Fatty acid content,health and risk indices,physicochemical composition,and somatic cell counts of milk from organic and conventional farming systems in tropical south-eastern Mexico

Organic agriculture and livestock farming is claimed to promote animal welfare and can offer animal products with better hygienic-sanitary quality, based on principles of health, ecology, fairness, and care. However, no clear advantages of organic milk (OM) versus conventional milk (CM) from tropical conditions are available. The aims of the study were to determine fatty acid profile, health-promoting (HPI) and thrombogenic (TI) indices, physicochemical composition, and somatic cell counts (SCC) of OM and CM in tropical south-eastern Mexico. Female cross-breed cows (400–600 kg) were employed. CM had larger values of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) (63.6 %; 4.57 %) than OM (61.48 %; 4.22 %), while OM resulted in a larger value of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) (34.3 %) than CM (31.7 %). HPI and TI showed that OM was more favorable than CM. Milk production and physicochemical composition (PC) as well as density had no significant difference, while SCC was significantly lower in OM than in CM on a monthly basis. These results showed that OM promotes a healthful and balanced diet, and is already produced by sustainable ecologic technologies employing traditional agrosilvopastoral management, which is more environmentally friendly and promotes ecological resilience.     

Gastrointestinal Parasites of Stabled and Grazing Horses in Central and Northern Greece

The aim of this investigation was to compare parasites found in feces from stabled and grazing horses in Greece. For this, a total of 223 fecal samples were collected from horses from various parts of Central and Northern Greece. One hundred fifty were stabled and 73 were grazing horses, used for riding, working, or breeding. One hundred came from seven riding clubs, 73 from one breeding farm, and 50 were work horses from five farms. Parasitologic investigation was performed by applying three fecal examination techniques (Teleman's, zinc flotation, and stained smears) to detect ova, larvae, and oocysts of parasites. It was found that 77 the 223 horses (34.5%) in the study were infected with one or more parasite species. In the stabled horses, the most common parasites detected were eggs of strongyles, Strongyloides spp, Anoplocephala spp, Habronema spp, and Parascaris equorum and oocysts of Eimeria spp and Cryptosporidium spp; in the grazing horses, Anoplocephala spp. Strongyles were significantly more prevalent in the group of stabled horses than in the other group (P < .05). The results of the current study demonstrate that parasite infection is highly prevalent in horses in Greece.     

Inference of admixture in the endangered Blanca Cacereña bovine breed by microsatellite analyses

Blanca Cacereña cattle is the most threatened Spanish bovine breed. Although a Conservation Plan, exists, the little reproductive success and some chromosome abnormality were observed in the breed making it advisable to extend the genetic basis of the animals opening up the recorded herd book to new animals from local farms. However, the crossing with meat breeds like Charolais cattle is used to improve the commercial product. We used 30 microsatellites to determine the Charolais genetic influence in the current herds by the identification of the hybrids and to recognize new “purebred” animals in the “Blanca Cacereña” population. Blood samples were taken from animals of Blanca Cacereña bovine breed (112 animals with pedigree and 68 without pedigree), Charolais breed (60 animals) as a breed used commercially in crosses with Blanca Cacereña, and Retinta breed (60 animals) as a reference population. STRUCTURE analyses were performed with or without prior population information to assign individuals to breed, identifying admixed individuals, and inferring their ancestry. We have found that 37/68 animals without pedigree were purebred. Our results will be useful to manage a conservation plan of the breed, preserving the characteristic genetic pool and avoiding its extinction.     

Competition for nodule occupancy between introduced and native strains of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii

The aim of this work was to evaluate the competitive ability between Rhizobium leguminosarum bv trifolii strain U204 used as commercial inoculants in Uruguay for Trifolium repens L. and Trifolium pratense L. and two native strains isolated from inoculated pastures of T. pratense. T126 is an efficient nitrogen fixer and a melanin producer strain; T70 is inefficient and a melanin non-producer strain; and U204 is very efficient in both hosts but is a melanin non-producer strain. Competitiveness between the strains was determined in experiments in pots and in growth pouches under controlled conditions. In the last experiment, we evaluated pH of plant nutrient solution and inoculum ratios. Plant dry weight was determined, and the identification of nodule bacteria was done using melanin production and DNA fingerprinting (GTG₅-PCR). The U204 symbiotic efficiency was not affected by the co-inoculation with the others two native strains. The T70 strain was a poor competitor when was co-inoculated with one of the effective strains in both experiments. Our results confirmed a “selective nodulation” because an effective symbiosis occurred preferentially over an ineffective one in Trifolium species. The native effective strain competed with U204 for nodule formation in both clovers species, but the nodule occupancy depended on the inoculum ratio. The pH of nutritive solution did not affect competition ability of the studied strains. It may be possible to isolate efficient, competitive, and genetically different native rhizobial strains to be used as inoculant strains for clover pastures in Uruguay. Both (GTG)₅-PCR and melanin production were useful methods to identify nodulating bacteria in competition studies.     

