Browsing by study line "Kasvintuotantotieteet"
Now showing items 41-60 of 121
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(2021)Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) is an important cereal disease worldwide and has become an essential breeding target in wheat. FHB generates considerable losses in terms of grain yield and quality of the seeds in cereal crops. The mycotoxins produced by some Fusarium species, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), directly impact the farmers. In fact, DON accumulation results in unmarketable harvest due to the associated health hazards (vomiting, diarrhea, fever etc). Facing DON risks, the European Commission had to establish a maximum concentration of the mycotoxin in unprocessed cereals. Avoidance mechanisms of the plants against disease infections were identified in diverse studies and are known as the passive resistance. These mechanisms related to phenotypic traits such as variations in plant height (PH), heading date (HD) or the presence of awns could possibly reduce the FHB infection of the wheat. On another hand, the active resistance is determined by genetic factors so called quantitative trait loci (QTL). QTL identification via population mapping was established to be a useful tool to find loci regions associated with FHB resistance. Therefore, in this study we aimed to find phenotypic and genotypic correlations with Fusarium Head Blight resistance among 108 winter bread wheat genotypes. By estimating the heritability of the agronomic traits, we wanted to determine if it would be efficient to breed for those traits. Furthermore, we had the objective to detect FHB resistance QTL from our winter bread wheat genotypes and finally, to observe the overlapping QTL’s regions between FHB resistance and the QTL of the HD or of the PH. It was found that the HD had strong negative phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of correlation with FHB severity and DON concentration. The HD had also an important heritability and direct effect on FHB severity. By performing a GWAS analysis, QTL associated to FHB resistance were found on the chromosomes 1B, 2B, 3A, 3B, 5A, 5B, 5D, 6A, 6B ,7B among the studied genotypes. Overlapping QTL were observed between FHB resistance and HD on the chromosomes 1B, 2B, 3B, 5A, 5B, 6B but also between FHB resistance and PH on the chromosomes 2B, 3A, 3B, 5A, 6A. In conclusion, the HD was considered as an escape mechanism against FHB. It seems to be feasible to select chromosomes fragments with favorable QTL for FHB genetic resistance. Those traits could be involved in marker assisted or genomic selection programmes after the approval of the observed QTL detected to develop FHB resistant cultivars.
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(2022)Bilberry is a soft fruit, growing wild in the forests of Europe, and especially Nordic and East European countries. Its demand is growing on the market, thanks to its heath beneficial components like anthocyanins, present in both skin and flesh of the berry. It however has a very short shelf-life. The goal of this study was to identify pectinase genes, with a focus on two subfamilies, polygalacturonase (PG) and pectate lyase (PL). The main interest was to study those that are expressed during bilberry’s ripening, to get a better understanding of this process. Bioinformatics were used to identify the annotated genes from the bilberry genome, and point out candidates, from which transcripts are found during ripening, with BLAST searches within a transcriptome of ripening bilberry fruit. The expression of the PL candidates was then studied with qPCR analysis. The study identified 70 PG-coding genes and 25 PL-coding genes, of which 35 and 12, respectively, were found in the ripening berry. The expression of five PL genes was increased during ripening, suggesting a role in the softening of the fruit. Two of those had a notably higher relative increase, making them prime candidates for further study.
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(2019)Jääsalaattia (Lactuca sativa var. crispa L.) tuotetaan ympärivuotisesti kasvihuoneessa ja se on kuluttajien keskuudessa suosittu lehtivihannes. Jääsalaatti kerää monien muiden lehtivihannesten tapaan nitraattia ja sen nitraattipitoisuudet voivat nousta melko suuriksikin. Jääsalaatin nitraattipitoisuuteen vaikuttavat useat eri tekijät, kuten laji, lajike, lannoitustaso ja valon intensiteetti. Tehokkailla nitraattipitoisuuden hallintakeinoilla voidaan parantaa tuottajan mahdollisuuksia vaikuttaa sadon laatuun. Valtaosa ravinnon mukana saatavasta nitraatista on peräisin lehtivihanneksista. Euroopan unioni on asettanut katteen alla kasvatetun salaatin nitraattipitoisuudelle talvi- ja kesäkauden raja-arvot. Nitraatti on ihmisen terveydelle haitallinen yhdiste, sillä osa siitä muuttuu elimistössä nitriitiksi, mikä kasvattaa etenkin pienten lasten methemoglobinemian riskiä. Glysiinibetaiini on osmolyytti ja solun metabolian kanssa yhteensopiva yhdiste. Monet viljelykasvit syntetisoivat glysiinibetaiinia vasteena abioottisille stresseille ja se parantaa kasvien stressinkestävyyttä myös eksogeenisesti annettuna. Glysiinibetaiinia saadaan ravinnon mukana esimerkiksi viljatuotteissa ja se on ihmisille turvallinen yhdiste, jota voidaan käyttää myös ravintolisänä. Glysiinibetaiinia eristetään muun muassa sokerijuurikkaan melassista ja sitä voidaan käyttää orgaanisena lannoitteena tai kasvunedistäjänä kasvintuotannossa. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää glysiinibetaiinin käyttömahdollisuuksia jääsalaatin tuotannon edistäjänä. Kasvihuonekokeessa seitsemän vuorokautta kestänyt glysiinibetaiinikäsittely aloitettiin jääsalaattien ollessa 29 vuorokauden ikäisiä. Glysiinibetaiinikäsittelyjen pitoisuudet olivat 0, 1, 7,5 ja 15 mM. Jääsalaatin nitraattipitoisuus, glysiinibetaiinipitoisuus sekä tuore- ja kuivamassa määritettiin 24, 29, 36, 41 ja 49 vuorokauden ikäisistä kasveista. Tutkimus toteutettiin kiertovesiviljelyjärjestelmässä ja glysiinibetaiinikäsittely annettiin ravinneliuoksessa. Jääsalaatit ottivat eksogeenisesti annettua glysiinibetaiinia. Glysiinibetaiinikäsittely pienensi jääsalaatin nitraattipitoisuutta seitsemän vuorokauden käsittelyn jälkeen merkitsevästi kontrolliin verrattuna ja alenema oli suoraan verrannollinen käsittelyn pitoisuuteen. Lisäksi glysiinibetaiinikäsittely pienensi jääsalaatin tuorepainoa ja suurensi kuiva-ainepitoisuutta. Määrityksissä myös jääsalaatin glysiinibetaiinipitoisuuden havaittiin olevan suoraan verrannollinen käsittelyn pitoisuuteen.
