玉米秸秆消化率全基因组关联分析

48h体外干物质消化率（48h in vitro dry matter digestibility, 48h IVDMD）是衡量青贮玉米品质的重要指标。为了初步探究玉米秸秆消化率的分子遗传机理,以341份玉米自交系为材料,于2018年在沈阳和通辽种植,收获后测定秸秆48h IVDMD。利用全基因组重测序获得的6 276 612个高质量SNPs进行全基因组关联分析,共检测到153个与玉米秸秆消化率显著相关的SNPs位点（P<1.0×10^-6）,4个SNPs显著水平在P<1.0×10^-8以上;共找到38个秸秆消化率的候选基因,主要涉及细胞生长发育、防御反应和信号转导等生物学功能。     

菜心重要农艺性状与SSR分子标记的关联分析

菜心是华南地区的主要蔬菜,利用分子标记辅助育种发掘出与重要农艺性状相关的分子,不仅可以加速优良品种的选育进程,还可以定向地优化目标性状,培育出高产优质的菜心品种。本研究选用148份来自宁夏银川和广东南沙田间种植的菜心种质材料,采集株高、株质量、薹高、薹质量和薹粗5个重要农艺性状的数据;利用SSR标记对其进行基因分型,开展农艺性状及SSR标记的关联性分析。结果表明,在供试的菜心材料中,147个SSR标记共检测到252个变异位点,引物多态信息含量(PIC)为0.0526~0.5222,平均值为0.3793;群体结构分析将供试的菜心品种分为2个类群;银川和南沙两地菜心品种在农艺性状和SSR标记的关联分析中发现,有6个位点与相同性状存在仍显著关联(P<0.01)。这些标记能为菜心的分子辅助选择育种提供参考。     

Calibration and validation of optical chlorophyll‐measuring devices for use in predicting crude protein concentration in tropical grass herbage

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the Fieldscout CM 1000 NDVI and Yara N‐Tester as easy‐to‐use and cost‐effective tools for predicting foliar chlorophylls (a, b and total) and crude protein (CP) concentrations in herbage from three tropical grass species. Optical chlorophyll measurements were taken at three stages (4, 8 and 12 weeks) of regrowth maturity in Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) and Mulato II (Brachiaria hybrid) and at 6 and 12 weeks maturity in Paspalum spp (Paspalum atratum). Grass samples were harvested subsequent to optical measurements for laboratory analysis to determine CP and solvent‐extractable chlorophylls (a, b and total) concentrations. Optical chlorophyll measurements and CP concentrations were highly correlated (Yara N‐Tester: r² = 0·77–0·89; Fieldscout CM 1000 NDVI: r² = 0·52–0·84). Crude protein prediction models from the Yara N‐Tester and Fieldscout CM 1000 NDVI accounted for 70–89% and 44–73% CP variability, respectively, in Mulato II and Guinea grass. The Yara N‐tester produced more accurate and reliable CP estimates based on very high concordance correlation coefficient [CCC (0·73–0·91)] and low rMSPE, mean and regression bias. It is concluded that the Yara N‐Tester produces more accurate and reliable CP estimates of tropical pastures.     

Utilizing a DUALEM‐421 and inversion modelling to map baseline soil salinity along toposequences in the Hunter Valley Wine district

In the oldest commercial wine district of Australia, the Hunter Valley, there is the threat of soil salinization because marine sediments underlie the area. To understand the risk requires information about the spatial distribution of soil properties. Electromagnetic (EM) induction instruments have been used to identify and map the spatial variation of average soil salinity to a certain depth. However, soils vary with depth dependent on soil forming factors. We collected data from a single‐frequency and multiple‐coil DUALEM‐421 along a toposequence. We inverted this data using EM4Soil software and evaluated the resultant 2‐dimensional model of true electrical conductivity (σ – mS/m) with depth against electrical conductivity of saturated soil pastes (EC_p – dS/m). Using a fitted linear regression (LR) model calibration approach and by varying the forward model (cumulative function‐CF and full solution‐FS), inversion algorithm (S1 and S2), damping factor (λ) and number of arrays, we determined a suitable electromagnetic conductivity image (EMCI), which was optimal (R² = 0.82) when using the full solution, S2, λ = 3.6 and all six coil arrays. We conducted an uncertainty analysis of the LR model used to estimate the electrical conductivity of the saturated soil‐paste extract (EC_e – dS/m). Our interpretation based on estimates of EC_e suggests the approach can identify differences in salinity, how these vary with parent material and how topography influences salt distribution. The results provide information leading to insights into how soil forming factors and agricultural practices influence salinity down a toposequence and how this can guide soil management practices.     

