Milk Yield of Holstein Cows Induced into Lactation Twice Consecutively and Lactation Curve Models Fitted to Artiifcial Lactations

Nineteen multiparous barren Holstein cows were subjected to an induction of lactation protocol for 21 d administering estradiol cypionate （2 mg kg-1 of body weight （BW） d-1, on day 1 to 14）, progesterone （0.10 mg kg-1 of BW, on day 1 to 7）, lfumethasone （0.03 mg kg-1 of BW, on day 18 to 20） and recombinant bovine somatotropin （rbST;500 mg per cow, on day 1, 6, 16 and 21）. At the end of lactation and with a minimum of a 2-mon dry period, the same cows were again hormonally induced into lactation. Cows in both lactations were not artiifcially inseminated, they were milked 3 times daily and received rbST throughout lactation. Mean accumulated milk yield at 305 d in milk （DIM） did not differ between the ifrst and second induced lactations （（9 710 ＆#177;1 728） vs. （9 309＆#177;2 150） kg;mean＆#177;SD）. Total milk yield （（12 707＆#177;3 406） vs. （12 306＆#177;4 218） kg;mean＆#177;SD） and lactation length （（405＆#177;100） vs. （410＆#177;91） d;mean＆#177;SD） were not different between the ifrst and second induced lactations. In a second study, 15 empirical models including exponential, power law, yield-density, sigmoidal and miscellaneous models were compared for their suitability by modeling 12-mon （n=334）, 18-mon （n=164） and 29-mon （n=22） lactation cycles of Holsteins cows induced into lactation and treated with rbST throughout the lactation. Hoerl （Y=ab1/xxc）, Wood （Y=axb exp（cx）） and Dhanoa （Y=ax（bc）exp（cx）） models were equally suitable to describe 12-mon lactations. An exponential model with ifve parameters （Y=exp（a＋bx＋cd2＋e/x）） showed the best ift for milk yield for 18-mon lactations. The rational model （Y=a＋bx/1＋cx＋dx2） was found to produce the closest ift for 29-mon lactations. It was concluded that, with the protocol used in the present study, multiparous cows respond favorably to a second cycle of induced lactation, with milk yield similar to that experienced during the ifrst cycle. Thus, dairy producers might be able to lengthen the productive life of infertile high producing cows with a renewal of artiifcial lactation, which would imply an overall reduction in voluntary culling of cows. Also, various equations used to describe the lactation curves demonstrated the potential for iftting monthly milk records of Holstein cows with prolonged lactations and induced hormonally into lactation.     

A serological survey for anaplasmosis in cattle in the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon,Tamaulipas and Coahuila using the card test

Blood samples from 2156 cattle from 40 herds in the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Coahuila were tested for antibody activity to Anaplasma marginale using the card test. Herd prevalence rates ranged from 0 to 86% with a mean of 22%. Analysis of joint positivity to A. marginale and Babesia bovis and to A. marginale and B. bigemina in individual animals resulted in the rejection of the null hypothesis of no association in 7 and 8 of 37 herds, respectively.     

Immune response of BALB/c mouse immunized with recombinant MSPs proteins of Anaplasma marginale binding to immunostimulant complex (ISCOM)

Anaplasmosis, caused by Anaplasma marginale, results in significant economic losses of cattle in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Six major surface proteins (MSPs) were well characterized and designated as MSP1, MSP2, MSP3, MSP4, and MSP5. The objective of this study was to evaluate the humoral immune response of BALB/c mice against the recombinant MSPs, incorporated into immunostimulating complex (ISCOM). The recombinant proteins purified by Ni-NTA columns were incorporated into ISCOM and ISCOMATRIX by the lipid film hydration method. BALB/c mice immunized with ISCOM/rMSPs and ISCOMATRIX/rMSPs vaccines produced whole IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a, in contrast to the negative groups (PBS and ISCOMATRIX adjuvant). All groups that received antigen responded specifically against the rMSPs by Western blotting, showing the rMSP1a (60-105kDa), rMSP1b (100kDa), rMSP4 (47kDa), and rMSP5 (29kDa). Additional studies will have to be performed in cattle to evaluate the humoral and cellular mechanisms of this subunit vaccine and their possible use as protective vaccines against homologous and heterologous strains of A. marginale.     

Relationship between somaclonal variation and type of culture in cucumber

Highly inbred B line of cucumber was used to compare the effect of four types of in vitro culture on somaclonal variation. The plants were regenerated from the following types of culture: twelve- and eighteen-month-old liquid culture of meristematic clumps (LMC₁₂₍₁₈₎), ten-month-old embryogenic cytokinin-dependent suspension (CDS), eighteen-month-old embryogenic cytokinin-dependent suspension in medium with modified NH⁺ ₄/NO₃ ^- ratio (CDS 1.7), twelve-month-old embryogenic auxin-dependent suspension (ADS), thirty six-month-old embryogenic auxin-dependent suspension in medium with modified NH⁺ ₄/NO₃ ^- ratio (ADS 1.7) and recurrent leaf callus regeneration (RLC) – repeated 5 times. The differences in the incidence of the following properties were observed: the ploidy of R₀ plants, the segregation of new morphological traits in R₁ and the germination ability of R₁ seeds. R₁ families with the segregation of new phenotypes were most numerous in CDS (62.5%) and LMC₁₈ (57.9%), next in CDS1.7 (35.7%), while the smallest number was found in LMC₁₂ (11.1%) and RLC (3.4%).Tetraploid and mixoploid plants occurred in ADS1.7 and ADS (100%) whereas CDS and RLC were observed to contain only tetraploids, respectively 33.3% and 55.2%. There were no changes of ploidy after LMC₁₂, LMC₁₈ and CDS1.7. Among new phenotypes there were such that have not been described so far in cucumber: ginkgolike leaf (gll), yellow-green chlorophyll mutants (y-gc), serrate margin of corolla in male and female flowers (smc). This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Drought pretreatment increases the salinity resistance of tomato plants

