Ensiling characteristics of total mixed ration prepared with local feed resources in Mozambique and their effects on nutrition value and milk production in Jersey dairy cattle

To effectively utilize total mixed ration (TMR) prepared with locally available feed resources, we studied the nutritional value and milk production in Jersey dairy cattle fed a local general diet (LGD) and fermented TMR in Mozambique. Ten head of Jersey dairy cattle with 337 ± 19.8 kg body weight, aged 3–4 years in mid location were used in this study. The LGD diet was designed following the general feeding method of local smallholding farms; it contained native grass, Napier grass, wheat bran, and mineral–vitamin mix. Fermented TMR was prepared using Napier grass, corn bran, wheat bran, formula feed, and mineral–vitamin mix. Fermented TMR was preserved as good quality, with a relatively low pH and high lactic acid content. Compared to LGD, fermented TMR significantly improved the dry matter intake and digestibility in dairy cattle. Milk yield was significantly higher in dairy cattle fed with TMR than in those fed with LGD, by 3.75 L/d; milk quality was not significantly different between treatments. The results confirmed that LGD had a low dry matter intake and milk yield, and fermented TMR prepared with local feed resources can attain good quality and improve milk yield in dairy cattle in Mozambique.     

Effect of soil physical properties on soybean nodulation and N2 fixation at the early growth stage in heavy soil field in Hachirougata Polder,Japan

We studied the effect of the soil physical properties on soybean nodulation and N₂ fixation in the heavy soil of an upland field (UF) and an upland field converted from a paddy field (UCPF) in the Hachirougata polder, Japan. Seeds of the soybean cultivar Ryuho were sown in each field with or without inoculation of Bradyrhizobium japonicum A1017. The soybean plants were sampled at 35 (V3) and 65 (Rl) d after sowing (DAS), and then nodulation and the percentage of N derived from N₂ fixation in the xylem sap were determined. The soil physical properties were different between UF and UCPF, especially the air permeability and soil water regime. Nodule growth was restricted in UCPF irrespective of rhizobial inoculation, though rhizobial infection was not inhibited by the unfavorable soil physical conditions. Soybean plant growth was closely related to the nodule mass and N₂ fixation activity, and the inoculation of a superior rhizobium strain was effective only at 35 DAS. These results indicate that soybean nodulation and N₂ fixation was considerably affected by the physical properties of heavy soil, and that it is important to maintain the N₂ fixation activity and inoculate the soybean plants with a superior rhizobium strain at a later growth stage in order to increase soybean production in heavy soil fields.     

The effect of slag on paddy rice

To raise more rice in Japan we have placed much fertilizers in the fields, thus the soils often have been degraded by the leaching of essential elements including Fe to such a extent as rice roots are injured by the H₂S produced by the reduction of sulphates. It has been encouraged by law to place non-sulphate fertilizers and iron compounds in these fields.     

A next-generation-sequencing approach to diagnose viral diseases of greenhouse ranunculus

Journal of General Plant Pathology - Viruses that infect Ranunculus asiaticus L., a globally important greenhouse ornamental, have consistently caused serious damage in Japan. We coupled...     

Induction of Soil Suppressiveness Against Rhizoctonia solani by Incorporation of Dried Plant Residues into Soil

ABSTRACT Suppressive effects of soil amendment with residues of 12 cultivars of Brassica rapa on damping-off of sugar beet were evaluated in soils infested with Rhizoctonia solani. Residues of clover and peanut were tested as noncruciferous controls. The incidence of damping-off was significantly and consistently suppressed in the soils amended with residues of clover, peanut, and B. rapa subsp. rapifera 'Saori', but only the volatile substance produced from water-imbibed residue of cv. Saori exhibited a distinct inhibitory effect on mycelial growth of R. solani. Nonetheless, disease suppression in such residue-amended soils was diminished or nullified when antibacterial antibiotics were applied to the soils, suggesting that proliferation of antagonistic bacteria resident to the soils were responsible for disease suppression. When the seed (pericarps) colonized by R. solani in the infested soil without residues were replanted into the soils amended with such residues, damping-off was suppressed in all cases. In contrast, when seed that had been colonized by microorganisms in the soils containing the residues were replanted into the infested soil, damping-off was not suppressed. The evidence indicates that the laimosphere, but not the spermosphere, is the site for the antagonistic microbial interaction, which is the chief principle of soil suppressiveness against Rhizoctonia damping-off.     

Harpinpsta from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci Is Defective and Deficient in Its Expression and HR-inducing Activity

To elucidate the role of harpins produced by Pseudomonas syringae, the corresponding hrpZ gene was isolated from P. s. pv. tabaci. The sequence information revealed that this gene carries a serious mutation with 326 bp lacking in the central region and potentially encodes only 140 N-terminal amino acids because of a frame shift. The investigation of biological properties using recombinant harpin indicated harpin_psta was incapable of inducing HR in both host and nonhost plants. Based on an immunoblot analysis to detect harpin from P. s. pathovars in hrp-inducing medium, the truncated harpin_psta was neither expressed nor secreted into the culture medium. These results suggest that harpin is not the sole determinant of the host-parasite specificity in P. s. pv. tabaci. Received 10 August 2000/ Accepted in revised form 21 December 2000     

Role of caffeic glucoside esters in defense-repair processing of trees II: Synthesis of 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-ethyl 3-α-L-rhamnopyranosylβ-D-glucopyranoside

