Fish antibiotherapy: bioencapsulation of flumequine using adult brine shrimp (Artemia salina)

Optimization of antibiotic delivery strategies to aquatic environment and to the specific characteristics of the target species is essential for the improvement of bacterial infection control measures. This work aimed at standardizing the use of Artemia salina to deliver flumequine to fish as antimicrobial treatment. Adult Artemia were used to bioencapsulate flumequine. A flumequine concentration of 358 μg mL⁻¹ was found adequate to perform bioencapsulation during 24 h without causing mortality. Antibiotic concentration in Artemia, quantified by means of a microbiological assay based on MIC determination, using Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 as control strain was 256.55 mg g⁻¹ (±71.22). The therapeutic doses of 10 mg kg⁻¹ BW, calculated on the basis of a consumption of about 4% BW/day, would then be delivered by the consumption of 7.8 Artemia g⁻¹ of fish.     

Intake and digestion of wethers fed with dwarf elephant grass hay with or without the inclusion of peanut hay

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of peanut (Arachis pintoi cv. Amarillo) hay in diets based on dwarf elephant grass (DEG, Pennisetum purpureum Schum cv. Kurumi) hay of different regrowth ages on forage intake and digestibility in wether lambs. The experimental treatments consisted of DEG hay with an interval of regrowth of 30 or 45 days offered as the only feed or in mixture with peanut hay (300 g/kg of total dry matter (DM)), which were tested in eight Texel?×?Suffolk crossbred wethers in a replicated 4?×?4 Latin square experiment. Both organic matter (OM) and digestible OM intakes were higher (P?<?0.05) in animals receiving the legume forage. Total apparent OM digestibility was higher (P?<?0.05) at an increased grass regrowth age. Ruminal OM digestibility increased (P?<?0.05) with legume inclusion and at a higher grass regrowth age. The nitrogen (N) intake was higher (P?<?0.05) in legume treatments and lower (P?<?0.05) as the grass regrowth age increased, but retention of N was not affected by treatments. Duodenal flow of both, non-ammonia N and microbial N, were not affected by legume inclusion and were lower (P?<?0.05) as grass regrowth age increased. The efficiency of rumen microbial protein synthesis (ERMPS) was negatively affected (P?<?0.05) by legume inclusion and was lower (P?<?0.05) as the grass regrowth age increased. Supplementation of dwarf elephant grass hay cut at the vegetative stage with peanut legume hay improves nutritional supply to wethers due to an increase in the forage intake.     

Antioxidant activity of Pinus pinaster infected with Fusarium circinatum is influenced by maternal effects

The antioxidant activity of Pinus pinaster seedlings originating from two contrasting maternal environments and inoculated with the fungal pathogen Fusarium circinatum was examined. The antioxidant activity related positively to the stem necrosis caused by the pathogen (p = 0.005), but this relationship differed significantly between maternal environments (p ≤ 0.002). Seedlings from mother trees grown under a favourable environment expressed a more variable antioxidant activity to F. circinatum than seedlings from mother trees grown in a less favourable environment. Antioxidant activity ranging from 80 to 100% resulted in shorter necrosis in seedlings from the favourable maternal environment than in seedlings from the unfavourable environment. Maternal effects caused shifts in the relationship between antioxidant activity and necrosis in offspring, and significantly modified the individual plant capacity for antioxidant response on pathogen penetration.     

Field assessment of a second generation backcross (BC1 × Passiflora edulis) of passion fruit for agronomic performance and resistance to CABMV

The objective of this work was to characterize and identify among the passion fruit hybrids of the second generation backcross (BC2: BC1 × P. edulis), resistance to passion fruit woodiness disease (CABMV) with desirable agronomic attributes. Ninety‐two progeny of BC2 hybrids were evaluated for severity of the virus in conditions of field, physical and chemical characterization of the fruits and precocity of the plant in relation to the vegetative and reproductive phases. The data were analysed using multivariate statistics and mixed models (REML/BLUP) to estimate genetic parameters. The was conditioned by and , for number of fruits, fruit and peel weight and soluble solids and the effect of for virus severity to CABMV and effect of on the variables fruit length, fruit diameter, peel thickness and pulp weight. For the titratable acidity it had no . The progeny BC2‐A, BC2‐C, BC2‐E, BC2‐F and BC2‐H families can be selected for use in passion fruit breeding programmes by adding high vegetative vigour, early fruit production, resistance to CABMV and also desirable agronomic attributes.     

