Discriminatory morpho-metric features are obvious on legume seeds. This study utilized seven quantitative and 11 qualitative seed traits to characterize 139 African yam bean (AYB) breeding lines which were developed through single seed descent procedure. The seven quantitative data were subjected to analysis of variance, their means were combined with qualitative scores for genetic distance, principal component (PC) and clustering analyses. Significant (P ≤ 0.001) variation existed among the breeding lines for the seven traits. Mean ranges of seed length (SL), width (SW), thickness (ST) and a single seed weight (SSW) among the 139 breeding lines were respectively: 6.77–10.22 mm, 5.70–7.86 mm, 4.96–7.45 mm and 0.15–0.42 g. Positive and significant (P ≤ 0.05) genotypic correlation existed among SSW, SL, SW and ST. Seed colours, pattern, shapes, sizes, surface texture, brilliance varied among the breeding lines. Ranges of phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation and broadsense heritability were: 5.49–23.84%, 2.95–19.88% and 28.91–69.54% respectively. Fourteen (quantitative and qualitative) traits contributed higher (≥ 0.30) eigenvector loadings to the first three PC axes which explained 57.9% of the total variation among the breeding lines. Similarity among the lines was 0.75. Four clusters ensued in the dendrograph and each group had genetic similarities of: 0.85 (I), 0.82 (II), 0.78 (III) and 0.80 (IV). This research unveiled significant variation among AYB breeding lines with promising reliability for breeding opportunities of the qualitative and quantitative seed traits, which could contribute to higher grain yield and acceptability.

This research aimed to assess the agronomic performance of the progeny (F3 and F4 generations) of 48 newly developed Aus rice lines, using a randomized-complete-block-design under rainfed conditions. We found a wide range of variations in yield and yield-contributing traits among the studied genotypes. High board sense heritability percentages were found for sterility percentage (99.50 and 97.20), thousand-grain-weight (88.10 and 90.20 g), plant-height (84.90 and 86.90 cm) and day-to-maturity (84.50 and 97.60 d) in both F3 and F4 generations, respectively. However, the highest genetic advance as mean percentage was observed for sterility (48.00 and 50.60), effective tillers number per hill (ET) (44.70 and 47.10), total tillers number per hill (TT) (43.00 and 45.40) and filled-grains per panicle (41.00 and 43.20) respectively. Notably, the correlation study also identified the traits, TT (r = 0.31 and 0.45), ET (r = 0.30 and 0.44), straw yield (r = 0.57 and 0.39) and harvest index (r = 0.63 and 0.67) as effective for improving grain yield in both F3 and F4 generations, respectively. We identified higher grain yield per hill (g) and shorter to moderate crop growth duration (days) in several distinct accessions, including R1-49-7-1-1, R3-26-4-3-1, R1-6-2-3-1, R1-13-1-1-1, R1-50-1-1-1, R3-49-4-3-1, R1-47-7-3-1, R2-26-6-2-2, R3-30-1-2-1 and R1-44-1-2-1, among the 48 genotypes in both the F3 and F4 generations. A further location-specific agronomic study is recommended to assess the drought tolerance of these promising genotypes. This will further assess their suitability as potential breeding materials when developing rice varieties adapted to grow under fluctuating rainfalls conditions.

Safflower, a semiarid crop, contains a healthy oil with high unsaturated fatty acids. Genetically diverse accessions are important for genetic maintenance of safflower and breeding proposes. The objectives of present investigation were to evaluate the morphological variation of 100 safflower accessions across two years (2022 and 2023), to explore similar genotypic groups and to identify the higher contribution of traits with to the observed variability. The highest coefficient of variation (CV) was observed for seeds per secondary capitulum, number of capitula per plant and weight of lateral capitulum in the first year and the highest CV values were observed for number of capitula per plant and capitula per lateral branch in the second year. The factor analysis identified five factors in the first year and six factors in the second as yield components, height, seed yield, capitulum diameter and phonology while number of branches was identified as the extra factor in the second year. Results showed that the variation of morphologic traits was made up of from the most measured traits of safflower. We defined seven distinct clusters, which made it possible to differentiate safflower accessions based on measured traits across two years. Of 45 accessions were grouped in similar clusters across two years, without any or similar genotype by environment interaction. Some high yielding accessions like C-47 and Lesaf-175 can be entered directly in multi-environmental trials for cultivar release proposes. The recognized variation improves as a good resource, indicating an important issue for future projects for safflower germplasm maintenance and breeding.

Multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis were used to establish the crystal chemistry of several Al-rich smectites. The statistical analyses were carded out on 78 samples taken from the literature which were classified on the basis of their physicochemical properties. A strong discrimination exists between beidellites and montmorillonites, ‘non-ideal’ montmorillonites and ‘ideal’ montmorillonites, and Wyoming-type and Cheto-type montmorillonites. Of the Cheto-type montmorillonites, the Tatatilla-type samples are strongly discriminated, whereas the distinction between Chambers- and Otay-types is not strong. AlIV, AlVI, Fe, Mg, and Ca are generally important discriminating variables, whereas the tetrahedral portion of the layer charge, commonly used as a discriminating factor among these minerals, is only moderately significant.

Multivariate statistical analyses of geochemical, mineralogical, and cation-exchange capacity (CEC) data from a Venezuelan oil well were used to construct a model which relates elemental concentrations to mineral abundances. An r-mode factor analysis showed that most of the variance could be accounted for by four independent factors and that these factors were related to individual mineral components: kaolinite, illite, K-feldspar, and heavy minerals. Concentrations of Al, Fe, and K in core samples were used to estimate the abundances of kaolinite, illite, K-feldspar, and, by subtraction from unity, quartz. Concentrations of these elements were also measured remotely in the well by geochemical logging tools and were used to estimate these mineral abundances on a continuous basis as a function of depth. The CEC was estimated from a linear combination of the derived kaolinite and illite abundances. The formation's thermal neutron capture cross section estimated from the log-derived mineralogy and a porosity log agreed well with the measured data. Concentrations of V, among other trace elements, were modeled as linear combinations of the clay mineral abundances. The measured core V agreed with the derived values in shales and water-bearing sands, but exceeded the clay-derived values in samples containing heavy oil. The excess V was used to estimate the V content and API Gravity of the oil. The log-derived clay mineralogy was used to help distinguish nonmarine from transitional depositional environments. Kaolinite was the dominant clay in nonmarine deposits, whereas transitional sediments contained more illite.

The patterns and extent of genetic variation among 56 cashew germplasm with respect to 32 qualitative and 33 quantitative traits were evaluated for two successive years in the present study. Additionally, maturase K gene-based genetic diversity among those breeding materials was also assessed. The cashew hybrids were developed from five crosses (local parent × 2/9 Dicherla; H-2/15 × red hazari; WBDC-V × JGM-1; BLA-39-4 × H-2/15 and H-2/15 × yellow hazari) involving eight parents of Indian cashew. Different genotype groups (parents and their hybrids) showed significant variation in both the years of assessment based on quantitative characters. The highest Shannon–Weaver diversity (H′) was obtained for the colour of the young leaf (0.96), possibly indicating differential exposure to sunlight, mixing of various pigments and another set of chemicals such as phenolics, carotenoids, etc. in trees. From correlation studies, canopy spread, tree spread, nuts/m2 and nuts/panicle were found to be significantly and positively correlated with nut yield. In the year 2021, nuts/m2, area and tree height were the significant explanatory variables that explained 80% of the variation in the yield, whereas in 2022, nuts/m2, tree area, nuts/panicle, kernel weight, shell thickness, inflorescence breadth and sex ratio explained 86% of the variation. Principal component analysis indicated that the genotypes under study are diverse enough to be exploited for the future cashew improvement programmes.

