Genomic prediction for meat and carcass traits in Nellore cattle using a Markov blanket algorithm

This study was carried out to evaluate the advantage of preselecting SNP markers using Markov blanket algorithm regarding the accuracy of genomic prediction for carcass and meat quality traits in Nellore cattle. This study considered 3675, 3680, 3660 and 524 records of rib eye area (REA), back fat thickness (BF), rump fat (RF), and Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF), respectively, from the Nellore Brazil Breeding Program. The animals have been genotyped using low-density SNP panel (30 k), and subsequently imputed for arrays with 777 k SNPs. Four Bayesian specifications of genomic regression models, namely Bayes A, Bayes B, Bayes Cπ and Bayesian Ridge Regression methods were compared in terms of prediction accuracy using a five folds cross-validation. Prediction accuracy for REA, BF and RF was all similar using the Bayesian Alphabet models, ranging from 0.75 to 0.95. For WBSF, the predictive ability was higher using Bayes B (0.47) than other methods (0.39 to 0.42). Although the prediction accuracies using Markov blanket of SNP markers were lower than those using all SNPs, for WBSF the relative gain was lower than 13%. With a subset of informative SNPs markers, identified using Markov blanket, probably, is possible to capture a large proportion of the genetic variance for WBSF. The development of low-density and customized arrays using Markov blanket might be cost-effective to perform a genomic selection for this trait, increasing the number of evaluated animals, improving the management decisions based on genomic information and applying genomic selection on a large scale.     

Using midday stem water potential for scheduling deficit irrigation in mid–late maturing peach trees under Mediterranean conditions

Irrigation techniques that reduce water applications are increasingly applied in areas with scarce water resources. In this study, the effect of two regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategies on peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch cv. “Catherine”] performance was studied over three growing seasons. The experimental site was located in Murcia (SE Spain), a Mediterranean region. Two RDI strategies (restricting water applications at stage II of fruit development and postharvest) based on stem water potential (Ψ_s) thresholds (?1.5 and ?1.8 MPa during fruit growth and ?1.5 and ?2.0 MPa during postharvest) were compared to a fully irrigated control. Soil water content (θ_v), Ψ_s, gas exchange parameters, vegetative growth, crop load, yield and fruit quality were determined. RDI treatments showed significantly lower values of θ_v and Ψ_s than control trees when irrigation water was restricted, causing reductions in stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rates. Vegetative growth was reduced by RDI, as lower shoot lengths and pruning weights were observed under those treatments when compared to control. However, fruit size and yield were unaffected, and fruit quality was slightly improved by RDI. Water savings from 43 to 65 % were achieved depending on the year and the RDI strategy, and no negative carryover effect was detected during the study period. In conclusion, RDI strategies using Ψ_s thresholds for scheduling irrigation in mid–late maturing peach trees under Mediterranean conditions are viable options to save water without compromising yield and even improving fruit quality.     

Artificial inoculation and susceptibility of Pinus armandii to Dothistroma septosporum

Dothistroma needle blight (DNB) is a serious needle disease of conifers that primarily affects pine species (Pinus spp.). Dothistroma septosporum is one of the DNB pathogens that has a diverse range of host species excluding Pinus armandii. In 15 inoculated P. armandii seedlings, D. septosporum acervuli were observed in 43 infected needles of ten seedlings with a mean disease severity of 1.11% at 25 weeks after inoculations, demonstrating the potential of D. septosporum to cause symptoms on the needles of P. armandii via artificial inoculation. The disease severity of P. armandii was similar to the positive control, Pinus nigra (median 0.75 for P. armandii to 0.70 for P. nigra), thus, P. armandii acts under artificial conditions as a susceptible host species.     

Management strategy influences landscape patterns of high-severity burn patches in the southwestern United States

Landscape Ecology - Spatial patterns of high-severity wildfire in forests affect vegetation recovery pathways, watershed dynamics, and wildlife habitat across landscapes. Yet, less is known about...     

Multivariate analysis of invasive plant species distributions in southern US forests

Landscape Ecology - Invasive plants cause significant impacts in forested areas throughout the world. However, little is known about the relative importance of environmental drivers on the...     

Contrasting edge and pasture matrix effects on ant diversity from fragmented landscapes across multiple spatial scales

Landscape Ecology - Harmful effects of habitat loss and fragmentation can be detected across multiple spatial scales, yet most studies that aim to characterize these effects take place at a single...     

