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Alongside wheat, maize is one of the most important species of cereals used for food and feed as well as in the bioethanol industry. As a result of this fact, maize is today the spotlight of many researchers, constantly trying to increase the productivity of this species, particularly important i from the economic point of view. The main aim of this article is to investigate the efficiency of the Blidar type filter-paper bridges (BFPB) in initiating the maize in vitro cultures for liquid culture media, in comparison with the conventional agarized culture media - solid culture media. In these experiments a modified Murashige-Skoog culture media (1962) (free of AIA and amino acids) supplemented or not with agar, were used. The inocula consisted in caryopsis of Zea mays L. (hybrid Kiskun 4255) and based on the results of these experiments it can be underlined that growth increases for the cultivated vitroplants on liquid culture media provided with filter-paper bridges compared with those conventianlly cultivated on an agarized culture media, as following 5.34% for dry weight and 356.09% for leafs length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main concern of today's scientists is the sustainable development of agriculture to achieve global food and nutrition security. Genome editing technology is recognized worldwide for its potential for sustainable agricultural intensification. In this paper, applications of genome editing in maize were analyzed and exemplified, based on statistical data collected from the EU-SAGE Database from January 1996 to July 2023. In addition, the existing regulations for this new technology were also discussed. The results showed that, so far, 51 applications of maize genome editing have been reported in the EU-SAGE database, and the CRISPR/Cas system was the most used genome editing tool with the potential to rapidly generate new genotypes with high yield, improved quality, and stresses resistance. Most applications were developed in China and the USA. Due to current GMO legislation and political indecision regarding the authorization of genome-edited products, the European Union is not yet able to use and cultivate these new improved genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Modern computational modeling could provide the key to obtaining new insights into the mechanisms of maize stalk failure as well as suggesting new ways to improve stalk strength. However, a complete set of mechanical properties of maize tissues is required to enable computational modeling of maize stems. This study developed two compression test methods for obtaining the longitudinal modulus of elasticity of both rind and pith tissues, assessed the influence of water content on tissue properties, and investigated the relationship between rind modulus and pith modulus. These methods involved uniform 5–7 cm segments of maize stems which were scanned using a flatbed scanner then tested in compression using a universal testing machine in both intact and dissected (rind-only and pith-only) states. Results: The modulus of elasticity of pith tissues was highest for fully turgid specimens and decreased as water was removed from the specimens. Water content was negatively correlated with the modulus of elasticity of the rind. Rind and pith tissues were found to be weakly correlated. The median ratio of rind modulus to pith modulus was found to be 17. Of the two methods investigated, the pith-only specimen preparation was found to be simple reliable while the rind-only method was found to be adversely affected by lateral bowing of the specimen. Conclusions: Researchers can use the information in this paper to improve computational models of maize stems in three ways: (1) by incorporating realistic values of the longitudinal modulus of elasticity of pith and rind tissues; (2) by selecting pith and rind properties that match empirically observed ratios; and (3) by incorporating appropriate dependencies between these material properties and water content. From an experimental perspective, the intact/pith-only experimental method outlined in this paper is simpler than previously reported methods and provides reliable estimates of both pith and rind modulus of elasticity values. Further research using this measurement method is recommended to more clearly understand the influence of water content and turgor pressure on tissue properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mechanism of grain development in elite maize breeding lines has not been fully elucidated. Grain length, grain width and grain weight are key components of maize grain yield. Previously, using the Chinese elite maize breeding line Chang7-2 and its large grain mutant tc19, we characterized the grain size developmental difference between Chang7-2 and tc19 and performed transcriptomic analysis. Results: In this paper, using Chang7-2 and tc19, we performed comparative transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses at different grain development stages. Through proteomics analyses, we found 2884, 505 and 126 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) at 14, 21 and 28 days after pollination, respectively. Through metabolomics analysis, we identified 51, 32 and 36 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) at 14, 21 and 28 days after pollination, respectively. Through multiomics comparative analysis, we showed that the phenylpropanoid pathways are influenced at transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic levels in all the three grain developmental stages. Conclusion: We identified several genes in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, which may be related to the large grain phenotype of tc19. In summary, our results provided new insights into maize grain development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research of alternative variants to the conventional tillage system (characterized by plowing with furrow turning) pursued the development and promotion of technologies adapted to the specific conditions of different agricultural areas, especially regarding soil type, climatic conditions, land topography and equipment available. The failure of the extension of many alternative tillage practices has been linked to weeding, cultural deficiencies and lower yields. The paper presents the results of research regarding the influence of the tillage system, fertilization and chemical treatments, the degree of weeding of the crop and the yield of maize during 2018–2021, under the conditions of the Turda Agricultural Research and Development Station (ARDS) Turda, located in the Transylvanian Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper purpose was to assess the impact of climate change on wheat, maize and sunflower yield in the period 2017-2021, using statistical data from National Institute of Statistics (NIS) and National Administration of Meteorology (NAM) and other sources. Comparison method was used to evaluate the deviations between the registered air temperatures and precipitations and the 1981-2010 climatological norm. Graphic method reflected the dynamics of monthly air temperatures and rainfalls in each year. Descriptive statistics for mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation reflected an more comprehensive image upon air temperature, precipitations and yield. Correlations and regression equations were used to establish the intensity of the kinks between climate factors and yield. The highest average air temperature In Romania was 12.130C in 2019. In the period 2017-2020, the average annual temperatures exceeded the climatological norm 1981-2010 accounting for 9.10C. The lowest rainfalls, 614.2 mm, were recorded in 2019, being below of 633.1 mm the norm for the period 1981-2010. The high temperatures associated with drought and low precipitations have deeply affected yield of many agricultural crops, including maize, wheat and sunflower. The highest wheat yield 4,888 kg/ha was achieved in 2017, and the lowest one, 2,966 kg/ha in 2020. Maize registered the highest performance of 7,644 kg/ha in 2018, and the lowest one, 3,977 kg/ha in 2020. Sunflower carried out the high performance 3,041 kg/ha in 2018, and the lowest one, 1,858 kg/ha in 2020. The worst agricultural years for these three crops was 2020, but 2017 favored wheat, while 2018 favored maize and sunflower. The correlation coefficient had in general small values between average temperature and yield, but a higher link with precipitations level. The multiple correlation between yield, air temperatures and precipitations was: r= 0.817 for wheat, r = 0.116 for maize and r = 0.504 for sunflower. In the South Eastern Dobrogea, the driest area in Romania, the rainfalls declined by 65% in the period 2018-2020 having a deep negative impact on sunflower seeds yield, which decreased from 4,282 kg/ha in 2018, to 1,503 kg/ha in 2020. The correlation between precipitations and sunflower yield positive and very strong (r = 0.737). As a conclusion, the climate conditions should be analyzed in each farm and farmers have to take measure to adapt the technologies for sustaining production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is one of the most important food and feed sources at the worldwide level. Due to this importance, all the pathogens that can infect this crop can harm both food safety and security. Fungi are the most important pathogens in cultivated maize, and Fusarium spp. are one of the most important families. Reduction in yield and production of dangerous mycotoxins are the main effects of Fusarium spp. infection. Fusarium graminearum (part of the Fusarium graminearum species complex) is one the most important fungi that infect maize, and it is the causative agent of Gibberella ear rot (GER). The main characteristics of this species include its ability to infect various species and its varying infection pressures across different years. This fungus produces various harmful mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, butanolide, and culmorin. Infection can start from silk channels or from ear wounds. In the first case, the environmental conditions are the most important factors, but in the second, a key role is played by the feeding action of lepidopteran larvae (in Europe, Ostrinia nubilalis). All these factors need to be taken into account to develop a successful management strategy, starting from cropping methods that can reduce the source of inoculum to the direct control of the fungus with fungicide, as well as insect control to reduce ear wounds. But, the most important factor that can reduce the effects of this fungus is the use of resistant hybrids. Different studies have highlighted different defensive methods developed by the plant to reduce fungal infections, like