EFFECT OF DELAYED EMERGENCE ON CORN (ZEA MAYS L.) GRAIN YIELD

Uneven crop stands result in a reduction in corn yield production. This study was conducted to determine the effect of delayed emergence on corn yields and the effect of nitrogen (N) applications to compensate for yield reductions. The design used was a randomized complete block, with 4 sequences of delayed planting (0,4,7,and 10 days after planting) and 3 rates of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 40, 80 kg N ha^?1). At maturity, individual plants were tagged in sets of three and hand harvested. Corn ears were shelled, and yield per plant calculated. Grain yield of the delayed plant compared to that of the neighbors was reduced by 27, 8, 20 and 12 kg ha^?1day^?1 for 2007 LCB1, 2007 LCB2, 2010 LCB1 and 2010 LCB2, respectively. Over locations and years, the mean grain yield decrease of the delayed plant versus neighboring plants for each day delay was 122 kg ha^?1.     

A soft technology to improve survival and reproductive performance of Litopenaeus stylirostris by counterbalancing physiological disturbances associated with handling stress

The consequences of handling stress (fishing, transfer, eyestalk ablation) on shrimp broodstock are poorly documented. The weakness of farmed shrimp, Litopenaeus stylirostris, during winter is a major problem in New Caledonia, because of seasonal climate (tropical–sub-temperate). The transfer of broodstock in winter from earthen outdoor ponds to indoor maturation tanks in the hatchery (T = 20 °C, Salinity = 35‰, fed shrimp) usually leads, after 48 h, to high mortality (up to 70%). Eyestalk ablation to induce ovarian maturation in females leads to further mortality.

Starting from a background analysis of physiological disturbances (initial osmoregulatory imbalance) associated with handling stress (Wabete, N., Chim, L., Lemaire, P., Massabuau, J.-C., 2004. Caractérisation de problèmes de physiologie respiratoire et d'échanges ioniques associés à la manipulation chez la crevette pénéide Litopenaeus stylirostris à 20 °C. Styli 2003. Trente ans de crevetticulture en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Ed. Ifremer. Actes Colloq. 38, 75-84.), we developed a protocol using a soft technology, based on modifications of water salinity, temperature and feeding regime. The aim was to minimize problems of osmoregulatory imbalance and associated mortalities. The protocol we developed, called the LSD OT protocol (Low Salinity and Diet, Optimal Temperature), was first evaluated on sub-adult shrimp (20–25 g) and then applied to broodstock. Survival after transfer and following eyestalk ablation, as well as reproductive achievement (spawning rate, nauplii number) was considerably improved when shrimps were transferred under “physiological comfort” i.e. warmed isosmotic water (26 °C and 26‰) and unfed for 3 d. This new handling protocol, based on a better control of salinity, temperature and feeding conditions, has been transferred successfully to private hatcheries and already contributes to an increased profitability of New-Caledonian shrimp industry.     

Marker-Assisted Selection of Xa21 Conferring Resistance to Bacterial Leaf Blight in indica Rice Cultivar LT2

Bacterial leaf blight of rice (BLB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, is one of the most destructive diseases in Asian rice fields. A high-quality rice variety, LT2, was used as the recipient parent. IRBB21, which carries the Xa21 gene, was used as the donor parent. The resistance gene Xa21 was introduced into LT2 by marker-assisted backcrossing. Three Xoo races were used to inoculate the improved lines following the clipping method. Eleven BC₃F₃ lines carrying Xa21 were obtained based on molecular markers and agronomic performance. The 11 lines were then inoculated with the three Xoo races. All the 11 improved lines showed better resistance to BLB than the recipient parent LT2. Based on the level of resistance to BLB and their agronomic performance, five lines (BC₃F₃ 5.1.5.1, BC₃F₃ 5.1.5.12, BC₃F₃ 8.5.6.44, BC₃F₃ 9.5.4.1 and BC₃F₃ 9.5.4.23) were selected as the most promising for commercial release. These improved lines could contribute to rice production in terms of food security.     

Could a diet enriched with n‐3 highly unsaturated fatty acids be considered a promising way to enhance the immune defences and the resistance of Penaeid prawns to environmental stress?

The prawn Penaeus stylirostris (Stimpson), when fed for 28 days with n‐3 highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA)‐enriched feed pellets, demonstrated an enhanced resistance to variations in environmental parameters (a decrease in temperature and salinity over a 4‐day period from 28 °C to 17 °C and from 35‰ to 10‰ respectively) and an improvement in their immune defence potential, i.e. increased agglutination titre of plasma and increased respiratory burst of haemocytes.     

