Crops and agriculture during the Iron Age and late antiquity in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Catalonia,Spain)

Various sites in the valley of the Sant Cugat stream in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Catalonia) were subject to systematic archaeobotanical sampling to obtain an overview of the crops and agriculture of the area during the Iron Age and late antiquity. In all cases, the most numerous taxa were crop plants. Among these, cereals were clearly predominant at all sites investigated, especially Hordeum vulgare var. vulgare (hulled barley) and Triticum aestivum/durum (bread or macaroni wheat), both in numbers and frequency. Other cereals, such as Triticum dicoccum (emmer) or Setaria italica (foxtail bristle-grass), were regularly present in considerably lower numbers but in fairly high frequencies. Pulses were much less numerous, although their presence increases in terms of frequency. Among them, clearly the best represented was Lens culinaris (lentil). The results show that the agriculture in the period considered was principally based on winter cereals, with a gradual substitution of hulled barley by bread/hard wheat, accompanied by other cereals of minor importance, led by Triticum dicoccum (emmer), and pulses. The appearance of Vitis (grapevine) in the Iberian period is one of the important characteristics of agriculture in the Iberian world. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Some aspects of Late Iron Age agriculture based on the first results of an archaeobotanical investigation at Corvin tér, Budapest, Hungary

Until now, very little was known about the agriculture of the Late Iron Age in Hungary. This paper describes the first results of an archaeobotanical examination of a late Iron Age, Celtic settlement in Budapest. It is the first systematically sampled and representatively investigated site of this time period in Hungary. Most of the samples come from different types of pits, which were subjectively sampled. The macrofossils were carbonised and, apart from many seeds and fruit stones, consisted mostly of charcoal. Among the seed remains both cultivated and wild species were present. The spectrum of cultivated plants was marked by a large number of cereals. The dominant cereals were Triticum spelta L. (spelt wheat) and Panicum millaceum L. (broomcorn millet), but also common were Avena sativa L., Avena sp. (oats), Triticum monococcum L. (einkorn), Hordeum vulgare L. (barley); Triticum aestivum/durum/turgidum L./Desf./L., incl. T. compactum Host. (bread wheat, including club wheat). Secale cereale L. (rye) and Triticum dicoccum (Schrank) Schübl. (emmer) were rare and seemed to be less important. The weeds and synanthropic vegetation, including ruderals, were represented by many taxa, and some of them also occurred in large amounts. The main cereals were sown as winter crops, judging from the rarely occurring of plants accompanying the cereals. Wild fruits contributed to the daily diet, too – as seen from the stones of Cornus mas (cornelian cherry), Crataegus sp. (hawthorn) and Prunus spinos (sloe, blackthorn). There were no finds of cultivated fruits. Received October 19, 2001 / Accepted January 30, 2002     

Plant remains from Sardinia,Italy with notes on barley and grape

This paper presents archaeobotanical results from Sardinia, an island in the western Mediterranean. The starting point is the material excavated at Duos Nuraghes near Borore, but remains provided by other sites are taken into account as well. Naked wheat, presumably a tetraploid wheat such as Triticum durum Desf. (macaroni wheat), and Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) are the most common finds from the Neolithic up to the Medieval period. Triticum dicoccum Schübl. (emmer), Lens culinaris Medik. (lentil), Pisum sativum L. (pea) and Vicia faba L. var. minor (horse bean) have been grown as well. A medieval context revealed Beta vulgaris L. (beet). The most common find in the category of fruits is Vitis vinifera L. (grape). The overall picture is one of continuity in agricultural practices. Nevertheless this picture may be false. In the early Bronze Age the cultivation of barley may have shifted from the naked variety towards the hulled variety. The Phoenicians may have introduced new cultivars of grapevine, although the native grapevine was not replaced by these. The weed taxa suggest some change in agriculture from Punic or Roman times onwards. Received August 10, 2001 / Accepted January 15, 2002     

The isolation of high molecular weight DNA from wheat,barley and rye for analysis by pulse-field gel electrophoresis

A method is presented for the preparation of large DNA molecules from protoplasts embedded in agarose blocks of three different cereals-hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and rye (Secale cereale). Pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of these DNA preparations using a contour-clamped homogeneous field (CHEF) apparatus indicated that the size of the DNA molecules was greater than 6 Mb. DNA samples prepared by this method were shown to be useful for restriction analysis using both frequent and rare cutting enzymes.     

