Positive Impact of Deficit Irrigation on Physiological Response and Fruit Yield in Citrus Orchards： Implications for Sustainable Water Savings

Different strategies of deficit irrigation based on water stress dynamics were applied in an 11-year old citrus trees （Citrus sinensis L. Osb. cv. Navelina） grafted on carrizo citrange （Citrus sinensis L. Osb.×Poncirus Trifoliata L. Osb.）. The trees were subjected to two irrigation treatments： （1） sustainable deficit irrigation （SDI） established with water supplied at 60% of the crop evapotranspiration （ETc） and （2） low frequency deficit irrigation （LFDI） irrigated according to the plant water status. In addition, a treatment irrigated at 100% of ETc was included as a control （C）. Midday stem-water potential （ψUstem）, stomatal conductance （gs）, and micrometric trunk diameter fluctuations were measured during the maximum evapotranspirative demand period to evaluate the plant-water status, and establish the main relationships among them. The seasonal pattern of the studied variables had a behavior consistent with the contributions made by the volumes of applied irrigation water. Especially significant close relationships of ψstem with gs, and with the maximum daily shrinkage （MDS） were found. The lowest ψstem and gs values were registered in the treatments with lowest irrigations levels （SDI and LFDI）, being the MDS was significative higher than in the C treatment. The LFDI showed an oscillating behavior in these parameters, which was on line with the supplied irrigation restrictions cycles. Thus, according to the results of the present experiment the physiological stress indexes based in MDS or ψstem allow establishing different irrigation restriction cycles, encouraging important water saving without significant impact on yield and the fruit quality parameters.     

Fine Mapping and Candidate Gene Analysis of Resistance Gene RSC3Q to Soybean mosaic virus in Qihuang 1

Soybean mosaic virus （SMV） disease is one of the most destructive viral diseases in soybean （Glycine max （L.） Merr.）. SMV strain SC3 is the major prevalent strain in huang-huai and Yangtze valleys, China. The soybean cultivar Qihuang 1 is of a rich resistance spectrum and has a wide range of application in breeding programs in China. In this study, F1, F2 and F2：3 from Qihuang 1×nannong 1138-2 were used to study inheritance and linkage mapping of the SC3 resistance gene in Qihuang 1. The secondary F2 population and near isogenic lines （nILs） derived from residual heterozygous lines （RhLs） of Qihuang 1×nannong 1138-2 were separatively used in the ifne mapping and candidate gene analysis of the resistance gene. Results indicated that a single dominant gene （designated RSC3Q） controls resistance, which was located on chromosome 13. Two genomic-simple sequence repeat （SSR） markers BARCSOYSSR_13_1114 and BARCSOYSSR_13_1136 were found lfanking the two sides of the RSC3Q. The interval between the two markers was 651 kb. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of the candidate genes showed that ifve genes （Glyma13g25730, 25750, 25950, 25970 and 26000） were likely involved in soybean SMV resistance. These results would have utility in cloning of RSC3Q resistance candidate gene and marker-assisted selection （MaS） in resistance breeding to SMV.     

Effects of Farm Yard Manure and Lime on Cadmium Uptake by Rice Grown in Two Contaminated Soils of Chittagong

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of farm yard manure （FYM） and lime （calcium carbonate） on reducing the uptake of Cd by rice in two Cd contaminated soils of Chittagong. The effects of farm yard manure, lime and farm yard manure mixed with lime （FYM ＋ Lime） on rice （Oryza sativa L.） growth, Cd uptake by rice and 0.1 N HC1 extractable Cd in soil were investigated. Results showed that addition of lime and farm yard manure mixed with lime significantly decreased 0.1 N HCl extractable Cd in the city sewage soil. Application of farm yard manure significantly decreased Cd concentration in rice in the city sewage soil. Lime and farm yard manure mixed with lime significantly reduced Cd concentration in rice m both the contaminated soils. Lime was more efficient than farm yard manure in reducing the uptake of Cd by rice.     

