Accumulation and perchlorate exposure potential of lettuce produced in the Lower Colorado River region

The Colorado River is contaminated with perchlorate concentrations of 1.5-8 microg/L, an anion linked to thyroid dysfunction. Over 90% of the lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) consumed during the winter months in the United States is produced in the Lower Colorado River region. Studies were conducted in this region to survey the potential for lettuce perchlorate accumulation and estimate potential human exposure to perchlorate from lettuce. Total uptake of perchlorate in the above-ground plant of iceberg lettuce was approximately 5 g/ha. Exposure estimates ranged from 0.45 to 1.8 microg/day depending on lettuce types and trimming. For all lettuce types, hypothetical exposures were less than 4% of the reference dose recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. Results show the relative iodide uptake inhibition potential because of lettuce nitrate was 2 orders of magnitude greater than that associated with the corresponding trace levels of perchlorate. These data support the conclusion that potential perchlorate exposures from lettuce irrigated with Colorado River water are negligible relative to acute or long-term harmful amounts.     

Effect of supplementation of mustard oil cake on intake,digestibility and microbial protein synthesis of cattle in a straw-based diet in Bangladesh

The objective of this study was to analyse the effects of different levels of rumen-degradable protein (RDP) on intake, digestibility and microbial protein synthesis by supplementing mustard oil cake (MOC) on rice straw-based diet of cattle (Bos indicus) in Bangladesh. A 4 × 4 Latin square design was applied. Four diets having constant energy (7.0 MJ/kg of dry matter (DM)) with varying levels of RDP (M ₀ = 4.1 g/MJ (control), M ₁ = 6.3 g/MJ, M ₂ = 8.3 g/MJ and M ₃ = 12.4 g/MJ of metabolizable energy (ME)) were received by each animal for a period of 28 days. A metabolism trial was conducted for 7 days. Results indicate that with increasing levels of RDP, crude protein (CP) and RDP intake increased significantly (P < 0.01). The significant (P < 0.01) increase in digestibility values are obtained for DM, organic matter, CP and digestible organic matter in the rumen. The digestibility of neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre was also increased significantly (P < 0.05). The total nitrogen (N), ammonia-N and total volatile fatty acids increase significantly (P < 0.01) while the rumen pH increased from M ₀ to M ₂ and decreased thereafter. The efficiency microbial N intake increased significantly (P < 0.01) but showed a curvilinear response with higher RDP level (12.40 g/RDP/MJ ME). This study concludes that supplementation of RDP from MOC enhances the intake, digestibility and microbial protein synthesis which ultimately increases utilization of low-quality feed resources that can be used for developing cost-effective feeding systems on a straw-based diet in tropical regions.     

The potential for combining living wall and vertical farming systems with aquaponics with special emphasis on substrates

Aquaponics is a method of food production, growing fish and vegetables in a recirculating aquaculture system. Aquaponics uses the water from the fish to feed the plants in a totally natural way and like hydroponics, aquaponics is considered to be more sustainable as more plants can be grown per square metre compared to normal agriculture. However, as is the case with normal agriculture, in aquaponics plants are grown within horizontally. In aquaponics, using the UVI system, the ratio between fish tanks:filters:plant tanks is 2:1:5 which means that the plant tanks are occupying close to half of the production space. In order to reduce the spatial requirement for plants, which would make production even more sustainable, this research investigates aspects of combining living wall and vertical farming technologies in aquaponics. It is considered that by growing the plants vertically less space would be required. In this research living wall system is investigated but the main focus is on the potentials of using various inert substrates in the living wall systems for vertical aquaponics. The results showed that a pot system performs better in terms of management of the systems. With regard to substrates, horticultural grade coconut fibre and horticultural grade mineral wool outperformed other substrates.     

谷氨酰胺替代饲用抗生素对黄羽肉鸡生产性能和屠宰性能的影响

[目的]研究基础日粮中添加谷氨酰胺替代饲用抗生素对黄羽肉鸡生产性能及屠宰性能的影响.[方法]将180只1日龄的黄羽肉鸡随机分为5个处理组(每个处理组3个重复,每个重复12只).分组情况:阳性对照组在基础日粮中添加饲用抗生素(0.03;那西肽+0.025;硫酸粘杆菌素预混剂);阴性对照组饲喂基础日粮;试验Ⅰ组在基础日粮中添加0.1;谷氨酰胺;试验Ⅱ组在基础日粮中添加0.2;谷氨酰胺;试验Ⅲ组在基础日粮中添加0.3;的谷氨酰胺.[结果]81 d时各组平均体重分别为2.72、2.66、2.62、2.84、2.68 kg,差异不显著(P＞0.05),试验Ⅱ组平均体重比阳性对照组高4.41;.8～81 d料重比分别为2.67、2.66、2.80、2.64、2.62,差异不显著(P＞0.05),日粮中分别添加0.1;谷氨酰胺、0.2;谷氨酰胺及0.3;谷氨酰胺替代饲用抗生素,黄羽肉鸡81 d体重、饲料转化率、胴体品质等指标上各组间无显著差异(P＞0.05).[结论]从黄羽肉鸡81 d体重、料重比、死亡率等指标综合来看,用添加0.2;谷氨酰胺替代黄羽肉鸡饲用抗生素是可行的.     

