Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences

Sequential profiling is used to assess the temporal variability of attribute intensity perception with repeated consumption; this is insightful for attributes which build-up with repeated consumption, such as mouthdrying in whey protein beverages. It is common for researchers to select attributes for use in sequential tests from the vocabulary lists of descriptive sensory profiling with limited justification being provided. It was hypothesised that Temporal Check All That Apply (TCATA) can be used as an effective and objective technique to select relevant vocabulary. This was investigated using model whey protein beverages containing 10 % whey protein isolate powder with a trained sensory panel and comparing the proportion of citations at regular time intervals across the assessment window. The proportion of panellists selecting an attribute was used to represent panel confidence in the attribute's applicability. Using a consensus vocabulary for TCATA, mouthdrying was selected by 58 % of panellists at 30 s and 71 % at 60 s relative to consumption, identifying this attribute as relevant for temporal investigations. Sweetness was selected by fewer than 10 % of panellists throughout the assessment window. In sequential profiling, mouthdrying significantly increased over time whereas sweetness did not, confirming TCATA as an effective vocabulary selector in this context. The results demonstrate that TCATA can be used to ensure the unbiased selection of relevant attributes to be investigated in subsequent temporal intensity methods. The use of citation proportions can elucidate additional information from TCATA data surrounding the applicability of attributes and panel confidence. • TCATA and sequential profiling both showed temporal variation for mouthdrying. • No temporal variability was shown for sweetness in either sensory method. • Comparing citation proportions over time provides additional information from TCATA.

Phylosymbiosis describes an association between the phylogenetic relationships among host species and composition of their microbiomes. Conifers have long evolutionary histories and extensive opportunity for coevolution to have occurred among these host plants and their microbiomes. We tested for phylosymbiosis in the root microbiomes of conifer seedlings as an indicator of coevolutionary plant-microbiome selection processes or concurrent ecological filtering. We grew 23 species of Pinaceae and Cupressaceae in a common soil for 52 weeks and assessed whether similarity in bacterial and fungal root microbiome composition was based on host phylogenetic distances using correlation and topology-based methods. Relationships among soil physicochemical properties, host traits and microbial community composition were also assessed. Phylosymbiosis was significant in both bacterial and fungal root microbiomes. Host taxonomic relationships consistently explained more variance in microbiome composition than host traits or soil physicochemical properties. Indirect host effects on soil physicochemical properties, specifically sulfate sulfur, explained variation in microbiome composition in most models. We have evidence for phylosymbiosis in the root systems of conifer seedlings in both bacterial and fungal communities. This represents an important step towards uncovering patterns of coevolution in long-lived organisms and their associated microbes, and indicates the fundamental role of phylosymbiosis to root microbiome assembly.

Abstract Fulfilling climate change mitigation goals will require increased planting of bioenergy crops. Miscanthus is a versatile biomass crop suitable for bioenergy production and bio‐products and is expected to form a large part of the bioenergy mix. Reduced impact field preparation and crop establishment are needed to align with sustainable agricultural policies and preserve soil carbon stocks. However, the impact of conservation tillage methods on the root growth of Miscanthus , with implications for establishment, plant resilience and carbon cycling, is currently unknown. Therefore, in this study, we use in‐situ minirhizotrons to capture root growth and turnover (root increase/decrease) during the establishment period for field‐grown Miscanthus planted with minimum and no‐tillage methods (Min Till and No Till, respectively). It was found that the No Till method resulted in higher root length density (Min Till 0.56 vs. No Till 1.39 [cm cm −2 ] at 30–50 cm soil depth, for 2‐year‐old plants in October) and thinner roots in the subsoil (Min Till 14% vs. No Till 60%, roots in the 0–0.4 mm diameter class, 30–50 cm soil depth, for 1 year‐old plants in October) providing potential for improved resource acquisition and soil carbon sequestration. Rapid root growth provided a substantial root base in both treatments (Min Till 1195 and No Till 1442 [g dry matter m −2 ], 0–50 cm soil depth, for 1‐year‐old plants in October) before resources were allocated to developing rhizomes and above‐ground growth. For new planting of Miscanthus on former (marginal) grassland, our results demonstrate that using conservation tillage methods is viable in terms of root growth and plant resilience. Additionally, the observed early years root turnover provides insight into carbon inputs to the soil, important for the modelling of early establishment carbon dynamics.

