Quantifying the effect of inbreeding on average daily gain and Kleiber ratio in Mazandaran native chickens

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The aims of this study was to evaluate inbreeding effects for growth rate (average daily gain from hatch to 8 weeks of age (ADG1–8), average...     

Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the non-structural 3A and 3B protein-coding regions of foot-and-mouth disease virus subtype A Iran 05

The A Iran 05 foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) subtype was detected in Iran during 2005 and has proven to be highly virulent. This study was undertaken to focus on molecular and phylogenetic analysis of 3A and 3B coding-regions in the A Iran 05 field isolate. To assess the genetic relatedness of A Iran 05 isolate the nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences of the 3AB region of type A FMDV isolates were compared with twenty previously described type A FMDV isolates. The phylogenetic tree based on the 672 bp 3AB gene sequences of type A FMDV from thirteen different locations clustered them into five distinct lineages. The A Iran 05 isolate clustered in lineage A along with four type A variants and was closely matched with viruses isolated in Turkey and Pakistan during 2005~2006. The number of protein sequence differences exhibited by each of the isolates revealed that A Iran 05 isolate contains three amino acid substitutions at positions 47 and 119 of 3A and 27 of the 3B coding region. The nucleotide identity between A Iran 05 and the other four isolates of lineage A was estimated to be 98%.     

Induction of superoxide dismutase,malate dehydrogenase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase during enhancing resistance of common bean against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli by exogenous salicylic acid

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Bacterial blight of common bean caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli (Xap) is one of the most devastating diseases and causes serious yield...     

Natural Food Selectivity Changes with Weights of Nile Tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus), Reared in Fertilized Earthen Ponds

This work was carried out to study the relationship between fish weight and natural food selectivity of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus) reared in earthen ponds without supplementary diet and to guide the adaptation of feeding and fertilization strategies. Fish were stocked (1.5 fish/m²) in four fertilized earthen ponds (0.1 ha) for 6 months. Fifty fish were sampled monthly to estimate individual total weight and length and evaluate stomach contents. Fish specimens were categorized into different weight classes: <25 g, 25–50 g, 50–75 g, 75–100 g, and 100–125 g. Overall, the 50–75 g weight class had the highest degree of stomach fullness. The intestinal length-fish length ratio was similar across all fish weights, ranging from 2.9–3.4. Likewise, the composition of food items found in fish stomach was ranked as phytoplankton > detritus > zooplankton. Phytoplankton contribution to gut content increased with increasing fish weight, while detritus and zooplankton contribution decreased. Zooplankton never exceeded 1% of total stomach contents. Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae and Euglenophyceae mostly represented the phytoplankton. Bacillariophyceae dominated the phytoplanktonic portion of stomach contents at small fish size (<75 g/fish), while Chlorophyceae is the dominant group at large fish size (> 75 g/fish). Fish could select Cyanobacteria and Euglenophyceae at all fish weights, meanwhile Chlorophyceae and Bacillariophyceae were eaten with slight selectivity at larger weights..     

Using kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) as a phytoremediation plant species for lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) removal in saline soils

Ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea var. Acephala) is usually planted from early autumn until late winter. Since most of the plants used for phytoremediation cannot be grown during this time, kale can be a suitable option for phytoremediation and utilized during autumn and winter in urban landscape, especially in metropolitan areas where high levels of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) pollutions exist. Kale growth in saline soil at different growth stages (germination and vegetative growth stages) was studied in this investigation. A factorial experiment based on completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications was used in this study. Treatments included three levels of sodium chloride (NaCl) (0, 30, and 60 mg/kg), four levels of Cd (0, 4, 8, and 16 mg/kg), and four levels of Pb (0, 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg). Results indicated that increase in Cd and Pb concentrations in the soil decreased fresh and dry weights of the plants. The results of the various growth stages revealed that under salinity stress, kale plants were able to absorb more Pb than Cd and effectively remediate Pb in polluted and saline lands. Cd accumulation in control treatment was 6.2% more than that in the saline treatments, whereas, Pb accumulation in the highest NaCl level, 60 mg/kg salinity treatment was 7.64% more than that of the control condition. Also, proline content of the plants was significantly increased under Cd and Pb stress. From the results of this study, it was concluded that using kale plant is recommended for phytoremediation of saline soils with 10 and 16 mg/kg Pb and Cd contents, respectively.     

Effect of Foliar Applications of Humic Acid on Growth,Visual Quality,Nutrients Content and Root Parameters of Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium Perenne L.)