Comparative effect of advanced soy products or corn protein concentrate with porcine meal on growth,body composition,and distal intestine histology of Florida pompano,Trachinotus carolinus

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of diets containing advanced soy products (enzyme‐treated soy and fermented soy) or corn protein concentrate (CPC) in combination with porcine meal (PM) to completely replace poultry byproduct meal (PBM) on growth performance, body composition, and distal intestine histology of Florida pompano, Trachinotus carolinus. Four experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isolipidic, to contain 400 g/kg crude protein and 80 g/kg lipid. A reference diet (PBM diet [PBMD]) contained 150 g/kg PBM and 495 g/kg soybean meal (SBM), and three test diets were formulated replacing PBM with 15 g/kg of CPC (CPC diet [CPCD]) or replacing all SBM and PBM with 535 g/kg fermented soy (fermented soybean meal diet [FSBMD]) or 451.3 g/kg enzyme‐treated soy (enzyme‐treated soybean meal diet [ESBMD]). All three test diets were supplemented with 38 g/kg of PM. Diets were fed based on a percentage of bodyweight adjusted after sampling the fish every 2 weeks to triplicate groups of Florida pompano juveniles (mean weight 8.06 ± 0.22 g). After 8 weeks of feeding, fish fed CPCD and ESBMD performed equally well in terms of final body weight, thermal growth coefficient, and percentage weight gain in comparison to fish fed PBMD. In all cases, feeding FSBMD resulted in poor feed conversion and lower feed intake compared to other treatments. Protein retention efficiency, whole‐body proximate composition, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and zinc contents were not significantly influenced by the dietary treatments. The results obtained in the present histological study showed no significant differences in the thickness of serous layer, muscular layer, and submucosal layer of the intestine among treatments. Fish fed CPCD showed a significant widening of the lamina propria with an increase of cellular infiltration and higher presence of goblet cells compared to other dietary treatment. Based on these results, 451 g/kg ESBM or combination of 150 g/kg of CPC and 495 g/kg SBM supplemented with 38 g/kg PM can be utilized to develop a practical diet for juvenile Florida pompano without impacting growth, nutritive parameters, and several distal intestine health parameters.     

Hybrid breeding for biomass yield in winter triticale: II. Combining ability and hybrid prediction

Accurate hybrid prediction and knowledge about the relative contribution of general (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) are of utmost importance for efficient hybrid breeding. We therefore evaluated 91 triticale single-cross hybrids in field trials at seven environments for plant height, heading time, fresh biomass, dry matter content and dry biomass. Fresh and dry biomass showed the highest proportion (23%) of variance due to SCA. Prediction accuracies based on GCA were slightly higher than based on mid-parent values. Utilizing parental kinship information yielded the highest prediction accuracies when both parental lines have been tested in other hybrid combinations, but still moderate-to-low prediction accuracies for two untested parents. Thus, hybrid prediction for biomass traits in triticale is currently promising based on mid-parent values as emphasized by our simulation study, but can be expected to shift to GCA-based prediction with an increasing importance of GCA due to selection in hybrid breeding. Moreover, the performance of potential hybrids between newly developed lines can be predicted with moderate accuracy using genomic relationship information.     

Replacement of fish oil in plant‐based diets for Pacific white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei,by stearine fish oil and palm oil

Stearine fish oil (SFO) and palm oil (PO) have emerged as promising alternatives for the replacement of fish oil (FO) in aquafeeds. This study evaluated the replacement of FO with alternative oils in practical diets for Litopenaeus vannamei. In a clear brackish water study (14.1 g/L) utilizing shrimp (0.29 ± 0.02 g, initial weight), FO was replaced by SFO at inclusion ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 (FO:SFO) and PO as 90% of FO. After 55 days, no significant differences (p < 0.05) in final weight, growth, or survival of shrimp were observed. A second trial (8 weeks) in low‐salinity water (2.1 g/L) with shrimp (0.92 ± 0.02 g, initial weight) evaluated diets with 100% FO, 100% SFO, 90% PO, 90% soybean oil (SO), or 90% flaxseed oil (FXO) as a replacement for FO and four commercially produced diets with 2% of FO, SO, PO, or FXO. One treatment received half rations of the commercial FO diet, and one treatment was based entirely on natural productivity. Results show that the fatty acid profiles of the tail muscle conformed to the lipids of the feed, and highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) were preserved. Following 8 weeks of culture, there were no significant differences in production performance.