Acephalous lamb from an in vitro-produced sheep embryo

This is the first report of an acephalous lamb from the transfer of an in vitro-produced sheep embryo. Twelve in vitro-fertilized embryos were transferred to 4 recipient ewes (3 embryos/ewe). Two ewes remained pregnant: one delivered a normal female lamb, the other a male acephalous lamb. Possible contributing factors are discussed.     

Effects of the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin and tillage practices on yield-scaled nitrous oxide emission from a maize field in Iran

Nitrification inhibitors can effectively decrease nitrification rates and nitrous oxide(N₂O)emission while increasing crop yield under certain conditions.However,there is no information available on the effects of nitrification inhibitors and tillage practices on N₂O emissions from maize cropping in Iran.To study how tillage practices and nitrapyrin(a nitrification inhibitor)affect N₂O emission,a split factorial experiment using a completely randomized block design with three replications was carried out in Northeast Iran,which has a cold semiarid climate.Two main plots were created with conventional tillage and minimum tillage levels,and two nitrogen(N)fertilizer(urea)management systems(with and without nitrapyrin application)were created as subplots.Tillage level did not have any significant effect on soil ammonium(NH₄⁺)and nitrate(NO₃^-)concentrations,cumulative amount and yield-scaled N₂O emission,and aboveground biomass of maize,whereas nitrapyrin application showed significant effect.Nitrapyrin application significantly reduced the cumulative amount of N₂O emission by 41%and 32%in conventional tillage and minimum tillage practices,respectively.A reduction in soil NO₃^-concentration by nitrapyrin was also observed.The average yield-scaled N₂O emission was 13.6 g N₂O-N kg^-1N uptake in both tillage systems without nitrapyrin application and was significantly reduced to 7.9 and 8.2 g N₂O-N kg^-1N uptake upon the application of nitrapyrin in minimum tillage and conventional tillage practices,respectively.Additionally,nitrapyrin application increased maize biomass yield by 4%and 13%in the minimum tillage and conventional tillage systems,respectively.Our results indicate that nitrapyrin has a potential role in reducing N₂O emission from agricultural systems where urea fertilizers are broadcasted,which is common in Iran due to the practice of traditional farming.     

Distribution of inorganic phosphorus fractions in some soil profiles of Zagros forest of Iran

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the status of inorganic phosphorus (P) fractions in ten virgin soil profiles, and to study the relationships between P fractions and soil properties from Kohgyloyeh and Boir Ahmad province, Iran. The soils belonged to Alfisols, Entisols, Mollisols, and Inceptisols. Mean annual precipitation and temperature ranges were 450–850 mm and 12.2–22.4°C, respectively. Inorganic P was fractionated by sequential extraction with NaHCO₃, NH₄OAc, MgCl₂, NH₄F, NaOH, citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate (CBD), and H₂SO₄, which are referred to as NaHCO₃–P, NH₄OAc–P, MgCl₂–P, NH₄F–P, NaOH–P, CBD–P, and H₂SO₄–P, respectively. Generally, the NaHCO₃–P, NH₄OAc–P, MgCl₂–P, and NH₄F–P were higher in surface horizons, especially wherever there was higher annual precipitation. Results showed that H₂SO₄–P constituted the largest inorganic P fractions in all profiles. For all the soils studied the distribution of P fractions was similar to that of weakly weathered soils under arid and semi-arid regions which represent an early stage of development. Pedogenic P compounds were higher where weathering was higher, i.e., in surface horizons and at higher annual precipitation.     

ROOT EXUDATION AND ZINC UPTAKE BY BARLEY GENOTYPES DIFFERING IN ZN EFFICIENCY

Two barley cultivars (‘Sahara’ = Zn-efficient and ‘Clipper’ = Zn-inefficient) were grown at different soil Zn fertilization (0, 0.2, 0.8, 1.6 and 3.2 mg Zn kg^?1 soil). Root exudates were collected 16 and 28 days after sowing. At Zn = 0, shoot dry matter was decreased in both genotypes, but more distinctly in ‘Clipper’. At 0.2 mg Zn kg^?1, the ‘Sahara’ shoot concentrations of Zn was 130% higher and shoot Zn content 44% greater compared with ‘Clipper’. Low-molecular-weight organic acid anions (=carboxylates) (malate, maleate, fumarate and cis-aconitate) and amino acids (alanine, valine, proline, aspartic acid and glutamic acid) were detected in root exudates, with the highest concentration at Zn = 0.2 mg kg^?1 soil. Higher concentrations of organic acid anions as well as amino acids were noted in the rhizosphere of ‘Sahara’ than ‘Clipper’. The genotypic differences in Zn acquisition from soil may be linked to differential carboxylate and amino acid composition of root exudates.     

