Water availability affects nectar sugar production and insect visitation of the cup plant Silphium perfoliatum L. (Asteraceae)

The perennial cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is considered as an alternative feedstock to maize for biogas plants. Due to its ecological advantages of an extensive management and function as food resource for pollinators, it can be grown in Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) since 2018. However, studies at the Julius Kühn-Institute in Braunschweig (Germany) showed that the assumed advantage of the cup plant of a high drought tolerance could not be confirmed regarding aspects of crop production and yield. We complemented this experiment by assessing how different soil moisture conditions affect the production of floral resources and insect visitation. In 2014, we sampled three irrigated and three rainfed plots of the cup plant. We quantified the nectar volume and sugar mass per inflorescence, the number of inflorescences per plant and calculated the total nectar sugar production. We further counted insect visitation on the inflorescences. Due to reduced numbers of inflorescences per plant and an earlier harvest, the estimated nectar sugar production was 58 kg/ha regarding irrigated and 20 kg/ha regarding rainfed plots. Honeybee visitation per inflorescence was about twice as high in the irrigated plots. Furthermore, the early harvest is a disadvantage for wild pollinators with a late activity period.     

Virucidal effects of various agents—including protease—against koi herpesvirus and viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus

In a search for alternative, environmentally friendly and effective disinfecting agents, a commercially available protease—Neutrase^®—was tested in this work for inactivation of koi herpesvirus (KHV) and of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV). For comparison, the stability of these viral pathogens in similar configurations at various pH values and concentrations of peracetic acid or quicklime, typically used for disinfection, was tested. Therefore, virus suspensions were incubated with various concentrations of different agents for 24 hr and the titre of the remaining infectious particles was determined by virus titration. Furthermore, the treatment of both viruses, with the agents at concentrations that were previously appointed as effective, was also examined in the presence of solid material (quartz sand). All procedures investigated in this study, including the protease treatment, were able to reduce the titre of KHV and VHSV below the detection limit of the titration. Although further studies are necessary, this is the first report of the application of a protease for the inactivation of the selected fish pathogens, demonstrating the great potential of the latter for disinfection.     

Evaluation of Assouline–Or Adjusted Model to Express Soil Drainage Curve

Eurasian Soil Science - The objectives of this research are prediction of soil drainage curve using Assouline and Or (2014) adjusted soil drainage model and comparison of the predicted results with...     

Application of urease inhibitor improves protein composition and bread‐baking quality of urea fertilized winter wheat

Background: Nitrogen losses is an economic problem for wheat production and a high risk to the environment. Therefore, improved N fertilizer management is a key to increasing the N efficiency and minimizing N losses. To increase N efficiency, enhanced fertilizers such as urea combined with urease inhibitor can be used. Aims: The aim of present study was to evaluate the effects of different N forms on grain storage protein subunits in winter wheat and to examine whether the observed changes correlate with parameters of baking quality. Methods: The investigation was performed over two consecutive years at two locations in Germany. Protein subunits were analyzed by SDS‐PAGE. Results: Protein concentrations were similarly increased after fertilization with ammonium nitrate and urea + urease inhibitor. Analysis of the individual storage protein fractions indicated that both fertilizers specifically enhanced ω‐gliadins and HMW glutenins, but the effect was more pronounced in the ammonium nitrate treatment. Application of urea + urease inhibitor had greater influence on the protein composition and resulted in higher specific baking volume as well as the best fresh keeping ability, in comparison with urea treatment. Conclusion: Considering that the urea + urease inhibitor treatment resulted in almost comparable improvements of NUE and baking quality, with the additional benefit of reduced N losses in combination with easy handling, urea + urease inhibitor can be recommended as a viable alternative to both urea alone and ammonium nitrate treatments. This opens up an opportunity for the reduction of N loss in wheat production when use of urea is preferred.     

