Growth performance,feed utilization and body composition of Dentex dentex fed on different macronutrient combinations

Determining an adequate macronutrient balance is essential to guarantee the production success. As protein is the limiting component for fish food, the utilization of lipids or carbohydrates as partial substitutes of this nutrient is a challenge to improve its use. In order to get an approximation of the maximum levels of utilization for carbohydrates and/or lipids and determine the most adequate macronutrient to partly replace protein as the main energy source of diets for dentex (91.7 ± 1.4 g mean weight), four experimental diets with different protein:lipid:carbohydrate percentages (43/16/28, 43/24/4, 38/19/28 and 38/24/13) were tested for 13 weeks. The results indicated the possibility of using 38% of dietary protein without affecting growth performance, under the experimental conditions. There were no differences among the four diets either in most of the nutritive utilization indicators or in the body composition and haematological parameters. The influence of dietary composition was only observed in the feed intake, being higher with more dietary carbohydrates, and the hepatosomatic index and protein efficiency ratio, showing more elevated values in diets with a higher lipid level. The dentex capacity of using both carbohydrates and lipids efficiently to obtain the necessary energy for its correct growth, as well as to compensate the energetic ‘vacuum’ caused by the dietary protein reduction, under the assayed conditions, was confirmed.     

Quantification of the invasiveness risk of non-native macroalgae in the Azores to support conservation measures

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Influence of paclobutrazol and substrate on daily evapotranspiration of potted geranium

The application of plant growth regulators and the use of different culture media are common practices in potted ornamental crops. We report the results of a study to evaluate the effect of two substrates (peat moss or coconut fiber) and spraying 30 ppm paclobutrazol (PAC) on water resource management of zonal geranium (Pelargonium × hortorum L.H. Bailey) seedlings growing in a greenhouse during spring–summer. Growth, water consumption, leaching, evapotranspiration rate (ET), water use efficiency (WUE) and leaf water potential were determined. Plant growth was greater in peat moss (peat) than in coconut fiber (coconut), while the use of PAC decreased plant growth in both substrates, although more markedly in peat. Coconut produced a higher leaching fraction than peat in both PAC-treated plants and non-treated plants, although PAC application increased the leaching fraction in both substrates. Water consumption was lower in coconut than in peat and decreased in response to PAC. Peat was more effective at improving the water-use efficiency and increased the electrical conductivity in the leachate, while PAC decreased the latter in this same substrate. Daily ET showed a maximum of 200 mL/pot in peat and a minimum of 60 mL/pot in the coconut-PAC treatment. During the experimental period, accumulated ET values were higher in peat than in coconut, while the application of PAC reduced the value in peat but increased it in coconut. The evolution of ET per hour during the day showed that the highest rate (23 mL/h) was registered at midday in peat, while about 90% of ET occurred between 10 and 18 h in all treatments. When a cycle of water stress and recovery was applied, the peat induced the highest ET values of all treatments during the first days of drought, but the lowest ET after a week of drought. PAC modified this response, favoring a more balanced behavior of ET, although after the second cycle of drought this effect disappeared. Based on these results, the best strategy in normal irrigation conditions would be to use coconut fiber and not apply PAC, because this provides plants of excellent commercial quality with low water consumption. In plants at moderate water deficit PAC played a more important role than the substrate, improving the water status of plants with both substrates used. However, in the face of severe water stress the effect of PAC disappeared and peat acted as a better substrate than coconut fiber.     

Nitrogen concentrations and proportions of ammonium and nitrate in the nutrition and growth of yellow passion fruit seedlings

Abstract

Despite the importance of nitrogen (N) supply to plants, there are still doubts concerning the optimal relations of ammonium and nitrate in the nutrition of yellow passion fruit seedlings. This study aims to evaluate the interaction between nitrogen concentrations and ammonium and nitrate proportions in the nutrition, growth, and dry matter production of passion fruit seedlings grown in a substrate with a nutrient solution. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse in randomized complete block design with three replications in a 4 × 5 factorial design, consisting of four N concentrations (2.5, 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0?mmol L^?1) and five ammonium proportions (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% in relation to the total N supply). At 60?days after transplanting, green color index; accumulation of N, potassium, calcium, and magnesium in roots and shoots; stem diameter; leaf area; root length; nitrogen use efficiency (NUE); and dry matter of roots and shoots were evaluated. For the formation of seedlings of yellow passion fruit, the nutrient solution should have 13?mmol L^?1 of N, with 40% of this nutrient in the form of ammonium. The passion fruit is a plant tolerant to ammonium. However, a critical concentration above 5.7?mmol L^?1 of NH₄⁺ in the nutrient solution decreases absorption of cations, NUE, and production of dry matter.     

Do Environmental Worldviews and Distrust Influence Action for Adaptation to Environmental Change Among Small-Scale Woodland Managers?

Small-scale Forestry - Forest and woodland owners and managers are generally perceived to be acting slowly in addressing environmental change by adapting their forestry practice. Diversification of...     

