Relative importance of Ca,N, and P in enhancing mycorrhizal activity in leucaena leucocephala grown in an oxisol subjected to simulated erosion

Pot experiments were conducted in the greenhouse to determine the combined effects of lime, nitrogen and phosphorus and the relative importance of each of these nutrients in establishing nodulated and mycorrhizal Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit Var. K8 in an oxisol subjected to simulated erosion. Leucaena was grown in the soil inoculated or not with the vesicular‐arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus aggregatum Schenck and Smith emend Koske, with or without a basal nutrient (basal) consisting of K, Mg, S, Zn, Cu, and B plus lime, N, and P (complete) or one of the latter three supplements.

The extent of mycorrhizal colonization of roots as well as mycorrhizal effectiveness, as measured by pinnule P content increased when the eroded soil was amended with combinations of all the nutrients and inoculated with G. aggregatum. Similar trends were observed when symbiotic effectiveness was measured in terms of shoot P, Cu, and Zn status and dry matter yield. Nodule dry matter was also responsive to amendment of the soil with the complete nutrients and to vesicular‐arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation. Phosphorus was found to be the most important nutrient limiting mycorrhizal effectiveness in the eroded soil, followed by N and lime. It is concluded that lost nutrients, particularly P, need to be replaced before legumes can be established successfully on highly weathered eroded soils inoculated with vesicular‐arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.     

Gene cloning,prokaryotic expression and antiviral activities of interferon-αω from Chinese Bama miniature pigs

Veterinary Research Communications - Porcine interferon (PoIFN) complex represents an ideal model for studying IFN evolution that resulted from viral pressure during domestication. IFN-αω...     

Characterization of sand fly breeding sites in district Malakand,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan, and evaluation of risk factors for cutaneous leishmaniasis in the region

Present study was carried to determine the sand fly species composition, breeding sites ecology, seasonal abundance, and spatial distribution in district Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In addition, risk factors associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) were also evaluated. Survey of indoor and outdoor habitats was carried out using sticky traps in 31 villages of Dargai and Batkhela tehsils of Malakand. Soil from habitats of adult and immature sand flies was analysed. Questionnaire-based household survey was also performed in these villages to assess risk factors associated with CL. Soil samples from selected CL positive households were analysed for its contents. Additionally, clinicoepidemiological data from local health centres was examined for the year 2019. Total of 3,140 sand flies belonging to 18 species were collected. Phlebotomus sergenti was the most abundant species (38.16%). Its abundance had a strong positive correlation with mean monthly relative humidity and negative correlation with average temperature. Phlebotomus sergenti and Phlebotomus papatasi were abundant at an elevation ranging from 320 to 1,120 m above sea level and in agricultural lands near human settlements. Flight height preference apparatus collected maximum sand flies at 30 cm (1ft) above the ground and all species associated negatively with height. Soil analysis from habitats of adult and immature flies showed that highest mean number of adults and immatures were recorded from silt loam which carried highest concentrations of K₂O, Mg, Ca, and Zn. Number of immature sand flies correlated moderately (r = .7, p < .05) with K₂O soil concentrations. There was significant similarity between organic matter contents in soil samples from positive breeding sites and CL households (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, p = .1976). In multivariate analysis model for CL risk factors, age (26–35 and >35 years), knowledge of leishmaniasis, living in a middle and upper class, preachers visit to villages, and assumption that Afghan refugees are more prone to CL were significant. CL patient's archived data from health centres showed that majority of patients had lesions on face and hands. Patient's influx was highest in February and March.     

An international multi-centre prospective study on the efficacy of an intraarticular polyacrylamide hydrogel in horses with osteoarthritis: a 24?months follow-up

Background

Polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) was evaluated recently to treat osteoarthritis (OA) in horses with highly encouraging results; however no long term field-study was done to explore its clinical efficacy and lasting effect. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of PAAG in improving clinical signs of OA in horses. We hypothesized that lameness grade would significantly improve and the effect would last at least 2 years in osteoarthritic joints treated with PAAG. Forty three horses older than 2 years with OA in only one joint based on clinical evaluation, intra-articular anaesthesia and imaging (radiography) were included in this study. Horses were injected with 2 ml of PAAG into the affected joint and were followed up at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months. Efficacy of PAAG was evaluated by blinded clinical assessment of lameness. Adverse reactions to joint injection were assessed. Data relating to case details, type of activity, joint and limb involved, lameness duration, lameness grading, previous joint treatment, joint effusion grading, radiographic grading, and owner assessment were recorded. Factors associated with the outcome measure “lameness grading” were analyzed using generalized linear mixed model for logistic regression.

