Morphological study of Socorro Island Merino sheep and its crosses with hair breeds

Tropical Animal Health and Production - A study was conducted with the objective to characterize the morphology of Socorro Island Merino sheep. A total of 67 sheep, 62 females, 26 purebred and 36...     

Effect of stocking rate and supplementation on performance of dairy cows grazing native grassland in small-scale systems in the highlands of central Mexico

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The use and management of native grassland for dairy production during the rainy season was studied on two small-scale dairy farms in the highlands of...     

Identification and characterization of a novel etiological agent of mango malformation disease in Mexico, Fusarium mexicanum sp. nov

The primary objective of this study was to characterize Fusarium spp. associated with the economically devastating mango malformation disease (MMD) in Mexico. In all, 142 Fusarium strains were isolated from symptomatic mango inflorescences and vegetative tissues in eight geographically diverse Mexican states from 2002 through 2007. Initially, all the Mexican isolates were screened for genetic diversity using appolymerase chain reaction and random amplified polymorphic DNA markers and were grouped into seven distinct genotypes. Based on results of these analyses, evolutionary relationships and species limits of the genetically diverse MMD-associated Fusarium spp. were investigated using multilocus DNA sequence data and phylogenetic species recognition. Maximum parsimony analyses of a five-locus data set comprising 5.8 kb of aligned DNA sequence data indicated that at least nine phylogenetically distinct Fusarium spp. within the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex are associated with MMD, including one species within the African clade (Fusarium pseudocircinatum), two species within the Asian clade (F. mangiferae and F. proliferatum), and at least six species within the American clade (F. sterilihyphosum and five undescribed Fusarium spp.). Molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that a novel genealogically exclusive lineage within the American clade was the predominant MMD associate in Mexico. This new Fusarium sp. caused MMD and could be distinguished from all other known species morphologically by the production of mostly sterile, coiled hyphae which are typically associated with sporodochial conidiophores together with unbranched or sparsely branched aerial conidiophores. Koch's postulates were completed for isolates of the new species on nucellar seedlings of mango cv. Ataulfo. This pathogen is formally described herein as F. mexicanum.     

小麦蓝矮病植原体核糖体蛋白rpl22和rps3的生物信息学分析

【目的】将生物信息学方法应用于小麦蓝矮病植原体(WBD)的分类研究,确定了小麦蓝矮病植原体的分类地位。【方法】应用植原体核糖体蛋白(rp)基因通用引物对rpF1/rpR1,对WBD进行PCR扩增并得到特异片段,对特异片段进行测定及同源性分析。【结果】序列测定结果表明,WBDrp基因片段长1 240 bp,包含部分rps19基因和全部的rpl22和rps3基因,且后2个基因为重叠基因,分别编码129和252个氨基酸,rpl22和rps3蛋白的等电点分别为12.605和11.755。【结论】WBD与16SrⅠ-C亚组中三叶草绿变病(Clover phyllody)的KVE、KVG、CPh株系亲缘关系最近,核苷酸同源性依次为99.7%,99.6%和99.0%,WBD与KVE株系的rpl22和rps3基因编码的氨基酸同源性分别为100%和98%,因此将小麦蓝矮病植原体划归到16SrⅠ-C亚组。     

不同氮源日粮中添加烟酸对绵羊瘤胃发酵的影响

【目的】研究3种不同氮源日粮中添加烟酸对绵羊瘤胃发酵的影响,为生产实践提供理论依据。【方法】将9只装有永久性瘤胃瘘管的绵羊随机分为3组,每组3只,分别饲喂豆粕、麻饼和尿素-麻饼型基础日粮。通过体外培养法研究添加一定量烟酸后,3种不同氮源日粮在培养0,0.5,1,2,4,8,12,16,20,22h后,培养液中NH3-N和细菌N质量浓度、原虫数、总挥发性脂肪酸(VFA)及乙酸、丙酸浓度和乙酸/丙酸的变化情况。【结果】添加烟酸后,尿素-麻饼型日粮培养液中NH3-N和细菌N质量浓度和原虫数均高于豆粕型日粮,而豆粕型日粮又高于麻饼型日粮,差异显著性随培养时间而变化;尿素-麻饼型日粮NH3-N质量浓度在培养2h达最高,之后下降,在4h后趋于平稳,而细菌N质量浓度在培养0～12h有升高趋势,12～22h又降低,但差异均不显著(P0.05)。豆粕型日粮在培养2h内NH3-N质量浓度升高,之后下降,在培养4h达最低,4h后又缓慢升高;而细菌N质量浓度在0～8h升高,8～22h下降。麻饼型日粮在培养过程中,NH3-N和细菌N质量浓度差异均不显著(P0.05)。3种日粮培养液中原虫数均在培养后4h达最高值,之后有所下降。不同氮源日粮对总挥发性脂肪酸、乙酸、丙酸浓度及乙酸/丙酸的影响差异均不显著(P0.05)。【结论】添加烟酸后,尿素-麻饼型日粮NH3-N利用率较高,产生较多的细菌和原虫,饲喂效果优于其他2种日粮;麻饼型日粮饲喂效果最差。     

