J. A. Fernández

Quality of fresh-cut baby spinach grown under a floating trays system as affected by nitrogen fertilisation and innovative packaging treatments

BACKGROUND Alternative techniques for cultivation of leafy vegetables such as a floating tray system and unconventional gas mixtures for post-harvest active modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) could be of interest in the minimally processed vegetable industry. RESULTS The combined effect of three pre-harvest fertilisation doses (8, 12 or 16 mmol N L(-1)) and three post-harvest MAP conditions (passive, super-atmospheric or N2O-enriched) on the main quality attributes of fresh-cut baby spinach leaves throughout 10 days at 5 degrees C was studied. After 8 days of shelf life, spinach leaves fertilised with 8 and 16 mmol N L(-1) and stored under N2O-enriched MAP showed the lowest microbial growth, with good sensory quality. Such combined treatments also preserved the total antioxidant capacity sampled at harvest (8 g ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity kg(-1) f.w.). A decrease of 10-20% in total vitamin C content regardless of N fertilisation and packaging treatment was found during shelf life. Total phenolics content at harvest was 2 g gallic acid equivalents kg(-1) f.w., which was slightly decreased or preserved during shelf life while total chlorophylls were preserved for all treatments assayed around 550 mg kg(-1) f.w. CONCLUSION No clear effect of fertilisation doses was observed during post-harvest storage on overall quality of fresh-cut baby spinach leaves, while N2O-enriched atmospheres seems to be a promising alternative to passive MAP for extending shelf life.

Cowpea fresh pods – a new legume for the market: assessment of their quality and dietary characteristics of 37 cowpea accessions grown in southern Europe

BACKGROUND Cowpea is traditionally cultivated in some regions of southern Europe for its dried seeds; however, there is a scarcity of information on the quality and dietary characteristics of fresh pods, which are occasionally used in folk diets. This paper aims at covering this gap in knowledge, thereby contributing to the dissemination of fresh cowpea pods as a novel product for the market. The quality and dietary characteristics of pods from 37 accessions (Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata and ssp. sesquipedalis) grown in southern Europe were assessed in an attempt to provide information on pod quality and nutritional properties and to identify relationships between quality traits and accession origin. RESULTS Pods from the sesquipedalis accessions were heavier and larger, and reached commercial maturity 2 days later, than those from the unguiculata accessions. There were also large differences in the quality and dietary characteristics of the accessions. The pods of most accessions were rich in proteins, chlorophylls, carotenoids and phenolics, and showed high antioxidant activity and low concentrations of nitrates and raffinose-family oligosaccharides. Cluster analysis based on quality, dietary or antinutritional traits did not reveal any apparent grouping among the accessions. All the quality characteristics were independent of accession origin and subspecies. CONCLUSION Most of the accessions produced fresh pods of good quality and high dietary value, suitable for introduction in the market and/or for use as valuable genetic material for the development of new improved varieties.

Phenotypic diversity and evaluation of fresh pods of cowpea landraces from Southern Europe: Fresh pod variability of cowpea landraces

BACKGROUND Cowpea fresh pods are consumed as green vegetables in many countries in Southern Europe. Among cowpea cultivated material, a relatively large number of landraces can be found, maintaining species genetic diversity. To assess the value of these landraces in breeding programs, the characterization and estimation of diversity levels is therefore required. In the present study, an estimation of the diversity and evaluation of cowpea landraces originating from Portugal, Spain and Greece, in terms of their fresh pod traits, was performed, aiming to assist with the problem of low cowpea production in Southern Europe. RESULTS A notable mean total phenotypic diversity (HT = 0.57) was observed in the whole collection. The Spanish cv. - gr. unguiculata collection exhibited the highest value of total phenotypic diversity (0.56). Landraces did not differ significantly from each other regarding the three countries of origin. Landraces such as Cp4906, Vg60 and BGE038478 presenting higher values of some traits studied could contribute to the breeding of new cowpea varieties for fresh pod production. Positive correlations were observed, indicating the feasibility of breeding for preferable traits regarding fresh pod consumption. CONCLUSION The present study has revealed a wide diversity among and within cowpea landraces that could enhance fresh pod production in South European countries.

