Relationship of water to adventitious rooting in stem cuttings of Populus species

Populus species, characterized by fast growth and easy vegetative propagation, are widely used in agroforestry practices. The substantial water requirement of poplars make them interesting subjects for water balance studies. No information exists on soil moisture requirements for initial root and shoot growth of Populus cuttings. This study on leafless hardwood cuttings of Populus x euramericana (Dode) Guinier cv. Robusta examined the dynamics of water use during propagation, as influenced by two initial soil water potentials (–0.006 and –0.06 MPa). Differences in the initial water potential of the cuttings was achieved by three pretreatments i.e., fresh, soaked and dried. Initial _shoot was –1.45, –0.10 and –2.10 MPa in fresh, soaked and dried cuttings, respectively. Soil moisture had a major effect on rooting. Water-stressed cuttings took a longer time to root and had fewer roots. Pre-soaking of cuttings stimulated rooting, particularly under the drier soil moisture conditions. Initially the water potential of cuttings decreased with time and with the formation of roots it stabilized in all the pretreatments. The reduction in water potential of cuttings after planting was related to an increase in resistance to water flow in the xylem.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Investigation of a community cluster of cutaneous Mycobacterium marinum infection,an emerging zoonotic pathogen in aquaculture industry,Haliburton, Kawartha,Pine Ridge District Health Unit,Ontario, Canada,July–August 2015

In July 2015, a cluster of five suspect cases of clinically diagnosed Mycobacterium marinum (M. marinum) skin infections were reported to the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU), Ontario, Canada, with two additional cases subsequently identified through case finding. All seven cases presented with cutaneous lesions located on the finger, hand and/or elbow regions typical of M. marinum infection. Specimens were collected by skin biopsy for two of the seven cases; both cases tested positive for M. marinum by molecular detection (hsp65 gene amplification and sequencing), and one was confirmed positive for M. marinum by culture. All seven cases reported handling raw shrimp from an aquaculture facility in the Health Unit's jurisdiction. M. marinum is not a reportable disease in Ontario, and there are no known previous reports of a cluster of M. marinum reported in Ontario, Canada. A cluster investigation working group was struck that included representation from various agencies including Public Health Ontario (PHO), Public Health Ontario Laboratories (PHOL), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the two health units involved in case investigations. Several public health and aquaculture farming recommendations were made to mitigate further risks associated with handling of raw shrimp from the facility. Several challenges were faced during the investigation process. The paper discusses these challenges and public health recommendations made in order to mitigate occupational and public health risks related to the hazard identified.     

Suppression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Papaya ringspot virus</Emphasis> infection in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carica papaya</Emphasis> with CAP-34, a systemic antiviral resistance inducing protein from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clerodendrum aculeatum</Emphasis>

CAP-34, a protein from Clerodendrum aculeatum inducing systemic antiviral resistance was evaluated for control of Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) infection in Carica papaya. In control plants (treated with CAP-34 extraction buffer) systemic mosaic became visible around 20 days that intensified up to 30 days in 56% plants. During this period, CAP-34-treated papaya did not show any symptoms. Between 30 and 60 days, 95% control plants exhibited symptoms ranging from mosaic to filiformy. In the treated set during the same period, symptoms appeared in only 10% plants, but were restricted to mild mosaic. Presence of PRSV was determined in induced-resistant papaya at the respective observation times by bioassay, plate ELISA, immunoblot and RT-PCR. Back-inoculation with sap from inoculated resistant plants onto Chenopodium quinoa did not show presence of virus. The difference between control and treated sets was also evident in plate-ELISA and immunoblot using antiserum raised against PRSV. PRSV RNA was not detectable in treated plants that did not show symptoms by RT-PCR. Control plants at the same time showed a high intensity band similar to the positive control. We therefore suggest that the absence/delayed appearance of symptoms in treated plants could be due to suppressed virus replication.     

浸泡和冷预处理对喜马拉雅长叶松不同种源种子萌发的作用

对喜马拉雅长叶松种子进行24小时GA3和H2O2浸泡预处理和15d的2-3℃低温预处理后,研究了在20℃,25℃和30℃萌发条件下,21个不同种源的喜马拉雅长叶松种子的萌发情况。结果表明,H2O2（1%v/v）和GA3（10mg/L）浸泡预处理,种子萌发率分别是82.39%和78.19%,而未经预处理的种子平均萌发率为70.79%。GA3和H2O2浸泡预处理分别使种子萌发时间缩短了8d和10d。在超过21天的20℃萌发条件下,湿冷处理提高了种子萌发率和缩短了萌发时间 而在25℃和30℃萌发条件下,总的萌发率未受到影响。喜马拉雅长叶松种子因缺少休眠而表现出很好的萌发,但是因为越来越多的造林项目需要大量的种子,播种预处理有利于提高种子萌发率和萌发速率,有助于满足种子需求。     

Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of skin mucus of three carp species

International Aquatic Research - Studies were conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial potency of skin mucus collected from three carp species; Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Ctenopharyngodon idella,...     

