Risk factors for Listeria monocytogenes contamination in French laying hens and broiler flocks

The objective of this study was to identify potential risk factors for Listeria monocytogenes contamination in French poultry production. Eighty-four flocks of layer hens kept in cages and 142 broiler flocks were included in this study. For each production type, a questionnaire was submitted to farmers and fecal samples were taken to assess the L. monocytogenes status of the flocks during a single visit to the farm. Two logistic regression models (specific to each production) were used to assess the association between management practices and the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination of the flock. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes-positive flocks was 30.9% (95% CI: 21.0; 40.9) and 31.7% (95% CI: 24.0; 39.4) for cage-layers and broiler flocks, respectively. For layer flocks, the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination was increased when pets were present on the production site. When droppings were evacuated by conveyor belt with deep pit storage, the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination decreased significantly. Feed meal was found to be associated with a higher risk of L. monocytogenes contamination than feed crumb. For broiler flocks, the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination was increased when farmers did not respect the principle of two areas (clean and dirty) at the poultry house entrance. A first disinfection by thermal fogging and the absence of pest control of the poultry house before the arrival of the next flock was found to increase the risk of contamination. When litter was not protected during storage and when farm staff also took care of other broiler chicken houses, the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination increased significantly. In the case of the watering system, nipples with cups were found to decrease the risk of contamination.     

INTERACTIVE EFFECTS OF SALINITY AND N ON PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.) YIELD,WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND ROOT ZONE AND DRAINAGE SALINITY

The aim of this study was to determine the salt tolerance of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under greenhouse conditions and to examine the interactive effects of salinity and nitrogen (N) fertilizer levels on yield. The present study shows the effects of optimal and suboptimal N fertilizer levels (270 kg ha^?1 and 135 kg ha^?1) in combination with five different irrigation waters of varying electrical conductivity (EC) (EC_iw = 0.25, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 dS m^?1) and three replicates per treatment. At optimal N level, yield decreased when the irrigation water salinity was above EC_iw 2 dS m^?1. At the suboptimal N level, a significant decrease in yield occurred only above EC_iw 4 dS m^?1. At high salinity levels the salinity stress was dominant with respect to yield and response was similar for both N levels. Based on the results it can also be concluded that under saline conditions (higher than threshold salinity for a given crop) there is a lesser need for N fertilization relative to the optimal levels established in the absence of other significant stresses.     

Epoxidized polybutadiene as a thermal stabilizer for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate). I. Effect of epoxidation on the thermal properties of polybutadiene

Polybutadiene (PB) was epoxidized to various extens withm-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPBA) in homogeneous solution. The thermal properties of the epoxidized PBs were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). As a result of epoxidation the glass transition temperature (T _g) of PB increased by approximately 0.8°C for each 1 mol% of epoxidation. The thermal decomposition of the epoxidised PBs occurred in twostep process, while that of PB exhibited apparent one-step degradation process.     

Effects of 22S, 23S-Homobrassinolide and Gibberellic Acid on Occurrence of Physiological Disorders and Fruit Quality of ‘Summit’ and ‘Regina’ Sweet Cherries

Plant growth regulators play a vital role in fruit growth and development. However, effects of compounds belonging to the group of brassinosteroids have not been fully investigated in sweet cherries. One relatively new and one commonly applied growth regulator, 22S, 23S-Homobrassinolide and GA₃, respectively, were tested on ‘Summit’ and ‘Regina’ sweet cherries to determine the effects on fruit quality and physiological disorders. The substances were applied with a handgun sprayer at full bloom and at the beginning of fruit development (shuck split) for a 2-year period. GA₃ was applied at the concentrations of 25, 50, 100 mgL^?1 and 22S, 23S-Homobrassinolide at 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 mgL^?1. A combined application of 100 mgL^?1 GA₃ + 0.1 mgL^?1 22S, 23S-Homobrassinolide was also applied. Effects of GA₃ and 22S, 23S-Homobrassinolide on fruit weight and size were evident for the concentrations applied and between the seasons for both of the cultivars. Combination of the both growth regulators and 100 mgL^?1 GA₃ alone produced longer fruits compared to the control trees in ‘Regina’. The 22S, 23S-Homobrassinolide applications increased the firmness of the flesh slightly, but not to a great degree, compared to the GA₃ applications alone. The brightness of the red color was better with GA₃ applications in ‘Summit’ and ‘Regina’. Brassinosteroid caused the fruits to have comparably dull red color. Total soluble solid contents of the cultivars were influenced by the substances and the year of the application. Stem resistance to separation from the fruit was under the influence of both treatments and seasons. In general, 22S, 23S-Homobrassinolide provided better stem resistance than the GA₃ applications. There were no effects of the substances on the development of physiological disorders.     

