Positive effects of plant growth regulators on physiology responses of Fragaria × ananassa cv. ‘Camarosa’ under salt stress

This experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of foliar spraying salicylic acid (SA) and methyl Jasmonate (MJ) on the physiology responses of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa cv. ‘Camarosa’) grown under salinity stress. According to results, SA and MJ significantly reduced the injuries caused by salt stress, possibly through promoting K⁺ accumulation as well as decreasing the electrolyte leakage and Na⁺ contents in the leaves. The best protective effects resulted from 0.75 mM SA and 0.25 mM MJ treatments. These results indicate that SA and MJ can effectively improve the defense system and antioxidant capacity of strawberry in the salt affected environments.     

Organic acid blends improve intestinal integrity,modulate short-chain fatty acids profiles and alter microbiota of broilers under necrotic enteritis challenge

Controlling enteric diseases of broilers is crucial.Among many additives,organic acids(OA)and their blends are gaining attention to combat diseases in the post-antibiotic era.The current study evaluated the potentials of short-chain fatty acids(SCFA)and medium-chain fatty acids(MCFA)blends and/or phenolic compounds on intestinal integrity,intestinal pH,caecal microbiota,and caecal SCFA profiles of broilers under necrotic enteritis(NE)challenge.The additives used were:(A)a blend of SCFA,MCFA,and a phenolic compound(SMP),(B)a blend of free and buffered SCFA with MCFA(SMF),and(C)a blend of free and buffered SCFA with a high concentration of MCFA(SHM).A total of 1,404 male parental chicks of Ross 308 broilers were randomly allocated to 78 floor pens on hatching day with 6 treatments replicated 13 times with 18 birds per pen.The treatments were:UCC,unchallenged control;CHC,challenged control;BAC,challenged group plus zinc bacitracin;SMP,challenged group plus additive SMP;SMF,challenged group plus additive SMF;SHM,challenged group plus additive SHM.Birds were challenged with field-strain Eimeria spp.on d 9 and Clostridium perfringens on d 14.Birds challenged with NE increased fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran(FITC-d)concentration in serum,reduced acetate and butyrate concentrations,and increased Bacteroides and C.perfringens load in the caeca(P<0.05).Birds fed additives decreased FITC-d from gut to serum,reduced Bacteroides(d 16,P<0.05)and numerically reduced C.perfringens load compared to CHC group.Birds fed additive SHM had higher concentrations of acetate and butyrate(d 21,P<0.05)than CHC group but were not different from SMP and SMF groups.All the additives exhibited similar intestinal protection against NE compared to the BAC group indicated by FITC-d concentration in serum,acetate,propionate and butyrate concentrations in the caeca,and caecal bacterial loads except for the C.perfringens(P>0.05).The SMP group had a higher load compared to BAC(P<0.05).These findings suggest the promising effects of OA blends as alternatives to BAC to ameliorate the impact of NE challenge of broilers as indicated by improved intestinal health.     

Essay of Different Extraction Procedures in Capelin Fish Meal for Biogenic Amine Determination by HPLC

This study assesses the effects of different extraction procedures of biogenic amines in capelin fish meal with different concentrations of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) for their determination by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). No significant differences were noted between the use of TCA at 7.5 and 10% for the extraction of biogenic amines in E1 and E3 extraction, except for tyramine. The extraction using 7.5% TCA in one step and centrifugation (E1) was a simple and rapid method. This extraction seems to be the most suitable for the extraction of amines in these kinds of samples, compared to the other methods tested. The biogenic amine that presented the highest levels in the fish meal studied was cadaverine (208–226 mg/kg), followed by putrescine and histamine (164–173 and 44–46 mg/kg, respectively). Biogenic amine levels were low when compared to the toxic levels observed in these kinds of products.     

