Artificial Germination Activation of Dialium corbisieri by Imitation of Ecological Process

Species of the gender Dialium commonly are trees found in Central African rainforests. They produce tasty sugary fruits, feeding numerous frugivores, but are, despite their valuable nutritional value, rarely exploited by humans. A potential reason for this could be the complexity of symbiotic dependence between trees and pollinators, germination activators, and dispersers causing problems in ancestral and contemporary domestication. We investigated Dialium corbisieri reproduction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bandundu Province. Here we give a key for an artificial activation of germination of these trees ecologically adapted to the digestive system of their ape dispersers: By perforation of the impermeable seed coat protection, water assimilation and subsequent activation of germination becomes possible. By this nicking, pretreatment germination increases from 0 to 96%, representing an inexpensive and simple treatment to be used under natural conditions and in developing countries. The use of this mechanical activation for forest management, conservation, and economic use is discussed.     

Effect of the use of dilute alkaline prior to Bacillus subtilis-based biocontrol steeping and germination conditions on red sorghum malt β-glucanase activities and residual β-glucans

Malting is the ideal stage to deal with β-glucans. Their hydrolysis is very important as the diffusion of both hormones and hydrolytic enzymes in the endosperm of germinated grain depend on it. A high malt β-glucanase activity is not a guarantee of an extensive hydrolysis of β-glucans. When Bacillus subtilis is used to control mould growth, red sorghum malt β-glucanase activity (measured using carboxymethylcellulose as the substrate) was improved without significantly affecting the hydrolysis of malt β-glucans. Thus, in order to reduce the residual β-glucans content, soaking in 0.2% NaOH was combined with a biocontrol. Soaking in 0.2% NaOH is recognized as capable of improving grain hydration by opening-up the endosperm cell walls. The combined use of 0.2% NaOH with B. subtilis-based biocontrol treatments during red sorghum malting, leads to malt with increased β-glucanase activity and a significant reduction of residual β-glucans when compared with the 16 h biocontrol steeping without prior steeping in 0.2% NaOH. β-glucanase activity increases with increased germination temperature and time while, conversely, the residual β-glucans content of the malts decreases. Indeed, while the level of β-glucanase was not vastly different between the malts obtained after steeping in distilled water and those obtained after 8 h steeping in 0.2% NaOH followed by 8 h resteeping in distilled water (NaOH + H₂O treatment), their residual β-glucans levels differ significantly. B. subtilis-based treatment leads to malt with improved β-(1-3)- and β-(1-4)-glucanase activities without significantly improved malt β-(1-3),(1-4)-glucanase activity. While malts obtained after 84 h germination weren't significantly different in terms of malt β-(1-3),(1-4)-glucanase activities for all steeping treatments, the use of 0.2% NaOH steeping prior to resteeping led to malts with improved β-glucans content. Combining the steeping in dilute alkaline and biocontrol enables taking advantage of the dilute alkaline effect on residual β-glucans content, due probably to the opening-up of the cell walls and the improvement of water uptake, and that of the biocontrol (improvement of β-glucanase synthesis).     

Biophysical parameters of coffee crop estimated by UAV RGB images

Precision Agriculture - The advance of digital agriculture combined with computational tools and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has enabled the collection of data for reliably extracting...     

Atypical non-progressive pneumonia in goats

An outbreak of severe respiratory disease in a goat herd was associated with Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, Mycoplasma arginini, Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida with mortality rates exceeding 20% in kids. Post mortem features in affected kids included severe pleuropneumonia, lung consolidation, large quantities of pleural fluid and pericarditis. This is the first report of atypical proliferative pneumonia in goats in Portugal.     

Cellular-resolution in vivo imaging of the feline retina using adaptive optics: preliminary results

Purpose To perform cellular‐level in vivo imaging of the feline retina using an adaptive optics flood illumination fundus camera (AO FIFC) designed for the human eye. Materials and methods Cellular‐level images were obtained from three eyes of two normal sedated cats. Ocular aberrations were corrected using an AO system based on a 52‐acuator electromagnetic deformable mirror and a 1024 lenslet Hartmann–Shack sensor (both Imagine Eyes, Orsay, France). A square 3°×3° area of the ocular fundus was flood‐illuminated by a pulsed LED emitting at 850 nm and imaged onto a low‐noise, high‐resolution CCD camera. The animal’s pupils were dilated and the effective pupil size was set to 7.5 mm. Conjunctival atraumatic clips were used to avoid eyeball movements and eyelid closure. The cornea was artificially hydrated throughout the experiments. Each acquisition consisted of 20 consecutive images, out of which 10 were numerically averaged to produce an enhanced final image. Results The total amount of ocular aberrations was greatly reduced by the AO correction, from 2.4 to 0.21 microns root mean square on average. The resulting images presented white dots distributed at a density similar to that of cone photoreceptors and they allowed us to visualize small blood vessels and nerve fiber bundles at a higher resolution than classically obtained with conventional fundus photography. Conclusion Retinal imaging with cellular resolution was feasible in cats under sedation using an AO FIFC designed for human eyes without any optical modification. The AO FIFC technology could find new applications in clinical, pharmacological, and toxicological investigations.     

