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Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality
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Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 12223

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Gengjun Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Grain Science and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Interests: cereal chemistry and quality; functional cereal products; bioactive components in cereals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cereal grains have comprised a major component of the human diet for thousands of years. Wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, barley, miller, etc., are important staples critical to human survival around the world. Nowadays, more than 50% of our daily caloric intake is derived from cereal product consumption. Thus, cereal quality represents a crucial factor in human health and sustainable development, being defined by several terms, such as physical (i.e., kernel size), safety (i.e., fungal infection), and compositional factors (i.e., protein content). However, the challenge of developing high quality of cereal products that meet human expectations remains. This Special Issue of Plants will highlight some of the latest research endeavors aiming to improve our understanding of conceptual advances and novel methodologies and analysis in biotechnology, processing, and storage to improve cereal quality. We invite authors to contribute high-quality original research or review papers covering (but not limited to) the following subjects:

  • Integrated crop nutrient management;
  • Increase in nutrient acquisition, bioavailability, and efficiency;
  • Bioactive components and the health benefits of cereal products;
  • Biofortification—improvement of food (feed) quality due to plant nutrition;
  • Novel analytical methods and techniques;
  • Effect of processing and storage on chemistry and nutritional attributes of cereal products;
  • Grain ingredients and the interactions influence product quality.

Dr. Gengjun Chen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cereal quality
  • bioactive nutrients
  • biofortification
  • bioavailability
  • novel techniques
  • grain ingredients

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 7657 KiB  
Article
Selection and Yield Formation Characteristics of Dry Direct Seeding Rice in Northeast China
by Chao Liang, Yimeng Li, Kunhao Zhang, Zhouzhou Wu, Jiaxin Liu, Junfeng Liu, Chanchan Zhou, Shu Wang, Fenghai Li and Guomin Sui
Plants 2023, 12(19), 3496; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193496 - 07 Oct 2023
Viewed by 940
Abstract
Dry direct seeding rice (DSR) is an emerging production system because of increasing labor and water scarcity in rice cultivation. The limited availability of rice cultivars suitable for dry direct seeding hampers the widespread adoption of this cultivation method in Northeast China. This [...] Read more.
Dry direct seeding rice (DSR) is an emerging production system because of increasing labor and water scarcity in rice cultivation. The limited availability of rice cultivars suitable for dry direct seeding hampers the widespread adoption of this cultivation method in Northeast China. This study aimed to investigate grain production and plant characteristics associated with dry direct seeding rice. We conducted a field experiment on 79 japonica rice cultivars in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, Northeast China, in 2020 and 2021. This study found that the grain yield of the tested rice cultivars ranged from 5.75–11.00 t ha−1, with a growth duration lasting between 144–161 days across the cultivars. These cultivars were then categorized into high yielding (HY), medium yielding (MY), and low yielding (LY) based on daily yield by using Ward’s hierarchical clustering method. The higher grain yield for HY compared to MY and LY was attributed to more spikelets per unit area. The HY alleviated the conflict between higher panicle density and larger panicle size by improving the seedling emergence rate and productive stem rate. It also significantly increased shoot biomass at maturity. The HY reduced the period between seeding and beginning of heading (BBCH 51) and the proportion of dry matter partitioned to the leaf at the heading stage. However, it also increased the accumulation of dry matter in the grain and the proportion of dry matter partitioned to the grain at maturity. Furthermore, the HY markedly increased the harvest index and grain-leaf ratio, which are beneficial to coordinate the source–sink relationship. A quadratic function predicted that 98 days is the optimum growth duration before heading (BBCH 51) for achieving maximum yield. In conclusion, for dry direct seeding rice, it is appropriate to select high-yielding japonica inbred rice cultivars with shorter growth duration before heading (about 93–102 day), higher panicle number (about 450–500 × 104 ha–1), more spikelet number per panicle (about 110–130), higher seedling emergence rate (about 70–75%), higher productive stem rate (about 60–70%), and greater harvest index (about 50–55%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality)
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23 pages, 1290 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Different Cropping Systems on Yield, Quality, Productivity Elements, and Morphological Characters in Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
by Ramona Aida Paunescu, Elena Bonciu, Elena Rosculete, Gabriela Paunescu and Catalin Aurelian Rosculete
Plants 2023, 12(15), 2802; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12152802 - 28 Jul 2023
Viewed by 998
Abstract
The aim of this work was to study how certain applied cropping systems (conventional systems differentiated by fertilization level or sowing season and subsistence farming) influence yield, quality, productivity elements, and morphological characters in a collection of Romanian and foreign wheat cultivars. The [...] Read more.
