Spatial Distribution of Surface Soil Acidity,Electrical Conductivity,Soil Organic Carbon Content and Exchangeable Potassium,Calcium and Magnesium in Some Cropped Acid Soils of India

Land degradation is a global problem. Best management of degraded land can be done by evaluating the spatial variability of soil properties including chemical properties of degraded land and mapping such variations. Since, a significant portion of arable land in India is chemically degraded due to soil acidity; the present study was conducted to study the spatial variability of soil acidity (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (OC) content, exchangeable potassium (K⁺), calcium (Ca²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺) contents in some cropped acid soils of India. A total of four hundred (one hundred from each series) representative surface (0–0.15 m depth) soil samples were collected from arable soils representing four soil series namely Hariharapur, Debatoli, Rajpora and Neeleswaram situated in Orissa, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala states of India, respectively, and were analyzed. Soil acidity (pH between 3.90 and 6.45) showed a low variability, in contrast to other soil properties, which showed moderate variability. The coefficients of variation varied from 32.4 to 74.3, 31.2 to 50.9, 45.6 to 100, 71.9 to 93.0 and 59.0 to 79.8% for EC (mean between 0.05 and 0.09 dS m⁻¹), OC (mean between 0.29 to 1.86%), exchangeable K⁺ (mean between 39.1 and 77.7 mg kg⁻¹), Ca²⁺ (mean between 148 and 293 mg kg⁻¹) and Mg²⁺ (mean between 111 and 191 mg kg⁻¹), respectively. Soil pH and OC content were positively and significantly correlated with exchangeable K⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ content. Geostatistical analysis revealed that the best fit models were gaussian, exponential and spherical for different soil properties with moderate to strong spatial dependency. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heat shock protein 70 expression in different tissues of Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham.) following heat stress

Members of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) are highly conserved proteins of about 70 kDa and play important roles in protein folding. Levels of these proteins increase when cells are under stress. Environmental temperature influences both the basal and induced levels of HSPs. However, studies on HSPs in fishes from a tropical country such as India are lacking. In the present study, Indian major carp (IMC) Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham.) acclimatized at 25±2°C had high levels of HSP70, viz., 1.2–1.3 ng μg^?1 total protein in kidney and gill and 4.2–5.3 ng μg^?1 total protein in liver and brain tissues, indicating the presence of biochemically significant levels of stress. However, maintenance of acclimatized fish at 17°C for up to 48 h did not lead to a significant decrease in stress protein levels. A heat shock at 37°C for up to 48 h resulted in only two to threefold increase in HSP70 levels in these organs. Although the increase in HSP70 levels was apparent from the first hour of heat stress in all these tissues, the increase was significant from the second hour in the brain, the sixth hour in liver and kidney and the 20th hour in the gills.     

Plasma endotoxin concentration in horses: a methods study

Background: Accurate determination of plasma endotoxin concentration is critical for ex vivo and in vitro cellular and molecular studies of endotoxemia in horses. However, reports are conflicting with respect to anticoagulant, handling, and sample preparation.

Objective:

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of blood sample fraction and handling time on measurement of endotoxin concentration in horses.

Methods:

Methods: Whole blood, anticoagulated with 3.8% (0.12 M) sodium citrate (9:1), was collected from 5 healthy horses. Whole blood (WB), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) were spiked with endotoxin (2 EU/mL). Endotoxin-spiked WB samples were centrifuged immediately to generate PRP for measurement. Endotoxin concentration was subsequently measured by Limulus amebocyte assay at 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes. Assays were performed in triplicate and results were analyzed using Student's t -test, with significance set at P < .05.

Results:

Results: Mean endotoxin concentrations in 2 EU/mL-spiked WB were significantly different from those in PPP at all time points tested. Recovery of endotoxin in PRP generated from WB was significantly diminished after just 15 minutes.

Conclusion:

Conclusion: PRP generated from WB is significantly more reliable than PPP in determining endotoxin concentration ex vivo. Measurement of endotoxin in PRP generated from WB was significantly diminished after 15 min, identifying a time frame within which to process blood samples for endotoxin analysis.     