Genetic diversity and accession structure in European Cynara cardunculus collections

Understanding the distribution of genetic variations and accession structures is an important factor for managing genetic resources, but also for using proper germplasm in association map analyses and breeding programs. The globe artichoke is the fourth most important horticultural crop in Europe. Here, we report the results of a molecular analysis of a collection including globe artichoke and leafy cardoon germplasm present in the Italian, French and Spanish gene banks. The aims of this study were to: (i) assess the diversity present in European collections, (ii) determine the population structure, (iii) measure the genetic distance between accessions; (iv) cluster the accessions; (v) properly distinguish accessions present in the different national collections carrying the same name; and (vi) understand the diversity distribution in relation to the gene bank and the geographic origin of the germplasm. A total of 556 individuals grouped into 174 accessions of distinct typologies were analyzed by different types of molecular markers, i.e. dominant (ISSR and AFLP) and co-dominant (SSR). The data of the two crops (globe artichoke and leafy cardoon) were analyzed jointly and separately to compute, among other aims, the gene diversity, heterozygosity (He, Ho), fixation indexes, AMOVA, genetic distance and structure. The findings underline the huge diversity present in the analyzed material, and the existence of alleles that are able to discriminate among accessions. The accessions were clustered not only on the basis of their typology, but also on the basis of the gene bank they come from. Probably, the environmental conditions of the different field gene banks affected germplasm conservation. These outcomes will be useful in plant breeding to select accessions and to fingerprint varieties. Moreover, the results highlight the particular attention that should be paid to the method used to conserve the Cynara cardunculus germplasm and suggest to the preference of using accessions from different gene banks to run an association map.

Effect of different lignocellulosic wastes on Hericium americanum yield and nutritional characteristics.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using cottonseed hulls (CSH) and olive press cake (OPC) as new supplement materials for substrate preparation in Hericium americanum cultivation. Some chemical properties of the substrates prepared by mixtures of oak sawdust (OS) with wheat bran (WB), CSH and OPC in different ratios were determined. In addition, the effect of mixtures of OS:CSH and OS:OPC on spawn run time, yield and biological efficiency (BE), average mushroom weight and nutrition content of the fruiting body were compared with the control substrate (8OS:2WB). RESULTS The yield, BE and average mushroom weight of substrates containing CSH and OPC were higher than the control substrate and increased with an increase in the rate of CSH and OPC in the mixtures. Hericium americanum showed (on a dry weight basis) 8.5-23.7% protein, 9.9-21.2 g kg-1 P, 26.6-35.8 g kg-1 K, 0.63 - 1.33 g kg-1 Mg, 0.19 - 0.23 g kg-1 Ca, 1.34-1.78 g kg-1 Na, 49.5-72.2 mg kg-1 Fe, 6.22-10.11 mg kg-1 Mn, 32.8-82.8 mg kg-1 Zn and 8.6-11.2 mg kg-1 Cu on different growing substrates. The nutritional value of mushrooms was greatly affected by the growing media. CONCLUSION The results revealed that CSH and OPC could be used as new supplement materials for substrate preparation in H. americanum cultivation.

Nitrate Evolution in Soil, Leaching Water, and Lettuce Plant Crops using Different Fertilization Strategies

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different fertilizing strategies applied during three successive cycles on lettuce growth and the nitrate evolution in the soil, leaching water, and the lettuce plant itself. Four fertilization treatments were compared: integrated production fertilization (IP), organic fertilization (ORG), slow-release N fertilizers (SRF), and plant-associative bacteria (PAB). The nitrate content of the pore water and leachate decreased toward harvesting time in each crop cycle. The accumulation of residual nitrates in the soil decreased in each successive cycle in all treatments. The greatest lettuce head weight was achieved by ORG and SRF in the first cycle and by IP in the third cycle; IP and SRF produced the greatest nitrate content in lettuce leaves, especially in the second and third cycles. The nitrate content of leaves fell in the last cycle, as nitrate levels in soil and in leaching fell in all treatments.