Agricultural productivity is worldwide subjected to increasing salinity problems. Various strategies are applied to overcome the deleterious effects of salinity on plants. This study was conducted in order to determine whether drought pretreatment of seedlings or seed pretreatment with NaCl increases the long‐term salinity resistance of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and whether the adaptive response to salinity is accompanied by physiological changes throughout the plant‐growth cycle. When plants were pretreated at the five‐leaf growth stage, the plant dry weight was significantly higher in drought‐pretreated than in non‐pretreated plants after 50 d of salt treatment. The positive effect of drought pretreatment applied at the five‐leaf stage was maintained throughout the entire growth cycle, as fruit yield of drought‐pretreated plants was 40% higher than that of non‐pretreated plants at the end of the harvest period (150 d of 70 mM NaCl treatment). Moreover, the most productive plants maintained lower Na⁺ and Cl^– accumulation in their leaves until the end of the growth cycle, which shows that adaptation is a long‐term response during which the plants adjust their physiology to the environmental conditions. Salt resistance was also improved through seed pretreatment with NaCl. In conclusion, drought pretreatment applied at the five‐leaf stage or seed pretreatment with NaCl provide an alternative way to enhance salt resistance in tomato, and the increase in yield is associated with physiological changes throughout the plant‐growth cycle.     

Mikroskalige Variabilität der Bodenlösungschemie - Ergebnisse eines Laborversuchs zum Vergleich von Standard- und Mikro-Saugkerzen

Microscalic variability of soil solution chemistry - results of a laboratory experiment comparing standard - with micro suction cups In a laboratory experiment with an undisturbed soil column, the chemistry of soil solution collected by a standard suction cup (Ø 2 cm) was compared with that of 20 micro suction cups (Ø I mm) installed in the same soil depth. The standard cup showed comparable concentrations of inorganic anions with the soil column leachate, because preferably the main water paths of the soil column were sampled. In contrast, about 30 % of the micro suction cups sample soil compartments that have a different solution chemistry. In these cases the differences between standard and micro suction cups decrease in the order nitrate, chloride, sulfate. Standard suction cups seem to be the right sampling device for the investigation of element fluxes through soil. To get information about plant availability of ions they are inadequate, due to their dimension. Here micro suction cups are more appropriate, because their dimension is comparable to plant roots.     

8S globulin of mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]: cloning and characterization of its cDNA isoforms, expression in Escherichia coli, purification, and crystallization of the major recombinant 8S isoform

Three isoforms of the cDNA of the major 8S globulin of mungbean, 8Salpha, 8Salpha', and 8Sbeta, were isolated, cloned, and characterized. The cDNA sequences of 8Salpha, 8Salpha', and 8Sbeta had open reading frames of 1362, 1359 or 1362, and 1359 bp, respectively, which code for 454, 453 or 454, and 453 amino acids corresponding to molecular weights of 51 973, 51 627 or 51 758, and 51 779, respectively. Homology in terms of cDNA and amino acid sequences was 91-92% between 8Salpha and 8Salpha', 87% between 8Salpha and 8Sbeta, and 86-88% between 8Salpha' and 8Sbeta. The signal peptide was found to be 1-25, 1-24 or 25, and 1-23 for 8Salpha, 8Salpha', and 8Sbeta, respectively, using the signalP website (Nielsen, H.; Engelbrecht, J.; Brunak, S.; von Heijne, G. Protein Eng. 1997, 10, 1-6). The propeptide was determined to be IVHREN. A single site for glycosylation (N-X-S/T) was observed about 90 amino acids from the C terminus. Homology between mungbean 8S isoforms and other 7-8S proteins ranged from 45 to 68% within members of the legume family and 29 to 34% for crops of different species. The major isoform 8Salpha was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by successive ammonium sulfate fractionation, hydrophobic interaction, and Mono Q column chromatography. The recombinant 8Salpha, but not the native form, was successfully crystallized producing rhombohedral crystals.     

Impact of crop production system on the content of macronutrients in potato tubers

ABSTRACT

The content of macronutrients in potato tubers arouses interest because of their substantial consumption in the world and significant role in elements' budget in human diet. The research objective has been to evaluate the content of macronutrients in tubers of potatoes grown in different systems of crop production in Poland. In 2012–2014, an experiment was conducted to test potato cultivation in three-crop production systems: conventional, integrated and organic. In each of the six-field crop rotation systems, there were five potato cultivars classified into different earliness groups. The following macronutrients in dry mass of potato tubers were determined: N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S and Cl, and the various ratios between them were calculated. The research carried out proved that potatoes production systems affect the chemical composition of tubers, which is additionally modified by whether condition and genetic features of cultivars. Potato tubers from organic farming contained by about 20% less N than tubers from conventional or integrated systems. Potato tubers from organic production system displayed lower content of Ca and Na in comparison with the conventional and integrated systems. The least of P and S were detected in tubers of the potatoes grown conventionally.