Plant performance and water use of peppermint treated with methanol and glycine

Methanol applied to foliage has been reported to reduce water use of C3 crops. Two field experiments on peppermint measured both plant performance and soil water depletion for methanol, glycine, and an untreated control. No differences were found in dry matter yield, oil yield, plant height, leaf weight, or water use. Preliminary phytotoxicity studies showed no toxicity or necrosis at concentrations up to 99 percent methanol applied at a rate of 187 L/ha in the field.     

Lethal yellowing disease: insights from predicting potential distribution under different climate change scenarios

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Coconut is recognized for its popularity in contributing to food and nutritional security. It generates income and helps to improve rural livelihood....     

Ascorbic acid-ferrous iron (Fe++)complexes and after cooking darkening of potatoes

A complex of ascorbic acid plus ferrous iron (Fe^{+ +}) forms a purple pigment similar to the after cooking darkening pigment (ACD) in potatoes. The ascorbic acid-Fe^{+ +} complex is similar to the ACD pigment in the following ways:

1. Both require O₂ in an oxidation reaction to form the final pigment.
2. The color changes with pH are similar.
3. Strong chelating or complexing agents such as citric acid, EDTA and sodium acid pyrophosphate will cause loss of color.

The ascorbate-Fe^{+ +} complex is much less stable than the chlorogenic acid-Fe⁺⁺⁺ complex, which is the currently accepted cause of after cooking darkening.     

A correlation network approach to metabolic data analysis for tomato fruits

Network analysis of correlations between abundances of metabolites across tomato genotypes can help in unraveling the biological basis of organoleptic variation in tomato. We illustrate how to construct and interpret simple correlations networks using metabolic data collected on a diverse set of tomato genotypes. Various types of correlations are calculated and displayed in the form of networks. Interpretations on the basis of network analyses are compared to interpretations following principal components analysis.     

The Use of Colonic Irrigation to Control Fecal Incontinence in Dogs With Colostomies

OBJECTIVE: To determine if once-daily colonic irrigation results in fecal continence for a 24-hour period in dogs with colostomies and if colonic volume increased in response to the irrigation. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective controlled experimental study. ANIMALS: Four intact male and one intact female mixed breed dogs. MATERIALS: All dogs received left end-on paralumbar colostomies. Four dogs received once-daily colonic irrigation for 8 weeks, whereas the control dog did not. Daily fecal weights were recorded for the length of the study in all dogs. Barium enema studies and volumetric studies were used to determine colonic volumes. RESULTS: Daily fecal weights were significantly decreased in treatment dogs compared with the control dog. Colonic volume increased in irrigated dogs in response to daily irrigation over the 8 week period of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Colonic irrigation resulted in significantly decreased fecal production over a 24-hour period. Therefore management of dogs with colostomies would be more practical and cost effective. It did not result in complete fecal continence in this study. Further clinical studies are indicated to determine if longer periods of irrigation would result in complete continence.     

Effects of Carbohydrate‐Rich Alternative Feedstuffs on Growth,Survival, Body Composition,Hematology, and Nonspecific Immune Response of Black Pacu,Colossoma macropomum,and Red Pacu,Piaractus brachypomus

To facilitate economical culture of black pacu, Colossoma macropomum, and red pacu, Piaractus brachypomus, in the Amazon region of South America, we assessed locally available alternative energy sources for practical diets. We tested the effects of control diets (containing wheat products) versus diets with different Amazonian feedstuffs (yucca, Manihot sculenta, plantain, Musa paradisiaca, or pijuayo, Bactris gasipaes) on the performance of the pacus in three feeding trials. Black pacu (22.5 ± 0.03 g; Trial 1) or red pacu (2.56 ± 0.01 g; Trial 2) were fed diets containing 30% wheat bran (control) or cooked or uncooked yucca, plantain, or pijuayo for 12 wk. In Trial 3, larger black pacu (86.9 ± 6.4 g) were grown to market size in 24 wk on similar diets. Weight gain, feed conversion, survival, alternative complement activity, and lysozyme were similar among diets. Hepatosomatic index, liver glycogen, and dry matter were affected by diet in Trials 1 and 2, but effects were not consistent among trials. In Trial 3, protein efficiency ratio was lower in fish fed the diet containing wheat middlings. However, relative to wheat bran or wheat middlings, all feedstuffs tested were effective energy sources for juvenile black pacu and red pacu.     

Differential evolution algorithm for solving multi-objective crop planning model

This study presents four strategies of a novel evolutionary algorithm, multi-objective differential evolution algorithm (MDEA). The four strategies namely, MDEA1, MDEA2, MDEA3 and MDEA4 are adapted to solve the multi-objective crop planning model with multiple constraints in a farmland in the Vaalharts irrigation scheme (VIS) in South Africa. The three objectives of the model are to minimize the total irrigation water (m²) and to maximize both the total net income in South African Rand (ZAR) from farming and the total agricultural output in tons. The total area of the farm is 771,000 m² and supplied with 704,694 m² of irrigation water annually. Numerical results produce non-dominated solutions which converge to Pareto optimal fronts. MDEA1 and MDEA2 strategies with binomial crossover method are better for solving the crop planning problem presented than MDEA3 and MDEA4 strategies with exponential crossover method. MDEA1 found a solution with the highest total net income of ZAR 1,304,600 with the corresponding total agricultural output, total irrigation water and total planting areas of 316.26 tons, 702,000 m³ and 725,000 m², respectively. The planting areas for the crops in the solution are 73,463 m² for maize, 551,660 m² for groundnut, 50,000 m² for Lucerne and 50,000 m² for Peacan nut. It can be concluded that MDEA is a good algorithm for solving crop planning problem especially in water deficient areas like South Africa.     

THE EFFECTS OF ROTATION ON THE RADIOGRAPHIC APPEARANCE OF THE CANINE CARDIAC SILHOUETTE IN DORSAL RECUMBENCY

Cardiac mensuration was done on thoracic radiographs of Beagles to determine the effects of rotation on the cardiac silhouette in dorsal recumbency. As the thorax became more rotated, surfaces of the heart not normally seen were projected, making interpretation of cardiac changes unreliable. A positioning standard based on the relationship of the dorsal spinous processes to the vertebral body was developed. If the tips of the dorsal spinous processes were within the bounds of the vertebral bodies, the radiographs were suitable for cardiac interpretation. If the tips of the dorsal spinous processes were outside the bounds of the vertebral bodies, there was enough rotation to make interpretation unreliable. A microcomputer, digitizer pad, and a BASIC language program were used to input, store, and calculate the various cardiac mensuration parameters.