Effects of different photoperiods on growth, stress and haematological parameters in juvenile great sturgeon Huso huso

The effects of constant light (24L:00D), no light (00L:24D) and two light–dark periods (18L:06D;12L:12D) on the growth, stress and haematological variables were assessed in juvenile great sturgeon, Huso huso . During the 8-week experimental period, juveniles (22.5 ± 0.6 g) were kept under a 150 lx light intensity in fibreglass tanks (0.8 m², 500 L). Differences in growth were insignificant during the experiment, but lactate levels were higher in the 00L:24D and 24L:00D photoperiods compared with 12L:12D and 18L:06D photoperiods. Cortisol levels did not show differences among the various photoperiods. At the end of the experimental period, fish reared under a 12L:12D photoperiod had higher haemoglobin values and erythrocyte numbers than in the other photoperiods, while no differences were found between groups with regard to haematocrit values or leucocyte numbers. The highest survival rate (89%) was observed in the 12L:12D period in which the levels of lactate and cortisol as stress indicators were minimal. The results indicate that various photoperiods cause different stress levels in juvenile great sturgeon and have no significant effects on growth, at least in short time periods.     

Investigation on protective effect of recombinant protein (OmpTS) of Aeromonas hydrophila in Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

The outer membrane protein of Aeromonas hydrophila is a potential candidate for vaccine development. In this study, after cloning and expression of ompTS, 270 common carp, weighing 44 ± 5.7 g divided into five groups, were injected intraperitoneally twice with 3‐week intervals. Groups included the following: PBS, PBS plus Freund's adjuvant, recombinant protein, recombinant protein plus Freund's adjuvant and 20 fish as negative control. Two weeks after the second injection, 30 fish of each group were challenged with a dose of 2 × LD₅₀ of Aeromonas hydrophila and RPS was measured. The antibody level was measured using ELISA test. The protection of recombinant protein in the immunized fish with and without adjuvant, respectively, was about 82.61% and 78.26% (the protection of recombinant protein electroeluted from an SDS–PAGE with and without adjuvant, respectively, was about 78.62% and 69.57%). The average of antibody level in recombinant protein with and without adjuvant was significantly higher than the PBS group (p < .05). The ability of recombinant ompTS to increase the antibody level and to protect the fish from challenge by A. hydrophila demonstrated that recombinant ompTS protein injection can be used to immunize common carp against A. hydrophila infection.     

Study on some morphological and physical attributes of walnut used in mass models

Physical properties of horticultural products are important in designing the sorting, transporting, processing and packaging systems. Among physical attributes, dimensions, weight, volume, projected areas and porosity are useful for designing grading systems. This study carried out on four superior walnut (Juglands regia) genotypes, which were selected from primary morphological screening of 608 genotypes in Neyriz city, Iran. G-570 with higher nut weight (12.46 g), kernel weight (8.25 g) and kernel ratio of 66.21% was a promising genotype among others. Regarding studied physical properties, G-570 was 44 mm in diameter significantly different from other genotype. In this research walnut mass was predicted by using different physical properties with linear and nonlinear models as three classifications (dimension, projected areas and volume). Results showed that the highest correlation was between models number three, two and one. Among grading system based on dimensions in walnut (first classification), minor diameter model with nonlinear relation was the best and could be considered as a good model for economical and horticultural designing systems.     

Prediction of diameter in blended nanofibers of polycaprolactone-gelatin using ANN and RSM

Fabrication of nanofibers with a defined diameter is a primary purpose of the electrospinning process. The diameter of nanofiber is directly related to its individual features, such as mechanical property and porosity. The motivation to conduct the current study was to explore the diameter of hybrid nanofibers of polycaprolactone-gelatin (PCL-GT) as one of the most attractive scaffolds employed in various research fields, such as tissue engineering and industrial fields. We have developed two predictive models describing the electrospinning process of PCL-GT using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN). The effect of 4 variables on diameter was analyzed, including total polymer concentration, ratio of PCL to Gel, voltage, and tip-to-collector distance. The individual and interactive effects of the mentioned factors were analyzed using RSM. The total polymer concentration had the most significant individual effect on the diameter of PCL-Gel nanofiber, whereas the other three factors showed less strong individual effects, although, the interactive effects of these factors were more remarkable. It was demonstrated that both models, especially the ANN model, could accurately predict the diameter of PCL-GT nanofiber (regression coefficient > 0.92, mean absolute percentage error < 5.7). The represented predictive models could facilitate construction of electrospun nanofibers from PCL-Gel with wellcontrolled diameter required for any intended purpose.     