Ethephon: a tool to boost gum arabic production from Acacia senegal and to enhance gummosis processes

Gum arabic production from Acacia senegal is lower in sub-humid areas than arid areas. Water stress is thought to be the reason for higher yields in arid areas. The application of ethephon is thought to mimic the effect of water stress in other plants. The objective of this study was to determine if the application of ethephon would increase the gum yields of Acacia senegal under sub-humid conditions in Cameroon. Trees receiving 40 or 120 mg ethephon were compared to controls in field experiments at a semi-arid and a sub-humid location in Northern Cameroon, over two seasons. Two provenances from drier areas (Sudan) were compared to the local one. In the first season, gum yield of the local provenance treated with ethephon was increased by 400–600 % compared to the untreated trees. Gum yield at the semi-arid location was 77, 313 and 214 g/tree with 0, 40 and 120 mg ethephon/tree, respectively, while at the sub-humid location, it was 30, 186 and 114 g/tree with 0, 40 and 120 mg ethephon/tree. However, in the second season, the effect of ethephon was not significant in the semi-arid area, whereas it was evident in the sub-humid area (up to 478 g/tree). Moreover, ethephon did not affect gum yield of provenances from drier areas (Sudan). This showed that the water-stress hypothesis has to be refined. The development of ethephon-based tapping systems is promising, but requires further studies with a wider range of environmental conditions and A. senegal provenances.     

NITROGEN FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT FOR IMPROVED GRAIN QUALITY AND YIELD IN WINTER WHEAT IN OKLAHOMA

From 2002 to date, a long-term field experiment has been conducted at Lake Carl Blackwell, Oklahoma, with different rates and times of nitrogen (N) fertilizer application to determine their effect on grain yield, protein and N uptake of winter wheat. Trend analysis for N rates (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg N ha^?1) and orthogonal contrasts for different application times (pre-plant, top-dressed in February and March) were performed. With increasing fertilizer N, wheat grain yield and protein content increased from 2110 kg ha^?1 to 6783 kg ha^?1 and from 8.96 to 17.19%, respectively. For grain yield, protein, and N use efficiency, split applications of N fertilizer were much more efficient than applying all N pre-plant. Large differences in grain yields were noted for different years at the same N rate (range exceeded 5.0 Mg ha^?1) and that illustrated the need for making within-year-specific N rate recommendations.     

Evaluation of floating cages as an experimental tool for marine shrimp culture studies under practical earthen pond conditions

The New Caledonia blue shrimp Litopenaeus stylirostris is commercially produced under semi-intensive rearing conditions. The size of the farming earthen ponds (5–10 ha) and the subsequent production constraints make it difficult to use them as experimental units for random experiments. Moreover, since every pond has its own characteristics, ponds' effects cannot be ruled out, thus making it hard to define true replicates.In order to design future experiments under conditions resembling those used in production, we evaluated the possible use of floating cages as experimental units with the aim of assessing treatment effects with a reasonable statistical power. To this end, two sets of floating cages were placed respectively in two different ponds in a commercial farm. In both cases the zootechnical conditions in the cages were similar in post-larvae origin, management, and diet and feeding regime.The aim of the study was to evaluate on a technical basis the possibility of rearing shrimps in floating cages set up in earthen ponds and to assess this method from a statistical standpoint. Shrimps reared in and outside the cages showed comparable growth and survival rates. The variability in the zootechnical parameters between cages, expressed as the estimated coefficient of variation (CV) for survival rate, total final biomass (g), final body weight (g), daily increment in body weight (g day^− 1) and FCR were 11.0, 13.7, 4.4, 5.4, and 7.0%, respectively. On the basis of these figures, we calculated for a given statistical power (80%) the number of replicates (cages) that would be required to reveal significant differences between two treatments, at a 5% level of significance. We found that for expected differences of 20% from the control mean, 3 and 6 floating cages per treatment would be reasonable to determine statistical differences for growth parameters and survival rate, respectively. Moreover, we showed a significant pond effect in regard to survival and growth between the two sets of cages. These results illustrated the within-farm variability among the ponds, and confirmed that the specific characteristics of each pond from the same farm make it difficult to use the ponds themselves as experimental units.The study demonstrates that rearing in floating cages is an economical, powerful and sensitive experimental tool for shrimp culture studies specifically carried out under conditions close to semi-intensive production.     

Tolerance of the shrimp Litopenaeus stylirostris, Stimpson 1894, to environmental stress: interindividual variability and selection potential for stress-resistant individuals

Our study showed that osmoregulatory capacity (OC) of shrimp from the same clutch displayed interindividual variability. When environmental salinity decreases, this variability increases. Thus, at isoosmotic point (sea‐water salinity ≈26), the coefficient of variation calculated for measured OC was 2.7%, whereas it was 8.2% for sea‐water salinity ≈1.5. In terms of haemolymph osmolality, the interindividual difference can reach up to 45.8% for the same water salinity level. The mean OC of individuals that have survived a series of salinity and temperature shocks is significantly greater than the mean value recorded within their original population. This increase in OC was maintained beyond the one or two moulting periods that these shrimp experienced during our experiment.