fast drying of silk and kernels, chemical compounds produced by the plant after infection, and mechanical protection from insects' wounds. The aim of this paper is to review the scientific evidence of the most important management strategies against GER in maize and to highlight the genetic basis which is behind hybrid resistance to this disease, with a focus on genes and QTLs found in studies conducted across the world and with different types of maize from tropical cultivars to European flint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has become the biggest global challenge, being a real danger especially for crops and an inevitable threat to food security. This paper presents the results of a study conducted in the Transylvanian Plain during 2012–2021, regarding the influence of climatic factors, such as temperature, rainfall, water reserve in the soil and hours of sunshine, on the development stages and yield of maize. During 2012–2021, the soil water reserve determined for maize cultivation was above the minimum requirements (1734.8 m3 ha−1) in the spring months, but fell below this limit in the months when the water consumption for maize was the highest, but without reaching the withering index (1202.8 m3 ha−1). The hours of sunshine in the maize vegetation period have been significantly reduced from 1655.5 h (2012) to values between 1174.6 and 1296.7 h, with a significant decrease in this parameter being observed. The coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.51) shows the importance of rainfall during the period of emergence of reproductive organs in maize production. During 2019–2021, there was a decreasing trend of temperatures in May compared to the multiannual average of this month, and therefore the processes of emergence and growth of plants in the early stages were affected. During the period of the study, all parameters analyzed (temperature, rainfall, water reserve in the soil, hours of sunshine) deviated from the multiannual average, with negative variations compared to the requirements of maize. Climatic conditions, especially during the growing season, have a significant influence on the yield of a crop, especially when the interaction between several parameters is manifested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although, morphologically, maize is one of the most vigorous species, with a well-developed root system and stem, lately it has become sensitive to one particular species of weeds, namely Ambrosia artemisiifolia. With devastating effects on agriculture, on the environment and on human health, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, comonly named ragweed, is one of the most harmful invasive species. Currently, it belongs to the category of dominant weeds in some agricultural crops, which causes significant damage in production and from observations made in the maize crop, its frequency exceeds 50 individuals on a square meter. This paper presents the results of herbicides efficacy tests regarding the control of this invasive species in maize crop. The research was carried out in the Timiş Plain, on a eutricambosoil soil type, poorly glayed, with high fertility, due to good physical and chemical properties. Of the four herbicides applied post-emergence in maize crop, the best efficacy was obtained by Glyfos Ultra herbicide, applied in doses of 3.5 l / ha, which ensured a significant reduction in coverage, of over 90% 15 days after application, while Kideka herbicide has been situated at the opposite pole, with an efficacy of about 82%. Also, the results of the same set of herbicides applied indicate very high efficacy of Glyfos Ultra herbicide, which exceeds a percent of 98% 30 days after application, while the lowest results were obtained by the herbicide named Dicash 480 SL of approximately 67%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale application in Romania of work systems that aim to preserve soil fertility is of primary importance given that increasing arable areas are cultivated without consulting a specialist and without a system in which to take account of the short-, medium- or long-term consequences on the soil. The purpose of soil preparation works performed after the ploughing consist of breaking and crushing the structural soil clods and soil structural macroaggregates in order to sow. For the execution of mechanized soil scarification, the preparation of the germination bed and of the sowing of maize is important for the choice of the types of tractors according to the technological work process and the biological properties of crops depending on the following indicators: gauge, size, plot size, energy consumption of agricultural machinery, land condition, humidity, and manoeuvrability. This paper aims to highlight the usefulness and economic efficiency of conservative (unconventional) works because this cultivation technology contributes to: reducing soil works to a minimum by reducing the number of machines; reducing soil setting by reducing the number of passes and work operations; reducing water and wind erosion by leaving plant remains on the soil surface; maintaining soil humidity by reducing evaporative water losses because the layer of plant remains are left on the ground; increasing the soil water capacity due to the layer of plant remains that slows water drain on the soil surface thus increasing the infiltration time; improving the physical structure of the soil; increasing the content of humus; and developing biological activity in the soil. From an economic point of view, the method is less costly because it reduces fuel consumption and working time with machines. The use of modern mechanization technologies has a great economic efficiency due to the following: works are carried out in a short period of time, so that the optimal time of technological work is respected; the number of aggregates is reduced; the number of passes on the ground is reduced; the setting of soil is reduced; wage costs are reduced; fuel consumption is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to global climate change, droughts are likely to become more frequent and more severe in many regions such as in South Africa. In Limpopo, observed high climate variability and projected future climate change will likely increase future maize production risks. This paper evaluates drought patterns in Limpopo at two representative sites. We studied how drought patterns are projected to change under future climatic conditions as an important step in identifying adaptation measures (e.g., breeding maize ideotypes resilient to future conditions). Thirty-year time horizons were analyzed, considering three emission scenarios and five global climate models. We applied the WOFOST crop model to simulate maize crop growth and yield formation over South Africa's summer season. We considered three different crop emergence dates. Drought indices indicated that mainly in the scenario SSP5-8.5 (2051–2080), Univen and Syferkuil will experience worsened drought conditions (DC) in the future. Maize yield tends to decline and future changes in the emergence date seem to impact yield significantly. A possible alternative is to delay sowing date to November or December to reduce the potential yield losses. The grain filling period tends to decrease in the future, and a decrease in the duration of the growth cycle is very likely. Combinations of changed sowing time with more drought tolerant maize cultivars having a longer post-anthesis phase will likely reduce the potential negative impact of climate change on maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate factors have an impact on plant life cycle, yield, productivity, economy and profitability of agricultural production. There are not a lot of studies on understanding of influence of climate factors variation on maize yield in agro-ecological conditions of Serbia. The aim of this paper is analysis of variation of climatic factors over a long-time period, as well as assessment of impact of the examined climate parameters on maize yield in two localities in the Republic of Serbia. For the analysis of climatic factors (temperature, precipitation, sunshine, humidity) in the region of Central Serbia and Vojvodina, the data of meteorological stations Kragujevac and Sombor during two thirty-year periods (1961–1990 and 1991–2020) were used. In order to determine the existence and strength of the relationship between the observed climatic factors and maize yield, a correlation analysis of these indicators for the period 2005–2020 years, was performed. In the period 1991–2020, the average values of temperature were annually increased for 0.046 °C in Kragujevac and for 0.05 °C in Sombor, and in the same period the average value of sunshine on an annual level was increased for 1.3 h in Kragujevac and for 5.01 h in Sombor, 2020 in comparison to average values in period of 1961–1990. The humidity was decline annually for 1.3 in Kragujevac and for 3.4 in Sombor in period 1991–2020 in comparison to average humidity in period of 1961–1990. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the maize yield was significantly lower in the years with expressed high temperatures and precipitation deficit. Based on these studies, established effect of climate change on maize yield and that this demand developing adaptation agricultural practice through creating maize hybrids and varieties with greater adaptability and improvement of agrotechnic measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is a principal food crop used extensively by both humans and animals in Africa and across the globe. Unfortunately, maize is highly susceptible to fungal contamination, especially with toxicogenic species. The contamination is exacerbated subsequently by mycotoxins of these fungi, which is indeed a major concern to governments and the international community, as it renders the food unsafe for human and animal consumption. Whole maize was sampled from 10 different sites in the Ho municipality, Ghana, and evaluated for moisture contents, fungal count, and species diversity. The fungal analysis was conducted at three points per location. Fungal species were cultured and identified on the two media used; Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) and Dichlor Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol (DRBC). A total of sixteen (16) fungal species belonging to eleven (11) genera were identified in this study. They included Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. tamarii, A. ochraceous, and A. parasiticus, Cladosporium herbarium, Curvularia lunata, Penicillium citrinum, Fusarium moniliforme, Eurotium sp., Mucor racemosus, Rhizopus stolonifer, Paecilomyces variotii, Neurospora sitophilia and Rhodotorula sp. The genus Fusarium was found to be the most