Papers by Pasquale De Vita
sul banco degli imputati le "nuove" farine come causa di intolleranze ATTUALITÀ
Journal of Cereal Science, 2010
Yellow pigment content (YPC), lipoxygenase (LPX) activity and the polymorphism at the Lpx-B1.1 lo... more Yellow pigment content (YPC), lipoxygenase (LPX) activity and the polymorphism at the Lpx-B1.1 locus were assessed on an Italian durum wheat germplasm collection and four varieties contrasting for YPC and LPX activity were then characterized in terms of Lpx gene expression, biochemical LPX properties and their performance during pasta processing. The screening of 71 genotypes showed a great genetic variability for YPC (3.68e9.43 mg/g dw) and LPX activity (0.02e7.91 EU/g dw). The Lpx-B1.1 polymorphism was significantly associated with differences in LPX activity. Besides the Lpx-B1.1 deletion, different expression levels of Lpx mRNAs were found associated with differences in LPX activity. The temporal expression of three Lpx genes showed different profiles among the cultivars investigated. Genotypes with high LPX activity showed an anticipated temporal expression for Lpx-1 compared to low LPX activity ones. The LPX activity in the analysed genotypes is most likely due to the contribution of different LPX isoforms observed in the later stage of grain filling.
To cite th is article / Pou r citer cet article -SUMMARY -Current methods for varietal identifica... more To cite th is article / Pou r citer cet article -SUMMARY -Current methods for varietal identification of durum wheat, based on seed protein analysis, have a limited effectiveness since protein polymorphism is not so high. Subsequently, new more polymorphic analytical methods are required to avoid the possibility of seed mixture or substitution of high quality varieties with poor quality ones in commercial transactions. The inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) are a new kind of molecular marker involving PCR amplification of DNA by a single primer composed of a repeated sequence anchored at the 3' or 5' end by 2-4 arbitrary nucleotides. The aim of this work is to test the efficiency of ISSR markers to distinguish a set of 30 Italian durum wheat cultivars and 22 breeding lines. The efficiency was found very high and two primers were found sufficient to distinguish all the durum wheat cultivars examined.
Availability of water is one of the most limiting factors in crop production. Current technologie... more Availability of water is one of the most limiting factors in crop production. Current technologies for measuring plant water status are limited. Considering plant and irrigation management it is essential to discriminate between water stress and various other possible abiotic stress factors. A field study was conducted to determine specific reflectance wavelength ranges responsive to water and nitrogen stress in durum wheat. Plot experiments were carried out at Foggia (southern Italy) on a clay loam soil. Reflectance of wheat plants grown under drought and well-irrigated conditions and under nitrogen deficiency was measured. Spectral vegetation indices (VIs) were measured with a FieldSpec spectroradiometer (Analytical Spectral Devices, Boulder, CO) at the booting stage of wheat plants. Leaf RWC (%) was calculated to quantify crop water status, and N leaf content was used to determine crop N status. Analysis of this data indicated that it is possible to use remotely sensed data to develop maps of water stress and N status when variations in all of these factors are simultaneously present.
European Journal of Agronomy, 2007
Fourteen durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars introduced in Italy between 1900 and 1990 w... more Fourteen durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars introduced in Italy between 1900 and 1990 were grown for 2 years (2001 and 2002) at Foggia (Italy) in field trials with three agronomic treatments in order to assess the genetic improvement in agronomic and qualitative parameters. The traits were measured in the field to describe the biomass production and its partitioning to the grain, the phenological behaviours and the photosynthetic properties. Grain protein content, alveograph's W-index, carotenoid pigments content, ash content and the glutenin and gliadin subunit compositions were then measured to assess grain quality. The results showed that differences in agronomic traits among durum wheat cultivars released in Italy in the last century are generally similar to differences observed in hexaploid wheat, with an annual genetic yield gain of 19.9 kg ha −1 year −1 . The genetic gain was most clearly associated with a higher kernels number m −2 indicating a larger grain-sink size and a higher number of spikes m −2 . The gradual reduction in plant height associated with an increased harvest index has represented the main breeding goal with an effect on the sink capacity and on the biomass partitioning. The progressive incorporation into recent cultivars, of favourable alleles (7 + 8 glutenin subunit composition) coding for superior quality subunits reflects the improvement in pasta making quality of the recent genotypes.