Soybean is a major source of vegetable oil and protein worldwide. Globally, India is among the top five producers where soybean is a major oilseed grown under diverse agro-climatic conditions by small and marginal farmers. The present study aims to identify soybean varieties with higher yield levels, resistance to pestdiseases and adaptability to climatic fluctuations. One hundred and twenty-five (125) indigenous and exotic soybean germplasm accessions and five checks were evaluated and characterized for eight agro-morphological traits at five testing locations and also screened for frog-eye leaf spot (FLS) and yellow mosaic virus (YMV) diseases under hot-spot locations during the rainy season. A wide range of variability was observed among accessions for days to 50% flowering (39–59), plant height (41–111 cm), number of nodes/plant (10–30), pod clusters/plant (14–39), number of pods/plant (40–102), days to maturity (96–115), grain yield/plant (4.89–16.54 g) and 100-seed weight (6.02–13.72 g). Among various traits, 100-seed weight (0.45), number of pods/plant (0.60) and number of pod clusters/plant (0.38) were found to be major yield-contributing traits as they exhibited highly significant correlation with grain yield/plant. Principal components PCI and PCII with eigen value >1 accounted for 42.66 and 27.08% of the total variation, respectively. Accessions G24 (EC 393222) from Taiwan and G40 (IMP-1) from the USA belonging to cluster IV were found promising for multiple yield traits and JS 20–38 from cluster III for earliness as per cluster analysis. GGE biplot average environment coordination (AEC) view revealed that the accessions viz., G11 (EC 333872), G2 (EC 251506) and G47 (TNAU-S-55) were the best performing stable genotypes in terms of grain yield/plant across locations. Twelve accessions had a high level of resistance against both FLS and YMV diseases under natural hot-spot conditions which can be utilized as promising donors in the soybean breeding programme.

The intensification of production systems raises concerns about animal welfare. In egg production, the use of cages is the main reason for discussion. The current transition from the production system to cage-free systems raises questions about consumer perception. The objective of this study was to typify, characterize and differentiate the profile of Brazilian consumers regarding animal welfare in laying poultry. For this, a questionnaire with 28 questions, addressing questions about sociodemographic indicators (SOC), eating habits (HAB), knowledge about the production chain (CON), general perception of animal welfare in egg production (HPW) and about eggs with an animal welfare guarantee (PEAWG) was answered by 1415 consumers. Machine learning techniques were applied to characterize; typify and holistic perception. Three groups of consumers were defined: interested, emerging and indifferent. All indicators under study showed discriminatory power (P < 0.001). The indicators that showed the greatest importance for the classification of the three profiles were HPW < EHAB < COM < PEAWG < SOC. The results indicate the potential of interested and emerging groups to become consumers of cage-free eggs and also indicate the need to inform the population about animal welfare in egg production. The results reinforce the need to create specific public policies for the production chain, in order to value egg production and reaffirm interest in the area, especially in specific niches such as production in cage-free systems.

Soil moisture deficit is the major constraint for sesame crop production during its main rainfed and summer cultivation seasons. In summer cultivation, the crop frequently gets exposed to soil moisture deficit at various crop growth stages. Therefore, it is essential to identify the traits along with promising genotypes adapted to soil moisture deficit. A set of 35 sesame genotypes with checks was used to quantify the variation in morpho-physiological, yield, and quality traits under irrigated (WW) and deficit soil moisture stress (WS) conditions in the summer seasons of 2021 and 2022. The analysis of variance revealed the presence of high variability among the genotypes for various measured traits. The mean performance indicated that WS negatively affects the growth, development, yield and quality traits. Moreover, the correlation, path analysis and D2 analysis studies suggested that the traits, viz. leaf area (LA), total dry matter (TDM), canopy temperature (CT), number of branches per plant (NBP) and number of seeds per capsule (NSC) were significantly associated with seed yield under both the conditions. Quality traits like palmitic acid and oleic acid correlated positively with seed yield, particularly under WS. Furthermore, the genotypes with lower canopy temperatures were found to be better seed yielders under WS. In addition, mean performance and cluster analysis suggested that the genotypes: IC- 205776, JSCDT-112, JCSDT-26, IC-205610, and IC-204300, secured higher seed yield along with superior agronomical traits and net photosynthetic rate. These selected genotypes were most promising and could be used in future sesame crop improvement programmes.

