Mixture crops, as opposed to pure sowing crops, are characterised by more stable output, reduced expenditure on pesticides as well as smaller environment pollution thanks to the biological diversification of species. It seems mixture crops have good prospects while the pro-ecology movements are growing in popularity. The growth and development of plants, both in natural and formed ecosystems, a...

Short description: In Bavaria, feeding cattle with maize silage is a common method, which is practiced even in for maize unfavorable locations. With increasing feed costs a partial substitution of maize by grass silage could be economically reasonable. Especially against the background of bioenergy production from cereals and maize, a competitive situation can evolve and grass as feedstuff can ...

INTRODUCTION Products from plants for both the food and non-food sector more than ever before are considered essential to the economy and well being of the EU. The drivers for change include: (1) sustainability of agriculture, the rural economy and industry at large; (2) environmental protection; (3) legislation and cost of non-compliance; (4) public opinion; and (5) international agreements of...

Fusarium head blight is one of the most severe diseases of small grain cereals and is caused by several toxigenic Fusarium species. Yield losses and mycotoxin accumulation in grain are caused by the disease. F. sporotrichioides and F. poae produce type A trichothecenes. Saprophyte fungal antagonists, especially Trichoderma harzianum, are effective biocontrol agents against several fungal soil-b...

Flavonoids normally accumulate in plants as O-glycosylated derivatives, but several species, including major cereal crops, predominantly synthesize flavone-C-glycosides, which are stable to hydrolysis and are biologically active both in planta and as dietary components. An enzyme (OsCGT) catalyzing the UDP-glucose-dependent C-glucosylation of 2-hydroxyflavanone precursors of flavonoids has been...

The trait flowering time regulated by genes determining vernalisation and photoperiod sensitivity was used as an example for presenting data on comparative major gene and QTL mapping within the Triticeae. The major genes are shown to be members of homoeologous series. Furthermore it was demonstrated that in genome regions carrying major genes also QTLs for the same traits were detected.

Akita Research Institute of Food and Brewing 4-26 Sanuki, Arayamachi, Akita 010-1623, Japan Faculty of Bioresource Sciences, Akita Prefectural University 241-438, Kaidobata-Nishi, Nakano, Shimoshinjo, Akita 010-0195, Japan Agricultural Experiment Station Akita Prefectural Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Center 34-1 Gennpachizawa, Aikawa, Yuwa, Akita 010-1231, Japan Department of En...

T he most precious things are not jade and pearls but the five grains. " The five grains referred to in this Chinese saying are most likely to be rice, wheat, millet, sorghum, and maize (1). These cereal grains account for up to 60% of the calories consumed by people in the developing world (2). We could also apply this saying to the valuable genetic information that cereals contain—especially ...

SUMMARY The grass powdery mildew fungus, Blumeria graminis is classified into eight formae speciales (ff.spp.) based on strict host specialization. However, evidence suggests that host ranges extend to more than one genus and are particularly diverse among samples from the Middle East, the proposed centre of origin and diversification of crop plants. This study investigated whether geographical...