Appropriateness of inexpensive, hand-held global positioning system units for creating weed maps in a pasture

This paper describes the practical use of a global positioning system receiver (hand-held GPS) as a means of measuring and describing pasture areas invaded by weeds. The accuracy of two GPS units, a hand-held GPS with an external antenna (GPS with an antenna) and the differential global positioning system receiver (DGPS), were examined in Morioka, northern Japan. In addition, an area of weed patches and a pasture, determined using the GPS with an antenna, were compared to the measurements made with a conventional tape and a weed map was created based on the coordinate data of latitude and longitude measurements. The accuracy of the GPS with an antenna was poor (8.3 m); however, the precision of the unit was reasonable in measuring area. An area estimation error by the GPS with an antenna was 7% when practically measuring weed patches of 141 m² and 1% in a paddock of 12 566 m². From these results, it appears that the GPS with an antenna might have an acceptable error in measuring areas for weed control in a pasture. A weed map produced from the coordinate data surveyed using the GPS with an antenna enables the state of weed growth and its domination in an area of pasture to be visually understood. Therefore, GPS technologies easily can be applied to quickly obtain information on weed infestation.     

Detection of Japanese flounder-specific DNA from gut contents of potential predators in the field

ABSTRACT:   Predation by invertebrates may be one of the major factors influencing the mortality of released flounder juveniles in the field. We developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technique for the detection of Japanese flounder material from the gut contents of potential predators in the field. The PCR primers used here are flounder specific and encompass a 153 bp region from the right domain of the mitochondrial control region. With these oligonucleotide primers, PCR reactions yielded specific amplification products from the gut contents of some putative predators, including Matuta lunaris , Portunus gladiator , Sepioteuthis lessoniana , Suggrundus meerdervoorti , Platycephalus sp. and Rhyncopelates oxyrhynchus . Many animals with gut contents of unidentified fish material showed indication of predation on the flounder after release of hatchery reared flounder juveniles. The technique developed in the present study is useful not only for the survey of predation on the flounder by known species, but also for the search for novel potential predatory species in the field.     

Effects of estradiol-17β and 17α-methyltestosterone on gonadal sex differentiation in the F2 hybrid sturgeon, the bester

The effects of giving oral estradiol-17β (E₂) and 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) on gonadal sex differentiation in the F₂ hybrid sturgeon, the bester ( Huso huso female ×  Acipenser ruthenus male), are investigated. Giving E₂ at 10 μg/g diet to fish from 14 months until 31 months of age induced incomplete feminization and resulted in approximately 40% abnormal ovary development in which oocytes were observed without ovarian lamellar structures and gonadal shape was similar to normal testis. Giving MT at 25 μg/g diet for the same duration failed to induce masculinization, and resulted in approximately 30% undeveloped gonads even at 30–37 months of age. In contrast, E₂ and MT at only 1 μg/g diet given from 3 to 18 months of age was sufficient to induce feminization and masculinization, respectively. In these fish, feminization and masculinization were observed at 9 months, when most putative ovaries and testes were histologically distinguishable by the shape of the gonadal surface. These results indicate that sex reversal can be induced in these fish by hormone treatment that is started at 3 months age, before morphological differentiation occurs on the stroma of the gonads.     

Herbage mass, nutritive value and palatability of five grass weeds for cattle in the northern Tohoku region in Japan

The objective of this grazing study was to determine the herbage mass, nutritive value and palatability of five grass weed species ( Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn, Paspalum thunbergii Kunth, Digitaria ciliaris (Retz.) Koeler, Setaria glauca (L.) Beauv. and Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. var. crus-galli ) as feeds compared with six forage cultivars ( Lolium perenne L., two Lolium multiflorum cultivars and three Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. cultivars). The herbage mass of weed species, with the exception of S. glauca , was most prevalent in August. The total amounts of herbage mass of weed species (except E. indica ) were close to those of the Lolium cultivars, but lower than those of the E. crus-galli cultivars. During the summer, weed species (except E. crus-galli var. crus-galli ) contained favorable levels of total digestible nutrients (TDN), crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and mineral contents, and exhibited adequate calcium (Ca):phosphorus (P) ratios of 1:2. All weed species had the recommended ratios of potassium (K):(Ca + [magnesium] Mg) < 2.2:1. By autumn, the summertime levels of nutritive values (TDN, CP, ADF and NDF) in the weed species had severely deteriorated, in contrast with those of the forage cultivars. However, they maintained satisfactory mineral content levels and Ca:P and K:(Ca + Mg) ratios (with the exception of E. indica with poor Ca:P ratios and E. crus-galli var. crus-galli with poor P content and Ca:P ratios). All weed species were acceptable to cattle, although there were some differences in palatability among the species.     

网目尺寸对金枪鱼围网沉降性能及网具形态的影响

根据以往的研究结果和海上网具性能实测,并在听取生产第一线船长意见的基础上,把上海开创远洋渔业有限公司现行金枪鱼围网主网衣下部约三分之一网衣的网目尺寸放大50%,即从260 mm增大到390 mm,以探讨改进围网渔具的沉降性能。实验应用田内准则换算并制作成模型网,在日本下关西日本日网公司专业围网动水槽进行模型试验,比较了侧流、背流、顺流(流速8 cm/s,相当实物网0.20 m/s)3种相对流向的放网模式下放网以及无流(0 cm/s)海况下放网,网目尺寸改变前后围网的沉降性能、网具形态和闭合效果。结果显示,主网衣下部网目尺寸从30 mm (对照网,相当于实物网网目尺寸260 mm)放大到45 mm (试验网,相当于实物网网目尺寸390 mm),网具的沉降深度和沉降速度分别提高1.6%和1.1%;试验网的收绞时间比对照网缩短14.3%,且能保持较好的形态;有流时的3种放网模式下,试验网和对照网浮子纲在放网结束时刻的初始包围面积基本相同;在收绞结束时,试验网浮子纲包围面积为对照网的1.33倍,绞纲结束前6 s,试验网沉子纲包围面积为对照网的1.79倍,说明增大网目尺寸有利于网具包围面积的增大,改善了被围鱼群的活动空间。