糖蜜在储存期变质的原因及对策（译）

糖蜜的锤度在85以上,糖分约占50%,在储存期间应不会发生变质.但仍然发现储存期间糖蜜中糖分减少的不正常情况.无论温度是否升高,这种变质状况都会加速并产生泡沫,从而改变糖蛮的色泽和气昧,使得糖分快速减少和酸度升高.显微镜观察发现,糖蜜中微生物数量很多,进一步微生物研究确定糖蜜中存在两种细菌,它们协同生长,就像一种细菌.在厌氧环境中,细菌生长要求的最低蔗糖的浓度是30%.而好氧环境会打破细菌间的协同,并且单体细菌不能忍受5%以上的蔗糖浓度.采用PolmAn ESR方法控制微生物的生长和糖蜜的变质,Polmax ESR法(一种特殊杀菌剂结合糖蜜连续循环冷却的方法).论文阐述了糖厂中微生物感染的原因与变质防控技术.     

An artificial capillary barrier to improve root zone conditions for horticultural crops: physical effects on water content

Capillary barriers (CBs) occur at the interface of two soil layers having distinct differences in textural and hydraulic characteristics. The objective of this study was to introduce an artificial CB, created by a layer of gravel below the root zone substrate, in order to optimize conditions for the cultivation of horticultural crops. Potential root zone formats were analyzed with and without the gravel CBs for variables including the following: depth of CB; barrier separating the root zone from the surrounding soil; and root zone soil texture. Field and simulated results revealed that artificial CBs increased root zone water content and changed water flow dynamics. Volumetric soil water content was increased by 20–70%, depending on the soil texture and depth of the barrier. Sandy soil texture and shallower placement resulted in relatively higher water content. For sandy soil without plants, a shallow (0.2 m depth) CB increased water content of the overlaying soil by 50% compared to the control. The introduction of a gravel CB below the root zone of pepper plants (Capsicum Annum L.) lead to 34% higher matric head, 50% lower diurnal fluctuations in matric head and 40% increase in pepper fruit yield. Increasing water content by way of artificial CBs appeared to improve the water use efficiency of pepper plants. Such an improvement could lead to reduced water and fertilizer application rates and subsequent reduction in contamination below the root zone. This is especially relevant for substrates of low water-holding capacity typically used in horticulture crop production.     

The effect of nitrogen fertilization and shading on the incidence of “colour spots” in sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruit

SUMMARY

“Colour spots” (CS) in pepper fruit is a physiological disorder characteristic of some sweet pepper cultivars. The symptoms are yellowish spots on the outer surface of affected fruits. We investigated the effects of shading and nitrogen supply on the susceptibility of three sweet pepper cvs (Maor, Lady Bell and 899) to CS. The most susceptible was ‘Maor’. The incidence of CS was promoted by high N and shading. The fruits of all cultivars had lower nitrogen concentrations than the leaves but there were no significant differences in fruit N content between Maor and the CS-insensitive cultivars. The CS-affected areas of the pericarp tissue had higher calcium concentrations than unaffected tissue. Differences in magnesium or potassium concentrations in these spots were less pronounced. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the affected pericarp cells contained crystals, presumably of calcium oxalate. Only in ‘Maor’ fruits was the oxalate concentration elevated by approximately nine-fold when the nitrogen supply to shaded plants was increased. We suggest that in the fruits of the sensitive cultivar, oxalic acid production is enhanced under high-nitrogen + shading conditions and causes the CS damage, possibly be chelating intracellular calcium.     

