SALIBU technology in Indonesia: an alternative for efficient use of agricultural resources to achieve sustainable food security

Paddy and Water Environment - SALIBU technology (rice ratooning modification) is an innovation in rice farming technology allowing ratoon crops to be harvested up to 3.5–4 times annually with...     

Antiatherogenic effect of isoflavones in ovariectomized apolipoprotein e-deficient mice

The consumption of isoflavone-containing foods such as soybean and soybean products has been reported to have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system in postmenopausal women. The present study was carried out to examine the mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of isoflavones in apolipoprotein (apo) E-deficient mice subjected to ovarian resection. Compared with sham-operated mice, ovariectomized mice had a larger arterial lesion area in the aortic root. Feeding the ovariectomized mice an isoflavone-containing diet (0.055 mg/kJ of total isoflavones/cal of diet) reduced the size of these lesions more than did feeding them with an isoflavone-free diet. Neither ovariectomy nor diet had a significant effect on the concentration of cholesterol in serum and urinary levels of isoprostanes, which are biomarkers for oxidative stress in vivo. The ovariectomized mice showed a greater increase in mRNA abundance for monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-I in the aorta and in the level of nitric oxide (NO) secreted by peritoneal macrophages in culture than did the sham-operated mice. The isoflavone-containing diet lowered the MCP-I expression and the NO secretion more than did the isoflavone-free diet. These results suggest that dietary isoflavones confer an antiatherogenic effect by preventing the activation of macrophages due to the removal of ovaries.     

Construction of a high-density reference linkage map of tea (Camellia sinensis)

A few linkage maps of tea have been constructed using pseudo-testcross theory based on dominant marker systems. However, dominant markers are not suitable as landmark markers across a wide range of materials. Therefore, we developed co-dominant SSR markers from genomic DNA and ESTs and constructed a reference map using these co-dominant markers as landmarks. A population of 54 F₁ clones derived from reciprocal crosses between ‘Sayamakaori’ and ‘Kana-Ck17’ was used for the linkage analysis. Maps of both parents were constructed from the F₁ population that was taken for BC₁ population. The order of most of the dominant markers in the parental maps was consistent. We constructed a core map by merging the linkage data for markers that detected polymorphisms in both parents. The core map contains 15 linkage groups, which corresponds to the basic chromosome number of tea. The total length of the core map is 1218 cM. Here, we present the reference map as a central core map sandwiched between the parental maps for each linkage group; the combined maps contain 441 SSRs, 7 CAPS, 2 STS and 674 RAPDs. This newly constructed linkage map can be used as a basic reference linkage map of tea.     

Effect of annealing temperature on gelatinization of rice starch suspension as studied by rheological and thermal measurements

The effect of annealing temperature (Ta) on the rheological behavior of 10 wt % rice starch suspension was investigated by the dynamic viscoelasticity, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the amount of leached out amylose and the swelling ratio of starch suspension. The rheological behaviors of the annealed samples are classified into three types in terms of Ta: Ta1, 48 and 55 degrees C, which are much lower than the gelatinization temperature, Tgel (=62 degrees C); Ta2, 58, 60, and 62 degrees C, which are almost the same as Tgel; and Ta3, 65, 68, 70, and 73 degrees C, which are much higher than Tgel. For the samples annealed at Ta2, the onset temperature of the storage and the loss moduli, G' and G', increased with increasing T(a), and G' and G" in the temperature range from 65 to 90 degrees C gradually increased though smaller than those for the nonannealed sample, the control. This can be understood by the partial gelatinization; i.e., the leached out amylose prevents further amylose from leaching out. The rheological property of the samples annealed at Ta1 is not so different from that of the control, and the samples annealed at Ta3 are almost gelatinized. The rheological behavior of starch suspension can be controlled by Ta.     

Insulin responses to administrations of amino acids and fatty acids in healthy cats

In order to compare the stimulation ability of insulin secretion, we determined changes in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations after intravenous administration of various amino acids and essential fatty acids in clinically healthy adult cats. Plasma glucose concentrations were within the normal ranges after injection of amino acids and fatty acids. Plasma insulin concentrations increased rapidly 2 to 4 min after injection of arginine, then decreased to the basal levels at 20 min in all five cats. Insulin peak responses were significantly greater in arginine injections than in normal saline (P<0.01). Areas under the curve (AUC) of plasma insulin concentrations from 0 to 10 min after injection of arginine were significantly larger than after injection of normal saline (P<0.01) and glucose (P<0.05). Increases in AUC of plasma insulin concentration from 0 to 60 min were observed after injection of arginine, leucine, alanine, and fat emulsion. Arginine had a strong insulinotropic effect, and leucine, alanine, and fatty acids had weak ones. Besides, valine, methionine, taurine and glutamine had no stimulant activity of insulin. Given the risk of glucose toxication and required time for testing, the intravenous arginine tolerance test may be useful for estimation of insulin responses in cats.     

