Agricultural Research Updates : Volume 32

This compilation opens with a review of the past and present literature related to conservation tillage practices in durum wheat production and analyses the problems that arise from conservation tillage practices. Additionally, drought and salt tolerance are evaluated at an early stage of plant development in a collection of nine cultivated durum wheat cultivars (Triticum durum Desf.), using plants grown under hydroponic conditions. The role of linear discriminant analysis and related chemometric methods in combination with liquid chromatography for the characterization, classification and authentication of foodstuffs and beverages is addressed. The authors investigate the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and its toxin genes, namely the cytolethal distending toxin gene, in selected vegetables that are commonly consumed raw in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. The Campylobacter jejuni isolated from selected vegetables is characterized against 10 types of antibiotics from six classes commonly used in clinical and agricultural settings, namely aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, glycopeptides, macrolides, beta-lactams, and tetracyclines. The closing paper discusses the case of the kwebo, a low-cost, multi-purpose farm structure designed to be typhoon-resistant yet easy to construct, making use of prefabricated structural elements and construction aids.