Exploitation of Annual and Perennial Herbaceous Species for the Rehabilitation of a Sand Quarry in a Mediterranean Environment

Commercial seeds are widely used for re‐vegetation interventions in Mediterranean areas. These seeds mostly consist of species and varieties of non‐local provenance. The current practice relies mainly on forage or turf and fast growing species, even if it is often inefficient. Twenty‐two local populations or commercial varieties of annual and perennial species belonging to the botanical families Leguminosae, Graminaceae and Compositae were evaluated in a 4‐year field experiment in order to investigate their potential in terms of establishment and persistence in the re‐vegetation of an inactive sand quarry. Native species showed better performances than commercial varieties and encouraged further actions for the valorisation of local plant biodiversity. Among legumes, the best adapted species was the perennial Lotus cytisoides that showed high persistence in combination with other positive traits. A few annual species, that is, Melilotus indica, Trifolium subterraneum and Ornithopus sativus performed well and persisted until the end of the experiment. Among perennial grasses, Cynodon dactylon survived to drought and low soil nutrients. Both native annual grasses Lolium rigidum and Aegilops geniculata performed very well during the first 2 years of experiments. Both forbs, the perennial Cichorium intybus and the annual Chrysanthemum coronarium did not guarantee a satisfactory persistence. Some native species were evidenced, which may play an important role in the re‐vegetation of sand quarries and have good potential to be further characterized before introduction in the seed market. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Clinical evaluation of a titanium, headless variable-pitched tapered cannulated compression screw for repair of frontal plane slab fractures of the third carpal bone in thoroughbred racehorses

OBJECTIVE: To report clinical evaluation of third carpal bone (C3) frontal plane slab fracture repair with the Acutrak screw system. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case series. SAMPLE POPULATION: Racing Thoroughbreds (n=17) with frontal C3 slab fractures. METHODS: C3 slab fractures in Thoroughbred racehorses (1999-2004) were repaired by use of the Acutrak screw system. Data collected were (1) preoperative variables--gender, age at injury, limb involved, injury occurrence, fracture thickness, complexity, and displacement, race starts and earnings and (2) postoperative variables were: surgical complications, days to first start, race starts, and earnings. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare pre- and postoperative starts and earnings; significance was set at P<.05. RESULTS: Seventeen Thoroughbred racehorses (12 females, 3 males, 2 geldings) were enrolled. Mean (+/-SD) age at injury was 3.3+/-1.0 years. Right carpi (10) were affected more than left (7). Ten injuries occurred during training, 7 during racing. Twelve of 15 horses that raced before injury returned to racing. Average days to first start was 349.3+/-153.9 days. Horses that returned to racing had more starts after repair (median, 6.5 versus 3.5; P=.04) and did not have decreased earnings per start (median, $2452 versus $3061; P=.30). CONCLUSION: The Acutrak screw system is a useful repair technique for frontal C3 slab fractures in Thoroughbred racehorses. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Adequate reduction and stability of C3 slab fractures can be achieved with the Acutrak screw system, decreasing the likelihood of fragment splitting and screw head impingement on carpal soft tissues.     

Evolution of resistance to diclofop-methyl in ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum): investigation of the role of introgression with related species

Populations of Lolium multiflorum (ryegrass) exposed to increasing levels of herbicide selection have variability in the rate of evolution of herbicide resistance. We tested the hypothesis that herbicide dose and gene flow with related species are important factors regulating the rate of evolution of herbicide resistance in L. multiflorum. Seeds of the latter were planted in pure stands and in mixture with Festuca rubra and subjected to four herbicide rates. The level of herbicide resistance attained by the offspring after two years of selection was evaluated. Evolution of resistance observed in the field was compared to that calculated by Gressel and Segel's rotational model. ©1997 SCI     

Effects of Baking Temperature on Crumb-Staling Kinetics

This study evaluated the effects of bread baking temperature on the staling kinetics of crumb. Bread dough was leavened and baked in sealed molds. Cooking trials were performed at various temperatures ranging from 90 to 110°C. The crumb samples were then stored at 20°C at constant moisture, and staling was evaluated by measuring crumb elastic modulus (using an Instron dynamometer) and starch retrogradation degree (using differential scanning calorimetry). Results show that the cooking temperature greatly influences bread staling. The lower the cooking temperature, the lower the staling rate, both in terms of crumb hardening and of starch retrogradation. Starch and protein solubility was evaluated on crumb cooked at 90 and 110°C. An increase in cooking temperature resulted in an increase in protein insolubilization and starch granule disruption.     

