Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-18T17:51:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao.pdf: 149957 bytes, checksum: d219d7c38eca166d0eac355501df82ee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-28 / The project goal was to study the productivity and quality of forage produced bromatological from monoculture of sorghum and maize and intercropping of them with dwarf pea, sunn hemp, white lupine, sunflower and radish. The experiment was installed in the area of agricultural production of the Campus II Unoeste in Presidente Prudente-SP, on April 3rd, 2008. The experimental design was a split plot with four replications, with the following treatments: monoculture of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and maize (Zea mays) and sorghum consortium + pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan var. Dwarf) sorghum + sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), Sorghum + Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), sorghum fodder radish (Raphanus sativus), sorghum + white lupine (Lupinus albus), maize + pigeon pea dwarf, corn / sunn hemp, corn / sunflower corn + radish and corn + white lupine. The plots were scaled with eight rows of sowing of six meters. Biomass were collected at 60, 90 and 120 days after sowing for the quantification of plant material and chemical analysis. Statistical analysis consists of analysis of variance and Tukey test at 5% probability to compare treatment means. The single or intercropped sorghum was more efficient during low nutritive value, especially for syndications with sunflower, hemp and pigeon, which may have occurred because plants are more adapted to the dry climate of the region. Since the time of cutting that stood out with a productive balance and quality of the composition was 90 DAS. / O objetivo do projeto foi estudar a produtividade e a qualidade bromatológica de forragem produzida a partir de monocultivos de sorgo e milho, bem como a consorciação dos mesmos com guandu-anão, crotalária juncea, tremoço branco, girassol e nabo forrageiro. O experimento foi instalado na área de produção agrícola do Campus II da Unoeste, em Presidente Prudente-SP, no dia 03 de abril de 2008. O delineamento experimental foi em parcelas sub-divididas, com quatro repetições, com os seguintes tratamentos: monocultivos de sorgo (Sorghum bicolor) e milho (Zea mays), e consórcios de sorgo + guandu-anão (Cajanus cajan, var. anão), sorgo + crotalária juncea (Crotalaria juncea), sorgo + girassol (Helianthus annuus), sorgo + nabo forrageiro (Raphanus sativus), sorgo + tremoço branco (Lupinus albus), milho + guandu-anão, milho + crotalária juncea, milho + girassol, milho + nabo forrageiro e milho + tremoço branco. As parcelas foram dimensionadas com oito linhas de semeadura de seis m de comprimento. Foram coletadas fitomassas aos 60, 90 e 120 dias após a semeadura para quantificação da material vegetal e análises bromatológicas. O estudo estatístico consta de análise de variância e teste Tukey a 5% de probabilidade para comparar as médias dos tratamentos. O sorgo solteiro ou consorciado mostrou-se mais eficiente na maioria das avaliações bromatológicas, com destaque para as consorciações com girassol, crotalária e guandu, fato que pode ter ocorrido por serem plantas mais adaptadas ao clima seco da região. Sendo que a época de corte que se sobressaiu com um equilíbrio produtivo e qualidade bromatológica foi a de 90 DAS.

