Quantitative trait loci associated with trichomes in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum galapagense</Emphasis> accession LA1401

Pest resistance in Solanum galapagense has been associated with the presence of type IV glandular trichomes and allelochemicals. Knowledge of the genetic factors involved in determining the presence and type of trichomes may assist in the process of gene introgression for development of pest resistant tomato cultivars. In this study, we sought to identify QTLs associated with the presence of type IV trichomes in an F₂ population derived from the interspecific cross of Solanum lycopersicum TOM-684?×?S. galapagense accession LA1401. Two QTLs contributing to type IV trichome occurrence and density were detected, one major QTL (gal.IV-2), responsible for 35.22% of phenotypic variation, was located on chromosome 2. The other QTL (gal.IV-3) was located on chromosome 3, and explained 23.35% of the phenotypic variation in the F₂ population. These QTLs were responsible for 26.44 and 3.37% of the variation observed in a progeny derived from a backcross to TOM-684. The same QTLs were also associated with type II?+?III non-glandular trichomes, whose densities were negatively correlated to those of type IV trichomes, suggesting that the loci found may have pleiotropic effects for high type IV/low type II?+?III trichome densities. Our results indicate that the inheritance for type IV trichomes can be explained by a few genetic factors affecting the presence of a gland and the density of trichomes. These results further suggest a revision to trichome classification used for tomato may be appropriate.     

Effect of Extrusion Conditions and the Optimization of Phenolic Compound Content and Antioxidant Activity of Wheat Bran Using Response Surface Methodology

The extrusion process (EP) consists of heat and mechanical treatments under different conditions of moisture, shear, and pressure and rapidly causes structural alterations and changes in the functional properties of the extruded material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of extrusion conditions and optimize the wheat bran extrusion conditions to achieve the greatest content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity using response surface methodology. The EP factors evaluated were feed moisture (FM) (25–33.54%) and final extrusion temperature (T) (140–180 °C). The properties evaluated in the extruded material were bound total phenol content (BTPC), total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (AOX). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and response surface methodology were used in the evaluation. The determination coefficients, (FM)² and (T)², very significantly affected the BTPC and bound 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl content (BDPPHC). The optimization was performed by overlaying two contour plots to predict the best combination regions. The optimized extrusion conditions were the following: FM?=?30% and T?=?140 °C, which provided BTPC?=?3547.01 μgGAE/g (predicted: 3589.3 μgGAE/g) and BDPPHC?=?9.5 μmolTE/g (predicted: 10.4 μmolTE/g); and FM?=?30% and T?=?180 °C, which provided BTPC?=?3342.3 μgGAE/g (predicted: 3727.7 μgGAE/g) and BDPPHC?=?9.5 μmolTE/g (predicted: 9.3 μmolTE/g). The EP increased the phenolic compounds and AOX, and enhancement of these properties in wheat bran products could make them functional foods.     

Influence of Pygoscelis Penguin Colonies on Cu and Pb Concentrations in Soils on the Ardley Peninsula,Maritime Antarctica

Penguins can bioaccumulate metals, a portion of which can be deposited in the environment through organic remains such as excrement, carcasses, and eggshells. In order to determine Cu and Pb concentrations and their relationship to soil, organic matter and grain size were determined in 27 samples collected in zones without penguins, penguin transit zones, and Adelie (Pygoscelis adeliae), Chinstrap (P. antarctica), and Gentoo penguin (P. papua) colonies on the Ardley Peninsula, Maritime Antarctica. An atomic absorption spectrophotometry analysis was carried out, organic matter was determined by loss on ignition, and grain size was measured with a laser diffraction particle size analyzer. The principal component analysis shows a relationship between the variables Cu, Pb, and grain size and areas with penguin presence. Cu concentrations in soils varied among areas (χ², 15.707; p =?0.0004), with higher concentrations in transit zones and penguin colonies (142.63 and 140.79 mg/kg, respectively) than in zones without penguins (83.33 mg/kg). Pb concentrations in soils also varied among areas (χ², 6.5029; p =?0.0387), and were higher in transit zones (5.92 mg/kg) than in the penguin colonies (4.45 mg/kg). Grain size differed significantly among areas (χ², 13.506; p =?0.0012), with higher values in transit zones (avg. 37.38 μm) than in penguin colonies (avg. 26.93 μm) and zones without penguins (avg. 20.72 μm). Organic matter did not differ significantly among the studied zones (χ², 2.0882; p =?0.3520). There is a positive correlation between Cu-Pb (Rho, 0.5532; p =?0.0028), Cu-grain size (Rho, 0.4756; p =?0.0130) and Pb-grain size (Rho, 0.4879; p =?0.0098). The presence of penguins increases Cu concentrations in Antarctic soils due to its bioaccumulation and elimination through excrement; however, the presence of penguins has a minor influence on Pb concentration in soil, probably because this metal is stored efficiently in bones, feathers, and eggshells.     

