Utilization of Tomato Landraces to Improve Seedling Performance under Salt Stress

Salt stress is considered as one of the most frequent factors limiting plant growth and productivity of crops worldwide. The aim of the study was to evaluate physiological and biochemical responses of nine diverse tomato genotypes exposed to salt stress. In this regard, four-week-old seedlings of one modern variety, five landraces, the salt-sensitive accession of ‘Ailsa Craig’, the salt-tolerant wild accession of S. pimpinellifolium ‘LA1579’, as well as the vitamin C-rich S. pennellii introgression line ‘IL12-4’, were exposed to moderate salt stress (200 mM NaCl) for 10 days. At the end of the stress treatment, agronomical traits and stress indices were evaluated, while gas exchange-related parameters, root electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde content and ascorbic acid were also determined. All parameters were significantly affected by salt stress, but to a different extent, verifying the diverse degree of tolerance within the selected genotypes, and further highlighting the different stress-induced mechanisms. The landrace originated from ‘Santorini’ island, as well as the modern variety, which originated from traditional cultivars, demonstrated a better performance and adaptivity under moderate salt stress, accompanied by reduced lipid peroxidation and enhanced ascorbic acid content, indicating that they could be potential promising genetic material for breeding programs or as grafting rootstocks/scions.

Optimal Nitrogen Supply Ameliorates the Performance of Wheat Seedlings under Osmotic Stress in Genotype-Specific Manner

Strategies and coping mechanisms for stress tolerance under sub-optimal nutrition conditions could provide important guidelines for developing selection criteria in sustainable agriculture. Nitrogen (N) is one of the major nutrients limiting the growth and yield of crop plants, among which wheat is probably the most substantial to human diet worldwide. Physiological status and photosynthetic capacity of two contrasting wheat genotypes (old Slomer and modern semi-dwarf Enola) were evaluated at the seedling stage to assess how N supply affected osmotic stress tolerance and capacity of plants to survive drought periods. It was evident that higher N input in both varieties contributed to better performance under dehydration. The combination of lower N supply and water deprivation (osmotic stress induced by polyethylene glycol treatment) led to greater damage of the photosynthetic efficiency and a higher degree of oxidative stress than the individually applied stresses. The old wheat variety had better N assimilation efficiency, and it was also the one with better performance under N deficiency. However, when both N and water were deficient, the modern variety demonstrated better photosynthetic performance. It was concluded that different strategies for overcoming osmotic stress alone or in combination with low N could be attributed to differences in the genetic background. Better performance of the modern variety conceivably indicated that semi-dwarfing (Rht) alleles might have a beneficial effect in arid regions and N deficiency conditions.

Tourism. Retrotopian Time-Travel (part two)

The study historicizes the phenomenon of tourism as a purely modern variety of the mobility of which inner morphology began taking form at the turn of the 19th centuries. First, the study draws on the innovative approach of Hasso Spode, historian of mentality, who has a profound influence over contemporary research of the history of tourism in German historiography. Using his theoretical framing, the study discloses how travel that, from the late 18th century, had been a diverse set of motives, experiences, ideas and practices, started to be cemented by a psychomental foundation: the tourist gaze. Then, the study interprets tourism as the product of spatialization of time and temporalization of space. Finally, the article, using Zygmunt Bauman´s theoretical conception of “retrotopia”, clips today's form of tourism together with its primordial form and leads to a conclusion that the tourism as a controversial phenomenon of modern times is endowed with human nostalgia, romance, a never-ending desire for authenticity as well as an eternal obsession with the idea of “progress” encompassing also utopian notions.

De druk van te hoge verwachtingen

The pleasant, quiet archaeological site of Olympia appears a far cry from the fame of the ancient Olympic Games, or from the spectacle of the modern variety. In this article, I discuss the end of ancient Olympia and the gradual re-emergence of the archaeological site. After Olympia was abandoned in early Byzantine times, its location was no longer remembered. However, its fame remained, partly through translations of ancient texts, notably Pausanias, partly through the revival of the Olympic Games in the 19th century. Early modern travelers and the French scholars who worked at the site as part of the Expedition de la Morée hoped that the site could fulfill their high expectations, in particular with regards to ancient sculpture. As the excavations continued, since 1875 as part of the research program of the German Archaeological Institute, the buried remains have revealed a different material reality. As a result of the combination of continuous research and restoration up until the present day the site of Olympia now provides an independent view on the past.