Thesis (M. Sc.(Agronomy)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is an important grain legume grown in many parts of the world mostly by smallholder (SH) farmers. Low soil phosphorus (P) and drought stress are major constraints to legume production and threaten food security. Root architecture is a spatial configuration of the root system which is influenced by moisture status and P uptake. A field experiment was conducted at Ukulima farm near Modimolle in Waterberg district during 2012/13 summer growing season. The treatments comprised of two levels each for soil P (low and high) and moisture status (water stress and well-watered); and eight cowpea genotypes (Tvu 4632, Tvu 6365, Tvu 9848, Tvu 15445, Tvu 16408, Tvu 15143, Oloyin and IT00K-1217). The low P level implied the available P in the soil measured in situ, which was less than 8 mg kg-1 while the high P level entailed fertilization at the rate of 40 kg P ha-1 application to achieve approximately 35 mg P kg-1 of soil . The root traits measured included angle of adventitious and basal roots, number of basal roots, tap root diameters at 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm soil depths; lateral branching densities at depth 5,10 and 15 cm, nodule score, deep score, shallowness score, 3rd order branching density, and 1.5 branching densities at 5 and 10 cm depth. Plant parameters measured were plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, length of the pods, unshelled weight, shelled weight and number of primary and secondary branches. Photosynthetic parameters measured were photosynthetic rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, water conductance, transpiration rate, vapour pressure deficits, sample cell CO2, sample cell H2O and relative humidity in the cell. All treatment factors were combined as split-split plot arrangement fitted into randomized complete block design; with four replicates. Results indicate that the lateral root branching density at 5 and 10 cm differed significantly (P≤0.05) across cowpea genotypes. Genotype showed significant effect on taproot diameter at 10 cm. Moisture status and P level exerted significant effect on cowpea genotypes 15 cm. There were significant differences (P≤0.05) for lateral root branching density observed at 5 and 10 cm depth in P rates x genotype interaction. Statistical analysis showed that P levels and cowpea genotypes had significant effects (P≤0.05) on mean plant height, biomass and highly significantly effects (P≤0.01) on number of branches, days to physiological maturity and mean pod length. The interaction between cowpea genotype and moisture stress condition significantly (P≤0.05) affected hundred (100) seed weight. Cowpea genotype Tvu16408 obtained highest grain yield of 3240 kg ha-1 and lowest was by IT00K1217 which obtained grain yield of 1256 kg ha-1. Results showed that photosynthetic rate, water conductance, transpiration rate, sample cell CO2, sample cell H2O, relative humidity in the cell, intercellular CO2 and vapour pressure deficit differed significantly (P≤0.05) across cowpea genotypes. Soil moisture condition and cowpea genotype exerted significant (P≤0.01) effect on photosynthetic rate, water conductance, transpiration rate, sample cell CO2, sample cell H2O and relative humidity in the cell. Variation in P levels had no significant effect on the measured photosynthetic parameters. Oloyin genotype had the highest photosynthetic rate followed by Tvu 4632 while cowpea genotype Tvu 9848 had the least photosynthetic rate. Interaction of moisture stress and cowpea genotype had a significant effect on intercellular CO2 concentration. Water stress reduced the intercellular CO2 concentration of Oloyin, Tvu 6365 and 4632 but resulted in a significant increase in intercellular CO2 concentration in Tvu 9848 genotype. Results showed that variation in soil P level exerted a significant (P≤0.05) effect on grain tissue P content and uptake, and a highly significant (P≤0.01) difference in P content across the various cowpea genotypes. Moisture stress exerted a significant (P≤0.05) difference on P uptake. The results showed that P levels and cowpea genotype variation exerted significant (P≤0.05) effects on P content, P uptake and nitrogen (N) uptake. Moisture status and cowpea genotype variation exerted significant (P≤0.05) effects on total N and N uptake. Cowpea genotype Tvu 9848 obtained more total N content (4.37%), while the lowest total N content was obtained by cowpea genotype Tvu 15445 with 3035 mg kg-1. The interaction between cowpea genotype and moisture status exerted a significant (P≤0.05) effect on N and P uptake of immature green pods harvested. There is a need to conduct more studies to identify cowpea genotypes, their root architecture and agronomic measures that can do well under xvii drought stress and low soil P conditions. Research needs to be conducted to enhance cowpea productivity under both low soil P and drought stress. Keywords: cowpea genotypes; moisture stress; phosphorus fertilisation; root traits

