Selenium is an essential element in human diets but the risk of suboptimal intake increases where food choices are narrow. Here we show that suboptimal dietary intake (i.e. 20-30 µg Se person(-1) d(-1)) is widespread in Malawi, based on a spatial integration of Se concentrations of maize (Zea mays L.) grain and soil surveys for 88 field sites, representing 10 primary soil types and >75% of the ...

Breeding programs with the aim to enhance yield productivity under abiotic stress conditions during the reproductive stage of crops is a top priority in the era of climate change. However, the choice of exploring stay-green or senescence phenotypes, which represent an opposing physiological bearing, are explored in cereal breeding programs for enhanced yield stability to a different extent. Thu...

Arsenic (As) accumulation in food crops such as rice is of major concern. To investigate whether phytoremediation can reduce As uptake by rice, the As hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata was grown in five contaminated paddy soils in a pot experiment. Over a 9-month period P. vittata removed 3.5-11.4% of the total soil As, and decreased phosphate-extractable As and soil pore water As by 11-38% and 1...

Introduction Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) is one of the important food legumes in countries like Bangladesh, India, and Ethiopia. It has desirable agronomic characteristics, notably the ability to resist adverse climatic conditions. Nutritionally it is tasty and protein-rich. However over consumption can cause an upper motor neuron disease known as neurolathyrism, an irreversible paraparesis of...

The ability to estimate and map grain protein in cereal crops prior to harvest can benefit Australian grain growers. Segregation of grain by protein content can take advantage of price premiums, as well as to retrospectively assess the effectiveness of nutrient application strategies. This paper explores the relationships between hyperspectral data and grain protein content (GPC) in wheat (Trit...

Maydup ML, Antonietta M, Guiamet JJ, Graciano C, Lopez JR, Tambussi EA. 2010. The contribution of ear photosynthesis to grain filling in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Field Crops Research 119, 48–58. Motzo R, Giunta F. 2002. Awnedness affects grain yield and kernel weight in near-isogenic lines of durum wheat. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 53, 1285–1293. Rebetzke GJ, Bonnett...

Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important food crops in the world. Numerous quantitative trait loci or genes controlling panicle architecture have been identified to increase grain yield. Yet grain yield, defined as the product of the number of well-ripened grains and their weight, is a complex trait that is determined by multiple factors such as source, sink and translocation capacity. ...

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. To identify the candidate genes for mineral accumulation, it is important to examine differential transcriptome between wheat genotypes, with contrasting levels of minerals in grains. A transcriptional comparison of developing grains was carried out between two wheat genotypes- Triticum aestivum Cv. WL711 (low grain mineral), and T. ...

the main objective of this research is to determine water use efficiency (wue) of some major crops under farmer's management in the different region of iran including kerman, hamedan, moghan, golestan and khuzestan provinces. the research also attempted to assess and identify the sources of inefficiencies in improving wue. based on methodology, wue was determined by measuring crop yield (k...