Temporal and spatial progress of the diseases caused by the crinivirus tomato chlorosis virus and the begomovirus tomato severe rugose virus in tomatoes in Brazil

Efficient management of whitefly-borne diseases remains a challenge due to the lack of a comprehensive understanding of their epidemiology, particularly of the diseases tomato golden mosaic and tomato yellowing. Here, by monitoring 16 plots in four commercial fields, the temporal and spatial distribution of these two diseases were studied in tomato fields in Brazil. In the experimental plots these diseases were caused by tomato severe rugose virus (ToSRV) and tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV), respectively. The incidence of each virus was similar in the plots within a field but varied greatly among fields. Plants with symptoms for both diseases were randomly distributed in three of four spatial analyses. The curves representing the progress of both diseases were similar and contained small fluctuations, indicating that the spread of both viruses was similar under field conditions. In transmission experiments of ToSRV and ToCV by Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 (former biotype B), these viruses had a similar transmission rate in single or mixed infections. It was then shown that primary and secondary spread of ToCV were not efficiently controlled by insecticide applications. Finally, in a typical monomolecular model of disease progress, simulation of the primary dissemination of ToSRV and ToCV showed that infected plants were predominantly randomly distributed. It is concluded that, although the manner of vector transmission differs between ToSRV (persistent) and ToCV (semipersistent), the main dispersal mechanisms are most probably similar for these two diseases: primary spread is the predominant mechanism, and epidemics of these diseases have been caused by several influxes of viruliferous whiteflies.     

Assessment of the ideal ratios of digestible essential amino acids for pacu,Piaractus mesopotamicus,juveniles by the amino acid deletion method

The present study aimed to determine the ideal ratios of digestible essential amino acids (EAAs) for pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) juveniles by the amino acid (AA) deletion method. A completely randomized design which consisted of 11 treatments and three replicates each was used. The treatments included a control diet (CD) containing 55% of nonpurified natural ingredients and 45% of purified synthetic amino acids and ingredients, and other ten isonitrogenous and isoenergetic EAA limiting diets (LDs), each being deficient in 44.4 ± 0.02% of the respective EAA. Pacu juveniles with initial average body weight of 6.22 ± 0.09 g were distributed among 33 fiber glass tanks. Fish were fed with semipurified and extruded diets for 113 days two times a day until apparent satiation. The ideal ratio of each dietary EAA was calculated on the basis of the relationship between body N retention and amount of EAA deleted from the respective EAA LD. Based on the AA deletion method, the ideal ratios of digestible EAAs for pacu juveniles, relative to lysine requirement of 100% were estimated as: methionine 14.6%, threonine 35.0%, tryptophan 6.6%, arginine 62.8%, histidine 13.6%, isoleucine 26.3%, leucine 43.7%, phenylalanine 27.2%, and valine 35.8%.     

Tritium Distribution in Soil in the Area of “Atomic” Lake near the Semipalatinsk Test Site

Eurasian Soil Science - Data on concentrations and distribution of tritium in soils of the “Atomic” Lake excavation explosion area of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (Kazakhstan, East...     

Occurrence of prophage and historical perspectives associated with the dissemination of huanglongbing in mainland China

Huanglongbing (HLB), associated with a non-culturable bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), is a highly destructive citrus disease with a long but poorly documented history in China. No effective treatment for HLB is available. The identification of new prophages in abundant CLas genomic sequence data provides new insights into both the diversity of CLas strains and HLB management. In this study, CLas populations from nine provinces were surveyed for the presence of prophage. Two major prophage typing groups (PTGs) were discovered to be associated with two different altitude regions: strains of CLas in PTG1 from high altitude regions (HAR) mainly contained prophage Type 1 only or Types 1 and 3, whereas strains of CLas in PTG2 from low altitude regions (LAR) mainly contained prophage Type 2. The discovery of these CLas population patterns provides evidence for independent origins of HLB in HAR and LAR. Guangdong province is the generally recognized domestic region of origin for HLB and is primarily responsible for the dissemination of HLB in LAR through transport of seedlings. Both Yunnan and Sichuan provinces are the probable regions of origin for HLB in HAR. PTG2 was further divided into two subgroups: PTG2-1, found in Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi and PTG2-2, found in Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan. These regions and prophage types are correlated with early and late introductions of HLB in LAR. These molecular analyses were supported by studying the history of the dissemination of HLB in historical documents.