Reducing CH<Subscript>4</Subscript> and CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions from waterlogged paddy soil with biochar

Purpose  

A potential means to diminish increasing levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere is the use of pyrolysis to convert biomass into biochar, which stabilizes the carbon (C) that is then applied to soil. Before biochar can be used on a large scale, especially in agricultural soils, its effects on the soil system need to be assessed. This is especially important in rice paddy soils that release large amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.     

Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization on Quantity of Flour Protein Components,Dough Properties,and Breadmaking Quality of Wheat

Three winter wheat varieties with differing breadmaking quality were grown at two locations in two years at 0 or 3 × 60 kg of nitrogen application. The effect of nitrogen on amount of different components of gluten proteins was determined by reverse-phase HPLC. A high amount of nitrogen led generally to a significant increase of total protein content. However, this increase was obvious only for the gluten proteins; albumins and globulins remained nearly unaffected. The effect of increased protein content on gliadin to glutenin (gli-glu) ratio was inconsistent. While increased protein content increased the gli-glu ratio in the variety Capo, the opposite was true for the variety Renan. Gli-glu ratio of the variety Lindos showed no discernible tendency. As total protein content increased, the ratio of low molecular weight (LMW) to high molecular weight (HMW) glutenins decreased consistently, i.e., in all varieties, in both years and locations. Change of LMW to HMW ratio showed a significant negative correlation to sedimentation value and bread volume. There was no consistent change in the ratio between x- and y-type HMW subunits due to fertilization, as could be shown by densitometric measurements on SDS-PAGE gels. This ratio appeared to be dependent on the genotype and has decreased with decreasing quality. The amount of x-type subunits correlated closely with sedimentation value and bread volume. These results suggest that ratio of HMW glutenins, especially x-type subunits, to total protein content could be the best early detectable parameter with high predictive value for breadmaking quality.     

Simplified Dilute Acetic Acid Based Extraction Procedure for Fractionation and Analysis of Wheat Flour Protein by Size Exclusion HPLC and Flow Field‐Flow Fractionation

A simple, highly efficient and reproducible two‐step extraction procedure using dilute acetic acid without (AN) and then with sonication (AS) has been developed for the fractionation of wheat flour protein. Approximately 97% of total protein was extracted from a Canadian hard red spring wheat flour; an additional 1.2% protein could be recovered by further extraction with 1% DDT and 50% 1‐propanol (AR). Size‐exclusion HPLC (SE‐HPLC) and flow field‐flow fractionation (flow FFF) showed that the AN extract, which accounted for most of the total extractable protein (AN + AS + AR), consisted primarily of monomeric protein. The AS extract was composed primarily of polymeric proteins. Flow FFF showed that AN polymeric protein, including that eluting at the SE‐HPLC void volume, showed smaller Stokes diameters than AS polymeric protein. Flow FFF profiles of AS SE‐HPLC subfractions showed that the void volume subfraction contained monomeric and small polymeric protein in addition to large polymeric protein, indicating formation of larger complexes through interaction between some or all of the components. AN and AS extracts, as well as SE‐HPLC and flow FFF fractions thereof, showed a fairly wide range of values among 12 Canadian hard red and white spring wheat cultivars. The proportion of total protein in the AS extract and in the larger sized polymeric protein fractions from SE‐HPLC and flow FFF were highly positively correlated to farinograph mixing time.     

Potential chemical time bombs in the schelde estuary

The Schelde estuary is heavily polluted with many different (micro)pollutants. This results in high concentrations in the abiotic and biotic compartments of the Schelde estuary and in various effects. the present day suboxic and anoxic conditions in the upper estuary are probably responsible for the high distribution coefficients for some trace metals in the lower Schelde estuary (Western Schelde). a future reduction in discharges with a high biological oxygen demand will therefore not only result in higher oxygen concentrations, but probably also in lower distribution coefficients for trace metals in the Western Schelde. Simulations show that lower trace metal distribution coefficients will probably result in higher concentrations of dissolved (bioavailable) trace metals, even with substantially reduced discharge rates, due to the desorption of trace metals from resuspended bottom sediments.     

