Root distribution patterns of peanut genotypes with different drought resistance levels under early‐season drought stress

Drought severely limits crop yield of peanut. Yet cultivars with enhanced root development enable the exploration of a greater volume of soil for water and nutrients, helping the plant survive. Root distribution patterns of three genotypes (ICGV 98305, ICGV 98324 and Tifton‐8) were compared when grown in well‐watered rhizoboxes and when grown in rhizoboxes where an early‐season drought was imposed using rain‐exclusion shelters. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications, and the experiment was conducted during two seasons at the Field Crop Research Station of Khon Kaen University, in Khon Kaen, Thailand. The root system of ICGV 98305, when grown under drought, had a significantly higher root length in the 30–110 cm deep soil layers and less roots in the 0–30 cm soil layers when under drought than when grown under well‐watered conditions. Roots of Tifton‐8 had the largest reductions in root length in upper soil layer and reduced in most soil layers. Tifton‐8 grown under drought was smaller than under well‐watered control for all root traits, showing negative response to drought. The peanut genotypes with high root traits in deeper soil layer under early‐season drought might contribute to drought avoidance mechanism.     

Recreational fisheries in Portofino Marine Protected Area,Italy: Some implications for the management

Since the 1970s, recreational fishing has become a mass hobby in Italy, reaching a large number of people, who, using modern equipment, increased their harvesting capacity, provoking serious conflicts with the professional fisheries. Recreational fishing is strictly regulated inside Italian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and is generally allocated to local residents, mainly to reduce the tensions caused by limitations of access to the resources. The aim of this study was to provide an analysis of recreational fishing activities within the Portofino MPA (Mediterranean Sea), to assess the possible impact on the local fish stocks and to plan potential management actions. Furthermore, some serious inconsistencies on the minimum lengths of fish caught as defined by law relative to the minimum size of first reproduction are discussed. Since 2014, all anglers exploiting the Portofino MPA have been obliged to fill out a logbook. The compilation of these was not completely satisfactory, when compared with a group of reliable anglers whose catches were accurately monitored, but allowed for estimated yields of about 24 kg/angler/yr. After 15 years of protection, the fish biomass has increased within the Portofino MPA, generating a positive spillover effect. At the same time, it has attracted many anglers whose gross harvesting was estimated at about 8 t/year, representing about the 8% of the total yield of the local small‐scale fishery.     

Calibration and validation of optical chlorophyll‐measuring devices for use in predicting crude protein concentration in tropical grass herbage

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the Fieldscout CM 1000 NDVI and Yara N‐Tester as easy‐to‐use and cost‐effective tools for predicting foliar chlorophylls (a, b and total) and crude protein (CP) concentrations in herbage from three tropical grass species. Optical chlorophyll measurements were taken at three stages (4, 8 and 12 weeks) of regrowth maturity in Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) and Mulato II (Brachiaria hybrid) and at 6 and 12 weeks maturity in Paspalum spp (Paspalum atratum). Grass samples were harvested subsequent to optical measurements for laboratory analysis to determine CP and solvent‐extractable chlorophylls (a, b and total) concentrations. Optical chlorophyll measurements and CP concentrations were highly correlated (Yara N‐Tester: r² = 0·77–0·89; Fieldscout CM 1000 NDVI: r² = 0·52–0·84). Crude protein prediction models from the Yara N‐Tester and Fieldscout CM 1000 NDVI accounted for 70–89% and 44–73% CP variability, respectively, in Mulato II and Guinea grass. The Yara N‐tester produced more accurate and reliable CP estimates based on very high concordance correlation coefficient [CCC (0·73–0·91)] and low rMSPE, mean and regression bias. It is concluded that the Yara N‐Tester produces more accurate and reliable CP estimates of tropical pastures.     

