Controlling tick infestations and diseases in sheep by pour-on formulations of synthetic pyrethroids. A field study

The use of synthetic pyrethroids in pour-on formulations reduced tick infestations and the incidence of tick-associated diseases in lambs more than dipping in organophosphate acaricides. Though the use of pyrethroids did not prevent the lambs from being infected with tick-borne fever (TBF), the incidence of lambs with lameness (tick pyaemia) or lambs suddenly found dead (Pasteurella haemolytica septicaemia), which often are seen in association with TBF, was reduced. The use of pyrethroids for three years did not seem to affect the prevalence of TBF.     

The economics of using artificially dried green crops in milk production

From comprehensive experiments in Denmark, it is found that traditional roughage can be substituted by artifically dried grass (cobs) without any technical changes in the milk produced, but with a reduced labour requirement. With respect to maintaining a high feed utilization wafers are preferable to cobs and cobs to pellets.The future of artificially dried crops depends greatly on the ability of the industry to secure a high and uniform quality of these products. If this is achieved, the dried feeds can substitute a great part of the grain mix (concentrates) without any significant reduction of a typical basic ration of roughage for milk cows. Dried crops can be strongly competitive in certain circumstances, depending on its relative to grain mix.As an alternative for traditional conservation methods of grassland crops, artificial drying offers technical advantages, but it is not economically competitive when energy (oil etc.) prices are high. The economic importance of dried green crops can be increased through development of the organization and technique in the drying industry to ensure better plant material, a more efficient drying temperature and more efficient further processing in the plant. An open, but very important question is: what will the price of energy for the drying plant be in the future?     

Lumpidin, a novel biomarker of some ochratoxin a producing penicillia

The novel compound lumpidin (1) has been isolated as a major compound from an isolate of Penicillium nordicum. Compound 1 is a diketopiperazine with a unique ring system likely to be a condensate of one mole each of L-tryptophan, L-phenylalanine, and L-homo-proline. The fact that 1 has been detected from only three out of sixteen isolates of P. nordicum indicates that lumpidin-producing isolates might represent a separate and third ochratoxin A producing Penicillium species.     

Importing deciduous wood chips from North America to northern Europe – the risk of introducing bark- and wood-boring insects

Increasing inter-continental trade with wood chips represents a challenge for phytosanitary authorities as such trade may lead to pest introductions and invasions with huge impacts on forest ecosystems and economy. Predicting species invasions and their impacts in advance may be difficult, but improved information about potential invasive species ahead of any interceptions is an important precautionary step to reduce the probability of invasions. Here we identify bark- and wood-boring insects that have a potential to become invasive in northern Europe and that may be introduced by import of deciduous wood chips from North America. The potentially most damaging species belong to the beetle genus Agrilus (Buprestidae), which includes the highly damaging emerald ash borer A. planipennis. We give a brief presentation of this and seven other Agrilus species or subspecies and review factors of importance for the risk of establishment and potential economic and ecological impacts of these species. We also discuss one Scolytinae, Hylurgopinus rufipes. There are strong indications in the literature that some north European trees are highly susceptible to attack from the selected beetle species. We therefore conclude that because north European trees have not coevolved with these herbivores and thus may lack adequate defenses, most of the identified beetle species are likely to spread in “defense- and enemy-free space” if they are introduced to northern Europe, with considerable economic and ecological consequences.     

Great scallop, Pecten maximus, research and culture strategies in Norway: a review

The great scallop, Pecten maximus is a potentialaquaculture species in Norway, but production to date has been low. Greatscallop landings in 2000 were 571 tonnes, exclusively from harvesting wildstocks, landed by divers. Approximately two million juveniles of 15mm shell height have been produced annually in a hatchery since1998, and distributed to farmers. Research projects on larvae and juvenilesinclude studies of various antibacterial treatments, improved culture systemdesigns and application of probiotics. Results from hanging cultures underdifferent environmental conditions indicate a strong correlation between lowtemperature and poor survival, and point out the importance of careful selectionof cultivation sites. Good growth potential of scallops in Norwegian waters hasbeen shown, and it is possible to reach market size of 10 mm shellheight in three to four years. Experiments with fences and other strategiesprotecting cultured scallops on the seabed from predation by crabs are inprogress.     

Dietary carbohydrate utilization in cod (Gadus morhua): metabolic responses to feeding and fasting

Moist diets with increasing amounts of carbohydrate (0.5%, 10% and 21% on a dry weight basis) were each fed to duplicate groups of cod (initial weight 370 g) for 8 weeks, after which all groups were fasted for 4 weeks. Protein energy was high and accounted for more than 70% of the gross energy content in all feeds, and the diets were maintained isocaloric by substituting lipid energy for carbohydrate energy. No indigestible binder was added. Excellent growth and feed conversion were obtained in all groups. After 4 weeks of fasting, fish previously fed diets with either 10% or 21% carbohydrate showed significantly higher weight loss than fish fed the diet without carbohydrate. Liver glycogen reached 10% of liver wet weight in fish fed diets containing 10% or 21% carbohydrate and 5% in fish receiving 0.5% carbohydrate after 8 weeks. Following 4 weeks of fasting, liver glycogen was reduced to similar levels in all fish. Plasma glucose levels 4 h after feeding were higher in fish fed the diets with 10% or 21% carbohydrate and plasma free amino acid levels (FAA) were lower, than in fish fed the diet containing 0.5% carbohydrate. Blood lactate concentrations were unaffected during the first 24 h after feeding. After 4 weeks of food deprivation, the levels were significantly reduced only in the 21% carbohydrate group. A link between glucagon and protein metabolism is suggested because plasma glucagon concentration followed the same pattern as the concentrations of plasma FAA throughout the study. Insulin and glucagon-like peptide (GLP) showed a covariation throughout the experiment. Reduced plasma insulin levels were seen after fasting concomitant with reduction in the levels of FAA and glucose. It is suggested that insulin secretion in cod is affected both by plasma FAA and glucose and that cod meets food deprivation by slowing down metabolism.     

