Zinc bioavailability response curvature in wheat grains under incremental zinc applications

Zinc application is generally recommended to enrich wheat grains with Zn; however, its influence on Zn bioavailability to humans has not received appreciable attention from scientists. In this pot experiment, seven Zn rates (from 0 to 18 mg kg^?1 soil) were applied to two wheat cultivars (Shafaq-2006 and Auqab-2000). Application of Zn significantly increased grain yield, grain Zn concentration and estimated Zn bioavailability, and significantly decreased grain phytate concentration and [phytate]:[Zn] ratio in wheat grains. The response of grain yield to Zn application was quadratic, whereas maximum grain yield was estimated to be achieved at 10.8 mg Zn kg^?1 soil for Shafaq-2006 and 7.4 mg Zn kg^?1 soil for Auqab-2000. These estimated Zn rates were suitable for increasing grain Zn concentration and Zn bioavailability (>2.9 mg Zn in 300 g grains) to optimum levels required for better human nutrition. Conclusively, Zn fertilization for Zn biofortification may be practiced on the bases of response curve studies aimed at maximizing grain yield and optimum Zn bioavailability. Moreover, additive Zn application progressively reduced the grain Fe concentration and increased the grain [phytate]:[Fe] ratio. However, a medium Zn application rate increased grain Ca concentration and decreased the grain [phytate]:[Ca] ratio. Hence, rate of Zn application for mineral biofortification needs to be carefully selected.     

Geographical distribution of traits and diversity in the world collection of pearl millet [<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pennisetum glaucum</Emphasis> (L.) R. Br., synonym: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cenchrus americanus</Emphasis> (L.) Morrone] landraces conserved at the ICRISAT genebank

The genebank at ICRISAT conserves the largest collection of 23,092 pearl millet germplasm accessions originating in 52 countries. A total of 15,979 landraces originating in 34 countries and having geographic coordinates of the collection sites were selected to investigate the geographical distribution of pearl millet traits and diversity in the collection. Results revealed adaptation of pearl millet to latitudes ranging between 33.00°S and 36.91°N. Landraces with early flowering (33–40 days) were predominant in Pakistan, Ghana, Togo and India; with very late flowering (121–159 days) in Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic; with short plant height (80–100 cm) in India, Zambia and Sudan; with tallness (401–490 cm) in Chad, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and the Central African Republic; with high tillering (11–35) in India and Yemen; with high panicle exsertion (11–29 cm) in Ghana, Chad, India and Yemen; with long panicles (75–135 cm) in Nigeria and Niger; with thick panicles (41–58 mm) in Namibia, Togo and Zimbabwe and those with large seeds (16–19 g 1000 seeds^?1) were predominant in Togo, Benin, Ghana and Burkina Faso. Collections from Ghana for flowering (36–150 days), Burkina Faso for plant height (80–490), India and Yemen for total (1–35) and productive (1–19) tillers per plant, Niger for panicle exsertion (?45 to 21.0), panicle length (9–135 cm) and thickness (12–55 mm) and Zimbabwe for 1000 seed weight (3.5–19.3 g), were found as important sources for trait diversity. Launching collection missions for trait-specific germplasm is suggested to enrich the world collection of pearl millet at ICRISAT genebank for diversity.     

香蕉园主要节肢动物群落多样性研究

香蕉园主要节肢动物群落组成有７４科１５２种。优势种包括香蕉冠网蝽（Ｓｅｐｈａｎｉｔｉｓ ｔｙｐｉｃａ）、茶袋蛾（Ｃｒｙｐｔｏｔｈｅｌｅａ ｍｉｎｕｓｃｕｌａ）、香蕉交脉蚜（Ｐｅｎｔａｌｏｎｉａ ｎｉｇｒｏｎｅｒｕｏｓａ）、广西抚蛛（Ｕｌｏｂｏｒｕｓ ｇｕａｎｇｘｉｅｎｓｉｓ）、草间钻头蛛（Ｈｙｌｙｐｈａｎｔｅｓ ｇｒａｍｉｎｉｃｏｌｕｍ）、幼豹蛛（Ｐａｒｄｏｓａ ｐｕｓｉｏｌａ）、立毛蚁（Ｐａｒａ     

Effects of seed-placed sulfur fertilizers on canola,wheat, and pea yield; sulfur uptake; and soil sulfate concentrations over time in three prairie soils