Least limiting water range: A potential indicator of changes in near-surface soil physical quality after the conversion of Brazilian Savanna into pasture

The Brazilian savanna, or “Cerrado”, is an ecosystem that originally covered more than 200 Mha in Brazil. It is estimated that about 49.5 Mha in the Cerrado are now covered with cultivated pastures, which are responsible for half of Brazilian beef production. However, soil and pasture degradation represent a threat to this productive system and to the Cerrado ecosystem itself. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate the least limiting water range (LLWR) as an index of near-surface soil physical quality after conversion of Brazilian savanna to continuous and short-duration grazing systems. Three sites were evaluated: native Cerrado (NC), continuous grazing (CG), and short-duration grazing (SG). Thirty soil cores (5 cm height, 5 cm diameter) were collected at each site, and used for soil bulk density, soil water retention curve, and soil penetration resistance curve determinations. The results were used for quantification of LLWR and critical bulk density (D_bc), in which LLWR equals zero. The near-surface soil physical quality, as evaluated by the LLWR, was most restrictive for potential root growth in SG. In CG, potential restriction was moderate; however, the entire soil bulk density range was below the D_bc. In NC, potential restriction was minimum. The soil structural degradation process was primarily related to the increase in stocking rates in the grazing systems. The LLWR proved to be a useful indicator of Cerrado soil physical quality, being sensitive to alterations in near-surface physical properties.     

Evaluation of the durability of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Barley yellow dwarf virus</Emphasis>-resistant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zhong ZH</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">TC14</Emphasis> wheat lines

Serial passage experiments (SPE) of a Barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV) isolate were performed on Zhong ZH and TC14 wheat lines to evaluate the durability of their resistance to BYDV. At different passage numbers (from the 2nd to the 114th), biological properties of the produced isolates were recorded either by monitoring infection percentages and virus titers of the first 3 weeks of viral infection or by measuring their impact on yield components. Statistical analyses using the area under pathogen progress curves and the area under concentration progress curves demonstrated that these two resistant lines induce, after only a few passages, a selection of variant(s) with significantly modified infection abilities. Isolates resulting from SPE performed on these lines induced important decreases of yield components. These results indicate that the use of Zhong ZH and TC14 lines in BYDV-resistant breeding programmes should be approached with caution.     

Aerosol transmission of arthropathic and amyloidogenic Enterococcus faecalis.

One-day-old brown layer chicks were exposed to an aerosol of an arthropathic and amyloidogenic Enterococcus faecalis strain alone or after being subjected to treatment with formaldehyde gas (100-200 ppm). Four-day-old chicks were also treated with the same aerosol but after treatment with a Newcastle disease vaccine virus (NDVV) aerosol or intramuscular injection with methylprednisolon at day 1. The same E. faecalis strain was inoculated intramuscularly in day-old chicks as positive control. Bacteremia with time showed that 24 hr after the aerosol the day-old exposed chicks had the highest rate of positive blood cultures (70%-80%). Lower numbers of bacteremic birds at this point in time were found in the chicks treated with E. faecalis aerosol at day 4 (3/10 in the methylprednisolon-treated group and 0/10 in the NDVV-treated group) and the E. faecalis intramuscular-injected group at day 1 (2/10). Formaldehyde gas treatment did not favor the occurrence of bacteremia. NDVV aerosol exposure or injection with corticosteroids did not favor the occurrence of bacteremia 24 hr after E. faecalis aerosol exposure at day 4 either, although 66 days after aerosol, one bird (1/14) treated with NDVV showed bacteremia. A few bacteremic birds were found 10 days after aerosol in the NDVV- and methylprednisolon-treated groups, whereas at 14 days after aerosol, one bacteremic bird was seen in the group subjected to E. faecalis aerosol at day 1, indicating the occurrence of chronic bacteremia. In contrast to the E. faecalis intramuscular-inoculated birds, no joint pathology was seen in the aerosol-exposed groups in spite of the occurrence of chronic bacteremia.