P0 protein of cotton leafroll dwarf virus-atypical isolate is a weak RNA silencing suppressor and the avirulence determinant that breaks the cotton Cbd gene-based resistance

Cotton blue disease (CBD) is the most important disease present in cotton crops in South America and cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) is the causal agent. The disease has been controlled by sowing cotton varieties resistant to CLRDV. However, in the 2009/10 growing season, an outbreak due to an atypical CLRDV isolate (CLRDV-at) occurred in northwest Argentina. Although CLRDV and CLRDV-at genomes are very closely related, the symptoms they produce in cotton plants are quite different. P0 is the most divergent protein between the isolates and in CLRDV is a silencing suppressor protein. This work characterized the silencing suppressor activity of the P0 protein encoded by CLRDV-at (P0^CL-at) and evaluated its role in Cbd-resistance break in cotton plants. It was demonstrated that P0^CL-at, despite having a mutation in the consensus of the F-box-like motif, was able to suppress local RNA silencing, but displayed lower activity than P0^CL. P0^CL and P0^CL-at showed no differences in the interaction with Gossypium hirsutum SKP1 orthologue (GSK1) and Nicotiana benthamiana SKP1 and both P0 proteins triggered destabilization of ARGONAUTE1. However, when the ability to enhance PVX symptoms was evaluated, P0^CL-at was shown to be a weaker pathogenicity factor than P0^CL in N. benthamiana. Interestingly, trans-expressed P0^CL-at enabled CLRDV to systemically infect CBD-resistant plants, and a chimeric CLRDV-P0^CL-at infectious clone succeeded in establishing infection in CBD-resistant cotton varieties with symptoms resembling those produced by CLRDV-at. These results strongly suggest that P0^CL-at is the avirulence (Avr) determinant involved in breaking cotton Cbd gene-based resistance.     

Neuroprotective Metabolites from Vietnamese Marine Derived Fungi of Aspergillus and Penicillium Genera

Low molecular weight secondary metabolites of marine fungi Aspergillus flocculosus, Aspergillus terreus and Penicillium sp. from Van Phong and Nha Trang Bays (Vietnam) were studied and a number of polyketides, bis-indole quinones and terpenoids were isolated. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by 1D and 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS techniques. Stereochemistry of some compounds was established based on ECD data. A chemical structure of asterriquinone F (6) was thoroughly described for the first time. Anthraquinone (13) was firstly obtained from a natural source. Neuroprotective influences of the isolated compounds against 6-OHDA, paraquat and rotenone toxicity were investigated. 4-Hydroxyscytalone (1), 4-hydroxy-6-dehydroxyscytalone (2) and demethylcitreoviranol (3) have shown significant increasing of paraquat- and rotenone-treated Neuro-2a cell viability and anti-ROS activity.     

Effects of Salinity,Commercial Salts,and Water Type on Cultivation of the Cryptophyte Microalgae Rhodomonas salina and the Calanoid Copepod Acartia tonsa

Marine aquaculture facilities positioned far from the sea need access to seawater (SW); hence, commercial salts are often the chosen solution. In marine hatcheries, most fish larvae require live feed (zooplankton) that are in turn fed with microalgae. The objective of this research was to investigate the applicability of commercial salts and clarify the potential effects on the cultivation of the microalga Rhodomonas salina and the copepod Acartia tonsa. Three commercial salts were tested, Red Sea Salt (RS), Red Sea – Coral Pro Salt (CP), and Blue Treasure Salt. R. salina was cultured at salinities of 10, 20, and 30 psu resulting in equal growth rates at salinities 20 and 30 in SW and RS mixed with deionized (DI) water. The optimum salinity for R. salina was 29 psu. For A. tonsa eggs, we observed highest hatching success in 30 psu with CP or RS mixed with DI water. The egg hatching success was not affected by salinities 15–40 and optimal hatching was obtained at 27 psu. Results confirm it was possible to use commercial salts for rearing of both R. salina and A. tonsa, widening the application of these species for aquaculture facilities without access to SW.