Thesis (M.Sc.(Agric.)(Food Science))-University of Pretoria, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1967. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed June 8, 2007). PDF text: vii, 114 p. : ill. ; 0.82 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3242150. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Feb. 17, 2009). PDF text: 93 p. : col. ill. ; 4 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3328257. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Submitted by Marco Antônio de Ramos Chagas (mchagas@ufv.br) on 2018-04-12T17:29:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1827787 bytes, checksum: 0825915f83a5472630909cb8a58e2c16 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-12T17:29:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1827787 bytes, checksum: 0825915f83a5472630909cb8a58e2c16 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Apesar do notório desenvolvimento do setor sucroenergético brasileiro, observa-se a ociosidade das usinas na entressafra da cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp.) devido à falta de matéria-prima para o processamento. Neste contexto, os sorgos sacarino e biomassa [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] têm sido apontados como alternativas promissoras. O sorgo sacarino destaca-se pelos colmos suculentos ricos em açúcares diretamente fermentáveis e, o sorgo biomassa, destaca-se pela elevada produção de biomassa com altos teores de lignina. Contudo, os rendimentos de etanol do sorgo sacarino têm sido abaixo do esperado e atribui-se tal fato à definição incorreta da época de colheita. Ressalta-se que o acúmulo de açúcares no colmo ocorre principalmente a partir do florescimento, o que desencadeia a competição entre colmo e grãos (drenos preferenciais) pelos fotoassimilados. Para o sorgo biomassa, é desejável que a umidade da biomassa seja próxima a 50% quando levada à caldeira. Porém, não existem estudos que caracterizem o acúmulo de matéria seca versus a desidratação da planta. Acredita- se que, caso a planta de sorgo seja mantida à campo, além de certo estádio, para favorecer a desidratação natural, ocorrerá o consumo de matéria seca devido à redução da fotossíntese líquida decorrente do processo de senescência. Neste sentido, realizou- se um trabalho inovador e detalhado para caracterização de materiais de sorgo bioenergia visando o aproveitamento de seus potenciais produtivos. Desenvolveram- se dois experimentos independentes, cuja descrição é apresentada em dois capítulos. No primeiro capítulo, aborda-se o estudo relativo ao sorgo sacarino (cultivar BRS 511), em que se objetivou determinar o ponto de colheita do sorgo sacarino e identificar qual entrenó ou segmento de entrenós são representativos do Brix total do colmo, para auxiliar na tomada de decisão quanto à colheita. Os tratamentos constituíram-se nas diferentes épocas de amostragem da cultura conforme seu estádio fenológico, sendo os estádios de emborrachamento, florescimento, grão leitoso, grão pastoso, grão farináceo, grão duro e senescência. Quantificou-se as produtividades de massa fresca e seca e a umidade. Avaliou-se o Brix e fez-se a quantificação dos açúcares presentes no caldo. As máximas produtividades de massa fresca e seca foram registradas no estádio de grão farináceo, sendo de 124 t ha -1 e 33 t ha -1 , respectivamente. O maior Brix do caldo do colmo foi registrado entre os estádios de grão pastoso e grão farináceo, com 15 °Brix. Considerando-se os estádios correspondentes à previsão de colheita (grão pastoso ao grão duro), o Brix dos entrenós 2 e 3 não diferiram significativamente do Brix real. Conclui-se que o ponto ideal de colheita para sorgo sacarino (BRS 511) é compreendido entre os estádios de grão pastoso ao duro e os entrenós 2 e 3 devem ser a seção amostrada para avaliação do Brix. No capítulo 2, apresenta-se o estudo relativo ao sorgo biomassa, cujo objetivo foi caracterizar o comportamento da biomassa, umidade e poder calorífico superior ao longo do ciclo de crescimento e desenvolvimento do sorgo biomassa (híbrido BRS 716), visando à definição do ponto ideal de colheita. As condições experimentais (tratamentos e variáveis analisadas) foram similares às previamente descritas para o sorgo sacarino. Adicionalmente, realizou-se a análise de poder calorífico superior (PCS) e energia potencial da biomassa, ao invés da análise de Brix e açúcares realizadas no experimento anterior. A produtividade