Conditions are predicted to become more favorable for protein-rich crops in Northern Europe, which bring opportunities for cultivation of protein-rich crops in Sweden. This study assessed the current suitability for cultivation of protein-rich crops in Sweden based on biophysical conditions. This study defined suitability indicators with suitability conditions for each crop regarding (i) soil texture, (ii) soil pH value, (iii) vegetation period length, (iv) and soil temperatures were created, and overlayed to create suitable areas for protein-rich crops. Suitable areas and distributions were found for: common bean, faba bean, field pea, lentil, narrow-leafed lupin, quinoa, and soybean. A present and future risk analysis with wet and dry periods was carried out to find suitable areas for the crops under the risk of wet and dry periods. The study found that Sweden have the possibility to cultivate protein-rich crops to a greater extent which is shown by the distribution of suitable areas for protein-rich crop. Quinoa was found suitable to be cultivated in nearly all arable land in Sweden. In the future, there is an increase in suitable areas for protein-rich crops that are not exposed to drought. A decrease was seen in suitable areas for protein-rich crops that are not exposed to flooding.

Due to unsustainable production and consumption patterns that cause climate changes, current socio-technical systems, such as the agro-food system, must rapidly undergo sustainability transitions. To transition socio-technical systems is however complex and it usually takes decades, and it is therefore crucial to study how socio-technical systems can transition faster.  Aim – This study aims to investigate under what circumstances a sustainability transition through an increased cultivation of grain-legumes in Sweden can take place and be accelerated. In order to guide the study and thus fulfil the purpose, two research questions have been formulated: 1)  “What are the current main factors that hinder a sustainability transition in terms of an increased cultivation of grain-legumes in the current agricultural value chain of crop production in Sweden?” 2)  “What prerequisites are required to accelerate sustainability transitions in the agricultural value chain of crop production in terms of an increased cultivation of grain-legumes in Sweden?” Method – The methodology used is a qualitative case study of the Swedish agricultural value chain of crop production. The data was collected through interviews, literature review and webinars. The data collected through interviewing was analyzed by using a thematic analysis.  Findings – One main hindering factor refer to the absence of certain value chain processes, both when it comes to actors that can provide Swedish plant-based food producers with extracted proteins from grain-legumes and when it comes to actors that can receive, sort, peel and pack grain-legumes for human consumption at an industrial level. Other main hindering factors regards the lack of financial incentives at several levels as well as a structured and stabilized agricultural socio-technical regime characterized by path dependencies and lock-ins. The found prerequisites required in order to accelerate sustainability transitions include for instance having certain value chain processes to come into place, steer large investments and educated people in the right direction to drive innovation and development as well as an increased sustainability transitioning pressure from the civil society in Sweden.   Implications – The findings of this thesis can increase the knowledge of actors engaged in the agricultural value chain of crop production, but also provide valuable insights for the whole Swedish agro-food sector. This study also provides insights regarding how a sustainability transition can be accelerated based on the findings from the studied case. Another implication is that a larger focus, when researching sustainability transitions, should be put on the role of civil society to understand and facilitate faster sustainability transitions in socio-technical systems. Limitations – The political perspective is not considered, the internal strategies of actors have not been investigated and the focus has only been at the environmental dimension of sustainability, not on the social or economic dimensions.

