An experiment was conducted at the research station of the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) at Machakos, Kenya from November 1989 to February 1996 to evaluate the effect of annual and perennial legumes on soil fertility, cereal yields and economic returns. The study evaluated six cropping systems: (1) continuous sole maize, (2) maize rotated with short-duration legume, ...

BACKGROUND The work- or environmental-related type I sensitization to maize pollen is hardly investigated. We sought to determine the prevalence of sensitization to maize pollen among exposed workers and to identify the eliciting allergens. METHODS In July 2010, 8 out of 11 subjects were examined who were repeatedly exposed to maize pollen by pollinating maize during their work in a biologica...

The primary reason for processing maize is to enhance feeding value. Total tract starch digestion is similar for coarsely processed (dry rolled, cracked) dry maize. Enhancements in starch digestion due to dry rolling maize v. feeding maize whole may be greater in light-weight calves than in yearlings, and when DM intake is restricted ( < 1·5 % of body weight). The net energy (NE) maintain (NEm)...

Genetically engineered maize producing the insecticidal protein Cry3Bb1 from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt maize) is protected against corn rootworms (Diabrotica spp.), which are serious maize pests in North America and Europe. The aim of the present study was to investigate the interaction of Bt maize (event MON88017) and the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae for controlling the west...

The establishment and survival of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, was evaluated on transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner maize, Zea mays L., expressing the mCry3A protein (MIR604) and non-Bt maize with the same genetic background (isoline maize) at different stages of development in 2007 and 2008. Overall, western corn rootworm larval recovery, root damage, a...

Insect resistant Bt-maize (MON 810) expresses active Cry1Ab endotoxin derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Snails constitute non-target soil species potentially exposed to Bt-toxin through consumption of plant material and soil in fields where transgenic plants have been grown. We studied the effect of the Cry1Ab toxin on survival, growth and egg hatchability of the snail Cantareus aspersu...

  Background: In Iran, maize is cultivated in wide areas including northern provinces. It is one of the most important crops for poultry and livestock feeding, which is susceptible to aflatoxins (AFs) contamination. So, pre-harvest maize samples from Mazandaran province, north of Iran were analyzed for AFs contamination. Objective:   Methods: Thirty-five pre-harvest maize samples were analyzed ...

The widespread planting of crops genetically engineered to produce insecticidal toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) places intense selective pressure on pest populations to evolve resistance. Western corn rootworm is a key pest of maize, and in continuous maize fields it is often managed through planting of Bt maize. During 2009 and 2010, fields were identified in Iowa...

Lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are important polyphagous predators in maize, Zea mays L., fields. Transgenic Cry3Bb1 maize hybrids express a coleopteran-specific insecticidal protein derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) subsp. kumamotoensis that is targeted at corn rootworm larvae. This study evaluated impacts of Cry3Bb1 protein-expressing maize, tefluthrin-treated maize, an...

In maize (Zea mays L., 2n = 2x = 20), map-based cloning and genome organization studies are often complicated because of the complexity of the genome. Maize chromosome addition lines of hexaploid cultivated oat (Avena sativa L., 2n = 6x = 42), where maize chromosomes can be individually manipulated, represent unique materials for maize genome analysis. Maize chromosome addition lines are partic...