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(2020)Ilmastonmuutos tuo mukanaan Suomeen äärioloja, jotka lisäävät typen huuhtoutumista, mutta myös mahdollisuuksia pidempinä ja lämpimimpinä kasvukausina. Viimeisen kahdenkymmenen vuoden aikana lajikejalostus ei ole kuitenkaan lisännyt käytännön satotasoja, vaan sadot ovat jopa taantuneet. Laskeneet satotasot eivät selity pelkästään laskeneilla typpilannoitustasoilla, ja satokuilua onkin lähdetty ratkaisemaan monimuotoisemmalla viljelykierrolla, joihin sisältyy esimerkiksi härkäpapua. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää esikasvina toimineen härkäpavun (Vicia faba L.) vaikutusta maaperän liukoisiin typpivaroihin ja seuraavien viljelykasvustojen typpidynamiikkaan. Tutkimus toteutettiin Haltialan pellolla satunnaistettuna täydellisten lohkojen kerrannekokeena, jossa käsittelynä oli yhteensä kuusi kasvia ja neljä lannoitustasoa. Kasvustoista mitattiin lehtivihreäpitoisuus, lehtialaindeksi (LAI) sekä määritettiin kuiva-aineen kehittyminen ja koeruuduista otettiin maanäytteet vähintään viidesti kasvukauden aikana. Biomassamääritysten pohjalta analysoitiin kasvinosien typpipitoisuudet ja laskettiin typpisadot. Maanäytteet uutettiin (2M KCl) NH4+- ja NO3--N-pitoisuuksien määrittämiseksi. Kasvustojen typpidynamiikkaa (NUE, UPE, UTE, NHI), typpisatoja ja koeruutujen mineralisaatiota sekä mineraalityppipitoisuuksia vertailtiin lannoitus ja esikasvi taustatekijöinä. Lämmin ja kuiva kasvukausi viivästytti kasvustojen sulkeutumista ja epätasaisuus vaikutti tuloksiin enemmän kuin esikasvi tai lannoitus. Lannoittamattomat kasvustot eivät eronneet tilastollisesti biomassaltaan tai typenotoltaan lannoitetuista. Kasvien typenotto vaikutti enemmän maaperän NO3--N kuin NH4+-N-pitoisuuksiin. Härkäpapuesikasvi lisäsi kauran lehtialan kestoa (LAD). Laskennallinen mineralisaatio oli suurin nollalannoitusruuduissa, keskimäärin 127 N kg ha-1. Kasvustojen UPE, UTE ja NUE jäivät pieniksi maan pintahorisontin ollessa lakastumisrajalla koko kesän. Härkäpavulla on hyvin todennäköisesti vaikutusta maan typpivaroihin, mutta tarkemmat arviot vaativat syvemmälle maahan ulottuvia mittauksia ja edullisemman kasvukauden.
