A high carotenoid content is important for the production of pasta from durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) and yellow alkaline noodle from common wheat (T. aestivum L.). Carotenoid esters are more stable than free carotenoid during storage and processing, and thus they allow a higher retention through the food chain. Chromosome 7D carries gene(s) for lutein esterification. The aim of this study was the physical mapping of the gene(s) for lutein esterification on chromosome 7D and the identification of candidate genes for this trait. We developed crosses between a set of deletion lines for chromosome 7D in Chinese Spring (CS) background and the CS–Hordeum chilense substitution line CS(7D)7Hch. The F₂ progeny derived from the deletion line 7DS4 produced a lower amount of lutein esters, which indicates that the main gene for lutein esterification is in the region of chromosome 7D lacking in 7DS4. Other gene(s) are contributing to lutein esterification because small amounts of lutein esters are produced in 7DS4. Genotyping by DArTSeq revealed that 7DS4 lacks a 127.7 Mb region of 7DS. A set of 10 candidate genes for lutein esterification was identified by using the wheat reference genome sequence along with the Wheat Expression Browser. This region contains the Lute locus previously identified in a different genetic background. Four genes with acyltransferase or GDSL esterase/lipase activity were identified in the vicinity of Lute. Our results indicate that the gene TraesCS7D01G094000 is a likely candidate for Lute but the gene TraesCS7D01G093200 cannot be ruled out. The candidate genes reported in this work are worthy for further investigation.

Grain production is a key source of food globally and is an important agricultural system for the Australian economy. Environmental impacts such as the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) associated with grain production are well documented and the Australian grains industry has strived to ensure ongoing improvement. To facilitate this improvement, the industry funded the development of life cycle inventories to provide broad geographical coverage. Cradle-to-gate inventories for wheat were developed for each of the grains industry agro-ecological zones, and inventories were developed for minor cereal crops (e.g. barley, sorghum), oilseeds (i.e. canola) and legumes where relevant. Data for inventory development were taken from numerous sources and validated by using data collected through interviews with experts in each agro-ecological zone. Inventory data were also collected so that indicators in addition to global-warming impacts could be assessed. Global warming impacts for wheat production ranged from 193 to 567 kg carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-e) t^–1, and global warming impacts were 597–851, 333–361, 169–285 and 74–672 kg CO₂-e t^–1 for canola, sorghum, barley and grain-legume production, respectively. Results for eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, land-use and abiotic depletion (fossil-fuel use) are also presented.

Root traits are essential for optimising nutrient and water absorption and anchorage. However, changes in root traits and the contribution of root-to-shoot growth and development of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) across a century of breeding are poorly documented. In this study, we adopted a grafting technique, using 55 cultivars released in the three main soybean-production regions in China as rootstocks in a pot experiment and 24 cultivars from the Yellow-Huai-Hai Valley (YHH) region as rootstocks in a field experiment, with cv. Zigongdongdou as the common scion. Changes in soybean roots, including dry weight (DW) of roots, lateral root number (LRN) and taproot length (TRL), and their contribution to shoot development and biomass formation, including shoot DW, plant height and node number, were evaluated under optimal conditions in 2011. Aboveground traits declined with year of release in the YHH region and did not vary over time in the northern Heilongjiang province and mid-south Heilongjiang region except for shoot DW. The root traits root DW, LRN and TRL were similar over years of release in the pot and field experiments. The results suggest that the newer cultivars have lesser shoot growth and root capacity but the same amount of root growth as older cultivars. Root traits did not change during selection, suggesting that improvement in soybean root traits should be an aim in future breeding.

The use of improved biofertilisers such as rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in legume crops is a promising technology that can be an alternative source of nitrogen and phosphorus. A common problem when growing faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and other leguminous plants is the low efficiency of native rhizobial strains. Consequently, there is a need to search for efficient nitrogen-fixing inoculant strains able to increase crop productivity. This study aimed to test the effects of single and dual inoculation with Rhizobium laguerreae and AMF on the growth and yield of faba bean plants. Several parameters were evaluated at flowering stage (number of flowers, stems and leaves, shoot and root biomass, leaf area, leaf mass per area and leaf area ratio, and gas-exchange parameters) and at harvesting stage (number and weight of pods and seeds). Plants receiving single inoculation with Rhizobium laguerreae showed a significant increase in number of leaves, leaf area, leaf mass per area and leaf area ratio, as well as in all yield parameters. Single inoculation with AMF also significantly increased the yield parameters of faba bean plants. Co-inoculation presented significant improvements in leaf area ratio and in all productivity parameters compared with the control, but co-inoculation was not significantly different from the individual inoculations.

Bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia (L.) Willd.), a grain legume crop well adapted in marginal soils, has mainly been used for animal feed. Nowadays, bitter vetch seeds in feed formulations are replaced by other protein sources such as soybean meal. However, in the context of sustainable economic development, it may be beneficial to enhance the cultivation of bitter vetch landraces in marginal areas. Fifty-six bitter vetch accessions of different provenance were preliminarily characterised by microsatellite DNA analysis to discriminate landraces suitable for specific and restricted environments. Twenty-two landraces of two genetically different groups were then selected for further characterisation by agro-morphological analyses. Being late-flowering with a seed yield of up to 3–4 t ha^–1 in experimental field conditions, with neither chemical nor water input, these plants will be valuable material for long-term study to develop new cultivars adapted for seed production under organic agricultural systems in Southern Europe. The seeds of these 22 landraces were also evaluated, with positive results, as partial replacement of soybean in rabbit diets.

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) provides ∼90% of the world’s textile fibre. The aim of this study was to use the principal additive effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model under the Bayesian approach to recommend cotton genotypes for the Central-West region of Brazil. Eight trials with upland cotton genotypes were conducted during the 2008–09 harvest in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The experiment included a randomised block design with 16 genotypes. The genotypes were evaluated for fibre yield, length and strength. Chains were simulated via the Markov chain Monte Carlo method with 300 000 iterations for the parameters of the Bayesian AMMI model. From the chains generated, the first 20 000 burn-in observations were discarded and samples were taken by jumping every 20 observations (thin). Bayesian analysis provided additional results to those obtained by the frequentist approach, highlighting the credibility regions in the biplot for the genotypic and environmental scores. Bayesian AMMI model allowed identification of a genotype that can be widely recommended; this genotype has genotypic values above the overall mean for the three evaluated traits and did not contribute to the genotype × environment interactions observed in these traits. In addition, adaptability of genotypes to specific environments was observed, which makes it possible to capitalise the positive effect of the genotype × environment interaction.

Productivity of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) crops varies at each cutting stage, reaching critical rates close to the fifth cut (fourth ratoon). Knowledge of proteins involved in the regrowth of sugarcane within the cutting process is important for the development of cultivars with greater longevity. The present study presents new information that the proteome of axillary buds is changed in successive cuts in sugarcane culture. Proteins were identified by UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation–quadrupole–time-of-flight) mass spectrometry and the Mascot tool. A reduction in the number of proteins was evident in the axillary buds of the fifth cut, as well as a reduction in the number of proteins exclusively detected in the axillary buds with the first cut, an indicator of reduction in the expression of genes that may be essential for the stability of culture development. The reduction in agricultural productivity, sprouting and tillering at advanced stages of the sugarcane crop is accompanied by alterations in axillary-bud gene expression, where <50% of the proteins (47.65%) were detected in both the first (plant cane) and in the fifth (fourth ratoon) cutting stage, whereas >50% (52.35%) were expressed in either the axillary buds of the plant cane or the axillary buds of the fourth ratoon. All MS data are available via jPOST and ProteomeXchange with identifiers JPST000331 and PXD007957, respectively.

Interannual rainfall variability in Australia is a source of risk within agricultural industries. Insights into changes to rainfall and pasture-growth variabilities are essential to inform adaptation strategies for climate risk management within the grazing industry. We investigated shifts in rainfall and pasture-growth variabilities between the periods 1910–1960 and 1961–2010 for the pastoral zone in Australia. Rainfall variability was also assessed for the high-rainfall and wheat–sheep zones. An index of variability was calculated by using gridded rainfall and pasture-growth data for both periods. The percentage change was then calculated as the difference in variation between the two periods. Overall, the variability of annual rainfall has significantly increased (P < 0.01) between the two periods for the pastoral zone. Pastoral regions in the Northern Territory had the greatest increases in pasture-growth variability, with 62–85% of the area affected by a significant increase in variability. Between the periods 1910–1960 and 1961–2010 across the wheat–sheep zone, annual rainfall variability significantly decreased (P < 0.01), with 70% of the area having a negative change, whereas for the high-rainfall zone, the variability did not change significantly. Monitoring ongoing trends in rainfall and pasture-growth variability is important to inform strategic grazing management. Management practices to mitigate the impacts of increased variability in pastoral regions are discussed.