THE PRESENCE OF PROTEASE-DIGESTIBLE MATERIAL IN GOLGI VESICLES DURING ENDOSPERM DEVELOPMENT OF SELECTED CEREALS

The presence of dictyosomes secreting densely stained vesicles throughout endosperm protein body formation was confirmed for four cereals (rice, Oryza sativa L.; hard red winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L.; winter feed barley and spring malting barley, Hordeum vulgare L.; oats, Avena sativa L.). The contents of the Golgi vesicles and protein bodies were digested with proteases for all cereals except rice. It was found in the case of rice that OsO₄ altered the proteins in the Golgi apparatus and protein bodies making them resistant to protease digestion. These results imply that the Golgi apparatus plays an important role in the concentration and transport of storage proteins into vacuoles.     

Transferable EST-SSR markers for the study of polymorphism and genetic diversity in bread wheat

Nearly 900 SSRs (simple sequence repeats) were identified among 15,000 ESTs (expressed sequence tags) belonging to bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). The SSRs were defined by their minimum length, which ranged from 14 to 21 bp. The maximum length ranged from 24 to 87 bp depending upon the length of the repeat unit itself (1–7 bp). The average density of SSRs was one SSR per 9.2 kb of EST sequence screened. The trinucleotide repeats were the most abundant SSRs detected. As a representative sample, 78 primer pairs were designed, which were also used to screen the dbEST entries for Hordeum vulgare and Triticum tauschii (donor of the D-genome of cultivated wheat) using a cut-off E (expectation) value of 0.01. On the basis of in silico analysis, up to 55.12% of the primer pairs exhibited transferability from Triticum to Hordeum, indicating that the sequences flanking the SSRs are not only conserved within a single genus but also between related genera in Poaceae. Primer pairs for the 78 SSRs were synthesized and used successfully for the study of (1) their transferability to 18 related wild species and five cereal species (barley, oat, rye, rice and maize); and (2) polymorphism between the parents of four mapping populations available with us. A subset of 20 EST-SSR primers was also used to assess genetic diversity in a collection of 52 elite exotic wheat genotypes. This was done with a view to compare their utility relative to other molecular markers (gSSRs, AFLPs, and SAMPL) previously used by us for the same purpose with the same set of 52 bread wheat genotypes. Although only a low level of polymorphism was detected, relative to that observed with genomic SSRs, the study suggested that EST-SSRs can be successfully used for a variety of purposes, and may actually prove superior to SSR markers extracted from genomic libraries for diversity estimation and transferability.Communicated by R. Hagemann     

Influence of crop variety and fertilization on oviposition preference and larval performance of a generalist herbivore,the true armyworm,Mythimna unipuncta

The relationship between oviposition preference and offspring performance of herbivores is an essential question in the field of plant–insect interactions and may have important implications on integrated pest management practices. Here, we investigated the preference–performance relationship of a generalist herbivore, the true armyworm, Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Leucaniini). We evaluated the effect of crop species, cultivars, and fertilization rate on host use by adult and larval M. unipuncta in both laboratory and field experiments. Female M. unipuncta preferred to oviposit on cereals (Triticum aestivum L., Hordeum vulgare L., Zea mays L., all Poaceae) compared to oilseed (Brassica napus L., Brassicaceae) or pulse (Pisum sativum L., Fabaceae) crops. The preference–performance relationship was examined further on four cereal crops, spring wheat (T. aestivum cv. CDC Go), winter wheat (T. aestivum cv. CDC Buteo), feed barley (H. vulgare cv. Xena), and malt barley (H. vulgare cv. Copeland). Feed barley was the least preferred cereal by female moths but resulted in the highest larval performance of all tested plants suggesting that females did not select the host on which their offspring performs best, based on nutrient content. In contrast, late-instar larvae selected the hosts, feed barley and malt barley, on which they performed the best, suggesting that larvae have a more active role in host selection for development, compared to adult females. The addition of fertilizer to host plants did not influence adult female oviposition preference. Larvae reared on plants treated with the half (70 mg N) or full (140 mg N) dose of fertilizer resulted in heavier pupae, compared to those reared on unfertilized plants, regardless of crop variety. However, under field conditions fertilization did not enhance larval performance on feed barley plants. The generalist herbivore M. unipuncta does not exhibit the ‘mother knows best’ principle on the tested hosts and potentially employs a bet-hedging strategy instead.     

