Dynamics of forest biomass carbon stocks from 1949 to 2008 in Henan Province,east-central China

We estimated forest biomass carbon storage and carbon density from 1949 to 2008 based on nine consecutive forest inventories in Henan Province,China.According to the definitions of the forest inventory,Henan forests were categorized into five groups: forest stands,economic forests,bamboo forests,open forests,and shrub forests.We estimated biomass carbon in forest stands for each inventory period by using the continuous biomass expansion factor method.We used the mean biomass density method to estimate carbon stocks in economic,bamboo,open and shrub forests.Over the 60-year period,total forest vegetation carbon storage increased from34.6 Tg(1 Tg = 1×10~(12)g) in 1949 to 80.4 Tg in 2008,a net vegetation carbon increase of 45.8 Tg.By stand type,increases were 39.8 Tg in forest stands,5.5 Tg in economic forests,0.6 Tg in bamboo forests,and-0.1 Tg in open forests combine shrub forests.Carbon storageincreased at an average annual rate of 0.8 Tg carbon over the study period.Carbon was mainly stored in young and middle-aged forests,which together accounted for 70–88%of the total forest carbon storage in different inventory periods.Broad-leaved forest was the main contributor to forest carbon sequestration.From 1998 to 2008,during implementation of national afforestation and reforestation programs,the carbon storage of planted forest increased sharply from 3.9 to 37.9 Tg.Our results show that with the growth of young planted forest,Henan Province forests realized large gains in carbon sequestration over a 60-year period that was characterized in part by a nation-wide tree planting program.     

Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Equine Ocular Diseases: A Retrospective Study of 38 Eyes

Ocular ultrasonography in horses represents a valuable imaging diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of intraocular and periocular diseases, particularly when cornea or lens opacities preclude ophthalmoscopy of deeper structures. The authors studied normal and pathological aspects of the eye. Nineteen horses with opacities of the dioptric structures underwent an ultrasound examination. This technique allowed the diagnosis of a posterior synechia (1), cataracts (8), vitreous opacities (6), retinal detachment (3), and a foreign body (1). Ultrasonography provided helpful information about the structure and vascular pattern when the conventional ophthalmic evaluation was unable to achieve a correct diagnosis.     

Reovirus infection in psittacine birds (Psittacus erithacus): morphologic and immunohistochemical study

In this paper we report on an outbreak of reovirus, herpesvirus (Pacheco disease), and/or mycosis infection (Aspergillus spp. and Zygomyces spp.) affecting a batch of young African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), with 80% morbidity and 30% mortality. Study material was taken from five birds (four dead and one euthanatized) with a range of clinical symptoms (depression, diarrhea, respiratory symptoms). Diagnosis was confirmed by immunohistochemical detection of avian reovirus, electron microscopy, and virus isolation. Viral antigen of reovirus was detected mainly in large mononuclear cells in the bursa of Fabricius and the spleen, pancreas epithelial cells, and circulating cells; lymphoid organs displayed the largest number of immunopositive cells and severe lymphocyte depletion. Bacteriologic study was negative. Reovirus infection was common in all birds studied, whereas Pacheco disease and mycosis were found in only some, suggesting that reovirus could be the initial cause triggering the outbreak and facilitating infection by other agents and their swift spread through the batch.     

Divergent selection for shape of growth curve in Japanese quail. 7. Effect of egg storage at high temperature on embryo development and hatchability

1. Hatching time, hatchability of fertile eggs and embryo mortality in relation to (1) physical quality of fresh eggs and (2) embryonic development during storage and incubation periods were analysed after egg storage for 1, 5 or 10 d at 30°C in the meat-type lines of Japanese quail, HG and LG, divergently selected for high and low relative weight gain between 11 and 28 d of age, respectively, and constant body weight at 49 d of age.

2. In both lines, the increase of egg storage temperature from 12°C (standard level) to 30°C increased the egg weight loss during storage, shortened the incubation period and reduced the hatching success.

3. Similar to standard egg storage temperature, LG quail hatched earlier than HG quail after egg storage at 30°C and early and late mortality of both lines increased with a prolonged period of egg storage. In contrast to the standard egg storage conditions, no line differences in hatchability were observed.

4. The results did not identify a relationship between the decrease in hatchability or embryo viability and line differences in external egg parameters as well as any important role of undesirable changes induced by a high storage temperature on albumen viscosity.

5. The pattern of embryonic death, low developmental rate of embryos and a dichotomy between the development of the extra-embryonic vascular system and the embryo itself during egg storage at high temperature implied that an insufficient nutrient supply in consequence of developmental delay could represent a key factor in increasing early and late embryo mortality.     

