Leaf position,leaf age and plant age affect the expression of downy mildew resistance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica oleracea</Emphasis>

Downy mildew caused by the oomycete Hyaloperonospora parasitica (formerly Peronospora parasitica) is a worldwide foliar disease of Brassica vegetables, which may cause seedling loss in the nurseries and damage to adult plants in the field. Disease symptoms start from the lower leaves and progress upwards. Three experiments were conducted under controlled environment conditions, using inoculated leaf discs, to determine the influence of leaf position, plant age, and leaf age on the expression of resistance to downy mildew in various Brassica oleracea genotypes. The upper leaves were more resistant than the lower leaves when 7–19 week-old plants of broccoli and Tronchuda cabbage were tested. Broccoli lines ‘PCB21.32’ and ‘OL87123-2’ were fully susceptible at the cotyledon stage, showed a clear resistance increase from lower to upper leaves at 6 weeks and ‘PCB21.32’ was fully resistant 16 weeks after sowing. Immature leaves were more resistant than adjacent fully expanded mature leaves. Susceptibility increased with leaf age when the same leaf was tested at two to 4-week intervals. Leaf age and upper-leaf position on the stem had opposite effects on disease score, since younger leaves collected from lower positions and older leaves collected from upper positions tended to score similarly in compatible interactions. The progression of downy mildew from the base of the plant upwards on B. oleracea in the field could be due to differences in leaf resistance in addition to environmental variation. To maximise the expression of a compatible reaction in adult plants lower leaves of Brassica plants that are at least 12 weeks-old should be used.     

Gastroprotective mechanism of Vanillosmopsis arborea bark essential oil

This study was aimed to clarify the mechanism of gastroprotection by Vanillosmopsis arborea Baker essential oil (EOVA) using ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in mice. Gastric lesions were significantly reduced by EOVA (200 and 400 mg/kg). Chemical analysis showed that the major compound of EOVA was α-bisabolol. Pretreatment of mice with yohimbine, the α2-antagonist, greatly suppressed the gastroprotective effect of OEVA. Furthermore, OEVA gastroprotection was not attenuated in mice pretreated with indomethacin, L-NAME or glibenclamide, the respective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase, nitric oxide synthase and K⁺_ATP channel activation. These data suggest that OEVA affords gastroprotection most possibly by α2-receptor activation.     

Confirmation of a Campylobacteriosis Outbreak Associated with Chicken Liver Pâté Using PFGE and WGS

In May 2012, an outbreak of campylobacteriosis occurred in southern Sweden at a wedding reception affecting 44 persons. A total of 17 cases were notified (13 were culture positive for Campylobacter spp.). Epidemiological investigation suspected chicken liver pâté as the source of infection. The liver pâté had been deliberately undercooked, lightly fried to keep the right texture and mixed with spices. Campylobacter isolates from six cases as well as three Campylobacter isolates from chicken flocks previously raised by the producer delivering the liver were subtyped using pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis and whole‐genome sequencing. Indistinguishable PFGE profiles were identified among five human and one chicken C. jejuni isolates as well among the two C. coli isolates, one from a human case and one from a chicken. WGS supported the PFGE findings; the six C. jejuni isolates belonged to one cluster. All these six isolates were of MLST type ST 50 (ST‐CC 21). This study highlights the importance of a combination of strict biosecurity at the flock‐level as well as adequate cooking of chicken liver to prevent transmission of Campylobacter to humans.     

Investigation and analysis of an ultrasonic sensor for specific yield assessment and greenhouse features identification

The spectrum of an ultrasonic return echo from plants has been shown to contain useful information. The research reported in this paper focused on developing an ultrasonic sensing system and analyzing the ultrasonic classification features that would ultimately be used as the basis for a yield estimation robotic system. An algorithm was also developed for prediction of fruit mass per plant based on the ultrasonic echo return from a plant. The ultrasonic sensor system was tested in lab and pepper greenhouse environments and on single pepper plants, single leaves and fruit. The results showed the potential of ultrasonic sensors for such a robot in classifying plants and greenhouse infrastructures such as walls. It showed the robot’s ability to detect hidden plant rows and fruits as well as making an estimation of the fruit mass in single plants. A multi-linear regression model developed for estimating the energy level was found to be highly significant with R ² of 0.64 and 0.84 for 28–32 and 20–28 kHz ranges respectively. This estimated model was used to derive a prediction method for fruit mass per plant that yielded an R² of 0.34.     

Biological Activities and Chemical Composition of Methanolic Extracts of Selected Autochthonous Microalgae Strains from the Red Sea

Four lipid-rich microalgal species from the Red Sea belonging to three different genera (Nannochloris, Picochlorum and Desmochloris), previously isolated as novel biodiesel feedstocks, were bioprospected for high-value, bioactive molecules. Methanol extracts were thus prepared from freeze-dried biomass and screened for different biological activities. Nannochloris sp. SBL1 and Desmochloris sp. SBL3 had the highest radical scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, and the best copper and iron chelating activities. All species had potent butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity (>50%) and mildly inhibited tyrosinase. Picochlorum sp. SBL2 and Nannochloris sp. SBL4 extracts significantly reduced the viability of tumoral (HepG2 and HeLa) cells with lower toxicity against the non-tumoral murine stromal (S17) cells. Nannochloris sp. SBL1 significantly reduced the viability of Leishmania infantum down to 62% (250 µg/mL). Picochlorum sp. SBL2 had the highest total phenolic content, the major phenolic compounds identified being salicylic, coumaric and gallic acids. Neoxanthin, violaxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein and β-carotene were identified in the extracts of all strains, while canthaxanthin was only identified in Picochlorum sp. SBL2. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that the microalgae included in this work could be used as sources of added-value products that could be used to upgrade the final biomass value.     