The content of N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines in the seeds of cultivated plants and grain products

The content of the minor class of phospholipids, N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs) in mature seeds of cultivated plants: kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), soft spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori et Paol), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and oat (Avena sativa L.), and the products of technological processing of grain cultures (floor, bran) was studied. Reliable NAPE identification was performed by a comparison of their chromatographic mobility with the marker NAPE sample from wheat flour and synthetic phosphatidylmethanol, and also using specific reagents. Kidney bean cv. Shchedraya seeds contained the highest amount of NAPEs. In legumes, the content of NAPEs varied not only in different species but also in different cultivars of a single species. In cereals, the highest NAPE content was detected in the barley seeds and best quality wheat flour. The content of NAPEs in cereal seeds was less variable than in legumes. NAPE quantification showed that accumulation of this phospholipid class occurred in parallel with accumulation of total phospholipids in seeds. The relation between NAPE content and the processes of seed development and their lipid composition is discussed. The seeds and products best suitable for NAPE isolation are recommended.     

Volatile induction of three cereals: influence of mechanical injury and insect herbivory on injured plants and neighbouring uninjured plants

Herbivore damage and mechanical injury to leaves can stimulate the emission of volatile compounds. It is well known that emission of these volatile organic compounds (VOC) from plants can influence interactions with pests and their natural enemies. In our experiment, we studied the VOC responses of Triticum aestivum cv. ‘Bombona’, Avena sativa cv. ‘Deresz’ and Hordeum vulgare cv. ‘Rastik’ under mechanical injury and/or adult cereal leaf beetle herbivory, Oelema melanopus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). In the first part of our experiment, we confirmed that increased amounts of several green leaf volatiles (GLVs) and terpene VOC were released by tested cereal plants after leaf injury. The quantities of multiple induced VOC varied significantly between our tested cereals. When undamaged wheat, barley and oat plants were positioned near to mechanically injured or insect-damaged wheat plants, these neighbouring uninjured plants of all three test cereals also emitted significantly more VOC than control plants. The degree of VOC induction was significantly greater when an uninjured plant was closer to an injured wheat plant. This phenomenon may be useful for crop protection, as VOC manipulation may result in improved pest management and help reduce the use of harmful pesticides.     

An NADH nitrate reductase gene copy appears to have been deleted in barley

Cultivated barley,Hordeum vulgare L., has a single NADH nitrate reductase (NR) gene while diploid wheat,Triticum monococcum, and cultivated hexaploid wheat,Triticum aestivum L., have two NADH NR genes. To determine whether the NADH NR gene was duplicated since the divergence ofTriticum fromHordeum or was deleted from barley, theT. Monococcum NADH NR gene heme-hinge regions were sequenced and compared with the barley NADH NR gene sequence. Sequence identity and phylogenetic analyses showed that one of theT. Monococcum NADH NR genes is more-closely related to the barley NADH NR gene than to the otherT. Monococcum NADH NR gene. The heme-hinge region of all three NR genes appeared to have evolved at a constant rate. These results suggest that the NADH NR gene duplicated before the divergence ofTriticum andHordeum and that a deletion resulted in the loss of one NADH NR gene from cultivated barley.