Influence of nitrogen application on dry biomass allocation and translocation in two maize varieties under short pre-anthesis and prolonged bracketing flowering periods of drought

Plants have evolved different mechanisms to survive under stress conditions. This field study was conducted to evaluate the influence of nitrogen (N) application on dry biomass allocation and translocation in two maize varieties under short pre-anthesis and prolonged bracketing flowering period of drought. Two maize varieties, ‘Pioneer 30B80? and ‘Suwan 4452? receiving N at 0 (control), 160 (optimal) and 320 (supra-optimal) kg ha^?1 were subjected to short pre-anthesis and prolonged bracketing flowering periods of drought. Prolonged bracketing flowering period of drought had more suppressive effect on anthesis-silking interval, dry matter allocation and translocation, leaf greenness, contribution of current assimilates to grain (CCAG), kernel number, kernel weight and kernel yield of two maize varieties than a short pre-anthesis drought. Nitrogen application at optimal level was the best for all traits, except CCAG. The maize variety ‘Pioneer 30B80? performed better under both drought types due to more root xylem vessels of large size and more accumulation of dry matter in leaves and roots than the variety ‘Suwan 4452?. Therefore, the variety ‘Pioneer 30B80? may be planted in drought prone environments and may be used in breeding program aimed at developing drought-tolerant cultivars.     

Sodium alginate supplementation modulates gut microbiota,health parameters,growth performance and growth‐related gene expression in Malaysian Mahseer Tor tambroides

This study investigated the effects of sodium alginate supplementation on gut microbiota composition, health parameters, growth performances and growth‐related gene expression of Malaysian mahseer. Five test diets were formulated by supplementing 0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.8% sodium alginate. Triplicate groups of juvenile Tor tambroides (2.19 ± 0.05 g) were stocked in 15 aquaria (20 individuals per aquarium) and fed at 3.0% body weight per day for 60 days. PCoA and UPGMA analysis showed that gut bacterial community were more convergence in higher sodium alginate‐supplemented diets. The percentage of Porphyromonadaceae, Bacteroides, Plesiomonas and Shewanella were substantially higher and Aeromonas, Entomoplasmatales and Prevotellaceae were drastically lower in higher sodium alginate (0.2%–0.8%) diets. Sodium alginate supplementation (≥0.2%) significantly improved the haematocrit value and respiratory burst activity of T. tambroides. Growth performances and feed utilization were significantly higher in 0.2%–0.4% sodium alginate‐supplemented diets. The increased growth rate of T. tambroides was governed by both hyperplastic and hypertrophic muscle growth. Real‐time PCR data demonstrated that most of the growth‐related genes were significantly upregulated in 0.2%–0.4% sodium alginate‐supplemented diet. Finally, it can be concluded that sodium alginate should be supplemented at 2 g/kg in practical fish feed formulation.     

Current status and prospects of farming the giant river prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man) in Bangladesh

Giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) farming plays an important role in the economy of Bangladesh. Presently, it is cultured in around 50 000 ha area with total annual production of 23 240 t. Traditional extensive prawn farming has been expanding over the last three decades through the introduction and adoption of improved culture systems, such as culture of prawn‐carps, prawn‐shrimp‐fish and prawn‐fish‐rice as concurrent and rotational systems. Efforts for the development of improved techniques on broodstock management, seed production and rearing and grow‐out of prawn have been made over the last decade. The outcomes are low‐cost feed for broodstock, production of post‐larvae in net cages (hapa), all‐male prawn culture, periphyton based prawn‐tilapia culture, C/N based prawn culture, organic prawn farming, prawn‐mola culture and prawn‐carp‐mola polyculture. Despite the development of culture technologies, a number of challenges for sustainable development of prawn farming need to be overcome to realize the potentials of this promising sector. Good aquaculture practises at all levels and application of measures for quality control and food safety would ensure sustainable development of prawn farming in Bangladesh.     

Marker-assisted selection of low erucic acid quantity in short duration Brassica rapa

Low erucic acid (LEA) rapeseed, which has accumulated mutant fatty acid elongase genes at the BnFAE1.1 and BnFAE1.2 loci of the A- and C-genome, respectively, is an important oilseed crop. Short growing turnip rape (B. rapa) is also important as a catch crop in the continuous cropping of rice in Asia but there is no LEA B. rapa cultivar for cultivation in South Asia. In order to develop LEA turnip rape cultivars, high erucic acid turnip rape cultivars were interspecifically crossed as recurrent parents to a canola quality rapeseed. In the meantime, we monitored incorporation of the mutant bnfae1.1 (e1) gene into A-genome of turnip rape, using a dCAPS primer pair, which can amplify PCR fragment only for the mutant e1 gene from A-genome. The early backcross progenies showed poor seed set, but which was improved in advanced progenies. Finally, homozygous e1e1 genotypes were established in the selfed progenies of BC₂–BC₃, and their LEA content was confirmed by gas-chromatography analysis. Our results and promising lines will contribute to LEA-trait selection in turnip rape and rapeseed breeding.     

Protein Requirements of the Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii Evaluated by the Factorial Method

The dietary protein requirement of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii to obtain the maximum body protein retention was assessed by the estimated protein needed daily for maintenance (M) and body protein increment (G). The body protein increment was estimated by quantifying body nitrogen increments when the prawn was fed high‐protein diets composed primarily of casein. The protein required for maintenance was estimated by regressing weight gains in feeding experiments using graded dietary levels of casein. The true daily retention (R) or increase in body protein of the prawn corresponds to the sum of M and G. The values of M, G, and R determined in the present study were 3.86, 0.24, and 4.10 g/kg body weight/d, respectively. On the basis of the daily body protein increment and the net protein utilization of casein (58%), dietary protein requirement of the juvenile M. rosenbergii for maximum body protein retention was suggested to be about 7.1 g/kg body weight/d.     