The form of sulfur fertilizer can influence its behavior and crop response. A growth chamber study was conducted to evaluate five sulfur fertilizer forms (ammonium sulfate, ammonium thiosulfate, gypsum, potassium sulfate, and elemental sulfur) applied in seed row at 20 kg S ha^?1 alone, and in combination with 20 kg phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅) ha^?1, to three contrasting Saskatchewan soils. Wheat, canola, and pea were grown in each soil for 8 weeks and aboveground biomass yields determined. The fate of fertilizer was evaluated by measuring crop sulfur and phosphorus concentration and uptake, and supply rates and concentrations of available sulfate and phosphate in the seed row. Canola was most responsive in biomass yield to the sulfur fertilizers. Sulfate and thiosulfate forms were effective in enhancing soil-available sulfate supplies in the seed row, crop sulfur uptake, and yield compared to the elemental sulfur fertilizer. Combination of sulfur fertilizer with monoammonium phosphate may provide some enhancement of phosphate availability, but effects were often minor.     

Characterization of Embryonic Stages through Variations in the Egg＇s Contents in Spodoptera fitura

This paper describes the embryonic development of the common cutworm Spodoptera litura （Fabricius） （Lepidoptera： Noctuidae） which is divided into eight embryonic stages, through variations in the egg＇s contents. Experiments were conducted on the eggs ofS. litura under laboratory conditions. The highest concentration of the protein （min.-max.： 32-! 40 lag/egg） and the lowest of the carbohydrate （min.-max.： 3.0-44.0 lag/egg） were obtained; similarly, the DNA content was smaller （min.-max.： 1.0-38.2 lag/egg） than the RNA （min.-max.： 9.2-360.0 lag/egg） throughout the embryogenesis. Three peaks of ecdysteroid titre were observed which were responsible for appearance of particular events during embryogenesis. The last highest peak of 400_＋33.4 lag/egg was appeared at 84 h after oviposition when larva was ready to hatch. Therefore, it is concluded that eight embryonic stages in S. litura were characterized by fluctuation in the egg＇s contents, which were responsible for gradual-progressive embryonic development. The egg-larval development did not show a normal distribution of embryonic developmental-time.     

不同施氮下双季稻田白天CO2交换与叶面积、生物量的相互影响

研究缓/控释氮肥、氮肥配施硝化抑制剂和微生物菌剂对稻田生态系统白天CO_2净交换、群体叶面积和生物量的影响及其相互关系,有助于进一步了解这几类新型氮肥对稻田碳同化的促进作用及增产效果。为此于2012—2013年在湖北荆州进行大田试验,设置了五种氮肥处理:常规尿素(CK)、树脂包膜控释尿素(CRU)、尿素添加硝化抑制剂氯甲基吡啶(NU)、尿素添加硝化抑制剂二甲基吡唑磷酸盐(DMPP)、尿素配施微生物菌剂(EM)。采用静态箱-气相色谱法连续观测双季稻生态系统白天的CO_2净交换通量,并在各生育期测定水稻群体的叶面积和地上生物量,分析不同氮肥处理下这些指标的变化。结果表明:水稻生长季稻田生态系统白天表现为CO_2的净吸收,净交换通量受气温、降水等气象要素影响较大,在拔节-抽穗阶段出现较高值。相比普通尿素,新型氮肥在不同程度上提高了稻田CO_2净交换,在单个水稻生长季NU提高了13.2%~51.6%的平均CO_2净吸收通量,其次为CRU提高了9.8%~34.1%。在各生育期,新型氮肥对水稻群体叶面积指数和地上生物量表现出更高的促进效果,其中以CRU最为显著,其最大峰值相比CK分别提高了12.4%~18.6%和9.1%~18.8%。通过回归分析发现,水稻群体叶面积指数与CO_2净吸收通量为线性正相关关系,地上生物量与CO_2净吸收通量为抛物线型关系,这在一定程度上说明了水稻群体生长状况与稻田生态系统CO_2同化速率间的关系。包膜控释尿素、添加硝化抑制剂、添加微生物菌剂有助于提高水稻群体叶面积和生物量,促进稻田生态系统CO_2同化,其中树脂包膜控释尿素效果最佳。     