The aim of this work was to study how certain applied cropping systems (conventional systems differentiated by fertilization level or sowing season and subsistence farming) influence yield, quality, productivity elements, and morphological characters in a collection of Romanian and foreign wheat cultivars. The following indicators were evaluated: productive potential (yield), quality (test weight, protein content, wet gluten content, deformation index, sedimentation index, and gluten index), as well as other elements that determine yield (number of ears/square meter, thousand kernel weight, number of grains/ear, and weight of grains/ear) and plant height. The results show that the cropping systems influenced all the elements studied except the thousand-kernel weight. The only characteristics influenced by higher nitrogen fertilization were test weight, protein content, wet gluten content, deformation index, and gluten index. The superiority of a delayed conventional system was shown by the number of grains/wheat ear and the deformation index. Protein content was differentiated between the conventional and the subsistence system, but especially between the low-input and the conventional system. Nitrogen supply is the most important factor for determining wheat productivity and grain quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality)
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14 pages, 2356 KiB  
Article
Combination of Iron and Zinc Enhanced the Root Cell Division, Mitotic Regularity and Nucleolar Activity of Hexaploid Triticale
by Ana Carvalho, Alexandra Lino, Carolina Alves, Catarina Lino, Débora Vareiro, Diogo Lucas, Gabriela Afonso, José Costa, Margarida Esteves, Maria Gaspar, Mário Bezerra, Vladimir Mendes and José Lima-Brito
Plants 2023, 12(13), 2517; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12132517 - 30 Jun 2023
Viewed by 839
Abstract
Hexaploid triticale results from crosses between durum wheat and rye. Despite its high agronomic potential, triticale is mainly used for livestock feed. Triticale surpasses their parental species in adaptability and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, being able to grow in acidic soils [...] Read more.
Hexaploid triticale results from crosses between durum wheat and rye. Despite its high agronomic potential, triticale is mainly used for livestock feed. Triticale surpasses their parental species in adaptability and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, being able to grow in acidic soils where a high amount of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) is typical. On the other hand, high amounts of these essential trace elements can be cytotoxic to bread wheat. The cytotoxicity induced by seed priming with a high concentration of Fe and Zn impaired root cell division and induced nucleolar changes in bread wheat. Such cytogenetic approaches were expedited and successfully determined cytotoxic and suited micronutrient dosages for wheat nutripriming. With this study, we intended to analyse the hexaploid triticale cv ‘Douro’ root mitotic cell cycle and nucleolar activity after seed priming performed with aqueous solutions of iron (Fe) and/or zinc (Zn), containing a concentration that was previously considered cytotoxic, to bread wheat and to infer the higher tolerance of triticale to these treatments. The overall cytogenetic data allowed us to conclude that the Fe + Zn treatment enhanced the root mitotic index (MI), mitosis regularity and nucleolar activity of ‘Douro’ relative to the control and the individual treatments performed with Fe or Zn alone. The Fe + Zn treatment might suit triticale biofortification through seed priming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality)
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22 pages, 3692 KiB  
Article
Long-Term In Situ Conservation Drove Microevolution of Solina d’Abruzzo Wheat on Adaptive, Agronomic and Qualitative Traits
by Caterina Morcia, Riccardo De Flaviis, Valeria Terzi, Maria Eugenia Gasparelli, Roberta Ghizzoni, Franz-W. Badeck, Fulvia Rizza, Veronica Santarelli, Giorgio Tumino and Giampiero Sacchetti
Plants 2023, 12(6), 1306; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061306 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1312
Abstract
Solina is an example of a bread wheat landrace that has been conserved in situ for centuries in Central Italy. A core collection of Solina lines sampled in areas at different altitudes and climatic conditions was obtained and genotyped. A clustering analysis based [...] Read more.