Soil legacy phosphorus after 10 years of annual dairy liquid manure application in a no-tillage system

The benefits of manure as a source of nutrients for plants and to improve soil quality are well-known. Monitoring of manure application is needed if environmental issues are to be prevented. In particular, the availability and accumulation of phosphorus (P) has to be subject to rigorous monitoring. This study aims to both evaluate the efficacy of the resin method in extracting inorganic labile P in soils under the long-term application of dairy liquid manure (DLM), and verify the influence of DLM on the recovery of applied P and soil legacy P. To realize our objectives, two long-term field experiments were established under a no-tillage system with annual DLM application on sandy clay loam (sandy Oxisol) and clayey (clayey Oxisol) soils. Treatment consisted of DLM applications (0, 60, 120, 180 m³ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), independent of mineral fertilizer. Soil samples were taken from the 0–5, 5–10 and 10–15 cm layers after 10 years from the beginning of the trial. A single extraction with resin underestimated inorganic labile P; however, successive extractions were able to take up 43% and 26% of the total P in sandy and clayey Oxisols, respectively, whereas in a single extraction the take-up was 17% and 8% from the same soils, respectively. The resin method was more effective in extracting P from the sandy Oxisol. Thus, when interpreting soil P contents for fertilizer planning, the soil texture should be taken into account. DLM application decreased P recovered from applied P, ranging from 54% to 83% (sandy), and 43% to 67% (clayey), and substantially increased soil legacy P.     

The novel pyridazine pyrazolecarboxamide insecticide dimpropyridaz inhibits chordotonal organ function upstream of TRPV channels

The cover image is based on the Research Article The novel pyridazine pyrazolecarboxamide insecticide dimpropyridaz inhibits chordotonal organ function upstream of TRPV channels by Christian Spalthoff et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7352

     

The rehabilitation of degraded soils in eastern bolivia by subsoiling and the incorporation of cover crops

A high proportion of the soils in the central zone of Santa Cruz, eastern Bolivia, are chemically and physically degraded, with low organic matter and N contents, compacted subsoil layers and a propensity to crusting, hardsetting and wind erosion. The aim of the experiment discussed in this paper was to identify suitable cover crops to be used in combination with subsoiling for the rehabilitation of degraded soils and the improvement of crop yields in eastern Bolivia. Fertilizers were not used because of their high cost. An experiment with a split complete block design, with subsoiling and no-subsoiling as the main treatments, 14 cover crops and a continuously cultivated soybean/wheat control as the subtreatments, and four replications, was established on a degraded site comprising a mosaic of two compacted siliceous isohyperthermic soils (a coarse loamy Typic Ustropept and a fine loamy Typic Haplustalf). After a two-year fallow period, the cover crops were incorporated and test crops were sown for five seasons to evaluate the effects of the treatments on subsequent crop yields. Soil samples were taken to measure changes in chemical fertility. The only significant cover crop effect on soil nutrients was an increase in exchangeable K from 0.47 to 0.56 cmol_c kg⁻¹ by Lablab; subsoiling had no effect on chemical fertility. For all treatments there was an average 24 per cent increase in soil organic matter from 13.1 g kg⁻¹ at 3 months after cover crop incorporation to 16.3 g kg⁻¹ at 19 months after incorporation. No significant differences in total N were found during this period. Test crop yields were not influenced by subsoiling, but were significantly increased by some of the cover crops as compared to the soybean/wheat control during the first three seasons only. Evidence from foliar analysis suggests that the effects of the cover crops on soybean yields were not nutritional and so presumably were physical in nature, whereas the benefits on wheat yields were possibly related to increased N availability. Panicum maximum var. Centenario and P. maximum var. Tobiatá gave the highest total yield increases over the first three cropping seasons (101 and 85 per cent, respectively), but these yield increases would not compensate the farmer for the loss of four crop harvests whilst the land was in fallow. These results highlight the difficulties of rehabilitating soil fertility and increasing crop yields through the use of subsoiling and cover crop fallows on compacted, low organic matter soils in eastern Bolivia.     

What controls fish functional diversity patterns in Colombian Andean streams?

Understanding the mechanisms that structure communities have been a major challenge in ecological theory. Functional trait-based approaches are increasingly used for studying the processes underlying community assembly. However, species-poor systems of Andean streams these processes are largely unknown. Tropical Andean streams are highly variable in space-time and characterised by the harsh or stable environment, resulting in a high taxonomic and ecological diversity. In this study, we tested the influence of environmental variables on the fish functional structure. We proposed that in ecosystems with harsh environments, environmental filtering will structure fish assemblages, and in ecosystems with a more stable environment, limiting similarity will prevail, increasing functional diversity. We analysed fish assemblages using functional diversity indices, fourth-corner RLQ analyses and multiple regression models. Environmental variables such as altitude, stream width, sub-Andean vegetation and pH influenced functional diversity. For instance, high values of functional redundancy were registered at high elevation streams, reflecting fish assemblages composed of highly dominant species with similar functional traits such as species of the genus Astroblepus. However, we found differences between Astroblepus species in the number and distance of gill rakers which might indicate resource partitioning and coexistence. On the other hand, our results show both stochastic dynamics and environmental filtering are structuring fish assemblages in low and high elevation Andean streams respectively.     

Stones and Organic Mulches Improve the Quercus Ilex L. Afforestation Success Under Mediterranean Climatic Conditions

This work studies the influence of two mulching treatments on soil properties and the field performance of afforested holm‐oak seedlings (Quercus ilex L. subsp. ballota (Desf.) Samp.) nine years after outplanting. Mulching treatments composed of stones, forest debris, and an untreated control were randomly applied to 180 seedlings (n = 60) in January 2001 at the bed level (1 × 1 m) in an abandoned agricultural field in SE Spain. Survival, growth measured by means of leaf area, and nutrient concentrations in leaves and soil were measured. Both mulches provided higher survival and greater leaf‐area growth than the control, but did not differ in leaf‐nutrient concentration. Most of the analysed soil variables were not affected by the mulching treatments at the end of the study period, and, therefore, the soil properties changes by mulching might be slower than expected under semi‐arid conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.