Field Crops Research, 2010
In durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) the improvement of yield stability represents an important ... more In durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) the improvement of yield stability represents an important component for agricultural progress worldwide. This work reports on the evaluation of the yield performance of 65 durum wheat genotypes (landraces, old and new cultivars with different years of release and advanced breeding lines), in a range of Italian environments to assess the changes in adaptation and yield stability achieved over the last century as results of the genetic improvement. The Additive Main effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) analysis was used to capture a large portion of the Genotype × Environment interaction (GE) sum of squares and to separate main and interaction effects. The breeding strategies adopted during the last decades have contributed to reduce the interaction of genotypes with environments selecting genotypes with better stability across a wide range of locations and years and modern genotypes outperformed the old ones in all test environments with a strong adaptability to improved fertility. The old cultivars were characterized by a minimal responsiveness to improved environmental conditions, showing an almost stable nominal yield in agreement with the concept of "biological" or "static" stability. In contrast, the modern cultivars were highly responsive to fertility improvements and showed a pronounced adaptation to high-input environments. Notably, within the group of modern cultivars two of them, Tiziana and Giusto, showed a high-yield stability in biological terms and a high nominal yield across the tested environments. Giusto and Tiziana were the best cultivars in terms of both nominal yield and minimal GE interaction, indicating that selecting for improved yield potential may increase yield in a wide range of environments.
Journal of Plant Interactions, 2008
... Paola Pontieri was supported by a postdoctoral grant from the Istituto Banco di Napoli, Fonda... more ... Paola Pontieri was supported by a postdoctoral grant from the Istituto Banco di Napoli, Fondazione. References Babiker EE, Kato A. 1998. ... 1984. Effect of sorghum variety on baking properties of US conven-tional bread, Egyptian pita 'Balady' bread and cookies. ...
Soil & Tillage Research, 2007
No-tillage (NT) is becoming increasingly attractive to farmers because it clearly reduces product... more No-tillage (NT) is becoming increasingly attractive to farmers because it clearly reduces production costs relative to conventional tillage (CT). However, many producers in southern Italy are reluctant to adopt this practice because NT can have contrasting consequences on grain yield depending on weather conditions. The effect of NT and CT on continuous durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) under rainfed Mediterranean conditions was studied, over a 3-year period (2000)(2001)(2002) at two locations (Foggia and Vasto) in southern Italy. Yield, grain quality [thousand kernel weight (TKW), test weight (TW) and protein content (PC)] and soil water content were assessed.
Journal of Plant Interactions, 2012
Grain protein has recently received attention in several countries because of a premium associate... more Grain protein has recently received attention in several countries because of a premium associated to increased protein concentration (PC) in grains. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer management with its timing of application and rates plays a crucial role in increasing PC. The objectives of the present study were to: (1) quantify the effects of different N fertilizer rates and timing of application on grain yield and grain protein of six durum wheat cultivars, and (2) identify the best cultivar in terms of net return, yield, and protein content in typical pedo-climatic condition of southern Italy. The field experiments were conducted in Foggia during three growing seasons (2002–2003, 2003–2004, and 2004–2005). Results from this study showed that N application at sowing did not influence the cultivars performance. N applied at stem elongation increased yield and protein content provided there is adequate soil water for N uptake. In absolute terms, the best combination was the cultivar Svevo managed using 104 kg N ha−1 split between tillering and stem-elongation stage. The excessive N splitting reduces yield and does not provide any improvement in terms of protein content.
Journal of Cereal Science, 2011
A defining factor for the commercial value of durum wheat pasta is its amber colour, which depend... more A defining factor for the commercial value of durum wheat pasta is its amber colour, which depends on the semolina yellow pigment concentration and on the oxidative enzymatic activity. Among carotenoids controlling yellow colour, the presence of b-carotene is also important as precursors of vitamin A. The aim of the present study was to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) for yellow pigment concentration, yellow index and individual carotenoid compounds (lutein, zeaxanthin, b-cryptoxanthin, a-carotene and b-carotene) in a durum segregant population. Total carotenoid concentration amounted to 37% of the yellow pigments, indicating unknown colour-producing compounds in the durum extracts. Lutein was the most abundant carotenoid, followed by zeaxanthin, a-carotene and b-carotene, while b-cryptoxanthin was a minor component. Phytoene synthase marker Psy-A1, 150 SSR and EST-SSR markers, and 345 DArT Ò markers, were used to construct the linkage map for subsequent QTL analysis. Clusters of QTL for total and/or one or more carotenoid compounds were detected on the same chromosome regions (2A, 3B, 5A and 7A) where QTL for yellow pigment concentration and yellow index were identified. The molecular markers associated to major QTL would be useful for marker-assisted selection programs to facilitate high carotenoid concentration with high nutritional carotenoid compounds in wheat grain.