Solina is an example of a bread wheat landrace that has been conserved in situ for centuries in Central Italy. A core collection of Solina lines sampled in areas at different altitudes and climatic conditions was obtained and genotyped. A clustering analysis based on a wide SNP dataset generated from DArTseq analysis outlined the existence of two main groups, which, after Fst analysis, showed polymorphism in genes associated with vernalization and photoperiod response. Starting from the hypothesis that the different pedoclimatic environments in which Solina lines were conserved may have shaped the population, some phenotypic characteristics were studied in the Solina core collection. Growth habit, low-temperature resistance, allelic variations at major loci involved in vernalization response, and sensitivity to photoperiod were evaluated, together with seed morphologies, grain colour, and hardness. The two Solina groups showed different responses to low temperatures and to photoperiod-specific allelic variations as well as the different morphology and technological characteristics of the grain. In conclusion, the long-term in situ conservation of Solina in environments sited at different altitudes has had an impact on the evolution of this landrace which, despite its high genetic diversity, remains clearly identifiable and distinct so as to be included in conservation varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality)
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22 pages, 5279 KiB  
Article
Performance of APSIM to Simulate the Dynamics of Winter Wheat Growth, Phenology, and Nitrogen Uptake from Early Growth Stages to Maturity in Northern Europe
by Uttam Kumar, Elly Møller Hansen, Ingrid Kaag Thomsen and Iris Vogeler
Plants 2023, 12(5), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12050986 - 21 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2062
Abstract
Performance of the APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator) wheat model was assessed to simulate winter wheat phenology, biomass, grain yield, and nitrogen (N) uptake for its potential to optimize fertilizer applications for optimal crop growth and minimal environmental degradation. The calibration and evaluation [...] Read more.
Performance of the APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator) wheat model was assessed to simulate winter wheat phenology, biomass, grain yield, and nitrogen (N) uptake for its potential to optimize fertilizer applications for optimal crop growth and minimal environmental degradation. The calibration and evaluation dataset had 144 and 72 different field growing conditions (location (~7) × year (~5) × sowing date (2) × N treatment (7–13)), respectively, and included seven cultivars. APSIM simulated phenological stages satisfactorily with both model calibration and evaluation data sets with r2 of 0.97 and RMSE of 3.98–4.15 BBCH (BASF, Bayer, Ciba-Geigy, and Hoechst) scale. Simulations for biomass accumulation and N uptake during early growth stages (BBCH 28–49) were also reasonable with r2 of 0.65 and RMSE of 1510 kg ha−1, and r2 of 0.64–0.66 and RMSE of 28–39 kg N ha−1, respectively, with a higher accuracy during booting (BBCH 45–47). Overestimation of N uptake during stem elongation (BBCH 32–39) was attributed to (1) high inter-annual variability in simulations, and (2) high sensitivity of parameters regulating N uptake from soil. Calibration accuracy of grain yield and grain N was higher than that of biomass and N uptake at the early growth stages. APSIM wheat model showed high potential for optimizing fertilizer management in winter wheat cultivation in Northern Europe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality)
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18 pages, 318 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Different Crop Mulches on Weed Infestation, Soil Properties and Productivity of Wheat under Conventional and Conservation Production Systems
by Waqas Ahmed Minhas, Noman Mehboob, Muhammad Yahya, Hafeez Ur Rehman, Shahid Farooq and Mubshar Hussain
Plants 2023, 12(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12010009 - 20 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1394
Abstract
Pakistan and other South Asian countries rely on wheat for human nutrition. However, wheat yield is declining in the region due to several biotic and abiotic constraints. Weeds are among the major factors responsible for yield decrease and farmers manage them by intensive [...] Read more.