Epidemiological and morphological studies of double-chambered right ventricle in dogs

The double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) is a rare congenital cardiac disease in dogs, and its detailed epidemiological and morphological features are not clearly understood. By investigating the profile, clinical signs, and characteristics of examination findings of eleven dogs with DCRV by means of a retrospective study, we attempted to clarify the epidemiology and morphology of the condition. The study group consisted of nine males and two females. Breeds included Pug (n=3), Miniature Dachshund (n=1), French Bull-dog (n=1), Shiba (n=1), and Retrievers (n=5). The attachment site of the anomalous muscular bundle was continuous with the cardiac apex in nine dogs, and it was attached to the right ventricle free wall in the other two dogs. In dogs with DCRV, at least one of the following conditions was present concurrently: congenital or acquired tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR), ventricular septal defect, and atrial septal defect. Also, the pressure difference between the two chambers increased over time, and progressive right-sided heart failure was observed. In summary, DCRV occurs in small breeds of dog as well as in large breeds of dog and it may be more prevalent in males. The existence of two types of DCRV in dogs was established. Dog with DCRVs will have a high incidence of concurrent cardiac abnormalities. Concurrent TR may be either congenital or acquired. DCRV is a congenital disorder, but the clinical condition progresses as the dog develops.     

Glycosylation of the envelope protein of West Nile Virus affects its replication in chicks

Birds are important for the transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) in nature, but the significance of the potential N-linked glycosylation at position 154 in the WNV envelope (E) protein with regard to viral replication in young chickens has not been assessed. In this study, the effect of glycosylation of the WNV E protein on viral pathogenicity in birds was investigated using young domestic chicks. A higher viral load was detected in the blood and the peripheral organs, particularly the hearts, of 2-day-old chicks inoculated with a glycosylated WNV variant compared to those inoculated with the nonglycosylated variant. There was no significant difference in the neutralizing antibody titers and cytokine expression profiles in chickens inoculated with the glycosylated and the nonglycosylated WNV variants. In contrast, no virus w as detected in the blood and the tissues of 3-wk-old chicks, although the host immune response was induced to similar levels as in the 2-day-old chicks. These data indicate the utility of young domestic chicks as an animal model of WNV infection; they also indicate that glycosylation of the E protein of WNV enhances multiplication in the blood and peripheral organs, which is associated with the strong pathogenicity of WNV in birds.     

Contextualizing farmers’ attitudes towards genetically modified crops

Analyses of the role of technological development in agriculture are central to an understanding of social change in agri-food systems. The objective of this paper is to contribute to the formation of a broader perspective of how farmers are positioning themselves with respect to controversial agricultural technologies through an empirical analysis of Washington State farmers’ willingness or unwillingness to try Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) technology on their farms. The use of this type of biotechnology in farming has been criticized for its potential harmful effects on natural environments and socio-cultural systems, while proponents highlight the possibilities for increasing production with minimal use of other inputs. An analysis of the extent of farmers’ expressed willingness to use GMOs provides an opportunity to better understand how their diverse thoughts about controversial agricultural technologies are shaped not only by their own experiences but also by social context. The present study does this by analyzing data from a farm survey conducted on a random sample of farmers from across Washington State. The results show that the production practices farmers utilize and the market strategies they employ may be at least as useful as farmers’ socio-economic characteristics in explaining what types of farmers appear to be more or less interested in potentially using this technology. Furthermore, the relationship between level of formal education and willingness to use GMOs is not straightforward. It may hide differences between farmers with respect to where and how they received their formal education as well as the type(s) of knowledge they gained. It is argued that future research should recognize the diversity that exists in farmers’ interests vis-á-vis particular technologies and should also explore how these interests are shaped by farmers’ past and present social networks and life experiences. Kazumi Kondoh is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at Washington State University. Her research interests include environmental policies, science and technology, and sustainable agriculture. Raymond Jussaume is an Professor and Chair, Community and Rural Sociology at Washington State University. His primary areas of interest are sociology of agriculture, development sociology, and political sociology.