Biodegradation of viticulture wastes by Pleurotus: a source of microbial and human food and its potential use in animal feeding

The bioconversion of vineyard pruning and grape pomace by Pleurotus spp. using a solid state fermentation (SSF) was evaluated. Fruiting body production and chemical changes in the substrates after harvesting were measured. Biological efficiency and bioconversion ranged from 37.2 to 78.7% and from 16.7 to 38.8%, respectively. The best substrates for mycelial growth and mushroom yield were the mixtures with higher vineyard pruning content. Inclusion of pruning content had higher phenolic components and total sugars, better C/N ratio, and lower crude fat and total nitrogen than pomace. On the contrary, mycelium grew more slowly and scarcely in all treatments with 100% grape pomace. Moisture, protein, fat, and lignin contents were generally higher in mixtures with higher pomace proportion, whereas neutral detergent fiber, hemicellulose, and cellulose contents were higher with pruning content. Pleurotus strains may act depending on the availability of fiber fractions of substrate, and dynamic changes in digestion might occur as these fractions change during fungal growth. The recycling of viticulture residues through SSF by Pleurotus has great potential to produce human food and yields an available high-fiber feed for limited use in ruminants.     

Reproductive Biology in Wild and Silvicultural Managed Populations of Escontria chiotilla (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán Valley, Central Mexico

Reproductive biology of the columnar cactus Escontria chiotilla was analysed in wild and silvicultural managed populations in the Tehuacán Valley, Central Mexico, where this cactus is under domestication because of its edible fruits. Anthesis is diurnal, flowers opening between 8:00 and 17:00 h, the period between 12:00 and 13:00 appearing to be crucial in pollination success since at this time the maximum opening of flowers, turgidity of stigma, and activity of flower visitors, as well as the highest nectar production and pollen release occur. The bees Apis mellifera, Bombus pensylvanicus and Xylocopa mexicanorum, and the hummingbirds Amazilia violiceps, Cynanthus sordidus and Cynanthus latirostris were the most frequent flower visitors during the crucial period, and were observed contacting both stamens and stigma of E. chiotilla. No differences were found in anthesis nor in flower visitors among both population types. Distances separating the populations studied and bridges of individuals of E. chiotilla between them are within the radius that bees and hummingbirds may travel, indicating that spatial barrier to pollen flow are unlikely. Breeding system is self-incompatible. Production of flowers occurs during the whole year in both population types, allowing continual pollen flow among them. This observation confirms reports of high gene flow among the populations studied in previous population genetics studies. The high pollen flow among wild and managed population explains that however the occurrence of artificial selection, the process of domestication is in incipient stages presumably because gene flow counteracts effects of artificial selection.     

Estimation of area burned by forest fires in Mediterranean countries: A remote sensing data mining perspective

Forest fires throughout the world result in tree mortality that can cause substantial timber and carbon losses. There is a critical need to map the areas burned by such fires to guide forest management decisions. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery provides inexpensive and frequent coverage over large areas, facilitating forest health monitoring. In this study a MODIS post-fire image at a spatial resolution of 250 m serves as the starting point of an image mining based method. It involves three algorithms: modeling as a sum of Gaussian functions, kernel based smoothing, and adaptive thresholding. Adaptive thresholding serves as the reference to be compared to the image mining based method. Three spectral indices specifically designed for burned area identification have been used: the Burned Area Index (BAI), the Burned Area Index adapted to MODIS bands (BAIM), and the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR). The κ statistic is applied to quantify the accuracy of the burned areas estimations by relating the estimated area with burned area perimeters measured on the ground by Global Positioning System (GPS). In addition, the κ statistic allows us to identify both the optimal spectral index and the optimal algorithms’ parameters. In this work, an accurate estimation (κ > 0.8) of areas burned by forest fires in Mediterranean countries is achieved, in particular if the BAIM index is used. The accuracy of these estimates is compared with the accuracy obtained by using the reference method by a McNemar’s test. Results show that our image mining based method allows a higher accuracy (the average increase of κ equals to 16%) than the reference method. We conclude that this method adequately maps burned areas, and that it may help management agencies to better understand of landscape-scale burn patterns.     

DNA fingerprinting and quality traits of Corbarino cherry-like tomato landraces

Twenty-five landraces of the cherry-like tomato named Corbarino, a typical niche product grown in the Sarno valley of the Campania region, have been characterized. The landraces used have been compared to eight cultivars widely spread in the same area of cultivation. The genetic diversity within and between landraces was evaluated through the comparison of DNA fingerprints obtained with (GATA)(4) probe hybridized to TaqI digested genomic DNA. Twenty-two of the Corbarino landraces were homogeneous and were unequivocally characterized by their DNA fingerprints. The others are probably "population varieties" in that within each of them polymorphic DNA fragments were identified. According to the characterization of fruit shapes, four groups were identified. One landrace from each group, harvested at the same ripening degree, was further characterized for yield, fruit quality components, antioxidant activities, and carotenoid contents and compared to Faino F(1) and Tomito F(1) hybrids. The Corbarino landraces were all characterized by high yield, a high level of carbohydrates, and high levels of soluble and total solids. Interestingly, the biotype named ISCI 05 was the most suitable for canning. Landraces ISCI 07 and ISCI 05 gave the highest value of antioxidant activities and carotenoid content. These data, together with previously published results, suggested that ISCI 05 should be proposed for the institution of a Label of Origin.     

