Using Static and Dynamic Indicators to Evaluate Soil Physical Quality in a Sicilian Area

Both capacitive indicators derived from the water retention curve and dynamic measurements of the flow‐weighted mean pore radius, R₀, were used to assess the soil physical quality of two agricultural areas (cropland and olive orchard) and two natural areas (grassland and managed woodlot plantation) potentially subject to soil degradation. The overall idea of the study was to investigate whether a dynamic indicator quantitatively derived from hydraulic conductivity measurements could be used to supplement the traditionally applied capacitive indicators retrieved from water retention measurements. According to the available criteria, only the surface layer of the cropland site showed optimal soil physical quality. In the grassland and woodlot sites, the physical quality was deteriorated also as a consequence of compaction because of grazing. Overall, the physical quality was better in tilled than nontilled soils. The optimal soil in terms of capacitive indicators had hydraulic conductivity close to saturation that was intermediate among the different land uses, and it remained 1·3–1·9 times higher than that observed in the natural sites even when the largest pores emptied. A depth effect on R₀ was observed only when larger macropores were activated. It was suggested that water transmission parameters are more affected by changes in large pore domain. The plant available water content and Dexter's S‐index showed inverse statistically significant regressions with R₀. The empirical relationships were physically convincing given that, at increasing R₀, the contribution of macropores increases, water is transmitted faster below the root zone and the soil's ability to store water is reduced. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of cold hardening on water relations of three Eucalyptus species

Water relations of three Eucalyptus species (E. x trabutii Wilm., E. viminalis Labill., E. dalrympleana Maid.), widely planted in the Mediterranean basin, were analyzed throughout an entire year in relation to natural cold hardening. Osmotic potential, both at saturation and at the turgor loss point, showed a greater reduction during hardening in the more frost-resistant E. viminalis and E. dalrympleana than in the more frost-sensitive E. x trabutii. The hardening capabilities of all species were analyzed in relation to the freezing dehydration index, FDI, a parameter derived from pressure-volume analysis which represents the water lost when cells, initially at the turgor loss point, attain thermodynamic equilibrium with extraplasmatic ice. The FDI at the killing temperature showed little variation either between frost-sensitive and frost-resistant species, or between hardened and non-hardened plants. The index may, therefore, be useful for evaluating a plant's potential for injury by freeze-induced desiccation.     

Antibacterial and allelopathic activity of extract from Castanea sativa leaves

Following the extraction of Castanea sativa with an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid (pH 3.0), the ethyl acetate soluble fraction was tested for its antibacterial and allelopathic activity. The extract was shown to have pronounced antibacterial effects against seven of the eight strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria used (MIC in the range of 64-256 microg/ml and MBC in the range of 256-512 microg/ml). The active fraction was analyzed by TLC and HPLC showing the presence of rutin, hesperidin, quercetin, apigenin, morin, naringin, galangin and kaempferol. Standards of the identified flavonoids were tested against the same bacterial strains. The highest activity was shown by quercetin, rutin and apigenin. The allelopathic effect was tested against Raphanus sativus seed germination. The extract, quercetin, rutin and apigenin caused a decrease in the percentage of seed germination and root and epicotyl growth.     

Tank performance and multiple uses in Tamil Nadu,South India–comparison of 2 time periods (1996–97 and 2009–10)

Irrigation tanks in India are common property resources. Tanks provide not only for irrigation, but also forestry, fishing, domestic water supply, livestock, and other uses. Using empirical results from a study of tank performance from 80 tanks in Tamil Nadu, South India in two time period: 1996-97 and 2009-10, this paper evaluates tank irrigation system performance in terms of economic output and revenue generation forirrigation and other uses. The results indicate that irrigation and other productive uses put together raised the total value of output at tank level by 12 % in 1996-97 and just 6 % in 2009-10. This may suggest that tank multiple use values are small and getting smaller, and therefore not worth consideration. However, it was also found that, while declining in absolute terms, non-irrigation uses provided the majority of tax revenues and still more than cover government's operation and maintenance expenditure (O&M) budget. This finding provides another reason to consider multiple use values and their linkage with overall system viability.     

Estimating the pleiotropic effect of the jointless-2 gene on the processing and agronomic traits of tomato by using near-isogenic lines

Two near-isogenic lines of the processing tomato cv. ‘IPA-5’, pheno-typically distinct from each other only in terms of the presence or absence of a jointless fruit pedicel, were used to estimate pleiotropic effects of the recessive gene j-2 on 15 processing and agronomic parameters. Total yield, total yield of mature fruit, total yield of green fruit, total number of fruit, total number of mature fruit, total number of green fruit, mean weight of mature fruit, mean weight of green fruit, mean weight of mature plus green fruit, soluble solids, fruit colour, pH, titratable acidity, sugar: acid ratio, and fruit firmness were compared in jointed (J-2/J-2) and jointless pedicel (J-2/J-2) lines. Statistically significant differences were detected between both isolines for the following parameters: total number of fruit, total yield, total yield of green fruit, and total number of green fruit. In all cases, smaller values were observed in the isoline with the genetic constitution J-2/J-2. These data reinforce the view that they j-2 gene may cause, in some specific tomato backgrounds, significant yield constraints. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that this gene cannot exert any important pleiotropic influence on any of the processing characteristics evaluated.     