de massa seca total (PMS) aumentou a partir dos estádios iniciais e atingiu o máximo de 75,5 t ha -1 no estádio de grão farináceo, coincidindo com a menor umidade registrada e com o maior PCS. Considerando-se a PMS, umidade e o PCS, infere-se que o estádio de grão farináceo corresponde ao ponto ideal de colheita para o sorgo biomassa BRS 716. O período de colheita poderia ser escalonado entre os estádios de grão pastoso, grão farináceo e grão duro, ocorrendo ligeira redução na PMS e no PCS, permanecendo a umidade inalterada. / Despite the notorious Brazilian sugarcane chain development, industrial units have been idle during the sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) off-season due to the lack of raw material for milling. In this context, sweet and biomass sorghums [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] have been considered as a promising alternative. Sweet sorghum stands out due to its juicy stems with high fermentable sugars concentration, and biomass sorghum stands out and because of its high biomass production, which exhibits large amount of lignin. However, sweet sorghum ethanol yields have been lower than expected by sugarcane industries, what can be attributed to the incorrect determination of the ideal harvest time. It is worth noting that the stem sugar accumulation occurs, mainly, after the plant flowering, what unleashes the competition between stem and grains (preferential sinks) for photosynthates. For biomass sorghum, it is desirable a biomass humidity close to 50% when it is taken to the boiler. However, there are not researches that characterize dry matter accumulation versus plant dehydration. It is assumed that if the plant remains at the field, after certain time, intending to favor the natural dehydration, it can result in dry matter consumption because of net photosynthesis decrease due to senescence process. In this regard, it was carried out an innovative and detailed work to characterize bioenergy sorghum materials aiming to harness their productive potential. It was developed two independent experiments, whose description is presented in two chapters. In the first chapter, it is studied the sweet sorghum (cultivar BRS 511), aiming to determine the ideal harvest time for sweet sorghum and identify which internode or segment of internodes better represents Brix of the stem juice. The treatments consisted in the sweet sorghum phenological stages, which were pre-flowering, flowering, milk dough, soft dough, mealy dough, hard dough and senescence. Were evaluated fresh (FBY) and dry biomass (DBY) yields and humidity. Brix was evaluated and sugar content in the stem juice was quantified. The greater fresh and dry matter yields were recorded in the mealy dough stage, which were 124 t ha -1 e 33 t ha -1 , respectively. The highest Brix of stem juice was registered between the soft and mealy dough stages, with 15 °Brix. Analyzing only the soft, mealy and hard dough stages (harvest prediction), Brix of the internodes 2 and 3 had not significantly differed from the stem real Brix. The sweet sorghum BRS 511 harvest time is comprehended between the soft to hard dough stages and the in field-Brix sampling should be done at the internodes 2 and 3. In the chapter 2, it is presented a study related to biomass sorghum, which intended to characterize biomass, humidity, higher heating value and potential biomass energy during the growing and developing cycles of biomass sorghum (hybrid BRS 716). The aim was to define the ideal harvest time that maximizes the industrial yield at the bioelectricity cogeneration. The experimental conditions (treatments and analyzed variables) were similar to the ones described for sweet sorghum. Additionally, higher heating value (HHV) and potential biomass energy were quantified instead of Brix and sugar analysis. Dry biomass yield (DBY) had increased from the early stages, reaching the maximum of 75.5 t ha -1 at the mealy dough stage, coinciding with the lowest humidity content (67%) and the higher heating value. After the mealy dough stage, dry matter had decreased. Considering the DBY, HHV and humidity, it is inferred that mealy dough stage corresponds to the ideal harvest time for biomass sorghum BRS 716. The harvest gap could be staggered between the soft dough, mealy dough and hard dough stages, leading to slightly decreases in the DBY and HHV, with no changes in humidity percentage. / Lattes não encontrado