Legumes play an important role in agriculture as major food sources for humans and as feed for animals. Bioavailable nitrogen is a limiting nutrient for crop growth. Legumes are important because they can form a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria called rhizobia that results in nitrogen-fixing root nodules. In this symbiosis, rhizobia provide nitrogen to the legumes and the legumes provide carbon sources to the rhizobia. The Medicago truncatula NPF1.7/NIP/LATD gene is essential for root nodule development and also for proper development of root architecture. Work in our lab on the MtNPF1.7/MtNIP/LATD gene has established that it encodes a nitrate transporter and strongly suggests it has another function. Mtnip-1/latd mutants have pleiotropic defects, which are only partially explained by defects in nitrate transport. MtNPF1.7/NIP/LATD is a member of the large and diverse NPF/NRT1(PTR) transporter family. NPF/NRT1(PTR) members have been shown to transport other compounds in addition to nitrate: nitrite, amino acids, di- and tri-peptides, dicarboxylates, auxin, abscisic acid and glucosinolates. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the AtNPF6.3/NRT1.1( CHL1) transporter was shown to transport auxin as well as nitrate. Atchl1 mutants have defects in root architecture, which may be explained by defects in auxin transport and/or nitrate sensing. Considering the pleiotropic phenotypes observed in Mtnip-1/latd mutant plants, it is possible that MtNPF1.7/NIP/LATD could have similar activity as AtNPF6.3/NRT1.1(CHL1). Experimental evidence shows that the MtNPF1.7/NIP/LATD gene is able to restore nitrate-absent responsiveness defects of the Atchl1-5 mutant. The constitutive expression of MtNPF1.7/NIP/LATD gene was able to partially, but not fully restore the wild-type phenotype in the Atchl1-5 mutant line in response to auxin and cytokinin. The constitutive expression of MtNPF1.7/NIP/LATD gene affects the lateral root density of wild-type Col-0 plants differently in response to IAA in the presence of high (1mM) or low (0.1 mM) nitrate. MtNPF1.7/NIP/LATD gene expression is not regulated by nitrate at the concentrations tested and MtNPF1.7/NIP/LATD does not regulate the nitrate-responsive MtNRT2.1 gene. Mtnip-1 plants have an abnormal gravitropic root response implicating an auxin defect. Together with these results, MtNPF1.7/NIP/LATD is associated with nitrate and auxin; however, it does not act in a homologous fashion as AtNPF6.3/NRT1.1(CHL1) does in A. thaliana.

Ab einem Preisniveau von 2 Euro/kg für industriell hergestellten Stickstoff wird der Leguminosenanbau durch die biologische Stickstofffixierung in der konventionellen Landwirtschaft wirtschaftlich vorteilhaft. Körnermais und teilweise Winterraps können dann von Ackerbohnen aus den Fruchtfolgen verdrängt werden. Dies wurde mittels Linearer Programmierung für einen durchschnittlichen landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb in Sachsen errechnet. Kleearten und Luzerne als Futterpflanzen werden unter diesem Blickwinkel aber erst ab Kosten von 2,30 Euro/kg Industriestickstoff konkurrenzfähig gegenüber Silomais. Letztlich entscheiden vor allem die Preis-Kosten-Relationen von Betriebsmitteln und Agrarerzeugnissen über den Einsatz der biologischen Stickstoffgewinnung. Dazu wurden zwei Szenarien dargestellt. Nicht zu erwarten ist, dass stark steigende Preise für Mineralstickstoffdünger in Zukunft zur vermehrten Umstellung auf ökologischen Landbau führen werden, einem Anbausystem, das sich fast vollständig auf die legume Stickstoffbindung stützt.

Legumes are unique plants because they form special structures “nodules”, via symbiotic relationships with rhizobial bacteria present in the soil. Once rhizobia mature inside nodules, they fix atmospheric nitrogen providing a source of bioavailable nitrogen to the plant. To discover novel genetic components involved in the legume-rhizobia symbiosis by using forward genetic screening, we have isolated Medicago truncatula Tnt1 insertion mutants in the R108 ecotype, which are defective in nodule development and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in response to Sinorhizobium meliloti. Out of three mutants NF11044, NF11217 and NF8324, one of the mutants showed brown nodules and Fix- phenotype that is defective in symbiotic nitrogen fixation. The other two mutants showed white nodules and Fix- phenotype, also indicator of defects in symbiotic nitrogen fixation. To identify the underlying mutation causing the phenotype, we have developed molecular genetic markers by obtaining genomic sequences flanking the Tnt1 insertions by TAIL-PCR and Illumina sequencing. To carry out co-segregation analysis, back-crossed BC1F2 segregating populations were obtained. These are being phenotyped, genotyped and analyzed for co-segregation of the phenotype with the Tnt1 genetic markers. Back-crossing also has the effect of reducing the Tnt1 insertions, which are not linked to the nodulation defective phenotypes. Out of the three mutants, NF8324 harbors exactly the same insertion as in the rsd-1 Tnt1 mutant NF11265. The defect in NF11217 is caused by a Tnt1 insertion in the previously described PLC gene; the site of this insertion is close to that found in a different mutant, NF0217. For mutant NF11044, we developed linkage markers that place the defective locus on chromosome 7. To further characterize co-segregation in NF11044, a mapping population has been created by crossing the mutant with other ecotypes: A17 and A20. We tested mutants and wild type plants with linkage marker A20 X NF11044 BC1F2 that segregates 3:1(wild type: mutant). The recombination frequency ratio is similar as compared to back-crosses to ecotype R108. However, we did not observe mutant phenotypes in the A17 X NF11044 BC1F2 population. Future identification of the defective gene and functional characterization of it once it is identified will be carried out to better understand the mechanism of nodule organogenesis and symbiotic nitrogen fixation.

