Combined application of nitrogen and phosphorus to enhance nitrogen use efficiency and close the wheat yield gap on varying soils in semi‐arid conditions

A primary driver of the wheat yield gap in Australia and globally is the supply of nitrogen (N) and options to increase N use efficiency (NUE) are fundamental to closure of the yield gap. Co‐application of N with phosphorus (P) is suggested as an avenue to increase fertiliser NUE, and inputs of N and P fertiliser are key variable costs in low rainfall cereal crops. Within field variability in the response to nutrients due to soil and season offers a further opportunity to refine inputs for increased efficiency. The response of wheat to N fertiliser input (0, 10, 20, 40 and 80 kg N ha^‐1) under four levels of P fertiliser (0, 5, 10 and 20 kg P ha^?1) was measured on three key low rainfall cropping soils (dune, mid‐slope and swale) across a dune‐swale system in a low rainfall semi‐arid environment in South Australia, for three successive cropping seasons. Wheat on sandy soils produced significant and linear yield and protein responses across all three seasons, while wheat on a clay loam only produced a yield response in a high rainfall season. Responses to P fertiliser were measured on the sandy soils but more variable in nature and a consistent effect of increased P nutrition leading to increased NUE was not measured.     

Identification of a Group of Novel y-Gliadin Genes

γ-Gliadins are an important component of wheat seed storage proteins. Four novel γ-gliadin genes （Gli-ngl to Gli-ng4） were cloned from wheat （Triticum aestivum） and Aegilops species. The novel γ-gliadins were much smaller in molecular size when compared to the typical γ-gliadins, which was caused by deletion of the non-repetitive domain, glutamine-rich region, 3＂ part of the repetitive domain, and 5＇ part of the C-terminal, possibly due to illegitimate recombination between the repetitive domain and the C-terminal. As a result, Gli-ngl and Gli-ng4 only contained two and three cysteine residues, respectively. Gli-ngl, as the representative of novel γ-gliadin genes, has been sub-cloned into an Escherichia coli expression system. SDS- PAGE indicated that the both cysteine residues of Gli-ngl could participate in the formation of intermolecular disulphide bonds in vitro. Successful cloning of Gli-ngl from seed cDNA of T. aestivum cv. Chinese Spring suggested that these novel γ-gliadin genes were normally transcribed during the development of seeds. Phylogenic analysis indicated that the four novel γ-gliadin genes had a closer relationship with those from the B （S） genome of wheat.     

Effects of long-term contrasting lime and phosphorus applications on barley grain yield,root growth and abundance of mycorrhiza

Lime and phosphorus (P) applications are common agricultural management practices. Our aim was to quantify the effects of long-term application practices on root growth and abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) under field conditions. We assessed the effects of lime and P fertilizer applications on barley yield, root growth and AMF abundance in 2016. Treatments were no, low, medium and high liming rate corresponding to application of 0, 4, 8 and 12 Mg lime ha⁻¹ every 5–9 years since 1942 combined with no or yearly application of 15.6 kg P ha⁻¹ since 1944. At harvest, grain yield, root intensity (core-break) and AMF abundance at different soil depths were estimated. Root development was monitored during early growth with minirhizotrons in treatments receiving low, medium and high liming rates and P fertilization. A quadratic model relating grain yield to liming rate estimated yields to peak at 6.4 Mg lime ha⁻¹ with yields of 4.2 and 3.2 Mg grain ha⁻¹ with and without P fertilization, respectively. Low and medium liming rates resulted in greater AMF abundance, especially in the no P treatments. During early growth in P-fertilized treatments, 77% and 65% more roots developed in the soil profile when treated with medium and high liming rate, respectively, compared to low liming rate. We conclude that long-term application of lime in soils receiving yearly P fertilization improved conditions for root growth in soil layers below 30 cm, but at the high liming rate, this did not translate into higher yield.     

Fossilized nuclei and germination structures identify Ediacaran "animal embryos" as encysting protists

Globular fossils showing palintomic cell cleavage in the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation, China, are widely regarded as embryos of early metazoans, although metazoan synapomorphies, tissue differentiation, and associated juveniles or adults are lacking. We demonstrate using synchrotron-based x-ray tomographic microscopy that the fossils have features incompatible with multicellular metazoan embryos. The developmental pattern is comparable with nonmetazoan holozoans, including germination stages that preclude postcleavage embryology characteristic of metazoans. We conclude that these fossils are neither animals nor embryos. They belong outside crown-group Metazoa, within total-group Holozoa (the sister clade to Fungi that includes Metazoa, Choanoflagellata, and Mesomycetozoea) or perhaps on even more distant branches in the eukaryote tree. They represent an evolutionary grade in which palintomic cleavage served the function of producing propagules for dispersion.     