Tree leaves of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salix babylonica</Emphasis> extract as a natural anthelmintic for small-ruminant farms in a semiarid region in Mexico

The study aimed to test the potential anthelmintic activity of Salix babylonica (SB) extract for the control of gastrointestinal and pulmonary parasites in sheep and goats under field conditions. A representative sample of 20 % of all animals reared in 8 sheep and 7 goat farms was used in the study. Animals from each farm were randomly selected for a total number of 93 sheep and 75 goats. Animals suffered a natural gastrointestinal nematode infection and had never been treated with chemical anthelmintic drugs. The SB extract (20 mL) was orally administered weekly before the morning feeding to each animal for 60 days. Fecal eggs or oocysts were counted at 0, 1, 20, 40, and 60 days after starting the extract administration. Differences (P < 0.01) in the fecal oocyst and egg output of Eimeria, Dictyocaulus, and Moniezia were observed between sheep and goats. In addition, the treatment influenced (P < 0.05) egg outputs of Cooperia, Dictyocaulus, and Trichuris. Fecal egg or oocyst counts of Haemonchus contortus, Eimeria, Cooperia, Chabertia, Dictyocaulus, Moniezia, and Ostertagia were time-dependent (P < 0.05). For sheep, administration of SB decreased (P < 0.05) the fecal eggs count of H. contortus, Cooperia, Chabertia, Dictyocaulus, Moniezia, and Trichuris. After 20 days of treatment, H. contortus, Cooperia, or Moniezia were not detected. For goats, SB reduced (P < 0.05) the fecal egg counts of H. contortus, Cooperia, Chabertia, and Moniezia. Moreover, decreases were observed (P < 0.05) for Chabertia, Trichostrongylus, and Ostertagia. Eggs of H. contortus and Moniezia were not present in the feces after 1 day of administration of the extract. It could be concluded that the weekly administration of SB extract at 20 mL per animal can be used to treat gastrointestinal and lung nematodes of small ruminants in organic and traditional farming systems of tropical regions.     

Genotoxicity in the Offspring of Rats Exposed to Contaminated and Acidified Experimentally Soils

The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic and mutagenic potential of contaminated soil diluted in acidic solutions and not acidic, in the offspring of rats exposed during pregnancy and neonatal periods. To this end, a comet assay and micronucleus test were performed. Soil samples were solubilized in the following three solvents: distilled water (control group), acid solvent at pH 5.2, and acid solvent at pH 3.6. Soil and solvent were mixed in a rate of 1:2 in g/mL, and hydrofluoric acid was used in the acid solvents. In the comet assay, the tail length, percentage of DNA within the tail and tail moment was analyzed in the whole blood of the pups that were studied. The number of micronuclei found in the bone marrow cells was counted in the micronucleus test. In all parameters evaluated in the comet assay, the group exposed to the lowest pH value when associated with contaminated soil (p < 0.05) had the most damage. However, the micronucleus test showed differences between all exposed groups and the control group (p < 0.05). These results reaffirm the health risks related to the exposure to soil contaminants.     

Nitrogen efficiency in hydroponic chicory

An experiment was conducted to develop a model of vegetative growth based on the nitrate concentrations in nutrient solutions using the nutrient film technique and to determine the best cultivar for each concentration. The chicory cultivars (“Pão de Açúcar,” “Folha Larga,” “Precoce de Trieste” and “Catalonha”) and the subplots corresponded to different nitrate concentrations (6.68, 10.0, 13.32 and 16.64 mmol L^?1). There was an interaction between the evaluated factors, such that there was no similarity in the response of the chicory cultivars to the N concentrations in the nutrient solution. The most productive chicory cultivar was “Pão de Açúcar,” which exhibited 10.5% higher productivity than the average, and the least productive was “Folha Larga,” which showed approximately 8.5% lower productivity than the average.     

