Despite numerous studies indicating that wild relatives of wheat respond well to salinity stress, no work has been undertaken to compare these species in response to this stress. We investigated the degree of resilience in an extensive collection of ancestral wheat accessions in terms of physiological parameters and enzymes that scavenge reactive oxygen species. Our results show that several wild relatives of wheat with alien genomes such as C, DC, and A^b had appropriate response to salinity stress by increasing enzymatic antioxidants.

Inoculation of Pseudomonas with different Zn application methods enhanced the grain yield and quality of bread wheat. Seed priming and soil application of Zn with inoculation of Pseudomonas sp. MN12 improved the photosynthesis, organic acid production in root exudates and grain yield of wheat. Pseudomonas (sp. MN12) inoculation with soil and foliar application of Zn augmented the endospermic Zn concentration and estimated bioavailable Zn.

High yield is often associated with low intra-specific competitive ability. Ten contemporary oat varieties, selected for grain yield and milling attributes, did not show correlation between yield and response to competition. This was partially due to high phenotypic plasticity in response to competition.

Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction and joint regression analyses were conducted to study genotype × environment interaction of barley in Egypt. Genotypes exhibited different genotype × environment interaction responses. Relationships between grain yield stability and duration of the growth cycle was examined.

Two version of the crop model CropSyst (EMS, existing; MMS, modified) were assessed for their ability to simulate maize yield in South Africa under extreme heat and drought. Modified modelling solutions improved predictions by ~30% compared with EMS. Modelling solutions accounting for the impact of extreme weather events (MMS) can be seen as promising tools for supporting agricultural management strategies and policy decisions in South Africa.

To quantify the tensile properties of axial roots in maize, identifying the key factors influencing the maximum tensile force (F_max) and tensile strength (T_s) of roots were investigated and the relationships among F_max,T_s,diameter and turgid weight :  dry weight (TW : DW) ratio of roots were illuminated. It showed that the F_max of roots on upper nodes was higher, and a positive linear correlation between F_max and root diameter were observed. Also, there was a power function between T_s and root diameter and a negative exponential correlation between T_s and TW : DW ratio, respectively.

Phytosterols are compounds of great relevance in food because they have been associated with a hypocholesterolemic effect. We observed environmental variability in phytosterols content and composition in sunflower, as the durations of the accumulation period of these components varied in accordance with the duration of oil accumulation period. These results reinforce the importance of environmental factor in determining oil quality in sunflower grains.

Leucaena in combination with grass pasture is one of the most persistent, productive and sustainable grazing systems used in Queensland, Australia. This study evaluated the belowground interactions between leucaena and Rhodes grass when leucaena was planted at different tree densities. The experiment has demonstrated that both leucaena density and grass competition strongly influenced rooting patterns, water extraction and water use efficiency.

The ability to recover from 5-day submergence was assessed on pasture grasses. Dactylis glomerata and Bromus catharticus showed early leaf senescence and partial stomatal closure, and low shoot and root RGR. Schedonorus arundinaceus sustained high shoot RGR and fully adjusted its leaf functionality during recovery despite being affected during submergence. Phalaris aquatica presented dry mass unaffected by submergence, and unaltered stomatal conductance, leaf greenness, and shoot growth during recovery. In areas where flooding can cause plant submergence P. aquatica is recommended.