Growth, Condition, and Size Distribution of Paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, Juveniles Reared in Ponds at Three Densities

Abstract.— A study was conducted to determine the effect of increasing density on growth and size distribution of paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, juveniles reared in ponds. Feed‐trained paddlefish of mean weight (±SE) 25.8 ± 1.1 g were randomly stocked into nine 0.02‐ha ponds at 12,355, 18,533, and 24,710 paddlefish/ha, three replications per treatment. The fish were fed daily in excess of what they would eat for 97 d, beginning with a floating trout diet containing 45% protein and 16% lipid and then transferring to a floating catfish diet containing 32% protein and 4.5% lipid. Survival at harvest was not significantly different (P > 0.05) among treatments and averaged 90%. Mean final weights (±SD) for the low‐, middle‐, and high‐density treatments were 205.2 ± 54.1, 174.8 ± 53.2, and 178.6 ± 51.4 g, respectively. Best‐fit distributions centered on these means were lognormal. The low‐density distribution was significantly different (P < 0.05) from the two higher densities, which were not significantly different from each other (P > 0.05). Paddlefish weight at the minimum target length of 35 cm was estimated to be 100 g by regression analysis. The probability of paddlefish reaching or exceeding 100 g was 90% for the low‐density treatment. For the two higher densities, probabilities were 79 and 78%, respectively. Mean Fulton’s condition factors (FCFs) (±SD) were 250 ± 19, 242 ± 4, and 256 ± 37 for the low‐, middle‐, and high‐density treatments, respectively. The FCF for the middle‐density treatment was significantly lower than for the low‐ and high‐density treatments (P < 0.05), which were not significantly different from each other (P > 0.05). CV, feed conversion ratio, and relative growth were not significantly different (P > 0.05) among treatments and averaged 0.43, 1.50, and 5.45, respectively. Monoculture of paddlefish juveniles in ponds results in a hierarchic size structure when density is at least greater than 12,355 paddlefish/ha. The effect is enhanced with increasing density but becomes asymptotic as density approaches 18,533 paddlefish/ha. Feeding in excess does not ameliorate the effect.     

Biosurfactant-assisted phytoremediation of potentially toxic elements in soil: Green technology for meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Biosurfactants are biomolecules produced by microorganisms, low in toxicity, biodegradable, and relatively easy to synthesize using renewable waste substrates. Biosurfactants are of great importance with a wide and versatile range of applications, including the bioremediation of contaminated sites. Plants may accumulate soil potentially toxic elements(PTEs), and the accumulation efficacy may be further enhanced by the biosurfactants produced by rhizospheric microorganisms. Occasionally, the growth of bacteria slows down in adverse conditions, such as highly contaminated soils with PTEs. In this context,the plant's phytoextraction capacity could be improved by the addition of metal-tolerant bacteria that produce biosurfactants. Several sources, categories,and bioavailability of PTEs in soil are reported in this article, with the focus on the cost-effective and sustainable soil remediation technologies, where biosurfactants are used as a remediation method. How rhizobacterial biosurfactants can improve PTE recovery capabilities of plants is discussed, and the molecular mechanisms in bacterial genomes that support the production of important biosurfactants are listed. The status and cost of commercial biosurfactant production in the international market are also presented.     

Comparative Efficacy of Anesthetics for the Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachiurn rosenbergii

Abstract— The freshwater prawn Macrobrachiurn rosenbergii is a commercially important culture species in the South Central United States. Two major constraints in the commercial culture of the freshwater prawn in the U.S. are poor survival during live transportation of seed‐stock to growout ponds, and live transportation of pond harvested prawn to distant live markets due to the territorial and cannibalistic nature of prawn. The use of anesthetics could possibly improve transport survival; however, to date anesthetic agents have not been evaluated for use with prawn. Two trials were conducted with juvenile freshwater prawn to compare the efficacy of anesthetics commonly used on fish. The first trial was designed to identify the most promising candidates. In Study 1, tricaine methanesulfonate (MS‐222), 2‐phenoxyethanol, quinaldine sulfate (quinaldine), clove oil, and Aqui‐S^TM were evaluated at 25 and 100 mg/L for 1 h in three replicate 10‐L glass containers, containing five juvenile prawn each. Relative sedation level was determined every 3 min for 1 h, then recovery time and survival were measured. In Study 1, MS‐222 and 2‐phenoxyethanol were determined to be ineffective on prawn at all rates tested. Based on their performance in Study 1, quinaldine, clove oil, and AquiS^TM were evaluated at 100, 200, and 300 mg/L in Study 2. Observations were determined as in Study 1. Clove oil and Aqui‐S^TM induced anesthesia faster and at lower concentrations than quinaldine. At the highest treatment rate (300 mg/L) prawn suffered 60% mortality in the Aqui‐S^TM treatment, 13% mortality in the quinaldine treatment, and 0% mortality in the clove oil treatment and control following a 1‐h exposure to these concentrations. Based on these data, Aqui‐S^TM and clove oil applied at 100 mg/L may be suitable anesthetic treatments for prawn. Additional research is needed to determine optimal time and dose relationships to minimize stress during holding, handling, and transportation of prawn.     

