Single step genomic evaluation for female fertility in Nordic Red dairy cattle

Joint Nordic (Denmark, Finland, Sweden) genetic evaluation of female fertility is currently based on the multiple trait multilactation animal model (BLUP). Here, single step genomic model (ssGBLUP) was applied for the Nordic Red dairy cattle fertility evaluation. The 11 traits comprised of nonreturn rate and days from first to last insemination in heifers and first three parities, and days from calving to first insemination in the first three parities. Traits had low heritabilities (0.015–0.04), but moderately high genetic correlations between the parities (0.60–0.88). Phenotypic data included 4,226,715 animals with records and pedigree 5,445,392 animals. Unknown parents were assigned into 332 phantom parent groups (PPG). In mixed model equations animals were associated with PPG effects through the pedigree or both the pedigree and genomic information. Genotype information of 46,914 SNPs was available for 33,969 animals in the pedigree. When PPG used pedigree information only, BLUP converged after 2,420 iterations whereas the ssGBLUP evaluation needed over ten thousand iterations. When the PPG effects were solved accounting both the pedigree and the genomic information, the ssGBLUP model converged after 2,406 iterations. Also, with the latter model breeding values by ssGBLUP and BLUP became more consistent and genetic trends followed each other well. Models were validated using forward prediction of the young bulls. Reliabilities and variance inflation of predicted genomic breeding values (values for parent averages in brackets) for the 11 traits ranged 0.22–0.31 (0.10–0.27) and 0.81–0.95 (0.83–1.06), respectively. The ssGBLUP model gave always higher validation reliabilities than BLUP, but largest increases were for the cow fertility traits.     

Effect of bovine seminal plasma on bovine endometrial epithelial cells in culture

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of seminal plasma (SP) from bulls of known fertility on bovine endometrial epithelial cells (bEEC) in culture. The bEEC from passage 5, approximately 5.0–13 × 10⁵ cells per flask, were challenged with SP from bulls of high or low fertility (n = 3 and 2, respectively) or PBS (control), at 1% (75 μl) or 4% (300 μl) and were incubated for 72 hr (n = 13 per challenge). Total cell number and viability of bEEC after challenge with 1% SP from either high‐ or low‐fertility bulls (75H or 75L, respectively) did not differ from controls. In contrast, challenge with 4% of SP from high‐ or low‐fertility bulls (300H or 300L) negatively affected bEEC cell number and viability. Challenge with 300 L had a greater adverse effect than 300H. These results suggest that the negative effect of bovine SP on bEEC is both dose‐dependent and fertility‐dependent.     

四川攀西山区植烟土壤养分特征分析与肥力评价

了解土壤肥力对烟田土壤保育具有积极的指导意义。本研究采集了四川攀西山区4个代表性植烟县(区)的19个典型烟田耕层样品,测定了对烤烟产质量影响大且能反映土壤肥力的指标,利用模糊综合评价法计算了土壤肥力综合肥力指数(IFI)。结果表明：19个烟田耕层土壤的pH、有机质、全氮、碱解氮、有效磷、有效钾和水溶性氯含量平均值分别为6.25、21.6 g/kg、1.28 g/kg、120.61 mg/kg、42.84 mg/kg、148.69 mg/kg和7.47 mg/kg,适宜的植烟烟田比例分别为52.67%、26.32%、36.84%、42.11%、36.84%、84.21%和21.05%。烟田土壤肥力综合评价指数介于0.30～0.87,平均为0.55,总体上处于较高水平。施肥上应注意多施钾肥和磷肥并提高其利用率,对氯素低的烟田(<10 mg/kg)可以酌情施用氯肥。     

基于GIS的土壤肥力质量综合评价——以天然云冷杉针阔混交林为例

以吉林汪清林业局金沟岭林场中41块天然云冷杉针阔混交林样地为对象,采用主成分-聚类分析,结合GIS技术,对该区域土壤肥力质量进行综合评价。结果表明,按主成分-聚类分析结果将41块样地分为4类:第1类土壤肥力质量综合得分为11.17~18.86(优),包括5块样地;第2类土壤肥力质量综合得分为3.01~7.44(良),包括8块样地;第3类土壤肥力质量综合得分为-6.97~1.27(一般),包括24块样地;第4类土壤肥力质量综合得分为-12.40~-9.63(差),包括4块样地。然后采用Arc GIS软件对综合得分进行普通Kriging插值,其标准均方根预测为0.9544,在1的附近,这基本达到插值精度的要求。从生成的研究区土壤肥力质量综合得分空间分布图来看,森林土壤肥力质量由西向东呈现先降低后升高的趋势;由北向南,森林土壤肥力质量变化幅度逐步减小,表明研究区南部土壤肥力质量变化较北部均匀。就研究区的整体土壤肥力质量而言,土壤肥力质量中等以上(优,良,一般)样地数占所研究区样地总数比例为90.24%,表明所研究区森林土壤肥力质量整体处于良好水平。     

