High vegetative compatibility diversity of Cryphonectria parasitica infecting sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) in Britain indicates multiple pathogen introductions

Chestnut blight, caused by Cryphonectria parasitica, was identified in Devon, UK, in December 2016. Intensive surveys detected the disease at further sites in Devon (seven), Berkshire (one), Dorset (one), Derbyshire (four) and a cluster of eight sites in southeast London. Over 570 survey samples were tested, and 227 were positive for C. parasitica by isolation and real-time PCR. A total of 227 isolates were tested for mating type, and 197 screened for vegetative compatibility group (VCG) and compared with VCGs known from mainland Europe. The same isolates were also screened for the presence of Cryphonectria hypovirus 1 (CHV-1). Eleven VCGs were identified within the UK population. Five corresponded to already known European VCGs but six were unique. The European VCGs mainly came from the Devon, Dorset, Berkshire and Derbyshire disease outbreaks, whilst unique VCGs were almost exclusively from the southeast London cluster. Both mating types were detected, but only one mating type was present at each site, with the exception of a single Devon site. Perithecia of C. parasitica were never observed at any site. CHV-1 was found in seven isolates from three different locations and was always subtype-I, which has limited hypovirulence. Therefore, although CHV-1 is associated with C. parasitica at some outbreaks, it probably has limited impact on virulence. The diversity of VCGs and their distribution at outbreak sites, together with findings of CHV-1, suggests C. parasitica has been introduced to the UK multiple times over at least two decades through international plant trade.     

Assessing seed desiccation responses of native trees in the Caribbean

New Forests - Native trees from the Caribbean were tested for seed desiccation responses, by adapting the “100-seed test” protocol. Ninety-seven seed lots of 91 species were collected...     

Effect of dietary protein content on growth rate,survival and body composition of juvenile cauque river prawn,Macrobrachium americanum (Bate 1868)

We determined the effect of four concentrations of dietary crude protein, 30.7, 37.2, 41.8 and 46.8% on growth rate, survival and body composition of the juvenile cauque river prawn (Macrobrachium americanum). The prawns were hatched in the laboratory from the spawn of one wild ovigerous female. Prawns consuming 37.2% crude protein reached a final weight of 0.58 g (feed conversion ratio of 2.15), which was significantly better than the other treatments. Survival was 100% in all treatments. Protein content in the diets had no significant effect on whole body proximate composition and amino acid profile. Juveniles consuming the 37.2% crude protein diet grew faster than those fed the other diets. Specific growth rate was adjusted to the two‐slope broken‐line regression analysis model to estimate the optimal protein requirement. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the 37.2% protein level diet is optimal for juvenile cauque river prawn M. americanum in the experimental conditions of this study.     

Otolith elemental characteristics of whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) from brackish waters of the Gulf of Bothnia,Baltic Sea

To investigate whether European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) groups in the brackish (≤7%) Gulf of Bothnia (Baltic Sea) express specific otolith elemental characteristics, concentrations of elements (Ca, Ba, Sr, Zn, Mn, Fe) in whole otoliths were studied by inductively coupled plasma‐optical emission spectrometry. Whitefish (N = 67) were sampled from six different latitudinal sites; four in the sea and two in rivers along the west coast of Finland, and from a fresh water lake for comparison. The concentration of several elements showed significant differences among sampling sites. Otolith Ba concentrations were higher at the northern sampling sites compared to the southern ones, thereby showing negative association to capture‐habitat salinity. In contrast, otolith Sr and Zn concentrations were lower at the northern sampling sites, thereby associating positively to capture‐habitat salinity. Otolith Mn concentrations did not associate with latitude or salinity but markedly varied between sampling sites. Elevated Fe concentrations occurred in fish otoliths from the two northernmost sites. Ca concentrations were at the same levels in otoliths from all whitefish samples. Otoliths of whitefish from the lake had very high Ba and low Sr concentrations compared to concentrations in otoliths from whitefish in the sea and rivers. Our results show that otolith elemental characteristics of whitefish vary considerably at various geographic scales showing high potential for population identification using elemental fingerprints. Analysis of otolith elemental characteristics may therefore provide an efficient tool for the identification of main areas of residence, spawning locations, and migration routes, thus contributing towards the sustainable management of whitefish stocks.     

