Characterization of the digestive tract of wild ayu

ABSTRACT: The gut and gut contents of ayu Plecoglossus altivelis caught in the Ohta River in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan were examined. Relative intestine length (intestine length/body length) was almost constant. Except for relative intestine length, characteristics of the gut of wild ayu were not significantly different from those of cultured ayu. The height of intestinal folds increased and their width declined from stomach to anus. Cyanobacteria ( Homoeathrix sp. and Calothrix sp.) and diatoms ( Cymbella sp., Gomphonema sp., Melosira sp., Navicula sp., and Synedra sp.) were well digested during passage through the gut despite a lack of apparent destruction. In contrast, green algae ( Dictyosphearium sp., Coelastrum sp., and Pediastrum sp.) exhibited little degradation. The pH of stomach contents ranged from 2.8 to 7.4 (mean ± SD = 4.1 ± 1.0), whereas that of the posterior intestine was 7.0–8.5 (7.9 ± 0.4). Gut contents of wild ayu increased with bodyweight, and were more than threefold greater than those of cultured ayu, suggesting that wild ayu compensate for low nutrient content of algae through the continuous ingestion of large quantities of feed organisms.     

Critical period for weed control in direct seeded red pepper (Capsicum annum L.)

Direct seeded red pepper is a cash crop in Kahramanmara? province of Turkey as well as some other nearby provinces. Weeds are a major constraint in red pepper production. Field studies were conducted to determine critical period for weed control (CPWC) in direct seeded spice pepper in Kahramanmara?, in 2008 and 2009. The CPWC in red pepper based on a 2.5%, 5% and 10% acceptable yield loss (AYL) was calculated by fitting logistic and Gompertz equations to relative yield data. The CPWC in red pepper was determined from 0 to 1087 growing degree days (GDD) in 2008 and from 109 to 796 GDD in 2009 for 10% AYL after crop emergence in red pepper. For 2.5–5% AYL, the CPWC starts with germination and lasts until harvest. Direct seeded red pepper is very vulnerable to weed competition and weed control programs for direct seeded spice pepper in Turkey should include pre‐emergence and residual herbicides.