Results

At 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months follow-up, 59%, 69%, 79%, 81/% and 82.5% of horses were non-lame respectively. Reduction of joint effusion was observed over time. No side effect was observed in the treated joints. There was a significant decrease in lameness grade from baseline to 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months (P < 0.0001) and a significant positive association with joint effusion (P < 0.0001). Estimates for odds ratio (OR) showed that the effect of treatment increased over time (OR for lower lameness from month 1 to month 24 relative to baseline increased from 20 to 58).

Conclusions

PAAG significantly alleviated lameness and joint effusion in osteoarthritic joints. PAAG is a safe and lasting (at least 24 months) OA treatment in horses. PAAG is a promising new treatment for OA in horses.     

Contribution of Homestead Forests to Rural Economy and Climate Change Mitigation: A Study from the Ecologically Critical Area of Cox’s Bazar—Teknaf Peninsula,Bangladesh

Small-scale Forestry - Homestead forests in the Teknaf Peninsula ecologically critical area of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh have not been widely studied. This paper explores floristic diversity...     

Direct desaturation of free myristic acid by hen liver microsomal Delta9-desaturase without prior activation to myristoyl-CoA derivative

Direct desaturation of free myristic acid by hen liver microsomal Delta(9)-desaturase without prior activation to myristoyl-CoA by the addition of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and CoA was observed when the incubation medium was mixed at mixing speeds of >250 rpm in the presence of fatty acid-binding proteins (FABP). Desaturation was linear with time and proportional to the microsomal protein concentration. Desaturation was maximal at pH 7.9. The greatest desaturation rate was observed at a mixing speed of 500 rpm in the presence of FABP. Desaturation decreased at mixing speeds of >500 rpm. Data suggest that when myristic acid is bound to FABP in the form of protein-monomer complexes, its activation to the CoA derivative is not necessary for it to be desaturated by the Delta(9)-desaturase when using mixing rates of >250 rpm. Myristic acid-FABP complexes serve as substrates for the Delta(9)-desaturase at mixing rates of >250 rpm. Desaturation was reduced by bovine serum albumin and alpha-bromohexadecanoate, and no desaturation was observed in the absence of FABP. These findings suggest that FABP may regulate the accessibility of fatty acids in the desaturation reaction to the active site of the desaturase rather than just protect the membrane-bound desaturase from the cytotoxic effect of free fatty acids.     

DROUGHT STRESS: Comparative Time Course Action of the Foliar Applied Glycinebetaine,Salicylic Acid,Nitrous Oxide,Brassinosteroids and Spermine in Improving Drought Resistance of Rice

Worldwide rice productivity is being threatened by increased endeavours of drought stress. Among the visible symptoms of drought stress, hampered water relations and disrupted cellular membrane functions are the most important. Exogenous use of polyamines (PAs), salicylic acid (SA), brassinosteroids (BRs), glycinebetaine (GB) and nitrous oxide (NO) can induce abiotic stresses tolerance in many crops. In this time course study, we appraised the comparative role of all these substances to improve the drought tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar Super‐Basmati. Plants were subjected to drought stress at four leaf stage (4 weeks after emergence) by maintaining soil moisture at 50 % of field capacity. Pre‐optimized concentrations of GB (150 mg l^?1), SA (100 mg l^?1), NO (100 μmol l^?1 sodium nitroprusside as NO donor), BR (0.01 μm 24‐epibrassinolide) and spermine (Spm; 10 μm ) were foliar sprayed at five‐leaf stage (5 weeks after emergence). There were two controls both receiving no foliar spray, viz. well watered (CK1) and drought stressed (CK2). There was substantial reduction in allometric response of rice, gas exchange and water relation attributes by drought stress. While drought stress enhanced the H₂O₂, malondialdehyde (MDA) and relative membrane permeability, foliar spray of all the chemicals improved growth possibly because of the improved carbon assimilation, enhanced synthesis of metabolites and maintenance of tissue water status. Simultaneous reduction in H₂O₂ and MDA production was also noted in the plants treated with these substances. Drought tolerance was sturdily associated with the greater tissue water potential, increased synthesis of metabolites and enhanced capacity of antioxidant system. Of all the chemicals, foliar spray with Spm was the most effective followed by BR.     

