Farmer’s Perception of and Factors Influencing Agroforestry Practices in the Indus River Basin,Pakistan

Agroforestry practices of farming communities are investigated in southern Punjab province, Pakistan. It is hypothesized that rural people of this areas are more inclined than elsewhere in the province to practice agroforestry due to greater profitability than cropping. A landholder survey revealed that the majority of farmers are inclined to plant trees on their land. Low accessibility of institutional credit is a constraint for both agroforestry farmers (AF) and non-agroforestry farmers. However, among AF respondents only 24% were found to need credit for agroforestry practice, as against nearly 76% for crop production. Mostly farmers were found to have positive perceptions regarding agroforestry practice, because they understand the multiple benefits from growing trees, compared with cropping where farmers face various constraints, including poor access to credit, natural hazards, and little support from local authorities. Further, effort to sensitize farmers that growing trees has multiple benefits compared to only cultivation of field crops can bring about change in farmer’s perceptions and attitudes in the Indus River basin, resulting in motivation for agroforestry adoption.     

Therapeutic Potential and Nutraceutical Profiling of North Bornean Seaweeds: A Review

Malaysia has a long coastline surrounded by various islands, including North Borneo, that provide a suitable environment for the growth of diverse species of seaweeds. Some of the important North Bornean seaweed species are Kappaphycus alvarezii, Eucheuma denticulatum, Halymenia durvillaei (Rhodophyta), Caulerpa lentillifera, Caulerpa racemosa (Chlorophyta), Dictyota dichotoma and Sargassum polycystum (Ochrophyta). This review aims to highlight the therapeutic potential of North Bornean seaweeds and their nutraceutical profiling. North Bornean seaweeds have demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, cardiovascular protective, neuroprotective, renal protective and hepatic protective potentials. The protective roles of the seaweeds might be due to the presence of a wide variety of nutraceuticals, including phthalic anhydride, 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene, 2-pentylthiophene, furoic acid (K. alvarezii), eicosapentaenoic acid, palmitoleic acid, fucoxanthin, β-carotene (E. denticulatum), eucalyptol, oleic acid, dodecanal, pentadecane (H. durvillaei), canthaxanthin, oleic acid, pentadecanoic acid, eicosane (C. lentillifera), pseudoephedrine, palmitic acid, monocaprin (C. racemosa), dictyohydroperoxide, squalene, fucosterol, saringosterol (D. dichotoma), and lutein, neophytadiene, cholest-4-en-3-one and cis-vaccenic acid (S. polycystum). Extensive studies on the seaweed isolates are highly recommended to understand their bioactivity and mechanisms of action, while highlighting their commercialization potential.     

药隔期低温胁迫对小麦干物质积累、转运和分配及产量的影响

为探明药隔期低温胁迫对小麦产量的影响,以烟农19、新麦26为供试材料,在小麦药隔期进行不同程度(T1:2℃/4h、T2:0℃/4h、T3:-2℃/4h)的低温处理,研究药隔期低温胁迫对小麦干物质积累、转运和分配及产量的影响.结果 表明:药隔期低温胁迫显著降低小麦干物质积累量,不同抗倒春寒性小麦品种间干物质积累量存在差异,抗倒春寒性弱的小麦品种降幅更大.其中烟农19的T1、T2、T3处理分别降低33.4％、46.2％和54.7％,而新麦26则分别降低了50.1％、59.3％和72.4％.不同处理小麦籽粒、穗轴+颖壳、茎鞘+叶的干物质积累量均低于CK,且随着低温胁迫程度的加重呈明显降低趋势.小麦花前干物质的转运量、转运效率以及花前贮藏干物质对籽粒的贡献率均随着低温胁迫程度加重呈降低趋势.同时低温胁迫显著降低小麦籽粒和穗轴+颖壳的干物质分配比例,增加茎鞘+叶的分配比例.T1、T2和T3处理显著降低了小麦的穗粒数和千粒重及籽粒产量,烟农19的T1、T2和T3处理分别减产56.06％、86.36％和98.10％;新麦26的T1、T2和T3处理分别减产96.15％、98.07％和98.46％.药隔期低温胁迫显著降低小麦干物质的积累量、花前干物质的转运量、转运效率以及花前贮藏干物质对籽粒的贡献率和籽粒干物质分配比例,严重减少光合同化物向穗部的转运和分配,影响穗部小花的正常发育,从而导致穗粒数的减少,这是造成小麦减产的主要原因.     

Toxoplasma gondii virulence prediction using hierarchical cluster analysis based on coding sequences (CDS) of sag1, gra7 and rop18

Toxoplasma gondii consists of three genotypes, namely genotype I, II and III. Based on its virulence, T. gondii can be divided into virulent and avirulent strains. This study intends to evaluate an alternative method for predicting T. gondii virulence using hierarchical cluster analysis based on complete coding sequences (CDS) of sag1, gra7 and rop18 genes. Dendrogram was constructed using UPGMA with a Kimura 80 nucleotide distance measurement. The results showed that the prediction errors of T. gondii virulence using sag1, gra7 and rop18 were 7.41%, 6.89% and 9.1%, respectively. Analysis based on CDS of gra7 and rop18 was able to differentiate avirulent strains into genotypes II and III, whereas sag1 failed to differentiate.     

Responses to graded replacement of urea by maize steep liquor in diets for intensively fed lambs for meat production

Urea is a common ingredient of the diets of intensively fed lambs, but is increasingly required for industrial processes. Maize steep liquor (MSL) is a by-product of maize grain degradation to produce starch that may be a suitable replacement. Fifty growing lambs were fed on equinitrogenous diets in which between 0% and 80% of the urea was replaced by MSL; their growth and metabolism were recorded over 70 days. Increasing replacement of urea by MSL increased feed intake and nutrient digestibilities, leading to increased growth rates, more efficient feed conversion, and increased nitrogen retention. Concentrations of triiodothyroxin, thyroxin, glucose, and methionine were increased by replacement of urea by liquor, and plasma urea was reduced. This study suggests that MSL is a suitable replacement for up to 80% of urea in the diet of rapidly growing lambs.     