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(2023)Nykypäivänä maatalous on suurissa määrin niin Suomessa kuin globaalistikin riippuvainen teollisista typpilannoitteista, ja ne ovat olleet oleellinen osa maatalouden tuottavuuden kasvua. Niiden tuotantoprosessissa tarvitaan kuitenkin fossiilisia energianlähteitä ja mineraalilannoitteiden käytön yleistymisen myötä viljely on yksipuolistunut. Palkokasvien, kuten härkäpavun lisäämisellä viljelykiertoihin on mahdollista korvata teollisia typpilannoitteita biologisella typensidonnalla. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää härkäpavun esikasvivaikutusta kauran kuiva-aine- ja typpisadon muodostukseen. Tavoitteena oli myös tutkia typpilannoituksen vaikutusta kuiva-aine- ja typpisatoon sekä kauran biomassan ja typenoton kehitystä ajan suhteen, nettomineralisaatiota ja kumulatiivisia N2O-N-emissioita. Aineisto saatiin Leg4Life-hankkeen peltokokeen erilaisia viljelykasvijärjestyksiä edustavista koejäsenistä, joissa kasvoi kauraa kasvukaudella 2021. Kaurasta oli neljä koejäsentä, joilla oli eri esikasvit ja typpilannoitustasot: 1) lannoittamaton kaura, jonka esikasvina oli härkäpapu-rapsi-seos, jolla oli aluskasvina raiheinä 2) lannoitettu kaura (90 kg (N)/ha-1) jonka esikasvina oli härkäpapu-rapsi-seos, jolla oli aluskasvina raiheinä 3) lannoitettu kaura (90 kg (N)/ha-1) jonka esikasvina oli härkäpapu, jolla aluskasvina oli raiheinä, 4) monokulttuurina viljelty lannoitettu kaura (90 kg (N)/ha-1). Kasvustosta kerättiin biomassanäytteitä koko kasvukauden ajan ja sadonkorjuun yhteydessä kerättiin jyväsatonäytteet. Koeruuduista otettiin pintamaanäytteitä NH4+- ja NO3- -pitoisuuksien laskemiseksi ja N2O-emissioita mitattiin pimeäkammiomenetelmällä kahden viikon välein. Kaikkien kaurakoejäsenten kuiva-aine- ja typpisadot olivat samaa suuruusluokkaa, eikä käsittelyiden väliltä löytynyt tilastollisesti merkitseviä eroja. Ennakko-odotusten vastaisesti ei havaittu, että kauralla, jonka esikasvina oli härkäpapu tai härkäpapu-rapsi-seos olisi merkittävästi suuremmat kuiva-aine- ja typpisadot verrattuna monokulttuurikauraan. Toisaalta kuiva-aine- ja typpisadot eivät olleet myöskään pienemmät verrattuna monokulttuurina viljeltyyn kauraan, mikä vastasi toista ennakko-odotusta. Myöskään typpilannoitetuilla koejäsenillä satojen ei havaittu olevan merkittävästi suurempia kuin ei-typpilannoitetun kaurakoejäsenen. Tulosten mukaan koeruuduissa, joissa oli härkäpapu esikasvina, kasvukauden alussa pintamaan NH4+- ja NO3- -pitoisuudet olivat suuremmat kuin monokulttuurikaurassa, mutta kasvukauden sääolosuhteiden vuoksi typpeä todennäköisesti poistui pintamaasta denitrifikaation tai huuhtoutumisen muodossa. Esikasvi- ja typpilannoituskäsittelyiden laskennalliset vaikutukset vaihtelivat. Korsien kuiva-ainesadon osalta ainoastaan härkäpavun satoa lisäävä vaikutus oli trendinomaisesti tilastollisesti merkitsevä. Typpisadon osalta härkäpavun positiivinen vaikutus oli trendinomaisesti tilastollisesti merkitsevä ja härkäpapu-rapsi-seoksen positiivinen vaikutus tilastollisesti merkitsevä. Vaikka tässä tutkimuksessa ei havaittu tilastollisesti merkitseviä eroja eri koejäsenten kuiva-aine- ja typpisatojen välillä, ei myöskään ilmennyt, että härkäpapu esikasvina aiheuttaisi merkittäviä negatiivisia vaikutuksia sitä seuraavan kauran kuiva-aine- ja typpisatoon verrattuna monokulttuurikauraan, vaan sadot olivat samaa suuruusluokkaa. Kasvukausi 2021 oli sääolosuhteiltaan poikkeuksellinen vähäisen sadannan ja korkean keskilämpötilan suhteen, ja sen aiheuttamat sadonalenemat tässä tutkimuksessa voivat olla ennuste Suomen viljelyolosuhteiden tulevaisuudesta. Lisätutkimuksia aihepiiristä erityisesti Pohjoismaiden viljelyolosuhteissa tarvitaan.
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(2023)European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is native to Europe also in Southern Finland. Commercial varieties of it are used in hazelnut production. There are many pests like squirrels which are also interested of hazelnuts, and they are usually collecting and hoarding the hazelnuts in the early stage of ripening before nuts are fully mature. In this study the aim was to find out when is the earliest moment to harvest the yield from the trees and ripe them successfully postharvest. The study was done in Helsinki, Finland where there were three different sampling sites. Sampling started when the hazelnuts were still fully green and raw. Sampling continued until there was none of hazelnuts left in the trees or they were fully mature. One sample contained about ten nuts and three samples were taken from each sampling site at each sampling date. After hazelnuts were collected, they were placed for post-harvest ripening to the growth chambre. The quality, stage of development and convenient harvest of time of hazelnuts were evaluated based on physical properties measurements of hazelnuts before and after post-harvest ripening. In addition, control samples were taken of the nuts that ripened natural way in the trees. There was done comparison of samples to the control sample for success of post-harvest ripening. The successful post-harvest ripening was founded earliest in the hazelnuts which would have started ripening process in the tree naturally in the moment of harvest. Earliest moment to harvest hazelnuts is when the kernels have reached their final size and the color of the nutshell begins to change from green to brown. But it is challenging to determine one harvest time for premature harvest because hazelnuts grow and ripe various times in the same tree in a long period. The further it is possible to postpone the harvest, the more certain it is to succeed in post-harvest ripening most of the nuts.
