Broodstock conditioning of the Portuguese oyster (Crassostrea angulata,Lamarck, 1819): influence of different diets

The Portuguese oyster Crassostrea angulata shows great potential in oyster farming. The conservation of pure populations of this species is important for production diversification and biodiversity preservation. In this way, the zootechnological development for seed hatchery production is extremely important. Broodstock conditioning is a key step in the process of rearing bivalves in a hatchery. Many factors regulate the reproductive cycle, being food one of the most important ones. To evaluate the effect of different diets on C. angulata reproductive performance, broodstock were conditioned with different food regimes formulated fundamentally by flagellates (Diet 1 – Pavlova lutheri and Isochrysis galbana clone T‐ISO; Diet 2 – P. lutheri, T‐ISO and Skeletonema costatum) and constituted fundamentally by diatoms (Diet 3 – S. costatum and Chaetoceros calcitrans; Diet 4 – P. lutheri, S. costatum and C. calcitrans). During conditioning, samples of oysters were collected to evaluate condition index, gonadal development and biochemical composition. At the end of the conditioning period, oysters were induced to spawn to evaluate reproductive output (fecundity, fertilization rate and D‐larvae development). The diets had an impact on the gametogenesis process, energy storage and reproductive output performance, being the best results those obtained in broodstock fed with the diatoms‐predominant diets. However, those fed with diets majority flagellates had an unsuccessful performance. Holistic approaches incorporating all results in this study reveal and reinforce the idea that the diatom species used presented the nutritional requirements to C. angulata broodstock, being essential in the conditioning phase.     

滑县花生新黑地蛛蚧的发生与防治技术

花生新黑地蛛蚧是近年来滑县花生田新发现的一种地下害虫，对花生造成危害，影响花生的 品质和产量。本文主要介绍新黑地蛛蚧的形态特征、发生规律、生活习性、为害症状及防治措施。     

Seasonal Changes in the Milt Quality of Waigieu Seaperch,Psammoperca waigiensis: Implications for Artificial Propagation

Milt quality of Waigieu seaperch was sampled at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the spawning season to assess if the sampling season has an effect on milt quality parameters. The milt volume and total sperm production were higher at the middle of the spawning season while the sperm concentration in milt was significantly higher at the beginning and the end of the spawning season. Sperm morphology and the major parameters of seminal plasma (pH, total protein, Mg²⁺, or Ca²⁺ concentrations) did not differ throughout the spawning season. The concentrations of Na⁺ and the osmolality increased throughout the spawning season. The percentage of motile cells did not differ during the spawning season while the duration of sperm motility (swimming duration) and velocity (swimming speed) were significantly different during the spawning season. The fertilization rate (75.7 ± 6.8%) and hatching rate (56.5 ± 3.1%) at the middle of the spawning season were higher than at the beginning and end periods. Results indicated that milt quality parameters and fertility success in the middle of the spawning season were higher compared to earlier and later sampling dates. Thus, we recommend collecting milt during this time for maximal fertilization and hatching success.     

Impact of land‐use intensity on the relationships between vegetation indices,photosynthesis and biomass of intensively and extensively managed grassland fens

Vegetation indices are widely used as model inputs and for non‐destructive estimation of biomass and photosynthesis, but there have been few validation studies of the underlying relationships. To test their applicability on temperate fens and the impact of management intensity, we investigated the relationships between normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), leaf area index (LAI), brown and green above‐ground biomass and photosynthesis potential (PP). Only the linear relationship between NDVI and PP was management independent (R² = 0·53). LAI to PP was described by a site‐specific and negative logarithmic function (R² = 0·07–0·68). The hyperbolic relationship of LAI versus NDVI showed a high residual standard error (s.e.) of 1·71–1·84 and differed between extensive and intensive meadows. Biomass and LAI correlated poorly (R² = 0·30), with high species‐specific variability. Intensive meadows had a higher ratio of LAI to biomass than extensive grasslands. The fraction of green to total biomass versus NDVI showed considerable noise (s.e. = 0·13). These relationships were relatively weak compared with results from other ecosystems. A likely explanation could be the high amount of standing litter, which was unevenly distributed within the vegetation canopy depending on the season and on the timing of cutting events. Our results show there is high uncertainty in the application of the relationships on temperate fen meadows. For reliable estimations, management intensity needs to be taken into account and several direct measurements throughout the year are required for site‐specific correction of the relationships, especially under extensive management. Using NDVI instead of LAI could reduce uncertainty in photosynthesis models.     