Pakistan and other South Asian countries rely on wheat for human nutrition. However, wheat yield is declining in the region due to several biotic and abiotic constraints. Weeds are among the major factors responsible for yield decrease and farmers manage them by intensive tillage practices. Several studies have investigated the impact of various tillage practices on weed management in wheat. However, weed suppression abilities of different mulch types are rarely tested. This three-year (2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22) study investigated the impact of different mulch types (prepared from different crops) on weed infestation, soil properties and productivity of wheat under conventional and conservation production systems at three locations (Multan, Hafizabad and Faisalabad) in Punjab, Pakistan. The mulches included in the study were cotton sticks mulch, mungbean straw mulch, sorghum straw mulch, rice straw mulch, sunflower straw mulch, plastic mulch, and no mulch (as control). The production systems opted for wheat cultivation were conventionally tilled wheat (CTW), zero-tilled wheat (ZTW) and zero-tilled wheat sown with happy seeder machine (HSW). The CTW resulted in the lowest soil bulk density and the highest soil porosity after wheat harvest, while ZTW behaved oppositely. Similarly, incorporation of crop mulches resulted in the highest soil porosity and the lowest soil bulk density, while no-mulch incorporation and plastic mulch recorded the highest bulk density and the lowest soil porosity. Regarding mulches by production systems’ interaction, CTW with sorghum straw- and plastic mulches recorded the lowest weed density and biomass, while ZTW with no-mulch recorded the highest weed density and biomass at all locations. The CTW with mungbean straw- and plastic mulches resulted in the highest yield due to significant improvement in yield-related traits. However, ZTW with sorghum straw mulch and no-mulch resulted in the lowest wheat yield. Although sorghum straw mulch suppressed weed infestation, it negatively affected wheat growth. Economic analysis revealed that CTW with mungbean straw mulch resulted in the highest gross and net incomes and benefit:cost ratio (BCR), while the ZTW with rice straw- and sorghum straw mulches produced the lowest gross and net incomes and BCR at all locations. Therefore, mungbean straw mulch is a viable option to improve wheat productivity and net economic returns under different agro-climatic conditions of Punjab, Pakistan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality)
13 pages, 2756 KiB  
Article
Changes in Metabolic Profile of Rice Leaves Induced by Humic Acids
by Natália Aguiar Canellas, Fábio Lopes Olivares, Rakiely Martins da Silva and Luciano Pasqualoto Canellas
Plants 2022, 11(23), 3261; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11233261 - 27 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1311
Abstract
The use of humic substances in agriculture as a biostimulant emerged as one of the promising methods to promote sustainable production. Different molecular, biochemical, and physiological processes are triggered, resulting in nutrient efficiency use and protection against abiotic stress. Understanding plant changes promoted [...] Read more.