Soil microbial biomass and organic matter fractions during transition from conventional to organic farming systems

The aim of this study was to investigate the response of soil microbial biomass and organic matter fractions during the transition from conventional to organic farming in a tropical soil. Soil samples were collected from three different plots planted with Malpighia glaba: conventional plot with 10 years (CON); transitional plot with 2 years under organic farming system (TRA); organic plot with 5 years under organic farming system (ORG). A plot under native vegetation (NV) was used as a reference. Soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN), soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N (TN), soil organic matter fractioning and microbial indices were evaluated in soil samples collected at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm depth. SOC and fulvic acids fraction contents were higher in the ORG system at 0–5 cm and 5–10 cm depths. Soil MBC was highest in the ORG, in all depths, than in others plots. Soil MBN was similar between ORG, TRA and NV in the surface layer. The lowest values for soil MBC and MBN were observed in CON plot. Soil microbial biomass increased gradually from conventional to organic farming, leading to consistent and distinct differences from the conventional control by the end of the second year.     

Monitoring of Brazilian wheat blast field populations reveals resistance to QoI,DMI, and SDHI fungicides

Wheat blast is one of the most important and devastating fungal diseases of wheat in South America, South-east Asia, and now in southern Africa. The disease can reduce grain yield by up to 70% and is best controlled using integrated disease management strategies. The difficulty in disease management is compounded by the lack of durable host resistance and the ineffectiveness of fungicide sprays. New succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicides were recently introduced for the management of wheat diseases. Brazilian field populations of the wheat blast pathogen Pyricularia oryzae Triticum lineage (PoTl) sampled from different geographical regions in 2012 and 2018 were shown to be resistant to both QoI (strobilurin) and DMI (azole) fungicides. The main objective of the current study was to determine the SDHI baseline sensitivity in these populations. Moderate levels of SDHI resistance were detected in five out of the six field populations sampled in 2012 and in most of the strains isolated in 2018. No association was found between target site mutations in the sdhB, sdhC, and sdhD genes and the levels of SDHI resistance, indicating that a pre-existing resistance mechanism not associated with target site mutations is probably present in Brazilian wheat blast populations.     

Starch and dry matter content of Netted Gem in relation to French fry texture

Studies were made on the relation of French-fry texture to solids content and to starch granule size in stored Netted Gem potatoes. Texture as evaluated both by a sensory panel and by an objective method was positively correlated with the percentages of starch granules in the 31–44 and 22–31 micron ranges. The usual positive correlations of texture with starch content, dry matter content, and specific gravity were in evidence. In limited trials, greater starch viscosiy and swelling power were associated with poorer texture. Heating time required to reach maximum viscosity was also related to texture, the longer heating times being associated with better texture.     

Potential for carbon sequestration after biochar-P fertilizer application: A biological and chemical assessment

Innovation is required on many fronts in agriculture, not only to improve nutrient use efficiency but also to mitigate the effects of climate change. Our previous studies presented the high agronomic efficiency of an experimental phosphate fertilizer using a biochar-matrix, called ‘BioFert’. However, the efficiency of BioFert for soil carbon sequestration goals has not yet been evaluated. We incubated BioFert and initial raw sugarcane-biochar over 56 days in two soils (i.e., Ferralsol and Alisol) and measured the total CO₂ and δ¹³C-CO₂ to quantify the contribution of native soil organic matter, sugarcane-biochar, or BioFert to carbon mineralization. There was no significant difference in cumulative CO₂ release between BioFert and the control (without carbon addition), and BioFert was less mineralized than carbon from sugarcane-biochar regardless of soil type. In addition, accelerated aging by thermal oxidation of these carbon sources revealed that more than 80% of BioFert-carbon was prevented from accelerated mineralization, while sugarcane-biochar achieved ~80% of carbon mineralization. The residual solids after oxidation were analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and indicated aliphatic/aromatic and carboxylic chemical bonds on the BioFert surface, which might offer new cation exchange sites over time. We conclude that BioFert is not only a phosphate fertilizer with high phosphorus use efficiency but also a stable source of carbon for soil carbon sequestration purposes.     

Genetic progress of upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) lines for disease resistance

The rice crop is affected by diseases throughout its cycle, impacting negatively on grain yield and quality. The control of the disease impact can be accomplished via crop breeding, using highly multiple resistant genotypes. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of multiple-character and specific selection of multiple resistance to major culture-associated diseases (neck blast, leaf scald and grain discoloration) in rice lines of the Upland Rice Genetic Breeding Program. The experiments were conducted in 35 sites during 12 agricultural years, where 124 lines were evaluated for the severity of fungal diseases, under natural field conditions. Multiple parameters were calculated based on the diseases´ scores: genetic, phenotypic and environmental variances, heritability, selection gain, renewal rate, and genetic and renewal progress. Genetic variance for the disease resistance was identified in the population, and the selection gain for multiple-character selection was of 3.16 year⁻¹ throughout the breeding process with a renewal rate of over 35%. The programme has showed efficiency in selecting multiple resistant genotypes to the mentioned diseases, highlighting genotypes with high potential for market release.