Bio-active compost from pea plant enriched with chicken manure and oilseed rape cake and its effect on yields and nutrient recovery efficiencies of wheat and rice

Two factorial pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of biodecomposer (BD) and nutrient supplemented compost of pea residue on wheat and rice. Compost was prepared with green pea plant residue (PP), in the presence or absence of BD, without or with dried chicken manure (CM) and/or oilseed rape cake (RC). We assessed the effect of compost on yields and nutrient recovery efficiencies of both crops. Results revealed that BD reduced composting duration and enriched compost with N, P and K. Composts with CM and CM plus RC increased grain yields of wheat and rice. The composts increased grains of wheat and rice nearly 5 and 1.6 times, respectively, above the control. Nitrogen, P and K recovery efficiencies were positively correlated with yields, suggesting that supplementation in composting with CM or CM plus RC enabled effective accumulation of the nutrients, resulting in higher yield. Moreover, BD increased 9.4% of wheat and 6.9% of rice grains. So, composting of PP, in the presence of BD, with CM or CM plus RC is recommend for a pea-wheat-rice cropping system to improve soil fertility and effectiveness of pea on the system.     

Cloning of cDNAs encoding multiple subtypes of feline interferon-alpha from the feline epitherial cell line

Mammalian interferon (IFN)-alpha consists of a 23-amino acid signal peptide and a 166-amino acid mature protein. Feline (Fe) IFN-alpha has an extra unique molecule consisting of a 171-amino acid mature protein with a 5-amino acid insertion. We cloned eight new subtypes of cDNA encoding FeIFN- alpha from a feline epithelial cell line. Among all the FeIFN-alpha subtypes, including six that have previously been reported, the variations were found to be far less than those of IFN-alphas of other animals.     

Effects of earthworm casts and compost on soil microbial activity and plant nutrient availability

Vermicomposting differs from conventional composting because the organic material is processed by the digestive systems of worms. The egested casts can be used to improve the fertility and physical characteristics of soil and potting media. In this study, the effects of earthworm casts (EW), conventional compost (CP) and NPK inorganic fertilizer (FT) amendments on N mineralization rates, microbial respiration, and microbial biomass were investigated in a laboratory incubation study. A bioassay with wheat (Triticum aestivium L.) was also conducted to assess the amendment effects on plant growth and nutrient uptake and to validate the nutrient release results from the incubation study. Both microbial respiration and biomass were significantly greater in the CP treatment compared to EW treatment for the initial 35 days of incubation followed by similar respiration rates and biomass to the end of the study at 70 days of incubation. Soil NO₃⁻ increased rapidly in the EW and CP treatments in the initial 30 days of incubation, attaining 290 and 400 mg N kg⁻¹ soil, respectively. Nitrate in the EW treatment then declined to 120 mg N kg⁻¹ soil by day 70, while nitrate in the CP treatment remained high. While ammonium levels decreased in the CP treatment as nitrate level increased with increasing incubation time, a low level of ammonium was maintained in the EW treatment throughout the incubation. The wheat bioassay study included two additional cast treatments (EW-N and EW2) to have treatments with higher levels of N input. Plants grown with CP or FT treatment had a lower shoot biomass and higher shoot N content than in EW-N and EW-2 treatments, and also showed symptoms of salinity stress. Ionic strength and other salinity indicators in the earthworm cast treatments were much lower than in the CP treatment, indicating a lower risk of salinity stress in casts than in compost. All cast and compost amendments significantly increased wheat P and K uptake compared to either the non-amended control or the mineral fertilizer treatment. The results show that casts are an efficient source of plant nutrients and that they are less likely to produce salinity stress in container as compared to compost and synthetic fertilizers.     

Cloning of the pathogenicity-related gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">FPD1</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis> f. sp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">lycopersici</Emphasis>

We selected a reduced-pathogenicity mutant of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, a tomato wilt pathogen, from the transformants generated by restriction enzyme-mediated integration (REMI) transformation. The gene tagged with the plasmid in the mutant was predicted to encode a protein of 321 amino acids and was designated FPD1. Homology search showed its partial similarity to a chloride conductance regulatory protein of Xenopus, suggesting that FPD1 is a transmembrane protein. Although the function of FPD1 has not been identified, it does participate in the pathogenicity of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici because FPD1-deficient mutants reproduced the reduced pathogenicity on tomato.The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under the accession number AB110097     

Detection of a simplex RAPD marker linked to resistance to potato virus Y in a tetraploid potato

Extreme resistance to potato virus Y, derived from a wild diploid speciesSolanum chacoense, was found in Japanese cultivar Konafubuki. The segregation ratio of resistant vs susceptible in the tetraploid population from Kita-akari (susceptible) x Konafubuki (resistant) indicated that the resistance gene followed a monogenic dominant fashion. Bulked DNA samples of resistant and of susceptible clones were screened with 306 decamer primers by PCR to find RAPD markers linked to the resistance. The RAPD marker 38-530 was reproducibly detected in the resistant clones with a recombination frequency of 16.3%. Except for Konafubuki the marker band was found only in a few limited parental lines and cultivars where the resistance is not involved. Thus, using Konafubuki as a resistance gene source, the RAPD marker 38-530 would be practically and widely useful in tetraploid breeding programs.     