Effect of dose on the intravenous pharmacokinetics of tolfenamic acid in goats

The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of tolfenamic acid (TA) following intravenous (IV) administration at doses of 2 and 4 mg/kg in goats. In this study, six healthy goats were used. TA was administered intravenously to each goat at 2 and 4 mg/kg doses in a cross-over pharmacokinetic design with a 15-day washout period. Plasma concentrations of TA were analyzed using the high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector, and pharmacokinetic parameters were assigned by noncompartmental analysis. Following IV administration at dose of 2 mg/kg, area under the concentration–time curve (AUC_0−∞), elimination half-life (t_1/2ʎz), total clearance (Cl_T) and volume of distribution at steady state (V_dss) were 6.64 ± 0.81 hr^*µg/ml, 1.57 ± 0.14 hr, 0.30 ± 0.04 L h^-1 kg^-1 and 0.40 ± 0.05 L/kg, respectively. After the administration of TA at a dose of 4 mg/kg showed prolonged t_1/2ʎz, increased dose-normalized AUC_0-∞, and decreased Cl_T. In goats, TA at 4 mg/kg dose can be administered wider dose intervals compared to the 2 mg/kg dose. However, further studies are needed to determine the effect of different doses on the clinical efficacy of TA in goats.     

The detection of the meq gene in chicken infected with Marek's disease virus serotype 1

In the genome of strains of very virulent Marek's disease virus serotype 1(vvMDV1), such as Md5 and RB1B, the meq open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 339-amino-acid bZIP protein, is present, while a slightly longer meq ORF, termed as L-meq, in which a 180-bp sequence is inserted into the meq ORF is found in other strains of MDV1, such as CV1988/R6 and attenuated JM. When chickens were infected with vvMDV1 strains and the meq gene was amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the meq gene was detected throughout the experimental period for 7 weeks post inoculation (pi). However, the L-meq gene was also detected at 3 to 5 weeks and 3 to 4 weeks pi. in Md5-infected and RB1B-infected chickens, respectively. In the case of chickens infected with an attenuated MDV1, the JM strain, the L-meq gene was detected at 2 to 7 weeks pi., and the meq gene was also detected at 2 to 6 weeks pi. Both L-meq and meq genes were detected in chickens infected with an attenuated nononcogenic vaccine strain of MDV1 (CVI988/R6), throughout the experimental period. Though quantitative PCR was not performed, a larger amount of the PCR products corresponding to the L-meq than the meq gene was amplified from chickens infected with JM or CVI988/R6. These results suggest that a dynamic population shift between the MDV subpopulations displaying meq and L-meq genes occurs in chickens during the course of MDV infection. Since the MDV subpopulation that displays the L-meq gene only displays it during the latent phase, the L-meq and its gene product, if any, might contribute to the maintenance of the MDV latency.     

Evaluation of PCR,IEF and ELISA techniques for the detection and identification of potato cyst nematodes from field soil samples in England and Wales

Effective management of potato cyst nematodes (PCNs) requires simple, rapid and accurate identification and quantification of field populations. Soil samples from a survey of 484 fields in potato rotations in England and Wales were used to compare the identification and quantification of PCNs using IEF, PCR, ELISA and bait plant tests. The cyst counts and bait plant test revealed that 64.3% of field samples contained PCNs. Bait plant tests increased the detection rate of PCNs in field samples by 4–6.4%. This means that some infestations are cryptic and would not normally be detected by standard counts. IEF, PCR and ELISA methods distinguished between Globodera rostochiensis and G pallida and were able to register mixed populations; however they were not in full agreement. All methods suggested that G pallida is the dominant species in the field samples tested. The PCR results indicated that 66% of field samples contained pure G pallida, 8% contained pure G rostochiensis and 26% contained mixtures of the two species. Estimates of the relative process times taken per sample in the PCR, IEF and ELISA techniques are given. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Screening of cotton germplasm for resistance to Verticillium dahlia Kleb. under greenhouse and field conditions

Currently, the most effective and economically feasible means of controlling Verticillium wilt is to grow wilt-resistant cultivars. Nevertheless, resistant germplasm lines that are able to overcome this detrimental disease remain rare. Hence, we aimed to identify high-quality germplasm lines that exhibit high resistance, to address the dearth in optimum production. Our field and greenhouse studies showed significant variation among all tested germplasm lines with respect to wilt-assessment parameters. Highly resistant or resistant germplasm included 1421Bt-4133, O Siv2, Arcot-1, and GP93; Zhong 21371 and Yumian 2067 were moderately responsive; and Arcot402bne, Arcot438, Xinluzao-3, and Jimian11 were highly susceptible to wilt. Overall, germplasm line 1421Bt-4133 appeared to be an ideal material with strong resistance potential against V. dahliae. The germplasm lines O Siv2, Arcot-1, GP93, Zhong 21371, and Yumian 2067 showed variability in resistance potential in artificially or naturally-infested soil. This variability may be due to the genetic potential of the plants and to the adaptability of V. dahliae. We determined that the 1421Bt-4133 germplasm line was ideal, as it demonstrated resistance diversity against V. dahliae in all observed wilt-assessment parameters. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of viable germplasm lines for improving cotton production. The resistant germplasm lines uncovered in this study may provide new disease resistance sources in the breeding program.