Quantifying the expression of potato genetic diversity in the high Andes through growth analysis and modeling

Crop growth analysis and modeling based on a slightly modified version of the LINTUL model was used for the assessment of the effect of genetic diversity, as expressed by differences in characteristics such as ploidy, parentage and other specific traits, on the growth and yield responses of Andean potatoes to agroecological conditions in Bolivia. The aim of the present study was to conduct a comparative growth analysis of nine genotypes to describe their performance under the prevalent conditions in the high Andes. We also simulated the performance of nine genotypes from the species Solanum tuberosum subspecies andigenum and tuberosum, Solanumajanhuiri, and their hybrids as affected by frost. The simulations were run using a user-friendly simulation model based on the LINTUL framework.     

Development of biofunctional textiles by the application of resveratrol to cotton, bamboo, and silk

The goal of this work was to create a new generation of greener fabrics made of natural materials. For that, resveratrol (Res), obtained from Polygonum cuspidatum extract and known to have antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activity, was applied by an exhaustion method to cotton, bamboo, and silk knit fabrics. The fabrics adsorption behavior was tested and the amount of Res adsorbed was determined by its decrease on the immersion solutions with time and measured by spectrophotometry at 350 nm. The maximum adsorption capacity was observed for silk and it was independent of pH conditions used (50.5 % at pH=7 and 58.3 % at pH=5 of the initial Res concentration). At acidic pH conditions, cotton adsorbed 51.2 % of Res and Bamboo adsorbed only 28.1 % in 15 min. However, neither cotton nor bamboo adsorbed Res at pH=7. The release behavior was also analyzed and the highest Res release was observed for cotton in alkaline sweat and urine mimic solutions. The lowest release was achieved by cotton in water (1.0 ng/ml). Moreover, no relation was found between the amounts of Res adsorbed or released and cell viability. In conclusion, this work shows that it is possible to obtain cotton, bamboo, and silk functionalized with resveratrol. The incorporating process here described is simple and silk-Res can be presented as a good combination.     

Effects of Retinoids on the In Vitro Development of Capra Hircus Embryos to Blastocysts in Two Different Culture Systems

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of retinol (RT) and retinoic acid (RA) on the in vitro development of pre‐implantation goat embryos cultured in potassium simplex optimized medium or synthetic oviduct fluid or cocultured in oviductal cells monolayer either in potassium simplex optimized medium or synthetic oviduct fluid. A total of 2407 cumulus‐oocyte complexes were aspirated from 2 to 6 mm ovarian follicles from slaughtered animals. Selected cumulus‐oocyte complexes were subjected to in vitro maturation in TCM 199 for 24 h at 39°C in an atmosphere of 5% (v/v) CO₂ in humidified air. In vitro fertilization was performed in modified defined medium. Eighteen hours after in vitro fertilization, cumulus cells were removed and presumptive zygotes were randomly distributed into experimental groups. In Experiment 1, presumptive zygotes were cultured in potassium simplex optimized medium, potassium simplex optimized medium + RT, potassium simplex optimized medium + retinoic acid, synthetic oviduct fluid, synthetic oviduct fluid + RT and synthetic oviduct fluid + RA at 39°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% (v/v) CO₂, 5% (v/v) O₂ and 90% (v/v) N₂. In Experiment 2, presumptive zygotes were cocultured in potassium simplex optimized medium + oviductal cells monolayer, potassium simplex optimized medium + RT + oviductal cells monolayer, potassium simplex optimized medium + RA + oviductal cells monolayer, synthetic oviduct fluid + oviductal cells monolayer, synthetic oviduct fluid + RT + oviductal cells monolayer and synthetic oviduct fluid + RA + oviductal cells monolayer in an atmosphere of 5% (v/v) CO₂ in humidified air. In both experiments, media were partially changed on day 2 after in vitro fertilization and unfertilized oocytes were excluded from the experiment. Embryos were cultured or cocultured for 8 days. In Experiment 1, there was no effect of RT or RA supplementation on the proportion of oocytes that reached the morula or blastocyst stages. By contrast, Experiment 2 demonstrated that the addition of 0.28 μg/ml RT and 0.5 μm RA to the embryo culture media stimulated (p < 0.05) development to the morula and blastocyst stages under the coculture conditions tested. In conclusion, retinoids play an important role in pre‐implantation development of goat embryos and can be used to enhance in vitro embryo production.