Field Inoculation of Bread Wheat with Rhizophagus irregularis under Organic Farming: Variability in Growth Response and Nutritional Uptake of Eleven Old Genotypes and A Modern Variety

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) promote crop growth and yield by increasing N and P uptake and disease resistance, but the role of field AMF inoculation on the uptake of micronutrients, such as Fe and Zn, and accumulation in plant edible portions is still not clarified. Therefore, we studied the effect of field inoculation with Rhizophagus irregularis in an organic system on 11 old genotypes and a modern variety of bread wheat. Inoculation increased root colonization, root biomass and shoot Zn concentration at early stage and grain Fe concentration at harvest, while it did not modify yield. Genotypes widely varied for shoot Zn concentration at early stage, and for plant height, grain yield, Zn and protein concentration at harvest. Inoculation differentially modified root AMF community of the genotypes Autonomia B, Frassineto and Bologna. A higher abundance of Rhizophagus sp., putatively corresponding to the inoculated isolate, was only proved in Frassineto. The increase of plant growth and grain Zn content in Frassineto is likely linked to the higher R. irregularis abundance. The AMF role in increasing micronutrient uptake in grain was proved. This supports the introduction of inoculation in cereal farming, if the variable response of wheat genotypes to inoculation is considered.

Breads formulated with evolutionary populations of wheat heritage varieties on postprandial glycaemic and insulin responses in healthy subjects

Triticum heritage varieties and ancient species are gaining interest of consumers due to the perception of a healthier nutrition profile than other modern wheat. Although still limited, several findings highlighted the real potential beneficial role of ancient wheat-based products consumption on several cardiometabolic factors(1). However, a lack of information is still present, especially for their effect on postprandial glycaemia. Evolutionary populations (EPs) are plants within the same species in one field characterized by a high level of genetic diversity(2). EPs are evolving as a function of several environmental variables and in turn characterized by a high level of adaptability and biodiversity. EPs can drive agronomic advantages, especially under organic and low-input agricultural conditions, or in less favourable growing conditions(3). The aim of the present study, which is a part of a more comprehensive project called “BIO2”(4), was to evaluate the impact of breads made with EPs of heritage varieties and a modern variety, all produced under organic farming in mountain areas of Emilia Romagna Region (Italy), on postprandial glycaemic and insulin responses. The study is a randomized controlled trial in which 13 healthy subjects were enrolled for consuming 8 non-commercial breads made either with EPs (EPs named “BIO2” and “GROSSI” – of local heritage varieties, and EP “Solibam”) or with a modern variety (Bologna) produced with a standard recipe, but 2 different leavening techniques (S. Cerevisiae and sourdough). Subjects consumed breads in a portion containing 50 g of available carbohydrates and blood was collected for quantifying glycaemia and insulin during 2 hours. Incremental area under curves (IAUCs) and maximum peaks were compared among treatments. No differences were found in IAUCs and peaks for both the markers, showing that none of the tested EPs was effective in lowering glycaemic and insulin responses compared to the modern variety. Moreover, sourdough did not determine a lower blood glucose and insulin within the same type of flour, which is in contrast with previous studies describing the role of sourdough in lowering glycaemic response. Future studies will better elucidate the possible implication of consuming ancient wheat-based products on the modulation of post-prandial glucose metabolism.This study has been funded by Measure 16.1.01 of the Rural Development Programme 2014–2020 of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy).

Factors Affecting Adoption of Maize Varieties in Nepal

This study examined status of adoption of improved maize varieties in Nepal. Six hundred eighty two households were sampled from six districts namely Sindhupalchowk, Lalitpur, Khotang, Dang, Chitwan and Dadeldhura. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics. The results indicated that the slow growth rate of area, production and yield was around 2.7% p.a. and growth rate is moreover stagnant rate from 1990-2015. Adoption of modern variety was found to be 75% of household. Mean area of maize cultivation in Nepal is 0.431 ha/HH. Only seven improved variety were adopted in large scale and they were adopted in 70.60% of maize cultivating areas. Improved variety Rampur composite, Mankamana-3 and Deuti and Hybrid CP 808 were found to be highly adopted. While CP 808, Shrestha and Rajkumar hybrids were dominating hybrids. Age of household head, Caste, Migration, credit accessibility, cooperative involvement, extension visit, training, formal sector seed availability and knowledge about agricultural insurance were found positive factors affecting adoption of modern variety of maize. However education and livestock numbers found negatively contribute to adoption.

Geoinformation Mapping Through the Types of Geological and Geomorphological Structure of the Katun Valley (Altay Mountains) Based on Morphometric Indicators

The types of geological and geomorphological structure of the Katun valley are distinguished in the work. For this, a method of geoinformation mapping using morphometric indicators of the valley’s width and meandering of the channel was developed. The morphometric parameter of the valley’s width was calculated as the total area of terraces. As the morphometric parameters of the channel’s meandering, the angles of the river segments’ deviation relative to each other were calculated. Conjugated analysis of these morphometric indicators enabled identifying 18 morphotypes. These morphotypes according to the geological and geomorphological structure of the valley were combined into 4 classes. Separation of the Katun valley in certain classes and morphotypes is due to the different geological history of these sites during the Quaternary period. The most important reasons predetermining the modern variety of geological and geomorphological types of the valley are neotectonic movements and exogenous phenomena (glaciers, dam lakes, landslides, etc.) naturally localized in the space from the upstream of the river to its exit into the foothills. The developed method can be applied for quantitative morphometric classification of the mountain rivers’ valleys in other regions.