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Este trabalho teve por finalidade avaliar algumas variÃveis fisiolÃgicas e bioquÃmicas de duas espÃcies de sorgo forrageiro submetidas a diferentes condiÃÃes de cultivo e de salinidade. Para isso, foram montados dois experimentos. No primeiro deles estudou-se tais variÃveis em Sorghum bicolor e Sorghum sudanense, em funÃÃo de diferentes nÃveis de estresse salino, enquanto no segundo, as variÃveis foram estudadas em duas fases distintas de desenvolvimento das duas espÃcies de sorgo, visando determinar em qual delas essas espÃcies sÃo mais resistentes aos efeitos deletÃrios da salinidade. No primeiro experimento, os tratamentos foram dispostos em esquema fatorial 2 à 5, composto por duas espÃcies (S. bicolor e S. sudanense) e cinco tratamentos (NaCl a 0, 25, 50, 75 e 100 mM). Nesse experimento, os parÃmetros de trocas gasosas foram pouco afetados pela salinidade, em ambas as espÃcies. O crescimento das plantas de ambas as espÃcies reduziu à medida que a salinidade aumentou. O potencial osmÃtico (s) foliar foi fortemente reduzido pela salinidade nessas plantas, a qual aumentou significativamente a concentraÃÃo de solutos orgÃnicos nas duas espÃcies de sorgo. As concentraÃÃes de Na+ e Cl- aumentaram com a salinidade em ambas as espÃcies. S. bicolor e S. sudanense mantiveram o teor relativo de Ãgua sob condiÃÃes salinas igual ao do controle. Nas espÃcies de sorgo estudadas, os carboidratos solÃveis e os Ãons K+ e Cl- foram os que mais contribuÃram para o ajustamento osmÃtico das plantas. Nas folhas de S. bicolor, houve um aumento na atividade das peroxidases do ascorbato (APX) e do guaiacol (GPX) e uma reduÃÃo na atividade da catalase (CAT), enquanto a dismutase do superÃxido (SOD) nÃo foi afetada. Em S. sudanense, à medida que foram elevadas as doses de NaCl, observou-se um aumento na atividade da GPX e da SOD. Nas raÃzes, apenas a SOD apresentou aumento em atividade no S. bicolor. A atividade ribonucleÃsica nas folhas de ambas as espÃcies aumentou com as doses crescentes de NaCl, enquanto que nas raÃzes, ela foi reduzida à medida que o estresse salino intensificou-se. No segundo experimento, os tratamentos foram arranjados em esquema fatorial 2 à 3 à 2, composto por duas espÃcies (S. bicolor e S. sudanense), trÃs concentraÃÃes de sais na Ãgua de irrigaÃÃo (condutividades elÃtricas de 0,0; 4,0 e 8,0 dS m-1) e dois perÃodos de aplicaÃÃo do estresse salino Ãs plantas [desde a semeadura atà 25 dias depois (Fase I) e do 25 ao 50 dia apÃs a semeadura (Fase II)], com cinco repetiÃÃes. As principais alteraÃÃes nas trocas gasosas ocorreram na Fase II do desenvolvimento. O estresse salino reduziu o crescimento das plantas de sorgo em ambas as fases de desenvolvimento, porÃm essa reduÃÃo foi mais acentuada na Fase I. Os teores dos solutos orgÃnicos variaram em funÃÃo das fases de desenvolvimento, da espÃcie e da salinidade. Na Fase I, em ambas as espÃcies de sorgo, houve acrÃscimos nos teores de Na+ e K+ e reduÃÃo nos de Cl- pela salinidade, enquanto que, na Fase II do desenvolvimento, os teores de Na+ e K+ foram reduzidos e os de Cl-, aumentados, tanto em S. bicolor como em S. sudanense. Na Fase I do desenvolvimento, apenas a SOD, em S. bicolor, e a CAT, em S. sudanense, mostraram incrementos de atividade em resposta ao estresse salino. Jà na Fase II, nenhum aumento na atividade do sistema enzimÃtico antioxidativo foi observado em funÃÃo da salinidade, nas duas espÃcies estudadas. Na Fase I, a atividade da RNase, em ambas as espÃcies, foi reduzida com a salinidade, enquanto na Fase II do desenvolvimento, ela foi aumentada. O crescimento das plantas de S. sudanense foi ligeiramente mais afetado que o de S. bicolor. As espÃcies de sorgo forrageiro estudadas neste trabalho foram capazes de reduzir o s foliar em concentraÃÃes elevadas de NaCl, o que pode ter contribuÃdo para um melhor ajustamento osmÃtico. AlÃm disso, nas condiÃÃes empregadas no primeiro experimento, S. bicolor pareceu ter um sistema antioxidante mais eficaz contra os efeitos da salinidade do que S. sudanense. Em relaÃÃo ao segundo experimento, o crescimento das plantas de sorgo forrageiro foi mais afetado quando o estresse salino foi aplicado em estÃdios iniciais do desenvolvimento. O estresse oxidativo causado pela salinidade parece nÃo ter sido suficiente para estimular o sistema de defesa enzimÃtico antioxidativo na Fase II do desenvolvimento, em ambas as espÃcies. AlÃm disso, o aumento na atividade RNÃsica pode indicar o papel