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is cultivated in more than 30 countries because of its economic and nutritional importance. Despite having a significant agronomic role, little is known about the genetic and phenotypic diversity of cashew populations in Brazil. Thus, we aimed to characterize and estimate the diversity among cashew genotypes based on agro-morphological and physicochemical traits, with an objective of selection of varieties for breeding programmes. Forty-three cashew trees were evaluated based on 13 morphological traits and three physicochemical traits. A wide range of variations was recorded for the phenotypic characteristics, including total weight, fruit weight, pseudofruit length, kernel weight and total acidity, suggesting the existence of considerable variations for potential use in breeding programmes. Principal component analysis explained 79.74% of the total variation in the first two principal axes. The dendrogram based on the UPGMA method classified the 43 genotypes into six groups. Groups IV and VI were the most dissimilar, with emphasis on the genotypes 28 and 43, which were observed to be most divergent based on the Euclidean distance matrix (3.054). This makes it possible to select genotypes for hybridization with F1 generation gains. Based on cluster analysis and comparison of means among the six groups, promising genotypes were identified with superior traits, such as fruit weight, pseudofruit length, kernel weight and total acidity. This suggests the importance of phenotypic characterization for cashew breeding programmes. In addition, the observed vast diversity is an important genetic basis for improving cashew yield in northeastern Brazil.

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of pH changes on morphometric parameters of casein micelles and a general overview of their conformational structure through microscopy techniques, Raman spectroscopy and multivariate analysis. It was found that casein micelles morphology and protein secondary structure depend strongly upon pH. The changes of arithmetic average roughness (Ra), size, and shape of casein micelles at different pH are properly characterized by atomic force and cryo-transmission electron microscopy. Morphometric changes of casein micelles were correlated correctly with folding and unfolding of casein molecules as evaluated by Raman spectroscopy when the pH was varied. The novelty of this contribution consists in demonstrating that there is a close structure-functionality relationship between the morphometric parameters of proteins and their secondary structure. Knowledge about casein micelles can help improve their use of its diverse applications.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the non-carcass components (NCC) of Berganês ecotype lambs of different sexual classes and genotypes using univariate and multivariate statistics, carrying out two experimental trials. In order to evaluate the effects of the sexual class, non-castrated males (BNC), castrated males (BC) and females (BF) of Berganês ecotype lambs were used, with mean initial body weight of 27 ± 3.1 kg. To evaluate crossbreeding, non-castrated male lambs of the genotypes Berganês (BG), Berganês × Santa Inês (BSI) and Berganês × Dorper (BD) were used, as well as the control Dorper × Santa Inês (DSI), all with mean initial body weight of 28 ± 3.8 kg. The weight and yield of the total by-products was higher for BNC. Regarding the genotype, BSI showed higher weight and yield of internal fat, but the weight and yield of the total by-products was higher for BG and BD. In factorial analysis (FA), the NCC, more correlated with empty body weight (EBW) and total weight gain (TWG), showed higher eigenvectors for factor 1. For factor 2, the weights and yields of internal fat and total viscera obtained higher eigenvectors. The discriminant analysis (DA) classified 100% of individuals in their respective sexes and genotypes. Therefore, the FA indicated that, among the NCC evaluated, the weights of liver, kidneys, GIT, skin and feets are determinant for obtaining EBW and TWG. The classification achieved by the DA indicates that the sexual classes and genotypes are heterogeneous.

