Spatial variation in tree characteristics and yield in a pear orchard

We examined the spatial structure of fruit yield, tree size, vigor, and soil properties for an established pear orchard using Moran’s I, geographically weighted regression (GWR) and variogram analysis to determine potential scales of the factors affecting spatial variation. The spatial structure differed somewhat between the tree-based measurements (yield, size and vigor) and the soil properties. Yield, trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, used as a surrogate for vigor) were strongly spatially clustered as indicated by the global Moran’s I for these measurements. The autocorrelation between trees (determined by applying a localized Moran’s I) was greater in some areas than others, suggesting possible management by zones. The variogram ranges for TCSA and yield were 30–45 m, respectively, but large nugget variances indicated considerable variability from tree to tree. The variogram ranges of NDVI varied from about 14–27 m. The soil properties copper, iron, organic matter and total exchange capacity (TEC) were spatially structured, with longer variogram ranges than those of the tree characteristics: 31–95 m. Boron, pH and zinc were not spatially correlated. The GWR analyses supported the results from the other analyses indicating that assumptions of strict stationarity might be violated, so regression models fitted to the entire dataset might not be fitted optimally to spatial clusters of the data.     

Detached leaf inoculation of germplasm for rapid screening of resistance to citrus canker and citrus bacterial spot

A detached leaf protocol for rapid screening of germplasm for resistance to citrus canker (Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, Xcc) and citrus bacterial spot (Xanthomonas alfalfae subsp. citrumelonis, Xac) was developed to evaluate limited quantities of leaf material. Bacterial inocula of Xcc or Xac at 10⁴, 10⁵, or 10⁸ cfu ml⁻¹ were injection-infiltrated into the abaxial surface of disinfested, immature leaves of susceptible and resistant genotypes. Inoculated detached leaves were placed on the surface of 0.5% water agar plates and incubated at 28°C under a 12 h photoperiod. Likewise, inocula were infiltrated into attached leaves of greenhouse plants. At high inoculum concentrations of Xcc or Xac (10⁸ cfu ml⁻¹), resistant cultivars of kumquat developed a hypersensitive-like reaction within 3 days post inoculation (dpi). At 10⁵ cfu ml⁻¹, populations 14 dpi were <10⁴ per inoculation site. In canker-susceptible Citrus spp. (‘Duncan’ grapefruit and ‘Rough’ lemon), water-soaked areas occurred by 3 dpi and typical canker lesions developed by 7 to14 dpi. Concentration of Xcc recovered from inoculation sites was approximately 10⁵ cfu ml⁻¹ by 14 dpi. In citrus bacterial spot-susceptible citrus (‘Swingle’ citrumelo and grapefruit), symptoms developed within 7 dpi. Populations of Xac after inoculation at 10⁵ cfu ml⁻¹ were comparable to Xcc in susceptible hosts 14 dpi (>10⁵). The detached leaf assay is useful for the characterization and differentiation of lesion phenotype for each Xanthomonas pathogen permitting rapid screening of germplasm resistance based on the quantification of number of lesions and bacterial concentration.     

Early uptake of 15N in shortgrass prairie

The early uptake ¹⁵N fertilizer in grassland was monitored by means of destructive samplings during the first two weeks after application. The predominantly litter compartments (aboveground dead, senescent and detrital roots) accounted for two-thirds of the ¹⁵N immobilization in plant parts in the first few hours after fertilization. This uptake is believed due partly to adsorption and partly to immobilization by the microorganisms associated with senescent and detrital plant parts. By 14 days, green tops and crowns accounted for 72%; live roots, 7%; and the aboveground dead and senescent and detrital roots, 21% of the total ¹⁵N uptake by the plant materials. The distribution of applied ¹⁵N between live and litter compartments was not significantly affected by rate of application.     