Effects of Foliar-Applied Brassinosteroid on Viability and In Vitro Germination of Pollen Collected from Bisexual and Functional Male Flowers of Pomegranate

ABSTRACT

Evaluation of pollen viability and its germination capacity are essential criteria for pollinator’s characterization. Hormones have been used to increase yield and quality of pomegranates without any reference to effects on pollen viability or germination. With this point of view, effects of field-applied 22S, 23S-homobrassinolide (HBR) after bud break at concentrations of 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 mg L^?1 were evaluated on pollen quality of Mayho?-8 pomegranate cultivar. After collection of the flowers of both sexual morphs (bisexual and functionally male), colorimetric test of 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (1%) were used to estimate pollen viability. Later, pollen germination was determined in vitro on a medium containing 1% agar and 20% sucrose. Results showed that pollen viability was under the influence of both the types of the flower and the concentration of the HBR. The highest pollen viability (96%) was obtained from both functional male and bisexual flowers treated with 0.1 mg L^?1 HBR. Germination ratio, on the other hand, was only affected by the hormone concentrations, and it increased significantly as the concentration was higher.     

The effect of subsoiling on soil resistance and cotton yield

Soil compaction occurs due to heavy wheeling or repetitive tillage in the field. Soil compaction changes the soil physical parameters and water infiltration that cause reduction in the crop yield. Proper subsoiling alleviates the negative effect of soil compaction. The objectives of the research was to examine the effects of subsoiling on the resistance of the soil and to find out deep tillage effects on the cotton yield and the convenient time for applying subsoil treatment for reducing the soil compaction. One-pass (B) and two-passes (C) subsoil treatments were applied in the fields where wheat, silage maize (Zea mays L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) crops were grown by 2 years rotation. The experiment was started in 1998 and carried out for 4 years. Soil penetrations were measured during the experiments years at thaw conditions of silty-clay soil (43% clay, 50% silt, 7% sand) before seedbed preparation in autumn seasons. According to the results, the subsoiling treatments created statistically significant effects on the soil resistance (P<0.05) comparing the control plots (A). The initial disruption in subsoiled plots has almost disappeared after 2 and 4 years in B and C plots, respectively. The soil resistance in C plots was lower than in B plot. The percentage of decrease in the soil resistance from A to B and A to C plots was calculated as 13.3 and 26.2%, respectively, in the first year. In the effective subsoiling area from 0.20 to 0.50 m depth, the ratio of penetration decrease in both plots was about 7–8% per year. The difference of penetration decrease between B and C plots was found to be about 15.8% level. Cotton yields at each subsoiled plots increased slightly comparing with control plots (A) where subsoiling was not applied. However, these increments were found to be statistically insignificant. It may be concluded that the subsoiling treatments does not affect the crop yield in intensive and fully irrigated field conditions.     