Effect of Growth Regulators and Ethanol on Termination of Dormancy in Potato Tubers

The main objective of this study was to find the best practice of inducing the sprouting of dormant potato tubers. We compared two protocols of breakage of dormancy, which are based on dipping excised potato eyes in an aqueous solution of gibberellic acid (GA₃) and kinetin (standard 1) or in the aqueous solution of GA₃, thiourea, and daminozide (standard 2), with a newly reported approach based on ethanol. We tested the effect of ethanol alone or in combination with GA₃ and/or kinetin on dormancy release and sprouting of the potato tubers. As a model, we used two potato genotypes (cultivars Pasat and Dorota), with long dormancy of 5 and 10 weeks respectively. We showed that the standard 2 was the most effective treatment both for dormancy breaking and in promoting sprout growth, especially for cv. Dorota, for which the treatment induced 82.3% of tuber eye-plugs to sprout 28 days after treatment and to produce 93.2% of emerged plants after subsequent 28 days of cultivation in the greenhouse. For this cultivar, similar efficacy was observed for the combination of 4% ethanol with GA₃ and kinetin. The same concentration of ethanol combined with GA₃ but without kinetin was the most efficient treatment for breaking dormancy of cultivar Pasat. However, the difference between the various treatment combinations was statistically insignificant. Ethanol alone or in combination with kinetin poorly induced breakage of dormancy, confirming the main role of GA₃ in artificial dormancy breaking. Thus our study showed that the standard 2 is the most effective approach for breakage of dormancy at least with long term-dormancy cultivars.     

Evaluation of Particle Size Influence on Proximate Composition,Physicochemical, Techno-Functional and Physio-Functional Properties of Flours Obtained from Persimmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Diospyros kaki</Emphasis> Trumb.) Coproducts

The aim of the work was to study the influence of particle size in the composition, physicochemical, techno-functional and physio-functional properties of two flours obtained from persimmon (Diospyros kaki Trumb. cvs. ‘Rojo Brillante’ (RBF) and ‘Triump’ (THF) coproducts. The cultivar (RBF and THF) and particle size significantly affected all parameters under study, although depending on the evaluated property, only one of these effects predominated. Carbohydrates (38.07–46.98 g/100 g) and total dietary fiber (32.07–43.57 g/100 g) were the main components in both flours (RBF and THF). Furthermore, insoluble dietary fiber represented more than 68% of total dietary fiber content. All color properties studied were influenced by cultivar and particle size. For both cultivars, the lower particle size, the higher lightness and hue values. RBF flours showed high values for emulsifying activity (69.33–74.00 mL/mL), while THF presented high values for water holding capacity (WHC: 9.47–12.19 g water/g sample). The bile holding capacity (BHC) and fat/oil binding values were, in general, higher in RBF (19.61–12.19 g bile/g sample and 11.98–9.07, respectively) than THF (16.12–12.40 g bile/g sample and 9.78–7.96, respectively). The effect of particle size was really evident in both WHC and BHC. Due to their dietary fiber content, techno-functional and physio-functional properties, persimmon flours seem to have a good profile to be used as potential functional ingredient.     

Significant improvement of shrimp growth performance by growth hormone‐releasing peptide‐6 immersion treatments

Growth hormone‐releasing peptide‐6 (GHRP‐6) is one of the earliest developed synthetic peptidyl growth hormone secretagogue receptor agonists. These compounds mimic the effect of the endogenous ligand ghrelin. In vertebrates, ghrelin is a potent circulating orexigenic hormone with functional roles in controlling food intake, energy expenditure, adiposity, growth hormone secretion and immunity. Ghrelin has been studied mainly in vertebrates; thus, little is known about its role in invertebrates, including crustaceans. We first evaluated the effect of GHRP‐6 injection over feed intake in shrimp and its effects on shrimp growth when the peptide was administrated by successive immersion baths. GHRP‐6 increased feed intake, body weight and size, the number of rostral spines and gill branches, protein concentration and haemocyte number in treated shrimps. We also evaluated the peptide uptake and clearance in a pharmacokinetics, using [H³]GHRP‐6 administered to postlarvae. Given a limited exposure and efficient clearance of the peptide‐associated radioactivity from larvae, our findings suggested that GHRP‐6‐treated Litopenaeus vannamei can be consumed safely by humans after aquaculture applications. These results propose that GHRP‐6 could be an additional tool to study growth physiology in crustaceans and also a promising candidate for development into a new biotechnology product for improving shrimp growth and quality.     