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(2023)Long-term, one-sided cultivation of crops has become more common in farming systems in recent decades, but at the same time, it has had negative impacts on soil structure, soil carbon reserves and the biodiversity of farming systems. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a legume that can be used to diversify crop rotations and improve protein self-sufficiency. Pea can symbiotically fix nitrogen from the atmosphere with the help of nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria living in its root nodules, and convert it into usable forms for plants, thus reducing the need to use industrial fertilizers. The following crop may also benefit from the organic nitrogen derived from the pea crop residues and pea’s ability to reduce pest pressure on cereals. The aim of this study was to study the pre-crop effects of pea on the formation of dry matter and nitrogen yields of oat (Avena sativa L.) and rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). The study was conducted as a field experiment in Haltiala with a completely randomized block design in four replicates. The study included four oat treatments (fertilized with 90 kg (N) ha-1 and either oat, pea or pea-rapeseed mixture as a pre-crop, and unfertilized oat with a pea-rapeseed mixture as a pre-crop) and two rapeseed treatments (pea as a pre-crop, unfertilized or fertilized with 90 kg (N) ha-1). In the study, the pre-crop did not affect the amount or formation of dry matter or nitrogen yield of oats and rapeseed. The effect of fertilization on the formation of dry matter and nitrogen yield was also small, but the maximum rates of dry matter accumulation and nitrogen uptake occurred earlier in fertilized than in non-fertilized treatments. Although pea as a pre-crop did not significantly affect the amount of dry matter and nitrogen yield of the crops during the growing season, it did not either affect them negatively compared to the monoculture oat because their yields were similar. Drought in June and July limited the release of nitrogen for plant use, which explains the effect of both the pre-crop and the fertilization treatment being rather small in the dry matter and nitrogen yield of oats and rapeseed. Pea very likely has a positive effect on the growth of the following crop, but further research is needed in different soil types and in more favorable weather conditions.
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(2021)Tarhaomenapuu (Malus domestica Borkh.) on tärkein Suomessa viljelty hedelmäpuulaji. Omenapuiden jalostus on Suomessa vähäistä ja viljelijät ovat uusien lajikkeiden suhteen pitkälti ulkomaisen jalostuksen varassa. Jos uuden lajikkeen kylmänkestävyyttä pystyttäisiin arvioimaan luotettavasti laboratoriomenetelmin, uusista lajikkeista saataisiin tietoa nopeammin ja edullisemmin kuin kenttäkokeissa, ja viljelijän riski viljelyn epäonnistumisesta pienenisi. Tavoitteena oli selvittää, voidaanko karaistumisen aikana omenan hiilihydraattipitoisuuksissa tapahtuvien muutosten avulla ennustaa lajikkeen kylmänkestävyyttä. Lisäksi tutkittiin silmämääräisen tarkastelun ja ionivuototestin kykyä kuvata lajikkeiden välisiä eroja kylmänkestävyydessä kontrolloidun pakkasaltistuksen jälkeen. Tutkimukseen valittiin etukäteistiedon perusteella kylmänkestävyydeltään neljä erilaista lajiketta: ’Aroma’, ’Lobo’, ’Pirja’ ja ’Santana’. Liukoisten hiilihydraattien kertyminen karaistumisen aikana ei selittänyt lajikkeiden tai kasvinosien välisiä eroja kylmänkestävyydessä. Tärkkelyksen pitoisuus oli sekä versoissa että silmuissa suurempi herkiksi tiedetyillä lajikkeilla ’Aromalla’ ja ’Santanalla’ kuin kestävämmillä lajikkeilla ’Pirjalla’ ja ’Lobolla’. Omenalla suuri tärkkelyspitoisuus karaistumisen aikana saattaa selittää lajikkeiden välisiä eroja kylmänkestävyydessä. Silmämääräinen tarkastelu kontrolloidun pakkasaltistuksen jälkeen kuvasi lajikkeiden välisiä eroja kylmänkestävyydessä sekä versoissa että silmuissa karaistumisen alkuvaihetta lukuun ottamatta. Ionivuototestin erottelukyky versoissa oli heikko. Silmuissa ionivuotesti erotteli lajikkeet syvän karaistumisen aikana. Lisää tutkimusta tarvitaan kasvissa karaistumisen aikana tapahtuvien muutosten tuntemiseksi ja menetelmien kehittämiseksi kylmänkestävyyden mittaamiseen.
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(2022)Aluminum (Al3+) toxicity is a major limiting factor in acidic soils when pH<5.5 and faba bean experiences yield decreases in these conditions. The multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family plays a vital role in Al3+ tolerance across species. This study searched for an ortholog of MtMATE66, a gene involved in Al3+ resistance in barrel medic, in faba bean and quantified the ortholog’s relative expression in 4 faba bean genotypes (GPID_0022, GPID_0153, GPID_0178 and GPID_0191). pBLAST of MtMATE66 in the faba bean unpublished genome identified the ortholog jg20333.t1, with 88.6 % identity, e-value 0.0 and bit score 880. InterPro Scan and NCBI CDD conserved domain queries classified jg20333.t1 as a MATE in the DinF subfamily. MEME Suite identified the 50-amino acid citrate exuding motif characteristic to MATEs exuding citrate in Al3+ tolerance while a multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis clustered jg20333.t1 with Al3+ -tolerant citrate exuding MATEs. The SWISS Model 3D structure and DeepTMHMM predicted an α-helical, twelve-transmembrane protein topology. The plasma membrane was predicted as the subcellular localisation of jg20333.t1 by ProtComp, WoLFSPORT and YLoc, however SignalP identified no signal peptides. The molecular weight 54.57kDa, theoretical isoelectric point 8.60 and grand average of hydropathicity 0.67 of jg20333.t1 were calculated by ProtParam. EMBOSS Needle and GSDS aligned 13 exons. Four biological replicates of faba bean plants were set up for 3 different treatments: acidic of pH 3.81 (Ac), acidic of pH 3.81 plus Al3+ (Al) and neutral of pH 6.01 (N) in a greenhouse and root tip samples were collected 45 days after transplanting in peat media for RNA extraction. The relative expression of jg20333.t1 was determined by RT-qPCR of jg20333.t1 as target gene, Vfactin as reference gene and N as internal calibrator. The Cq values generated were analysed using the 2-ΔΔCq method and showed high relative fold change in both Ac and Al. The upregulation in Al confirmed the implication of jg20333.t1 in faba bean tolerance to Al3+. The upregulation in Ac suggests upstream regulation by STOP transcription factor. The four genotypes had no significant difference in fold change. Based on these results, it is concluded that jg20333.t1 is a faba bean MATE gene, VfMATE, implicated in Al3+ tolerance by citrate exudation.
