Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 

About: Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research is an academic journal published by National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Irrigation. It has an ISSN identifier of 1695-971X. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1952 publications have been published receiving 26951 citations. The journal is also known as: SJAR.

Review. Tannins and ruminant nutrition

Abstract: Tannins are a complex group of polyphenolic compounds found in a wide range of plant species commonly consumed by ruminants. They are conventionally classified into two major groups: the hydrolysable and the condensed tannins. Although for a long time tannins were thought to be detrimental to ruminants, their effect may be either beneficial or harmful depending on the type of tannin consumed, its chemical structure and molecular weight, the amount ingested, and the animal species involved. High concentrations of tannins reduce voluntary feed intake and nutrient digestibility, whereas low to moderate concentrations may improve the digestive utilisation of feed mainly due to a reduction in protein degradation in the rumen and a subsequent increase in amino acid flow to the small intestine. These effects on nutrition are reflected in animal performance.

Nano chitosan-NPK fertilizer enhances the growth and productivity of wheat plants grown in sandy soil

Abstract: Nanofertilizers have become a pioneer approach in agriculture research nowadays. In this paper we investigate the delivery of chitosan nanoparticles loaded with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) for wheat plants by foliar uptake. Chiotsan-NPK nanoparticles were easily applied to leaf surfaces and entered the stomata via gas uptake, avoiding direct interaction with soil systems. The uptake and translocation of nanoparticles inside wheat plants was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed that nano particles were taken up and transported through phloem tissues. Treatment of wheat plants grown on sandy soil with nano chitosan-NPK fertilizer induced significant increases in harvest index, crop index and mobilization index of the determined wheat yield variables, as compared with control yield variables of wheat plants treated with normal non-fertilized and normal fertilized NPK. The life cycle of the nano-fertilized wheat plants was shorter than normal-fertilized wheat plants with the ratio of 23.5% (130 days compared with 170 days for yield production from date of sowing). Thus, accelerating plant growth and productivity by application of nanofertilizers can open new perspectives in agricultural practice. However, the response of plants to nanofertilizers varies with the type of plant species, their growth stages and nature of nanomaterials.

Organic food product purchase behaviour: a pilot study for urban consumers in the South of Italy

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to explain factors that influence organic food purchases of urban consumers in the South of Italy. To achieve this goal, a multivariate limited dependent variable model has been specified to simultaneously analyse consumers’ organic food purchases, the intention to purchase organic food products and the level of organic knowledge. This study uses survey data gathered from 200 consumers in Naples in 2003. Results indicate that consumers who are more willing to buy organic food products are more likely to buy a larger amount of those products. The intention to purchase depends on attitudes and organic product knowledge. Moreover, consumers’ attitudes towards health and environmental benefits provided by organic foods are the most important factors explaining, both, the intention to purchase and the final decision. Finally, income and organic knowledge positively influences the final decision to buy organic food products

Review. Biology and systematics of the form genus Rhizoctonia

Abstract: Members of the form genus Rhizoctonia D.C. are considered as a complex mixture of filamentous fungi, having in common the possession of a non-spored imperfect state, usually referred to as the Rhizoctonia anamorph. The group includes several of the most devastating crop pathogens like Thanatephorus cucumeris (Frank) Donk (anamorph=Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn), the majority of orchid mycorrhizal symbionts (mainly belonging to genus Ceratobasidium D.P. Rogers) and a collection of saprotrophic organisms of different systematic placement. The Rhizoctonia anamorph is characterized by several common features present among members of the entire Rhizoctonia species complex. Taxa from the group have been rearranged into several groups of higher fungi, including both Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, and split into several genera, employing criteria such as the analysis and ultrastructural comparison of septal apparatus. Until very recently, classification for some of the groups within the complex has been exclusively based on criteria such as hyphal anastomosis, since other types of diagnostic features are usually scarce in these fungi. Phytopathological studies in the complex have represented the major contingent of contributions in the group, especially in the case of R. solani. Some members of the complex have been reported to be protective isolates against pathogenic members of Rhizoctonia and some other fungal pathogens. This review focuses on the knowledge of several aspects of the species of Rhizcotonia s. lato, such as its current taxonomic placement, the biology and systematics of some groups of the complex, and a revision of the methodologies employed in studying it.

Review. Deficit irrigation in fruit trees and vines in Spain

Abstract: Water has become the most precious of natural resources in many areas of Spain and, since agriculture is the major consumer of water, improvements in water use efficiency are increasingly sought. Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) is an irrigation strategy based on applying only a fraction of the plant water requirements during certain periods of plant development. The paper reviews the available information on RDI strategies, in woody tree crops and vines based on studies by Spanish research groups. Both the promising results obtained and the drawbacks are covered.