Fluorescence of Extracts from Argentine Hake (Merluccius hubbsi) Muscle and Its Correlation with Quality Indices During Chilled Storage

Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) was stored chilled for 8 days. The evolution of fluorescence of the aqueous and organic extracts of muscle during storage at 4°C was studied and correlated with common damage indices; pH, total volatile basic nitrogen, free fatty acids, and the fluorescence intensity of the aqueous phase showed a good correlation with storage time. The excitation-emission matrices of the aqueous extracts were also obtained. A fluorescence landscape that could be attributed to tryptophan decreased with storage time, meanwhile a peak (around 340 and 400 nm for excitation and emission wavelengths, respectively) is developed during chilled storage.     

Probiotic efficiency of Bacillus sp. in Labeo rohita challenged by Aeromonas hydrophila: assessment of stress profile,haemato‐biochemical parameters and immune responses

Fish are always susceptible to a wide variety of deadly pathogens which cause a huge loss in aquaculture industries. In this investigation, we have demonstrated the in vivo probiotic efficiency of Bacillus sp. MVF1 (GenBank Acc. No. KP256503) in Labeo rohita challenged with pathogenic strain of Aeromonas hydrophila (MTCC 1739). To check the probiotic potential of the selected bacterial strain, fish were divided into four groups: control, D1, D2 and D3. A total of 100 days (70 days probiotic feeding + 71th day sampling and 28 days challenged test + 29th day sampling) of feeding trial was conducted. To establish the probiotic potential of Bacillus sp. MVF1, certain haematological parameters (haemoglobin, total erythrocyte and leucocyte count), serum biochemical parameters (total protein, albumin and globulin), immune parameters (serum lysozyme and total IgM levels) and hepatic stress profile (malondialdehyde production, superoxide dismutase and catalase activity) have been measured. Our results demonstrated that red blood cell number, white blood cell number and haemoglobin content were much higher in D2 group fish compared to other groups and control fish. Similarly, total protein contents, albumin concentration, globulin concentration, lysozyme activity and IgM production were also recorded to be highest in D2 group fish. This finding clearly indicated the probiotic potential of Bacillus sp. MVF1 in L. rohita. Furthermore, our results also demonstrated that 1 × 10⁷ CFU g^?1 feed (D2) provides better immunity compared to 1 × 10⁵ (D1) and 1 × 10⁹ (D3). Due to beneficial effects, the bacterium Bacillus sp. MVF1 might be useful in aquaculture industries to reduce the disease susceptibility.     

Optimal dietary carbohydrate‐to‐lipid ratios for silvery‐black porgy (Sparidentex hasta) juveniles

Four isonitrogenous diets containing different carbohydrate:lipid (CHO:L) ratios (0.3, 0.6, 1.1 and 1.8) were tested in triplicate groups (16 fish per replicate) of silvery‐black porgy juveniles for 8 weeks. Growth performance was not affected by different dietary CHO:L ratios (P > 0.05); however, the viscerosomatic index, the intraperitoneal fat, whole‐body lipid, energy and n‐3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids levels increased with decreasing dietary CHO:L ratios (P < 0.05). Fish fed with 1.8 CHO:L diet had the lowest apparent digestibility coefficients of protein and lipid, as well as the lowest plasma haemolytic and lysozyme activities (P < 0.05). Red blood cell counts and plasma glucose levels were higher in fish fed with 1.1 and 1.8 CHO:L ratio diets than in the other groups (P < 0.05). Plasma alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase, as well as the level of lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant capacity in the liver and plasma increased as dietary CHO:L ratios decreased (P < 0.05). The results of the current study indicated that the diets with CHO:L ratios between 0.6 and 1.1 are optimal for silvery‐black porgy, whereas higher ratios may result in hyperglycaemia and immune suppression, and lower CHO:L ratios may lead to oxidative stress and liver dysfunction.     