Developing fertilizer recommendations for rice in Sub-Saharan Africa,achievements and opportunities

Improving agricultural productivity to keep pace with the fast-growing food demand is a huge challenge for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Fertilizer is a powerful productivity-enhancing input; nevertheless, farmers of SSA use only 5–9 kg ha^?1 of fertilizer, which is ten times lesser than Latin America and Asia (50 and 80 kg ha^?1, respectively). Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important food crops of SSA, and its consumption is growing faster than any other commodity in Africa. Rice-based systems have high potential for improving food production through an efficient management of fertilizers. The biophysical environment, cropping systems and socio-economic status of farmers including market opportunities are the main factors for developing appropriate fertilizer recommendations. Many research efforts have been invested in different countries to develop fertilizer recommendation for rice. However, the diversity of rice ecologies, the type and the cost of fertilizers available on local market are the main constraints for development of blanket recommendations of fertilizer usually applied in many countries. Here, we make a reviews of the progress made on the development of fertilizer recommendations for rice-based systems in SSA. The utilization of the new concepts and decisions support tools for development of fertilizer recommendation and the main achievements and weakness are discussed. The opportunities offered by the new concepts, modeling and decision support tools are discussed in a regional strategic approach for better management of fertilizers in the diversified ecologies of rice-based systems.     

Nomenclature and genetic relationships of apples and pears from Terceira Island

Heritage apple (Malus domestica Borkh. hybrids) and pear (Pyrus communis L. hybrid) trees grow in villages throughout Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal. Some of these pears have different names but similar morphology. The objective of this study was to determine synonymy, homology, and phylogeny of apples and pears from Terceira and to examine potential relationships of the island pears with standard apples and pears of Portuguese or American descent. Nine apple microsatellite markers were used to determine genetic relationships. Distance- and parsimony-based cluster analysis grouped these genotypes into separate apple and pear clades. The Terceira apples were divided into two clades: the maçā and the reineta-reinette. Among the 17 heritage apple genotypes, seven unique accessions were identified and four groups of synonyms, or possibly clones, were detected including: ‘Reineta Agosto’ and ‘Reineta Verde’ from Altares; ‘Reineta Castanha’ and ‘Reineta Verde Miuda’; ‘Maçā Pêra,’ ‘Maçā Calhau’, ‘Pêro Branco’ from Salga and from Terra-Chā and ‘Maçā Marmelo’; and the five genotypes ‘Maçā Sao Joao’, ‘Malápio Rosa’, ‘Maçā Gaspar’, ‘Maçā Branca’ and ‘Maçā Pato’. In addition, two homonyms were detected. ‘Pêro Vermelho’ from Terra Chā was a separate genotype from a tree from Doze Ribeiras of the same name, but Pêro Branco from Terra Chā appears to be a clone that can be distinguished by an additional allele at CH1F07a from a tree with that name from Salga. One pair of apple clones, ‘Reineta Agosto’ and ‘Reineta Verde’ from Altares appear to be derived from an unreduced gamete of ‘Golden Delicious.’ Another apple genotype ‘Maçā Acida’ could be a sibling of the ‘Maçā Pêra’ clonal group. Other tested standard apples from the US genebank were unrelated to Terceira genotypes. Of the seven heritage pears, five unique genotypes and one pair of synonyms were detected. ‘Pêra Papo Pintassilgo’ from Raminho and ‘Pêra Vermelha’ from the nursery of Serviço de Desenvolvimento Agario da Terceira (SDAT) were synonyms. ‘Passans du Portugal’ was related to ‘Pêra Cabaca’ but other standard pears from the US genebank were unrelated to Terceira genotypes. Future studies will include additional apple and pear cultivars from other Islands of the Azores and continental Portugal, and wild Asian species to further explore genetic relationships.     

Reputational damage and the Fukushima disaster: an analysis of seafood in Japan

As the levels of radioactivity in seafood have fallen back into the safe range, Fukushima fisheries are considering reopening. However, even if seafood from the Fukushima area were sufficiently safe to distribute to seafood markets, its value may be undermined because of the damage done to its reputation by the Fukushima disaster. We quantified consumers’ preferences for seafood from Fukushima and adjacent prefectures to examine the extent of the reputational damage to Fukushima seafood. We conducted a choice experiment to measure consumers’ willingness to pay for seafood from the Fukushima area. We also measured the impact of displaying ecolabels [Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Marine Eco-label Japan (MEL)] on Fukushima products. The results indicated that Fukushima products are considerably discounted compared with products displayed as domestic; even products from adjacent prefectures are substantially discounted. By contrast, consumers positively evaluated locally labeled products. We also found that demersal fish are discounted more than pelagic fish that inhabit the ocean surface off the shore of Fukushima.     