Comparative efficacy of conventional and new rodenticides against Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1778) in wheat and alfalfa crops

In order to compare the efficacies of new rodenticides (sodium selenite and cellulose) and conventional ones (bromadiolone, brodifacoum and cholecalciferol) in controlling Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1778) in wheat and alfalfa crops, experiments were conducted at two sites near Belgrade, Serbia, in the spring of 2008, using a standard EPPO method. The presence of rodent populations, their spatial distribution and density indexes were evaluated by pre-treatment census, and rodenticide efficacy by counting active holes 14 and 28 days after treatment.     

Effects of polymerization changes in maize proteins during nixtamalization on the thermal and viscoelastic properties of masa in model systems

Although nixtamalization is widely used in the food industry, a comprehensive understanding of the influence of proteins on the viscoelastic behavior and thermal properties in masa is still lacking. In this work, the effect of protein changes and its influence on the masa viscoelastic behavior were studied using model systems. Mixtures of lime-starch, zein-starch and lime-zein-starch were cooked at 90 °C from 20 to 150 min. Zein changes during cooking were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Thermal transition temperatures and enthalpies were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Dynamic oscillatory tests were undertaken on model system samples with 50% (w/v) moisture content, using a strain-controlled rheometer. SDS-PAGE showed that zein polymerizes during cooking. In the zein-starch model system, no visible protein bands were found after 30 min cooking; however, when lime was present, five bands were observed in all samples. Thermal transitions were observed around 55–62 °C for all model systems, probably corresponding to starch retrogradation. Rheological studies showed that protein exhibited higher influence in the gel strength by increasing the elastic character of the system. It was hypothesized that the combined effects of lime on starch, zein polymerization and the formation of calcium-zein bonds during cooking, yield a stronger and more elastic gel structure.     

Development of STS markers and establishment of multiplex PCR for Glu-A3 alleles in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) play a key role in determining the processing quality of the end-use products of common wheat. The objectives of this study were to identify genes at Glu-A3 locus, develop the STS markers, and establish multiplex PCR with the STS markers for Glu-A3 alleles. Gene-specific PCR primers were designed to amplify six near-isogenic lines (NILs) and Glenlea with different Glu-A3 alleles (a, b, c, d, e, f and g) defined by the protein electrophoretic mobility. Three Glu-A3 genes with complete coding sequence were cloned, designated as GluA3-1, GluA3-2 and GluA3-3, respectively. Seven dominant allele-specific STS (sequence tagged sites) markers were designed based on the SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) among different allelic variants for the discrimination of the Glu-A3 protein alleles a, b, c, d, e, f and g. Four multiplex PCRs were established including Glu-A3b + Glu-A3f, Glu-A3d + Glu-A3f, Glu-A3d + Glu-A3g, and Glu-A3b + Glu-A3e. These markers and multiplex-PCR systems were validated on 141 CIMMYT wheat varieties and advanced lines with different Glu-A3 alleles, confirming that they can be efficiently used in marker-assisted breeding.     

Phenolic content and antioxidant activity of tortillas produced from pigmented maize processed by conventional nixtamalization or extrusion cooking

The effects of traditional nixtamalization and extrusion cooking on total phenolics, ferulic acid, anthocyanins and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Mexican pigmented (blue and red) and commercial (white and yellow) maize processed into tortillas were investigated. Tortillas prepared from extruded flours retained between 76.2–93.9% and 58–96.7% of total phenolics and total ferulic acid (TFA) respectively, compared to 50.5–75.7% and 19.6–55.8% assayed in traditional tortillas. Approximately 97–99% of TFA in raw kernels and their tortillas was in its bound form. The retention of TFA in traditional tortillas was significantly lower compared to tortillas from extruded flours. Traditional tortillas contained more free ferulic acid compared to tortillas produced from extruded flours indicating that the first process liberated bound ferulic acid with cell walls more efficiently. Blue maize lost more than 55% of the anthocyanins when processed into extruded or traditional tortillas. Approximately 68–92% of the ORAC associated with raw kernels or their tortillas was due to bound compounds. Traditional and extruded tortillas lost 16.4–52.4% and 6.8–24.8%, respectively, of the total ORAC associated with raw grains. Results clearly indicate that the proposed lime-cooking extrusion strategy was instrumental in retaining higher levels of phytochemicals, particularly ferulic acid, and antioxidants in all tortillas.