Numerous epidemiological studies have suggested that nut intake is associated with a reduced risk of mortality. Although diets and lifestyles differ by regions or races/ethnicities, few studies have investigated the associations among non-white, non-Western populations. We evaluated the associations of total nut and peanut intakes with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a population-based prospective cohort in Japan. Participants (age: ≥35 years at baseline in 1992; n 31 552) were followed up until death or the end of follow-up in 2008. Those with cancer, CHD or stroke at baseline were excluded. Dietary intake was assessed only at baseline by using a validated FFQ. In total, 2901 men died during 183 299 person-years and 2438 women died during 227 054 person-years. The mean intakes of total nuts were 1·8 and 1·4 g/d in men and women, respectively. Although peanut intake accounted for approximately 80 % of the total nut intake, total nut and peanut intakes were inversely associated with all-cause mortality in men after adjusting for all potential confounders. For example, compared with the lowest quartile category, the adjusted hazard ratio (95 % CI) of total nut intake for all-cause mortality in men of the highest quartile category was 0·85 (95 % CI 0·75, 0·96) (Pfor trend = 0·034). Peanut intake was inversely associated with digestive disease mortality in men and CVD mortality in women. Total nut and peanut intakes, even in low amounts, were associated with a reduced risk of mortality particularly in men.

A diverse set of 107 rice genotypes was evaluated for yield, shattering and dormancy traits. Analysis of variance revealed sizable variation while skewness and kurtosis values indicated near-normal distribution for most of the traits, thus quantitative nature controlled by many genes. A highly significant deviation from a normal distribution for dormancy and shattering % indicated their qualitative nature of inheritance. Four promising genotypes ‘IRGC1723’ (early with 65 days to flowering), ‘IRGC 11108’ and ‘RNR 15459’ (high grain number – 358 and low average shattering – <5%), ‘RNR 11718’ (high single plant yield – 56.73 g, low average shattering – <5% and dormancy period – 21 days) are identified. A significant positive correlation between shattering and dormancy confirms inter-relationship among domestication-related characteristics. The principal component analysis revealed the contribution of four PCs to maximum variability and hierarchical clustering grouped the genotypes into 18 divergent clusters. Five cultivars (Karimnagar Samba, Sheetal, PR 121, Pranahitha and Jagitial Samba) with a combination of low shattering ability (3.35–5.7%) and considerable dormancy period (13–20 days) falling in the same cluster can be used as donors for the improvement of rice genotypes with low shattering ability and incorporating a considerable period of dormancy so as to avoid pre-harvest sprouting due to delayed harvesting. Further, they can be crossed with ‘Pratyumna’ having less than 1 week dormancy period, a genotype of the cluster XVII with which they have a maximum genetic divergence of 51.4 and may serve as parents in the development of mapping populations for the identification of QTLs/genes for shattering and dormancy traits.

To evaluate the responses of some important agronomic traits of 14 bread wheat cultivars, a split plot experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design under non-stress, moderate and severe salinity stress conditions. In this study, Backcross and Roshan were identified as the most salinity-tolerant cultivars, while Mihan and Shirudi were considered as the most salinity-sensitive cultivars. The proline content, as well as Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase (P5CS) and vacuolar-type H+-ATPase subunit E (W36) gene expression levels, were examined in these cultivars under normal, moderate and high salinity stress conditions. The proline content and P5CS gene expression level increased with a rise in NaCl concentration. Further, a direct relationship was observed between the proline content and P5CS gene expression in all samples. Our results showed that W36 gene expression in Backcross and Roshan cultivars, as the most resistant ones, strongly increased with elevation of the NaCl concentrations. On the other hand, in the sensitive cultivars such as Mihan and Shirudi, small changes were observed in the gene expression levels with rising salinity levels. Additionally, Backcross and Roshan cultivars had the highest proline content as well as P5CS and W36 genes expression levels under moderate and high salinity stress levels.