Effects of organic and conventional production systems and cultivars on the technological properties of winter wheat.

BACKGROUND: The current study aimed to estimate the effects of organic and conventional production systems and four winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) bread cultivars on the technological properties of grain, flour, dough and bread, to increase current knowledge regarding the interactions of the technological properties of winter wheat and assess the cultivars for their suitability for organic production systems. RESULTS: All the technological properties winter wheat which were investigated were significantly affected by the agricultural production system and cultivars, and some of them, mostly grain quality parameters, by the harvest year. Grain from organic winter wheat had significantly lower protein and gluten contents, lower sedimentation and flour water absorption values, shorter dough stability time and lower loaf volume, but higher values of starch content and stronger gluten, compared with grain from the conventional wheat. For both production systems significant positive correlations of protein content with gluten content, sedimentation value, dough stability time, loaf volume, farinograph water absorption, and negative with starch content, gluten index were determined. CONCLUSIONS: Statistically significant differences between agricultural production systems were found. The cultivars Ada and Alma had better technological properties that make them more suitable for the organic production system, compared to Sirvinta 1 and Zentos.

Distribution of trichothecene and zearalenone producing Fusarium species in grain of different cereal species and cultivars grown under organic farming conditions in Lithuania.

Fusarium infection level, DNA quantity of the Fusarium poae, F. sporotrichioides, F. langsethiae, F. culmorum, F. graminearum and F. equiseti as well as deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN ) and T-2 toxin (T-2) content were investigated in grain from cultivars of different cereal species grown on organic farming sites during 2005-2006. The Fusarium infection level was examined by agar plating of single grains, Fusarium spp. DNA content was determined by real-time PCR and the mycotoxins were analyzed by ELISA. Almost all cereal grain samples grown under organic conditions were infected by Fusarium spp. The grains of winter cereals were less infected with Fusarium compared with those of spring cereals. The presence of F. culmorum, F. equiseti, F. sporotrichioides, F. poae, F. langsethiae in cereal grain depended on the environmental conditions during the experimental years. Higher Fusarium species diversity was found in 2005 when the conditions were more favourable for Fusarium infection in cereal grain, whereas F. poae and F. langsethiae were prevalent in cereal grain in 2006. F. langsethiae, identified in Lithuania for the first time, was more frequent in spring cereals than in winter cereals. Almost all grain samples were found to be contaminated with DON, ZEN, T-2 at low concentrations; however, it is known that the action of toxins at low concentrations is slow, the adverse effects are evidenced only after some time and in different forms, which poses a serious risk to human and animal health.