Microalgal paste production of the diatom <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chaetoceros calcitrans</Emphasis> using electrolytic flocculation method at optimum culture conditions

The optimum culture conditions of the local strain Chaetoceros calcitrans were determined to improve biomass and reduce cost of production. Under outdoor culture conditions, higher cell density was attained when the cultures were enriched with Tungkang Marine Research Laboratory (TMRL) medium composed of cheap technical grade reagents and cultured at 25 g L^?1 salinity. The cultures were lighted with two 40 W cool-white GE fluorescent tubes (24–35 μmol photon m^?2 s^?1). Using semi-continuous culture system under established optimum culture conditions, C. calcitrans can be re-cultured thrice and concentrated at each culture cycle using electrolytic flocculation method to produce 4.6 kg m^?3 of diatom paste. The viability of concentrated C. calcitrans after 3 months of storage was comparable to live diatom cells. Simple preservation technique by low-temperature storage is convenient for storing algal concentrates for use as starter cultures and for feeding invertebrates. The paste costs USD 8.24 kg^?1 inclusive of the assets and flocculation materials for culturing and harvesting the diatom, respectively. This study established the suitable conditions for mass culture of C. calcitrans and produced concentrated diatoms in paste form that is readily available for aquaculture hatcheries at a lower cost.     

Use of thraustochytrid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schizochytrium</Emphasis> sp. as source of lipid and fatty acid in a formulated diet for abalone <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haliotis asinina</Emphasis> (Linnaeus) juveniles

The effects of using thraustochytrid Schizochytrium sp. as source of lipid and fatty acids in a formulated diet on growth, survival, body composition, and salinity tolerance of juvenile donkey’s ear abalone, Haliotis asinina, were investigated. Treatments consisted of diets either containing a 1:1 ratio of cod liver oil (CLO) and soybean oil (SBO) (Diet 1) or thraustochytrid (Diet 2) as source of lipid and fatty acids at 2 % level. Natural diet Gracilariopsis heteroclada (Diet 3) served as the control. No significant difference in growth was observed in abalone fed Diet 3 (SGR: 5.3 % BW day^?1; DISL: 265 μm day^?1) and Diet 2 (SGR: 5.2 % BW day^?1; DISL: 255 μm day^?1). Survival ranged from 78 to 85 % for all treatments and was not significantly different from each other. A 96-h salinity stress test showed highest survival of 84 % in abalone fed Diet 2 compared with those fed diets 1 and 3 (42 %). The high growth rate of abalone fed Diet 2 and high tolerance to low salinity could be attributed to its high DHA content (8.9 %), which resulted to its high DHA/EPA ratio of 10.5 %. These fatty acids play a significant role in abalone nutrition. The fatty acid profile of abalone meat is a reflective of the fatty acid profile of the oil sources in the diet. The present study suggests that the use of Schizochytrium oil in lieu of CLO and SBO can support good growth of abalone which is comparable with abalone fed the natural seaweeds diet.     

Soil Quality Assessment under Restorative Soil Management Practices in Soybean (Glycine Max) after Six Years in Semi-Arid Tropical Black Lands of Central India

Vertisol soils of central India are heavy in texture, with high clay content and low organic matter. These soils are prone to degradation and the soil loss is due to poor management practices including excessive tillage. Based on a long-term study conducted for improving the quality of these soils, it was found that management practice such as low tillage (LT) + 4 t ha^?1 compost + herbicide (Hb) recorded significantly higher organic carbon (OC) (6.22 g kg^?1) and available N (188.5 kg ha^?1) compared to conventional tillage (CT) + recommended fertilizer (RF) + off-season tillage (OT) + hand weeding (HW) (OC: 4.71 g kg^?1, available nitrogen (N) (159.3 kg ha^?1). Among the physical soil quality parameters, mean weight diameter (MWD) was significantly higher under LT + 4 t ha^?1 straw + Hb (0.59 mm). The practice of LT + 4 t ha^?1 straw + HW recorded significantly higher microbial biomass carbon (MBC) (388.8 μg g^?1). The order of key indicators and their contribution towards soil quality was as follows: OC (29%) >, MBC (27%) > available zinc (Zn) (22%) > MWD (9%) > available boron (B) (8%), > dehydrogenase activity (DHA) (5%). The order of the best treatment which maintained soil quality index (SQI) values reasonably good (>1.5) was as follows: LT + 4t ha^?1 compost + HW (1.65) > LT + 4 t ha^?1 compost +Hb (1.60) > LT + 4t ha^?1 straw + HW (1.50). Hence, these treatments could be recommended to the farmers for maintaining higher soil quality in Vertisols under soybean system. Correlation studies revealed stronger relationship between key indicators like OC (R² = 0.627), MBC (R² = 0.884), available Zn (R² = 0.739) and DHA (R² = 0.604) with Relative Soil Quality Index (RSQI). The results of the present study would be highly useful to the researchers, farmers and land managers.     

