One century of eel growth: changes and implications

Abstract – A cooperative effort gathered a large European length‐at‐age data set (N = 45,759, Lat. 36S–61N Long. 10W–27E) for Anguilla anguilla, covering one century. To assess the effect of global warming during the last century and habitat effects on growth, a model was fitted on the data representing the conditions met at the distribution area scale. Two GLMs were designed to predict eel log(GR): one model was fitted to the whole data and the other was fitted to the female data subset. A model selection procedure was applied to select the best predictors among sex, age class, five temperature parameters and six habitat parameters (depth, salinity and four variables related to the position in the catchment). The yearly sum of temperatures above 13 °C (TempSUP13), the relative distance within the catchment, sex, age class, salinity class and depth class were finally selected. The best model predicted eel log(GR) with a 64.46% accuracy for the whole data and 66.91% for the female eel data. Growth rate (GR) was greater in habitats close to the sea and in deep habitats. TempSUP13 variable had one of the greatest predictive powers in the model, showing that global warming had affected eel growth during the last century.     

Thinning around old oaks in spruce production forests: current practices show no positive effect on oak growth rates and need fine tuning

The expansion of spruce-dominated forestry in Southern Sweden during the twentieth century has led to a considerable amount of oak (Quercus robur L.) woodlands being converted into stands dominated by planted spruce. The thinning of spruces around oak trees is currently done in Sweden to improve local diversity of insects, oak growing conditions and eventually decrease their mortality. To evaluate the effect of these treatments, we dendrochronologically studied growth of old (100–200 years old) oaks subjected to thinning of different intensity at nine locations in southern Sweden, and compared them to oaks located in nearby pastures. The overall pattern suggests that commonly adopted thinning intensities do not significantly affect oak growth. Oak growth was positively related to oak age and negatively to the amount of dead oak crown. Analyses of correlations between oak growth and summer drought conditions, as reflected by location-specific chronologies of the Monthly Drought Code (MDC), indicated that older trees exhibited generally negative correlations, whereas the correlation remained generally positive for the younger trees, both inside and outside forest stands. We propose that removal of spruces should be primarily done around older and healthier-looking trees.     

Regional effects of a green steel industry – fuel substitution and feedstock competition

Forestry and forest industry sectors have vital roles for many regional economies. Consequently, it is important to understand how the introduction of the iron and steel industry (ISI) as a new large consumer of woody materials may affect existing feedstock markets. The use of metallurgical coal can partially or fully be substituted by refined biomass. To analyze the potential consequences of a new woody consumer on regional markets, three regions in northern Sweden and Finland are used as a case. A regional partial equilibrium model is developed, the Norrbotten County Forest Sector Model (NCFSM), and applied on three different scenarios. The purpose of the study is to analyze the intra- and inter-regional effects increased competition for woody materials may have on regional markets and on the economic well-being of the regions. The result suggest that the total welfare effect is relatively small, however, some regional welfare distributional effects are observed. Additionally, the price of roundwood will only be moderately affected if the ISI sector switch from fossil fuels to refined woody biomass. However, secondary woody materials, i.e. by-products and harvesting residues, will experience larger price shifts.     

Sequence analyses of Wheat dwarf virus isolates from different hosts reveal low genetic diversity within the wheat strain

Wheat dwarf virus (WDV) causes disease in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) in many parts of Europe. The host range also includes many species of the family Poaceae. WDV is only transmitted by the leafhopper Psammotettix alienus. During a five‐year period (2001–2005), grass samples were collected in central Sweden in the vicinity of fields with WDV‐infected winter wheat. Screening with ELISA and PCR identified WDV in a low number of samples (8/1098) from only three grass species: Apera spica‐venti, Avena fatua and Poa pratensis. In addition, triticale was found to be positive. Fourteen WDV isolates from Avena fatua, Apera spica‐venti, Triticum aestivum, Lolium multiflorum, Poa pratensis, triticale and the insect vector Psammotettix alienus, were partially sequenced (ca. 1200 nucleotides), providing the first published WDV sequences from the insect vector. All isolates belonged to the wheat strain of WDV and the genetic diversity was low. Phylogenetic analyses showed no clear grouping according to geographical location or host species. The results suggest that the same WDV genotypes are infecting both wheat and grasses in Sweden. Interestingly, one group of isolates (subtype B) formed a distinct clade in the phylogenetic tree. Subtype B was always found in mixed infection with the main genotype. Complete sequencing of a subtype B isolate showed that it was 98·6% identical to a typical wheat isolate from the same plant.     

