain yield in the fields. BM-4 maintained faster root development both at an early growth stage (20 days after sowing) and at flowering (60 days) compared to BM-3. The roots of BM-4 penetrated the 25 cm depth of the soil profile after 19 ± 1 days and while those of BM-3 took 24 ± 2 days to reach the same depth. The roots of BM-4 were covered with denser (26 ± 3 mm−1) and longer (0.48 ± 0.11) root hairs than BM-3 (density 17 ± 2 mm−1, length 0.32 ± 0.09 mm). The differential presence of root hairs increased the effective length of root system of BM-4 by 12 times and that of BM-3 by five times. The lentil varieties did not differ in their ability to induce pH change and acid phosphatase activity in rhizosphere. In the pot experiment, the uptake of macro-nutrients (K, P, Ca, and Mg) as well as micro-nutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B and Mo) by BM-4 was significantly higher, compared to BM-3. The varieties produced the same amount of shoot biomass. At five of six agro-ecological distinct field locations in Bangladesh, BM-4 gave significantly higher (10–20%) grain yield than BM-3. Linked with the higher grain yield, the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of BM-4 was 3.14 and that of BM-3 were 2.62, indicating that BM-4 provided better return per unit investment, compared to BM-3, supported by the better root morphology and higher nutrient uptake. This may be one of the reasons supporting the popularity and preferred adoption of BM-4 among the Bangladeshi farmers, who grow lentil mainly on nutrient-poor soils. The results indicate the benefits of selection and breeding for superior root traits for better agro-economics.

Plants are frequently submitted to iron deficiency when growing on calcareous soils, which contain high concentrations of bicarbonate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the variability of physiological responses of Tunisian grapevine varieties to bicarbonate-induced iron chlorosis. Vine woodcuttings of seven autochthonous Tunisian varieties (Khamri, Mahdaoui, Blan3, Saouadi, Arich Dresse, Beldi and Balta4), two rootstocks (140Ru and S.O.4), and an introduced table variety (Cardinal) were cultivated on inert sand for 2 months using a complete nutrient solution (20 micromolar Fe) that was either well supplied or not supplied with 10 mM HCO3(-). Young leaves of plants cultivated on bicarbonate-enriched medium showed characteristic symptoms of iron chlorosis, although the intensity of the symptoms depended on the variety and the rootstock. Chlorosis score confirmed these observations since the most sensitive varieties showed the highest values. This variability in tolerance to iron deficiency was also displayed when analysing the physiological parameters (shoot length, plant dry weight, and chlorophyll concentration) and the iron contents in the 4th leaf. Analysis of morphological and physiological parameters showed three behaviour groups. The first one corresponded to tolerant varieties (Khamri, Mahdaoui, and the root-stock: 140Ru), the second included moderately tolerant vines (Saouadi, Arich Dresse, Blanc3, and the rootstock: S.O.4) and the third represented the sensitive ones (Balta4, Beldi, and Cardinal).