The reference compound (9), with a partial structure of acteoside, was synthesized to elucidate the relation between structural features and the precipitation or solubility of the oxidation products of acteoside: 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-ethyl 3-O-(-L-rhamnopyranosyl)--D-glucopyranoside (9). The glycosyl acceptor 2-O-benzoyl-3-O-(2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl--L-rhamnopyranosyl)-4,6-O-benzylidene--D-glucopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (7) was prepared from allyl 2-O-benzoyl-3-O-(2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl--L-rhamnopyranosyl)-4,6-O-benzylidene--D-glucopyranoside (4) via isomerization of the allyl group with an iridium complex to the 1-propenyl group and its hydrolysis with HgCl₂lHgO, followed by treatment with CCl₃CN and DBU in a 65.5% overall yield. The glycosyl acceptor 3,4-diacetoxyphenethyl alcohol (16) was prepared from homoveratric acid via demethylation with 57% HI and its acetylation with Ac₂O and 85% H₃PO₄, followed by selective reduction of the carboxyl group to the alcohol with a borane-tetrahydrofurane complex in a 61% overall yield. The glycosylation of7 with16 in dichloromethane promoted by BF₃-Et₂O gave a 74.3% yield of8. Hydrolysis of8 with 90% CF₃COOH gave the debenzylidenated product, which was treated with NaOMe to afford a 32% overall yield of the desired compound9. This compound9 was identical with the natural specimen.This study was presented in part at the 46th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kumamoto, April 3–5, 1996     

Lateral resistance of anchor-bolt joints between timber sills and foundations III: numerical simulations of the effect of sill thickness on the effective lateral resistance of multiple anchor-bolt joints

Effective lateral resistance of multiple anchorbolt joints was estimated by considering sill thickness or length/diameter ratios of anchor bolts. Load-slip relationships of single anchor bolt joints were analyzed by the stepwise linear approximation based on the generalized theory of a beam on an elastic foundation and the criterion of “fracture bearing displacement” for several sill thicknesses or length/diameter ratios of anchor bolts. Monte Carlo simulations of the effective lateral resistance of multiple anchor-bolt joints were conducted using the analyzed load-slip curves of single anchor-bolt joints. Effective resistance ratios of multiple anchor-bolt joints were simulated for some combinations of length/diameter ratios of anchor bolts, lead-hole clearances, and number of anchor bolts. The simulated results are: (1) the influence of lead-hole clearance becomes more apparent as length/diameter ratios of single anchor-bolt joints decrease; (2) there is no obvious effect of number of anchor-bolts over the range of 5 to 15; (3) average effective resistance ratios can be adopted for allowable stress design; and (4) reduction of effective resistance ratios should be considered particularly for small length/diameter ratios of anchor-bolt joints.     

Assessment of decay risk of airborne wood-decay fungi II: relation between isolated fungi and decay risk

The relationship between the taxa of airborne fungi and the decay risk was investigated. Airborne fungi in 1,000 l of air were trapped on Japanese cedar disks, and incubated in a damp container kept at 26oC. After 16-week incubation, filamentous fungi grown on the disks were isolated and DNA extracted from each isolate was amplified with the primers ITS4/ITS5. The DNA sequences of the amplified products were determined and compared to the sequence data of GenBank to determine the species or genus according to a BLAST search. This search revealed that the isolate consisted of 5 major taxa, namely Bjerkandera sp., Phanerochaete sp. (A), Phanerochaete sp. (B), Polyporales sp. Polyporus arcularius, and 6 minor ones. Statistical analysis revealed that the major taxa were trapped on the disks in similar weather conditions except for Bjerkandera sp., which was trapped at a cooler temperature. The analysis also proved the disks to which Phanerochaete spp. or Polyporales sp. were attached showed higher mass loss. It is concluded that, under these experimental conditions, related species of Phanerochaete sordida play an important role in increasing the decay risk caused by airborne wood-decay fungi.     

Characterization of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae strains isolated from recent swine erysipelas outbreaks in Japan

The objective of the present study was to characterize Erysipelothrix sp. strains from recent erysipelas outbreaks in Japan. Eighty-three (100%) strains were identified as E. rhusiopathiae, based on serotyping and spaA PCR. Fifty (60.3%), 5 (6.0%), and 28 (33.7%) strains were isolated from animals with acute, subacute and chronic outbreaks, respectively, of which 79 (95.2%), 1 (1.2%), and 3 (3.6%) belonged to serotypes 1a, 2a, and untypeable, respectively. Fifteen strains (including 3, 2, and 10 from acute, subacute, and chronic cases, respectively) were sensitive to acriflavine, and showed high levels of virulence in mice; of which strains from acute cases, and from subacute and chronic cases killed 100%, and 80 to 100% mice, respectively at challenge doses of 10(2) CFU per mouse. Based on sequence analysis of a 432-bp hypervariable region in spaA gene, 83 strains could be divided into 3 groups: (i) group 1 (3 strains of serotype 1a) had Ala-195 and Ile-203; (ii) group 2 (76 strains of serotype 1a and 3 of untypeable) had Asp-195 and Met-203; and (iii) group 3 (one strain of serotype 2a) had Asn-195 and Ile-203. The results of the present study suggest that the serotype 1a strains belonging to the group 2 might be widespread in pig populations in Japan.