Wild Species

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an important vegetable crop grown in various tropical and temperate parts of the world. There is a wide genetic diversity in the cultivated as well as the wild species of eggplant. Cultivated varieties of eggplant are susceptible to a wide array ...

Summary Morethanonemillionsmallholdersin theAndeanregionofcentralSouthAmericaexploitalpacas(Vicugna pacos) and lamas (Lamaglama) astheirmainmeansofsubsistence.Alpacasandlamasprovidemeat,milk, fibre,powerandguano;inadditionitisanimportant element of the cultural identity of their producers. With 3.9 million lamas and 3.3 million alpacas the total annual fibre production in the region exceeds 5 million kg. Nearly 30% of the fibre production is transformed on-farm or at the community level. About 80% of the marketed alpaca fibre is whiteand12%is

Study was conducted to investigate the distribution pattern and impact of metal pollutants in the fast growing coastal aquaculture industry of Viet Nam. Mud and water samples were collected from randomly selected eleven stations of two aquaculture prone coastal zones of Northern Viet Nam and fourteen metals were analysed using ICP-MS. Production data (shrimp and fish) of the respected stations were also collected from local farmers and fisher man. Results revealed that excepting few locations the distribution of As (mud, 180 - 383 μg/kg and water, 14.26 – 31 μg/l), Pb (mud, 4.9 – 207.3 μg/kg and water, 0 – 0.15 μg/l), Cd (mud, 0.62 – 44.1 μg/kg and water, 0 – 0.06 μg/l), Cr (mud, 117 – 192.5 μg/kg and water, 1.42 – 4.58 μg/l), Ni (mud, 49.9 – 100 μg/kg and water, 0 – 0.111 μg/l), Be (mud, 4.06 – 10.5 μg/kg and water, 0.02 – 0.051 μg/l), Ba (mud, 194.3 – 5153 μg/kg and water, 18.52 - 50 μg/l), Fe (mud, 42642 – 72397 μg/kg and water, 192 – 669 μg/l), Se (mud, 0 – 21 μg/kg and water, 1...

In Nigeria today, fossil fuels constitute the major source of energy for the economy with consumption costs in excess of N 654 billion for petrol, N 303.2 billion for diesel and N 194 billion for Kerosene. The global debate on Climate Change/CO2 emissions and domestic concerns on economic, environmental and energy security implications have necessitated alterative energy options and created opportunities for sustainable biofuel enterprise in Nigeria. Jatropha curcas (known as Lapalapa in Yoruba-speaking parts of Nigeria) is an uncultivated non-food wild-species plant with great potential for bioenergy development in the country. The seeds are resistant to a high degree of aridity and contain 27–40% oil that can be processed to produce a high-quality biodiesel fuel, usable in a standard diesel engine. With estimated diesel demands in Nigeria being 3600–4200 thousand metric tonnes by 2020, there is an expansive opportunity for jatropha biofuel enterprise in the country. This study exa...

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an important vegetable crop grown in various tropical and temperate parts of the world. There is a wide genetic diversity in the cultivated as well as the wild species of eggplant. Cultivated varieties of eggplant are susceptible to a wide array ...

Sprouts and microgreens represent a
growing market segment within vegetable products.
The category of sprouts is legally defined. The production
and commercialization of sprouts must comply
with strict regulations. Given their short growth
cycle, sprouts are usually grown in the dark, without a
growing medium, fertilizers and agrochemicals. Their
edible portion is the entire sprout, including the
rootlets. From a biological point of view, the sprout
represents the first stage of growth of a plant that
starts from seed germination. On the other hand,
“microgreens” is a marketing term used to describe a
category of product that has no legal definition. They
differ from sprouts because they require light, a growing
medium, and have a longer growth cycle; the edible
portion consists in the single stem, the cotyledon
leaves and, often, by the emerging first true leaves.
Both sprouts and microgreens are mainly consumed
as raw products, they have good nutritional value and
sensory traits. An important qualitative aspect of
these vegetable crops is their microbiological safety,
especially in the case of sprouts. In this review we
discuss several aspects of sprouts and microgreens,
their potential in terms of preservation and enhancement
of biodiversity, as well as research and development
prospects of those products in horticulture.
Sprouts and microgreens represent two further
expressions of biodiversity in vegetable production,
supplementary to the genetic diversity (inter- and
intra-specific) and diversity of the agro-ecosystems.
Although the seeds of several cultivar are available
on the market, the species and local varieties potentially
useful for the production of sprouts and microgreens
are numerous, and the vast heritage of agrobiodiversity
of each geographical area may represent
an extraordinary resource to be explored. Therefore,
sprouts and microgreens can contribute to preserve
and give value to many landraces that are at risk of
genetic erosion or extinction, offering an opportunity
to recover and use such genetic material. Moreover,
landraces and wild species, are often characterized
by a higher nutrient density as compared to commercial
improved varieties, widely grown at global level,
and represent a good source of vitamins, essential
micronutrients and other phytonutrients. In conclusion,
the production of sprouts and microgreens from
local varieties and wild edible species may provide
novel and nutritious food, which can satisfy the
demand of modern consumers

Successful selection of interspecific hybrid progenies with superior ability to regenerate shoots from apical meristems was performed in sunflower which now allows for the development of lines for improved biotechnological applications. Early generations of interspecific hybrids originating from crosses between the two H. annuus CMS lines ‘HA89’ and ‘Baso’, and 9 wild species were screened for their ability to regenerate

Cassava cultivars often have poor resistance to biotic stresses and lack good quality traits. Wild species of cultivated crops have frequently been used as an important source of genetic diversity. Cassava breeders are becoming increasingly interested in incorporating genes of wild relatives. In 2000 the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) initiated a programme to introgress genes for several root yield and quality traits from wild cassava relatives into its germplasm collection. The objectives of this study were to evaluate one resulting inter-specific cross with high variability for dry matter content (DMC) and to assess the effect of such a cross on other yield related traits. Crossing of the elite cultivar MTAI 8 to the wild relative Manihot tristis increased the percentage DMC above the normal average of about 35%, with percentage DMC ranging from 34.39 to 42.73. The crosses, however, were accompanied by some detrimental effects, most noticeable the reduction i...

We studied rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism between two tomato lines used for F1 hybrid seed production: line A, containing the Tm-1 gene responsible for tobacco mosaic virus tolerance introgressed from the wild species Lycopersicon hirsutum, and line B, a tobacco mosaic virus sensitive line. Hybridization patterns led to distinct rDNA maps with two size classes, 10.4 and 10.7 kb,

Coffee beans of commercially important Coffea species contain the diterpene cafestol, which raises serum cholesterol in humans. Coffee diterpenes also have shown anticarcinogenic properties in experimental animals. We determined levels of cafestol and other diterpenes in nine ...

... margins of the study area the topography is low, while the border region between Nigeria and Cameroon is mountainous and includes the Rumpi Hills, Bakossi Mountains, Mount Nlonako, Mount Kupe and Mount Manengouba. Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in West ...

Abstract: Environmental pollution affects the quality of pedosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Great efforts have been made in the last two decades to reduce pollution sources and remedy the polluted soil and water resources. ...