不同施肥处理对油茶生长及土壤肥力的影响

为探究不同施肥处理对油茶生长及土壤肥力的影响,连续3年在广西柳州市对5年生油茶人工林进行施肥试验研究。结果表明,施肥后,处理Ⅱ的树高、地径和冠幅的增长量明显高于其它处理,即有机—无机复混肥料直接施入油茶林地最有利于营养生长,而处理CK(不施肥)各项生长指标的增长量最低。不同施肥处理对油茶林地土壤养分各指标的影响差异较大,经灰色关联度法分析得出土壤综合肥力的高低顺序,其中处理Ⅲ(即无纺布包装有机—无机复混肥)施肥后对油茶林地土壤综合肥力的提高最显著,其次为处理Ⅰ(即有机栽培肥料),不施肥处理CK的土壤综合肥力则显著降低,土壤质量退化严重。     

砂田甜瓜套作向日葵系统的养分利用研究

2010—2013年在庄浪县进行的砂田甜瓜套作向日葵系统的养分利用研究的结果表明,无论在甜瓜的初花期、座果期、膨大期套作食葵或油葵,套作系统比单作明显提高了作物的吸氮量、吸磷量和吸钾量。氮吸收量比单作增加50%~59%,磷吸收量比单作增加12%~41%,钾吸收量比单作增加33%~68%。     

Acquired Thermo‐Tolerance and Trans‐Generational Heat Stress Response at Flowering in Rice

In rice, pre‐exposure to sublethal treatment followed by harsh lethal treatment is known to improve tolerance of different abiotic stresses at the vegetative stage within and across generations. Our major aim was to test the phenomenon of thermo‐tolerance at flowering across (trans)‐generations and within generation using rice cultivars contrasting for heat stress tolerance at flowering. To test trans‐generational response, plants were exposed to higher temperature at flowering stage and seeds obtained from previous generations were exposed to heat stress during flowering, which recorded significantly lower fertility when exposed to the same degree of stress in their subsequent generations. A pre‐acclimation to moderately high acclimating temperatures imposed over three different durations during the vegetative and initial reproductive stage showed positive response in the tolerant N22, particularly under severe heat stress (40 °C). This finding indicates the possibility of acquiring ameliorative thermo‐tolerant mechanisms at anthesis, restricted to tolerant genetic backgrounds to combat subsequent harsh conditions within the same generation. However, trans‐generational memory was ineffective in mitigating spikelet sterility losses in both tolerant and susceptible backgrounds. Rice is extremely sensitive to heat stress during flowering; hence, similar exercise across other crops of interest needs to be carried out before generalizing conclusions.     

邵阳县塘田市镇土地整理区烟田土壤肥力特征

土壤养分状况直接影响作物的产量高低和品质优劣,土地整理导致土壤养分变异和肥力退化。研究了邵阳县塘田市镇土地整理对烟田土壤肥力的影响。结果表明:塘田市镇土地整理区耕作层的干扰土壤强酸性、有机质缺乏,低含量水平碱解氮、高含量水平有效磷及低含量水平速效钾的土壤所占比例较大。存在的问题在于耕作层土壤p H值偏低,酸化明显;土壤养分适宜性调控空间大。     

Mass balanced based LCA of a common carp-lettuce aquaponics system

An aquaponics system (AS) is an integrated system that combines a recirculating aquaculture system and a hydroponics system (HS). It is designed to recover nutrients released from fish and transfer them to plants to provide a system more environmentally-friendly than the two systems working separately. As a result, several AS are under development, but little information is available about their overall performances. The aim of this study was to assess nutrient-use efficiency and environmental impacts of an AS, specifically a common carp-lettuce AS located in a greenhouse. Nutrient budgets of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were calculated and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed for the AS and for a lettuce Individual Hydroponics System (IHS), similar to the HS of the AS, operating in the greenhouse at the same time. The experiment was performed over a 52-day cycle, which corresponds to the growing time required to harvest marketable lettuce. The nutrient budgets were well balanced, with 24.6% of the N unaccounted-for, most likely due to N2 gas emission, and 6.6% of the P unaccounted-for, most likely due to having underestimated the quantity of sediment. At the beginning of the experiment, N represented 55.9%, 37.1% and 0.1% of the total N input in the formulated feed, stocked fish and lettuce seedlings, respectively. At the end of the experiment, N represented 47.6% and 0.4% of the total N input in the harvested fish and lettuce, respectively. At the beginning of the experiment, P represented 56.94%, 40.20% and 0.03% of the total P input in the formulated feed, stocked fish and lettuce seedlings, respectively. At the end of the experiment, P represented 51.52% and 0.42% of the total P input in the harvested fish and lettuce, respectively. LCA clearly indicated two environmental impact hotspots: the origin of nutrients and energy use. One kg of lettuce growth in the AS clearly had lower environmental impacts than that in the IHS for climate change, acidification, eutrophication, land competition and cumulative energy demand; however, a decrease in water dependence was not observed. The indicator for net primary production use highlighted the dependence of the AS on natural resources, especially fish meal and fish oil. Compared to the use of chemical nutrients in the IHS, the use of nutrients from formulated feed in the AS decreased climate change impact but increased the use of natural resources.