Field open top chambers (OTCs) and soil mercury (Hg) enriched experiments were employed to study the influence of Hg concentrations in air and soil on the Hg accumulation in the organs of maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Results showed that Hg concentrations in foliages were correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with air Hg concentrations but insignificantly correlated with s...

Agriculture is the single biggest user of land and water in Morocco; however its performances are still low due to high rainfall variation and rates of soil productivity depletion. Increasing concerns about soil and environment quality degradation have raised the need to review existing tillage management systems and develop new systems for seed-bed preparation. Consequently, No-tillage is foun...

The seed storage proteins (SSPs) of cultivated wheat (Triticum aestivum and T. durum), namely, glutenin and gliadin, impart viscoelastic properties to bread dough, making wheat well suited for bread-making. Extensive studies on wheat SSPs have been carried out and revealed genetic diversity among wheat cultivars. Here, we review the studies of SSPs from more exotic species in the Triticeae trib...

Grain shape and size are involved in the main components of the domestication syndrome in cereals. Wheat grain shape has been dramatically altered at each stage of the domestication of tetraploid wheat and through common wheat speciation. To elucidate the evolutionary change of wheat grain shape, principal component (PC) analysis of grain shape-related traits was first conducted using wild and ...

The present study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of 5 organic solvent extracts (petroleum ether, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol) of wheat grains, 3, 5 and 7 days old wheat seedlings. To determine the antioxidant activity of five extracts of four different samples, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radica...

To determine the effect of dietary brous ingredients on intestinal microbial population and activity, 48 early–weaned (24–25 days) pigs were divided into six dietary treatments: a standard diet (STD) based on corn, barley and soybean protein; or high brous diets obtained by replacing some major ingredients of STD with 8% Wheat bran (WB), 8% Wheat middlings (WM), 6% Sugar beet pulp (SBP), 4% W...

Copulation duration varies considerably across species, but few comparative studies have examined factors that might underlie such variation. We examined the relationship between copulation duration (prior to spermatophore transfer), the complexity of titillators (sclerotized male genital contact structures), spermatophore mass and male body mass across 54 species of bushcricket. Using phylogen...