Effects of selective cutting and timing of herbicide application on growth and development of Cirsium arvense in spring barley

Recently, a new implement for controlling weeds in cereals (CombCut) has been developed. It cuts weeds in growing cereals without damaging them by using the physical differences (in height, stem thickness, straw stiffness and branching pattern) between crops and weeds. To evaluate and compare the effects of selective cutting with different timings of herbicide application on Cirsium arvense in spring barley, a randomised block experiment was conducted in Sweden in 2015–2017, in a field with a naturally occurring C. arvense population. Treatments consisted of control (C), herbicide application at 4–5‐leaf stage of C. arvense (H1), herbicide application at 8–10‐leaf stage (H2) and selective cutting at 10‐leaf stage (S). The treatments were performed in 2015 and repeated in 2016 in the same plots, and a final evaluation was performed in 2017. Compared to the control, S, H1 and H2 were equally efficient in reducing above‐ground biomass production of C. arvense and increasing spring barley grain yield per unit area. The number of C. arvense shoots per area was, however, higher in S compared to H1 and H2. No differences in control effects on shoot number were observed between H1 and H2. Our study indicates that (i) selective cutting (S) reduces C. arvense equally efficient as herbicide application and (ii) early herbicide spraying is as efficient as spraying later in the season.     

严格意义的无霜期统计方法探讨

根据霜冻和无霜期对农作物生长的影响及农业气候区划的指导意义,比较无霜期与严格意义上的“无冻期”的关系和区别,分析霜冻出现的初、终日与霜、结冰现象及气温、地面温度、草面温度≤0℃出现的初日、终日之间的关系,探讨“无霜冻期”的合理统计方法,并通过对鄂东地区的麻城、浠水、黄石三地的无霜期和“无冻期”的统计,总结两者的差异和特征,从而为正确理解和统计无霜冻期,提出一套新的观点和方法,为指导农业生产和农业气候区划提供依据。     

Allochrony as a potential driver for reproductive isolation in adaptive radiations of European whitefish ecomorphs

In northern Fennoscandian lakes, monophylogenetic lineages of postglacial fishes are radiating into several adaptive forms, but the speciation process is still at an incipient stage. The speciation process has received increased attention over the years, but the underlying mechanisms and drivers are still debated and poorly understood. European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus [L.]) is the most abundant fish species in these lakes and has evolved into several ecomorphs adapted to different trophic niches and habitats. Genetic divergence has been observed among these ecomorphs, but the mechanism(s) responsible for the ongoing build-up of reproductive isolation has still to be revealed. As these systems are young in evolutionary time (<10 kyr), prezygotic and postzygotic extrinsic isolation mechanisms are thought to be more likely to contribute to the reproductive isolation than intrinsic isolation mechanisms. We determined the gonadosomatic index (GSI) of three ecomorphs in two replicated lake systems and used GSI as a proxy to investigate the prezygotic isolation mechanism, allochrony, as a driving factor of divergence in this adaptive radiation of whitefish. We found that the three ecomorphs differed in GSI values within and between lakes, suggesting different spawning times of the ecomorphs. We also show that males of one ecomorph had equal onset of maturity as another ecomorph, giving novel insights into the ongoing gene flow observed between ecomorphs. The result supports allochrony as a driver for the divergence process of whitefish ecomorphs, but more evidence is still needed to rule out that the three ecomorphs make use of different spawning grounds.