Poorly crystalline iron and aluminium oxides contribute to the carbon saturation and sorption of dissolved organic carbon in the soil

Soil carbon (C) saturation implies an upper limit to a soil's capacity to store C depending on the contents of silt + clay and poorly crystalline Fe and Al oxides. We hypothesized that the poorly crystalline Fe and Al oxides in silt + clay fraction increased the C saturation and thus reduced the capacity of the soil to sorb additional C input. To test the hypothesis, we studied the sorption of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on silt + clay fractions (<53 µm) of highly weathered oxic soils, collected from three different land uses (i.e., improved pasture, cropping and forest). Soils with high carbon saturation desorbed 38% more C than soils with low C saturation upon addition of DOC, whereas adsorption of DOC was only observed at higher concentration (>15 g kg^?1). While high Al oxide concentration significantly increased both the saturation and desorption of DOC, the high Fe oxide concentration significantly increased the desorption of DOC, supporting the proposition that both oxides have influence on the DOC sorption in soil. Our findings provide a new insight into the chemical control of stabilization and destabilization of DOC in soil.     

Genetic variation of seedling traits responded to brassinosteroid and gibberellin inhibitors in maize (Zea mays) doubled haploid lines

The purpose of this study was to examine the genotypic variation in maize doubled haploid (DH) lines response to brassinosteroid and gibberellin inhibitors. Plant responses to hormone inhibitors were determined in growth chamber experiments using germination paper for three different seedling treatments: application of propiconazole (Pcz), uniconazole (Ucz) or water (control). Mesocotyl length (ML) was more sensitive to hormone inhibitors, especially to the Ucz treatment, than other seedling traits. ML was significantly correlated with other traits in the Ucz treatment. All the seedling traits showed moderate-to-high broad sense heritability values, ranging from 0.39 to 0.82. The Euclidian genetic distances of inbred line pairs ranged from 1.27 to 19.94, indicating there was a high level of variability across the maize DH lines used in this study. DH lines with extreme MLs were identified, which can provide valuable breeding resources for improving abiotic stress tolerance, and for further genetic studies.     

木材硅石改性剂的制备工艺

为了降低木材硅化改性成本促其应用,直接将固态硅石粉高效液态活化,通过正交试验和极差分析优化制备了木材硅石改性剂,测试分析了浸渍改性杨木的性能。结果表明:①反应时间和原料n(SiO2)∶n(NaOH)对活化溶液的pH值、黏度和密度影响不显著,碱料种类和反应温度对活化溶液的黏度、密度、SiO2转化率、固体质量分数和生产成本影响显著,对溶液性能综合影响最大的是反应温度和碱料种类,其次是n(SiO2)∶n(NaOH)和反应时间;②pH值随反应时间、温度和n(SiO2)∶n(NaOH)增大而减小,密度、黏度、固体质量分数、SiO2转化率和模数随反应时间、温度和n(SiO2)∶n(NaOH)增大而增大,KOH活化效果更好但价格较高,综合平衡优化工艺为:反应温度200℃、碱料为NaOH、n(SiO2)∶n(NaOH)=1.715∶1、反应时间4 h;③硅石改性剂能充分渗入杨木,使其吸药量达252%,密度提高81%,抗弯强度提高69.6%,炭化温度减小89℃,残炭率提高41%,改性效果优于硅溶胶。     

Influence of temperature,humidity duration and growth stage on the infection and mycotoxin production by Fusarium langsethiae and Fusarium poae in oats

High occurrence of Fusarium poae (FP) and Fusarium langsethiae (FL) and their mycotoxins nivalenol (NIV) and T-2/HT-2 have been observed in Swiss oats. Early prediction of mycotoxin levels is important for farmers and the cereal industry to minimize the risk of contaminated food and feed. Therefore, climate chamber experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of different temperatures (10, 15, 20 °C) and durations (4, 8, 12 h) at 99% relative humidity (RH) on the infection of oats with FP and FL. In addition, to discover the most susceptible period of oats, artificial FL inoculations were conducted at different growth stages. Field experiments were performed to observe the dispersal of these fungal species within the field and to investigate the weather conditions that influence the dispersal. The climate chamber experiments revealed higher contamination with NIV and T-2/HT-2 in the 10 °C treatments and with a prolonged humidity duration of 12 h 99% RH. Inoculations of oat plants at early (DC 61) and mid (DC 65) anthesis, led to higher FL infection and T-2/HT-2 accumulation in the grains compared with treatments at earlier growth stages, which might be due to an increased susceptibility during anthesis. No indication for spore dispersal was observed in the field experiments. The results obtained, together with the cropping factors that influence infection and mycotoxin production, could be used as a first step in developing forecasting models to predict the contamination of oats with the mycotoxins NIV and T-2/HT-2.     

