Discrimination of corn,grasses and dicot weeds by their UV-induced fluorescence spectral signature

Real-time spot spraying of weed patches requires the development of sensors for the automatic detection of weeds within a crop. In this context, the potential of UV-induced fluorescence of green plants for corn-weed discrimination was evaluated. A total of 1 440 spectral signatures of fluorescence were recorded in a greenhouse from three plant groups (four corn hybrids, four dicotyledonous weed species and four monocotyledonous weed species) grown in a growth chamber. With multi-variate analysis, the full information contained in each spectrum was first reduced to the scores calculated from five principal components. Then, a linear discriminant analysis was applied on these scores to classify spectra on a species/hybrids basis and, subsequently, the resulting classes were aggregated according to the three plant groups. This two-step process minimized the error generated by heterogeneous groups such as dicotyledonous weeds. The output of this classification shows the significant potential of UV-induced fluorescence for plant group discrimination as the success rate reached 91.8%. No error was observed between corn and dicot weeds and most of the errors between corn and grasses came from confusion between the hybrid Pioneer 39Y85 and Setaria glauca L. (Beauv.). Analysis also determined that the position of the fluorescence sensor on the leaf and the plant age had negligible effects on the efficiency of fluorescence to discriminate plant groups. The factors to consider for transferring the results about UV-induced fluoro-sensing from laboratory to the field are discussed.     

Effect of high-pressure processing on activity and structure of alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase in buffer and milk

Changes in the activity and structure of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were investigated after high pressure processing (HPP). HPP treatments (206-620 MPa for 6 and 12 min) were applied to ALP and LDH prepared in buffer, fat-free milk, and 2% fat milk. Enzyme activities were measured using enzymatic assays, and changes in structure were investigated using far-ultraviolet circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and dynamic light scattetering (DLS). Kinetic data indicated that the activity of ALP was not affected after 6 min of pressure treatments (206-620 MPa), regardless of the medium in which the enzyme was prepared. Increasing the processing time to 12 min did significantly reduce the activity of ALP at 620 MPa (P < 0.001). However, even the lowest HPP treatment of 206 MPa induced a reduction in LDH activity, and the course of reduction increased with HPP treatment until complete inactivation at 482, 515, and 620 MPa. CD data demonstrated a partial change in the secondary structure of ALP at 620 MPa, whereas the structure of LDH showed gradual denaturation after exposure at 206 MPa for 6 min, leading to a random coil structure at both 515 and 620 MPa. DLS results indicated aggregation of ALP only at HPP treatment of 206 MPa and not above and enzyme precipitation as well as aggregation at 345, 415, 482, and 515 MPa. The loss of LDH activity with increasing pressure and time treatment was due to the combined effects of denaturation and aggregation.     

The influence of different food sources on cercarial production in Lymnaea truncatula experimentally infected with Digenea

Experimental infections of Lymnaea truncatula with a digenean species (Fasciola gigantica, F. hepatica, or Paramphistomum daubneyi) were performed under laboratory conditions to study the effect of four sources of food (microalgae, romaine lettuce, wheat germs, or modified Boray diet) on cercarial production. The mean number of F. hepatica, F. gigantica, or P. daubneyi cercariae was significantly greater when snail food was microalgae or Boray diet. The lowest cost prices for 100 metacercariae of F. hepatica (9.7-10.1 euros) were noted when algae of Boray diet were used as food for snails. In contrast, the highest prices (18.0-18.5 euros) were found in lettuce-reared snails. The choice of a source of food for breeding the intermediate hosts of F. hepatica and collecting metacercariae must take into account the importance of the commercial demand for metacercariae and will depend on the strategy the producer wishes to develop.     

Coupling landscape graph modeling and biological data: a review

Landscape Ecology - Landscape graphs are widely used to model networks of habitat patches. As they require little input data, they are particularly suitable for supporting conservation decisions...