overriding fungus. The overall decreasing order of ranking of occurrence was Fusarium>Penicillium>Aspergillus. Fungal counts of the maize samples ranged between 2.77±1.01-4.1±0.81 Log10 CFU/g and 3.00±1.13-4.08±1.22 Log10 CFU/g for SDA and DRBC respectively and showed no significant differences (p>0.05). The moisture content of the maize grains ranged between 12.06 ±1.17-16.71 ± 2.65 %. Generally, there was a weak association between moisture content and fungal counts, which showed a poor fit to the linear equations (R2= 0.1989, R2= 0.0047 for SDA and DRBC respectively). Our results underscore that consumers and farmers should be up-to-date on the danger of fungal contamination in maize. The outcomes of this paper would be worthwhile in advising policy makers to particularly stress on in adopting international legislations on food quality parameters and to use tools that will change the frame of mind of the population on risks involving fungal intoxication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is one of the globally most important cereal crops used for food, feed and fuel. It requires optimum soil nutrients such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) for proper growth and development as well as for tolerance to biotic and other abiotic stresses. Yield potentials are not met under suboptimal soil fertility. One of the innovations that can reduce environmental impacts of continuous fertilization and lower the cost of maize production under low soil nutrient conditions is the development and use of tolerant cultivars. This paper provides spotlights on the following: (1) morphology and physiology of root and shoot systems; (2) genetics and genomics; and (3) transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome profiles, to elucidate maize tolerance to low amounts of soil nutrients, N, P, and K. Maize cultivars having deeper rooting structure, more lateral roots, dense roots, and high root exudates are more tolerant to N, P, and K limited conditions. Cultivars that are tolerant to N, P, and K stress (low) have high nutrient use efficiency, good photosynthetic and translocation activity that support high aboveground shoot weight under suboptimal N, P, and K conditions. Maize tolerance to N, P, and K stress (low) is quantitative, and mainly controlled by additive genes. Maize cultivar development and dissemination programs can exploit the mechanisms highlighted in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of the maize leaf area index (LAI) and biomass is of great importance in guiding field management and early yield estimation. Physical models and traditional machine learning methods are commonly used for LAI and biomass estimation. However, these models and methods mostly rely on handcrafted features and theoretical formulas under idealized assumptions, which limits their accuracy. Deep neural networks have demonstrated great superiority in automatic feature extraction and complicated nonlinear approximation, but their application to LAI and biomass estimation has been hindered by the shortage of in situ data. Therefore, bridging the gap of data shortage and making it possible to leverage deep neural networks to estimate maize LAI and biomass is of great significance. Optical data cannot provide information in the lower canopy due to the limited penetrability, but synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data can do this, so the integration of optical and SAR data is necessary. In this paper, 158 samples from the jointing, trumpet, flowering, and filling stages of maize were collected for investigation. First, we propose an improved version of the mixup training method, which is termed mixup+, to augment the sample amount. We then constructed a novel gated Siamese deep neural network (GSDNN) based on a gating mechanism and a Siamese architecture to integrate optical and SAR data for the estimation of the LAI and biomass. We compared the accuracy of the GSDNN with those of other machine learning methods, i.e., multiple linear regression (MLR), support vector regression (SVR), random forest regression (RFR), and a multilayer perceptron (MLP). The experimental results show that without the use of mixup + , the GSDNN achieved a similar accuracy to that of the simple neural network MLP in terms of R 2 and RMSE, and this was slightly lower than those of MLR, SVR, and RFR. However, with the help of mixup + , the GSDNN achieved state-of-the-art performance ( R 2 = 0.71, 0.78, and 0.86 and RMSE = 0.58, 871.83, and 150.76 g/m 2 , for LAI, Biomass_wet, and Biomass_dry, respectively), exceeding the accuracies of MLR, SVR, RFR, and MLP. In addition, through the integration of optical and SAR data, the GSDNN achieved better accuracy in LAI and biomass estimation than when optical or SAR data alone were used. We found that the most appropriate amount of synthetic data from mixup + was five times the amount of original data. Overall, this study demonstrates that the GSDNN + mixup + has great potential for the integration of optical and SAR data with the aim of improving the estimation accuracy of the maize LAI and biomass with limited in situ data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource allocation and productivity are important aspect of increased food production which is also associated with the management of the farmers who employ these resources in production. Furthermore, efficiency in the use of available resources is a major pivot for profitable farm enterprise and sustainability. Therefore, inefficiency in the use of resources, wrong choice of enterprise combination and cropping system constitute the major constraints to increased food production in Nigeria. Adamawa State has favourable ecology for both rainfed and irrigated maize production, but the increasing demand for maize lags behind supplies. This study was therefore conducted to examine Productivity and Efficiency of Maize (Zea mays) Farmers in Adamawa State. Socio-economic characteristics of respondents; allocative, technical and economic efficiencies of maize production and factors of inefficiencies of production among respondents were specifically examined. Data were collected from 337 maize farmers and subjected to descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Results showed that respondents had a mean age of 44 years, attained one form of formal education or the other with mean of nine years of schooling, mean household size of eight people, well experienced with mean experience of 21 years and mostly small scale farmers cultivating an average of 1.89 hectares. The stochastic production frontier analysis indicated that 84.01% of the variations in the technical efficiencies were jointly explained by the production variables in the model. Seeds, fertilizers and farm size were statistically significant (p=0.01) and positively related with maize output. Education and extension contact were statistically significant (p=0.05) and increase technical efficiency among respondents. Furthermore, the stochastic cost function analysis indicated that 80.24% variations in allocative efficiencies were as a result of the variables included in the model. Cost of fertilizers, seeds and herbicides were statistically significantly (p=0.01) whereas labour was statistically significant (p=0.10). Extension contacts increase allocative efficiency significantly. The mean values obtained were 0.79, 0.88 and 0.69 for Technical Efficiency (TE), Allocative Efficiency (AE) and Economic Efficiency (EE) respectively. High cost of inputs, inadequate credit facilities, Striga infestation and drought were the major constraints of maize production. It is concluded that farmers are not fully efficient in the allocation of resources for production. Formation of cooperative association by farmers and training of farmers by both government and non governmental agencies were some of the recommendations made in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertilizers play an essential role in agriculture due to the rising food demand. However, high input fertilizer concentration and the non-controlled leaching of nutrients cause an unwanted increase in reactive, unassimilated nitrogen and induce environmental pollution. This paper investigates the preparation and properties of slow-release fertilizer with fully biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) coating that releases nitrogen gradually and is not a pollutant for soil. Nitrogen fertilizer (calcium ammonium nitrate) was pelletized with selected filler materials (poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), struvite, dried biomass). Pellets were coated with a solution of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) in dioxolane that formed a high-quality and thin polymer coating. Coated pellets were tested in aqueous and soil environments. Some coated pellets showed excellent resistance even after 76 days in water, where only 20% of the ammonium nitrate was released. Pot experiments in Mitscherlich vegetation vessels monitored the effect of the application of coated fertilizers on the development and growth of maize and the dynamics of N release in the soil. We found that the use of our coated fertilizers in maize nutrition is a suitable way to supply nutrients to plants concerning their needs and that the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) that was used for the coating does not adversely affect the growth of maize plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural practices of smallholder farming systems of Latin America can play an important role in reducing their exposure to the risks associated with climate extremes. To date, however, there is no systematic analysis of scientific evidence for the extent to which these practices can provide the multiple benefits needed for smallholders to adapt to climate extremes. In this paper, we searched scientific databases to review scientific evidence of the benefit provided by twenty-six practices in crops commonly farmed by smallholders in the region and highly relevant for their food and nutrition security; namely, coffee, maize and beans. We reviewed scientific documents (n = 304) published in the period 1953–2021 to register evidence of the practices' effects on fifty-five benefits. Our analysis of these documents found measurement records (n = 924) largely based on field experiments (85%). Our results show strong evidence of the multiple benefits that some ecosystem-based practices (e.g., tree-based practices for coffee and no tillage for maize) can provide to support the adaptation to climate extremes of smallholder farming systems and enhance a farm's natural assets (e.g., biodiversity, water, soil). We also found that the majority of research on practices in the region focused more on the socioeconomic dimension (54%) rather