desta enzima na proteÃÃo contra os efeitos deletÃrios da salinidade nessas espÃcies de sorgo. De modo geral, nÃo houve diferenÃas marcantes na tolerÃncia das plantas de S. bicolor e S. sudanense à salinidade. / This study aimed to evaluate some physiological and biochemical variables of two species of sorghum subjected to different growing conditions and salinity. For this, two experiments were set up. In the first study, the variables in Sorghum bicolor and Sorghum sudanense were evaluated according different levels of salinity stress. In the second, the variables were studied in two distinct phases of development of two species of sorghum, to determine which one of these species are more resistant to the deleterious effects of salinity. In the first experiment, treatments were arranged in a 5 à 2 factorial, consisting of two species (S. bicolor and S. sudanense) and five treatments (NaCl at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mM). In this experiment, the gas exchange parameters were little affected by salinity in both species. Plant growth of both species decreased as salinity increased. The osmotic potential (ψs) leaves was strongly reduced by salinity in these plants, which significantly increased the concentration of organic solutes in the two species of sorghum. The concentrations of Na+ and Cl- increased with salinity in both species. S. bicolor and S. sudanense maintained relative water content under saline conditions the same as the control. In sorghum species studied, the soluble carbohydrates and the ions K+ and Cl- were the main contributors to the osmotic adjustment of plants. In leaves of S. bicolor, there was an increase in activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol (GPX) and a reduction in activity of catalase (CAT), while superoxide dismutase (SOD) was not affected. In S. sudanense, the activity of GPX and SOD increased with increasing salinity. In roots, just SOD activity in S. bicolor were increased with salt stress. Ribonuclease activity in the leaves of both species increased with increasing doses of NaCl, whereas in roots it was reduced as the salt stress intensified. In the second experiment, treatments were arranged in a factorial 2 à 3 à 2, composed of two species (S. bicolor and S. sudanense), three concentrations of salts in irrigation water (electrical conductivities of 0.0, 4.0 and 8.0 dS m-1) and two periods of application of salt stress to plants [from sowing until 25 days later (Phase I) and from 25th to 50th day after sowing (Phase II)], with five repetitions. The main changes in gas exchange occurred in Phase II development. The salt stress reduced plant growth of sorghum in both phases of development, but this reduction was more pronounced in Phase I. The levels of organic solutes varied according to the phases of development, species and salinity. In Phase I, in both species of sorghum, there were increases in levels of Na+ and K+ and reduced Cl- by salinity, whereas in Phase II development, the levels of Na+ and K+ were reduced and Cl- extended, both in S. bicolor as in S. sudanense. In Phase I of development, only SOD in S. bicolor, and CAT in S. sudanense showed activity increases in response to salt stress. In the Phase II, no increase in the activity of antioxidant enzyme system was observed as a function of salinity in both species. In Phase I, the activity of RNase in both species was reduced by salinity, while in Phase II development, it was expanded. Plant growth of S. sudanense was slightly more affected than the S. bicolor. Sorghum species studied in this work were able to reduce the leaf ψs high concentrations of NaCl, which may have contributed to a better osmotic adjustment. In addition, under the conditions employed in the first experiment, S. bicolor appeared to have a more effective antioxidant system against the effects of salinity than S. sudanense. For the second experiment, the growth of sorghum plants was more affected when the salt stress was applied in the early stage of development. The oxidative stress caused by salinity seems to have been sufficient to stimulate the enzymatic antioxidant defense system in Phase II development in both species. Furthermore, increased activity RNase may indicate the role of this enzyme in protecting against the deleterious effects of salinity in these species of sorghum. Overall, there were no marked differences in plant tolerance between S. bicolor and S. sudanense under salinity.