Aloysia triphylla essential oil as food additive for Rhamdia quelen – Stress and antioxidant parameters

We examined the effects of dietary supplementation for 21 days with different levels (0, 0.25 and 2.0 ml/kg) of the Aloysia triphylla essential oil (EOAT) on silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen). Cortisol levels were lower in fish fed EOAT at 2.0 ml/kg diet, and lactate levels were lower in those fed at both doses. Glucose, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and triglyceride levels did not vary between groups. The biomarkers of oxidative stress, thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances, lipid hydroperoxide, superoxide dismutase, catalase and non‐protein thiols, were lower in the brain, liver and muscle of fish fed EOAT at 2.0 ml EO/kg diet. Glutathione‐S‐transferase, reduced glutathione, plasma Na⁺, Cl^?, and K⁺, and gill Na⁺/K⁺‐ATPase and H⁺‐ATPase did not vary between groups. Taken together, our results clearly indicate that the addition of EOAT at 2.0 ml/kg diet improves oxidative status and lowers the stress response in silver catfish.     

Soil physical changes and maize growth in a structurally fragile tropical soil due to mulching and duration between irrigation intervals

Under tropical meteorological conditions, the volume of soil explored by plant roots is crucial for crop growth as it allows increased water and nutrient use efficiency. We hypothesized that, under different irrigation intervals, leguminous mulch can extend the duration between irrigation events but maintain crop performance, because decreased evaporative fluxes also reduce constraints to root exploration imposed by mechanical stress. We evaluated the combined effects of leguminous mulch and irrigation intervals on soil physical properties to determine whether the growth and productivity of maize were modified in a structurally fragile tropical soil. The experiment involved the following treatments: 4‐day irrigation intervals with soil mulched (4C) or bare (4S), 6‐day irrigation intervals with soil mulched (6C) or bare (6S), 8‐day irrigation intervals with soil mulched (8C) or bare (8S) and 10‐day irrigation intervals with soil mulched (10C) or bare (10S). Mulch decreased soil penetration resistance and increased to 4 days the favourable time for root development in drying soil. Relative to bare soil, mulch with a 6‐day irrigation interval almost doubled nitrogen uptake post‐tasselling, which decreased nitrogen remobilization and increased the crop growth rate during this stage. These conditions had a positive effect on the transpiration rate and stomatal conductance as well as on the growth and yield of maize. A 6‐day irrigation interval with mulch compared to 4 days with bare soil resulted in similar conditions for root development, but greater uptake of nitrogen (102.73–78.70 kg/ha) and better yield (6.2–5.3 t/ha), which means greater efficiency in nitrogen and water use.     

Effects of Different Substrate Composition on Growth of Gesneriaceae Plants

The cultivation experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different proportions of peat soil, perlite, vermiculite and yellow mud on growth of Gesneriaceae species(Chirita gueilinensis, Sinningia speciosa, Lysionotus pauciflorus, Hemiboea henryi, Aeschynanthus acuminatus, Saintpaulia ionantha). The growth traits of each plant growing in 7 different matrix materials were investigated.The plant height, crown width and chlorophyll content of each plant were measured. The results showed that the best substrate ratio was peat soil∶vermiculite=2∶1for C. gueilinensis, L. pauciflorus and H. henryi; peat soil∶perlite∶vermiculite = 2∶1∶1for S. ionantha; peat soil∶vermiculite∶yellow mud=2∶1∶1 for S. speciosa; peat soil∶perlite∶vermiculite∶yellow mud=2∶1∶1∶1 for A. acuminatus.     

Effect of climate change on Spodoptera litura Fab. on peanut: A life table approach