Economic feasibility of goldfish (Carassius auratus Linn.) recirculating aquaculture system

Economic analysis of a goldfish (Carassius auratus Linn.) recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) with rearing tank capacity of 5 m³ (RT5) has been evaluated based on two culture period in 2009 and 2010. The stocking density of goldfish was kept at 100 numbers per m³ of rearing water volume. Furthermore, based on the data obtained from RT5, four more hypothetical RASs of rearing tank capacities of 10 m³ (RT10), 20 m³ (RT20), 50 m³ (RT50) and 100 m³ (RT100) were conceptualized for economic analysis that assess and compare the effects of economies of scale on profitability. The payback period, accounting rate of return (ARR), net present value (NPV), profitability index (PI) and modified internal rate of return (MIRR) were evaluated for the different water volumes (up to 100 m³) assuming project life to be 10 years. The economic analysis revealed that a goldfish RAS with rearing tank capacity 20 m³ onwards can be feasible with a payback period less than 4 years, accounting rate of return 54%, net present value of Rs 241820 and modified internal rate of return of 23%. Sensitivity analyses revealed that market price of fish was most sensitive followed by survival rate, labour, maintenance, FCR, initial investment, discount rate, electricity cost and feed cost respectively. Interestingly, feed cost was found to be the least sensitive one.     

Soil quality assessment under shifting cultivation and forests in Northeastern Himalaya of India

The study aimed to evaluate the impact of shifting cultivation on soil quality, in Wokha district of Nagaland, using weighted soil quality index (SQIw). Four forest sites and three sites under shifting cultivation were selected and physical (texture and bulk density) and chemical (pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, available N, P, K, exchangeable cations) parameters were analyzed. The SQIw was calculated on a minimum data set selected by principal component analysis, followed by varimax rotation algorithm and through subsequent normalization of the parameters using the linear scoring function. Significant (P < 0.05) variations in SQIw were found across the depth of the soil and land use according to severity of factors associated with land use. Three different classes of soil quality were also identified: high quality (SQIw > 0.70) for two forest soils (FS1 and FS2) and land under shifting cultivation (JH1), low quality (SQIw < 0.50), only to FS3, and intermediate quality (0.50 < SQI < 0.70) in all other soils. The approach used in this study proved to be sensitive to evaluate the soil quality, however further research is required to better understand the sustainability of shifting cultivation by including more physical, biological and chemical indicators.     

Design Characteristics of Spiral Aerator

In this study, the performance of a spiral aerator, a modified design of the paddlewheel aerator, was evaluated to determine its applicability in aquaculture ponds. The aeration characteristics of the spiral aerator were determined by conducting aeration experiments in a cement concrete tank of dimension 5 × 5 × 1.5 m. Nondimensional numbers related to oxygen transfer (E) and power consumption (Ne) were proposed and expressed as functions of geometric (number of handles per shaft, n) and dynamic (Froude and Reynolds number) parameters. Simulation equations for oxygen transfer and power consumption based on the Froude criterion were developed. The maximum brake power standard aeration efficiency was achieved at n = 13. Finally, an economic analysis was performed assuming a typical Indian major carp culture pond to determine the optimum rotational speed of the aerator at different pond volumes and dissolved oxygen concentration present in the pond at which the aeration cost is minimized. The results showed that the least aeration cost is achievable when rotational speed of the spiral aerator is only 70 rpm for pond volumes up to 700 m³ and from 120 to 220 rpm for pond volumes exceeding 700 m³.     

墨西哥野生马铃薯Solanum pinnatisectum抗晚疫病及抗马铃薯甲虫新基因的遗传分析与分子标记(英文)

