Biochemical Oxygen Demand in Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus Pond Waters

A study of the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of waters from ten channel catfish ponds at Auburn, Alabama, revealed that the 5-d BOD (BOD₅) seldom exceeded 8 mg/L and that the ultimate BOD (BOD_u) was usually less than 30 mg/L. Water samples from catfish ponds usually needed to be diluted only 2 or 3 times to permit BOD₅ measurements, and nitrification occurred even during a 5-d incubation period. Catfish pond waters were not extremely high in ammonia nitrogen concentration, and ammonia nitrogen introduced in the ammonium chloride-enriched dilution water caused an appreciable increase in BOD of some samples. Plankton respiration is a major component of carbonaceous BOD (CBOD) in catfish pond waters. Thus, the BOD is not expressed as rapidly during 5-d incubations as in typical waste-water. The ultimate BOD (BOD_u) would be a good measurement of oxygen demand for catfish pond effluents, but it is difficult to measure. Data from this study suggest that BOD_u can be estimated from BOD₅, but the correlation is not strong ( R ²= 0.62). An alternative is to develop a short-term BOD measurement specifically for effluents from channel catfish and other aquaculture ponds. This study suggests that a 10-d BOD conducted without nitrification inhibition or addition of ammonia nitrogen in dilution water might be a better alternative to standard BOD₅ or BOD_u measurements normally used in wastewater evaluation.     

Identification and pathogenicity of Alternaria alternata causing leaf spot and blight disease of Ailanthus excelsa in India

Alternaria leaf spot of Ailanthus excelsa is generally considered as minor disease in India. Recently, severe disease outbreaks were recorded in the nursery of the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, progeny trial at Jhumpa, Haryana, and in a nearby farm field. Leaf symptoms included small circular, brown, necrotic spots with a chlorotic halo. With severe infections, leaf spots coalesced and resulted in leaf blight. A small‐spored Alternaria with concatenated conidia was isolated consistently from the leaf samples with spot symptoms. Sequence analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the translation elongation factor 1‐alpha (tef‐1α) gene region of two fungal isolates confirmed the species as A. alternata. In detached leaf assays, both isolates produced symptoms similar to those observed on the nursery/field‐grown plants. To validate the detached leaf assay result, pathogenicity was also demonstrated on whole plants in a glasshouse. Koch's postulates were fulfilled by re‐isolating A. alternata from the inoculated leaves. This work is the first to confirm that A. alternata is associated with leaf spot and blight disease of A. excelsa in India.     

Synthetic and green vegetable isothiocyanates target red blood leukemia cancers

Isothiocyanates (ITCs), the breakdown products of glucosinolates found primarily in species of Brassicaceae (Cruciferae), are potential anti-cancer compounds. This review compiles data on how through different modes of action ITCs and their synthetic counterparts target leukemia.     

Resource use efficiency of broiler production in tunnel-ventilated environmental control vis-à-vis open-sided conventional shed during summer

Present study was conducted to assess the resource use efficiency of broilers production, in tunnel-ventilated environment control (ECBH) and open-sided conventional (OSCBH) house under different stocking densities. Different treatments comprised of T ₀ (birds with floor space, 1.0/ft²/bird in open-sided conventional broiler house (OSCBH) as control, while different treatments in tunnel-ventilated environment control broiler house (ECBH) were T ₁, T ₂, T ₃, T ₄ and T ₅ with floor space of 1.0, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7and 0.6 ft² per bird, respectively. The results of shed microclimate indicated that shed temperature and temperature humidity index (THI) at 12:00 and 15:00 IST and maximum and minimum temperature in OSCBH were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher than ECBH. Litter moisture and pH did not differ significantly and were within permissible limits in both OSCBH and ECBH. Final body weight, body weight gain, feed intake were significantly higher and FCR, PER and EER were significantly better in ECBH than OSCBH (T ₀) even at 10% increase in stocking density (T ₂). Margin of receipt in T ₂ in ECBH from sale of live bird/unit area and kilogram live weight per unit area was maximum which was Rs. 5.08/- and 3.56/- higher than T ₀ for OSCBH.     

Segmental inertial properties in dogs determined by magnetic resonance imaging

Data regarding the segmental inertial properties of the dog are currently unavailable, although such parameters are needed for dynamic analyses of canine motion. The purpose of this study was to measure the segmental inertial properties in three medium sized dogs of average build using magnetic resonance imaging. The parameters included the mass, location of centre of mass and moments of inertia for each body segment. The normalised results will serve as a preliminary foundation for various biomechanical studies in dogs, although further study is required to characterise them for specific dog breeds and to determine how they may be affected by age and gender.     