Regional phenotypic diversity of Puccinia triticina and wheat host resistance in western Europe, 1995

Pathogenicity data from surveys of Puccinia triticina (formerly P. recondita f. sp. tritici) conducted in western Europe in 1995 were analysed to compare the structure of regional populations of the pathogen. Many of the populations differed in phenotypic diversity and pathotypic composition, even though they occurred within a single epidemiological unit, suggesting that local factors may influence the establishment and propagation of individual pathotypes in the regional populations. Neighbouring regions were more similar than distant regions, and all regions shared at least one pathotype, except populations in northern Italy and Scotland. A high degree of similarity was found between populations in northern France and Great Britain, providing strong evidence of free movement of inoculum between these regions. Resistance genes were postulated for a selection of 91 wheat cultivars, representing those most commonly grown in western Europe in 1995. Thirteen cultivars lacked detectable seedling resistance genes and the remaining 78 possessed from one to three resistance genes; those detected were Lr1, Lr3a, Lr10, Lr13, Lr14a, Lr17b, Lr20, Lr26 and Lr37. The most commonly detected resistance gene was Lr13, which was present singly or in combination with other resistance genes in 48 cultivars (53%). The gene Lr14a was detected in 18 cultivars, Lr26 was present in 16 cultivars. The role of host selection in the composition of the regional populations of P. triticina in western Europe in 1995 was difficult to assess on the basis of the results obtained, since virulence data were not available for Lr13 and Lr14a. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Water use in rice crop through different methods of irrigation in a sodic soil

Sodic soils are characterized by high exchangeable sodium on exchange sites, soil pH greater than 8.5, relatively low electrical conductivity, low infiltration rate and dispersed clay. These characteristics restrict the capacity of soil to absorb water, resulting in poor infiltration. Evidently, these soils require application of irrigation water at shorter intervals for crop production. Thus, irrigation strategy for sodic soils differs from that of normal soils. An experiment to determine the suitable irrigation strategy along with methods of application namely: surface (farmer’s practice), sprinkler (double nozzle impact sprinkler), and low-energy water application device (LEWA) were initiated in the year 2012 for rice crop. Irrigation depths of 6 cm in case of surface method and 4 cm in case of sprinkler and LEWA methods were applied at each irrigation event. The irrigation events for rice were scheduled at 2-DAD (days after the disappearance of the ponded water), 3-DAD, and 4-DAD through surface method, and at daily, 1- and 2-day intervals (after initial ponding disappeared) by sprinkler and LEWA methods. Sprinkler and LEWA methods resulted in highest rice yield of 4.4 t ha^?1 in irrigated plots at the 2-day interval which was at par with the highest yielding surface-irrigated plot scheduled at 2-DAD. At the same time, irrigation strategy of 2-day interval through sprinkler and LEWA methods registered water saving to the extent of 30–40% over 2-DAD under surface irrigation method. Results revealed that there could be substantial saving of water and energy (electricity and diesel) through the use of sprinkling devices for irrigating rice under sodic soil environments.     

Haemato-immunology and histo-architectural changes in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Labeo rohita</Emphasis> fingerlings: effect of dietary aflatoxin and mould inhibitor

A feeding trail of 60 days was conducted for delineating the effect of dietary aflatoxin (AFB1) with or without supplementation of a mixture of mould inhibitor (0.25% clove oil + 0.32% sodium propionate) on haematology, respiratory burst activity and histology of Labeo rohita fingerlings. Three hundred and sixty fishes (avg. wt. 1.48–1.54 g) were randomly distributed into eight treatment groups. Eight experimental diets with four different levels of aflatoxin (0, 10, 20 and 40 ppb) with or without mould inhibitor were prepared. Haematological parameters like total serum protein, albumin, globulin and A:G ratio were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced with increasing levels of aflatoxin in the diet. However, supplementation of mould inhibitor showed enhanced values when compared to non-supplemented counter parts suggesting ameliorating effects of mould inhibitor on aflatoxin. Total leucocyte count was higher in aflatoxin-treated groups. Histological observations were complementary to haematological parameters. Respiratory burst activity was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in higher aflatoxin-treated groups but not affected significantly (P > 0.05) due to inclusion of inhibitor alone and/or interaction of aflatoxin level and inhibitor in the diet. From this study, it was concluded that up to 20 ppb aflatoxin level in the diet the haemato-immunological parameters are protected.