A Cross-Sectional Survey of Foaling-Related Parameters of Jennies (Equus asinus) Under Smallholder Farm Conditions in Northeast China

It is important to assess the reproductive efficiency and improve the reproductive management to promote the donkey population development. The overall foaling-related parameters of jennies under smallholder farm conditions in China were hardly under investigation. A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected 694 smallholder farms was conducted in 40 villages in the north, east, and south areas of Western Liaoning Province and Eastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region between March and July, 2017. Foaling-related parameters were assessed such as the mean age at first foaling, foaling rate and foaling interval during 2014–2017. Only two-thirds of the adult jennies foaled during the 3-year survey period and delivered a foal every 1.9 years. The mean age at first foaling was 45.3 months. The lowest incidence of foaling rate was in coincidence with the peak of foaling. The overall mean values for the foaling rate and foaling interval were 75% and 500.5 days, respectively. Significant changes of foaling rates before the age of 15 years and foaling intervals in the first 8 parities were not observed. The results indicate that the jennies could maintain relatively fine foaling-related parameters under smallholder farm conditions in northeast of China. However, the foaling rates hardly remained high during the whole breeding season represented a major loss to the donkey breeding.     

Assessment of potential trade‐off between maternal colouration and offspring quality in the ornamental “red cherry” shrimp Neocaridina davidi (Bouvier)

Maternal colouration based on carotenoids has been proposed to negatively affect offspring quality in several taxa, since females might trade off their limited carotenoid resources between body colouration and eggs. This study investigated in the ornamental “red cherry” shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) the relationship between maternal colouration and female reproductive performance, as well as offspring quality. Females selected displayed a broad array of body colour, from less coloured to intensely red coloured and were paired with transparent males. The first two spawning events of each female were studied and compared. The number of newly hatched juveniles was associated to maternal weight, but not to maternal colouration. Offspring quality was measured in terms of survival at the end of the 90‐day growth period, weight and length increment for 0–30 days and 30–60 days periods, and protein, lipid and glycogen contents in 30‐day‐old offspring. Yet, neither of these variables was associated to maternal colouration. These results indicate that there is no trade‐off between maternal colouration and offspring quality in this species. Furthermore, no association was found between maternal and offspring colouration, evaluated at a similar age. However, body colouration in 180‐day old females was significantly higher than in 90‐day‐old females, indicating that female colouration is strongly influenced by age.     

Short‐term releases of CO2 from newly mixed biochar and calcareous soil

The work aimed to quantify native organic C mobilized in one calcareous soil in the 21 days after addition of biochar at a range of large to very large applications. The experiment was carried out in unplanted microcosms, and CO₂ flux was used as a measure of net mineralization. A rapid methodological approach, which does not require ¹³C as a tracer, was used to assess any priming effects induced by the biochar. The amount of CO₂‐C mobilized was small relative to the amount of biochar C and proportional to the amount of the biochar added. The additional CO₂‐C was similar to the content of the water‐soluble organic carbon in the biochar added with each application. No interaction with native soil C, that is priming effect, was observed.     

浙江乌牛早春茶始摘期及霜冻风险区划

为了解浙江省乌牛早春茶初始采摘期的时空分布特征和减少遭受春季霜冻的风险,应用1971—2014年浙江省71个常规站日资料和2005—2014年共2094个气象自动区域站小时观测资料,以乌牛早春茶发育热量为始摘期区划指标和乌牛早春茶各级冻害总灾损率为霜冻害区划指标,应用GIS技术,采用距离权重反比法(IDW,Inverse Distance Weighted),得到浙江省乌牛早春茶始摘期区划图和乌牛早春季霜冻风险区划分布图。结果表明:浙江全省乌牛早春茶始摘期在2月上旬—3月上旬,从南到北时间递增,温州沿海地区最早,29°N以南为2月中旬,30°N以北地区最晚。浙江沿海、盆地、低丘陵地区适宜种植乌牛早茶,海拔高的地区遭受春季霜冻风险大,不适宜种植乌牛早茶,区划结果将为茶叶主管部门和农技推广部门指导乌牛早种植的布局调整提供重要参考价值和科学依据。     

Investigation and genetic mapping of a Glomerella leaf spot resistance locus in apple

Apple Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) is a severe fungal disease that damages apple leaves during the summer in China. Breeding new apple varieties that are resistant to the disease is considered the best way of controlling GLS. Fine mapping and tightly linked marker are critically essential for the preselection of resistant seedlings. In this study, a population of 207 F₁ individuals derived from a cross between ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Fuji’ was used to construct a fine simple sequence repeat (SSR)‐based genetic linkage map. The position of R_gls, a locus responsible for resistance to GLS, was identified on apple linkage group (LG) 15 using SSR markers CH05g05 and CH01d08, which was adapted from a published set of 300 SSR markers that were developed using the bulked segregant analysis (BSA) method. These two SSR markers flanked the gene, and its recombination rate was 8.7% and 23.2%, respectively. A total of 276 newly developed SSR markers around the target region and designed from the genome apple assembly contig of LG15 were screened. Only nine of these were determined to be linked to the R_gls locus. Thus, a total of 11 SSR markers were in linkage with R_gls, and mapped at distances ranging from 0.5 to 33.8 cM. The closest marker to the R_gls locus was S0405127, which showed a genetic distance of approximately 0.5 cM. The first mapping of the gene R_gls was constructed, and the locations of the 11 effective primers in the ‘Golden Delicious’ apple genome sequence were anchored. This result facilitates better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the trait of resistance to GLS and could be used in improving the breeding efficiency of GLS‐resistant apple varieties.     