Ambiguous genetic relationships among coconut (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cocos nucifera</Emphasis> L.) cultivars: the effects of outcrossing,sample source and size,and method of analysis

A prior analysis of eight coconut cultivars with 15 microsatellite (SSR) markers drew unexpected relationships between two of the out-crossing tall cultivars evaluated: ‘Atlantic Tall’ and ‘Panama Tall’. We further investigated the relationships between these eight cultivars by increasing the number of individuals studied (particularly for ‘Atlantic Tall’ and ‘Panama Tall’), by including 28 more molecular markers, and by adding two other cultivars to our analysis. Our results show that five to ten coconut individuals do not represent a dependable sample to withdraw conclusions regarding cultivar/variety relationships, particularly when studying out-crossing genotypes. As suggested in the prior study, a high level of hybridization was observed between the ‘Atlantic Tall’ and ‘Panama Tall’ cultivars. However, at this time we were able to identify distinct groups for each one of these two cultivars. The two clustering methods used (Neighbor Joining, NJ and Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic mean, UPGMA) produced dendrograms that resolved contrasting cultivar relationships, especially for the ‘Atlantic Tall’ and ‘Panama Tall’ cultivars. We discuss the implications of our results in regard to current scenarios of coconut domestication and future considerations when assessing genetic relationships among different varieties.     

Mitogenic effect of Carthamus lanatus extracts, fractions and constituents

Extracts, fractions and constituents of Carthamus lanatus were tested for their mitogenic effect on bone marrow cells in mice. Most of the studied samples inhibited cell proliferation and only the flavonoid glycoside rutin caused increasing of mitotic activity.     

Changes in color and odorant compounds during oxidative aging of Pedro Ximenez sweet wines

Pedro Ximenez sweet wines obtained following the typical criaderas and solera method for sherry wines and subjected to oxidative aging for 0, 1.3, 4.2, 7.0, or 11.5 years were studied in terms of color and aroma fraction by using the CIELab method and gas chromatography, respectively. The parameters defining the CIELab color space (a*, b*, and L*) were subjected to a multiple-range test (p<0.05) that allowed discrimination of the five wine aging levels studied into five uniform groups according to aging time. The aroma fraction was found to include 15 active odorant compounds with OAV > 1 that enriched the wines with fruity, fatty, floral, and balsamic notes during the aging process. The changes in color parameters and active odorants were not linearly related to aging time, being especially marked during the first 1.3 years and then less substantial up to the 7 years, the oldest wines exhibiting sensorial properties markedly departing from all others. For the wines aged over 1.3 years (minimum aging), 2,3-butanedione, linalool, and decanal can be used as reliable fingerprints of the older wines' quality.     

Assessment of runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) germplasm for tolerance to low temperature during early seedling growth

The runner bean requires moderately high temperatures for optimum germination and growth. Low temperature at sowing delays both germination and plant emergence, and can reduce establishment of beans planted early in the growing season. The objective of this work was to identify potential runner bean germplasm with tolerance to low temperature and to assess the role of this germplasm for production and breeding. Seeds of 33 runner bean accessions were germinated in a climate-controlled chamber at optimal (17°C-day/15°C-night) and at sub-optimal (14°C-day/8°C-night) temperature. The low temperature tolerance was evaluated on the basis of germination, earliness, ability to grow and vigor. Differences in agronomical characters were significant at low temperatures for germination, earliness, ability to grow and early vigor except for emergence score. The commercial cultivars Painted Lady Bi-color, Scarlet Emperor, the Rwanda cultivar NI-15c, and the Spanish cultivars PHA-0013, PHA-0133, PHA-0311, PHA-0664, and PHA-1025 had the best performance under cold conditions.     

Soil microbial activity after restoration of a semiarid soil by organic amendments

Unsuitable agricultural practices together with adverse environmental conditions have led to degradation of soil in many Mediterranean areas. One method for recovering degraded soils in semiarid regions, is to add organic matter in order to improve soil characteristics, thereby enhancing biogeochemical nutrient cycles. In this study, the effect of adding the organic fraction of urban wastes (both fresh and composted) on different carbon fractions and on microbiological and biochemical parameters (microbial biomass C, basal respiration and different enzymatic activities) of a degraded soil of SE Spain has been assessed in a 2 year experiment. Three months after the addition of the organic material, spontaneous plant growth occurred and the plant cover lasted until the end of the experiment. Organic soil amendment initially increased the levels of soil organic matter, microbial biomass, basal respiration and some enzyme activities related to the C and N cycles These values decreased but always remained higher than those of the unamended soil. The results indicate that the addition of urban organic waste is beneficial for recovering degraded soils, the microbial activity of which clearly increases with amendment. The incorporation of compost seemed to have a greater positive effect on the soil characteristics studied than the incorporation of fresh organic matter.