In recent years, applying humic acid (HA) has been common in turfgrass management. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of HA on qualitative and quantitative characteristics of “Speedygreen” perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Different concentrations of HA (0, 100, 400, and 1000 mg L^?1) were applied monthly as foliar application. Results showed that leaf phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and zinc (Zn) content, fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll content, and root fresh weights were not affected by HA. Meanwhile, HA improved the root and shoot development, except for root fresh weight. While just 100 mg L^?1 improved height, visual quality, nitrogen (N) content, roots length, and surface of roots, all of HA concentrations were effective on iron content. These results suggest that HA foliar application might be of benefit to enhance some nutrients uptake and root development of ryegrass possibly leading to improved drought resistance.     

An efficient in vitro shoot regeneration through direct organogenesis from seedling-derived petiole and leaf segments and acclimatization of Ficus religiosa

Prolific and rapid in vitro plant organogenesis via direct regeneration has been obtained from axenic seedling-derived petiole and leaf explants of Ficus religiosa in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing different concentrations of cytokinins in combination with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). MS medium with 1.5 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine plus 0.15 mg/l IBA produced the highest shoot induction frequency with an average of 6.26 and 10.13 shoots per leaf and petiole explants, respectively. After 4 weeks, the highest root formation frequency (96.7%), root number (5.73), and root length (4.76 cm) were with MS medium containing 2.0 mg/l IBA plus 0.1 mg/l α-naphthalene acetic acid. In addition, the effect of four sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatments on acclimatization was also studied. Highest morphological traits such as survival rates, fresh and dry root weights as well as antioxidant enzymatic activities such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase was achieved with 125 ppm SNP. The α-amino acid, proline, content was highest with this treatment while the highest H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) was in the controls. This study introduces a cost-effective, prolific, and efficient in vitro multiplication system to supply pharmaceutical and ornamental needs. It is the first report of an in vitro organogenesis protocol for F. religiosa by direct regeneration through axenic seedling-derived petiole and leaf explants, which can be efficiently employed for the utilization of active biomolecules.     

Mesenchymal Stem Cells as an Alternative for Schwann Cells in Rat Spinal Cord Injury

Background: Spinal cord has a limited capacity to repair; therefore, medical interventions are necessary for treatment of injuries. Transplantation of Schwann cells has shown a great promising result for spinal cord injury (SCI). However, harvesting Schwann cell has been limited due to donor morbidity and limited expansion capacity. Furthermore, accessible sources such as bone marrow stem cells have drawn attentions to themselves. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of bone marrow-derived Schwann cell on functional recovery in adult rats after injury. Methods: Mesenchymal stem cells were cultured from adult rats’ bone marrow and induced into Schwann cells in vitro. Differentiation was confirmed by immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. Next, Schwann cells were seeded into collagen scaffolds and engrafted in 3 mm lateral hemisection defects. For 8 weeks, motor and sensory improvements were assessed by open field locomotor scale, narrow beam, and tail flick tests. Afterwards, lesioned spinal cord was evaluated by conventional histology and immunohistochemistry. Results: In vitro observations showed that differentiated cells had Schwann cell morphology and markers. In this study, we had four groups (n = 10 each): laminectomy, control, scaffold and scaffold + Schwann cells. Locomotor and sensory scores of cell grafted group were significantly better than control and scaffold groups. In histology, axonal regeneration and remyelination were better than control and scaffold groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that bone marrow-derived Schwann cells can be considered as a cell source for Schwann cells in SCI treatment. Key Words: Rats, Spinal cord injuries (SCI), Bone marrow, Schwann cells, Cell transdifferentiation     

Assessment of irrigation practices at the tertiary canal level in an improved system—a case study of Wasat area, the Nile Delta

Egypt faces great challenges due to its limited water resources by enforcement policies to improve the performance of the existing delivery system and its development. The improvement of irrigation systems in the Nile Delta is one of the most important attempts in Egypt to implement more effective irrigation technologies. This study was carried out to evaluate improved tertiary canal level and farmers’ practices by comparing with other unimproved systems to understand the farmers’ practices in their farms after modifying the existing irrigation system. This study area applied to the Wasat command area’s most commonly used to the cultivation of a paddy field in Egypt, which contributes 40 % of production. The overall results indicate that the water-use application at the improved system level improved. This was due to the role of water user association in the successful management and operation of the water-supply system on the private level of water distribution network. So, water users’ association has the positive effect on managing of the improved tertiary canal. Although, there are main problems of water delivery in the irrigation networks that was a water shortage in the main canal owing to its location at the tail of the feeder canal system in the Nile Delta, and other reasons include the absence of crop production planning by farmers, especially rice farmers in summer, and the greater demand of some fields than supply.