No description available.

No description available.

Demands for plant-based diets sufficient in all required amino acids are increasing due to health and environmental advantages. As legumes offer a complementing source of quality protein to the already heavily consumed cereals, methods for determining amino acid compositions in legumes are needed. The aim of this thesis was to establish a GC-FID method for analyzing amino acids in legumes and to apply the method to analyze six locally grown legumes: Black beans, brown beans, red kidney beans, white beans, yellow and grey peas. White bean flour was used as an inhouse control sample. Legumes were hydrolyzed with acid and alkaline treatments;hydrolysates were purified and derivatized using an amino acid analysis kit (EZ:faast, Phenomenex) and quantified with GC-FID. All legumes were rich in Asp + Asn, Glu + Gln, Lys and Leu while limited in Met, Cys and Trp. Quality control trials showed a generally good precision of the method (between day CVs were ≤ 10% for 12 of 16amino acids ) and good linearity (r2 were 0,99 or above for 16 of 19 calibration curves). Limits of detection and quantification ranged from 2-46 nmol/mL and 7-154nmol/mL, respectively, depending on the amino acid. No accuracy trial was performed. In conclusion, a rapid GC-FID method for amino acid analysis was established and amino acid compositions of locally grown legumes was tentatively determined. However, further quality control trials are required to validate the method. / Efterfrågan av växt-baserade dieter med komplett innehåll av aminosyror ökar på grund av både hälso- och miljömässiga fördelar. Då baljväxter erbjuder en kompletterande källa till protein av hög kvalitet till cerealier, som redan konsumeras i hög grad, krävs metoder för att analysera aminosyra innehåll i baljväxter. Målet med detta arbete var att etablera en GC-FID metod för att analysera aminosyror i baljväxter och att applicera metoden för att analysera aminosyror för att analysera sex lokala baljväxter: Svarta bönor, bruna bönor, röda kidney bönor, vita bönor, gula och gråa ärtor. Mjöl på vita bönor användes som in-house kontroll prov. Baljväxterna hydrolyserades med både syra och bas behandlingar, hydrolysaterna renades och derivatiserades med ett kit för aminosyraanalys (EZ:faast, Phenomenex) och kvantifierades med GC-FID. Alla baljväxter hade höga halter av Asp + Asn, Glu + Gln, Lys och Leu men låga halter av Met, Cys och Trp. Kvalitetskontroller visade på en generellt hög precision (CV mellan dagar ≤ 10% för 12 av 16 aminosyror) och god linjäritet (r2var 0,99 eller högre för 16 av 19 kalibreringskurvor). Detektions- och kvantifierings-gränser varierade mellan 2-46 nmol / mL respektive 7 – 154 nmol / mL beroende på aminosyran. Inga tester gjordes för att bestämma metodens riktighet.Slutsatsen drogs att en snabb GC-FID metod för aminosyra analys har framtagits och indikativa värden av lokala baljväxters aminosyra innehåll fastställts. Däremot krävs flera kvalitetskontroller för att validera metoden.