Irrigation of paddy soil with industrial landfill leachate: impacts in rice productivity,plant nutrition,and chemical characteristics of soil

Treated industrial effluents have high levels of nutrients and dissolved organic matter. The irrigation of rice by flooding can increase nutrient uptake and grain yield. Therefore, this study evaluated the nutrient contents in the shoots and grain of the rice crop and also the chemical of the soil after irrigation of the crop with leachate of the treated industrial effluent. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using pots filled with 20 kg of soil in a randomized block design with three replications. The treatments consisted of control (irrigation with distilled water) and four concentrations of the leachate (25, 50, 75, and 100 %) for irrigation. At the end of the experiment, the nutrient contents in tissues of rice plants, sterility of spikelets, and grain mass were evaluated. Results showed that irrigation with the leachate at 25 % content increased the macro- and micronutrients’ concentrations in the shoot biomass and grain, except for potassium and iron. Irrigation with the industrial leachate decreased tillering and grain yield; however, it increased chlorophyll content, sterility of spikelets, and sodium intake at this leachate concentration. The potassium and sodium levels and the electrical conductivity values of soils irrigated with treated industrial leachate were increased. The use of the treated leachate from industrial effluents is an alternative that reuses the nutritional load, but the volume of leachate should be limited and monitored to prevent the sodicity in the soil and problemsdue to eutrophication.     

Genome-wide in silico analysis of SOD genes in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are a group of enzymes that play essential roles in catalyzing the dismutation of superoxide radicals to protect cells from...     

Astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis Prevents Oxidative Stress on Human Endothelial Cells without Toxicity

Astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant, is a good candidate for the prevention of intracellular oxidative stress. The aim of the study was to compare the antioxidant activity of astaxanthin present in two natural extracts from Haematococcus pluvialis, a microalgae strain, with that of synthetic astaxanthin. Natural extracts were obtained either by solvent or supercritical extraction methods. UV, HPLC-DAD and (HPLC-(atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)+)/ion trap-MS) characterizations of both natural extracts showed similar compositions of carotenoids, but different percentages in free astaxanthin and its ester derivatives. The Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay showed that natural extracts containing esters displayed stronger antioxidant activities than free astaxanthin. Their antioxidant capacities to inhibit intracellular oxidative stress were then evaluated on HUVEC cells. The intracellular antioxidant activity in natural extracts was approximately 90-times higher than synthetic astaxanthin (5 µM). No modification, neither in the morphology nor in the viability, of vascular human cells was observed by in vitro biocompatibility study up to 10 µM astaxanthin concentrations. Therefore, these results revealed the therapeutic potential of the natural extracts in vascular human cell protection against oxidative stress without toxicity, which could be exploited in prevention and/or treatment of cardiovascular diseases.     

Mitotane treatment in a dog with a recurring adrenocortical carcinoma--a case report]

In a 7 year old female poodle an adrenocortical tumor was diagnosed on basis of laboratory and ultrasonographic examinations. One year after adrenalectomy, a relapse was diagnosed, at that time the suspicion of metastases in the liver arose for the first time. By treatment with Mitotane in a dose aiming at completely destroying the adrenal cortex, a complete disappearance of the tumor as well as a dramatic reduction of the size of the metastases could be achieved. 12 months after the begin of the chemotherapy, the dog is in good general condition.     

Germination and seedling establishment of Norway spruce (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea abies</Emphasis>) after clear-cutting is affected by timing of soil scarification

Natural regeneration of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is a relatively common practice in Norway on medium to low site indices. However, seedling establishment is often hampered by rapid regrowth of competing vegetation in scarified patches. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of coordinating scarification towards an expected seed-fall, by studying germination and seedling establishment in scarified patches of different age (fresh, one- and two-year-old). The experiment was conducted in two stands in southeast Norway that were clear-cut in 2007. Scarification was applied to subplots in autumn 2008–2010. To simulate seed-fall, seeds were sown in fresh scarification patches in spring 2009–2011, in one-year-old patches in 2010 and 2011, and in two-year-old patches in 2011. Both germination and seedling survival were negatively affected by the age of the scarified patches. Germination was higher, and mortality lower, at the small fern woodland site, compared with the bilberry woodland site. Sowing in fresh patches also resulted in increased height and root collar diameter of the seedlings compared with sowing in older patches. It is likely that the competing vegetation both on the site and in the scarification patches affected the growth of the seedlings. In conclusion, the age of the scarified patches affected both germination and mortality, as well as early growth of the seedlings.     