Overexpression of a Cytosolic Ascorbate Peroxidase Gene,OsAPX2, Increases Salt Tolerance in Transgenic Alfalfa

Alfalfa （Medicago sativa L.） is an important forage crop in the world and it is of great signiifcance for the improvement of its salt tolerance. To improve salt tolerance in alfalfa, a rice ascorbate peroxidase gene （OsAPX2） was introduced into alfalfa using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation with marker gene bar. The different T-DNA insertions in T1 transgenic alfalfa were identiifed by Southern hybridization. Three independent T2 transgenic lines were selected for stress analysis and the results showed that all of them were salt tolerant compared with wild-type plants. The transgenic plants had low levels of H2O2, malondialdehyde and relative electrical conductivity under salt and drought stresses. Moreover, the contents of chlorophyll and proline, and APX activity were high in transgenic plants under salt and drought stresses. Taken together, the overexpression of OsAPX2 enhances salt tolerance in alfalfa through scavenging reactive oxygen species.     

WebPIPA （Web Based Paddy Irrigation Productivity Assessment）： An Online Irrigation Water Supply Management for Tanjung Karang Rice Irrigation Scheme （TAKRIS）

Irrigation water management has significant economic implications in developing countries like Malaysia. As in many countries, Malaysia is also espousing internet as a platform of new possibilities for information access and sharing. Thus web based decision tools are pertinent in managing water, which is becoming a source of conflict between domestic, industry and agricultural use in this emerging technological and information age. Decision Support System （DSS） created in the past was theoretically acceptable but practically not effective in the transfer of scientific knowledge from research labs to the end-users to support them in decision making. The Web Based Paddy Irrigation Productivity Assessment （WebPIPA） is an example of DSS created to provide an effective conduit for the transfer of scientific knowledge from research labs to the end-users to support them in decision making. WebPIPA serves as an innovative, user friendly and efficient management tool for run-of-river rice irrigation system. It is a web based program that requires users to login through user name and password WebPIPA is developed using Net framework and ASP. Net Programming Languages of Microsoft. Net 2003 environment. A 3-tier architecture framework was carefully studied and was implemented to create the WebP1PA model. Mathematical model developed for aiding irrigation decisions must be oriented towards addressing various issues in addition to the scientific ones for better acceptability. All government and private agencies, researchers, station users, farmers, investors and buyers related to this study area will be able to access and share the database through the internet. By strengthening the involvement of government departments, the database can be very effectively used by all stakeholders at the same time narrowing the gap between the urban and rural communities in the development of country.     

Timing of N Application Affects Net Primary Production of Soybean with Different Planting Densities

Understanding the relationship between the timing of N fertilizer applications and crop primary production is crucial for achieving high yield and N use efifciency in agriculture. This study investigated the effects of starting-N plus topdressing N applications （as compared to the common practice of all basal application） on soybean photosynthetic capacity under different planting densities. A ifeld experiment was conducted in two growing seasons （2011 and 2012）, and the soybean （Glycine max L. Merrill） cultivar was Dongnong 52, three planting densities （20, 25 and 30 plants m-2）, and four N fertilizer application patterns （all N fertilizer of 6 g N m-2 as basal fertilizer, all N fertilizer as topdressing at beginning pod stage （R3）, 1.8 g N m-2 as basal fertilizer and 4.2 g N m-2 as topdressing at stage R3 and full pod stage （R4）, respectively）. The results indicated that under the same planting density, compared to applying all N as basal fertilizer, the application of starter-N plus topdressing N substantially reduced the rate of pod abscission, and enhanced leaf area index （LAI） signiifcantly at beginning seed stage （R5） （P〈0.05）, net assimilation rate （NAR） during stages R4-full seed stage （R6） （P〈0.05）, contribution rate of post-seed iflling assimilate to seed （CPA） （P〈0.05）, and yield （P〈0.05）. Applying topdressing N at stage R4 resulted in higher net primary production and yield than applying topdressing N at stage R3. When applying starter-N plus topdressing N at planting density of 25 plants m-2, LAI after stage R5 and NAR after stage R4 were increased by 5.92-16.3%（P〈0.05） and 13.7-26.6%（P〈0.05） with the planting density of 20 plants m-2, respectively, and yield was 8.46-14.0%（P〈0.05） higher than that under 20 plants m-2. When planting density increased to 30 plants m-2, only LAI during stages R4-R5 and NAR during stages R4-R5 increased by applying starter-N plus topdressing N, while the other indexes declined. Ov     