Abstract Multi-environment trials (METs) are routinely conducted in plant breeding to capture the genotype-by-environment (G×E) interaction effects. We assessed the potential of using genomic prediction (GP) in four groundnut traits (pod yield[PY], shelling percentage[SP], seed weight[SW] and seed weight of 100 seeds[SW100]) observed in four environments. Three prediction models (M1: Environment + Line, M2: Environment + Line + Genomic, and M3: Environment + Line + Genomic + Genomic × Environment) were evaluated under four cross-validation (CV) schemes that simulate realistic problems that breeders face at different stages of their programs. CV2 predicts lines tested in sparse multi-location trials; CV1 predicts newly developed lines; CV0 predicts tested lines in unobserved environments by leaving one environment out; CV00 predicts untested lines in unobserved environments. Under CV2, the average predictive ability (PA) range was 0.6-0.68 (PY), -0.26-0.05 (SP), 0.5-0.59 (SW) and 0.79-0.86 (SW100). For CV1, the PA range was -0.12-0.51 (PY), -0.08-0.35 (SP), -0.10-0.47 (SW) and -0.05-0.47 (SW100). In CV0, the PA range was 0.27-0.35 (PY), -0.18--0.17 (SP), 0.24-0.32 (SW) and 0.59-0.66 (SW100). In CV00, the PA range was 0.01-0.23 (PY), -0.03-0.07 (SP), 0.01-0.19 (SW) and -0.02-0.38 (SW100). In all the four CV schemes, including marker data improved the PA. Incorporating G×E in M3 model improved PA in CV2 and CV1 schemes and also reduced the residual and environment variances. The high PA in CV2 imply that sparse testing could be implemented. The low PA recorded in CV00 shows that it is difficult to predict untested lines in new environments.

For older adults, whey protein is associated with negative sensory attributes, including undesirable mouthfeel qualities, that limit consumption and acceptance. Previous work suggests that increased lubrication may have the ability to reduce whey protein-associated mouthdrying, a driver for disliking, by limiting interactions of whey protein with salivary proteins and mucin. This was investigated in the current study by co-spray drying whey protein with combinations of maltodextrin, xanthan gum and/or guar gum; the resulting powders were used to make 10% suspensions. The particle size, zeta potential, rheological and tribological profiles of these suspensions were measured. It was shown that co-spray drying whey protein with guar gum led to a reduction in instrumental friction, irrespective of changes in viscosity. These samples were perceived as significantly more mouthcoating and smooth when assessed by a trained sensory panel. Contrastingly, suspensions containing xanthan gum showed increased viscosity and enhanced shear thinning compared with whey protein, but no change in instrumental friction at higher sliding speeds. This may be a result of a larger particle size, representing increased aggregation in samples containing xanthan gum. There was no significant difference in mouthdrying or slipperiness perception between the suspensions. These findings suggest that the incorporation of guar gum has the capacity to reduce oral friction and impact mouthfeel in whey protein model beverages. This should be taken forward into temporal sensory trials to further investigate the effects of additional lubrication.

In Fig. 1H, "RNA Pol-II (-SIRPT4)" is incorrectly labelled as "RNA Pol-II".The correct Fig. 1 and accompanying legend appear below.In Fig. 2A, upper panel, the representative image corresponding to H TRV:SIRPT4 is inadvertently duplicated for H TRV:00 .The representative image of H TRV:00 is also erroneously included as the control.Furthermore, the control condition is not defined in the accompanying figure legend.The correct Fig. 2 and revised legend appear below.In Figure S3B, the "Slpds" blot is incorrect and is a duplication of the "ToLCNDV-Rep" blot of Fig. 1G.Additionally, the control condition is not defined in the accompanying figure legend.The correct Figure S3 and revised legend are provided in the Supplementary Information file linked to this notice.In Figure S5A, the H TRV:SIRPT4+T plant is erroneously labelled as H TRV:SIRPT4 .The lower leaf image provided for H TRV:SIRPT4+T is also incorrect and is an inadvertent duplication of the day 14 image of H T shown in the upper panel of Fig. 2A.The correct Figure S5 is included in the linked Supplementary Information file.These changes do not affect the conclusions of the Article.