Polyculture of Thai pangus (Pangasius hypophthalmus,Sauvage 1878) with carps and prawn: a new approach in polyculture technology regarding growth performance and economic return

An experiment was conducted during May to December 2002 to determine growth performance, the highest economic return and suitable species composition in the polyculture of Thai pangus (Pangasius hypophthalmus) with carps (catla, Catla catla and rohu, Labeo rohita) and freshwater giant prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) using low‐cost formulated feed. Three treatments (T₁, T₂ and T₃) were conducted with three replications. The treatment T₁ was designed as a monoculture of pangus with a stocking density of 17 500 individual ha^?1. The other two treatments (T₂ and T₃) were designed as polyculture and stocked with pangus, catla, rohu and prawn with densities of 10 000, 2500, 5000, 3750 ha^?1; and 10 000, 5000, 2500, 3750 ha^?1 in T₂ and T₃ respectively. The net weight gain and production of pangus were significantly different (P>0.05) between monoculture and polyculture but were not different within the two polyculture systems. The production of catla and rohu were significantly different (P>0.05) in both treatments where prawn was not. Though the gross production (8.53 ton ha^?1) was significantly (P>0.05) higher in T₁, the higher gross net profit (Tk 154 201 ha^?1) was in T₂. Thus, the polyculture of pangus is more profitable than its monoculture and the species composition in T₂ is more suitable than other composition.     

土壤-作物系统中农药残留生物降解去除研究

采用水稻小区及大田试验方法，研究了将人工分离筛选培养的农药降解菌(DLL—1)应用于水稻作物的田间试验。试验结果表明，将降解菌喷施应用于土壤和作物系统，能加速和强化作物表面残留农药的降解作用，最终能减少土壤和农产品中农药残留量。     

非木材纤维纸浆中杂细胞的沼气发酵

采用L9(34)正交试验法,对影响杂细胞沼气发酵的基质浓度、发酵温度、添加剂三因素进行批量发酵.结果表明,基质浓度对发酵效果影响最大,其次是添加剂.发酵温度对发酵周期影响最大.以产气量和TS去除率为指标,优选出最佳发酵条件是基质浓度6%,中温(35℃)发酵,以碳铵为添加剂.以此为条件,进行60d的续料发酵,结果为,TS去除率达68.64%,原料产气率299.9mL*gTS-1,容积产气率0.3224L*L-1d-1,CH4含量64%,符合沼气发酵供能的要求.     

鞭角华扁叶蜂蛹、卵发育起点温度和有效积温的研究

经试验测定，鞭角华扁叶蜂蛹、卵在室温条件下发育起点温度分别为8．3、8．5℃，有效积温分别为130．9℃、176．1℃；在恒温条件下发育起点温度分别为8．4℃、9．2℃，有效积温分别为127．2℃、164．9℃。     

Biomass yield and accumulations of bioactive compounds in red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) grown under different colored shade polyethylene in spring season

Biomass yield and accumulations of betacyanin, chlorophyll, total polyphenol, and antioxidant activity were evaluated growing red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) in spring season under five different shades made of white, blue, green, yellow, and black polyethylene, and non-shaded frame. Temperature and light intensity varied significantly (P < 0.05) under the different colored polyethylene shades, and these differences in microclimate are implicated for the variability in growth and accumulations of bioactive compounds. The highest temperature was obtained under the blue polyethylene shade and the plants achieved highest plant height, stem length and leaf number, fresh and dry matter biomass, betacyanins, total polyphenol, and antioxidant activity. The achieved biomass yield and accumulation of bioactive compounds were almost similar to field grown red amaranth in summer season. Blue polyethylene shade has probably ensured the optimum microclimate for growth and development of red amaranth in the studied growing period. Exceptionally the plants grown under green polyethylene shade accumulated highest chlorophyll. Although non-shaded plants received highest sunlight intensity but gave the poor biomass yield as well as accumulated less bioactive compounds than plants grown under blue polyethylene shade due to low air temperature. Thus, the results indicated that blue polyethylene has potentials to increase the yield with health beneficiary bioactive compounds betacyanins, polyphenol and antioxidant activity during the low temperature regime in spring season.