Resistance of Hard Tick （Ixodidae） with some Acaricide in Cattle （Naturally Infestation） in Sulaimani Governorate Fields-Kurdistan Regional/Iraq

A study carried out for assessment of acaricide for control and how to show resistance of hard tick （Ixodidae） with some types of acaricide which available in Sulaimani marked froro February to April 2012, isolated 80 cattle （local breed） naturally infested with hard tick. Six hundred and fifteen ticks min7 tick/cattle including three genera species were collected and identified, the highest Boophilus spp. followed by Hyalomma spp., and Rhipicephalus spp. were less frequent species collected. Experimental cattle divided into four groups each group content 20 cattle, treatment with four types acaricide and their average of infestation in cattle with Boophilus spp. 33 （41.25%） as the commonest, followed by Hyalomma spp. 31 （75.38%）, Rhipicephalus spp. 11 （13.75%） and 5 （6.25%） found mixed infested with Boophilus spp. and Hyalomma spp. 65 （81.3%） of cattle samples had emaciation and skin lesions. According to site of infestation, it showed that inguinal region was the most common predilection site for the ticks. Observed the genera Boophilus spp., there were highly significant differences （12.52%） between different tick species when calculated by general test （LSD）. The objective of this study was to estimate and compare these acaricide to control hard tick, and there was highly significant relation between different species of hard ticks when treated by these acaricide, according to the chi-square tests. The activities of the acaricide through the time of application were different on the tick genera species. Diazinon （60%） and carbamate （saven 85%） has been a greater degree than other acaricide resistance, while shows the activity of both acaricide injectable ivermactin and cypromethrein through the early time on all species. The results of the study otherwise provide encouraging possibilities for the potential use recommended dose with both acaricide ivermactin-l% and cypromethrine-10%.     

Effects of Peracetic Acid （PAA） Combined with Calcium Treatments on Storage Quality of Loquat Fruit

[Objective] The paper was to evaluate effects of peracetic acid （PAA） combined with calcium treatments on storage quality of Ioquat fruits, so as to pro- vide practical techniques to solve the problems of postharvest rot and quality deteri- oration for Ioquat fruits. [Method] With Ioquat fruits of Qingzhong variety as materi- als, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.8% PAA combined with 0.8% CaCI2 was used to soak Ioquat fruits for 4 min, 0.8% CaCl2 and water treatments were set as two controls; the fruits were dried and packaged by 0.02 mm PE bags, then stored under non-chilling low temperature of （7±1） ℃. The indicators related to storage quality of Ioquat fruits were randomly tested once every 3 d, and their variation situations were analyzed. [Result] Compared with two control treatments and 0.2% PAA, 0.8% PAA combined with calcium treatments, the treatment of 0.4% PAA combined with 0.8% CaCl2 could significantly inhibit rot index, weight loss rate, firmness and cell membrane permeability of Ioquat fruits during storage period, which could also effectively delay the reduction of titratable acid, vitamin C, soluble solid content and juice yield, and maintain respiration intensity of fruits at a low level; the appearance and flavor qual- ity of fruits were good after stored for 25 d. [Conclusion] 0.4% PAA combined with 0.8% CaCl2 treatment is an efficient, safe and economical practice technology in an- ti-corrosion and quality preservation for postharvest Ioquat fruits .     

