Involvement of Bradyrhizobium japonicum denitrification in symbiotic nitrogen fixation by soybean plants subjected to flooding

Denitrification by Bradyrhizobium japonicum bacteroids contributes to nitric oxide (NO) production within soybean nodules in response to flooding conditions. However, the physiological relevance of NO production by denitrification in B. japonicum-Glycine max symbiosis is still unclear. In this work, soybean plants were inoculated with B. japonicum strains lacking the nirK or norC genes which encode the copper-containing nitrite reductase and the c-type nitric oxide reductase enzymes, respectively. 14 days flooding increased nodule number of plants inoculated with the WT and norC strains, but not of plants inoculated with the nirK mutant. However, nodule dry weight was not affected by 14 days flooding regardless of the strain used for inoculation. Supporting this observation, individual nodule growth was significantly higher in plants inoculated with nirK than those inoculated with WT or norC after 14 days flooding. Nodule functioning was strongly inhibited by flooding since leghemoglobin content of the nodules induced by any of the strains was significantly decreased after 7 or 14 days flooding compared to control plants. However, this effect was more relevant in nodules of plants inoculated with the WT or norC mutant than in those inoculated with the nirK mutant. Nitrogen fixation was also estimated by analyzing nitrogen content derived from biological nitrogen fixation in shoots, using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution technique. By using this approach, we observed that the negative effect of 14 days flooding on nitrogen fixation was more pronounced in plants inoculated with the norC mutant. However, nitrogen fixation of plants inoculated with nirK showed the highest tolerance to 14 days flooding. These findings allowed us to demonstrate the previously proposed hypothesis which suggests that NO formed by copper-containing nitrite reductase in soybean nodules, in response to flooding, has a negative effect on nitrogenase activity. We propose that inoculation of soybeans with a B. japonicum nirK mutant, which does not produce NO from nitrate, increases the tolerance of symbiotic nitrogen fixation to flooding.     

Performance of Granular Starch with Controlled Pore Size during Hydrolysis with Digestive Enzymes

Studies on porous starch have been directed to explore different industrial applications as bio-adsorbents of a variety of compounds. However, the analysis of starch digestibility is essential for food application. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of porous structure on in vitro starch digestibility. Porous starches were obtained using a range of concentrations of amyloglucosidase (AMG), α-amylase (AM), cyclodextrin-glycosyltransferase (CGTase) or branching enzyme (BE). Porous starches exhibited major content of digestible starch (DS) that increased with the intensity of the enzymatic treatment, and very low amount of resistant starch (RS). Porous starches behaved differently during in vitro hydrolysis depending on their enzymatic treatment. AMG was the unique treatment that increased the digestive amylolysis and estimated glycemic index, whereas AM, CGTase and BE reduced them. A significant relationship was found between the pore size and the severity of the amylolysis, suggesting that a specific pore size is required for the accessibility of the digestive amylase. Therefore, pore size in the starch surface was a limiting factor for digestion of starch granules.     

Assessing wild bees in perennial bioenergy landscapes: effects of bioenergy crop composition,landscape configuration,and bioenergy crop area

Context

Wild bee populations are currently under threat, which has led to recent efforts to increase pollinator habitat in North America. Simultaneously, U.S. federal energy policies are beginning to encourage perennial bioenergy cropping (PBC) systems, which have the potential to support native bees.

Objectives

Our objective was to explore the potentially interactive effects of crop composition, total PBC area, and PBC patches in different landscape configurations.

Methods

Using a spatially-explicit modeling approach, the Lonsdorf model, we simulated the impacts of three perennial bioenergy crops (PBC: willow, switchgrass, and prairie), three scenarios with different total PBC area (11.7, 23.5 and 28.8% of agricultural land converted to PBC) and two types of landscape configurations (PBC in clustered landscape patterns that represent realistic future configurations or in dispersed neutral landscape models) on a nest abundance index in an Illinois landscape.

Results

Our modeling results suggest that crop composition and PBC area are particularly important for bee nest abundance, whereas landscape configuration is associated with bee nest abundance at the local scale but less so at the regional scale.

Conclusions

Strategies to enhance wild bee habitat should therefore emphasize the crop composition and amount of PBC.