Novel decaplex PCR assay for simultaneous detection of scallop species with species‐specific primers targeting highly variable 5′ end of the 16S rRNA gene

Scallops (family Pectinidae) comprise species of high commercial value, supporting both commercial fisheries and mariculture activities. Accurate and reliable molecular methods for the species level identification are of outstanding utility for taxonomic and food authentication surveys. The mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene has been used to design species‐specific primers for identification of different bivalve species. However, the low interspecific variability at the 3′ end of this gene has limited its utility and only few scallop species have been assessed. In this study, we used the high variable 5′ end of the 16S gene to develop a novel decaplex PCR assay that enabled a fast and accurate identification of eight commercially important scallop species in a single PCR reaction. A total of 285 individuals including fresh and manufactured samples from eight different processed presentations from 11 different scallop species were collected representing diverse locations around the world. Our assay accurately identified all the analysed samples at the species level. Furthermore, to enhance the utility of our assay, the PCR product amplified by the family specific primer set that was utilized as positive control was also used for the identification of unknown (non‐target) scallop species by DNA sequencing analysis. In its present form, our multiplex PCR method can be of great utility for different types of studies involving scallop species and for research institutes and governmental agencies that regulate seafood authentication around the world.     

Investigation of soil surface organic and inorganic carbon contents in a low-intensity farming system using laboratory visible and near-infrared spectroscopy

ABSTRACT

In some regions of Italy, low-intensity farming systems, together with variable climate conditions, have lowered soil organic carbon (SOC) content and soil quality attributes. This work aims to investigate on some aspects of (1) total organic carbon (TOC) prediction using Vis-NIR reflectance spectroscopy in combination with partial least squares regression (PLSR); (2) the most appropriate pre-processing techniques of Vis-NIR absorbance spectra; (3) the composition of organic carbon using variable importance of prediction (VIP). The study area was an olive grove, located at Montecorvino Rovella (Salerno, southwestern Italy), characterized by a calcaric soil (Leptic Calcisols) and (Luvic Phaeozem), with a low content of TOC (mean 2.03 g kg^?1), caused by a low-intensity farming. Results of univariate PLSR analyses showed a good agreement between measured and predicted values both for TOC (R²: 0.66) and total carbonate content (R²: 0.93), when pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and absorbance spectra were used as predictors. The best results were obtained using as pre-treatments of the spectral data: 1) standard normal variate (SNV); 2) Savitzky-Golay algorithm; 3) first derivative. Variable Importance for Prediction (VIP) statistics showed to be a good tool to gain insights in TOC composition also when its content is low and influenced by carbonate.     

Predicting the current and future suitable habitat distributions of the anchovy (Engraulis ringens) using the Maxent model in the coastal areas off central‐northern Chile

An assessment of climate change impacts on the habitat suitability of fish species is an important tool to improve the understanding and decision‐making needed to reduce potential climate change effects based on the observed relationships of biological responses and environmental conditions. In this study, we use historical (2010–2015) environmental sea surface temperature (SST), upwelling index (UI), chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a) and biological (i.e., anchovy adults acoustic presence) data (i.e., Maxent) to determine anchovy habitat suitability in the coastal areas off central‐northern (25°S–32°S) Chile. Using geographic information systems (GIS), the model was forced by changes in regionalized SST, UI and Chl‐a as projected by IPCC models under the RPC (i.e., RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5) emissions scenarios for the simulation period 2015–2050. The model simulates, for all RCP scenarios, negative responses in anchovy presence, reflecting the predicted changes in environmental variables, dominated by a future positive (warming) change in SST and UI, and a decrease in chlorophyll‐a (i.e., phytoplankton biomass). The model predicts negative changes in habitat suitability in coastal areas from north of Taltal (25°S) to south of Caldera (27°45′S) and in Coquimbo littoral zone (29°–30°12′S). The habitat suitability models and climate change predictions identified in this study may provide a scientific basis for the development of management measures for anchovy fisheries in the coastal areas of the South American coast and other parts of the world.     

Chemical composition and repellent activity of essential oils from the leaves of Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Eugenia uniflora against Diaphania hyalinata L. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Diaphania hyalinata is an important pest in organic melon crops and has caused considerable harm to growers in northeastern Brazil. The aim of the present...