Two abaca hybrids namely, Hybrid 2 and Hybrid 7, which were derived from a cross between the resistant wild banana (Musa balbisiana) var. Pacol and the susceptible abaca var. Abuab possessing the high fiber quality trait, have been previously selected with promising resistance to bunchy top disease. In this study, the responses of these hybrids to virus inoculation by the aphid (Pentalonia nigronervosa) under screenhouse condition and to natural infection in the field were characterized. Under screenhouse condition, Hybrid 7 did not show the bunchy top disease symptoms of dark green streaks on veins and midribs, marginal leaf chlorosis, narrow and stiff leaves or upright and crowding of l...

To determine if progenies from the cross between Musa textilis Nee (2n = 20) and Musa balbisiana Colla (2n = 22) produced at the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), University of the Philippines Los Baños are true hybrids, abaca cultivars (Abuab and Inosa), a banana cultivar (Pacol), and their back crosses (BC1, BC2, and BC3) were characterized morphologically and cytogenetically. Agronomic characters and fiber quality assessment through ANOVA and pairwise analysis revealed significant differences in tensile strength and agronomic parameters, namely, fiber quality and percent fiber recovery, except for leaf sheath number and girth measured at the top. This confirmed the recovery of recurre...

Wheat contains various phytochemicals, most importantly, antioxidants and polyphenolic compounds that have a variety of health-promoting effects. Seed material was obtained from 63 wheat genotypes of three species (T. aestivum, T. durum, and T. sphaerococcum) from Pakistan and Syria. This study was initiated to estimate and compare the interspecific and intraspecific diversity for antioxidant activity (AOA) and total phenolic content (TPC) in different species of wheat. The wild relatives and landraces of three wheat species exhibited a highly significant interspecific and intraspecific diversity for both traits. T. aestivum exhibited more intraspecific diversity. The AOA of the genotypes...

Effect of four tillage systems (1) winter wheat and rice rotary tillage (WRRT) (CK), (2) winter wheat and rice no-tillage system (WRNT), (3) winter wheat no-tillage and rice rotary tillage (WNRR), and lastly, (4) winter wheat and rice no-tillage in a raised bed (WRNB) on soil properties and crop yields was investigated in a field experiment in 2004–2010 in a wheat-rice crop rotation on the Chengdu Plain, China. The WRNT system significantly increased the saturated hydraulic conductivity and water infiltration relative to the WNRR and the WRRT (CK) systems. The soil cone penetration resistance was greater in certain soil layers beneath the three systems, compared to the CK system (P < 0...

The study evaluated the effect of applying different doses of zinc sulfate and zinc chelate on the mineral content, antioxidant activity, and yield of grains of cowpea bean (Vigna unguiculata L.). Doses of 7, 14, and 28 mM L-1 of zinc sulfate and chelate were assessed against a distilled water control. In the plants, the days to flowering as well as grain weight, number of pods, and number of grains per plant were recorded. Meanwhile, in the grains, antioxidant activity, phenols, phytic acid, and mineral content were determined. Results indicated that biofortification with 7 and 14 mM L-1 of sulfate and zinc chelate increases earliness in flowering, the number of grains per plant, and the...