Effects of vegetation pattern and of biochar and powdery soil amendments on soil loss by wind in a semi-arid region

Dust emission from wind erosion is a widespread phenomenon in arid and semi-arid areas having considerable implications for ecosystems and human well-being. However, few studies have examined the efficiency of biochar amended to soil on wind erosion control. Aimed at studying the effect of biochar on resistance of soils against wind erosion, a wind tunnel experiment was conducted. We tested (a) soils amended with hard waste walnut wood biochar and soft maize cob biochar, and (b) soils amended with powdery waste wood and powdery maize cob, and compared them with (c) non-treated soil, in their susceptibility to wind erosion and also the additional effect of various patterns of vegetation cover. Amending soil with biochar and powdery material did significantly increase their resilience to wind erosion because of increased soil aggregation. In comparison with the non-treated control, the mass flux of un-vegetated soil reduced from 4.42 to 1.86 g m⁻² s⁻¹ for the waste walnut wood biochar, from 4.28 to 1.50 g m⁻² s⁻¹ for maize cob biochar, from 4.11 to 1.44 g m⁻² s⁻¹ for powdery maize cob and from 3.97 to 1.14 g m⁻² s⁻¹ for powdery waste walnut wood. When combining amendments with vegetation, there was still a substantial improvement, though the soil treatments responded differently in terms of soil loss to different vegetation patterns. A single row vegetation pattern had the highest mass flux, while a zigzag vegetation pattern had the lowest. In conclusion, waste wood or maize cobs, whether applied as biochar or as powdery material, are able to fix soil and reduce wind erosion.     

Grouping patterns of rainfed winter wheat test locations and the role of climatic variables

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is a member of genus Potyvirus, which causes worldwide soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield loss and seed quality deterioration. It is of great significance to find new resistance loci and genes for cultivation of soybean variety. In the present study, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) panel, which contained 193 lines and 379 germplasms, respectively, were used for QTL mapping of resistance to SMV. Linkage mapping identified a major QTL, qSMV13, on chromosome 13, conferring resistance to SMV SC3 and SC7 strains, explaining phenotypic variations 71.21 and 76.59?%, respectively. The QTL qSMV13 was located close to the known SMV resistance loci Rsv1-h. GWAS analysis revealed five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with resistance to SC3 on chromosomes 2, 11, 13, 14 and 16. One of the SNP markers, ss715614844, was the right flanking marker of qSMV13. Combining linkage mapping and GWAS analysis enabled us to delimit qSMV13 in a 97.2-kb genomic region containing seven genes. A LRR-RLK protein was proposed as the candidate gene of qSMV13. These results provided selection markers and candidate genes for SMV resistance in soybean molecular breeding programs.

     

Soil hydraulic and physico-chemical properties of Ultisols and Inceptisols in south-eastern Nigeria

Understanding soil water dynamics and storage is important to avoid crop failure on highly weathered, porous and leached soils. The aim of the study was to relate soil moisture characteristics to particle-size distributions and chemical properties. On average, Atterberg limits were below 25% in the A-horizon and not more than26.56% in the B-horizon, whereas soil bulk density was between 1.27 and 1.66Mgm^?3. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_sat) was generally between 0.20 and 5.43 cm h^?1 in the top soil and <1.31 cm h^?1 in the subsoil. The higher K_sat values for the A-horizons were attributed to the influence soil microorganisms operating more in that horizon. The amount of water retained at field capacity or at permanent wilting point was greater in the B-horizons than in the A-horizons, suggesting that clay accumulation in the B-horizon and evapotranspiration effects in the A-horizon may have influenced water retention in the soils. Soil moisture parameters were positively related to clay content, silt content, exchangeable Mg²⁺, Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃, and negatively related to sand content, SiO₂, sodium absorption ratio, exchangeable sodium percentage and bulk density. The low clay content may explain why drainage was so rapid in the soils.