Allelic Variation in Loci for Adaptive Response and Its Effect on Agronomical Traits in Chinese Wheat （Triticum aestivum L.）

Heading date was an important trait that decided the adaptation of wheat to environments. It was modiifed by genes involved in vernalization response, photoperiod response and development rate. In this study, four loci Xgwm261, Xgwm219, Xbarc23 and Ppd-D1 which were previously reported related to heading time were analyzed based on three groups of wheat including landraces （L）, varieties bred before 1983 （B82） and after 1983 （A83） collected from Chinese wheat growing areas. Generally, heading date of landrace was longer than that of varieties. Signiifcant differences in the heading time existed within the groups, which implied that diversiifcation selection was much helpful for adaptation in each wheat zone. Photoperiod insensitive allele Ppd-D1a was the ifrst choice for both landrace and modern varieties, which promoted the heading date about four days earlier than that of sensitive allele Ppd-D1b. The three SSR loci had different characters in the three groups. Predominant allele combination for each zone was predicted for wheat group L and A83, which made great contribution to advantageous traits. Xgwm219 was found to be signiifcantly associated with heading date in Yellow and Huai River Winter Wheat Zone （Zone II） and spike length in Middle and lower Yangtze Valley Winter Wheat Zone （Zone III）, which implied functional diversiifcation for adaption. Variation for earliness genes provided here will be helpful for whet breeding in future climatic change.     

Advances in Toxicology of Nε-（carboxymethyl）- lysine （CML）

Advanced glycation end-products （AGEs） are products of non-enzymatic glycation of proteins, lipids or nucleic acids and other macromolecules. To be spe- cific, Nε-（carboxymethyl）-Iysine （CML） is one of the most important components of AGEs, which is wildly distributed in the body and can be formed in vivo or in food processing and heating processes. Previous studies have shown that CML is a ma- jor immunological epitope in AGEs and plays an important role in diabetes and its complications, as well as in the development and progression of aging. This review summarized recent advances in major source, toxicological hazard and control mea- sures of CML.     

Improvement of Markov Chain Model for Occurrence Degree Prediction of Myzus persicae （Sulzer） and Its Application

For long-term prediction of occurrence degree of tobacco aphid Myzus persicae （Sulzer）, Markov chain method was used to establish prediction model for occurrence degree of tobacco aphid. With 4 levels of occurrence degree, Markov chain model was established based on the data in 1987-2004. The results indicated that the accuracy for total prediction in 2005-2007 and the back prediction in 1987-2004 reached 88.89% and 85.12%, respectively. The method is simple and feasible for long-term prediction of occurrence degree of tobacco aphid.     

Effect of Seed Drying on Germination Behavior and Seedling Growth of Sweetsop （Annona squamosa）

An experiment was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi （KNUST） Ghana from September, 2009 to April, 2010, to determine the most appropriate drying method, as a post harvest practice, that would ensure high percentage germination ofAnnona squamosa seeds and its subsequent effect on seedling growth. The seeds were sun-dried, air-dried under shade or kept in the fresh state. Five treatments were used, namely, Freshly Sown seeds （Treatment 1, control）, Seeds Air-Dried under Shade for one day （Treatment 2）; Seeds Sun-Dried for one day （Treatment 3）; Seeds Air-Dried under Shade for three consecutive days （Treatment 4）; Seeds Sun-Dried for three consecutive days （Treatment 5）. The experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design （CRD） and replicated three times. Drying of Annona squamosa seeds had significant effect on earliness and number of seeds germinated. Air drying under shade and sun-drying for three consecutive days improved earliness to germination （26 days after sowing） and percent total germination but air-drying under shade had better effect on total seed germination, achieving 90% germination in 42 days after sowing. Furthermore, the prevailing ambient temperature of 30 ℃-32 ℃ enhanced germination of Annona squamosa seeds. The study concluded that for optimum germination, seeds of Annona squamosa should be either air-dried or sun-dried for three consecutive days and be incubated in an ambient temperature range of 30 ℃-32 ℃. In terms of growth, seedling growth in leaf production was better from seeds sun-dried for three consecutive days.     