than on the capacity of practices to improve the natural assets of a smallholder farmers or reduce the impact of climate extremes. Given these knowledge gaps, we discuss the importance of a renovated investment in research to address existing knowledge gaps. Our concluding suggestions for future research include the need for systematizing existing knowledge from different sources (e.g., peer-reviewed, gray literature, farmers, extension agencies, etc.), and to assess the extent to which these practices can provide multiple benefits for smallholder farming systems by improving their wellbeing, reducing their vulnerability to different hydroclimatic extremes while also contributing to ecosystem services provision at the landscape level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water footprint (WF), based on irrigation water quality, is important as a decision-making tool for crop selection based on the comparative advantage of water consumption and yield to maximize agricultural water productivity and sustainably improve water use efficiency. This paper presents a generic link between climate variability and water footprint. To support this link, a case study is presented for wheat and maize in different agro-climate zones in Egypt. In this study, the three agro-ecological zones, Nile Delta, Middle Egypt, and Upper Egypt, were selected to represent three different microclimates. The climate data were analyzed to estimate reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and calculate crop water use (CWU) for wheat and maize from 2015 through 2019. Cultivated area and yield data were analyzed during the study period. Water footprint (WF) was calculated for old land (clay soils) and new lands (sandy soils) in three climate regions based on blue and grey water. Green water was excluded due to negligible rainfall depths in Egypt. The results showed that the mean values of WF for maize were 1067, 1395, 1655 m3/ton in old land and 1395, 1634, 2232 m3/ton in new land under the three climate regions, respectively, while it was 923, 982, 1117 m3/ton in old land and 1180, 1258, 1452 m3/ton for wheat in new land for the three regions, respectively. The results show that the crop water use fluctuated over regions due to climate variability where the CWU values were 6211, 7335, 8007 m3/ha for maize and 4348, 4825, 5774 m3/ha for wheat in the three regions, respectively. The results show an 11% and 33% increase in maize and an 18% and 29% increase in wheat CWU in Middle and Upper Egypt regions comparing to what was observed in Nile Delta due to an increase in solar radiation, temperature, and wind speed. The Egypt mean value of wheat water footprint was 1152 m3/ton and mean value of maize water footprint was 1563 m3/ton. The data clearly show the effect of microclimate variability on WF and irrigation requirements between regions. The methodology and results from this study provide a pathway to help the policy makers to mitigate climate change impacts on crop yield and to enhance water resources management in major crop production regions by redistribution of the cropping patterns based on the comparative advantages of each crop within each region. The crop choices relative to the soil water retention characteristics could also contribute to the moderation of microclimate, which affects ETo and ETc and the water footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is a poor source of protein both for humans and monogastric animals due to the lack of essential amino acids, such as lysine and tryptophan. Naturally occurring opaque2 (o2) mutation increases content of these amino acids, but also confers an undesirable phenotype leading to low yields. Quality protein maize (QPM) is agronomically acceptable and nutritionally improved opaque2 maize obtained through conventional breeding. Marker assisted breeding program aimed at developing QPM genotypes for growing in temperate regions is being conducted at Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje (MRIZP). The results presented in this paper relate to foreground selection aimed to identify plants that attained homozygosity at o2 locus in BC2F2 generation in conversion of four MRIZP commercial inbred lines. Maize inbred line ZPL5 converted to its QPM counterpart and adapted to temperate climate was used as o2 donor to the four recurrent parents (RP). Foreground selection was carried out with gene-specific markers phi057 and umc1066, both segregating as per the expectation. The percentage of recessive homozygotes in BC2F2 generation was approximately 25% (24.6% in RP1, 23.3% in RP2, 25% in RP3 and 24.4% in RP4). After the self-pollination of selected recessive homozygotes, BC2F3 progenies were screened for phenotypic and biochemical characteristics to confirm their nutritional and agronomical superiority. The results of scoring endosperm modifications revealed over 95% of hard endosperm kernels. The average tryptophan content ranged from 0.070% in RP1 to 0.087% in RP3. Out of 39 derivations from four lines, 19 had tryptophan content above the QPM threshold (0.075%). A total of 16 derivations were chosen for their highest tryptophan content. Their quality index was increased by 2-46% relative to the recurrent parent. These lines will serve as an important breeding material for developing QPM maize hybrids adapted to temperate regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize, one of the most traded agricultural products in the world, was chosen for analysis from several cereals and oilseeds owned by a farm in Ilfov County. Economic analyses were performed on this crop in order to determine: expenses per 1,000 lei income, gross margin and their share in the gross product, rate of net income, rate of operating expenses and rate of depreciation. Following the analysis and evaluation of the mentioned indicators, the sensitivity analysis was applied, this being also the purpose of this paper. Sensitivity analysis highlighted the gross margin in relation to changes in price and average production, based on which the main sources of risk or opportunity in terms of crop profitability can be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the prospects of Ukraine on the world grain market and ways to increase the efficiency of maize cultivation using environmentally safe technologies in the conditions of the negative impact of climate change and other stress factors. The methodological approach takes into account the peculiarities of agrarian production based on the use of data of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United States Department of Agriculture, United Nations, Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and State Statistics Service of Ukraine. The dynamics of world production and export of maize grain, sown areas, production and yield of maize in Ukraine are demonstrated, which directly focuses attention on the competitiveness of Ukrainian maize on the world grain market. These arguments are confirmed by analytical results, which show that in 2022, among the world leaders of maize grain producers, Ukraine took fifth place, and among exporters - fourth. In order to mitigate the impact of climate change and other stress factors on the effective production and export of Ukrainian maize, adaptation measures are proposed, which consist in the application of modern technologies, which include: optimization of the structure of sown areas and scientifically based crop rotations with the effective use of competitive varieties and hybrids of agricultural crops, the introduction of organic and mineral fertilizers and plant protection products, the use of soil protective tillage, sideration and mulching, irrigation systems, and also the productive use of plant residues with the application of modern biodestructors. Their comprehensive implementation will contribute to the development of maize yield, grain quality, preservation of biodiversity and the solution of the grain-food problem in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of research on the impact of organic fertilizers, obtained from poultry manure with and without pro prebiotic PoultryStarRmeEU, on the microbiological and biochemical quality of soil and corn productivity. For this purpose, initially, an experiment was organized in the practical conditions of the individual poultry enterprise "GT Nicolaescu V." from village Fagureni, district Straseni, in which material for the study was used the probiotic PoultryStarRmeEU, and the object of research were broiler chickens ROSS 308. Subsequently, the manure obtained was subjected to traditional composting, and after 9 months, it was were injected into the soil. As a result of research, it was found that organic fertilizers have improved the microbiological and biochemical quality of the soil by increasing 10 times the amount of beneficial microorganisms, the content of organic matter - by 48.02% - 114.81% and humus - by 15.14% - 10.56%, thus stimulating the physiological development (height) of the plants by 7.69% - 10.53% and increasing the corn grain harvest by 5.98% and by 17.45% the amount of straw (organic matter) compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stalk lodging (breaking of agricultural plant stalks prior to harvest) is a multi-billion dollar a year problem. Stalk lodging occurs when high winds induce bending moments in the stalk which exceed the bending strength of the plant. Previous biomechanical models of plant stalks have investigated the effect of cross-sectional morphology on stalk lodging resistance (e.g., diameter and rind thickness). However, it is unclear if the location of stalk failure along the length of stem is determined by morphological or compositional factors. It is also unclear if the crops are structurally optimized, i.e., if the plants allocate structural biomass to create uniform and minimal bending stresses in the plant tissues. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to investigate the relationship between bending stress and failure location of maize stalks, and (2) to investigate the potential of phenotyping for internode-level bending stresses to assess lodging resistance. Results: 868 maize specimens representing 16 maize hybrids were successfully tested in bending to failure. Internode morphology was measured, and bending stresses were calculated. It was found that bending stress is highly and positively associated with failure location. A user-friendly computational tool is presented to help plant breeders in phenotyping for internode-level bending stress. Phenotyping for internode-level bending stresses could potentially be used to breed for more biomechanically optimal stalks that are resistant to stalk lodging. Conclusions: Internode-level bending stress plays a potentially critical role in the structural integrity of plant stems. Equations and tools provided herein enable researchers to account for this phenotype, which has the potential to increase the bending strength of plants without increasing overall structural biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn. is a corn pest that can do great damage to plants in some seasons. The aim of this paper is to study the resistance / susceptibility of hybrids to the attack of European corn borer and the effects of different doses of insecticides and time of application in protection against pests on maize plants, but primarily the influence of hybrids on attack intensity. The six maize hybrids of different maturation groups (ZP 427, ZP 434, ZP 555, ZP 600, ZP 606 and ZP 666) used for study effect of attack of Ostrinia nubillalis Hbn., on control variant T1 without application of insecticide and on variant treated with two insecticides Fobos EC (bifentrin - 200 ml ha-1) and combination of Match 050 EC and Nurelle D (lufenuron 50 g l-1 and hlorpirifos 500 g l-1 + cipermetrin 50 g l-1), 0.75 l ha-1) in two terms (in the first generation of insect flying T2 and T3 and in the second generation of insect flying T4 and T5) in three replication. The results showed the highest intensity of Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn. attack and degree of damages on control variant and significant differences between treatments for investigated parameters. Observing all hybrids and treatments, there was no statistical significance between the six examined maize hybrids of different maturity groups. In the control variant, the greatest attack (damage) was in plants, namely in the hybrid ZP 666 (94.28%) and ZP 606 (93.90%) and among the variants of applied insecticides, the greatest damage was found in the treatment T5 with the applied combination of Match + Nurelle in hybrid ZP 555 and was 92.02%. On treatment T1-control variant without insecticides, the smallest attack with Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn. was found in the hybrid ZP 434 (from 88.76%) and among the variants of applied insecticides, the smallest attack was found on variant T2 with applied Phobos in the first generation of insect in hybrid ZP 434 and amounted to 77.12%. The attack of Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn. and variation of average mass of maize cob varied in dependence of maze of hybrids and variant of insecticides application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aflatoxins are carcinogenic compounds produced by certain species of Aspergillus fungi. The consumption of crops contaminated with this toxin cause serious detrimental health effects, including death, in both livestock and humans. As a consequence, both the detection and quantification of this toxin in food/feed items is tightly regulated with crops exceeding the allowed limits eliminated from food chains. Globally, this toxin causes massive agricultural and economic losses each year. Results: In this paper we investigate the feasibility of using an aflatoxin-degrading enzyme strategy to reduce/eliminate aflatoxin loads in developing maize kernels. We used an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) targeted sub-cellular compartmentalization stabilizing strategy to accumulate an aflatoxin-degrading enzyme isolated from the edible Honey mushroom Armillariella tabescens and expressed it in embryo tissue in developing maize kernels. Three transgenic maize lines that were determined to be expressing the aflatoxin-degrading enzyme both at the RNA and protein level, were challenged with the aflatoxin-producing strain Aspergillus flavus AF13 and shown to accumulate non-detectable levels of aflatoxin at 14-days post-infection and significantly reduced levels of aflatoxin at 30-days post-infection compared to nontransgenic control Aspergillus-challenged samples. Conclusions: The expression of an aflatoxin-degrading enzyme in developing maize kernels was shown to be an effective means to control aflatoxin in maize in pre-harvest conditions. This aflatoxin-degradation strategy could play a significant role in the enhancement of both US and global food security and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an essential crop worldwide, and the application of fertilizers is a vital management strategy that significantly enhances its yield. The objective of this investigation was to assess the impact of green manure and mineral fertilization on the yield of maize. The experiments were conducted in an experimental field at Agricultural Research and Development Station Braila during the first decade of September 2021 to the second decade of October 2022. A bifactorial experiment was carried out based on the formula A × B, where A represents the green manure crops (a1- control - without green manure crop; a2- winter pea (Pisum sativum L. var. arvense); a3- white mustard (Sinapis alba L.); a4- winter rye (Secale cereale L.); a5- white mustard (Sinapis alba L) + rapeseed (Brassica napus L.); a6- rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and B represents the mineral fertilization (b1- N0 unfertilized; b2- N60 (60 kg/ha of N); b3- N90 (90 kg/ha of N); b4- N120 (120 kg/ha of N)). The results of this study show the benefits of integrated fertilization with green manure and mineral fertilizer. Maize grain yield was found to be enhanced by using green manure crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Newcastle disease (ND) represents a major viral disease across the world which imposes high costs to poultry producers for vaccination. Hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) and fusion (F) proteins are the major immunogenic epitopes of Newcastle disease virus and hence, have been the main targets for development of anti-ND vaccines. This paper reports transient expression of a synthetic gene composing of four tandem repeats of HN and three tandem repeats of F epitopes in maize leaves as initial step toward production of recombinant vaccine against ND. Materials and Methods: The synthetic gene was cloned in pBI121 plasmid to yield an expression vector. The vector was sophisticated by the addition of AUG codon, polyhistidine-tag, tobacco mosaic virus omega sequence, stop codon, and restriction sites. Leaf transformation was conducted by the agroinfiltration method. Molecular detection assays including polymerase chain reaction, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were carried out to evaluate transgene expression in infiltrated leaves of the corn plant. Results: The result obtained in this research revealed that the transgene was transcribed and translated in maize leaves only 48 hours after infiltration. In the second phase of the experiment, the expressed protein was injected into rabbits. The result of the ELISA assay indicated induction of immune response in the rabbits after injection with the heterologous protein. Conclusion: These results confirm the feasibility of agroinfiltration for transient gene expression of viral epitopes in monocot plants which naturally resist stable transformation by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Practical implications of this finding are discussed in detail and some recommendations for future studies are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a centrifugal filling and cleaning high-speed precision seed metering device for maize is designed based on the principle of centrifugal force generated by high-speed circular motion of seeds. Through theoretical analysis and calculation, the seeding tray and front shell of the seed metering device are designed so that the seeds can use centrifugal force for filling, cleaning, releasing, and returning. The seed metering device has a simple structure and can perform high-speed and precise seeding. A response surface experiment of central composite design was conducted with feeding and seeding speeds as experimental factors, and the omission rate, repeated rate, and pass rate as performance evaluation indexes. Through response surface experiment optimization, it was deduced that the highest seeding performance was achieved when the feeding and seeding speeds were 18.72 seeds/s and 15.12 km/h, respectively. Under these conditions, the omission, repeated, and pass rates were 2.21, 5.21, and 92.58%, respectively. The results of response surface experiment showed that, when the seeding speed of the centrifugal filling and cleaning high-speed precision seed metering device for maize is in the range of 10–20 km/h, the pass rate can be greater than 90%. In addition, the speed curve of feeding and seeding fitted from the bench experiment results is effective and reliable, which allows the seed metering device to achieve a precision seeding in a speed range of 10–20 km/h. The power of the air-suction seed metering device is 470.24 W when seeding at a speed of 14 km/h. Moreover, the power of the centrifugal filling and cleaning high-speed precision seed metering device is only 10.94 W when seeding at a speed of 20 km/h, and the energy consumption during seeding is much lower than that of the air-suction seed metering device, which performs cleaner production. [Display omitted] • A mechanical seed metering device was designed based on centrifugal force. • Designed a seed cleaning advance angle to improve seed cleaning efficiency. • A gradient surface was designed in the seed returning area to guide the seed flow. • A gradient circular chamber was designed to improve the efficiency of seeding. • Speed curve was fitted to achieve seeding at different speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high harvest losses associated with the mechanical harvesting of maize in China are currently a major barrier to the adoption of this technology. This paper summarizes works of literature regarding harvest losses from the combine harvesting of maize in China and abroad. The main findings are as follows: (1) In 2012-2019, 2987 samples data obtained from the major maize production areas of China showed that the average harvest loss was 345.2 kg/hm² (3.5% of the average yield), with losses ranging from 0 to 9288.5 kg/hm²; (2) The harvest losses from combine harvesting are mainly caused by the dropping of ears. The ear losses include the pre-harvest loss caused by ear abscission, damage caused by maize borer, lodging, and the ear loss during combine harvesting, and the main pre-harvest loss is caused by lodging; (3) Harvest losses are affected by maize variety, planting mode, cultivation management, pests and diseases, weather conditions during harvesting, harvest date, combine harvester type, harvester adjustment, operator proficiency, and the terrain conditions of the maize field; (4) The harvest losses from combine harvesting are also related to the type of header, feeding and threshing methods, the adjustment of header stripping