Dietary indispensable amino acids profile affects protein utilization and growth of Senegalese sole larvae

In diet formulation for fish, it is critical to assure that all the indispensable amino acids (IAA) are available in the right quantities and ratios. This will allow minimizing dietary AA imbalances that will result in unavoidable AA losses for energy dissipation rather than for protein synthesis and growth. The supplementation with crystalline amino acids (CAA) is a possible solution to correct the dietary amino acid (AA) profile that has shown positive results for larvae of some fish species. This study tested the effect of supplementing a practical microdiet with encapsulated CAA as to balance the dietary IAA profile and to improve the capacity of Senegalese sole larvae to utilize AA and maximize growth potential. Larvae were reared at 19 °C under a co-feeding regime from mouth opening. Two microdiets were formulated and processed as to have as much as possible the same ingredients and proximate composition. The control diet (CTRL) formulation was based on commonly used protein sources. A balanced diet (BAL) was formulated as to meet the ideal IAA profile defined for Senegalese sole: the dietary AA profile was corrected by replacing 4 % of encapsulated protein hydrolysate by CAA. The in vivo method of controlled tube-feeding was used to assess the effect on the larvae capacity to utilize protein, during key developmental stages. Growth was monitored until 51 DAH. The supplementation of microdiets with CAA in order to balance the dietary AA had a positive short-term effect on the Senegalese sole larvae capacity to retain protein. However, that did not translate into increased growth. On the contrary, larvae fed a more imbalanced (CTRL group) diet attained a better performance. Further studies are needed to ascertain whether this was due to an effect on the voluntary feed intake as a compensatory response to the dietary IAA imbalance in the CTRL diet or due to the higher content of tryptophan in the BAL diet.     

Characterization of deficiency symptoms and mineral nutrient content in Acmella oleracea cultivated under macronutrient and boron omissions

Acmella oleracea occurs in the Amazon forest and is widely consumed in regional cuisine and folk medicine. Many studies concerning its active principles are available, but few studies have been carried out regarding mineral nutrition. The aim of this study was to characterize deficiencies symptoms and nutritional content in Acmella oleracea. The experimental design applied was a randomized block with four replications. After blooming, following treatments were applied: complete solution, absence of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, and Boron. After harvesting, growth and nutrient content of inflorescences, new leaves, old leaves, and stems were assessed. The absence of aforementioned nutrients allowed for characterization of visual deficiency symptoms. The first observed symptom was absence of Nitrogen. The accumulation of macronutrients in inflorescences followed the order N?>?K?>?Ca?>?P?>?S?>?Mg, in new leaves, N?>?K?>?Ca?>?S>Mg?>?P, in old leaves, K?>?N?>?Ca?>?Mg?>?S?>?P, and in stems K?>?N?>?Ca?>?Mg?>?P?>?S. The greatest growth restrictions were observed in nitrogen and calcium absence treatments.     

Gaping and loss of fillet firmness in farmed salmon (Salmo salar L.) closely correlated with post‐slaughter cleaning of the abdominal cavity

This study analysed the effect of cleaning intensity of the abdominal cavity and storage temperature from slaughter to the end of processing on the quality of farmed salmon (Salmo salar L.) fillets. These two parameters were manipulated in an experimental setup using in total thirty salmon with an average weight of 4.2 kg. The experiment was designed to imitate realistic scenarios in a normal production process in the Faroe Islands. The salmon stored at low temperatures had an average muscle temperature of 4.65°C, whereas the salmon stored at ambient temperature had an average muscle temperature of 11.27°C. After the salmon were gutted to remove all viscera except the kidney, the abdominal cavity was either rinsed lightly or meticulously cleansed of kidneys, all blood and bodily fluids. A wide range of quality and production parameters were measured either straight after cleaning or after the salmon had been stored in chipped ice at 1.5°C for 7 days. All measured parameters were analysed for possible correlations by principal component analysis (PCA). Blood and remains left in the abdominal cavity were shown to have a significant negative effect on fillet firmness (P < 0.01) and gaping (P < 0.01). The different storage temperatures between slaughter and gutting, tested in this experiment, did not significantly affect fillet firmness or gaping. However, the fillet colour showed significant negative correlation (P < 0.01) with the storage temperatures applied.     

Genetic variation and associations involving Fusarium head blight and deoxynivalenol accumulation in cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.)

Resistance in oats (Avena sativa L.) to Fusarium graminearum was phenotyped in 424 spring oat lines from North America and Scandinavia and genotyped with 2974 SNP markers. Fusarium head blight (FHB), deoxynivalenol (DON) content, days to flowering (DTF) and days to yellow maturity (DTM) were scored in field trials in 2011–12. Trials with phenotypic ranges from 1 to 30 ppm, and sufficient accuracy were obtained by an augmented design and spawn inoculation. Discriminant analysis–PCA identified the different gene pools, with overlaps corresponding to known pedigrees and germplasm exchanges. Structure was negligible and GWAS (genomewide association study) was done using mixed linear models in TASSEL or partial least‐squares regression (PLSR). PLSR allows simultaneous analyses of several phenotypes (environments and/or traits) and is a promising tool for GWAS in plants and should be tested in species with sequenced genomes. FHB was associated with phenology QTLs, due to very susceptible early lines from the Midwest. Lines with consistently low DON (and early heading) were identified. Six QTLs for DON were not associated with earliness, including three QTLs reported previously.