水稻不同穗型品种穗颈节间组织与籽粒充实特性的研究

本文用7个不同穗型的中稻品种,研究了重穗型、中穗型、轻穗型品种的穗颈节间组织特性及其与籽粒充实的关系.结果表明:穗颈节间维管束数目,维管束、韧皮部面积,茎横切面、茎壁、髓腔面积,均是重穗型>中穗型>轻穗型品种.穗颈节间输导组织特征与空壳率的大小无关,但它是籽粒充实的重要前提和解剖学基础.穗颈节间茎的粗度、茎壁的     

Breeding behavior for tuber protein in Solanum tuberosum and Tuberosum-phureja hybrids

Summary True protein content among tubers within a plant of Solanum tuberosum cv. Oneida was found to be negatively correlated with tuber size. A similar study of S. phureja genotype 148-17 revealed no correlation. Tuber protein was determined for 250 genotypes in each of four hybrid potato populations in a factorial mating design with four potato cultivars as stylar parents mated to four groups of pollen parents (4x cultivars, 4x high protein selections, 2x S. phureja, 2x high protein S. phureja). The hybrid population derived from the 4x high protein selections was significantly higher in protein content than the other populations. High estimates of general combining ability for tuber protein content were found for both stylar and pollen parents. Poor photoperiodic adaptation to growing conditions in northern latitudes was a possible explanation for the variable protein phenotypes typical of S. phureja and the lack of transmission of the high protein character in phureja to 4x-2x hybrids. Although protein content was negatively correlated with total yield, high protein segregates with good yield potential were identified in all four populations.Scientific Journal Series Article 11, 616 of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Effects of strategic helminthosis control on age at first lambing and lambing interval of communally grazed Menz ewes in Ethiopia

A three-year longitudinal study was conducted to evaluate effects of strategic anthelmintic treatment regimes on age at first lambing (AFL), weight at first lambing (WFL) and lambing interval (LI) of 356 communally grazed ewes and 675 lambs owned by 10 smallholder farmers in the central highlands of Ethiopia. The ewes were stratified by weight and randomly allocated to three treatment groups as untreated control (TG1), twice-dosed per year (TG2) for both nematodes and trematodes in mid-January and mid-June and four-time-dosed per year (TG3) in June for nematodes, in August–September for nematodes and adult Fasciola, in November–December and January–February for immature flukes. The fixed effect of anthelmintic treatments, parity, season and year of lambing on AFL and LI was evaluated. Mean ± standard error (SE) of lambing interval was 292 ± 3 days. Both anthelmintic treatments (TG2 and TG3) shortened (P < 0.01) LI by about 23 days compared to non-treated ewes (TG1). Season and year of lambing had a significant (P < 0.001) effect on LI. Mean ± SE of AFL and WFL was 598 ± 10 days and 17.2 ± 1.37 kg, respectively. Anthelmintic treatments and parity of dam of the ewe lamb did not affect AFL (P > 0.05). Birth and lambing seasons of the ewe lamb had significant (P < 0.05) effect on AFL. On the other hand, lambing season of the ewe had significant (P < 0.05) effect on WFL. Ewe lambs born in the long rains lambed more than 50 days earlier than the ewe lambs born in short rainy and dry seasons. Lambing occurred year-round with two peaks in August–September and December–January, each 5 months after the two rainy seasons. Anthelmintic treatment at the beginning of the two rainy seasons should improve reproductive performance of Menz ewe lambs in similar agro-ecology in the central highlands of Ethiopia.     

生物质气化发电技术相关问题的研究

随着我国经济的高速发展,能源短缺和环境污染问题日益严峻.生物质能作为一种理想的可再生能源,由于其在燃烧过程中二氧化碳净排放量近似于零,可有效地减少温室效应和环境污染,因而越来越受到世界各国的关注.为此,重点讨论了生物质气化发电技术的相关问题-气化炉的选取、焦油的处理、系统投资和运行成本,并进行了财务分析,从而得出生物质气化技术是生物质能最有效、最经济和最洁净的利用方式.     

近40a新疆阿拉尔垦区初终霜日及无霜期的变化特征

根据阿拉尔气象站1961-2000年日平均气温资料,求其逐年初终霜日及无霜期持续天数,用最小二乘法分析时间序列变化特征及趋势。结果表明：近40a新疆阿拉尔垦区初霜日提前,终霜日推后,无霜期持续天数以0.359d/10a的不显著趋势减少;初终霜日及无霜期持续天数年际差异不明显,变化相对稳定。结论：鉴于无霜期持续天数缩短,...