Methylene blue increases the tolerance of tomato plants to abiotic stresses

Summary

Environmental stresses such as high temperature and high salinity are known to cause oxidative stress in plants by enhancing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which have a strong impact on plant development. Mitochondria constitute one of the major sources of ROS in roots. Recently, it has been shown in mammalian systems that methylene blue (MB) at very low concentrations can attenuate mitochondrial ageing by scavenging ROS. In the present study, we tested whether MB could be used to protect tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) seedlings against the harmful effects of high salinity and high root temperature. Tomato seedlings were grown hydroponically and were subjected to two abiotic stresses: high salinity (150 mM NaCl) in the nutrient medium, or high root temperature (35ºC) for 14 d. These stress treatments were applied with or without the addition of 10^–8 M MB. The results showed that, under normal conditions, MB enhanced root and shoot growth, increased root respiration, decreased root H₂O₂ and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, and enhanced root superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Both high salinity and high root temperature stress impaired root and shoot growth, and caused an enhancement of root oxidative stress. MB had a significant protective effect against both abiotic stresses and restored the levels of oxidative stress-related components (i.e., H₂O₂ and MDA) in root and leaf tissues almost to normal levels. It is hypothesised that MB could confer its protective effect not only through interactions with root mitochondria, but also via additional cellular targets in the root.     

Numerical investigation of irrigation scheduling based on soil water status

Improving the sustainability of irrigation systems requires the optimization of operational parameters such as irrigation threshold and irrigation amount. Numerical modeling is a fast and accurate means to optimize such operational parameters. However, little work has been carried out to investigate the relationship between irrigation scheduling, irrigation threshold, and irrigation amount. Herein, we compare the results of HYDRUS 2D/3D simulations with experimental data from triggered drip irrigation, and optimize operational parameters. Two field experiments were conducted, one on loamy sand soil and one on sandy loam soil, to evaluate the overall effects of different potential transpiration rates and irrigation management strategies, on the triggered irrigation system. In both experiments, irrigation was controlled by a closed loop irrigation system linked to tensiometers. Collected experimental data were analyzed and compared with HYDRUS 2D/3D simulations. A system-dependant boundary condition, which initiates irrigation whenever the matric head at a predetermined location drops below a certain threshold, was implemented into the code. The experimental model was used to evaluate collected experimental data, and then to optimize the operational parameters for two hypothetical soils. The results show that HYDRUS 2D/3D predictions of irrigation events and matric heads are in good agreement with experimental data, and that the code can be used to optimize irrigation thresholds and water amounts applied in an irrigation episode to increase the efficiency of water use.     

Molecular detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in cattle and Ixodes persulcatus ticks

The tick-borne pathogen, Anaplasma phagocytophilum (A. phagocytophilum), the causative agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), is increasingly becoming a public health concern as an aetiological agent for emerging infectious disease. We found A. phagocytophilum infection in a pooled sample of field-collected Ixodes persulcatus (I. persulcatus) ticks from one district in Hokkaido, Japan. Thus, to further investigate the prevalence in field-collected ticks, we used PCR assays targeting the A. phagocytophilum gene encoding 44 kDa major outer membrane protein (p44) for screening of I. persulcatus ticks and samples from cattle from pastures. Out of the 281 I. persulcatus ticks, 20 (7.1%) were found to harbor A. phagocytophilum DNA. The infection rate for A. phagocytophilum in cattle was 3.4% (42/1251). In future studies, it will be necessary to investigate effects of the infection in order to understand its pathogenesis of A. phagocytophilum in domestic animals.     

Effect of heat stress on the growth,root sugars,acid invertase and protein profile of pepper seedlings following transplanting

The development of pepper transplants is sensitive to the prevailing temperature in the field. High temperatures immediately after transplanting pepper seedlings delay their development in the field. During nine days of post-transplanting heat stress (30/25°C or 35/25°C, day/night temperature regimes), root and shoot growth were inhibited compared to the control transplants (25/18°C) with a significant decline in total protein and soluble acid invertase activity in the roots of the heat stressed plants. Acid invertase activity was less sensitive to the heat stress in the leaves than in the roots. A significant reduction in the root invertase activity occurred as early as two days after the beginning of the stress. Transplanting caused a 72% inhibition in the carbon allocation to the roots, compared with the non-transplanted seedlings. Exposure to heat after transplanting did not further reduce carbon allocation to the roots. The protein profile on SDS-PAGE from leaves shows that during the heat stress, some heat related proteins were synthesized concomitant with the reduction in the synthesis of constitutive proteins. In the roots, the synthesis of heat related proteins was barely detectable with no visible changes in the protein profile. The results suggest that roots are more sensitive to heat stress than leaves, possibly because they are less able to synthesize heat related proteins. The causal relationship between protein synthesis during heat stress and the performance of the transplants is not well understood.     

