Effect of scale color on the antioxidant capacity of onions

The bulb onion (Allium cepa L.) has been cultivated for thousands of years and used as an important component of human diet. Recent studies suggest that onions can be used to cure, reduce, or prevent some of the health problems such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, antidiabetic, asthma, antibiosis, and prebiotic effects due to its high antioxidant effect. In this study, we determined the antioxidant capacities of a wide range of onion cultivars; nine commercial cultivars and five advance selections differing in color. The variables tested include bulb size, scale color, total phenolic (TP), total antioxidant activity determined by both “Ferric reducing ability of plasma” (FRAP) and “Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity” (TEAC). We found that yellow onion had the greatest TP content (3.7 mg GAE/g dw); and, the red group had higher TP mean than the white group (2.2 mg GAE/g dw vs. 1.1 mg GAE/g dw). For the antioxidant capacity measurements, the red group had the greatest means by both methods (15.4 μmol TE/g dw and 9.3 μmol TE/g dw for TEAC and FRAP). Yellow onions had higher TEAC (14.7 μmol TE/g dw vs. 8.7 μmol TE/g dw) and FRAP values (9.8 μmol TE/g dw vs. 5.6 μmol TE/g dw) than white onions. Among the cultivars tested great differences of TP, TEAC and FRAP was observed. The TP content of Me-Tan 88 (8.3 mg GAE/g dw) was two times higher than the yellow group. Yellow color Dayton had the greatest TEAC (20.5 μmol TE/g dw) and FRAP (12.3 μmol TE/g dw) means followed by yellow color Me-Tan 88 (19.4 and 11.4 μmol TE/g dw). The two antioxidant measurements were found to be highly correlated (0.99) where absolute values of FRAP were about 40% less than those of TEAC. The values of TEAC and FRAP were significantly correlated by TP with similar rs (0.74 and 0.73, respectively). TP, TEAC and FRAP were significantly and positively correlated to soluble solids (0.41, 0.43, and 0.40, respectively). Our results suggested that the red onions had higher antioxidant activities than yellow and white onions although yellow onions had the richest phenolic contents.     

Effects of dietary supplementation of a commercial prebiotic Previda® on survival,growth, immune responses and gut microbiota of Pacific white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei

A 35‐day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate growth, bacterial populations of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and immune responses of Litopenaeus vannamei fed diets containing the commercial prebiotic Previda^®. Diets were formulated to contain Previda^® at 0, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 or 1.6 g kg^?1 by weight. At the end of the study, differences in weight gain and survival among treatments were not significant (P > 0.05), but denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that the microbial communities in the GIT changed significantly with the inclusion of dietary Previda^® at different levels. Previda^® was therefore able to selectively modify the microbial communities in the shrimp's GIT. Although individual bacterial species were not identified, enteric populations in shrimp fed the prebiotic at similar levels of inclusion were genetically similar. In addition, shrimp fed Previda^® at 1.6 g kg^?1 responded significantly (P < 0.05) better immunologically with respect to hemocyte phagocytic capacity, haemolymph protein, hyaline cell counts and haemolymph glucose compared with shrimp fed the basal diet. Although shrimp were not exposed to virulent pathogens in this study, the observed upregulation of some of imm‐une responses upon prebiotic supplementation indicates that an improved outcome of such challenges may be anticipated in Previda^®‐fed shrimp under commercial conditions.     

Influence of vitamin E and vitamin E-selenium combination on arginase activity,nitric oxide level and some spermatological properties in ram semen

The effects of vitamin E and vitamin E-selenium combination on seminal plasma arginase activity and nitric oxide level and some spermatological properties in rams were investigated in this study. For control group, animals were injected intramuscularly with physiological saline. For vitamin E group, rams were injected intramuscularly with 300 mg/ram vitamin E. For vitamin E + selenium group, animals were injected intramuscularly with 5 ml/ram vitamin E + selenium. The semen was collected by artificial vagina at 1st, 4th, 24th, 48th and 72nd hr after administration in each group. Significant decreases in seminal plasma arginase activity (at 1st, 24th and 48th hr), nitric oxide level (at 72nd hr) and abnormal sperm rate (at 1st, 24th and 72nd hr), and significant increases in semen volume (at 24th hr), semen mass activity (at 24th and 48th hr), sperm motility (at 24th, 48th and 72nd hr) and concentration (at 1st hr) were observed in vitamin E group compared with control group. Similarly, significant increase in semen volume (at 1st, 24th and 48th hr), mass activity, (at 48th hr), motility (at 48th and 72nd hr) and concentration (at 4th, 24th and 48th hr), and significant decrements in abnormal sperm rate (at 1st, 24th, 48th and 72nd hr), seminal plasma nitric oxide level (at 1st, 4th, 24th and 48th hr) and semen pH (at 24th and 48th hr) were detected in vitamin E + selenium group in comparison to the control group. As a result, it is suggested that vitamin E and/or vitamin E + selenium applications may improve reproductive performance.     