Invasion potential of Agrilus planipennis and other Agrilus beetles in Europe: import pathways of deciduous wood chips and MaxEnt analyses of potential distribution areas

Bark‐ and wood‐boring beetles in the genus Agrilus (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) can survive wood‐chipping, and Agrilus planipennis has established in North America and European Russia with devastating impacts on forest ecosystems. The work presented in this paper combined import statistics of deciduous wood chips, Maximum entropy modelling (MaxEnt) of climatic similarities, and the distribution of potential tree hosts to predict the likelihood of four selected North American Agrilus species to become introduced and established in Europe. In agreement with the EU's energy‐policy target of increased use of wood chips, there was a linear or exponential increase in European imports of deciduous wood chips during the past 10 years from countries harbouring potentially harmful Agrilus species. MaxEnt showed high environmental suitability in Europe for the four selected Agrilus species, particularly in Eastern Europe and European Russia for A. anxius, A. bilineatus and A. planipennis and in southern Europe for A. politus. Documented susceptible host trees are widely distributed in the predicted areas of Agrilus distribution in Europe, and these areas receive large quantities of deciduous wood chips from countries where these and other Agrilus species are present. Thus, it was concluded that the fundamental conditions for introduction and establishment of Agrilus species in Europe are in place.     

Effectiveness of early-generation testing applied to upland rice breeding

A plant breeding program is a long-term investment. Therefore, periodic assessment of the effectiveness of a breeding strategy is essential to maximize genetic gains per unit of time and resource invested. In this work, we assessed the effectiveness of the early-generation testing (EGT) approach used in the upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) breeding program at Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), Brazil, estimating the genetic progress achieved for three traits in two distinct phases, spanning 15 years. In the first phase (from 2003 to 2010), it was used the bulk method within F₃ progenies with prior testing of F₂ crosses, while in the second phase (from 2010 to 2017), it was used the bulk method within F₂ progenies. The dataset comprised 70 yield trials, involving 1884 F_3:5 progenies (phase I) and 925 F_2:4 progenies (phase II) from an elite population, and 10 check cultivars, evaluated for grain yield (GY), plant height (PH) and days to flowering (DTF). For estimating the genetic gain, we adapted a generalized linear regression method to compute bi-segmented linear regression coefficients. Desirable genetic gains were achieved only for GY in both phases of the breeding program, with 78.75 kg ha^?1 year^?1 (2.68%) in the first phase, and 53.78 kg ha^?1 year^?1 (1.54%) in the second phase. These results show the effectiveness of EGT, especially via bulk method within F₃ progenies with prior testing of F₂ crosses, applied to upland rice breeding. Some refinements are discussed in the method to make it more cost-effective and more efficient in achieving genetic gains.     

Improvement of degraded physical attributes of a saline-sodic soil as influenced by phytoremediation and soil conditioners

This study aimed to evaluate the use of phytoremediation and soil conditioners in the recovery of physical attributes of a saline-sodic Fluvic Neossol in Brazil Northeast. The applied treatments were: Atriplex nummularia L., as phytoremediation plant, due to its ability to extract salts from the soil; organic conditioners, such as bovine and sheep manure; gypsum and polymer, as chemical conditioners. Samples with preserved structure were collected at the time of the experiment installation and 18 months after in the layers 0–10 cm and 10–30 cm. The analyzed attributes were: water dispersed clay, dispersion index, bulk density, penetration resistance, soil porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. The use of sheep manure, gypsum and polymer promoted an increase in saturated hydraulic conductivity in the 0–10 cm layer from 4.51 to 16.37 cm day^?1, 11.26 to 23.95 cm day^?1 and 7.24 to 22.77 cm day^?1, respectively. Gypsum increased the macroporosity in the superficial layer by 42.6%. Atriplex and polymer were more efficient at reducing soil penetration resistance. The polymer was more efficient at improving the physical properties. However, it is necessary to consider phytoremediation with Atriplex as a more sustainable alternative that can still be used as complementary fodder in animal feed.