Investigations were conducted to understand the direct effects of rising temperature and the host-mediated effects of elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) on Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera). This study involved i. the construction of life tables of S. litura at six constant temperatures viz., 20, 25, 27, 30, 33 and 35°C ± 0.5 °C reared on peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) grown under eCO₂ (550 ppm) concentration in open top chambers ii. Estimation of threshold temperatures and thermal constants and iii. Prediction of the pest scenarios during near and distant future climate change periods. Significantly lower leaf nitrogen, higher carbon and a higher relative proportion of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) were observed in peanut foliage grown under eCO₂ over ambient CO₂ (aCO₂). The mean development time (days) of each stage, egg, larva, pupa, pre-oviposition and total life span decreased from 20 to 35 °C temperature on eCO₂ foliage. The thermal requirement of S. litura from egg to egg (within the range of 20 °C–35 °C) was 538.5 DD on eCO₂ as against 494.5 DD on aCO₂ foliage. Finite (λ) and intrinsic rates of increase (r_m), net reproductive rate (R_o), mean generation time (T) and doubling time (DT) of S. litura varied significantly with temperature and CO₂ and were found to have quadratic relationships with temperature. The present results on life table parameters estimated by the bootstrap technique showed that the ‘r_m’ values of S. litura on eCO₂ foliage were higher than those in the literature indicating a significant influence of eCO₂. The reduction of ‘T’ was noticed from a maximum of 50 days at 20 °C to minimum of 22 days at 35 °C and ‘λ’ which is the indicator of reproductive value of new eggs was highest at 35 °C and showed a negative relationship with temperature. The data on these life table parameters were plotted against temperature and two non-linear models developed for both CO₂ conditions and used for predicting the pest scenarios. Prediction of pest scenarios based on PRECIS A1B emission scenario data at eleven peanut growing locations of the country during near future (NF) and distant future (DF) climate change periods showed an increase of ‘r_m’ and ‘λ’ with varied ‘R_o’ and reduced ‘T’. The present results indicate that temperature and CO₂ are vital in influencing the growth and life table parameters of S. litura and that pest incidence is likely to be higher in the future.     

Three‐dimensional visualization of green fluorescence protein‐labelled Edwardsiella tarda in whole Medaka larvae

The invasive fish pathogen Edwardsiella tarda is common in aquatic environments and causes the environmentally and economically destructive emphysematous putrefactive disease called edwardsiellosis. In order to understand the organism's infection pathway, medaka larvae (Oryzias latipes) were immersion‐infected with E. tarda labelled with green fluorescence protein (GFP) and then visualized in three dimensions under confocal laser microscopy and light‐sheet fluorescence microscopy. Confocal microscopy revealed GFP‐labelled E. tarda in the mouth, head, gill bridges, gill cover, skin, membrane fin, gastrointestinal tract and air bladder, and in the caudal vein, somite veins, caudal artery and caudal capillaries. Light‐sheet microscopy additionally showed GFP‐labelled E. tarda in the pharyngeal cavity, muscle of the pectoral fin and cardiac atrium and ventricle. These findings suggest that during its infection of fish, E. tarda initially adheres to, and invades, the epithelial cells of the skin, gills and gastrointestinal tract (through the pharyngeal cavity); E. tarda then enters the blood vessels to access organs, including the air bladder and heart.     

基于无人机成像高光谱影像的冬小麦LAI估测

利用无人机Cubert UHD185 Firefly成像光谱仪和ASD光谱仪获取了冬小麦挑旗期、开花期和灌浆期的成像和非成像高光谱以及LAI数据。首先,对比ASD与UHD185光谱仪数据光谱反射率,评价两者精度;然后,选取7个光谱参数,分析其与冬小麦3个生育期LAI的相关性,并使用线性回归和指数回归挑选出最佳估测参数;最后利用多元线性回归、偏最小二乘、随机森林、人工神经网络和支持向量机构建了冬小麦3个不同生育期LAI的估测模型。结果表明:UHD185光谱仪光谱反射率在红边区域与ASD光谱仪趋势一致性很高,反射率在挑旗期、开花期、灌浆期的R^2分别为0.9959、0.9990和0.9968,UHD185光谱仪数据精度较高;7种光谱参数在挑旗期、开花期、灌浆期与LAI相关性最高的参数分别是NDVI(r=0.738)、SR(r=0.819)、NDVI×SR(r=0.835);LAI-MLR为冬小麦LAI的最佳估测模型,其中开花期拟合性最好,精度最高(建模R^2=0.6788、RMSE为0.69、NRMSE为19.79%,验证R^2=0.8462、RMSE为0.47、NRMSE为16.04%)。     

酱卤肉制品连续式传输轨道关键技术研究

通过研究钢板式、PU式、网带式、双节距式等不同类型的传送装备对酱卤肉制品感官、微生物指标的影响,确定最佳传送装备为双节距式传送装备,以设备清洗方便性、清洗后食品接触面微生物水平、产品外观完整性为评价指标,调整并确定双节距间隙为0.5 cm;根据产品完整性和产能,确定双节距最佳传送速度15 m/min,显著提高了工作效率,同时提高了产品的感官特性。