In vitro Selection of DNAAptamers and Fluorescence-Based Recognition for Rapid Detection Listeria monocytogenes

Aptamers are specific nucleic acid sequences that can bind to a wide range of nucleic acid and non-nucleic acid targets with high affinity and specificity. Nucleic acid aptamers are selected in vitro from single stranded DNA or RNA ligands containing random sequences of up to a few hundred nucleotides. Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment （SELEX） was used to select and PCR amplify DNA sequences （aptamers） capable of binding to and detecting Listeria monocytogenes, one of the major food-borne pathogens. A simplified affinity separation approach was employed, in which L. monocytogenes in exponential （log） phase of growth was used as the separation target. A fluorescently-labeled aptamer assay scheme was devised for detecting L. monoeytogenes. This report described a novel approach to the detection of L. monocytogenes using DNA aptamers. Aptamers were developed by nine rounds of SELEX. A high affinity aptamer was successfully selected from the initial random DNA pool, and its secondary structure was also investigated. One of aptamers named e01 with the highest affinity was further tested in aptamer-peroxidase and aptamer-fluorescence staining protocols. This study has proved the principle that the whole-cell SELEX could be a promising technique to design aptamer-based molecular probes for dectection of pathogenic microorganisms without tedious isolation and purification of complex markers or targets.     

Genome-Wide Association Study for Certain Carcass Traits and Organ Weights in a Large White×Minzhu Intercross Porcine Population

Porcine carcass traits and organ weights have important economic roles in the swine industry. A total of 576 animals from a Large White×Minzhu intercross population were genotyped using the Illumina PorcineSNP60K Beadchip and were phenotyped for 10 traits, speciifcally, backfat thickness （6-7 libs）, carcass length, carcass weight, foot weight, head weight, heart weight, leaf fat weight, liver weight, lung weight and slaughter body weight. The genome-wide association study （GWAS） was assessed by Genome Wide Rapid Association using the mixed model and regression-genomic control approach. A total of 31 single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） （with the most signiifcant SNP being MARC0033464, P value=6.80×10-13） were located in a 9.76-Mb （31.24-41.00 Mb） region on SSC7 and were found to be signiifcantly associated with one or more carcass traits and organ weights. High percentage of phenotypic variance explanation was observed for each trait ranging from 31.21 to 67.42%. Linkage analysis revealed one haplotype block of 495 kb, in which the most signiifcant SNP being MARC0033464 was contained, on SSC7 at complete linkage disequilibrium. Annotation of the pig reference genome suggested 6 genes （GRM4, HMGA1, NUDT3, RPS10, SPDEF and PACSIN1） in this candidate linkage disequilibrium （LD） interval. Functional analysis indicated that the HMGA1 gene presents the prime biological candidate for carcass traits and organ weights in pig, with potential application in breeding programs.     

Production of Transgenic Anliucheng Sweet Orange （Citrus sinensis Osbeck） with Xa21 Gene for Potential Canker Resistance

Citrus canker, an epidemic quarantine disease caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, has brought a great damage in citrus production worldwide. Herein, a rice PRR （pattern recognition receptor） gene Xa21 together with GUS reporter gene and hygromycin phosphotransferase gene （HPT） was introduced into Anliucheng sweet orange （Citrus sinensis Osbeck） via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of embryogenic callus. The transgenic calluses were screened on MT basal medium containing hygromycin （HYG） and detected by histochemical GUS staining. The transgenic plantlets were recovered through somatic embryogenesis pathway. The regenerated plantlets were accustomed to and maintained in the greenhouse. The transgene integration of recovered plantlets was identiifed by PCR and Southern blot hybridization. It showed that all the transgenic plantlets tested had undergone single copy integration, the expression of Xa21 in eight different transgenic lines detected by qRT-PCR can be divided into three grades, high for T5 and T6, middle for T4 and low for the rest. The tolerance to citrus canker disease of the three recovered transgenic lines T2, T4 and T6 was assessed by in vitro pin-puncture inoculation. The results showed that all the three transgenic lines conferred improved resistance to citrus canker bacterium infection and the T4 transgenic line displayed the highest resistance. The mechanism and feasibility of rice Xa21 in triggering innate immunity in citrus was brielfy discussed.     

