The penetration of soil by mycelial strands of ectomycorrhizal fungi

Soil factors affecting growth of mycelial strands from ectomycorrhizas into surrounding soil were studied experimentally. Treated soil cores were inserted into root boxes for 4–6 weeks, then infiltrated with gelatin, sectioned, and mycelial strands harvested. Very large differences in mycelial strand growth (measured by weight) occurred between different soils, some soils completely inhibiting growth of strands of the mycorrhizal fungus Rhizopogon luteolus. Compaction of soil reduced mycelial strand penetration greatly e.g. by 80 per cent in one experiment. Soil sterilization ameliorated compaction effects. High soil phosphorus tended to increase strand growth but nitrogen level and Pseudomonas fluorescens. a common soil bacterium, had small or inconsistent effects.     

Chemical comparison of goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) root powder from three commercial suppliers

The characterization of herbal materials is a significant challenge to analytical chemists. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.), which has been chosen for toxicity evaluation by NIEHS, is among the top 15 herbal supplements currently on the market and contains a complex mixture of indigenous components ranging from carbohydrates and amino acids to isoquinoline alkaloids. One key component of herbal supplement production is botanical authentication, which is also recommended prior to initiation of efficacy or toxicological studies. To evaluate material available to consumers, goldenseal root powder was obtained from three commercial suppliers and a strategy was developed for characterization and comparison that included Soxhlet extraction, HPLC, GC-MS, and LC-MS analyses. HPLC was used to determine the weight percentages of the goldenseal alkaloids berberine, hydrastine, and canadine in the various extract residues. Palmatine, an isoquinoline alkaloid native to Coptis spp. and other common goldenseal adulterants, was also quantitated using HPLC. GC-MS was used to identify non-alkaloid constituents in goldenseal root powder, whereas LC-MS was used to identify alkaloid components. After review of the characterization data, it was determined that alkaloid content was the best biomarker for goldenseal. A 20-min ambient extraction method for the determination of alkaloid content was also developed and used to analyze the commercial material. All three lots of purchased material contained goldenseal alkaloids hydrastinine, berberastine, tetrahydroberberastine, canadaline, berberine, hydrastine, and canadine. Material from a single supplier also contained palmatine, coptisine, and jatrorrhizine, thus indicating that the material was not pure goldenseal. Comparative data for three commercial sources of goldenseal root powder are presented.     

采用改进SSD网络的海参目标检测算法

随着海参养殖业快速发展,利用水下机器人代替人工作业的海参智能捕捞已成为发展趋势。浅海环境复杂,海参体色与环境区分性差、海参呈现半遮蔽状态等原因,导致目标识别准确率低下。此外由于景深运动,远端海参作为小目标常常未被识别成功。为解决上述问题,该研究提出一种基于改进SSD网络的海参目标检测算法。首先通过RFB（Receptive Field Block）模块扩大浅层特征感受野,利用膨胀卷积对特征图进行下采样,增加海参细节、位置等信息,并结合注意力机制,对不同深度特征进行强化,将计算得出的权重与原特征信息相乘以此获得特征图,使结果包含最具代表性的特征,也抑制无关特征。最后实现特征图融合,进一步提升水下海参的识别精度。以实际拍摄的视频进行测试验证,在网络结构层面上,对传统算法进行改进。试验结果表明,基于改进的SSD网络的海参目标检测算法的平均精度均值为95.63%,检测帧速为10.70帧/s,相较于传统的SSD算法,在平均精度均值提高3.85个百分点的同时检测帧速仅减少2.8帧/s。与Faster R-CNN算法和YOLOv4算法进行对比试验,该研究算法在平均精度均值指标上,分别比YOLOv4、Faster R-CNN算法提高4.19个百分点、1.74个百分点。在检测速度方面,该研究算法较YOLOv4、Faster R-CNN算法分别低4.6帧/s、高3.95帧/s,试验结果表明,综合考虑准确率与运行速度,改进后的SSD算法较适合进行海参智能捕捞任务。研究结果为海参智能捕捞提供参考。     

Phosphorus requirements and nitrogen accumulation by N2-fixing and non-N2-fixing leguminous trees growing in low P soils