Feasibility of a single-species quota system for management of the Malaysian multispecies purse-seine fishery

Malaysian fisheries employ multiple measures to improve management; however, not all are well-suited to the multispecies fisheries. As part of a pilot project, an individual quota system was introduced for the purse-seine fishery off the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (ECPM), but no assessment of this particular measure nor the feasibly of its implementation has been confirmed. Therefore, this study analysed spatial and temporal patterns of purse-seine fishing, by collecting catch composition data per landing and its fishing ground within three period fishery surveys between August 2017 and September 2018 at six different landing sites. Similarity and cluster analysis examined species composition and diversity to determine the feasibility of implementing a single-species quota system in this multispecies fishery. Some overlapped of indices results and minor difference in catch composition were found due to changes in spatial and temporal fishing activities. However, no specific spatial or temporal patterns were discernible as structuring the fishing grounds used by purse-seiners. The absence of patterns, using the available data, might be attributable to huge species aggregations and widely distributed and homogenously mixed fish stocks. Thus, it is likely impractical to manage species individually in such a multispecies fishery.     

Attenuation of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) inhibition in MCF-10A cells by c9,t11-conjugated linoleic acid

The protective effect of c9,t11-conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) was examined in a human mammary epithelial cell line (MCF-10A) treated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), relative to t10,c12-CLA isomer. TPA inhibited GJIC in a dose-dependent and reversible manner and was associated with connexin 43 phosphorylation. Pretreatment of 20 μM c9,t11-CLA for 24 h prior to 60 nM TPA for 1 h prevented the inhibition of GJIC by reducing the phosphorylation of connexin 43 via suppressing extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) activation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation by TPA was attenuated by c9,t11-CLA. The efficacy of c9,t11-CLA in protecting inhibition of GJIC, connexin 43 phosphorylation, and ROS production was superior to that of t10,c12-CLA. These results suggest that c9,t11-CLA, including t10,c12-CLA, prevents the carcinogenesis of MCF-10A cells by protecting down-regulation of GJIC during the cancer promotion stage, and lack of their toxicities could be an excellent indicator for the chemoprevention of breast cancer.     

Chemically and biologically activated biochars slow down urea hydrolysis and improve nitrogen use efficiency

Biochar is considered a potential technology to enhance chemical fertilizer use efficiency through intensification of the interactions between nutrients and the functional groups on biochar surfaces. However, little is known about how the application of activated biochars mixed with urea influences nitrogen(N) mineralization and crop performance in paddy fields. Here, a sawdust-derived fresh biochar (FBC)(ca. 400?C) was activated chemically with 15%hydrogen peroxide and biologically with a nutri...     

Analyses of factors affecting dry matter intake of lactating dairy cows

An experiment was conducted to analyze feed, climate and animal factors affecting dry matter intake (DMI) in lactating dairy cows. Sixteen lactating Holstein cows, with parity from 1 to 6, were assigned to a feeding trial for 2 years, comprising 31 lactations. The animals were fed Italian ryegrass silage, oat hay, alfalfa hay, beet pulp and three types of concentrate. The data, pooled and classified by stage of lactation, season of lactation and parity were analyzed by stepwise multiple regression to determine the nature and extent of factors affecting DMI. A total of 45 prediction equations for DMI were derived. Energy‐corrected milk yield or milk yield was selected as the primary factor of DMI in all the equations in which the ratio of contribution (R²) varied from 0.26 to 0.67. The dietary concentration of organic cell wall, crude fiber, crude protein, organic b fraction, forage to concentrate ratio, average ambient temperature and temperature–humidity index were selected as the secondary factors affecting DMI for pooled data, late lactation (251–350 days of lactation), summer (June–August), spring (March–May), ≥4th lactation, autumn (September–November) and 3rd lactation, respectively, and improved R² up to 0.77. Except for an impact of bodyweight in several equations, feed and climatic factors significantly improved prediction equations effectively for data classified in different ways. To estimate DMI accurately in lactating dairy cows, feed and climatic factors should be considered for specific conditions.     

Host preference and influence of the sweetpotato whitefly,Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

Abstract

Three eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) varieties – ‘Dafeng’, ‘Beisite’, and ‘Baiyu’ – were used in this experiment to discover the least susceptible variety among them to sweetpotato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) infestation. The investigations were carried out after completing one generation of whitefly based on two points of view. Initially, host preference and suitability of whitefly was investigated based on adult feeding, oviposition, and developmental time. Therefore, it was investigated based on growth responses of eggplant. The average developmental time was shortest for the cohort reared in ‘Dafeng’ (21.3 days), while the longest period (23.2 days) was recorded in ‘Baiyu’. In comparison with the control, less significant changes in the six growth parameters, viz. plant height (12.6%), leaf area (12.7%), dry matter (8.2%), absolute growth rate (26.0%), relative growth rate (25.0%), and net assimilation rate (22.2%) were found in ‘Baiyu’ infested by B. tabaci. Adult attraction and oviposition were reduced while developmental time was increased in ‘Baiyu’ compared with the other two varieties. In addition, the reduction percentages of all the six plant-growth parameters of ‘Baiyu’ were comparatively less than other two varieties to whitefly stress. Our research is focused on a shorter development time; higher feeding, oviposition, and the reduction percentage of plant growth indicate that a plant is a suitable host. In view of this, the present findings indicate that ‘Baiyu’ is less susceptible than the other two varieties, ‘Dafeng’ and ‘Beisite’, for whitefly infestation.