Grain Yield,Quality, and Nutrient Concentrations of Feed,Food, and Malt Barley

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a cereal grown for animal feed, human consumption, and malting. Nutrient concentrations are important as they provide information regarding the dietary values of barley consumed by animals or human beings. In addition, grain nutrient removal may be useful for refining fertilizer recommendations. A study was conducted in 2015 and 2016 investigating the cultivar effects on grain yield, quality, and grain nutrient concentrations and removal under irrigated conditions for two-row barley cultivars. Adjunct and feed cultivars produced the highest yields compared with the all-malt and food cultivars. Specific quality and nutrient values were greater than or equal to in the food cultivar compared to the malt or feed cultivars. Variations in nutrient concentrations were measured among the adjunct and all-malt cultivars, which could potentially affect the malting and brewing qualities. Grain yield, quality, nutrient concentrations and nutrient removal varied among cultivars grown under identical environmental conditions, which may influence end-use.     

Minimizing Fish Oil and Fish Meal with Plant‐based Alternatives in Sunshine Bass Diets without Negatively Impacting Growth and Muscle Fatty Acid Profile

We determined whether canola oil could spare menhaden oil (MO) in diets containing minimal fish meal without affecting sunshine bass, Morone chrysops × Morone saxatilis, production. Seven isonitrogenous, isocaloric (41.7% crude protein and 14.6% crude lipid) diets containing graded levels (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100%) of menhaden to canola oils with 20% menhaden meal (MM) or 100% canola oil with 20% lipid‐extracted MM were fed to sunshine bass (initial weight 9.3 ± 0.16 g; mean ± SD) twice daily to apparent satiation for 10 wk. Sunshine bass fed less than 40% of their dietary lipid as MO exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) lower feed intake and growth rates. Increased concentrations of saturated, n‐3, and n‐3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (FA) in the fillet were associated with MO‐rich diets, while monounsaturated and n‐6 FA were most common in fillets from fish fed diets rich in canola oil. Reducing MO to 40% of the dietary lipid in diets containing minimal fish meal allows for efficient utilization of marine resources without negatively impacting juvenile sunshine bass production.     

BMC ecology image competition 2017: the winning images

For the fifth year, BMC Ecology is proud to present the winning images from our annual image competition. The 2017 edition received entries by talented shutterbug-ecologists from across the world, showcasing research that is increasing our understanding of ecosystems worldwide and the beauty and diversity of life on our planet. In this editorial we showcase the winning images, as chosen by our Editorial Board and guest judge Chris Darimont, as well as our selection of highly commended images. Enjoy!     

Association mapping reveals loci associated with multiple traits that affect grain yield and adaptation in soft winter wheat

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are useful to facilitate crop improvement via enhanced knowledge of marker-trait associations (MTA). A GWAS for grain yield (GY), yield components, and agronomic traits was conducted using a diverse panel of 239 soft red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes evaluated across two growing seasons and eight site-years. Analysis of variance showed significant environment, genotype, and genotype-by-environment effects for GY and yield components. Narrow sense heritability of GY (h ²  = 0.48) was moderate compared to other traits including plant height (h ²  = 0.81) and kernel weight (h ²  = 0.77). There were 112 significant MTA (p < 0.0005) detected for eight measured traits using compressed mixed linear models and 5715 single nucleotide polymorphism markers. MTA for GY and agronomic traits coincided with previously reported QTL for winter and spring wheat. Highly significant MTA for GY showed an overall negative allelic effect for the minor allele, indicating selection against these alleles by breeders. Markers associated with multiple traits observed on chromosomes 1A, 2D, 3B, and 4B with positive minor effects serve as potential targets for marker assisted breeding to select for improvement of GY and related traits. Following marker validation, these multi-trait loci have the potential to be utilized for MAS to improve GY and adaptation of soft red winter wheat.     

Multi-model comparison on the effects of climate change on tree species in the eastern U.S.: results from an enhanced niche model and process-based ecosystem and landscape models

Context

Species distribution models (SDM) establish statistical relationships between the current distribution of species and key attributes whereas process-based models simulate ecosystem and tree species dynamics based on representations of physical and biological processes. TreeAtlas, which uses DISTRIB SDM, and Linkages and LANDIS PRO, process-based ecosystem and landscape models, respectively, were used concurrently on four regional climate change assessments in the eastern Unites States.