Combined Application of Biochar and Biocontrol Agents Enhances Plant Growth and Activates Resistance Against Meloidogyne incognita in Tomato

Gesunde Pflanzen - Biochar (BC) is known to enhance plant growth and may activate plant resistance to various soil borne pathogens. In this experiment, the rice husk (RH) BC was combined with...     

Potential of Azolla pinnata R. Br. green manure for boosting soil fertility and yield of terrestrial crops in Uganda: a case study of Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Azolla fern has traditionally been used over centuries as a source of nutrients for rice grown in paddies with minimal attention on crops grown...     

Soil chronosequence and biosequence on old lake sediments of the Burdur Lake in Turkey

The Burdur Lake is located in the southwest of Turkey, and its area has decreased by 40% from 211 km² in 1975 to 126 km² in 2019. In this study, we investigated how the soil has changed in the lacustrine material. Three soil profiles were sampled from the former lakebed (chronosequence profiles: P1, 2007; P2, 1994; and P3, 1975), and three soil profiles under different land use types (biosequence profiles: P4, native forest vegetation; P5, agriculture; and P6, lakebed) were sampled. The chronosequence and biosequence soil profiles represented various distances from the Burdur Lake and showed different stages of lacustrine evolution. Soil electrical conductivity (EC; 18.1 to 0.4 dS m_-1), exchangeable Na⁺ (34.7 to 1.4 cmol kg^-1) and K⁺ (0.61 to 0.56 cmol kg^-1), and water-soluble Cl^- (70.3 to 2.1 cmol L^-1) and SO₄^2- (275.9 to 25.0 cmol L^-1) decreased with increasing distance from the Burdur Lake, whereas the A horizon thickness (10 to 48 cm), structure formation (0 to 48 cm), gleization-oxidation depth (0 to 79 cm), and montmorillonite and organic matter (OM; 25.9 to 46.0 g kg^-1) contents increased in the chronosequence soil profiles. The formation of P3 in the chronosequence and P5 in the biosequence soil profiles increased due to longer exposure to pedogenic processes (time, land use, vegetation, etc.). Changes in EC, exchangeable cation (Na⁺ and K⁺) and water-soluble anion (Cl^- and SO₄^2-) concentrations of the salt-enriched horizon, OM, gleization-oxidation depth, A horizon thickness, and structure formation of the chronosequence and biosequence soil profiles (especially the topsoil horizon) were highly related to the distance from the Burdur Lake, time, and land use.     

Effects of 17β-estradiol injection on the reproductive efficiency of freshwater crayfish,Astacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823)

The effects of 17β-estradiol injection (10^?7mol/crayfish) in adult female Astacus leptodactylus on the reproductive efficiency (i.e., pleopodal egg and stage 1 juvenile numbers) were investigated. In addition, hepatosomatic index, gonodosomatic index, and 17β-estradiol (E2) levels of crayfish ovary, hepatopancreas, and heamolymph before and after injections were also determined. Results showed that E2 injection to females enhances the reproductive efficiency of A.leptodctylus. E2 injection significantly increased pleopodal egg and stage 1 juvenile numbers, GSI, HSI, and concentrations of E2 in heamolymph, ovary, and hepatopancreas. However, E2 injection did not accelerate time of mating and proportion of pleopodal egg-berried females at the first week of reproduction season in this species. This study highlights that to improve the reproductive efficiency of A.leptodctylus by using hormones to regulate the ovarian cycle, E2 should be used at least 1.5 months before the commencement of the breeding season.