Real-time RT-qPCR assay to detect sequences in the Piscine orthoreovirus-1 genome segment S1 associated with heart and skeletal muscle inflammation in Atlantic salmon

During the last decade, Piscine orthoreovirus was identified as the main causative agent of heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) in Atlantic Salmon, Norway. A recent study showed that PRV-1 sequences from salmonid collected in North Atlantic Pacific Coast (NAPC) grouped separately from the Norwegian sequences found in Atlantic Salmon diagnosed with HSMI. Currently, the routine assay used to screen for PRV-1 in NAPC water and worldwide cannot differentiate between the two groups of PRV-1. Therefore, this study aimed at developing a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay to target the PRV-1 genome segments specific for variants associated with HSMI. The assay was optimized and tested against 71 tissue samples collected from different regions including Norway, Chile and both coast of Canada and different hosts farmed Atlantic Salmon, wild Coho Salmon and escaped Atlantic Salmon collected in British Columbia, West Coast of Canada. This assay has the potential to be used for screening salmonids and non-salmonids that may carry PRV-1 potentially causing HSMI.     

The ecosystem services concept: a new Esperanto to facilitate participatory planning processes?

Landscape Ecology - Several case studies investigated the role of ecosystem services in participatory planning processes. However, no systematic study exists that cuts across a large number of...     

Effect of apple cultivars and storage periods on the virulence of Neofabraea spp.

Bull’s eye rot is a typical quiescent postharvest apple disease in major fruit-growing areas. The susceptibility of different apple cultivars to Neofabraea spp. (N. vagabunda and N. malicorticis) was assessed, with Granny Smith showing the most resistance and Cripps Pink the most susceptibility. To assess the factors involved in conidial germination, Neofabraea spp. were grown on crude protein extracts (CPEs) collected from apple fruits at different storage periods. Fungal germ tube growth rate and pathogenic enzyme (cellulase and xylanase) activity were assessed. Results showed that CPEs collected after 2 and 4 months of storage progressively stimulated conidial germination and germ tube elongation, while a lesser effect was observed from CPEs after 1 month of storage. Xylanase proved to be the main degrading enzyme secreted by all the isolates, while cellulase was produced only by N. vagabunda isolates. Overall, the isolate ID02 was the most virulent, based on more rapid germ tube elongation and greater activity of the lytic enzymes.     

New Pseudococcidae species on Cupressus macrocarpa in Tunisia: first report of Planococcus vovae

In May 2017 and 2018, Planococcus vovae (Nasonov) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) was collected in Hammam Sousse (Tunisia) on the ornamental plant Cupressus macrocarpa (Cupressaceae). The infestation was observed on needles which showed symptoms of desiccation and chlorosis. This is the first record of P. vovae in Tunisia and in North Africa.     

A comparison of popular approaches to optimize landscape resistance surfaces

Landscape Ecology - Landscape resistance surfaces are often used to address questions related to movement, dispersal, or population connectivity. However, modeling landscape resistance is...     

Changes in wettability of wood surface using electron beam irradiation

ABSTRACT

This study deals with the influence of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the wettability of Norway spruce surface samples. To evaluate this possible effect in detail, the changes in chemistry and wood structure were analysed using the methods of IR spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The surface wettability was determined by the contact angle measurement method. The results of infrared spectra show decreased relative numbers of available hydrophilic groups (e.g. hydroxyl and carbonyl groups) in the wood surfaces due to the electron beam irradiation. This behaviour is consistent with the values from the surface wettability measurements. Structural differences of the wood surfaces after electron beam irradiation were not detectable. Based on these findings pre-treatment of wood surfaces for industrial usages can be a potential field of application of this technology.