徐洪河沙集闸进口旋涡分析

通过一系列的流量及水位组合试验,从理论上论证了导流墙的存在,造成较大的流速差,导致旋涡的产生,恶化了进水流态。据此提出了工程上的改进意见。     

Characterization of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) collection using quantitative and qualitative traits in the Mediterranean Basin

This study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity and relationship among 256 groundnut genotypes of which 132 belong to subsp. hypogaea (Arachis hypogaea L.) and 124 to subsp. fastigiata (Arachis fastigiata L.). The collection was evaluated for eight quantitative and five qualitative traits during three consecutive years under Mediterranean climate conditions. Coefficient of variation (CV) significantly differed among the genotypes for all the studied quantitative traits ranged from 9.10 to 33.98%, while the highest CV was recorded for seed yield. The subspecies of hypogaea and fastigiata displayed significant differences for quantitative traits except for numbers of pods per plant and seed yield. Principal component analyses showed that the first three principal components accounted for 68.14% variation for quantitative traits. Major traits that accounted for the variation by the three principal components (PCs) include days to the first flowering, days to 50% flowering, number of pods per plant and shelling percentage. The groundnut collection also offers wide seed coat color diversity which affects the crop marketability. The information on variations in quantitative and qualitative traits identified in the present investigation provided useful genotypes which would be serving parents. These parental genotypes can be used in groundnut breeding programs to develop desirable cultivars in Mediterranean Basin and globally.     

Congenital Glossocheilognathoschisis and Persistent Frenula Linguae in a Foal: A Case Report

This paper describes clinical findings and surgical treatment of a foal with multiple craniofacial defects (glossocheilognathoschisis; congenital midline cleft of the lower lip, mandible and tongue combined with bilateral persistent frenula linguae) admitted to the Surgery Clinics of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Kafkas, Turkey. A thorough clinical examination revealed cleft of the lower lip and mandible combined with glossoschisis (glossocheilognathoschisis) and bilateral extensive and restrictive membranous band (frenula) of tissue at the base of the tongue. Physical examination and radiography of the other organs and tissues of the foal were within normal limits. After sedation and general anesthesia, the persistent frenulas on the right and left parts of the tongue were transected, starting from normal tongue tissue, with the scissors. The tongue was completely freed after the transection of the remaining part of the frenulum, where right and left frenulas united, and the accompanying mucosal tissue on the mandibular symphysis was removed and underlying bone tissue was superficially curetted. Cerclage wire was placed under the mucosa of the mandible and was then passed among two drilled holes below the two incisors. These two pieces of wire were twisted together and anchored over the labial surface of the mandibular symphysis junction. The mandibular symphysis was then stabilized after cerclage wire tensing. A nasogastric tube was placed to permit enteral feeding. The foal was discharged 5 days after surgery. Telephone follow-up revealed that the foal had died 15 days after the surgical intervention.     

Fatty acid metabolism in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax): effects of n-6 PUFA and MUFA in fish oil replaced diets

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA)-rich and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-6 PUFA)-rich vegetable oils are increasingly used as fish oil replacers for aquafeed formulation. The present study investigated the fatty acid metabolism in juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, 38.4 g) fed diets containing fish oil (FO, as the control treatment) or two different vegetable oils (the MUFA-rich canola/rapeseed oil, CO; and the n-6 PUFA-rich cottonseed oil, CSO) tested individually or as a 50/50 blend (CO/CSO). The whole-body fatty acid balance method was used to deduce the apparent in vivo fatty acid metabolism. No effect on growth performance and feed utilization was recorded. However, it should be noted that the fish meal content of the experimental diets was relatively high, and thus the requirement for n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA) may have likely been fulfilled even if dietary fish oil was fully replaced by vegetable oils. Overall, relatively little apparent in vivo fatty acid bioconversion was recorded, whilst the apparent in vivo β-oxidation of dietary fatty acid was largely affected by the dietary lipid source, with higher rate of β-oxidation for those fatty acids which were provided in dietary surplus. The deposition of 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3, as % of the dietary intake, was greatest for the fish fed on the CSO diet. It has been shown that European sea bass seems to be able to efficiently use n-6 PUFA for energy substrate, and this may help in minimizing the β-oxidation of the health benefiting n-3 LC-PUFA and thus increase their deposition into fish tissues.