     

Aboveground biomass,transpiration and water use efficiency in eucalypt plantation fertilized with KCl,NaCl and phonolite rock powder

Potassium has important physiological functions in eucalypt plantations, increasing their productivity when applied to soil via mineral fertilizers. There is interest in identifying alternative sources to KCl owing to its high cost and limited reserves. The aim of the study was to test the effect of replacing KCl with NaCl and phonolite rock powder. Two comparisons were made: (1) application of 283 kg ha^?1 of KCl compared with that of 2125 kg ha^?1 of phonolite rock powder (equivalent to 170 kg ha^?1 of K₂O in both treatments); (2) application of 139 kg ha^?1 of NaCl compared with that of 183 kg ha^?1 of KCl (equivalent to 2.33 kmol Na and K, respectively). Radial growth, soil water content, leaf water potential (Ψ), accumulated transpiration, stem volume and biomass increment, as well as water use efficiency (WUE) were evaluated. In the first comparison, both fertilizations presented equal values for all characteristics evaluated. In the second, the accumulated transpiration in trees fertilized with KCl was 17% higher than that in plants fertilized with NaCl. In contrast, the WUE was 20% higher in the trees fertilized with NaCl than in those fertilized with KCl, reflecting the lower water consumption for the same increment in stem volume and biomass. We conclude that phonolite rock powder and NaCl are possible substitutes for conventional K fertilization performed with KCl.

     

First molecular detection of canine herpesvirus 1 (CaHV-1) in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon

BackgroundCanine herpesvirus type 1 (CaHV-1) infects dogs and is associated with neonatal deaths and reproductive, ocular, neurological, and respiratory problems. In Brazil, reports of CaHV-1 have been restricted to the southeast and south regions, particularly in municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.ObjectivesTo assess the presence and variability of CaHV-1 in canine populations in the state of Pará, North Brazil.MethodsBiological samples from 159 dogs from 4 municipalities in the State of Pará were evaluated using polymerase chain reaction and phylogenetic analyses, with the target being the viral enzyme, thymidine kinase.ResultsCaHV-1 was detected in 13 dogs (8.2%), with 2 animals being from the municipality of Santa Bárbara do Pará, 8 from Algodoal Island, 2 from Salinópolis, and one from Capanema. The study sequences revealed 100% identity among themselves and 64% to 100% identity with the other nucleotide sequences from Australia, Brazil, United Kingdom, and United States, including 100% identity with the 2002 isolate from Australia. The 1996 isolate from France was grouped in a branch that was different from the sequence of this study.ConclusionsThis study presents the first molecular detection of CaHV-1 in dogs from the Amazon region in northern Brazil. The nucleotide identity between the strains and cytosine insertion in the sequences isolated in this study suggests at least 2 strains of CaHV-1 circulating in Brazil (Pará and BTU-1).     

Natural Stable Isotopes for Determination of Gastrointestinal Transit Time in Fish

This study evaluated the application of stable isotopes of carbon as an alternative and more accurate method to determine gastrointestinal transit time (GTT) in fish by comparing it to the inert marker method. The stable isotope method detects alterations of the normal carbon flow in a biological system by analyzing naturally occurring isotopes of carbon, contrary to studies based on conventional techniques that apply external markers to the diet to determine GTT through visual observation of the color change in feces. Therefore, 320 pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus juveniles were reared in 32 tanks under two different temperatures (25 and 29 C). The pacu juveniles received two different diets, one based on ingredients derived from C₃ photosynthetic cycle plants and the other based on C₄ plant ingredients, both containing titanium oxide (TiO₂) as a marker. After 40 d, the isotopic signature of the diets was changed, and the marker was replaced by chromic oxide (Cr₂O₃). In the isotopic technique, the feces were analyzed to determine the exchange in the isotopic ratio of carbon δ¹³C. Both methods found that GTT was faster (nearly 6 h) in fish at 29 C when using the C₄/C₃ feeding strategy and slower in fish at 25 C using the C₃/C₄ strategy (15 h by inert marker and 18 h by the isotopic method). In conclusion, GTT determination in pacu juveniles using the stable isotope technique exhibits the same accuracy obtained with the inert marker method at temperatures suitable (nearly 29 C) for the metabolism of these animals.