Acid-induced gelation of enzymatically modified, preheated whey proteins

Low-pH whey protein gels are formulated using a sequential protocol of heat treatment, enzyme incubation, and cold-set acidification. The heat-induced disulfide and enzyme-catalyzed epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl)lysine linkages, both at neutral pH, produce a polymerized protein solution. The molecular weights of these samples show an exponential increase with protein concentration. The additional enzyme-catalyzed cross-links cause little change in molecular weight from that of heat-treated samples at low protein concentrations, indicating predominant intramolecular cross-linking. Enzyme treatment at higher protein concentration however causes increase in molecular weight, possibly due to formation of intermolecular cross-links. Acidification of the polymerized protein solutions through glucono-delta-lactone acid leads to gel formation at pH 4. The elastic (G') and viscous (G' ') moduli of gels with and without enzyme treatment show similar frequency dependence, indicating comparable microstructures, consistent with all samples exhibiting similar fractal dimensions of approximately 2 obtained independently using rheology and confocal microscopy. A substantial increase in fracture strain and stress of the gel is achieved by enzyme treatment. However, the elastic modulus (G') is only slightly larger after enzyme treatment compared with heat-treated samples. These results indicate that factors responsible for fracture properties may not be apparent in the gel microstructure and linear viscoelastic properties.     

Enantioselective determination of chiral toxaphene congeners in laying hens and eggs using multidimensional high-resolution gas chromatography

A total of 22 chiral toxaphene congeners were analyzed in organ tissues and eggs of laying hens after they had been fed with food spiked with technical toxaphene. For the analysis, multidimensional high-resolution gas chromatography using a chiral column coated with randomly silylated heptakis(O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-beta-cyclodextrin, electron capture detection, and valveless "live column switching" technique was applied. The analytical results were additionally confirmed with mass spectral data, recorded in electron-capture negative ionization mode with selected-ion monitoring mass spectrometry. During both the feeding period of the laying hens with toxaphene-contaminated food (38 weeks, accumulation phase) and the following subsiding period without toxaphenes (another 14 weeks, decontamination phase), organs (liver, kidney, skin/fat), blood, meat, and eggs of the hens served as model matrices for toxaphene uptake. The enantiomeric ratios (ERs) of congeners 26, 31, 32, 40, 41, 42(a+b), 44, 50, and 62--known as the most important components of technical toxaphene occurring in the environment--could be analytically determined. Significant differences were observed with respect to their initial racemic ratios. On the basis of their chemical structures, the metabolic pathways of some congeners could be explained. Astonishingly, some of the toxaphenes applied as racemates could merely be found as single enantiomers at the end of the feeding program, for example, congener 32 in blood and meat samples or congener 44, especially in organ tissues, which showed ERs of zero or infinity. The findings of this study impressively emphasize that it is essential to isolate and analyze individual toxaphene enantiomers in food and biota tissues to be capable of evaluating their toxicity and metabolization more specifically.     

Effect of six decades of selective breeding on soybean protein composition and quality: a biochemical and molecular analysis

To evaluate the extent of the genetic change and its effects on the seed protein composition of soybean cultivars released during the past 60 years, representative ancestral cultivars and those derived from selective breeding were grown in a side-by-side comparison. Total seed protein content, determined by combustion analysis of nitrogen, revealed a decline in the protein content after decades of selection and breeding. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis comparison of protein profiles of the soybean cultivars indicated that relative expression of most of the seed storage proteins had not varied substantially from the ancestral lines to the present commercial cultivars. There was noticeably less beta-subunit of beta-conglycinin, a protein devoid of sulfur amino acids, in the modern cultivars represented by Mustang, Pioneer 93B09, and Asgrow 3602. Comparison of the amino acid profiles of soybean seed, a benchmark of the protein's nutritional quality, revealed that the ancestral progenitor, G. soja, was significantly higher in cysteine, glutamic acid, histidine, and arginine than either the ancestral or the modern cultivars. Selective breeding over the past 60 years minimally affected the overall amino acid composition. The degree of divergence in the DNA sequence of the genes encoding glycinin and beta-conglycinin in the ancestral and modern cultivars was investigated using Southern hybridization and the polymerase chain reaction. Even though some restriction fragment polymorphisms could be detected, overall, the banding patterns were remarkably similar among the ancestral cultivars and those derived from them, suggesting a high degree of conservation of seed-storage protein genes. The results of our study suggest that selection and breeding for yield during the past 60 years had no major influence on the protein composition, ostensibly because of limited genetic diversity among the parental lines.