Assessment of Various Nanoprimings for Boosting Pea Germination and Early Growth in Both Optimal and Drought-Stressed Environments.

One of the main climate change-related variables limiting agricultural productivity that ultimately leads to food insecurity appears to be drought. With the use of a recently discovered nanopriming technology, seeds can endure various abiotic challenges. To improve seed quality and initial growth of 8-day-old field pea seedlings (cv. NS Junior) under optimal and artificial drought (PEG-induced) laboratory conditions, this study aimed to assess the efficacy of priming with three different nanomaterials: Nanoplant Ultra (Co, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mo, and Se), Nanoplant Ca-Si (Ca, Si, B, and Fe), and Nanoplant Sulfur (S). The findings indicate that nanopriming seed treatments have a positive impact on seed quality indicators, early plant growth, and drought resilience in field pea plants established in both optimal and drought-stressed conditions. Nevertheless, all treatments showed a positive effect, but their modes of action varied. Nanoplant Ultra proved to be the most effective under optimal conditions, whereas Nanoplant Ca-Si and Nanoplant Sulfur were the most efficient under drought stress. After a field evaluation, the examined comprehensive nanomaterials may be utilized as priming agents for pea seed priming to boost seed germination, initial plant growth, and crop productivity under various environmental conditions.

Bio-Priming of Soybean with Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Bacillus megaterium: Strategy to Improve Seed Germination and the Initial Seedling Growth.

Bio-priming is a new technique of seed treatment that improves seed germination, vigor, crop growth and yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Bradyrhizobium japonicum (commercial strains) and Bacillus megaterium (newly isolated strains) as a single inoculant and co-inoculant during seed bio-priming to improve seed germination and initial seedling growth of two soybean cultivars. The treated seeds were subjected to germination test (GT), cold test (CT) and accelerated aging test (AAT). B. megaterium significantly improved all parameters in GT and CT; final germination, shoot length, root length, root dry weight, and seedling vigor index in AAT, as compared to control. In addition, co-inoculation significantly increased all parameters except shoot dry weight in GT; all parameters in CT; germination energy, shoot length, root length, and seedling vigor index in AAT, in comparison to the control. Moreover, Br. japonicum significantly improved the germination energy, shoot length, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and seedling vigor index in GT; all parameters in CT; shoot length, root length, and seedling vigor index in AAT, compared with non-primed seeds. Thus, B. megaterium strains could be used in soybean bio-priming as a potential single inoculant and co-inoculant, following proper field evaluation.

Threshold Level and Traceability of Roundup Ready® Soybeans in Tofu Production.

The aim of this study is to assess DNA degradation, DNA amplification, and GMO quantity during tofu production. Soybean seeds were spiked with Roundup Ready® soybeans (RRS) at 0.9, 2, 3 and 5% (by mass), to assess the level of RSS that would be of practical interest for threshold labelling. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was more effective than conventional PCR in the analysis of raw soymilk, okara, boiled soymilk and tofu. The negative effect of grinding and mechanical manipulation was obvious in the okara sample prepared with 3 and 5% RRS, where GMO content was reduced to (2.28±0.23) and (2.74±0.26) %, respectively. However, heating at 100 °C for 10 min did not cause significant degradation of DNA in all samples. The content of RRS in the final product, tofu, was reduced tenfold during processing, ranging from 0.07 to 0.46%, which was below the labelling threshold level. The results are discussed in terms of global harmonization of GMO standards, which could have the positive effect on the trade of lightly processed foodstuffs such as tofu, especially regarding the labelling policies.

Detection of genetically modified soybean in crude soybean oil.

In order to detect presence and quantity of Roundup Ready (RR) soybean in crude oil extracted from soybean seed with a different percentage of GMO seed two extraction methods were used, CTAB and DNeasy Plant Mini Kit. The amplifications of lectin gene, used to check the presence of soybean DNA, were not achieved in all CTAB extracts of DNA, while commercial kit gave satisfactory results. Comparing actual and estimated GMO content between two extraction methods, root mean square deviation for kit is 0.208 and for CTAB is 2.127, clearly demonstrated superiority of kit over CTAB extraction. The results of quantification evidently showed that if the oil samples originate from soybean seed with varying percentage of RR, it is possible to monitor the GMO content at the first stage of processing crude oil.

Implementation of monitoring for genetically modified rapeseed in Serbia

Genetically modified (GMO) rapeseed (Brassica napus) is not grown commercially in European Union, but several lines have been approved for production and use as food and feed. A case-specific monitoring of herbicide-tolerant rapeseed, events RT73, RF3 and T45 was established by Ministry of Agriculture of Republic of Serbia. The objectives of the present study were to introduce methods for detection of herbicide-tolerant GM oilseed rape, investigate occurrence and monitor the presence of GM rapeseed in seed and the feed products, as well as to develop a protocol for quantification. The study was based on 48 samples, rapeseed (33) and feed (15) products, imported from EU countries (Germany, Belgium, France, Czech Republic, Austria) and from domestic market. Seven positive feed samples and no positive seed samples have found. The percent of GMO in feed samples, estimated on semi-quantitative way, was below labelling threshold. Adventitious presence of GM materials in non-GM grain, derived food and feedstuffs is a concern to international grain trade and needs continuous monitoring.

Advantages of the lab-on-a-chip method in the determination of the kunitz trypsin inhibitor in soybean varieties.

Qualitative and quantitative determination of the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI) in soybean experimental lines is very important in processes of selecting and breeding of new varieties. The total enzyme activity assay, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and Lab-on-a-Chip (LoaC) method were used for the determination of the presence and quantity of KTI in 15 soybean experimental lines and varieties. From the total trypsin inhibitor enzyme assay, inhibitor activities were registered in all samples, even in a Kunitz variety that was a negative control. The SDS-PAGE method did not detect the presence of the KTI protein band in seven soybean experimental lines and Kunitz variety, while the LoaC method showed the absence of KTI only in the Kunitz variety sample. Results confirmed the superiority of the LoaC method over other two methods in selectivity and sensitivity when KTI determination is concerned. Relationships between the KTI content obtained by the LoaC method and total trypsin inhibitor enzyme activity were established and statistically confirmed.