The susceptibility of pepper (Capsicum annuum) to heat induced flower abscission: Possible involvement of ethylene

SUMMARY

Heat stress causes abscission of flowers in pepper plants and thus reduces yield. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of ethylene in heat-stress related flower abscission, by comparing the response of flowers of bell pepper, cv. Maor, known to be sensitive to flower abscission, and flowers of paprika, cv. Lehava, a resistant cultivar of Capsicum annuum. Their differing susceptibilities to high temperatures depend on light. Under high-temperature, high-light conditions, bell pepper was less susceptible than paprika, but, under high-temperature low-light, bell pepper was more susceptible. At high temperatures, flower explant abscission was much higher with bell pepper than paprika. Ethylene production (EP) by bell pepper explants reached a maximum at 34°C and decreased at higher temperatures (42 and 48 C), while in paprika EP rates were lower and reached the maximum at 42°C. Explants of bell pepper flowers were more susceptible to exogenous ethephon than paprika flowers. The sensitivity of a collection of pepper cul-tivars to heat induced flower abscission was more closely correlated with their flower sensitivity to ethephon than with the flower EP rate. We suggest that the differential susceptibility of bell pepper and paprika to heat stress is a result of both different ethylene production by their flowers and their differing sensitivities to ethylene produced under high-temperature stress. However, the sensitivity of the flower to ethylene may be more important in inducing their abscission.     

The effect of root restriction on the incidence of blossom-end rot in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Summary

Water and calcium uptake are important factors affecting the incidence of fruit blossom-end rot (BER) in tomato and pepper. In the present study an attempt was made to manipulate these factors by severe root pruning and to examine the effect on BER in greenhouse-grown bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L., cv. Mazurka). Pepper plants were transplanted, with the root system split into four separated compartments, each containing a single root quarter. Removal of half, or three quarters, of the root from fruit-bearing plants significantly reduced fruit BER incidence compared with plants with intact roots, especially in fruits which were at the rapid expansion stage at the beginning of the treatments. Removal of three quarters of the root reduced midday leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, and plant height. The number and weight of fruits were not affected by these treatments. Root pruning caused only a slight reduction in stem sap flow, as measured by the heat pulse technique. Calcium concentrations in the distal part of fruits from quarter-root-plants were higher than in fruits from non-pruned plants, whereas magnesium and potassium concentrations were not affected. On the other hand, in the leaves, calcium, magnesium and potassium concentrations were all reduced by root pruning. The K/Ca ratio decreased in the blossom-end of the fruits and increased in the leaves of root-pruned compared with control plants. The results suggest that root pruning did not affect the total uptake of calcium, apparently driven by transpiration, but did enhance calcium partitioning to the developing fruit. Root pruning also affected calcium distribution within the fruit and therefore attenuated BER incidence.     

非饱和土壤水运动模型参数优选方法研究

针对数值反演过程中参数优选方法适用性不明确的问题,研究最小化目标函数、带有自适应差分演化Metropolis的马尔可夫链蒙特卡罗方法(MCMC-DREAM)对数值反演效果的影响,为探索高效的参数优选方法提供参考。数值算例反演结果表明:最小化目标函数方法计算复杂度较低,但对参数初值敏感,适合于对目标区域土壤有较为深入了解的场合使用;MCMC-DREAM对参数初值不敏感,但计算复杂度较高,适合于先验信息有限的场合使用。两种参数优选方法都存在“异参同效”现象,先验信息与敏感性分析有助于克服该问题,提高数值反演解决实际问题的能力。