Journal of Cereal Science, 2000
The quality of durum wheat cannot be simply defined since it changes depending on the worker and ... more The quality of durum wheat cannot be simply defined since it changes depending on the worker and end-use. Here we report a description of quality aspects evaluated at different levels: by the farmer, grain dealer, seed company, milling industry, pasta industry and consumer. The transformation of durum wheat to improve the quality for traditional end-uses and for novel applications is also described.
Journal of Plant Interactions, 2011
The genetic basis of resistance to soil-borne cereal mosaic virus (SBCMV) in the Triticum turgidu... more The genetic basis of resistance to soil-borne cereal mosaic virus (SBCMV) in the Triticum turgidum L. var. durum cv. Neodur was analyzed in this study, using a linkage mapping approach. We performed phenotypic and molecular analyses of 146 recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross Cirillo (highly susceptible)×Neodur (highly resistant). A major quantitative trait locus (QTL) that explained up to 87% of the observed variability for symptom severity was identified on the short arm of chromosome 2B, within the 40-cM interval between the markers Xwmc764 and Xgwm1128, with wPt-2106 as the peak marker. Three minor QTLs were found on chromosomes 3B and 7B. Two markers coding for resistance proteins co-segregate with the major QTL on chromosome 2B and the minor QTL on chromosome 3B, representing potential candidate genes for the two resistance loci. Microsatellite markers flanking the major QTL were evaluated on a set of 25 durum wheat genotypes that were previously characterized for SBCMV resistance. The allelic composition of the genotypes at these loci, together with pedigree data, suggests that the old Italian cultivar Cappelli provided the SBCMV-resistance determinants to durum cultivars that have been independently bred in different countries over the last century.
Field Crops Research, 2009
Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral conten... more Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral content in cereal products represents a possible strategy to increase the human mineral intake. Nevertheless, most of the inorganic phosphorus (P i ) present in mature cereal seeds (40-80%) is stored as phytate, an antinutritional factor that forms complexes with minerals such as Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe reducing their bioavailability. The present study was undertaken: (i) to determine the variation in phytate and mineral concentrations in the whole grains of 84 Italian durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars representative of old and modern germplasm; (ii) to estimate the magnitude of genotype  environment interaction effects; and (iii) to examine the interrelationships among mineral concentrations in durum wheat with the final aim to identify superior durum wheat cultivars that possess low phytate content and high concentration of mineral elements in their whole-wheat flour. The cultivars were grown in field trials during 2004-2005 at Foggia, Italy and during 2005-2006 at Foggia and Fiorenzuola d'Arda-Southern and Northern Italy. The phytate content was estimated indirectly by using a microtitre plate assay evaluating the P i absorbance at 820 nm, while the Cu, Fe, Mn, Ca, K, Mg, Na and Zn mineral contents were determined by ICP/OES. The contents of Zn and Fe across years and locations ranged from 28.5 to 46.3 mg/kg for Zn with an average of 37.4 mg/kg and from 33.6 to 65.6 mg/kg for Fe with an average of 49.6 mg/kg. P i grain content was between 0.46 and 0.76 mg/g showing a positive correlation with all minerals except Cu and Zn. Although breeding activity for Fe and Zn would be difficult because G  E interaction is prevalent, multi-location evaluation of germplasm collection help to identify superior genotypes to achieve this objective. The results here reported open the possibility of designing a specific breeding program for improving the nutritional value of durum wheat through the identification of parental lines with low-P i and high minerals concentration in whole grains. ß
Euphytica, 2006
The increasing popularity of organic agriculture and health food products has led to a renewed in... more The increasing popularity of organic agriculture and health food products has led to a renewed interest in hulled wheat species such as emmer (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccumSchubler). Knowledge on agronomic and quality traits is required for effective and efficient use of germplasm collections in breeding programs. The objective of this study was to estimate agronomic and grain quality traits of emmer wheat cultivated in Italy. A total of 20 emmer accessions consisting of landraces, breeding lines or cultivars selected from landraces and modern cultivars were examined under low input conditions. The study was conducted for three successive years (2002–2004) at one location of Southern Italy (Foggia). The entries were characterized for agronomic and qualitative traits [grain yield (t ha−1), thousand grain weight (g), test weight (kg hl−1), grain protein content (%), HMWG composition, dry gluten content (%), gluten index and yellow index, alveograph indices and Total Organic Matter (TOM) on cooked pasta]. The results showed a large genetic variability for most of the traits measured and, even if most of the accessions showed inferior bread- and pasta-making performance, modern cultivars exhibited improved quality traits with some potential to perform healthy and tasty food.
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Papers by Pasquale De Vita