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(2018)The quantity and quality of buckwheat yield are highly dependent on insect mediated cross-pollination. While buckwheat flowers are visited by a diverse pollinator guild, honey bees are often considered to be their most important pollinators. This study describes the effect of pollination by honey bees and wild pollinators on buckwheat yield quantity and quality (1000 seed weight, harvest index and proportion of empty achenes). The composition of the pollinator guild was also monitored. The study was conducted in Southern Finland, 2017. Pollination cages with four pollination treatments were used to study insect pollination. The treatments were as follows: closed cage with honey bee colony, closed cage (excluding all pollinators), open cage and free pollination. The open cage and free pollination treatments were accessible to both honey bees and wild pollinators. The experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with four blocks. A honey bee colony was placed next to the research field to carry out free pollination. Pollinator composition was surveyed by transect walks, with special attention paid to the beginning of flowering, which is when the main yield is formed. The highest yields were obtained in the free pollination (822 kg/ha) and open cage (718 kg/ha) treatments. The yield of plants pollinated exclusively by honey bees was 427 kg/ha. The lowest yield was obtained from closed cages (37 kg/ha). The difference in yield was significant for all treatments except open cage and free pollination. The treatments did not affect the 1000 seed weight. The absence of insect pollination decreased the harvest index by approximately 92% and the proportion of filled seeds by approximately 30 percentage points. At the beginning of flowering, honey bees were the dominant pollinators. Insect pollination is essential for the quantity and quality of buckwheat yield. Pollination service by honey bees increases the yield, but is not solely sufficient. The highest yield was obtained when both honey bees and wild pollinators were present. This study focused on honey bees, but the role and efficiency of specific wild pollinators as pollinators of buckwheat should also be studied.
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(2021)Lipoxygenase enzymes, which contribute significantly to storage protein in legume seeds have been reported to cause the emission of volatile compounds associated with the generation of off-flavours. This is an are important factor limiting the acceptance of faba bean (Vicia faba) I foods. This study aimed at using bioinformatic tools to identify seed-borne lipoxygenase (LOX) genes and to design a biological tool using molecular techniques to find changes in sequence in faba bean lines. LOX gene mining by Exonerate sequence comparison on the whole genome sequence of faba bean was used to identify six LOX genes containing Polycystin-1, Lipoxygenase, Alpha-Toxin (PLAT) and/or LH2 LOX domains. Their sequence properties, evolutionary relationships, important conserved LOX motifs and subcellular location were analysed. The LOX gene proteins identified contained 272 – 853 amino acids (aa). The molecular weight ranged from 23.67 kDa in Gene 6 to 96.45 kDA in Gene 1. All the proteins had isoelectric points in the acidic range except Genes 6 and 7 which were alkaline. Only one gene had both LOX conserved domains with aa sequence length similar with that found in soybean and pea LOX genes and isoelectric properties with soybean LOX3. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the genes were clustered into 9S LOX and 13S LOX types alongside other seed LOX genes in some legumes. Five motifs were found, and sequence analysis showed that three genes (Gene 1, 2 and 3) contained the 38-aa residue motif that includes five histidine residues [His-(X)4-His-(X)4-His-(X)17-His-(X)8-His]. The subcellular localization of the lipoxygenase proteins was predicted to be primarily the cytoplasm and chloroplast. Primers covering ~1.2 kb were designed, based on the conserved region of Genes 1, 2 and 3 nucleotide sequences. Gel electrophoresis showed the PCR amplification of the seed LOX gene at the expected region for twelve faba bean lines. Phylogenetic analysis showed evolutionary divergence among faba bean lines for sequenced and amplified region of their respective seed LOX alleles.