New triterpenoid saponins from Leontice smirnowii

Three new triterpene saponins, leonticins I (1), J (2) and L (3) were isolated from the tubers of Leontice smirnowii. On the basis of spectroscopic methods, including 2D NMR experiments (DEPT, gs-COSY, gs-HMQC, gs-HMBC and gs-HSQC-TOCSY), mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) and chemical degradation, the structures of the new compounds were elucidated as 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-1 → 2)]-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-28-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-3β-hydroxy-30-norolean-12,20(29)-dien-28-oic acid (1), 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl]-28-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-3β-hydroxy-30-norolean-12,20(29)-dien-28-oic acid (2) and 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)]-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 2)]-α-L-arabinopyranosyl]-28-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-3β-hydroxy-30-norolean-12,20(29)-dien-28-oic acid (3), respectively. The aglycone 3β-hydroxy-30-norolean-12,20(29)-dien-28-oic acid was observed for the first time in Leontice species.     

Agronomic and quality characteristics of two new sets of Langdon durum–wild emmer wheat chromosome substitution lines

Triticum turgidum L. var. dicoccoides has been a useful source of genes for high grain protein content (GPC) in wheat. The objective of this study was to test the agronomic and quality characteristics of 23 durum Langdon–T. dicoccoides (LDN–DIC) substitutions based on T. dicoccoides accessions PI 481521 (LDN521) and PI 478742 (LDN742), with emphasis on finding new genes for high GPC. The 23 LDN–DIC substitutions and checks were grown in replicated yield trials at Fargo and Prosper, ND in 2005–2006. The lines were evaluated for grain yield, plant height, and heading date. Twelve quality traits, including GPC, were evaluated using standard methods. Potentially useful variation for thousand-kernel weight, kernel size, semolina extraction, and semolina brightness and color, was identified. Eight lines including LDN742-6B, LDN521-7B, LDN521-5B, LDN742-7A, LDN742-5B, LDN521-2A, LDN742-7B, and LDN521-1A had significantly higher GPC than LDN, suggesting that chromosomes 1A, 2A, 5B, and 7B of PI 481521 and 7A, 5B, 6B, and 7B of PI 478742 may carry high GPC genes. Using allele specific marker Xuhw89, LDN742-6B was shown to carry the same Gpc-B1 allele as in Israel A. The remaining six lines with high GPC are potential sources of new high GPC genes for durum wheat.     

Distribution and characterisation of fructan in wheat milling fractions

Structure and health effects of inulin-type fructans have been extensively studied, while less is known about the properties of the graminan-type fructans in wheat. Arabinoxylan (AX) is another important indigestible component in cereal grains, which may have beneficial health effects. In this study, the fructan content in milling fractions of two wheat cultivars was determined and related to ash, dietary fibre and AX contents. The molecular weight distribution of the fructans was analysed with HPAEC-PAD and MALDI-TOF MS using ¹H NMR and enzymatic hydrolysis for identification of fructans. The fructan content (g/100 g) ranged from 1.5 ± 0.2 in flour to 3.6 ± 0.5 in shorts and 3.7 ± 0.3 in bran. A correlation was found between fructan content and dietary fibre content (r = 0.93, P < 0.001), but with a smaller variation in fructan content between inner and outer parts of the grain. About 50% of the dietary fibre consisted of AX in all fractions. The fructans were found to have a DP of up to 19 with a similar molecular weight distribution in the different fractions.     

Avenanthramide content and related enzyme activities in oats as affected by steeping and germination

Samples from three different oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivars, Vista, Gem and Dane were steeped and germinated in a pilot plant malting system. The content of avenanthramides, antioxidant compounds unique to oats, and some unknown compounds as well as the activities of the avenanthramide-synthesising enzyme hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:hydroxyanthranilate N-hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HHT) and the avenanthramide-oxidizing enzyme phenoloxidase (PO) were measured. An increase in avenanthramide content of germinated seeds, as compared to raw grains, was observed for Dane (125%, p < 0.001) and for Vista (29%, p = 0.007). The HHT activity increased 62% (p = 0.014) in Dane, whereas no change was detected in Vista and Gem. The PO activity decreased slightly during the germination process for Gem (p < 0.001) and Vista (p = 0.005). Many of the unknown compounds increased significantly during germination in all three cultivars, and one of them was identified to be the avenanthramide N-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxy-(E)-cinnamoyl)-5-hydroxy-4-methoxyanthranilic acid. This study indicates that a highly controlled steeping and germination process can be a valuable method to increase the content of endogenous avenanthramides in oats.     

Effect of Added Asparagine and Glycine on Acrylamide Content in Yeast‐Leavened Bread

Effect of added asparagine and glycine on acrylamide content in yeast‐leavened bread was studied in a designed experiment. Added asparagine strongly increased acrylamide content in the breads, while added glycine decreased the content. The more asparagine in the dough, the stronger was the reducing effect of glycine. When glycine was applied on the surface of the fermented dough, there was also a significant reduction of acrylamide content in the bread. Addition of glycine but not asparagine caused an increased browning reaction during baking.