Effects of zinc fertilizer amendments on yield and grain zinc concentration under controlled environment conditions

The application of zinc (Zn) fertilizer to lentil is an agronomic strategy that has the potential to improve yield and enhance grain Zn concentration. A pot study was conducted to determine if Zn fertilizer applied to three popular Saskatchewan lentil cultivars could increase yield and concentration of Zn in the grain. The effects of soil and foliar applied Zn forms, including ZnSO₄, Zn chelated with EDTA, Zn lignosulphonate, and a control were evaluated. Forms of Zn were not found to significantly increase yield (P = 0.828) or grain Zn concentration (P = 0.708) in any of the lentil cultivars tested. Fertilization with soil applied ZnSO₄ resulted in significantly (P < 0.0001) higher amounts of residual available Zn in the soil relative to other Zn treatments. Soil fertilized with ZnSO₄ had 1.13 mg kg^?1 diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Zn compared to 0.84 mg Zn kg^?1 and 0.77 mg Zn kg^?1 in the soil and foliar applied chelated Zn, respectively.     

Optimum N and P rates for greenhouse production of vegetative coleus using constant liquid feed

Many new coleus (C. hybridus cv.) cultivars are vegetatively propagated and require different fertilization practices from seed propagated cultivars. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate growth responses of Henna, Indian Summer, Mint Mocha, New Orleans Red, Red Head, and Trusty Rusty to 0, 70, 140, 280 and 420 mg·L^?1 nitrogen (N), and Henna, Mint Mocha, Red Head, and Trusty Rusty to 0, 6.2, 12.4, 24.8, or 49.6 mg·L^?1 phosphorus (P) to determine optimum constant liquid feed rates to produce marketable size plants from rooted cuttings. Positive growth responses in terms of biomass were found with increasing N rates but not P rates. For medium-sized cultivars such as Henna, Indian Summer, and New Orleans Red, quadratic responses were found in aboveground biomass, and N at 280 mg·L^?1 resulted in similar plant size and dry weight as those fertilized at 140 and 420 mg·L^?1 N. For large-sized cultivars such as Mint Mocha, Red Head and Trusty Rusty, plant dry weight responded linearly within the N range tested and were greatest at 420 mg·L^?1. However, plant visual quality was negatively affected by N rates at 280 and 420 mg·L^?1 in that, leaf color became less intense at these high N rates. Plants fertilized at 70 mg·L^?1 were smaller than those fertilized at 140 mg·L^?1, however, they received similar visual quality ratings because of more intense leaf color. Therefore, N at 70 to 140 mg·L^?1 can be used to grow most vegetative coleus for similar marketable quality. Mint Mocha and Henna were the only cultivars responded to P treatments that, 12.4 mg·L^?1 P rate resulted in greater biomass than the no-P control. All other cultivars had no response to supplemental P except a linear response in tissue P%. Therefore, supplemental P is not required during the 8 week production period when there is an initial P charge in the substrate. We found that substrate pH decreases with higher P rates, therefore supplemental P fertilizer can be used for adjusting pH. Both N and P rates found optimum in this study are lower than current industry practices (N at 150 to 250 mg·L^?1 and P at 24 mg·L^?1) and can significantly lower production cost and potential leaching of excessive nutrient into waterway. Nutrient treatments in further study on postharvest performance of vegetative coleus will be selected based on this study.     

Response of Potatoes to Soil-Applied Insecticides, Fungicides, and Herbicides

Non-target impacts of pesticides are well documented in crops such as soybeans and corn. However, little effort has been made to evaluate these impacts in potatoes. Field trials were conducted at the Parma and Aberdeen Research and Extension Centers during 2005 and 2006 to evaluate the potential for systemic insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides to affect disease development, crop injury, and tuber yield. The first set of trials evaluated six insecticide treatments (aldicarb, oxamyl, phorate, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and non-treated) in a factorial combination with in-furrow application of the fungicide azoxystrobin. Azoxystrobin significantly decreased Rhizoctonia stem canker, while aldicarb and phorate tended to increase it compared to the non-treated control. There was a significant insecticide by fungicide interaction due to a bigger reduction in disease index by the fungicide when certain insecticides were used. Despite the association of these insecticides with increased disease incidence, there was no significant impact on yield. In the second set of trials, sulfentrazone herbicide was applied just prior to plant emergence to potatoes treated with the same six insecticides to evaluate the potential for the in-furrow treatments to increase plant injury. Sulfentrazone caused stunting and visible plant injury, but the level of plant injury was influenced by insecticide treatment in only one out of four trials.     

Properties of field-sprouted sorghum and its performance in ethanol production

The objective of this research was to investigate physicochemical and biochemical characteristics of field-sprouted grain sorghum and its fermentation performance in ethanol production. Five field-sprouted grain sorghum varieties, which received abnormally high rainfall during harvest, were used in this study. Enzyme activities, microstructure, flour pasting properties, kernel hardness, kernel weight, kernel size, flour size and particle distribution of field-sprouted grain sorghum were analyzed. The effect of germination (i.e., sprouting) on conversion of grain sorghum to ethanol was determined by using a laboratory dry-grind ethanol fermentation procedure. Sprouted sorghum had increased α-amylase activity; degraded starch granules and endosperm cell walls; decreased kernel hardness, kernel weight, kernel size, and particle size; and decreased pasting temperature and peak and final viscosities compared with non-sprouted grain sorghum. The major finding is that the time required for sprouted sorghum to complete fermentation was only about half that of non-sprouted sorghum. Also, ethanol yield from sprouted sorghum was higher (416–423 L/ton) than that from non-sprouted sorghum (409 L/ton) on a 14% moisture basis.     

An economic analysis of the impact of subclinical (mild) necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens

Costs to broiler producers associated with subclinical (mild) necrotic enteritis (SNE) were estimated using published information on impacts on body weight and feed conversion rate (FCR) associated with SNE and costs and revenues associated with broiler production. Estimates were expressed in U.S. dollars from the perspective of poultry producers. SNE was estimated to result in a 12% reduction in body weight and a 10.9% increase in FCR compared with healthy birds. For the purposes of this analysis, we considered scenarios involving hypothetical flocks of 20,000 birds raised to final body weights ranging from 4.63 to 7.94 lb. The incidence of SNE was assumed to occur at 20% based on the literature. For flocks raised for the length of time required to reach these target weights, SNE resulted in a loss to producers ranging from US$878.19 to US$1480.52 per flock. When feed costs required to obtain SNE flocks having a total live body weight equal to equivalent healthy flocks at market age were calculated, the increased cost to producers ranged from US$370.49 to US$739.38 per flock. SNE has the potential to cause a significant negative economic impact in broiler flocks. Strategies to reduce the incidence of SNE may help to increase the profitability of broiler production.     

Fetal and adult hematopoietic stem cells give rise to distinct T cell lineages in humans

Although the mammalian immune system is generally thought to develop in a linear fashion, findings in avian and murine species argue instead for the developmentally ordered appearance (or "layering") of distinct hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that give rise to distinct lymphocyte lineages at different stages of development. Here we provide evidence of an analogous layered immune system in humans. Our results suggest that fetal and adult T cells are distinct populations that arise from different populations of HSCs that are present at different stages of development. We also provide evidence that the fetal T cell lineage is biased toward immune tolerance. These observations offer a mechanistic explanation for the tolerogenic properties of the developing fetus and for variable degrees of immune responsiveness at birth.