The use of humic substances in agriculture as a biostimulant emerged as one of the promising methods to promote sustainable production. Different molecular, biochemical, and physiological processes are triggered, resulting in nutrient efficiency use and protection against abiotic stress. Understanding plant changes promoted by humic substances is essential for innovative and tailored biostimulation technologies. Cell metabolites are the final target of the response chain, and the metabolomic approach can be helpful in unveiling pathways related to plant response. This study aimed to evaluate a global metabolic alteration of rice leaves induced by humic acids (HA) applied in a hydroponics system. Using 1H NMR and GC-TOF/MS analysis, we observed a significant decrease in all main metabolites classes in leaves treated with HA, including lipids, organic acids, amino acids, and carbohydrates. Metabolites in higher concentrations in HA-treated plants are candidates as markers of HA bioactivity, including amino acids, intermediates of tricarboxylic acid cycle, and lipids, and aromatic compounds related to plant-stress response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality)
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14 pages, 2780 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Elevated Tropospheric Ozone on Carbon Fixation and Stable Isotopic Signatures of Durum Wheat Cultivars with Different Biomass and Yield Stability
by Limin Ma, Chong Chen, Lorenzo Cotrozzi, Chengcheng Bu, Jiahong Luo, Guodong Yao, Guangyao Chen, Weiwei Zhang, Cristina Nali and Giacomo Lorenzini
Plants 2022, 11(22), 3185; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11223185 - 21 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1004
Abstract
Tropospheric ozone (O3) enrichment caused by human activities can reduce important crop yields with huge economic loss and affect the global carbon cycle and climate change in the coming decades. In this study, two Italian cultivars of durum wheat (Claudio and [...] Read more.
Tropospheric ozone (O3) enrichment caused by human activities can reduce important crop yields with huge economic loss and affect the global carbon cycle and climate change in the coming decades. In this study, two Italian cultivars of durum wheat (Claudio and Mongibello) were exposed to O3 (80 ppb, 5 h day−1 for 70 consecutive days), with the aim to investigate the changes in yield and biomass, ecophysiological traits, and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values in plants, and to compare the stable isotope responses under environmental stressors. Both cultivars showed a relative O3 tolerance in terms of photosynthetic performance, but in cultivar Mongibello, O3 was detrimental to the grain yield and plant biomass. The δ13C values in the leaves of plants identified that the impact of O3 on CO2 fixation by RuBisCO was dominant. The δ15N value showed significant differences between treatments in both cultivars at seven days from the beginning of the exposure, which could be considered an early indicator of ozone pollution. Under increasingly frequent extreme climates globally, the relationships among stable isotope data, ecophysiological traits, and agronomic parameters could help breed future cultivars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality)
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9 pages, 3865 KiB  
Communication
Accumulation of Wheat Phenolic Acids under Different Nitrogen Rates and Growing Environments
by Wenfei Tian, Fengju Wang, Kaijie Xu, Zhaoxing Zhang, Junliang Yan, Jun Yan, Yubing Tian, Jindong Liu, Yan Zhang, Yong Zhang and Zhonghu He
Plants 2022, 11(17), 2237; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172237 - 29 Aug 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1537
Abstract
The health benefits of whole wheat grains are partially attributed to their phenolic acid composition, especially that of trans-ferulic acid (TFA), which is a powerful natural antioxidant. Breeders and producers are becoming interested in wheat with enhanced health-promoting effects. This study investigated [...] Read more.
The health benefits of whole wheat grains are partially attributed to their phenolic acid composition, especially that of trans-ferulic acid (TFA), which is a powerful natural antioxidant. Breeders and producers are becoming interested in wheat with enhanced health-promoting effects. This study investigated the effects of different nitrogen (N) application rates (0, 42, 84, 126, and 168 N kg ha−1) on the phenolic acid composition of three wheat varieties in four locations for two years. The results indicate that the different N rates did not affect the TFA concentration but that they significantly affected the concentrations of para-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, and cis-ferulic acid in the wheat grains. A statistical analysis suggested that the wheat phenolic acid composition was predominantly determined by wheat variety, though there existed some interaction effect between the wheat variety and environments. The TFA concentration of the variety Jimai 22 was generally higher (with a mean value of 726.04 µg/g) but was easily affected by the environment, while the TFA concentration of the variety Zhongmai 578 (with a mean value of 618.01 µg/g) was more stable across the different environments. The results also suggest that it is possible to develop new wheat varieties with high yield potential, good end-use properties, and enhanced nutraceutical values. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cereal Science and Cereal Quality)
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