Effect of genotype and environment on flavonoid concentration and profile of black sorghum grains

In recent years, colored sorghum genotypes high in flavonoids have been developed. Flavonoid levels of eight black sorghum genotypes grown in four locations in Texas were evaluated to assess the relative genotype, environment and genotype × environment effects. Levels of total 3-deoxyanthocyanidins ranged from 292 μg/g to 499 μg/g and 251 μg/g to 804 μg/g across environments and genotypes, respectively. Total 3-deoxyanthocyanidins in sorghums from Halfway were low (178–694 μg/g) due to the reduction of their non-methoxylated forms. This reduction is likely due to significant grain weathering which was observed only at Halfway. In addition, flavanone and flavone levels were the lowest at Halfway with levels of 12 μg/g and 78 μg/g, respectively. For all flavonoids there was a genotype by environment interaction (p < 0.01) which suggests that environment had a different effect on flavonoid levels depending on the genotype. Color values L*, a* and b* did not correlate with flavonoid content. Due to genotype, environment and their interactions, sorghum breeders must evaluate these traits in multiple environments to identify genotypes with high and stable production of flavonoid compounds.     

典型断面渠道临界水深计算

系统总结了明渠特征水深研究领域的计算方法,评价了各方法的特点;为了优选出典型断面渠道临界水深简捷、通用、精度高、适用范围广的显式计算公式,通过定义包含典型断面几何要素及流量的量纲为一的参数,将目前成果中临界水深的显式计算公式用定义量纲为一的参数进行统一表达,并对其进行简捷性、精度及适用范围的综合评价比较,优选出梯形、圆形、弧底梯形、普通城门洞形、马蹄形等5种典型断面渠道临界水深的显式计算公式;对标准城门洞形断面的临界水深应用最优一致逼近原理,提出以幂函数形式分段表达的新显式计算公式．误差分析表明,在工程常用范围内,由推荐的显式公式所计算的6种典型断面的临界水深,其最大相对误差均小于1％,满足工程设计对精度的要求．该研究可为典型断面排灌渠道的设计及水力计算提供参考．     

小麦籽粒营养物质和次生物质含量与其对玉米象抗性的关系

为明确生产栽培小麦品种对玉米象Sitophilus zeamais(Motschulsky)的抗性机制,采用选择性和非选择性试验法系统评估了9个小麦品种对玉米象的抗性,并分析了小麦籽粒营养物质和次生物质含量与其抗性的关系。结果显示,不同小麦品种对玉米象的抗性存在显著差异,其中陕麦139和西农88的不选择性和抗生性较弱,小偃22、周麦16和周麦11较强;玉米象成虫对西农165选择性最强,虫口数为152.00头,而卵至子代成虫发育历期最长,为35.06 d,子代成虫数、重量损失率和敏感系数均较低,分别为19.67头、5.37%和8.30;对周麦18选择性最差,敏感性居中。玉米象成虫对不同小麦品种的选择性与各物质含量,以及总酚、蛋白质含量与各抗性指标均无显著相关性,但阿魏酸含量与子代成虫数、敏感系数及重量损失率显著负相关;可溶性糖含量与子代成虫数、敏感系数及重量损失率显著正相关,与卵至子代成虫发育历期显著负相关。表明小麦品种对玉米象的抗生性与其籽粒中阿魏酸和可溶性糖含量相关,阿魏酸含量越高、可溶性糖含量越低,小麦对玉米象的抗性越强。     

Effect of Previous Experience on Grazing Patterns and Diet Selection of Brangus Cows in the Chihuahuan Desert