clearance, feeding amount, forward speed, cylinder or rotor speed, and the clearance between the cylinder and the concave of the harvester. However, the combine losses mainly come from header losses. In order to reduce the harvest losses, the following solutions were proposed: (1) Breed and select maize varieties which are resistant to lodging, especially during the field drying of mature grains, as well as those resistant to maize borer and stalk rot; (2) Select varieties suitable for grain harvest--which requires matching the accumulated-temperature demand of the maize hybrids, optimal plant density, row spacing, and irrigation and fertilizer management with the light and heat conditions of the production area while cultivating uniform populations and healthy plants--as well as preventing and controlling damage from maize borer, stalk rot, and ear rot, harvesting at the appropriate time; (3) Develop and select advanced maize combine harvesters, formulate standardized operating procedures for harvesting machinery, and standardize field operation; (4) select appropriate agricultural machinery and agronomic practices, and improve the training of maize producers and harvester operato [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the contribution of aboveground dry matter (DM) production and harvest index (HI) to maize grain yield is essential to further improve grain yield to ensure future food growing requirements. In this study, we collected 548 sets of data of DM, HI, and grain yield from a multisite (40 sites) and multiyear (2009–2016) experiment conducted in major maize‐growing regions across China and 615 sets of data from 40 published papers distributed from 1988 to 2018 to assess the performance of DM, HI, and their contributions to grain yield. It was found that the average contribution rate of DM was 73.71%, which was much higher than those of HI (26.28%) across China. For the five different modern hybrids, the contribution rates of DM to grain yield (ranged from 71.36% to 89.10%) were also significantly higher than those of HI (ranged from 10.79% to 28.64%) on a large spatial scale. The significant differences in grain yields between cultivars were mainly due to the differences in HI. Among the four maize‐growing regions, the contribution rates of DM in both NW (57.34%) and NM (64.46%) were higher than those of HI (42.66% and 35.54%, respectively). In contrast, the contribution rates of HI in HM (52.67%) and SW (50.92%) were slightly higher than those of DM (47.33% and 49.08%, respectively). The interregional differences in grain yield were mainly attributed to the differences in DM between regions. Additionally, combining the data of this study and data collected from previous studies, we found that the increase in maize grain yield under lower yield levels (<15 Mg/ha) was mainly attributed to the increase in both DM and HI, while that under higher yield levels (>15 Mg/ha) was mainly dependent on the increase in DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzed wheat and maize production, export and import in Romania in the period 2007-2016 in order to point out the main trends and factors which sustain the position of the country in the international trade. Index method, comparison method, export/production ratio, export/import ratio, gross exchange index have been determined to characterize efficiency of external trade. Maize and wheat production increased 2.8 times during the last decade, representing 50 % and respectively 38.5 % in cereal production. Romania comes on the 2nd position for maize and on the 5th position for wheat in the EU production. The production growth is due mainly to the large cultivated surface, 4.7 million ha, for these two cereals which represent 85 % of the cultivated area in Romania. But, with 4.1 tonnes maize and 3.9 tonnes wheat per ha, yield is by 42.39 % and respectively 26.22 % lower than the EU average. Romania exported 11 times more maize and 34 times more wheat during the last decade. Also, it imported less maize but more wheat mainly for re-export. Export/Production ratio increased from reached 0.32 for maize and 0.82 for wheat, and Export/Import ratio reached 7.78 for maize and 5.83 for wheat. Export and import value also had a high growth rate, while import had a decline, resulting a positive balance, and this under the decline of export price and increase of import price. As a conclusion, the production growth contributed to the development of export with a benefic effect on the trade balance and Romania's prestige and position as a cereal producer and exporter. To increase yield level, investments are required in new technologies ( machinery, irrigations, high production value hybrids and varieties, fertilization and plant protection). Also, farm size should be increased by joining in associative forms for a more efficient use of capital and human resources and increase economic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports original evidence regarding the potential role of seed transmission of Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum in the epidemiology of bacterial leaf streak (BLS) in maize. We evaluated the occurrence of the pathogen on seeds from diseased fields and its subsequent transmission to seedlings. In 2016 and 2017, X. vasicola pv. vasculorum was detected by TaqMan PCR from 22 of 41 maize seed lots harvested from naturally infected fields in Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa. However, many of the PCR-positive samples did not yield culturable X. vasicola pv. vasculorum colonies. The highest levels of seed contamination were detected in dent maize and popcorn from NE and CO. Seed transmission was evaluated in greenhouse grow-outs from eight seed lots, totaling more than 14,000 plants. Putative seed transmission events from naturally contaminated seed lots, estimated from PCR results, occurred at a frequency between 0.1 and 0.5% in 10-seedling pooled samples and at a frequency of 2.7% from individual plant assays. However, no seedling symptoms were observed during these assays and live X. vasicola pv. vasculorum colonies were not recovered from PCR-positive seedlings. In contrast, seed transmission was readily demonstrated from artificially contaminated seed lots, including typical symptoms and recovery of live bacteria. Seed transmission consistently occurred from seeds soaked in bacterial suspensions with concentrations of 106 CFU/ml, suggesting that a threshold population of the bacterium is necessary for the development of BLS symptoms and recovery of live bacteria. The low bacterial populations on naturally contaminated seeds apparently were not sufficient to result in diseased seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maize is one of the most important crops worldwide and has been a target of nuclear-based transformation biotechnology to improve it and satisfy the food demand of the ever-growing global population. However, the maize plastid transformation has not been accomplished due to the recalcitrant condition of the crop. Results: In this study, we constructed two different vectors with homologous recombination sequences from maize (Zea mays var. LPC13) and grass (Bouteloua gracilis var. ex Steud) (pZmcpGFP and pBgcpGFP, respectively). Both vectors were designed to integrate into rrn23S/rrn16S from an inverted repeat region in the chloroplast genome. Moreover, the vector had the mgfp5 gene driven by Prrn, a leader sequence of the atpB gene and a terminator sequence from the rbcL gene. Also, constructs have an hph gene as a selection marker gene driven by Prrn, a leader sequence from rbcL gene and a terminator sequence from the rbcL gene. Explants of maize, tobacco and Escherichia coli cells were transformed with both vectors to evaluate the transitory expression-an exhibition of green and red fluorescent light under epifluorescence microscopy. These results showed that both vectors were expressed; the reporter gene in all three organisms confirmed the capacity of the vectors to express genes in the cell compartments. Conclusions: This paper is the first report of transient expression of GFP in maize embryos and offers new information for genetically improving recalcitrant crops; it also opens new possibilities for the improvement in maize chloroplast transformation with these vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to evaluate nutritional and antinutritional contents of complementary foods from locally available and affordable raw materials (maize, pea, and anchote) grown in Western Ethiopia. The six formulated complementary diets analyzed for their proximate, mineral, and antinutritional continents were compared with Codex standards. The mineral ratios and molar ratios of the formulated diets were also evaluated and compared with each standard values. Six formulations were generated by d‐optimal mixture design. The formulated ingredient ranges 45%–61% maize, 23%–31% pea, and 14%–28% anchote. Design‐Expert® 6 (Stat‐Ease) was used to constrain the three components. The formulated diets ranged from 14.92% to 20.99%, 5.95% to 9.94%, 2.75% to 3.41%, and 59.10% to 66.22% of protein, fat, fiber, and utilizable carbohydrate, respectively. Mineral contents (mg/100 g) of the formulated diet ranged from 225.45 to 261.32, 11.48 to 12.61, 2.73 to 3.00, 357.92 to 391.13, 298.55 to 332.63, 252.00 to 278.01, and 44.26 to 51.56 for calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorous, potassium, sodium and magnesium, respectively. The proximate and mineral contents of the formulated diet 5 meet the Codex standards, except the fat contents of the complementary food standards. The molar ratios of the formulated diets in this study were below standard reference and which show the high mineral bioavailability in all the formulated diets. The results of the study revealed that the formulated diets contain very low antinutritional factors and high mineral bioavailability. The paper's findings show that the complementary food formulated from maize, pea, and anchote flours particularly diet 5 may be suitable to alleviate protein energy malnutrition and it can be used as a substitute for the expensive commercial complementary food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coefficient of rolling friction is a foundation parameter for conducting particles simulation, however, which of irregularly shaped maize seeds is difficult to measure. Furthermore, the coefficient of rolling friction between the simulation particles and the actual seeds is inconsistent due to the shaped difference of model and different position of gravity center. This paper use two methods to determinate the coefficient of rolling friction based on discrete element method (DEM) and physical experiments. Three types of maize models from five different shaped maize samples (including horse-tooth shape, spherical cone shape, spherical shape, oblate shape, irregular shape) were developed with the help of slice modeling and 3D modeling technology. Aluminum cylinder container is used to arrange the simulation experiments of angle of repose with taking the coefficient of rolling friction as independent variables and the simulation angle of repose as target values. After predicting detailed the coefficient of rolling friction (including horse-tooth shape, spherical cone shape, spherical shape, between horse-tooth shape and spherical cone shape, between horse-tooth shape and spherical shape, between spherical shape and spherical cone shape maize models), and forecasting a unified the coefficient of rolling friction among horse-tooth shape, spherical cone shape and spherical shape maize models, two types of materials (aluminum cylinder container and organic glass container) were used to validate the difference the angle of repose between the simulation maize models and actual maize seeds. Results show the relative error of the angle of repose between the maize models controlled by the coefficient of rolling friction through the detailed method and the actual maize seeds is 0.22%, 0.33% in aluminum cylinder, organic glass container, respectively. The relative error of the angle of repose between the simulation maize models controlled by the coefficient of rolling friction through the united method and actual maize seeds is 2.47%, 2.97% in aluminum cylinder, organic glass container, respectively. Although the difference of the angle of repose between two method is smaller, the detailed method is better. Moreover, From the accumulation process of the angle of repose we found that the difference on the contacts number between maize models and bottom plate, the change curve of the rotational kinetic energy, the potential energy of maize models controlled by the coefficient of rolling friction through the detailed and the united method are evidently. We can choose a better method to predict the coefficient of rolling friction of maize seeds according to the application situation and investigation objective of irregular maize seeds. The results can provide a theoretical basis for designing and optimizing the structure of the seed-metering machine with DEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food self-sufficiency is an important contributor to food security, and one of the potential solutions to this problem is increased food production productivity through agricultural biotechnology. In this paper, we study the relationship between a country's genetically modified (GM) food policy and the food self-sufficiency rate (SSR) under conflicting interests, with the example of GM crop regulation and GM maize production in South Africa. We develop a theoretical model of a small open economy and investigate the GM food policy as the outcome of a GM and a non-GM food groups' lobbying game that follows the model of Grossman and Helpman. The government maximises its payoff by considering the weighted sum of social welfare and contributions from interest groups. Our findings suggest that a lower GM food regulation supports domestic agricultural production, and we offer potential reasons why a country that has a low SSR still has a strict GM food policy regulation. We also find that the food SSR is a biased measure of food availability when both production and consumption change simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful upscaling of the direct measurement of evapotranspiration at individual plant level to canopy level with specific microclimatic conditions has recently received considerable attention of scientific community. And since the knowledge of transpiration is among important inputs of various experiments on solitary plant level the paper employs the reverse approach -- the downscaling from the canopy to individual plant. The main task of the study is thus to compare Penman--Monteith method of computing potential evapotranspiration with directly measured values of transpiration of maize. Since the model deals with canopy level and the direct measurement is being carried out on level of individual plants, this comparison answers the question if the timeconsuming and demanding measurement of transpiration on plant level could be substitute by relative easily reachable model outputs. The results shown that evapotranspiration of maize computed by Penman--Monteith model cannot be successfully downscaled back to the solitary plant level. The correlation coefficient between these two data series for three individual phenological stages vary from 0.5831 to 0.7803 (α = 0.01) while for whole growing period regardless phenological stage is 0.6925 (α = 0.01). The directly measured data of transpiration cannot by simply replaced by modelled data, but their application after conversion using regression equations is possible with certain level of inaccuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorophyll in leaves plays a vital role in plant growth and can be used as an indicator of a plant's nutritional status. In this paper, an experimental setup for measuring total chlorophyll content using three-wavelength diffuse reflectance is proposed, for which light-emitting diodes with peak wavelengths of 640, 660, and 940 nm are used. Two different maize strains, Zhengdan-958 and Xundan-20, fertilized at different levels before the jointing stage, were used to validate this setup. Regression analyses between remission function values of diffuse reflectance and SPAD values, as well as remission function values of diffuse reflectance and the actual total chlorophyll content, were performed. The determination coefficients between remission function values and the actual total chlorophyll content were 0.9766 for Zhengdan-958 leaves and 0.9612 for Xundan-20 leaves. The experimental results validated the feasibility of using the diffuse reflectance spectrum to determine the total chlorophyll content. This paper also provides guidance for the development of a portable instrument to determine the actual chlorophyll content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant cell walls development is an integrated process during which several components are deposited successively. In the cell walls in grass, the accessibility of structural polysaccharides is limited by the cell walls structure and composition mainly as a result of phenolic compounds. Here, we studied the patterns of cell walls establishment in the internode supporting the ear in three distinct maize genotypes. The developmental patterns observed in the internode cell walls in terms of its composition are reported with an emphasis on lignification, p-coumaroylation and feruloylation. We combined biochemical and histological approaches and revealed that internode cell walls development in maize before flowering is characterized by the rapid deposition of secondary cell walls components and robust lignification in both the pith and the rind. After flowering and until silage maturity, the slow deposition of secondary walls components occurs in the cortical region, and the deposited lignins are rich in β-O-4 bonds and are highly p-coumaroylated. We conclude the paper by proposing a revised spatiotemporal model based on that proposed by Terashima et al. (1993) for cell walls development in grass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper goal was to analyze the dynamics and distribution of maize cultivated area and production in Romania and in its regions of development, using empirical data provided by the National Institute of Statistics for the period 2007-2013. The statistical parameters: mean, deviation standard and coefficient of variation were determined in order to characterize each indicator. With 2.5 million ha cultivated with maize Romania came on the top position in the EU-28.For maize production, it is on the 2nd position after France. Romania's production increased more 2.7 times in the analyzed period, and the contribution of the development regions to it was the following one in 2013: 22.29 % South Muntenia, 18.18 % South East, 18.19 % North East, 13.06 % South West Oltenia, 12.47 % West, 9.68 % North West, 5.69 % Central part and 0.44 % Bucharest-Ilfov. The means, standard deviations and the variation coefficients proved that both the cultivated area and maize production registered a high variation from a region to another. The discrepancies among the regions concerning soil and climate conditions, farm size, technical endowment, applied technologies, maize varieties, farm management resulted in a high variability of production performance. For Romania, maize is a strategic crop which could cover both the internal market, and become a good product for export on the foreign market. As a result, the Romanian farmers should be aware that the yield growth must be their main objective which should be reached using high potential hybrids resistant to drought and diseases, and extending irrigation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents field research results on studying the effect of treating maize plants with growth regulating biological products on the formation of productivity of lines - parental components for optimizing the elements of cultivation technology. The experimental scheme included the effect of Bio-gel and Helafit®-combi biological products on the productivity of parental components of different FAO groups and genetic plasms of maize hybrids at different densities of 70,000, 80,000, 90,000 plants ha-1. Studies have shown that for the maximum manifestation of the "weight of 1,000 grains" indicator the optimal density is 70,000 plants ha-1. The increase in yield is positively influenced by the increase in the weight of 1,000 seeds, which is due to the line genotype and the use of the Bio-gel, Helafit®-combi biologically active products. Pre-sowing treatment of maize seeds with Bio-gel and Helafit®-combi increased laboratory seed germination. With the Bio-gel product applied, the laboratory germination increased by an average of 1.5%, with Helafit®-combi used seed germination increased by 2.4%. In our studies, the maximum seed yield in the early-ripening line of the DK 281 parental component was recorded at a density of 90,000 plants ha-1and the treatment with Helafit®-combi and amounted to 3.65 t ha-1. The maximum yield of the DK 247 parental component was observed at a density of 80,000 plants ha-1 and the treatment with Helafit®-combi and amounted to 4.89 t ha-1. Mid-late lines DK 411 and DK 445 parental components showed the highest yields at densities of 70,000 plants ha-1 and after the treatment with Helafit®-combi which amounted to 4.65 and 6.30 t ha-1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate data about the spatial distribution