Immature pea seeds: effect of storage under modified atmosphere packaging and sanitation with acidified sodium chlorite

BACKGROUND Appropriate sanitation is a priority for extending the shelf life and promoting the consumption of immature pea seeds, as processing accelerates quality deterioration and microbial growth. RESULTS The combined effect of disinfection with acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) or sodium hypochlorite (SH) and packaging under a passive modified atmosphere (MAP) at 1 or 4 °C on quality was analysed. After 14 days, greenness and vitamin C had decreased, especially in the SH-disinfected samples. Total phenols and antioxidant capacity were not affected by disinfection. Proteins levels fell by around 27%, regardless of the sanitizer and storage temperature. Compared with the initial microbial load, samples stored at 1 °C showed an increase of 1 log CFU g-1 in psychrophiles when treated with SH, whereas no increase of note occurred with ASC. In general, microbial counts were always below 3 log CFU g-1 for all the treatments. CONCLUSION Immature pea seeds could be stored for 14 days at 1-4 °C under MAP with only minor quality changes. Disinfection with ASC resulted in better sensory quality, higher content of vitamin C and lower psychrophile counts. More research is needed to analyse the effect of these treatments on other quality parameters.

Genotype by environment interactions in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) grown in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract. The aim of this work was to determine the variance components and genetic and environmental stability of 12 cowpea genotypes at three locations (South-east of Spain: Cartagena, South and North of Portugal: Elvas and Vila Real, respectively) in the Iberian Peninsula in two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). The genotype, the environment and the genotype × environment interaction significantly influenced all the morphological and agronomical parameters evaluated. For both years, the highest yields were observed at Elvas, whereas Cartagena and Vila real were the most suitable places to obtain crop precocity. Cartagena was the place where the filling of the seed was the fastest, probably due to the higher temperatures and radiation. The thermal time model (effective degree-days) could be used to predict the period of cowpea development, therefore predict flowering and pod maturity date. Correlation analysis showed that days to flowering, days to maturity and the seed yield vs protein content exhibited negative correlations. The highest heritability was found for plant height and pod length at Cartagena and for 100-seed weight at Elvas and Vila Real. In conclusion, the variations that exist in the studied accessions could give rise to a breeding program to develop cowpea cultivars with interesting agronomic traits.

Faba Bean Cultivation – Revealing Novel Managing Practices for More Sustainable and Competitive European Cropping Systems

Faba beans are highly nutritious because of their high protein content: they are a good source of mineral nutrients, vitamins, and numerous bioactive compounds. Equally important is the contribution of faba bean in maintaining the sustainability of agricultural systems, as it is highly efficient in the symbiotic fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. This article provides an overview of factors influencing faba bean yield and quality, and addresses the main biotic and abiotic constraints. It also reviews the factors relating to the availability of genetic material and the agronomic features of faba bean production that contribute to high yield and the improvement of European cropping systems. Emphasis is to the importance of using new high-yielding cultivars that are characterized by a high protein content, low antinutritional compound content, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. New cultivars should combine several of these characteristics if an increased and more stable production of faba bean in specific agroecological zones is to be achieved. Considering that climate change is also gradually affecting many European regions, it is imperative to breed elite cultivars that feature a higher abiotic–biotic stress resistance and nutritional value than currently used cultivars. Improved agronomical practices for faba bean crops, such as crop establishment and plant density, fertilization and irrigation regime, weed, pest and disease management, harvesting time, and harvesting practices are also addressed, since they play a crucial role in both the production and quality of faba bean.