Sediment-dispersed extraterrestrial chromite traces a major asteroid disruption event

Abundant extraterrestrial chromite grains from decomposed meteorites occur in middle Ordovician (480 million years ago) marine limestone over an area of approximately 250,000 square kilometers in southern Sweden. The chromite anomaly gives support for an increase of two orders of magnitude in the influx of meteorites to Earth during the mid-Ordovician, as previously indicated by fossil meteorites. Extraterrestrial chromite grains in mid-Ordovician limestone can be used to constrain in detail the temporal variations in flux of extraterrestrial matter after one of the largest asteroid disruption events in the asteroid belt in late solar-system history.     

Public sector soybean (Glycine max) breeding: Advances in cultivar development in the African tropics

Formal public sector soybean breeding in Africa spans over four decades, and it was initiated by the International Institute of Tropical Agricultural (IITA). As the demand of soybean continues to outstrip production, strategic projects such the Tropical Legume (TL) were initiated, in which the main goal was to enhance the productivity of soybean in the farmers’ fields in Sub‐Saharan Africa. One of the strategies to enhance the productivity of soybean in the farmers’ fields is through developing and deploying improved soybean varieties in the target countries. Through the TL I and TL II projects, a number of varieties were released in the target countries, Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi and Mozambique by employing participatory variety selection (PVS). This review provides highlights of the achievements made by IITA breeding programme and insights of what needs to be done to enhance yield improvement for soybean in Africa using demand‐driven breeding approaches.     

Use of mycophenolate mofetil as a rescue agent in the treatment of severe generalized myasthenia gravis in three dogs

Objective – To describe the use of IV and oral mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) as adjunctive therapy in 3 dogs with severe generalized myasthenia gravis.
Case Series Summary – Three dogs suffering from severe generalized myasthenia gravis as confirmed by acetylcholine antibody titers were treated with MMF as part of their treatment regimens. All 3 dogs had radiographic evidence of megaesophagus and suffered from severe regurgitation. Each dog was initially treated with pyridostigmine and supportive agents. When clinical remission was not achieved, IV MMF was administered to all dogs. Signs of clinical remission were apparent within 48 hours and all dogs were later maintained on oral MMF following resolution of regurgitation.
New or Unique Information Provided – This is the first report of the use of IV MMF as adjunctive treatment in dogs with severe generalized myasthenia gravis. Outcome was favorable in all 3 dogs and no adverse effects were noted from the MMF.     

The long-term effects of catchment liming and reduced sulphur deposition on forest soils and runoff chemistry in southwest Sweden

Whole catchment liming or forest liming has been proposed and implemented as a countermeasure to the effects of elevated sulphur deposition. Since the end of the 1980s the Swedish Forest Agency has undertaken experimental forest liming experiments in selected catchments in southern Sweden. These studies were with low doses (3 tonnes ha⁻¹) of lime (CaCO₃) and dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂). Data from both soil samples and stream water samples have been collected for the 16 years following treatment. The stream data has been complemented with data from untreated catchments, from the Swedish monitoring stream network. Significant differences due to treatment were seen for Ca, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation (BS) in the humus layer, none of these variables showed a statistically significant change in the mineral soil due to treatment alone. Soil samples from both the treated and untreated sites showed temporal changes in both the humus layer and the mineral soils with increases in pH, Ca and CEC and decreases in BS and Al which were independent of treatment. A combination of treatment and time, gave significant changes in BS and TA down to 10 cm in the mineral soil. In the stream water samples no statistically significant differences were observed between treated and untreated sites. Regardless of treatment, the streams exhibited a general pattern of declining concentrations of SO₄, Ca, sum of base cations (BC) and increasing acid neutralizing capacity (ANC). In summary, the application of a low dose of lime (3 tonnes ha⁻¹) did not result in significant changes in surface water chemistry in the study catchments and changes in soil chemistry were mainly restricted to the humus layer during the 16 years following treatment. The natural recovery, as a result of reductions in sulphur deposition, dominated the effects and was clearly seen in both the treated and untreated study sites. MAGIC simulations indicate that this recovery will continue in the coming decades.