10 pp. / Forage sorghum yields have been should to increase with narrow row spacing of 20 inches or less. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of narrow row spacing on forage sorghum yield and quality in Arizona. Two row spacing (20 and 40 inch) and two forage sorghum hybrids (Great Scott and Silo 700D BMR) were evaluated in a study conducted at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center in 2015. Row spacing had no effect on forage yield, moisture, plant height, or maturity even though light interception was greater for the closer row spacing. The only feed quality parameter affected by row spacing was lactic acid which increased with row spacing. Hybrid by row spacing interactions was detected for a few feed quality parameters. Decreasing forage sorghum row spacing from 40 to 20 inches does not appear to have an advantage based on the results of this study.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench is an important cereal crop currently explored as a potential bio-energy crop due to its stress tolerance and ability to ferment soluble sugars. Physiological studies on sorghum varieties have demonstrated that part of drought tolerance is attributed to sugar accumulation in the sorghum stems. Despite the agronomic advantages of sorghum as a bio-energy crop, more research efforts towards the molecular elucidation of sorghum traits that confer drought tolerance are necessary. Particular focus on traits, which could potentially contribute to an efficient bio-energy production under environmental constraints, would be an added advantage. This study examined the role of sugar biosynthesis proteins in conferring tolerance to drought-induced hyperosmotic stress, and ultimately osmotic adjustment in sorghum varieties. Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench varieties (ICSB338, ICSB73, ICSV213 and S35) with different levels of drought tolerance, were grown under watered conditions until early anthesis after which, a 10-day water deficit period was introduced

Despite the potential of kafirin (sorghum prolamin protein) films, up until now there has been no in-depth investigation on the plasticization of kafirin films, similar to that done on zein films. Since protein films tend to be very brittle, plasticization is a very important aspect. Cast films were produced from kafirin and plasticized with different combinations of plasticizers (glycerol (G), polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG) and lactic acid (LA)) according to a rotatable central composite statistical design. The effects of the different plasticizer combinations on the film properties (tensile-, Tg-, moisture and oxygen barrier properties), were investigated through a series of tests performed on the films. Plasticization of kafirin films was investigated further by determining the effect of an emulsifier, diacetyl tartaric ester of monoglyceride (DATEM) and an acidulant, glucono-_-lactone (GDL) on the films. To investigate the distribution and migration of the plasticizers in kafirin films, the films were studied by light microscopy. It was clear that G, PEG and LA together were necessary to plasticize kafirin films. G and PEG were found to be effective plasticizers, leading to a decrease in film strength and an increase in strain as the plasticizer amount increased. LA was, however, found to act rather as a solvent for kafirin during film casting, instead of acting as a plasticizer. An increase in plasticizer content also brought about a lowering in the Tg of the films, as well as an increase in film permeability to water vapour and oxygen. G and PEG were found to attract water from the atmosphere, which proved to be very influential on the properties of the films; the more plasticizer present in the film, the more moisture attracted, the greater the effect on the film properties. DATEM was not found to be a plasticizer for kafirin films. However, GDL did bring about changes in film properties, similar to G and PEG. It caused film strength to decrease and film strain to increase, but with less detrimental effects on the moisture barrier properties of kafirin films. Microscopy showed that the plasticizer migrated over time, apparently leading to plasticizer molecule coalescence, and the formation of plasticizer pools. The plasticizer combination of G, PEG and LA improved the qualities of kafirin films, reducing film brittleness, but it is not an ideal plasticizer combination due to the fact that it attracts water to the film and it is not stable over time. Moisture is another plasticizer to be taken into account, since it will be absorbed by the plasticizers in high relative humidity areas and will have an additional plasticizing effect on films properties. GDL proved to have potential as a kafirin film plasticizer as it affected the barrier properties of the films less. Further research is recommended into the plasticization mechanism of GDL. / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Food Science / unrestricted

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Approximately 50% of sorghum (Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench) produced globally is used as human food, with 95% of its total consumption occurring in Africa. Unfortunately, sorghum crops are prone to pathogenic attack, notably leading to a reduction in production yields. Generally, chemical agents are used as fertilizers and/or biocides to increase crop production. However, these chemicals can have a detrimental environmental impact including the eutrophication of fresh water and marine ecosystems. Thus, there is increased interest in plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as an alternative to chemicals, to facilitate eco-friendly biological control of soil-borne pathogens. PGPRs colonize the plant root system (i.e rhizosphere and rhizoplane) and promote growth and production yields essentially via the biological control of plant pathogens and their role in the nutrient cycles (e.g N fixation). The aim of this study is to characterize the microbial communities associated with sorghum in South Africa, and to identify common bacteria which could further be developed and applied to improve sorghum growth and yield. Sorghum rhizospheric environments (rhizoplane and rhizosphere) were collected from three sites characterized by different agricultural practices (Free State, Limpopo and North West). Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and Terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) were used to identify microbial community molecular fingerprints. Sorghum-associated microbial communities were found to be different in all rhizospheric soil samples which could be explained by differences in soil chemistry, agricultural practices and geographical location. The analyses also clearly demonstrated that the sorghum bacterial community structures were similar in the rhizoplane, indicating the strong influence that the sorghum plant has in determining the rhizoplane colonizers. The archaeal community structure from rhizoplane and rhizosphere in each sampling site were dissimilar, which could be explained by differences in soil type and/or agricultural practices. Both the T-RFLP and DGGE analyses revealed that Bacillus sp. were consistently associated with South African Sorghum, Arthrobacter sp. were detected in the rhizoplane, while Uncultured archaea were detected in the rhizoplane of sorghum. These microorganisms represent valuable targets for engineering to promote growth and yield in sorghum.