Influence of Salinity in the Bioavailability of Zn in Sediments of the Gulf of Cádiz (Spain)

This study assesses the effect of salinity in bioavailability and toxicity of Zn by means of laboratory bioassays by observing contamination in both sediment and water, accumulation of Zn in biological tissues, and histopathological damage in the gills and guts tissues of Ruditapes philippinarum clams, which were exposed to different types of sediments from the Gulf of Cádiz (SW Spain) as well as two dilutions of toxic mud coming from an accidental mining spill. With this objective, the coefficients of distribution (K _D) for Zn between overlying water and sediments were calculated, the histopathological frequencies in the tissues of the gills and guts of clams were determined, and the biota-sediment bioaccumulation factors as well as the bioaccumulation factors were quantified in the different stations. Results showed that the greatest histopathological damages appeared when the salinity values decreased. Statistical results showed that salinity was inversely correlated with histopathological damage (p?<?0.01) for the lesion index for gills. The most outstanding results were observed in the two dilutions of toxic mud (0.3% and 7.9%) at a salinity value of 10. Salinity was inversely correlated with the concentration of Zn in biological tissues (p?<?0.05) and inversely correlated with the concentration of Zn in water and sediment. Zn mobilization to the overlying water is produced when salinity values decrease.     

Portable surface plasmon resonance immunosensor for the detection of fluoroquinolone antibiotic residues in milk

An inexpensive and portable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor, SPReeta Evaluation Kit SPR3, has been used to develop a biosensor for the determination of fluoroquinolone antibiotics (FQs) and to demonstrate its performance analyzing FQ residues in milk samples. The SPReeta three-channel gold chips were activated with a mixed self-assembled monolayer (m-SAM) and functionalized with a FQ haptenized protein. Binding of the antibody produced a concentration-dependent increase of the SPR signal as a result of the change in the refraction index. Similarly, the presence of the FQ produced a dose-dependent decrease of the response, which allowed a good limit of detection (LOD) to be obtained (1.0 ± 0.4 μg L(-1) for enrofloxacin in buffer). The response was reproducible in all three channels, on different injections and days, and also between chips. Milk samples could be analyzed after a simple sample treatment involving fat removal by centrifugation and dilution with water. Under these conditions calibration curves were obtained showing that FQ residues can be analyzed in milk samples with an IC(50) value of 26.4 ± 7.2 μg L(-1) and a LOD of 2.0 ± 0.2 μg L(-1) (for enrofloxacin), far below the European Union regulations for this antibiotic family in this matrix. Finally, the paper also demonstrates that the biosensor is able to selectively detect the presence of FQs in milk samples, even in the presence of other antibiotics. Enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and norfloxacin residues were detected in blind samples supplied by Nestle? Co.     

Interaction of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobia: Effects on flax yield in spoil‐bank clay

This study focused on the application of native strains of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Sinorhizobium in effective crop production during reclamation of coal‐mine spoil banks. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted in spoil‐bank clay with a low dose of organic amendment to determine whether the microbial inoculation improves growth and utility qualities of two cultivars of Linum usitatissimum L. (oil and fiber flax). Inoculation with two native AMF isolates (Glomus mosseae, G. intraradices, and their mixture) significantly increased growth and shoot phosphorus (P) concentration of both flax cultivars. Inoculated fiber flax plants produced fivefold more fibers than the uninoculated ones. In oil flax, mycorrhizal inoculation significantly but quantitatively to a minor degree decreased the concentration of nonsaturated fatty acids in the seed oil. A mixture of five native Sinorhizobium sp. strains supported growth and P uptake of oil flax only in the absence of AMF. However, these beneficial effects of the bacteria were significantly lower as compared to AMF. No synergic action of Sinorhizobium strains and AMF was observed, and their interactions were often even antagonistic. Inoculation with AMF significantly decreased population density of Sinorhizobium in the soil. These results suggest that a careful selection of suitable bacterial strains is necessary to provide effective AMF combinations and maximize flax‐growth support.     

Effects of Broomrape Parasitism on Sunflower Plants: Growth,Development, and Mineral Nutrition

Sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) is a parasitic plant that infects sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants. In this work, sunflower plants were grown under greenhouse conditions in pots with the substrate infested or non-infested with broomrape seeds. At different numbers of days after sowing, plant height, internode lengths, number of leaves, head diameter, mineral composition of leaves, and potassium (K) concentration in stem were measured. The negative effects of broomrape parasitism were assessed from 57 d after sowing, when broomrape started to emerge. Parasitized plants exhibited lower shoot dry weight, height, and head diameter than control plants. The reduction in internode lengths was associated with a decrease in the gradient of K concentration from basal to apical stem. The mineral composition of leaves was also affected in parasitized plants. The concentrations of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in leaves of parasitized plants were lower than those of the control plants, while there were few differences for K, phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu). The effects of parasitism are discussed in relation to their competition for resources and to perturbations of the host physiology such as hormonal and water balance.