Occurrence of Neodolichodorus persiangulfus n. sp. (Nematoda: Dolichodoridae) in mangrove forests of southern Iran

An infestation of mangrove forests with Neodolichodorus persiangulfus n. sp. in southern Iran is reported. This paper is the first to report a representative species of the genus in the country. The new species was characterized by 2,120 (1795–2400) µm long females, and 1755 (1533–2019) µm long males, a continuous to slightly offset cephalic region separated from the rest of the body by a shallow depression, having 5–7 annuli and a distinct labial plate, a lateral field with four lines, the outer ones crenate, irregularly areolated in anterior and posterior body region, 79 (66–85) μm long female stylet, a didelphic‐amphidelphic female reproductive system with asymmetric sclerotized vaginae, phasmids 5–10 annuli behind the anus, female tail elongate conoid, suddenly narrowing at 5–12 annuli posterior to anus and males with trilobed bursa, 52.5 (47–58) μm long spicules and 21.5 (18–27) μm gubernaculum. With the elongate‐conoid female tail and c? >1.2, the new species is close to five known species of the genus: N. brevistylus, N. leiocephalus, N. paralongicaudatus, N. rageshi and N. sinensis, but is distinguished from them by the morphology of the female tail, areolation type of the lateral field, position of hemizonid and phasmid and morphometric data. Molecular phylogenetic analyses using sequences of the near full‐length fragment of the small and the D2‐D3 expansion segments of the large subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU and LSU rDNA D2‐D3) revealed the new species placed in a clade including one isolate of Neodolichodorus sp. and some species of Globodera, Heterodera and Rotylenchulus with 0.89 Bayesian posterior probability (BPP) in SSU phylogeny. The only available SSU sequence of the genus was the tentative closest relative to the new species in the inferred SSU tree. In the reconstructed LSU phylogenetic tree, N. persiangulfus n. sp. formed a poorly supported clade with Rotylenchulus spp. in Bayesian inference (BI), and the only other available D2‐D3 sequence of the genus occupied a distant placement to the new species.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus pumilus</Emphasis> SG2 chitinases induced and regulated by chitin,show inhibitory activity against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium graminearum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bipolaris sorokiniana</Emphasis>

The possible role of chitinase in in vitro growth inhibition of the wheat pathogens Fusarium graminearum and Bipolaris sorokiniana by Bacillus pumilus SG2 was investigated. B. pumilus SG2, a chitinolytic bacterium producing two different chitinases, was previously isolated from the saline deserts of Iran. When grown in Spizizen salts medium with colloidal chitin, B. pumilus SG2 secreted two chitinases into the medium, resulting in growth inhibition of F. graminearum and abortion of hyphal elongation of B. sorokiniana. In contrast, when glucose was used as the carbon source, the chitinases were not expressed and antifungal activity of the B. pumilus SG2 was completely abolished. These results confirmed that expression of the B. pumilus SG2 chitinases is under the control of two types of regulation, special regulation by chitin and global regulation by glucose. We demonstrated that chitinases are the main components that caused hyphal inhibition activity of B. pumilus SG2. Hyphal inhibition of F. graminearum and B. sorokiniana was stable in agar for a minimum of 14 days.     

Effect of nitrogen application on seed yield,pod and seed characteristics of okra

Four okra cultivars [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] were cultivated for two growing periods at nitrogen (N) application rates of 150, 300 and 450 mg N L^?1. There was no effect of N on pod size (length and diameter) or on the number of seeds per pod and seed size (mean 1000 seed weight), all these characteristics of which related to the genotype. High N application (450 mg N L^?1), increased the seed yield of the cultivar with the lowest flower induction (Boyiatiou), but only in experiment 2. In Veloudo, seed yield was highest at 300 mg N L^?1, whereas in Pylaias and Clemson 450 mg N L^?1 reduced seed yield. In all cultivars, seeds produced at an N rate of 450 mg N L^?1 exhibited a significantly higher percent germination N, possibly by reducing the incidence of seed hardness.     

The First Report of Drought Tolerance Assessment of Iranian Asparagus

Asparagus officinalis is the most economically important species of asparagus worldwide. Commercial cultivars of asparagus are susceptible to some biotic and abiotic stresses. Drought stress is one of the most common stresses in agricultural crops cultivation. The main purpose of the current study was to compare Iranian asparagus accessions drought tolerance rate with that of ‘Mary Washington’ commercial cultivar and introducing superior accessions in terms of dry resistance rate. A factorial experiment was laid out based on a completely randomized design with three replications. The factors were a) asparagus accession in 10 levels including nine wild accessions of Iranian asparagus and ‘Mary Washington’ commercial cultivar (as control) and b) drought stress in four levels including 0 (as control), 5, 10 and 15% (w/v polyethylene glycol). Results showed that highest values of percentage and speed of seed germination and lengths of radicle and plumule were recorded in Gazanak accession. The lowest values of radicle length were recorded in Chalaki and Shiraz accessions (6.19 and 8.01?mm, respectively). Calli of ‘Mary Washington’ cultivar under highest applied level of drought stress showed the lowest value of relative growth rate (11.53?mg/day). Cluster analysis based on assessed characteristics under different applied levels of drought stress, divided Iranian asparagus accessions into four groups at Euclidean distance of 2.0. In conclusion, obtained results showed that Iranian asparagus accessions especially Gazanak accession could be a good candidate to apply in asparagus breeding programs with aim of producing asparagus dry tolerant cultivars.