QTL for spikelet number from a high-yielding rice variety, Hoshiaoba, detected in an introgression line with the genetic background of an indica rice variety, IR64

Total spikelet number per panicle (TSN) is thought to be one of the most important agronomic traits associated with grain production in rice (Oryza sativa L.). We previously reported the development of 334 introgression lines (ILs) with variations in agronomic traits in the genetic background of indica rice variety IR64. Among these, an IL derived from high-yielding rice variety Hoshiaoba showed significantly higher TSN than IR64. We therefore have conducted a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis for TSN in an F₂ population of IL × IR64 to ascertain the genetic basis for the high TSN of the IL. The analysis revealed the presence of a QTL for TSN on chromosome 7, where several QTLs for grain number have been previously reported. We developed a near-isogenic line (NIL) for this QTL by using DNA marker-assisted selection and characterized its effect. The NIL showed significantly higher TSN than IR64. These results suggest that the QTL and the NIL will be useful materials in breeding programs aimed at increasing TSN.     

Contributions of salmon-derived nitrogen to riparian vegetation in the northwest Pacific region

We examined the relationship between the annual escapement of salmon and the δ ¹⁵N of willow (Salix spp.) leaves to evaluate the contribution of marine-derived nutrients (MDN) to riparian vegetation around the Pacific Northwest and Northeast regions. Foliar δ ¹⁵N values ranged from −3.42‰ to 4.65‰. The value increased with increasing density of carcasses up to 500 fish/km and 1500 fish/km. δ ¹⁵N values were variable at carcass densities below 500 fish/km. Possible factors affecting the fluctuation of δ ¹⁵N at reference sites are: (1) denitrification; (2) the presence of N₂-fixing trees, such as alder; and (3) agricultural runoff. δ ¹⁵N values at the sites with carcass densities over 500 fish/km were consistently high, while a value of δ ¹⁵N below zero was observed at only one site (Rusha River; δ ¹⁵N = −1.87‰). At this site, most adult pink salmon returned to limited locations near the estuary because steeper channel gradients acted as a migration barrier, resulting in the negative δ ¹⁵N value. Nevertheless, we concluded that our results showed evidence of the feedback of MDN to terrestrial vegetation, although the use of the δ ¹⁵N value as a terrestrial end member at spawning sites is limited. If the relationship between the enrichment index, which is expressed as the values using a mixing model, and salmon abundance was estimated, the availability of MDN in riparian ecosystems could possibly be evaluated and will lead to the establishment of escapement goals. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Two novel dicarboxylic Acid derivatives and a new dimeric hydrolyzable tannin from walnuts

In addition to the 16 previously reported polyphenols including 3 new ellagitannins, 2 novel dicarboxylic acid derivatives, glansreginins A (1) and B (2), and a new dimeric hydrolyzable tannin, glansrin D (3), were isolated, together with 15 known compounds from walnuts, the seeds of Juglans regia. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of 1D- and 2D-NMR analyses and chemical data. The antioxidant effect of these isolates was also evaluated by SOD-like and DPPH radical scavenging activities.     

Rhodococcus equi in the soil environment of horses in Inner Mongolia, China

Little is known about the distribution of Rhodococcus equi in the soil environment of native horses in China. One hundred and eight soil samples were collected from native-horse farms in the Hulun Beier grasslands of eastern Mongolia, the Xilin Goler grasslands of southern Mongolia, and Tongliao City in Inner Mongolia, China. The isolation rates of R. equi from soil samples from the Hulun Beier and Xilin Goler grasslands ranged from 25.9% to 30.0%. In contrast, isolation rates from soil samples from Tongliao City were as high as 82.3% and the mean number of R. equi in soil samples from Tongliao City was 10 times more than those of samples from the grasslands. The 488 isolates were examined using PCR for the presence of genes that encode virulence-associated 15-17 kDa antigen protein (VapA) and the 20 kDa antigen protein (VapB). All isolates were negative for virulence-associated proteins. Plasmid profiles of these avirulent isolates showed that cryptic plasmids of various sizes were present with an incidence of 13.3% to 21.5%. The results of the present study contrast with those of our recent study (J. Vet. Med. Sci. 67:611-613, 2005), in which we reported that R. equi was absent from Mongolian horses in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It is suggested that the difference between the results of these two studies is due to the mobile pasturing system in Mongolia and nonmobile pasturing system in Inner Mongolia.