Active travel offers many societal benefits, including improving people’s mental and physical health and minimising our impacts on the environment. Increasing active travel is particularly important amongst children and young people (CYP), who are building habits which they will carry into adulthood. Studies on active travel amongst CYP are limited, however, with most research focusing on adult participants or on adult perceptions of children. This study sought to understand CYP’s interactions with the built and natural environment–and therefore their access to active travel–through the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) model. With a stakeholder group representing local government, youth organisations and active travel organisations, we co-created two bilingual questionnaires–one for young people aged 12–16 years living in Wales and the other for parents of young people aged 12–16 years living in Wales. Both questionnaires collected information on behaviour and perceived capability, opportunity and motivation of CYP to engage with their natural and built environments. The questionnaires included a discrete choice experiment (DCE), which proposed a series of binary choice questions indicating preferences based on landscape, journey time and type of travel. A total of 124 questionnaires (38 young people and 86 parents) were returned for analysis. These data indicate that CYP’s time spent outdoors is not dependent upon geography (rural/urban/suburban), season, or school holidays. There was a significant difference in capability, opportunity and motivation between parents and CYP, with parents over-estimating the psychological capability of CYP to engage outdoors. The preference data indicate that active travel is the favoured mode of transport, with both CYP and parents stating that they would increase travel time in order to travel actively. While this response is not consistent with respondent’s day-to-day travel choices, it suggests that the limitations to active travel may be psychological capability and automatic motivation, rather than a lack of opportunity.

Gene-edited crops and livestock have the potential to transform food systems by providing resilience to climate change, pest and disease resistance, and the enhancement of nutrients in feed and food in a time-efficient and precise way. In 2023, the UK Parliament passed the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill, paving the way for gene-edited products to be farmed in England and sold, providing they could have theoretically been produced via traditional breeding. In this paper, we describe the possible risks of gene-edited products for consumption using four case studies of gene-edited organisms: increased vitamin D tomatoes, reduced linoleic acid cottonseed oil, porcine reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRSV) resistant pigs and reduced-asparagine wheat. Assuming that the only requirement for an organism to be a Precision-Bred Organism (PBO) is that no transgenic material remains within the organism and that the edit could have, in theory, occurred spontaneously or through traditional breeding methods, then all our case studies would likely be defined as PBOs. We also conclude that the food safety risks of these products appear to be similar to those that society accepts in traditionally bred organisms used for food and feed. However, PBOs that possess markedly altered nutrient profiles may require a dedicated identity-preserved retail chain and/or labelling to avoid unintended over-consumption.

Chocolate spot, caused by the ascomycete fungus Botrytis fabae, is a devastating foliar disease and a major constraint on the quality and yield of faba beans (Vicia faba). The use of fungicides is the primary strategy for controlling the disease. However, high levels of partial genetic resistance have been identified and can be exploited to mitigate the disease. The partially resistant V. faba cultivar Maris Bead and susceptible Egyptian accession ig70726 were crossed, and a genetic mapping population of 184 individuals was genotyped in the F2 generation and screened for resistance to B. fabae infection in the F3, F5, and F6 generations in a series of field experiments. A high-density linkage map of V. faba containing 3897 DArT markers spanning 1713.7 cM was constructed. Multiple candidate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in 11 separate regions of the V. faba genome were identified; some on chromosomes 2, 3, and 6 overlapped with loci previously linked to resistance to Ascochyta leaf and pod blight caused by the necrotrophic fungus Ascochyta fabae. A transcriptomics experiment was conducted at 18 h post-inoculation in seedlings of both parents of the mapping population, identifying several differentially expressed transcripts potentially involved in early stage defence against B. fabae, including cell-wall associated protein kinases, NLR genes, and genes involved in metabolism and response to reactive oxygen species. This study identified several novel candidate QTLs in the V. faba genome that contribute to partial resistance to chocolate spot, but differences between growing seasons highlighted the importance of multi-year phenotyping experiments when searching for candidate QTLs for partial resistance.