Biochemical Composition of Pulp and Seed of Wild Jack (Artocarpus hirsutus Lam.) Fruit

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Wild jack (Artocarpus hirsutus Lam.) is an endemic perennial tree of Western Ghats of India. Wild jack, a timber purpose tree, is distributed in several Kaan...     

Identifying potential causes of fish declines through local ecological knowledge of fishers in the Ganga River,eastern Bihar,India

Local ecological knowledge (LEK) can offer insights into fisheries management by describing long‐term changes that are difficult to unravel in data‐poor river‐floodplain fisheries. LEK is derived from complex interactions between fishers’ observations of environmental change and their institutional capacities to manage fisheries. Hence, it is important to understand where and how LEK and formal scientific studies on fish species’ decline could complement each other. In this paper, the causes of decline of 58 fish and two shrimp taxa were identified from LEK data (1999–2019) obtained from river–floodplain fisheries of the Gangetic plains (Bihar, India). Qualitative analyses of LEK were used to generate species‐specific hypotheses and historical insights on their declines. Destructive fishing, overfishing and the Farakka barrage were cited by fishers as the major causes of declines. Potential reasons for these perceptions were explored in relation to fishers’ experiences of conflicts in the region over fishing rights and access.     

AFLP fingerprinting of tartary buckwheat accessions (Fagopyrum tataricum) displaying rutin content variation

In light of the economic importance of buckwheat as well as existence of enormous accessions of Fagopyrum species in the Himalayan regions of India, the characterization of tartary buckwheat for rutin content variation vis-à-vis DNA fingerprinting was undertaken so as to identify fingerprint profiles unique to high rutin content accessions. Rutin content analysis in mature seeds of 195 accessions of Fagopyrum tataricum showed a wide range of variation (6 μg/mg to 30 μg/mg D.W.) with most of the accessions (81%) containing 10-16 μg/mg of rutin followed by 14% accessions with significantly higher rutin content (17 μg/mg to 30 μg/mg) and 5% accessions with low rutin content (≤10 μg/mg). AFLP fingerprinting of 18 accessions having high (≥17 μg/mg) and low rutin content (≤10 μg/mg) with 19 EcoRI/MseI primer combinations yielded 136 polymorphic fragments out of total 907. The hierarchical and model-based cluster analyses of AFLP data strongly suggested that the 18 populations of F. tataricum were clustered into two separate groups. The high and low rutin content accessions were clustered into two separate groups based on AFLP fingerprinting. The AFLP fingerprints associated with high rutin content accessions of F. tataricum are expected to be useful for evaluation, conservation and genetic improvement of buckwheat.     

Coconut Products Improve Signs of Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats

Increasing prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome warrants identification of potential therapeutic options for intervention. This study tested commercially available Virgin Coconut Oil and Coconut Nourish, as coconuts are rich sources of lauric and myristic acids. Male Wistar rats were fed either corn starch diet (C); high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (H); high-carbohydrate, high-virgin coconut oil diet (HV); or high-carbohydrate, high-coconut Nourish diet (HN) for 16 weeks. Metabolic, liver, and cardiovascular health parameters were measured during and at the end of the study. Virgin coconut oil lowered body weight (C 386±8g, H 516±13g, HV 459±10g), blood glucose concentrations (C 4.2±0.1 mmol/L, H 5.4±0.2 mmol/L, HV 4.6±0.2 mmol/L), systolic blood pressure (C 127±5mmHg, H 149±4mmHg, HV 133±3mmHg,) and diastolic stiffness (C 25.0±1.7, H 31.4±1.2, HV 25.2±2.3,) with improved structure and function of the heart and liver. Coconut Nourish increased total body lean mass (C 255±10g, H 270±16g, HN 303±15g) and lowered plasma total cholesterol concentrations (C 1.6±0.2 mmol/L, H 1.7±0.1 mmol/L, HN 1.0±0.0 mmol/L), systolic blood pressure (C 127±5mmHg, H 149±4mmHg, HN 130±3mmHg) and diastolic stiffness (C 25.0±1.7, H 31.4±1.2, HN 26.5±1.0), improved structure and function of the heart and liver but increased plasma concentrations of triglycerides (C 0.3±0.1 mmol/L, H 1.1±0.4 mmol/L, HN 1.8±0.2 mmol/L) and non-esterified fatty acids (C 1.2±0.3 mmol/L, H 3.3±0.8 mmol/L, HN 5.6±0.4 mmol/L). Thus, the fiber and protein in coconut Nourish and the medium-chain saturated fatty acids in virgin coconut oil may improve cardiovascular and liver complications in obesity.