Feeding Frequency Affects Growth, Not Fillet Composition, of Juvenile Sunshine Bass Morone chrysops×M. saxatilis Grown in Cages

Abstract.— In an effort to feed sunshine bass Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis efficiently, promote optimal growth, and reduce labor costs associated with feeding, sunshine bass were grown in cages and fed one of four feeding frequencies: once/d, twice/d, once every other day (I X/EOD), and twice every other day (2X/EOD) for 21 wk. Juvenile sunshine bass were fed a commercial floating diet containing 40% protein and 11.5% lipid. One hundred fish were hand-counted and stocked into each of 12 3.5-m³ cages with three replications per treatment. At the conclusion of the study, percentage weight gain of sunshine bass fed twice/d was significantly (P < 0.05) higher (1,850%) compared to fish fed all other feeding frequencies. Specific growth rate (SGR) of fish fed twice/d was significantly higher (2.1%/d) compared to fish fed all other feeding regimes, while fish fed once/d had a higher SGR (2.0%/d) compared to fish fed I X/EOD (1.6%/d) and 2X/EOD (1.8%/d). Percentage survival was not significantly different (P > 0.05) among all treatments and averaged 70.4%r. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of fish fed twice/d was significantly higher (2.40) compared to fish fed all other feeding regimes. Percentage fillet weight of fish fed twice/d was significantly higher (27.8%) compared to all other treatments. Percentage moisture, protein, lipid, and ash in fillet were not significantly different among all treatments and averaged 75.7%, 19.4%, 3.5%, and 1.2%n, respectively (wet-weight basis). Based upon data from the present study, it appears that producers growing juvenile sunshine bass in cages may want to feed fish twice daily. This feeding regimen allows for higher growth rates, without adverse effects on body or fillet compositions. However, economic analysis needs to be conducted to determine if feeding twice/d is profitable.     

Polymorphism analysis of BMPR1B gene by forced RFLP and PCR-SSCP techniques and expression of the mutation in introgressed sheep

The present study was conducted to screen Kashmir valley sheep with history of prolificacy for the presence of FecB mutation. Forced polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) and single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) techniques were employed to detect any polymorphism present in bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 1B (BMPR1B) gene. Further, it was aimed at introgressing the FecB mutation into nonprolific noncarrier sheep. A 140-bp fragment of BMPR1B gene was amplified from isolated genomic DNA and subjected to forced RFLP with restriction enzyme AvaII. Three different RFLP patterns were identified. SSCP analysis showed one-to-one correspondence with RFLP patterns. Sequencing of the samples showing different patterns revealed that the wild (+) and mutant (B) alleles were different by a single nucleotide substitution in the form of A109G from wild to mutant allele. It led to change in amino acid from Glutamine (Q) to Arginine (R) from wild to mutant allele. The mutation was only detected in NARI-Suwarna and their crosses; all Kashmir valley sheep with prolific history lacked it. The + allele was abundant in the studied population. The FecB mutation was introgressed in nonprolific noncarrier sheep by crossing ewes with NARI-Suwarna rams possessing the mutation. First generation crossing produced heterozygous (B+) progeny. Some of the F₁ heterozygous ewes gave birth to twins when mated to unrelated NARI-Suwarna rams. It showed that FecB mutation was successfully expressing in those crosses.     