The variation in P uptake and use efficiency and N accumulation by Gliricidia sepium (N₂-fixing tree), Senna siamea and S. spectabilis (leguminous non-N₂-fixing trees) were examined in the field at Fashola (savanna zone), southwestern Nigeria, using four P rates, 0, 20, 40 and 80 kg P ha^-1. Growth of G. sepium and S. spectabilis responded to P application at 24 weeks after planting (WAP) and average yield increases of 58% and 145% were observed by the application of 40 kg P ha^-1 for the two species, respectively. Such a P response was not found in S. siamea at 24 WAP and for any of the species at 48 WAP. G. sepium accumulated more P (on average 162%) than S. siamea and S. spectabilis at 24 WAP and had greater root length and a higher percentage of mycorrhizal infection. However, at 48 WAP S. siamea had 2.5 times more P than G. sepium. Differences in the physiological P use efficiency (PPUE) between G. sepium and the non-N₂-fixing trees were significant at the 0 P level, being higher for S. siamea (average, 0.61 g shoot mg^-1 P) than for G. sepium (0.27 g shoot mg^-1 P). G. sepium had a consistently lower atom % ¹⁵N than S. spectabilis, while that of S. siamea for most of the time did not differ from that of G. sepium. The reference plant affected N₂ fixation extimates, with negative values and a higher variability (CV 60%) associated with S. siamea than with S. spectabilis (CV<20%). Consequently, S. spectabilis was selected as a better reference plant for measuring N₂ fixation in G. sepium. G. sepium fixed on average 35% and 54% of its N at 24 and 48 WAP, respectively. Except at the lowest P rate, percentage and amount of N fixed were not generally enhanced by P application.     

MONOPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE AS AN IN-SEASON FERTIGATION OPTION FOR POTATO

Monopotassium phosphate (MKP) is a potential option for fertigating phosphorus (P) in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) when petioles are low in P and high in nitrogen (N); which is a situation where using ammonium polyphosphate (APP) could potentially result in excessive N application. Fertilizer trials were conducted in 2004–2006 with 0 or 56 kg P₂O₅ ha^?1 fertigated as either APP or MKP as a supplement to the pre-plant P (112 or 224 kg P₂O₅ ha^?1) broadcast applied to all plots. Supplemental P fertigation increased petiole P concentration, US No. 1 yield, and total yield over the control not receiving any in-season P fertilizer regardless of source. In addition, MKP increased tuber specific gravity. These results support previous studies showing that fertigated P can be used to increase potato yields when petiole P concentrations are low and that MKP is a viable substitute for APP fertilizer when fertigation is necessary.     

软基水闸底板脱空动力学反演模型构建与试验验证

软基水闸极易因地基不均匀沉降、渗透变形等发生底板脱空现象,传统的无损检测方法难以在水下探测底板脱空,且不具实时性,其应用还存在一定局限性。该研究基于软基水闸室内物理模型,提出了一种软基水闸底板脱空动力学反演方法。首先,基于多参数变量的底板脱空范围数学模型,改进了反映软基水闸底板脱空参数与水闸动力学参数（模态参数）之间非线性映射关系的数学代理模型;其次,以水闸多测点多阶频率和振型变化率组合作为动力学敏感特征量,建立了软基水闸底板脱空参数反演的目标函数,并基于遗传算法对目标函数进行求解。最后,建立了软基水闸室内物理模型,并在模型中设置3种不同的底板脱空工况,采用软基水闸底板脱空动力学反演方法对软基水闸底板的脱空进行反演识别与模型验证。结果表明：基于动力学参数反演识别的水闸底板脱空区域趋势和脱空面积与模型实际脱空情况吻合较好,3种工况下水闸底板脱空面积反演结果与模型实际脱空面积的相对误差分别为7.47%、6.78%、6.90%,验证了该方法的可靠性,可望为软基水闸实际工程底板脱空隐患检测提供一种新的思路。     

Interactions between bacteria and ectomycorrhizal fungi

Interactions between eight ectomycorrhizal fungi and eight bacteria were tested on five laboratory media and in the rhizoplane of Pinus radiata. Depression of growth of the fungi by the bacteria in laboratory media was dependent on the medium and bore little relation to effects in the rhizoplane. In the rhizoplane, different bacteria could depress, have no effect or even stimulate growth of mycorrhizal fungi. Competition and antagonism are suggested as mechanisms for depression of the fungi. Some bacteria gave protection against the depressive effects of other bacteria. Considerable differences occurred between ectomycorrhizal fungi in their colonization of the rhizoplane in the absence of bacteria and also in their presence. The common mycorrhizal fungi Rhizopogon luteolus and Thelephora terrestris generally colonized roots well but the strain of Pisolithus tinctorius studied colonized poorly. Direct microscopy showed the percentage cover of the root by microorganisms was usually only 10–20%.It is proposed that interactions of ectomycorrhizal fungi with soil organisms are important in determining the successful introduction and persistence of inoculated ectomycorrhizal fungi. Fungi should be selected for compatibility with a wide range of soil microflora as well as efficiency in plant stimulation.     

Symbiosis between Euglena and damselfly nymphs is seasonal

An endosymbiotic association has been demonstrated between Euglena and nymphs of three species of damselfly. The hindgut of the nymphs is inhabited by the euglenoid only during the winter. Symbiotic associations involving green euglenoids and insects are virtually unknown.