Induction of systemic resistance to Agrobacterium tumefaciens by endophytic bacteria in grapevine

Crown gall disease of grapevine, caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, often results in severe economic loss to grape production worldwide. This study demonstrated the ability of the endophytic bacteria Pseudomonas sp. Sn48 and Pantoea sp. Sa14 isolated from domesticated and wild grapevines to induce resistance in both above- and belowground tissues of grapevines infected with A. tumefaciens. Our results provide evidence that both strains can colonize roots and/or shoots. We showed that the strains Pseudomonas sp. Sn48 and Pantoea sp. Sa14 are capable of inducing stilbenic phytoalexin production in grapevine tissues and to further prime plantlets for enhanced phytoalexin production after A. tumefaciens inoculation. We also showed that in the majority of treatments, polyamine accumulation remained unchanged or slightly increased in plantlets treated with Pseudomonas sp. Sn48 and Pantoea sp. Sa14 compared with the control. Our findings indicated that the levels of polyamines remain unchanged or significantly decrease in plantlets treated with endophytic bacteria after A. tumefaciens challenge compared to the control and plantlets treated with individual endophytic bacterial strains. PR1, PR2, and PR4 gene expression levels of plantlets treated with Pseudomonas sp. Sn48 and Pantoea sp. Sa14 significantly increased after A. tumefaciens inoculation. The findings revealed the efficacy of the selected endophytic bacteria in triggering grapevine resistance against A. tumefaciens and the possible use of these strains as an alternative to chemical control methods in grapevine crown gall disease management.     

Variation in the Fatty Acid Composition Between and Within Two Mantis Shrimp Species,Harpiosquilla harpax and Miyakea nepa: Impact of Season and Sex

ABSTRACT

Harpiosquilla harpax and Miyakea nepa are two out of 400 marine crustaceans commonly known as mantis shrimp. Mantis shrimp are commercially valuable and can be found in fish markets of some Mediterranean and many Asian countries. This study focused on a comparative analysis of variation throughout the year in regards to proximate and total fatty acid composition in the muscle of male and female H. harpax and M. nepa. The most abundant fatty acids identified in the muscle of both species were C16:0, C18:0, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5n-3), and C20:4n-6. Results of this study revealed that the muscle fatty acid profiles of H. harpax and M. nepa were not significantly different (p > 0.05), except for C14:0, C16:0, C22:0, and DHA amounts, and were mostly influenced by sex within each sampling month. Generally, the muscle of H. harpax contained higher (p < 0.05) levels of DHA than the muscle of M. nepa. The male mantis shrimp, within each species and most of the sampling months, appeared to have higher (p < 0.05) DHA, total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and PUFA/saturated fatty acid ratio compared to the females. Both species could be considered as a good source of n-3 PUFA in the human diet.     

Relationship of Phosphorus Fractions with Soil Properties in Mothbean Growing Acid Soils of North Western Indian Himalayas

Phosphorus (P) availability in acid soils is affected and hence it is important to monitor the distribution of P in acid soils. Here, the relationship was investigated taking 81 surface (0–0.20 m) soil samples into consideration collected from 21 mothbean cultivated areas and were analyzed for different phosphorus fractions in relation to their physical and chemical properties. Results revealed that available P ranged from 8.19 to 15.46 kg ha^–1 which lies in a slightly low-to-medium range. Available P was significantly positively correlated with organic carbon and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The content of soil total P increased significantly with organic carbon and was found in range between 201.00 and 596.11 mg kg^–1 which was in suffice category. Various phosphorus fractions under study viz., Al–P, Fe–P and Ca–P ranged between 20.23–32.28, 34.80–51.44 and 8.57–15.00 mg kg^?1, respectively. Among the various P fractions, organic carbon was positively correlated with Fe–P and Ca–P.