The ability to adapt to different environments is critical when livestock are moved because of drought or other management considerations. The impact of previous experience on grazing patterns and diet selection of Brangus cows in desert conditions was evaluated. Cows originating from a humid-subtropical environment (Leona, Texas) were brought to the Chihuahuan Desert (naïve) and evaluated against cows that spent their life in the Chihuahuan Desert (native) and cows that were born and raised in the Chihuahuan Desert but were moved to Leona, Texas during the preceding 3 yr (tourist). In addition, native cows with recent experience in desert conditions were compared with naïve cows and tourist cows that had not been in the Chihuahuan Desert for at least 3 yr. All cows were mature and had similar pedigrees (n = 21). Cows from the three groups were tracked in three extensive pastures (> 1 000 ha) for three 8–10-d periods during winter, early summer, and later summer. Cows never grazed in the experimental pastures before the study, but native and tourist cows had grazed adjacent pastures. Fecal near-infrared spectroscopy was used to estimate diet quality. Naïve cows used 335 ha ± 83 standard error (SE) less area (P = 0.06) and were 479 m ± 105 SE closer to water (P = 0.03) than cows born and raised in the Chihuahuan Desert (native and tourist cows pooled) when first evaluated in winter. After pooling all data, native cows were farther (P = 0.06) from water (730 m ± 283 SE) and spent less time at water (10.53% ± 3.93 SE) than cows that did not spend their entire life in the desert (naïve and tourist pooled). During winter and early summer (drought conditions), naïve cows selected diets with lower (P < 0.05) crude protein (CP) than cows born in the desert, but during late summer after abundant precipitation naïve cows selected a diet with higher (P = 0.07) CP. Although Brangus cows are highly adaptable, animals raised in nearby pastures appear to have advantages over naïve animals when grazing Chihuahuan Desert rangeland.     

Growth and selenium uptake of range plants propagated in uranium mine soils

High soil selenium (Se) levels have been found in association with uranium deposits in Texas. A concern that high Se concentrations may be found in forages grown on reclaimed mine lands prompted this investigation. A native soil sampled near the mining area, and overburden materials sampled from two Se enriched uranium mine spoil sites were compared in a plant growth study in the greenhouse. Shoot yields and shoot Se concentration in each of ten grasses common to the region were determined from plants harvested three weeks after germination and from shoot regrowth harvested four weeks after the first harvest. Shoot weights were reduced for 5 of the 10 species growing in soils with medium and high Se status. Total shoot weights of Cynodon dactylon and Panicum coloratum from two harvests were consistently highest in all soil materials and are highly recommended for use as a stabilizing cover crop for lands disturbed from uranium mining. Generally, no correlation was observed between shoot weight and plant Se concentration or uptake in the 10 species. However, plant tissue Se concentrations in all species for at least one of the two harvest dates were above the 5 mg kg^‐1 concentration considered potentially harmful to grazing livestock. Therefore, none of these species would be a suitable forage for livestock grazing on reclaimed Se‐enriched uranium mining overburden.     

Vertical gradients of potential enzyme activities in soil profiles of European beech,Norway spruce and Scots pine dominated forest sites

Management of forest sites has the potential to modulate soil organic matter decomposition by changing the catalytic properties of soil microorganisms within a soil profile. In this study we examined the impact of forest management intensity and soil physico-chemical properties on the variation of enzyme activities (β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, α-glucosidase, phenol oxidase, N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, l-leucine aminopeptidase, phosphatase) in the topsoil and two subsoil horizons in three German regions (Schorfheide-Chorin, Hainich-Dün, Schwäbische Alb). The sandy soils in the Schorfheide-Chorin (SCH) showed lower ratios of the activity of carbon (C) acquiring enzymes (β-glucosidase) relative to nitrogen (N) acquiring enzymes (N-acetyl-glucosaminidase + l-leucine aminopeptidase), and activity of C acquiring enzymes relative to phosphorous (P) acquiring enzymes (phosphatase) than the finer textured soils in the Hainich-Dün (HAI) and Schwäbische Alb (ALB), indicating a shift in investment to N and P acquisition in the SCH. All enzyme activities, except phenol oxidase activity, decreased in deeper soil horizons as concentrations of organic C and total N did, while the decrease was much stronger from the topsoil to the first subsoil horizon than from the first subsoil to the second subsoil horizon. In contrast, phenol oxidase activity showed no significant decrease towards deeper soil horizons. Additionally, enzyme activities responsible for the degradation of more recalcitrant C relative to labile C compounds increased in the two subsoil horizons. Subsoil horizons in all regions also indicate a shift to higher N acquisition, while the strength of the shift depended on the soil type. Further, our results clearly showed that soil properties explained most of the total variance of enzyme activities in all soil horizons followed by study region, while forest management intensity had no significant impact on enzyme activities. Among all included soil properties, the clay content was the variable that explained the highest proportion of variance in enzyme activities with higher enzyme activities in clay rich soils. Our results highlight the need for large scale studies including different regions and their environmental conditions in order to derive general conclusions on which factors (anthropogenic or environmental) are most influential on enzyme activities in the whole soil profile in the long term at the regional scale.