Bio-inoculants in agricultural, China drought monitoring, sorghum resistance

Bio-inoculants for sustainable agricultural production 

Commercial bio-inoculants could contribute to sustainable food production systems, say researchers.

In light of increasing global demand for food and a sustainability challenge to the agricultural industry, researchers said there was a growing use of commercial biological inoculants such as bacteria and fungi. Their research aimed was to increase the mobilization of key nutrients, especially phosphorus, and enhance their availability in crop plants.

The researchers reviewed the use of commercial bio-inoculants and concluded that their beneficial attributes were unclear. They added, however, that they could contribute to increasing sustainability in agricultural production through improved phosphorus acquisition.

“The success of commercial bio-inoculants should be reflected in an economic gain, either through improved yields or reduced inorganic fertiliser applications, or both. They should not be viewed as a replacement for inorganic fertilisers, but as a potential component of an integrated nutrient management strategy that enhances soil nutrient acquisition,” ​said the researchers.

Source: Applied Soil Ecology​
Published online ahead of print DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2014.09.012
"Use of commercial bio-inoculants to increase agricultural production through improved phosphrous acquisition"​
Authors: D.Owen,  A.P. Williams et al.

Monitoring drought from multi-source satellite data in Southwest China

The optimized meteorological drought index (OMDI) and the optimized vegetation drought index (OVDI) can be used in combination to monitor drought from multi-source satellite data, say researchers.

Droughts remained one of Southwest China's most frequent and challenging climate-related disasters, the researchers said, impacting a region of mixed-planted crops such as maize, wheat, soybean and rice. 

The OMDI and OVDI were integrated with parameters such as precipitation, temperature, soil moisture and vegetation information. The researchers suggested the OMDI and OVDI showed the best result compared to other systems used to monitor drought.

“Patterns for different months in one year or one month in different years showed significantly varied drought locations and extents, indicating regional and seasonal fluctuations. Drought in Southwest China should be monitored in seasonal and regional level in the future, and more fine distinctions of seasons and regions need to be considered in the future studies of this area,” ​they added.

Source: International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation​
Published online ahead of print DOI: 10.1016/j.jag.2014.09.011
"Combination of multi-sensor remote sensing data for drought monitoring over Southwest China"​
Authors: Cui Hao, Jiahua Zhang, Fengmei Yao

Diversity and heat treatment resistance of sorghum

Heat treatment influences tocochromanols, vitamin E and carotenoid levels in sorghum, say researchers.

The researchers tested 100 sorghum genotypes and concluded there was a high variability in tocochromanol content across the range. They also found 23% of the tested sorghum genotypes to be source of vitamin E.

They were interested in how heat treatment influenced carotenoids, tocochromanols and vitamin E content and found that tocochromanol and vitamin E content decreased after extrusion and increased after dry heat in a conventional oven, while carotenoid content decreased in both cases.

This showed that “processing may modify sorghum chemical composition, functional and nutritional value”, ​said the researchers.

Source:Food Chemistry​
Published online ahead of print: DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.09.117
"Tocochromanols and carotenoids in sorghum (​Sorghum bicolor​ L.): Diversity and stability to the heat treatment"​
Authors: L. De Morais Cardoso, S. Pinheiro, L. Da Silva et al.