and planting area of maize is important for policy making, economic development, environmental protection and food security under climate change. This paper proposes a new identification method for spring maize based on spectral and phenological features derived from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface reflectance time-series data. The method focused on the spectral differences of different land cover types in the specific phenological phases of spring maize by testing the selections and combinations of classification metrics, feature extraction methods and classifiers. Taking Liaoning province, a representative planting region of spring maize in Northeast China, as the study area, the results indicated that the combined multiple metrics, including the red reflectance, near-infrared reflectance and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), were conducive to the maize identification and were better than any single metric. With regard to the feature extraction and selection, maize identification based on different phenological features selected with prior knowledge was more efficient than that based on statistical features derived from the principal component analysis. Compared with the maximum likelihood classification method, the decision tree classification based on expert knowledge was more suitable for phenological features selected from some prior knowledge. In summary, discriminant rules were defined with those phenological features from multiple metrics, and the decision tree classification was used to identify maize in the study area. The producer's accuracy of maize identification was 98.57%, and the user's accuracy was 81.18%. This method can be potentially applied to an operational identification of maize at large scales based on remote sensing time-series data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A standard concept of biogas plants - strong maize silage concept is due to its high economic advantage as the maize silage is one of the most effective substrate for anaerobic digestion in matter of biogas yield. Increasing demand for maize silage, reflected in a rise of its price, endangers the economic effectiveness and therefore economic sustainability of the biogas sector. This situation also creates negative externalities related to upward pressure on food prices and lower livestock production. Moreover, biogas plants focused primarily on maize silage could increase the area of arable land for growing maize for energy purposes and decline the production of crops for human nutrition. The paper focuses on examination of consequences of maize cultivation intended for biogas production in case of Slovakia. The results show the impact of biogas production via anaerobic digestion on area of land used for maize production and live bovine animal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In simulation models for water movement and nutrient transport, uptake of water and nutrients by roots forms an essential part. As roots are spatially distributed, prediction of root growth and root distribution is crucial for modelling water and nutrient uptake. In a preceding paper, De Willigen et al. (2002; Plant and Soil 240, 225–234) presented an analytical solution for describing root length density distribution as a diffusion-type process. In the current paper, we present a numerical model that does the same, but which is more flexible with respect to where root input can occur. We show that the diffusion-type root growth model can describe well observed rooting patterns. We used rooting patterns for different types of crops: maize, gladiolus, eastern white cedar, and tomato. For maize, we used data for two different types of fertiliser application: broadcast and row application. In case of row application, roots extend more vertically than horizontally with respect to the broadcast application situation. This is reflected in a larger ratio of diffusion coefficients in vertical versus horizontal direction. For tomato, we considered tomatoes grown on an artificial rooting medium, i.e. rockwool. We have shown that, in principle, the model can be extended by including reduction functions on the diffusion coefficient in order to account for environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to trace the after-effect of soil and leaf herbicides applied in maize on the next crop in rotation - wheat. In a 4-year period were carried out field experiments. The efficacy and selectivity of herbicides in maize were traced. Visual observations of plants of wheat were conducted during various phenological phases of the crop: germination, first leaf displayed (BBCH-11), two leaves displayed (BBCH-12), tillering (BBCH-20), lactic maturity (BBCH-77). Manifestations of phytotoxicity on the wheat plants were not established. After-effect of the herbicides was traced and the formation of major quantitative traits: plant height, length of classes, number of classes, number of grains in the class and weight of grain in the class. By variance analysis of pooled data were analyzed signs and evidenced the differences compared to the untreated control. The differences between the variatns with treatment and the control are essential. This confirms the visual assessments about the lack of negative after-effect of Laudis OD, Lumax 538 SC, Elumis, Gardoprim plus Gold 500 SC, Wing P, Stellar, Casper 55 VG and Merlin flex, applied in maize, on the next crop in rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the modern crop breeding techniques uses doubled haploid plants that contain an identical pair of chromosomes in order to accelerate the breeding process. Rapid haploid identification method is critical for large-scale selections of double haploids. The conventional methods based on the color of the endosperm and embryo seeds are slow, manual and prone to error. On the other hand, there exists a significant difference between diploid and haploid seeds generated by high oil inducer, which makes it possible to use oil content to identify the haploid. This paper describes a fully-automated high-throughput NMR screening system for maize haploid kernel identification. The system is comprised of a sampler unit to select a single kernel to feed for measurement of NMR and weight, and a kernel sorter to distribute the kernel according to the measurement result. Tests of the system show a consistent accuracy of 94% with an average screening time of 4 seconds per kernel. Field test result is described and the directions for future improvement are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is the most important crop for food and widely used for industrial materials, leading to its increasing demand all over the world. Precision planting is the effective method to increase maize yield. To meet the agronomic requirement of precision planting, different kinds of precision maize planters were developed. However, because of the difference of geographical environment, cropping system, farm scale and economic status among different countries, types of maize planters are various and the technologies involved are at different levels. This paper summarizes the precision maize planters currently available in the world and classifies them into four types: precision planters for tilled-land, minimum/no tilled-land, hilly & small land, and cold & arid land. Detailed characteristics have been provided for some typical precision planters and comparisons were made as to their suitability under particular working conditions. High-efficiency and high-accuracy are the main features of precision planters for tilled-land, while the ability to clean residue from seed rows and prevent planters to be blocked are the important function of precision planters for minimum/no tilled-land. To fit for hilly & small land, planters should be light-weighted and small-sized, and to warm up soil and keep moisture, planters for cold & arid land should be equipped with plastic-film mulching mechanism. Finally, developing trend of precision planting technology was analyzed and suggestions, including policy support and technical improvement, were made for developing countries to make suitable precision maize planters according to the local geographical conditions and cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of satellite remote sensing could effectively predict maize yield. However, many statistical prediction models using remote sensing data cannot extend to the regional scale without considering the regional climate. This paper first introduced the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) method to solve maize-yield prediction problems over years and regions. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), calculated by the spectrum of the Landsat 8 operational land imager (OLI), and meteorological data were introduced as input parameters in the maize-yield prediction model proposed in this paper. We built models using 100 samples from 10 areas, and used 101 other samples from 34 areas to evaluate the model's performance in Jilin province. HLM provided higher accuracy with an adjusted determination coefficient equal to 0.75, root mean square error (RMSEV) equal to 0.94 t/ha, and normalized RMSEV equal to 9.79%. Results showed that the HLM approach outperformed linear regression (LR) and multiple LR (MLR) methods. The HLM method based on the Landsat 8 OLI NDVI and meteorological data could flexibly adjust in different regional climatic conditions. They had higher spatiotemporal expansibility than that of widely used yield estimation models (e.g., LR and MLR). This is helpful for the accurate management of maize fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the effects of the biochar application morphological traits in maize and soybean under semi-controlled conditions. During the study, the increasing doses of biochar (0%, 0.5%, 1, 3, and 5%) were incorporated in three soil types: Alluvium, Humogley and Chernozem to determine plant height and shoot weight. The experiment was set up as fully randomized design with three repetitions. The plants were grown in pots of 5 l with controlled watering and N fertilization. The research results have shown that there are differences in terms of biochar effects on soils. The greatest effect on plant height and shoot weight was obtained when the biochar was applied to Humogley soil and lower effects were found on the Alluvium soil. The increase in aboveground mass of maize and soybeans was significantly conditioned by adding different doses of biochar. Based on these results, it can be concluded that adding biochar can significantly affect the growth of plants. This is a consequence of the changes it causes in soil, which requires further tests to complement the current findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]