Effect of Ogura male-sterile cytoplasm on the performance of cabbage hybrid variety. II. Commercial characteristics

Summary The main constraint of using Ogura male-sterile cytoplasm in Brassica is the induction of leaf yellowing at low temperature and the low seed set. But whether or not the cytoplasm can disturb the general commerical performance of the plants is not well-known. Therefore, this work was carried out with the purpose of evaluating Ogura cytoplasmic male-sterile cabbage hybrids and compare them to genomic similar male-fertile ones and to the most popular cabbage hybrid cultivated in Brazil. Harvest data showed an effect of the cytoplasm on reducing plant and head weight, core length and head length and width, although not altering heading index, shape and core indexes, nor head compactness. On the other hand, it was observed also that a careful selection of the parental lineages can produce male-sterile hybrids as good as their male-fertile analogues. All the evaluated hybrids were similar or better than the check for the characteristics under study.Abbreviations dat - days after transplanting - CNPH - National Center for Vegetable Crops Research     

Hypertrophic gastropathy associated with gastric sarcoma in a dog

A 14-y-old spayed female Labrador Retriever was presented with an 8-mo history of chronic vomiting. Abdominal ultrasound and gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a mass protruding into the gastric lumen, with cytologic features suggestive of sarcoma. A partial gastrectomy was performed; the gastric body and antrum were thickened, with a cerebriform appearance of the mucosal surface. Histologic examination revealed a submucosal neoplastic proliferation of fusiform cells variably arranged in irregular bundles and scattered whorls. Fusiform cells strongly reacted to antibodies against vimentin, S100, and neuron-specific enolase; glial fibrillary acidic protein was moderately and multifocally expressed. Pancytokeratin, KIT, α–smooth muscle actin, and desmin were nonreactive. Histologic and immunohistochemical findings suggested a diagnosis of gastric sarcoma with features referable to a non-GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumor), non–smooth muscle NIMT (non-angiogenic, non-lymphogenic intestinal mesenchymal tumor). The overlying gastric mucosa was thickened by elongated and dilated gastric glands, predominantly lined by intensely periodic acid-Schiff–stained mucous cells. This altered mucosal architecture was suggestive of Ménétrier-like disease. Although this disease has been hypothesized to predispose to gastric adenocarcinoma in dogs, an association with gastric sarcoma has not been documented previously in the veterinary literature, to our knowledge.     

Cellulose acetate electrophoresis of canine plasma after fibrinogen precipitation by ethanol

Background: In routine canine medicine, anticoagulated blood is often the only sample sent to laboratories for diagnostic purposes. This hampers the interpretation of protein electrophoretic tracings because plasma contains fibrinogen, which migrates in the β–γ region. In human medicine, fibrinogen can be precipitated from plasma using ethanol. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess ethanol precipitation as a method for removing fibrinogen from canine plasma so as to facilitate the interpretation of electorphoresis results. Methods: Blood samples collected from 40 dogs were divided into plain tubes and tubes containing EDTA (n=20) or lithium–heparin (n=20). An aliquot of plasma from each sample was incubated with ethanol at a final concentration of 100 mL/L. Cellulose acetate electrophoresis was then performed on serum, plasma, and plasma treated with ethanol. To verify the efficiency of ethanol treatment, fibrinogen was added to 5 canine serum samples at final concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 g/L, and electrophoresis was performed before and after ethanol treatment. Results: Visual analysis of electrophoretograms from ethanol‐treated samples confirmed the disappearance of the fibrinogen peak from the β₂‐globulin region. Treatment with ethanol caused a significant decrease in the percentage of β₂‐globulins and a significant increase in the percentage of α₂‐globulins. Absolute values of most electrophoretic fractions were significantly decreased in ethanol‐treated plasma compared with serum. Conclusions: Ethanol treatment successfully removed fibrinogen from canine plasma and normalized electrophoretic profiles, but probably also precipitated proteins other than fibrinogen. Ethanol treatment is recommended to facilitate visual identification of abnormal monoclonal peaks, but not for determining absolute protein concentrations in electrophoretic fractions.     

Herbivores promote habitat specialization by trees in Amazonian forests

In an edaphically heterogeneous area in the Peruvian Amazon, clay soils and nutrient-poor white sands each harbor distinctive plant communities. To determine whether a trade-off between growth and antiherbivore defense enforces habitat specialization on these two soil types, we conducted a reciprocal transplant study of seedlings of 20 species from six genera of phylogenetically independent pairs of edaphic specialist trees and manipulated the presence of herbivores. Clay specialist species grew significantly faster than white-sand specialists in both soil types when protected from herbivores. However, when unprotected, white-sand specialists dominated in white-sand forests and clay specialists dominated in clay forests. Therefore, habitat specialization in this system results from an interaction of herbivore pressure with soil type.