马铃薯晚疫病(Phytophthora infestans)和科罗拉多马铃薯甲虫(CPB)是马铃薯生产中最为严重的病虫害。培育高抗晚疫病和甲虫的马铃薯品种是加拿大马铃薯育种工作的重要组成部分。目前,我们实验室在二倍体1EBN墨西哥野生种中已鉴定出抗马铃薯晚疫病和甲虫的新基因,并利用原生质体融合技术成功的将其转移到栽培品种中。但是,培育出抗晚疫病和抗甲虫的马铃薯新品种仍然是一项艰难而繁杂的工作。为了加快分离抗性基因,建立与抗性基因紧密关联的DNA分子标记至关重要。本研究以感病的二倍体马铃薯品种S.cardiophyllum作为父本,与带有抗性基因的墨西哥野生种S.pinnatisectum杂交。用叶片离体鉴定的方法测试F1和BC1代群体的抗病性,从而筛选抗晚疫病和抗甲虫的植株。US-8/A2交配型病菌测试显示所有的F1代植株都表现出抗晚疫病,而在BC1群体中抗病与感病植株的比例为1:1。这个结果证明,在墨西哥野生种S.pinnatisectum中存在一个抗晚疫病的单显性基因Rpi1。马铃薯甲虫抗性检测中,BC1群体的抗虫性分离比例为1:3.这表明其对甲虫的抗性是由多基因遗传控制的。在F1和BC1群体中利用分子标记结合集团分离分析法(BSA)对S.pinnatisectum中的晚疫病抗性基因Rpi1进行精细作图。根据马铃薯第7条染色体上RFLP标记TG20A和CP56之间的EST和STS标记的序列信息,合成了27对特异性PCR引物。获得一些与抗晚疫病基因Rpi1相关联的新的DNA标记。对BC1群体中大量的个体植株进行的分析表明,在马铃薯第7条染色体上位于抗晚疫病基因Rpi1两侧的两个标记S1c9和GP127-300,它们与Rpi1基因的遗传距离分别为1.17cM和3.89cM。这些标记被用来筛选两个细菌人工染色体(BAC)文库,并分离出与晚疫病抗性相关的90-125kb的BAC克隆,这些克隆将在后续的工作中通过图位克隆的方法而用于分离晚疫病抗性基因。同时分离与甲虫抗性紧密相关的分子标记的工作正在进行中。     

Investigation of phytosociological parameters and physico-chemical properties of soil in tropical semi-evergreen forests of Eastern Himalaya

The study of floral diversity in forest and its development are incomplete without taking consideration of plant-soil interactions. So with this view in mind, the present study was conducted in tropical semi-evergreen forests of the Mokukchung district, Nagaland, in eastern Himalaya. The aim of the study was to investigate the phytosociological parameters in relation to soil properties.Seven sites were randomly selected to study the soil properties at up to one meter in depth and a phytosociological study was carried out in nearby areas via the quadrate method. In the studied sites, the richness of tree species varied from 4 to 15 ha~(-1), with Gmelina arborea and Duabanga grandifloras being the common species.The highest total basal area was recorded in 10 mile village(47,998.16 cm~2ha~-1)) followed by Minkong village site(32,704.66 cm~2ha~(-1)). Soil physical and chemical properties—i.e. bulk density(BD), soil p H, organic carbon(OC),available nitrogen(N), available phosphorus(P), and available potassium(K) were analyzed using standard procedures. Significant differences were observed in the soil properties. The basal area of species showed significant positive correlation in terms of available K(0.754) and OM(0.302) content in soil, and the Shannon–Wiener diversity index(H) is also positively correlated with the available N content(0.402). The undisturbed nature of the sites played an important role in maintaining the soil fertility and floral diversity of the sites. Moreover, sites with maximum productivity and soil fertility are considered as potential carbon sequestration areas in the region while sites with the low soil fertility need restoration.     

Re-integrating ecology into integrated landscape approaches

Landscape Ecology - Integrated landscape approaches (ILAs) that aim to balance conservation and development targets are increasingly promoted through science, policy, and the donor community....     

Prediction of aeration performance of paddle wheel aerators

Aeration experiments were conducted in brick masonry rectangular tanks of dimensions 2.9×2.9×1.6 and 5.9×2.9×1.6 m to study the effect of geometric and dynamic variables on aeration process based on dimension analysis. Non-dimensional numbers relating to standard aeration efficiency (SAE), effective power (P) and theoretical power per unit volume (P/V) termed as SAE′, Ne and X, respectively, are proposed. An optimal geometric similarity of various linear dimensions was established. It has been established that neither the Reynolds criterion nor the Froude criterion is singularly valid to simulate either SAE′ or Ne, simultaneously for different sizes of aerators, even though they are geometrically similar. Occurrence of scale effects due to the Reynolds and the Froude laws of similitude on both SAE′ and Ne are also evaluated. Simulation equations uniquely correlating SAE′, Ne and X were developed which can predict the aeration performance of paddle wheel aerators having the optimised geometric dimensions as established.