Ralstonia solanacearum preferential colonization in the shoot apical meristem explains its pathogenicity pattern in tomato seedlings

Ralstonia solanacearum causes a lethal bacterial wilt disease in many plants by colonizing the vascular tissues of the hosts. Upon inoculation of tomato seedlings through either leaf or root, the wilting symptoms occur first at the apical region and then proceed downward along the shoot. The systemic order of the disease initiation and progression in the host, independent of the site of pathogen inoculation, is yet to be investigated. To understand the disease progression more clearly, we have carried out a systematic study of the pathogen localization by GUS staining of inoculated tomato seedlings, at 24-hour intervals from 0 days post-inoculation (dpi) to 5 dpi. In both inoculation methods, pathogen colonization was observed at 1 dpi at the apical meristem as well as the cotyledon leaves, where the disease initiates. As the disease progressed, colonization by the pathogen towards the lower region of the shoot was observed. Disease consistency and pathogenicity magnitude were observed to be higher using the leaf inoculation method than the root inoculation method. Several R. solanacearum transposon-induced mutants that were reduced in virulence by root inoculation but virulent by leaf inoculation were obtained. Using GUS staining, it was observed that these mutants were unable to localize in the shoot region when inoculated in the root. Our study indicates that the apical meristem and the cotyledon leaves are the first regions to be colonized in inoculated tomato seedlings, which might explain the disease initiation from this region.     

Accelerated aerobic degradation of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane in suspensions of flooded and non-flooded soils pretreated with hexachlorocyclohexane

Summary A commercial wettable-powder formulation (50% a. i.) of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) was applied to unplanted and planted (to rice) soils under flooded and non-flooded conditions at 1 kg a. i. ha^–1 at 15-day intervals. A mineral salts medium supplemented with -HCH as a sole source of C was inoculated with suspensions from HCH-treated and untreated soils (unplanted or planted to rice) and incubated under aerobic conditions. -HCH disappeared completely within 10 days from the aerobically incubated medium inoculated with the suspension from the treated soil compared to less than 30% loss from the uninoculated medium or from the medium inoculated with the suspension from the untreated soil, during the corresponding period. Soil samples from HCH-treated flooded pots lost their capacity for accelerated degradation of -HCH after autoclaving. The addition of HCH clearly stimulated aerobic degradation of -HCH, even in predominantly anaerobic flooded soil. The factor responsible for the accelerated degradation of -HCH in pretreated soil was not detected in the deeper layers (>10 cm) of flooded soil and in fields that had dried following the rice harvest.     

Citric acid loaded nano clay polymer composite for solubilization of Indian rock phosphates: a step towards sustainable and phosphorus secure future

Non-renewable nature of rock phosphate (RP) reserves coupled with open ended nature of P cycle makes it imperative for maximum utilization of available P resources. In this context, use of Indian RPs from Purulia and Udaipur along with citric acid loaded nanoclay polymer composite (CA-NCPC) as P source to costly diammonium phosphate (DAP) was investigated through an incubation experiment followed by a greenhouse experiment with wheat-rice cropping sequence in a Luvisol (pH 5.14, available P 13.5 mg kg^?1). Soil available P, crop yield parameters and dynamics of soil P fractions were taken to judge the efficacy of CA-NCPC in solubilizing RPs. Application of CA-NCPC and DAP resulted in 82% and 69% increase in available P over control, respectively under incubation study. Direct effect of treatment receiving CA-NCPC + RP on yield and P uptake by wheat was comparable with DAP but residual impact of CA-NCPC + RP (16.7 g pot^?1) was better than DAP (13.8 g pot^?1) in rice. The changes in inorganic P fractions were also significant as inclusion of RP increased calcium-P from 16.1 to 61.5 mg kg^?1. Results indicated potentiality of RPs treated with CA-NCPC as an alternate P source which could prove promising amidst P scarcity.     

Response surface optimization and artificial neural network modeling of microwave assisted natural dye extraction from pomegranate rind

The extracted dye from brown dry rind of the pomegranate has been used as natural colorant for textiles from ancient times. In this study, microwave assisted extraction (MAE) has been used for extraction for dye from dried pomegranate rind. The effect of three independent parameters namely extraction time (25–90 s), pH of solution (3.5–8) and amount of pomegranate rind (0.5–1.5 g) was considered. Response surface methodology (RSM) is applied to optimize the effects of processing parameters of extraction on the yield of dye and a computer-stimulated artificial neural network (ANN) model is developed to get a good correlation between the input variables responsible for extraction and the output parameter (concentration of dye) of extraction from pomegranate rind. Considering the yield of dye extraction and the feasibility of the experiment, the optimum conditions of dye extraction are extraction time 90 s, pH 3.5, amount of sample 1.48. Application of microwave irradiation method proved to be a rapid and improved technique for dye extraction and significantly reduced the extraction time. The optimization procedure shows a close interaction between the experimental and simulated values for dye extraction.