Polymorphism in the GBSS gene affects amylose content in US and European rice germplasm

The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between waxy allelic forms and amylose in European and US rice germplasm. These allelic forms were defined according to the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) found in the leader intron 5′ splice site (G → T), exon 6 (A → C) and exon 10 (C → T). The combination of these three SNPs accounted for 89.2% of the variation in apparent amylose content in a pedigree of 85 US rice varieties and 93.8% of the variation among 279 accessions in a European germplasm collection. The allelic forms TAC and TCC were found in low amylose varieties. All varieties with intermediate levels of apparent amylose had the GCC allele. High levels of apparent amylose varieties had either the GAT and GAC allele. The sequence AGTTATA in the intron 1 distinguished the low amylose varieties from the other classes regardless of any other base changes. Intermediate amylose varieties can be distinguished from those with high apparent amylose by changes in either exon 6 or exon 10. However the simplest interpretation of the data is that the tyrosine/serine change in exon 6 is responsible for the lower levels of Granule bound starch synthase (GBSS) protein and thus lower levels of amylose in intermediate vs. high amylose verities.     

Isolation, structure characterization, and immunomodulating activity of a hyperbranched polysaccharide from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma sinense

A polysaccharide (GSP-6B) with a molecular mass of 1.86 × 10? Da was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma sinense . Chemical composition analysis, methylation analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were conducted to elucidate its structure. GSP-6B contains a backbone of (1→6)-linked-β-D-glucopyranosyl residues, bearing branches at the O-3 position of every two sugar residues along the backbone. The side chains contain (1→4)-linked-β-D-glucopyranosyl residues, (1→3)-linked-β-D-glucopyranosyl residues, and nonreducing end β-D-glucopyranosyl residues. An in vitro immunomodulating activity assay revealed that GSP-6B could significantly induce the release of IL-1β and TNF-α in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and showed no toxicity to either PBMC or a human macrophage cell line THP-1. GSP-6B could also activate dendritic cells (DC) by stimulating the secretion of IL-12 and IL-10 from DC.     

Effect of biochar amendment on soil‐silicon availability and rice uptake

Rice growth and its resistance to pests had been often constrained by soil‐silicon (Si) availability. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of biochar soil amendment (BSA) to improve Si availability in paddy soils. A cross‐site field trail with BSA was conducted in six locations with different climatic and crop‐production conditions across S China. Plant‐available Si content before field‐trials establishment and after rice harvest, as well as Si content in rice shoot were determined. Varying with site conditions, plant‐available Si content of soil was observed to increase significantly with BSA in most sites. Significant increase in rice shoot Si was detected in four out of the six sites, which was well correlated to the concurrent increase in soil pH under BSA treatment. This study demonstrates an important role of BSA to improve Si availability and uptake by rice mainly through increasing soil pH of the acid and slightly acid rice soils.     

Differences in nitrogen‐assimilating enzyme activity in halophyte species are habitat‐related

The chemical form and content of available nitrogen (N) in salt marsh substrates varies considerably. On the western coast of Ireland, habitats designated as Ombrogenic Atlantic salt marshes were formed on ombrogenic peat substrate. The peat substrate in these systems has three times more ammonium than substrate from adjacent salt marsh habitats on sand and mud substrate. This study examined the extent to which the high concentration of ammonium in peat salt marsh substrate influences the N‐ assimilating enzyme activity of halophytes and the extent to which N metabolism differs between species. Specifically, this work investigated whether plants from peat salt marshes are more likely to assimilate ammonium than plants from non‐peat substrates. Four halophyte plant species—Armeria maritima, Aster tripolium, Plantago maritime, and Triglochin maritime—were sampled from various saltmarsh habitats including three sites on peat substrate and three on non‐peat substrate, comprising sand, mud and sand/mud. The activities of N‐metabolising enzymes—glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamate synthase, glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), and nitrate reductase (NR)—were quantified in shoot and root parts. Root GS activity in Armeria maritima and shoot GS activity in Triglochin maritima were positively correlated with increasing soil ammonium levels. Root NR activity in Aster tripolium and shoot NR activity in Plantago maritima were significantly higher in plants grown on non‐peat substrates than peat substrates. The shoot : root GS activity ratio in Triglochin maritima on peat substrate was more than double the ratio on non‐peat substrates. It is concluded that all species tested displayed differences in N‐metabolising activities depending on the chemical form and/or concentration of N in the substrate, while three out of the four species were capable of taking advantage of the high levels of ammonium in peat substrates.