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(2021)Transient expression is a preferred way to produce proteins compared to stable transformation because it is suitable for rapid screening of constructs. pEAQ-HT vectors are easy and quick vectors without the need for viral replication, and they are developed for transient expression. They promote high expression levels and allow the insertion of multiple expression cassettes in a single plasmid. Agroinfiltration is a widely used method to induce transient gene expression in plants because it is efficient and straightforward. This study aimed to improve heterologous protein expression using Gateway compatible pEAQ-HT-DEST vectors. The genes G2PS1, 2 and 3 were subcloned to these and pK2GW7 derived expression vectors and infiltrated into tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) leaves. pK2GW7 derived expression vectors were used as a reference when samples were analyzed by western blotting, ELISA and HPLC. Tobacco should produce 6-methyl-4-hydroxy-2-pyrone and 4,7-dihydroxy-5-methylcoumarin when one of these genes is expressed, but they both have not yet been observed at the same time. Higher expression levels could allow us to see that. That would be important for further studies because if the synthesis could get started under agroinfiltration, co-transformation with reductases can lead to gerberin, parasorboside and 4-hydroxy-5-methylcoumarin biosynthesis, thus proving function. Western blotting was successful and showed a stronger signal with all pEAQ-HT derived expression vectors compared to pK2GW7 derived expression vectors. Samples collected seven days after agroinfiltration showed a stronger signal than samples collected two days after infiltration. Results from ELISA also showed more protein from pEAQ-HT vectors even though quantitative data was not obtained. HPLC showed only 6-methyl-4-hydroxy-2-pyrone but not 4,7-dihydroxy-5-methylcoumarin. Previous studies have also shown increased expression using pEAQ-HT vectors. Hence, using pEAQ-HT vectors does increase transient gene expression compared to conventional binary vectors. Even though pEAQ-HT vectors are proved to work efficiently, there are already studies about improving them.
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Insights on mechanical transmission of turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) mutants in Nicotiana benthamiana (2022)Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) is an economically important plant RNA virus causing huge damage to wide range of arable and vegetable crops. A study was conducted in Nicotiana benthamiana to know if a TuMV mutant carrying a mutation in a thoroughly conserved WD-domain interacting motif and WG motif in HCPro protein can be mechanically transmitted to a healthy plant or not. HCPRoWD is a mutation in “AELPR” motif where glutamic acid and arginine are replaced by alanine. This mutated virus is here referred as TuMVWD. Similarly, in TuMVAG the tryptophan residue in the WG pair is changed to alanine and this mutated HCPro is called as TuMVAG. Four treatments, TuMVWT (positive control), Mock (negative control), TuMVWD and TuMVAG were made. Three plants per treatment were agroinfiltrated and five plants per treatment were used for mechanical inoculation experiment. Green fluorescent protein (GFP), a quantitative reporter of gene expression, was measured followed by qPCR for quantification of vRNA (viral RNA) accumulation. In agroinfiltrated plants, newly emerged leaves showed strong fluorescence in TuMVWT and TuMVAG by 14 dpi (days post inoculation), but TuMVWD showed poor GFP as compared to TuMVWT. During mechanical inoculation experiment, none of the treatments developed GFP in systemic leaves by six dpi but by 14 dpi GFP accumulation in the upper leaves of TuMVWT and TuMVAG was increased. TuMVWD was not used for 2nd mechanical experiment as it did not cause systemic infection during 1st mechanical inoculation experiment even by 14 dpi. Results from vRNA accumulation showed that mechanical transmission of virus was reduced with TuMVAG and not possible with TuMVWD. However, mutations had negative effect on vRNA accumulation.
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(2022)Couch grass is one of the most common perennial weeds that cause significant yield losses in temperate regions. In conventional farming, glyphosate has been commonly used to control couch grass. As attitudes and regulations are tightening towards the use of herbicides, it is necessary to find effective alternatives to replace herbicides, especially glyphosate. This master’s thesis aimed to examine the efficacy of different mechanical methods to control couch grass. The second aim was to study how these methods affect the spring cereal yield and its quality. The hypothesis was that with mechanical control methods couch grass can be controlled as effectively as with glyphosate. Data was collected from two field trials located in Inkoo and Ruukki in 2020-2021. The study plan included seven treatments: direct drilling, ploughing (in two treatments), tine cultivation, a combination of tine cultivation and ploughing, Kvickfinn cultivator, and fallowing. The coverage of couch grass was visually estimated before tillage and before harvest. Field trials were photographed with drones before harvest. The density of couch grass was defined from direct drilling plots before sowing. Biomass samples of couch grass and barley were collected from every plot for one square meter in Ruukki at harvest timing. Spring barley was harvested, and grain yield and its quality were analyzed. The coverage of couch grass was lower with Kvickfinn and fallowing than with direct drilling in Inkoo. There was no difference in yield and quality between mechanical control methods and direct drilling. In Ruukki the infestation of couch grass was more abundant and more even than in Inkoo. The coverage and biomass of couch grass were highest in direct drilled plots in Ruukki. The yield and quality of spring barley were the lowest and poorest in direct drilled plots. Couch grass was almost totally controlled with fallowing. It has to be taken into account that the results base on the data of only one growing season. Therefore, the long-term effects or the effects of weather are still uncertain. Based on the data, it is possible to conclude that fallowing is the most effective method to control couch grass. It seems that with mechanical control methods, couch grass can be controlled as effectively as with glyphosate. With mechanical control methods the spring cereal yield and quality were better than with direct drilling. It is important to control couch grass because it limits crop growth and yield formation.