Teaching Locally,Engaging Globally to Enhance the Undergraduate Curriculum： A Social Science Research and Evaluation Perspective

The purpose of this project is to reach more students in food, agricultural, and environmental sciences with a globalized undergraduate curriculum, by providing contextually-rich reusable learning objects （RLOs） and authentic case studies that address multidisciplinary issues. Reusable learning objects （RLOs） are self--contained, digital learning activities that range in length from 2 to 15 minutes. RLOs can contain a wide array of media, including text, web sites, charts, maps, models, PowerPoint presentations, photos, case studies, simulations, video clips, audio clips, and assessments, Food and agricultural sciences faculty at the University of Florida, the University of Georgia, and Texas A＆M University have been selected to be part of a Faculty Learning Community that Will work together in curriculum and RLO development, and will participate in an international study experience funded by this project. For each experience, a group of approximately ten faculty and three project team members will spend roughly two weeks in a Latin American/Caribbean basin country. Various social science data collection processes and evaluation strategies will be the focus of the presentation. The use of preflective and reflective instruments to measure initial attitudes or beliefs about the context-rich multidisciplinary experience and expected gains from participating in the curricula development will be demonstrated.     

Factors Influencing the Success of Agricultural Information System （AIS）： A Factor Analysis

This study aims at investigating the AIS （Agricultural Information System） in Hamedan province, Iran, benefiting from the list of criteria for well functioning AISs that were identified in earlier researches. For this purpose, a survey method with multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select 31 agricultural researchers, and 62 extension workers in the province. The data were acquired by questionnaire and structured interviews. The instrument for data collection was subjected to pre-testing, validation and reliability tests. The results of the factor analysis revealed that the criteria could be categorized into four overarching groups based on their inter-correlation. The analysis of mentioned criteria in Hamedan province AIS showed less efficiency and effectiveness than studies conducted in other areas. But among these, two desirable criteria existed. It is recommended that the ecological knowledge system （EKS） should be integrated with AIS, and some ecological and sustainable development criteria should be added to the existing ones.     

Identifying Trees Species Dominance in Hulu Sedili Forest Reserve,Peninsular Malaysia Based on Lithology Type Using Geographic Information System

Lowland tropical forest in Peninsular Malaysia consist a valuable dipterocarp timber species. In fact, dipterocarp tree species growth well when the ecology is maintained and their growth are dependent on the micro climate and also affected by lithology types. This study was carried out to identify and map tree species dominancy by lithology types at Hulu Sedili Forest Reserve （HSFR） using Geographic Information System （GIS） technique. Different lithology type maps were derived namely Igneous, Sedimentary and Limestone. Through GIS operations tree species data collected from pre-felling inventory and ground survey were overlaid with lithology features. Results showed that at Sedimentary and Igneous types, the presence of dipterocarpaceae family is only 3.09%, and non-dipterocarpaceae family was 96.91%. Syzygium spp. （19.83%） was the most abundance in Igneous and Sedimentary. Meanwhile, Elateriospermum tapos （9.92%） and Lauraceae＇s family （7.22%） were found to be the most dominant species in Sedimentary types, Macaranga spp. （11.21%） and Elateriospermum tapos （11.02%） in igneous types. However, a Limestone type was discarded from analysis due to unavailable pre-felling data. Thus, this study indicated that there was variation in species dominancy of different lithology types. On the other hand, GIS demonstrated its capability as a useful tool in identifying and maps the location of trees species based on lithology types.     

Development of a Vehicle-Mounted Crop Detection System

In order to monitor plant chlorophyll content in real-time, a new vehicle-mounted detection system was developed to measure crop canopy spectral characteristics. It was designed to work as a wireless sensor network with one control unit and one measuring unit. The control unit included a personal digital assistant （PDA） device with a ZigBee wireless network coordinator. As the coordinator of the whole wireless network, the control unit was used to receive, display and store all the data sent from sensor nodes. The measuring unit consisted of several optical sensor nodes. All the sensor nodes were mounted on an on-board mechanical structure so that the measuring unit could collect the canopy spectral data while moving. Each sensor node contained four optical channels to measure the light radiation at the wavebands of 550, 650, 766, and 850 nm. The calibration tests veriifed a good performance in terms of the wireless transmission ability and the sensor measurement precision. Both stationary and moving ifeld experiments were also conducted in a winter wheat experimental ifeld. There was a high correlation between chlorophyll content and vegetation index, and several estimation models of the chlorophyll content were established. The highest R2 of the estimation models was 0.718. The results showed that the vehicle-mounted crop detection system has potential for ifeld application.