Objectives

We compared predictions for 30 species from TreeAtlas, Linkages, and LANDIS PRO, using two climate change scenarios on four regions, to derive a more robust assessment of species change in response to climate change.

Methods

We calculated the ratio of future importance or biomass to current for each species, then compared agreement among models by species, region, and climate scenario using change classes, an ordinal agreement score, spearman rank correlations, and model averaged change ratios.

Results

Comparisons indicated high agreement for many species, especially northern species modeled to lose habitat. TreeAtlas and Linkages agreed the most but each also agreed with many species outputs from LANDIS PRO, particularly when succession within LANDIS PRO was simulated to 2300. A geographic analysis showed that a simple difference (in latitude degrees) of the weighted mean center of a species distribution versus the geographic center of the region of interest provides an initial estimate for the species’ potential to gain, lose, or remain stable under climate change.

Conclusions

This analysis of multiple models provides a useful approach to compare among disparate models and a more consistent interpretation of the future for use in vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning.

     

Postharvest UV-C treatment combined with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), followed by storage in continuous low-level ethylene atmosphere,improves the quality of tomatoes

Mature green tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv Neang Pich) were exposed to 13.6 kJ m^?2 UV-C or 0.5 μL L^?1 1-MCP or combination of 13.6 kJ m^?2 UV-C and 0.5 μL L^?1 1-MCP, with appropriate untreated controls. After treatment, tomatoes were stored in air containing 0.1 μL L^?1 ethylene at 20°C and 100% RH. The untreated fruit ripened significantly faster than those of all other treatments. UV-C treatment alone was able to delay fruit ripening by up to 5 days longer compared to untreated fruits whilst the additional of 1-MCP further delayed fruit ripening. UV-C and 1-MCP treatments alone or in combination had significantly slower ethylene production rates throughout the storage period. The fruit treated with the combination of 1-MCP and UV-C was significantly firmer and had higher total phenolic content compared to that of the other treatments. However, there was no difference between treatments in soluble solids content/titratable acids ratio, chlorophyll content, lycopene content and total antioxidant activity. These results show that UV-C and 1-MCP treatment delay ripening and improve the quality of tomatoes in the presence of low-level ethylene during storage. This new treatment could be used to extend the shelf-life of mature green tomatoes through the supply chain without the use of refrigeration.     

Identifying and exploring significant genomic regions associated with soybean yield,seed fatty acids,protein and oil

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] yield and seed fatty acids, protein, and oil content are important traits for which an improved understanding of significant genomic regions would be useful. To accomplish this, a soybean population consisting of 203 F5 derived recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed and genotyped with 11,633 polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Each RIL was grown in a single plot at Knoxville, TN in 2010; followed by replicated, multi-location field trials in 2013 and 2014. The data from 2010, 2013, and 2014 were analyzed together in order to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) for these traits, and 30 total QTLs were detected. Five QTLs are candidates for confirmed status and one QTL is a candidate for positional confirmation. Many of the genes with mutations in close proximity to the fatty acid QTLs are involved in biological processes for fatty acids and/or lipids and could be considered possible candidate genes. Similarly, genes with mutations in genomic regions near yield, protein, and oil QTLs were plentiful and may contribute to the variation observed in these traits. Except for yield and stearic acid, each trait displayed pleiotropic effects with other traits in this study. Notable are the pleiotropic effects for oleic and linolenic acid on chromosomes 9, 13, and 19. Overall, the findings from this research contribute new information to the genetic understanding of soybean yield and seed fatty acids, protein and oil content. This understanding will be useful in making trait improvements.     

Linking mesoscale landscape heterogeneity and biodiversity: gardens and tree cover significantly modify flower-visiting beetle communities

Landscape Ecology - Maintaining biodiversity in multifunction landscapes is a significant challenge. Planning for the impacts of change requires knowledge of how species respond to landscape...