Effect of experimental arginine supplementation on the growth,immunity and resistance of tilapia fingerlings to Streptococcus agalactiae

Streptococcosis causes serious economic losses to fish farms every year. A four‐week feeding trial was carried out to evaluate arginine (ARG) supplementation in the diet of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings challenged by Streptococcus agalactiae. Fish were fed with experimental diets containing five levels of supplementation with 1.39%, 1.76%, 1.97%, 2.18% or 2.39% analysed level of ARG. Each diet was randomly distributed in 30 tanks containing 20 fish/tank. After 30 days, no differences were observed in performance parameters, weight gain, daily weight gain, specific growth rate, feed intake or food conversion. After the performance assay, fingerlings were infected with 1.95 × 10⁸ CFU/fish of Streptococcus agalactiae. Mortality was verified daily, and the respiratory burst of leucocytes and nitric oxide production were measured at 0 hr, 24 hr, 7 days and 15 days after infection. The survival rate of the fish is compared using the Kaplan–Meier method, with values of 4.29%, 14.8%, 10.8%, 17.2% and 33.3% for the 1.39, 1.76, 1.97, 2.18 and 2.39 treatments respectively. A reduction in the mortality rate and a boost in the immune responses was observed in all the supplementations of ARG in the diet; however, the best survival rates were obtained in the treatments with 2.39% ARG as well as the most efficient immune responses.     

Stress response and lipid composition in shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei fed diets enriched with squid or scallop viscera meal

We substituted 10% of fishmeal with scallop (Argopecten ventricosus) or squid (Dosidiscus gigas) by‐product meal in a feed for shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) growth assay that lasted 60 days and then shrimps were submitted to handling stress. Shrimp fed the control diet had smaller weight gain and lower recovery after stress. Prostaglandins in gills were affected by diet and stress, with significant differences in shrimp fed the control diet before and after the stress. Hydroperoxides were increased after stress, while isoprostanoids were higher in shrimp fed the control diet. The gene expression of Glutathione peroxidase and Catalase was increased on the stressed shrimp fed the scallop diet, with no differences among diets for Superoxide dismutase or Cyclooxygenase. Arachidonic acid in the phospholipid fraction of muscle was the only fatty acid affected by stress and diet. Cholesterol oxidation products were significantly higher in shrimp fed the scallop diet compared to shrimp fed the control diet before applying the stress. A PCA analysis grouped in one‐factor growth variables, as well as Superoxide dismutase, esterified astaxanthin and isoprostane, while another factor was determined by stress, prostaglandin and hydroperoxide levels in gills. The partial substitution of fishmeal with scallop of squid by‐product meals affected growth and stress differently, indicating shrimp that grew up more were not necessarily more tolerant to handling stress, which can have a strong repercussion in aquaculture, particularly during density control, recording of growth and harvest.     

Modelling the biomass yield and the impact of seabream mariculture in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas (Italy)

An individual-based model for Sparus aurata was developed, taking into account the effects on the growth rate of water temperature, food availability and diet composition. The model was identified on the basis of the recent literature regarding the physiological ecology of this species. It was subsequently calibrated and validated by using original field data collected at two Italian fish farms located, respectively, in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas. The mass budget of uneaten food and faeces was computed using the model at each farm: the optimal ingestion rate of a fish was computed based on its wet weight and the temperature of the water, while the faeces estimation considered the different digestibility of lipids, carbohydrates and proteins in the diet. From an applied perspective, the future use of this growth model in relation to mariculture site selection and monitoring might typically be to estimate both the yield and the amount of uneaten food and faeces discharged from a fish cage. This second output represents a useful input for deposition models which are routinely used in the field of mariculture monitoring by different EU countries. The integration of growth and deposition models in a single system could provide a useful tool for the site-selection and monitoring of finfish mariculture operations in Mediterranean environments.