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(2021)Tiivistelmä - Referat – Abstract Acid sulfate soils are formed from sediment deposits containing sulfides, in which sulfur is present in the form of iron sulfides. In contact with air, the sulfur layer initiates a long-chain of biochemical and chemical reactions that increase the acidity of the soil and the amount of sulfate. Excessive acidity restricts plant development and growth. In acid soil, the aluminum solubility reaches a high level of toxicity for roots and slows down the microbiological degradation of organic matters, resulting in a reduction of nitrogen mineralization. Previous research results have shown that important liming has the potential to raise the pH of sulphate soils, and thereby reduce its acidity. With a high pH, the concentrations of ammonium and nitrate in the soil increase, facilitating nitrogen uptake and thereby also improving the efficiency of nitrogen uptake by plants. It has been speculated that, by increasing the nitrogen uptake efficiency and nitrogen utilization in plants, it will improve nitrogen use efficiency and so will reduce denitrification in sulphate soils and the resulting N2O emissions. However, to date, the studies on the effect of liming on plant nitrogen uptake (UPE) and utilization efficiency (UTE) and, consequently, on plant nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) have been minimal. The purpose of this study is to investigate how liming affects the yield formation and nitrogen uptake efficiency for barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in unfertilized and fertilized acid sulfate soils. The field trial was established in Viikki, Helsinki, in the spring 2018. It followed split-plot design, in which the main plots were combinations of plant and nitrogen fertilization treatments (0 or 100 kg of nitrogen per hectare of fertilized barley (Kaarle) or unfertilized fallow) and lime treatments (0; 7,7; 15,3 t/ha) in four replicates. Liming raised the soil pH as expected and also increased nitrogen mineralization during the growing season, which is reflected in the nitrogen uptake. The effect of liming and fertilization on crop formation was small for barley biomass, yield component and grain yield. On the other hand, the liming effect reduced the nitrogen absorption efficiency and the nitrogen utilization efficiency and thereby the efficiency of nitrogen use. Fertilization also increased nitrogen uptake, but also decreased nitrogen utilization efficiency and nitrogen harvest index. The combined effect of liming and fertilization increased nitrogen mineralization. Liming treatment clearly increased nitrogen mineralization more in unfertilized soils than fertilized (there was no difference between liming levels). The drought in June and the low moisture limited the mobilization of nitrogen released from fertilizer in the soil, which would explain the effect of the nitrogen fertilizer treatment remaining relatively small. The drought also limited the development of the roots and thus the uptake of nitrogen and other nutrients. Lime treatment did not change NUE, UPE and UTE, but increased nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen uptake during the growing season, suggesting that under more favorable conditions the liming treatment could improve the efficiency and therefore improve the profitability and ecology of the barley crop. Further studies are needed as the results of studies performed elsewhere may not be valid under boreal conditions.
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(2023)Farmers are increasingly aware of the drawbacks involved in traditional techniques to terminate vegetation. No-till methods have been implemented but in organic farming it has been difficult to find efficient alternatives to tilling. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of tarping as an alternative way of vegetation termination without tillage under the conditions of southern Finland. The study compared five different tarping treatments and bare fallow. The treatment period was 10 weeks, and the follow-up period was 4 weeks after the end of the treatments. The effectiveness of the treatment was monitored by estimating vegetation cover and studying the effect of treatment on soil, nitrogen content, moisture, temperature and structure. Occultation was found to be as efficient as bare fallow as a method to terminate vegetation. Solarization, on the other hand, even increased the growth of weeds. Tarping also had a positive effect on the humidity and nitrogen content of the topsoil. More research is needed since observations suggest that with larger sample size occultation would have been more efficient than bare fallow. Occultation can be a potential alternative tool for vegetation termination and weed control for small gardens/horticultural farms and landscaping.
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(2022)Maissi (Zea mays L.) on yksi maailman yleisimmistä viljelykasveista. Maissia hyödynnetään maailmanlaajuisesti esimerkiksi ihmisravinnoksi, bioenergian tuotannossa sekä nautakarjan karkearehussa. Rehuna käytetään tuleentunut jyväsato tai koko kasvusto tuleentumattoman korjattuna. Tuleentumattomasta maissisadosta saadaan yhdellä korjuukerralla suurempi kuiva-ainesato kuin muista yksivuotisista rehukasveista tai säilörehunurmista. Runsas yhdellä korjuukerralla korjattava sato on lisännyt viljelijöiden kiinnostusta rehumaissinviljelyä kohtaan. Maissi voidaan kylvää muovista tai muusta katekalvomateriaalista valmistetun katteen alle. Katekalvo luo kasvulle kasvihuonemaiset olosuhteet ja nopeuttaa itämistä ja kasvuunlähtöä. Maissinviljelyä on tutkittu Suomen olosuhteissa vain vähän, joten lisää tutkimusta maissin viljelymenetelmistä tarvitaan. Tämän maisteritutkielman tavoitteena oli selvittää, miten katekalvon käyttö vaikuttaa rehumaissisadon määrään ja laatuun. Kenttäkoe tehtiin Helsingissä kasvukaudella 2018. Koe oli osaruutukoe, jossa pääruututekijä oli kolme korjuuajankohtaa ja osaruututekijänä oli katekalvo (katekalvo, ei katekalvoa). Katekalvon käyttö lisäsi tuore- ja kuiva-ainesadon määrää verrattuna katekalvottomaan käsittelyyn. Katekalvon käyttö lisäsi rehumaissista saatua tuoresatoa keskimäärin 5 tn/ha ja kuiva-ainesatoa (KA-sato) 2,2 tn/ha. Laatuominaisuuksista katekalvon käyttö vaikutti ainoastaan tärkkelyspitoisuuteen. Katekalvon käyttö lisäsi tärkkelyspitoisuutta 40 g/kg KA verrattuna katekalvottomaan. Katekalvon käyttö vaikutti odotetusti sadon määrään mutta ei laatuun. Johtopäätöksenä voidaan todeta, että katekalvon käyttö mahdollistaa runsaamman tuore- ja KA-sadon kuin ilman katekalvoa. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella katekalvoa voidaan käyttää Suomen olosuhteissa kasvattamaan sadon määrää.