Surfactant-modified zeolite as a slow release fertilizer for phosphorus

The feasibility of using surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ) as a carrier for fertilizer and for slow release of phosphorus (P) was investigated. Zeolite-A was modified by using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, a cationic surfactant, to modify its surface to increase its capacity to retain anion, namely, phosphate (PO4(3-)). SMZ was thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and scanning electron microscopy to study the effect of surfactant modification. Zeolite-A and SMZ were then subjected to P loading by treating them with fertilizer (KH2PO4). It was observed that the P loading on SMZ increased by a factor of 4.9 as compared to the unmodified zeolite-A. A comparative study of the release of P from fertilizer-loaded unmodified zeolite-A and SMZ and from solid KH2PO4 was performed using the constant flow percolation reactor. The results show that the P supply from fertilizer-loaded SMZ was available even after 1080 h of continuous percolation, whereas P from KH2PO4 was exhausted within 264 h. The results indicate that SMZ is a good sorbent for PO4(3-), and a slow release of P was achievable. These properties suggest that SMZ has a great potential as the fertilizer carrier for slow release of P.     

Impact of neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) seed cake upon selective nutrient cycling bacterial population in fish culture

With an objective to examine neem seed cake as bactericide, three treatments—10, 20, and 30 mg L^?1—were applied in outdoor experimental Labeo rohita culture tanks for a period of 120 days. Nitrifying, ammonifying, and denitrifying bacteria declined directly with increasing dosage. Ammonifying and phosphate solubilizing bacteria recovered within a month, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria after 45 days. A positive relationship was established between soil available-N and ammonifying, nitrifying, and denitrifying bacteria in 10 mg L^?1 (R² = 0.68–0.83). Phosphate solubilizing bacteria responded directly with dosage and contributed significantly to the orthophosphate pool (R² = 0.66–0.78).     

Role of lunar phases,rainfall, and wind in predicting Hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha) catch in the northern Bay of Bengal

Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) is an important commercial fish in India. This study investigates relationships among Hilsa catch per unit effort (CPUE) and the corresponding lunar phase, rainfall variability, wind vector, and month in the northern Bay of Bengal. Hilsa catch during the monsoon season of three consecutive years (2013–2015) was analyzed by using a Generalized Least Square model with lunar phase and monsoon months (June–September) as categorical variables and wind direction as circular variable. Significantly higher Hilsa catch was observed during the waning crescent and waxing gibbous lunar phases and during easterly winds. There was no significant effect of wind velocity. Daily rainfall was significantly correlated with Hilsa migration toward the estuary. Among the four monsoon months, September exhibited the most positive significant correlation with the Hilsa CPUE. Model predicted CPUE underestimated the actual CPUE in 2016 by 20%.     

Effects of surface treatments and application shanks on nematode, pathogen and weed control with 1,3-dichloropropene

BACKGROUND: Preplant fumigation with methyl bromide (MeBr) has been used for control of soilborne pests in high‐value annual, perennial and nursery crops, but is being phased out. In 2007 and 2008, research trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of surface treatments and two application shanks on pest control with 1,3‐dicloropropene (1,3‐D) in perennial crop nurseries. RESULTS: All 1,3‐D treatments controlled nematodes similarly to MeBr. Application of 1,3‐D with virtually impermeable film (VIF) reduced Fusarium oxysporum compared with unfumigated plots, but was not as effective as MeBr. Applications of 1,3‐D with VIF or 1,3‐D followed by metam sodium reduced Pythium spp., but 1,3‐D followed by intermittent water seals was comparable with the untreated plots. When sealed with high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) film or VIF, 1,3‐D generally was as effective as MeBr for reducing weed density and total weed biomass, but weed control was reduced by intermittent water seals and in unsealed plots subsequently re‐treated with additional 1,3‐D or metam sodium. CONCLUSION: Applications of 1,3‐D sealed with HDPE or VIF film or with intermittent water seals can control nematodes similarly to MeBr. However, additional management practices may be needed for effective pathogen and weed control if plastic film is not used. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Molecular identification of sex in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hippophae rhamnoides</Emphasis> L. using isozyme and RAPD markers

In many dioecious plants, gender affects economic value, breeding schemes and opportunities for commercial harvests. Hippophae rhamnoides L. is a dioecious plant species in which female genotypes are commercially preferred over male genotypes. Its berries have rich medicinal, nutritional and pharmaceutical properties because of their large amounts of vitamins, essential oils, proteins, fatty acids, free amino acids and flavanoids. Primary limitation for breeding H. rhamnoides L. is its dioecious nature, since gender cannot be identified by traditional methods. Therefore, some reliable and quick methods need to be developed. This communication deals with the development of isozyme and RAPD markers for early sex identification in this dioecious tree. The isozyme analysis was conducted with four enzyme systems, viz. peroxidase, esterase, malate dehydrogenase and catalase. The peroxidase enzyme system produced a female specific sex marker, which successfully differentiated between the staminate and pistillate genotypes of H. rhamnoides L. Thirty five random decamer primers were used in our study and one male sex linked marker was identified. OPD-20 (5′-ACTTCGCCAC-3′) displayed a band at 911 bp that expressed polymorphism between male and female genotypes. The staminate and pistillate genotypes could be distinguished using RAPD marker OPD-20911. These results revealed the immense potential of peroxidase isozyme patterns and RAPD as genetic markers for sex identification in H. rhamnoides L.