Factors affecting porcine sperm mediated gene transfer

“Sperm mediated gene transfer” (SMGT) is based on the ability of sperm cells to bind exogenous DNA. The main objective of this study was to improve the production of transgenic pigs by SMGT. Taking into account that there is a lack of repeatability in studies of SMGT and that the mechanism of binding and internalization of exogenous DNA is a question that has not been solved, different factors involved in the production of transgenic animals by SMGT method were evaluated. Here we set out to: (1) evaluate the sperm capacity to bind exogenous DNA after DMSO treatment; (2) determine the location of the transgene–spermatozoa interaction; and (3) evaluate the efficiency of production of transgenic piglets by deep intrauterine artificial insemination (AI) with sperm incubated with DNA. The percentage of DNA binding was higher than 30% after 2 h of co-culture, but it was not affected by sperm treatment with DMSO (0.3% or 3%). The integrity of the sperm plasma membrane plays a critical role in DNA interaction, and altered plasma membranes facilitate interactions with exogenous DNA. DNA bound mainly to spermatozoa with reduced viability. DNA molecules were found to be mainly associated to the post-acrosomal region (61.9%). After deep intrauterine AI a total of 29 piglets were obtained, but none of them integrated the transgene. In conclusion, although it has been confirmed that DNA can associate with boar spermatozoa, the efficiency of producing transgenic pigs by AI was not confirmed by the present experiments, mainly due to a reduced DNA binding to functional spermatozoa.     

Betaines in fruits of Citrus genus plants

Numerous compounds, many of them osmolytes, were quantified in natural juices and in frozen concentrate juices from fruits of plants of the Citrus genus. L-proline, N-methyl-L-proline (hygric acid), N,N-dimethyl-L-proline (stachydrine), 4-hydroxy-L-prolinebetaine (betonicine), 4-hydroxy-L-proline, γ-aminobutyric acid (Gaba), 3-carboxypropyltrimethylammonium (GabaBet), N-methylnicotinic acid (trigonelline), and choline in the fruit juices of yellow orange, blood orange, lemon, mandarin, bitter orange (Citrus aurantium), chinotto (Citrus myrtifolia), and grapefruit were analyzed by sensitive HPLC-ESI-tandem mass spectrometry procedure. It was found that the most represented osmolytes in the juices, that is, L-proline, stachydrine, and betonicine, can be quantified with minimal sample preparation and short analysis time (about 1 min) also by flow injection analysis (FIA) ESI-MS/MS with the same results as obtained by HPLC ESI-MS/MS. In all of the juices, discrete amounts of choline and trigonelline were present. Conversely, GabaBet was always below detection limits. Notably, N-methyl-L-proline and 4-hydroxy-L-prolinebetaine, which were discovered for the first time in the juice of bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso et Poit), are also present in all of the citrus juices examined.     

Partial rootzone drying maintains fruit quality of ‘Golden Delicious’ apples at harvest and postharvest

Partial rootzone drying (PRD) has been evaluated at harvest, but its effects on apple fruit postharvest life is little known for apples grown in semi-arid regions. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that water savings via PRD may affect fruit quality at harvest and postharvest-life of ‘Golden Delicious’ apples grown in a semi-arid region. The experiment was conducted from 2005 to 2007. The irrigation treatments were commercial irrigation as control (CI) and PRD. After 3 years of evaluation, fruit quality at harvest, measured as fruit weight, flesh firmness, and total soluble solids concentration, was similar between CI fruit and PRD fruit. Dry matter concentration (DMC) was higher in PRD fruit than in CI fruit in 2005. The fruit quality after 18 days storage at room temperature (13–18 °C and 51–56% relative humidity) was similar between CI fruit and PRD fruit. The DMC was the highest in PRD fruit in the 2005 and 2007 growing seasons, and tended to be higher in PRD fruit than in CI fruit in 2006. Total soluble solids concentration was ≈8.7% higher in PRD fruit than in CI fruit in 2007. Fruit weight loss was similar between treatments. This study suggests that water deficit via PRD did not damage fruit quality at harvest or after storage at room temperature. Additionally, PRD irrigation saved about 3240 m³ of water per hectare. Therefore, PRD can be recommended for commercial use in semi-arid regions and to those growers interested in either long-term storage or distant markets.     

Histological study of the gastrointestinal tract in longfin yellowtail (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Seriola rivoliana</Emphasis>) larvae

This work contributes basic knowledge on larval development of Seriola rivoliana. A histological study describes the development of the digestive tract and accessory glands in S. rivoliana larvae reared under laboratory conditions at 24 °C from hatching to 30 days post-hatching (DPH). At hatching (2.6 ± 0.12 mm), larvae had an undifferentiated digestive tract with a closed straight tube and a large yolk sac with an oil globule. The liver and pancreas were observed at 1 and 2 days, and the mouth and anus opened at day 2. Enriched rotifers were visible in their digestive tract. At the beginning of the pre-flexion stage, a mixed nutritional period was observed. At day 3, exogenous feeding began; the digestive tract became differentiated into the buccopharynx, esophagus, an undifferentiated stomach, and the intestines. Zymogen granules were visible in the exocrine pancreas. At day 4, supranuclear vacuoles were present in the posterior intestine, indicating the beginning of intracellular digestion. At day 5, goblet cells were present in the esophagus and became functional at day 7 in the esophagus and intestine. The buccopharynx goblet cells developed at day 15. The presence of gastric glands and differentiation of the stomach in the fundic, cardiac, and pyloric regions during the post-flexion stage occurred at day 20. This was the onset of the juvenile period and the beginning of weaning; however, a long co-feeding phase is recommended. Pyloric caeca were observed at day 30 (13.6 ± 1.6 mm). These results provide valuable information on S. rivoliana larvae biology and digestive physiology, which should be useful to improve cultivation techniques and identify ecological features involved in ontogeny.