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(2020)Modern agriculture is based on intensive farming practices where plant production farms rely on external mineral fertilizers and carbon stocks of the soils are decreasing. At the same time, regional clusters of animal production farms are struggling with excessive manure that increases the risk of nutrient leaching from their fields. To overcome problems related to nutrient loss, eu-trophication of watersheds and greenhouse gas emissions from food production, several national projects aim to promote farmers to use recycled fertilizers. The latter are fertilizers or soil condi-tioners which can be processed from side products such as animal manure, green manure, mu-nicipal biowaste, by-products from food industry or sludges from wood industry. The aim of this study was to determine how different recycled fertilizer products affect grain yield and yield quality of oat as well as how the products perform in relation to nitrogen input. The field experiment was founded in southern Finland where oat was cultivated for three successive years in a five-year rotation. Liquid ammonium sulfate, meat and bone meal pellets and biogas sludge were compared with commercial mineral fertilizer. The control treatments were unfertilized plots and mineral fertilization treatments with three different nitrogen levels between 44–161 kg/ha. There were no statistically significant differences between treatments in terms of grain yield, except for favorable growing season 2017 when unfertilized plots produced the lowest yield. Nor were there differences in protein, starch, fiber or ash content of grains among recycled and min-eral fertilizers over the three years. The grain yield was positively correlated with the amount of soluble and total nitrogen. Having the lowest application level, meat and bone meal produced the highest yield per nitrogen input among fertilizer treatments. The yield results show that ammonium sulfate, meat and bone meal and biogas slurry can be as effective as mineral fertilizers in oat production, if they have the same amount of soluble nitro-gen. Good fertility of the research plot and drought stress during the two following years mitigat-ed differences among treatments so that nitrogen fertilization proved itself useful only in the grow-ing season 2017. To gather enough data and determine the long-term effect of recycled fertiliz-ers, further research should be distributed into several pilot farms. Moreover, the current Finnish fertilizer recommendations should be updated towards experimental nutrient balance models. This could encourage farmers to gather information of the yield-limiting factors and prevent over fertili-zation in poorly responsive soils.
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(2019)Oats is a major crop in Finland, in one of the most remarkable exporter countries of oats. Oat based value-added products have increased their favor both as healthy domestic foodstuff and as valuable export products. Fusarium head blight infections and mycotoxins accumulated to the oat crops because of the head blight infection pose a serious challenge to the oat production. The head blight infections are predicted to become more common in the future due to the climate change, which increases the need for breeding of new resistant cultivars against the head blight infection. Plant breeding needs more effective and reliable methods to face the challenge. Automatic imaging based high-throughput phenotyping methods can be considered as one possibility to intensify plant breeding. Aim of this master`s thesis was to develop methods for phenotyping oats and head blight infected oat spikelets using RGB- and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging sensors of national plant phenotyping infrastructure in Viikki greenhouses of University of Helsinki. Thesis was carried out as a part of FusNaPPI-project of University of Helsinki and Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). Resistant oat genotypes against head blight infection were distinguished, growth and morphology of the oats and progression of the head blight infection were monitored by the developed methods. To reach the goals seven oat genotypes different in head blight resistance were grown and imaged using RGB-sensors during their growth and development. Spikelets were collected from the plants in their flowering phase and were put onto the different in vitro –assays. Spikelets were then inoculated putting the inoculum based on conidia of the F. graminearum inside the spikelets and imaged using chlorophyll fluorescence imaging sensors to detect changes in their photosynthesis in different genotypes and in vitro –assays. Different stages of the head blight infection were seen from the fluorescence data. Decreasing of photosynthetic activity of the spikelet tissues was faster in susceptible genotypes than in resistant ones. Oat genotypes that were different in their morphology in different developmental stages were distinguished in the RGB data. In the experiments, progression of the head blight infection was successfully monitored and the known differences in the disease resistance between oat genotypes were confirmed on the basis of the disease propagation speed. Methods of automatic high-throughput phenotyping as a tools for plant breeding were developed and suitability of these methods for plant`s disease resistance screening were successfully tested.
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(2019)Global growing demand to produce more food with less inputs and energy without causing greenhouse gas emissions challenges the current practice of using mineral fertilizers which are produced from new and partly non-renewable raw materials with considerable amount of energy. On the other hand recycled fertilizers made of different side streams and biomasses also need to be processed before usage or the amount needed per area is so great that the environmental advantages might be lost. The aim of this study was to discover and compare the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of recycled fertilizers (ammonium sulfate, biogas digestate and meat bone meal) and mineral fertilizer in production of oat by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). All recycled fertilizers were found to cause less greenhouse gas emissions and consume less energy than mineral fertilizer. The least emissions caused the usage of ammonium sulfate and the best energy efficiency was achieved with biogas digestate fertilization. Considered relative to global increase in food and energy consumption and control of climate change and recycling of raw materials recycled fertilizers proved to be effective compared to mineral fertilizer. Also on the grounds of land use and yield recycled fertilizers turned out to be potential substitute for mineral fertilizers. Further studies are still needed due to large number of raw materials and constantly increasing amount of processing techniques of recycled fertilizers.
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