Reproductive resilience: a paradigm shift in understanding spawner‐recruit systems in exploited marine fish

A close relationship between adult abundance and stock productivity may not exist for many marine fish stocks, resulting in concern that the management goal of maximum sustainable yield is either inefficient or risky. Although reproductive success is tightly coupled with adult abundance and fecundity in many terrestrial animals, in exploited marine fish where and when fish spawn and consequent dispersal dynamics may have a greater impact. Here, we propose an eco‐evolutionary perspective, reproductive resilience, to understand connectivity and productivity in marine fish. Reproductive resilience is the capacity of a population to maintain the reproductive success needed to result in long‐term population stability despite disturbances. A stock's reproductive resilience is driven by the underlying traits in its spawner‐recruit system, selected for over evolutionary timescales, and the ecological context within which it is operating. Spawner‐recruit systems are species specific, have both density‐dependent and fitness feedback loops and are made up of fixed, behavioural and ecologically variable traits. They operate over multiple temporal, spatial and biological scales, with trait diversity affecting reproductive resilience at both the population and individual (i.e. portfolio) scales. Models of spawner‐recruit systems fall within three categories: (i) two‐dimensional models (i.e. spawner and recruit); (ii) process‐based biophysical dispersal models which integrate physical and environmental processes into understanding recruitment; and (iii) complex spatially explicit integrated life cycle models. We review these models and their underlying assumptions about reproductive success vs. our emerging mechanistic understanding. We conclude with practical guidelines for integrating reproductive resilience into assessments of population connectivity and stock productivity.     

Dietary Photoprotective Compounds Ameliorate UV Tolerance in Shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) through Induction of Antioxidant Activity

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on bioaccumulation of UV‐absorbing compounds acquired through the diet, in larvae and postlarvae of Pleoticus muelleri, and to assess tissue antioxidant activity, survival, and development. Mysis stage I were exposed to two artificial radiation treatments: M‐PAR (photosynthetically active radiation, range = 400–700 nm) and M‐PAR + UVR (280–700 nm). The experimental larvae received a mixed dietary treatment of Artemia persimilis and the microalga Pavlova lutheri, reared under two radiation regimes: PAR (D‐PAR) and PAR + UVR (D‐PAR + UVR). Shrimp from all treatments reached 8 d postlarval stage (PL8), except those under M‐PAR + UVR treatment fed the D‐PAR‐cultured algae, which had 0% survival. Larvae in M‐PAR + UVR and M‐PAR treatments fed with D‐PAR + UVR diet presented the highest survival rates (70 and 75%, respectively), with 37 and 41% increase in PL size. UV‐absorbing compounds were detected in microalgae and PL subject to PAR + UVR treatments. Antioxidant activity, quantified by measuring the free‐radical 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl in homogenates of PL8, decayed drastically under radiation treatment M‐PAR + UVR fed with algae of the D‐PAR + UVR treatment. It is concluded that the bioaccumulation of UV‐absorbing compounds and the highest antioxidant activity in PL could improve the biochemical and photophysiological responses of shrimp under UVR stress.     

Nutritional Contribution of Biofloc within the Diet of Growout and Broodstock of Litopenaeus vannamei,Determined by Stable Isotopes and Fatty Acids

The relative contributions of feed sources were determined through the isotopic signal (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) and fatty acid profile of feed items, shrimp muscle, and eggs of Litopenaeus vannamei reared in a biofloc system. In the growout phase, the isotope analysis showed the biofloc particle size class ≥250 μm contributed 55–100%; size ≥50 < 250 μm contributed 0–22%; and artificial feed contributed 0–45%. Principal component analysis applied to fatty acid profiles showed that biofloc ≥250 μm and artificial feed were the most important items in shrimp growout. For the egg production, isotope analysis suggested that the most important feed sources according to their relative contributions were polychaetes (0–100%), followed by artemia biomass (0–86%) and semi‐moist feed (0–66%), with lower contributions from squid, mussel, and the muscle of L. vannamei broodstock that had been cultured in biofloc. In terms of fatty acids, the most important items were artemia, polychaetes, and semi‐moist feeds. This work clarified the importance of feed sources for shrimp during culture in biofloc systems and during reproduction. Analysis of stable isotopes and fatty acids can be successfully used to trace the assimilation of nutrients during the nutrition of shrimp.