Microbially matured water: a technique for selection of a non-opportunistic bacterial flora in water that may improve performance of marine larvae

Before transfer to larval incubators, water was membrane filtered to remove >95% of the bacteria and then transiently maintained in a biofilter that promoted recolonization of the water by non-opportunistic bacteria. The process is termed microbial maturation of the water. Hypothetically the bacterial flora in the matured water should protect the marine larvae from colonization and proliferation by opportunistic bacteria. Testing of the hypothesis demonstrated 76% higher survival of yolk sac larvae of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) in matured than in membrane filtered water. Proliferation of opportunistic bacteria was observed in the rearing water after hatching of turbot eggs (Scophthalmus maximus), but to a less extent in the microbially matured water. In the early phase of first feeding of turbot larvae, the matured water induced qualitative differences in the gut microflora. Significantly higher initial growth rate of the turbot larvae in the matured water affected 51% higher average weight of 13 days old larvae than in membrane filtered water. Algal addition to the matured water enhanced the larval growth further. The experiments conducted supported the proposed hypothesis that microbial maturation selects for non-opportunistic bacteria, which protects the marine larvae from proliferation of detrimental opportunistic bacteria.     

Hibernation in black bears: independence of metabolic suppression from body temperature

Black bears hibernate for 5 to 7 months a year and, during this time, do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate. We measured metabolic rate and body temperature in hibernating black bears and found that they suppress metabolism to 25% of basal rates while regulating body temperature from 30° to 36°C, in multiday cycles. Heart rates were reduced from 55 to as few as 9 beats per minute, with profound sinus arrhythmia. After returning to normal body temperature and emerging from dens, bears maintained a reduced metabolic rate for up to 3 weeks. The pronounced reduction and delayed recovery of metabolic rate in hibernating bears suggest that the majority of metabolic suppression during hibernation is independent of lowered body temperature.     

Tailoring of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) flesh lipid composition and sensory quality by replacing fish oil with a vegetable oil blend

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) juveniles were fed either 100% fish oil (FO), 75% vegetable oil (VO), or 100% VO throughout their life cycle to harvest weight followed by a finishing diet period when all groups were fed 100% FO. The two experimental VO diets were tested at two different locations (Scotland and Norway) against the same control diet (100% FO). The VO blend was composed of rapeseed oil, palm oil, and linseed oil using capelin oil as a control for fatty acid class compositions. Flesh fatty acid profiles were measured regularly throughout the experiment, with the times of sampling determined by changes in pellet size/lipid content and fish life stage. Growth and mortality rates were not significantly affected by dietary fatty acid compositions throughout the life cycle, except during the seawater winter period in Norway when both growth and protein utilization were increased in salmon fed 100% VO compared to 100% FO. Flesh fatty acid composition was highly influenced by that of the diet, and after the finishing diet period the weekly intake recommendations of very long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (VLCn-3 PUFA) for human health were 80 and 56% satisfied by a 200 g meal of 75% VO and 100% VO flesh, respectively. No effect on flesh astaxanthin levels was observed in relation to changing dietary oil sources. Sensory evaluation showed only minor differences between salmon flesh from the dietary groups, although prior to the finishing diet period, flesh from 100% VO had less rancid and marine characteristics and was preferred over flesh from the other dietary groups by a trained taste panel. After the finishing diet period, the levels of typical vegetable oil fatty acids in flesh were reduced, whereas those of VLCn-3 PUFA increased to levels comparable with a 100% FO fed salmon. No differences in any of the sensory characteristics were observed between dietary groups. By blending VOs to provide balanced levels of dietary fatty acids, up to 100% of the fish oil can be replaced by the VO blend without compromising growth or flesh quality. At the same time, 75% of the dietary fish oil can be replaced without compromising flesh VLCn-3 PUFA content, thereby providing a beneficial nutritional profile for human consumption.     

Flavone C-glycosides from leaves of Oxalis triangularis

The flavone C-glycosides luteolin 6-C-(2'-O-beta-xylopyranosyl-beta-glucopyranoside) (1), apigenin 6-C-(2'-O-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl-beta-glucopyranoside) (2), apigenin 6-C-(2'-O-beta-xylopyranosyl-beta-glucopyranoside) (3), apigenin 6-C-(2'-O-(6'-(E)-caffeoylglucoside)-beta-glucopyranoside) (4), and apigenin 6-C-(2'-O-(6'-(E)-p-coumaroylglucoside)-beta-glucopyranoside) (5) have been isolated from the purple leaves of Oxalis triangularis. Compound 4 is new, while 5 has previously been isolated from Cucumis sativus after treatment with silicon and infection with Sphaerotheca fuliginea. Signal duplication in the NMR spectra of 2, 4, and 5 revealed the presence of rotameric conformers, created by rotational hindrance at the C(sp3) -C(sp2) glucosyl-flavone linkage in these flavone C-glycosides.