Grouper aquaculture: Asian success and Mediterranean trials

• 1. Grouper are of considerable economic value in tropical and subtropical regions and most particularly in south-east Asia. Moreover, it is in Asia, where this fish is highly prized, that the grouper farming began in the 1980s.
• 2. The organoleptic qualities of the groupers are not the only characteristics to be appreciated; in culture, their robustness in heavily populated conditions, as well as their rapid growth at elevated temperatures makes them a good species for aquaculture. However, it is, above all, market demand that is outstripping the supply of fish, which is motivating the expansion of grouper aquaculture.
• 3. At the present time, aquaculture is unable to satisfy demand. The chronic shortage of broodstock means that the alevins, destined for aquaculture, are taken mainly from natural habitats with the aid of fish traps, nets and cyanide, thus contributing to the destruction of south-east Asian reefs. Nevertheless, research is progressing and the number of species whose reproduction is totally controlled is increasing. It is in Taiwan that grouper aquaculture is at its most advanced with a total of five species being raised.
• 4. Aquaculture is divided into four stages, carried out by different farmers, allowing a more rapid turnover for each farmer and therefore a better financial return. On the other hand, in the Mediterranean at present time, there are no completely controlled grouper captive-breeding programmes. The first attempts at controlled breeding have been carried out since 1995 in Italy, Croatia and Greece. However, farming groupers in captivity, and in particular the control of their reproduction, poses numerous problems.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adsorption and desorption of cadmium by synthetic and natural organo-clay complexes

Tracer levels of ¹⁰⁹Cd were used to study the adsorption and desorption of Cd by synthetic and natural organo—clay complexes. Synthetic organo—clay complexes were made by adsorbing humic acid extracted from soil to various forms of < 2 μm diameter montmorillonite (Na, Ca, Al, and Fe saturated and Ca-montmorillonite coated with Al or Fe hydroxide). Natural organo—clay complexes were fractionated from the clay fraction of a Captina silt loam by density-gradient centrifugation in a large-scale zonal rotor.To evaluate the influence of humic acid on adsorption of Cd, Cd was adsorbed to the various forms of montmorillonite before and after humic acid adsorption. No appreciable difference in Cd adsorption was noted except in the case where montmorillonite was coated with Al or Fe hydroxides. Cadmium was found to be strongly bonded to clays coated with Al or Fe hydroxides; however, Cd adsorption to these clays after humic acid adsorption was considerably less. Data indicated Cd and humic acid adsorption sites on Al or Fe coated clays were either identical or prior adsorption of humic acid simply covered available Cd sites.Cadmium adsorption to clay density fractions showed that greatest adsorption was to fractions containing high quantities of organic matter or sesquioxides. Desorption of Cd with 0.01 M Ca (NO₃)₂ showed that Cd was adsorbed more tenaciously to the sesquioxides than organo—clay fractions.     

Quantification of spatial and temporal variations in trace element fluxes originating from urban areas at the catchment scale

Journal of Soils and Sediments - The release of trace elements (TE) associated with the development of human activities has accelerated since the nineteenth century, leading to the pollution of...     

Effects of dietary α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3)/linoleic acid (18:2n-6) ratio on fatty acid metabolism in Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii)

Global shortages in fish oil are forcing the aquaculture feed industry to use alternative oil sources, the use of which negatively affects the final fatty acid makeup of cultured fish. Thus, the modulation of fatty acid metabolism in cultured fish is the core of an intensive global research effort. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of various dietary α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3)/linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) ratios in cultured fish. A feeding trial was implemented on the freshwater finfish Murray cod, in which fish were fed either a fish oil-based control diet or one of five fish oil-deprived experimental diets formulated to contain an ALA/LA ratio ranging from 0.3 to 2.9, but with a constant total C?? PUFA (ALA+LA) content. The whole-body fatty acid balance method was used to evaluate fish in vivo fatty acid metabolism. The results indicate that dietary ALA was more actively β-oxidized and bioconverted, whereas LA appears to be more efficiently deposited. LA was β-oxidized at a constant level (~36% of net intake) independent of dietary availability, whereas ALA was oxidized proportionally to dietary supply. The in vivo apparent Δ-6 desaturase activity on n-3 and n-6 PUFA exhibited an increasing and decreasing trend, respectively, in conjunction with the increasing dietary ALA/LA ratio, clearly indicating that this enzymatic activity is substrate dependent. However, the maximum Δ-6 desaturase activity acting on ALA peaked at the substrate level of 3.2186 (μmol g fish?1 day?1), suggesting that additional inclusion of ALA is not only wasteful but counterproductive in terms of n-3 LC-PUFA production. Despite a constant total supply of ALA+LA, the recorded total in vivo apparent Δ-6 desaturase activity on both substrates (ALA and LA) increased in synchrony with the ALA/LA ratio, peaking at 1.54, and a 3.2-fold greater Δ-6 desaturase affinity toward ALA over LA was recorded.     

Comparison of two microalgal diets. 1. Influence on the biochemical and fatty acid compositions of raw oysters (Crassostrea gigas)

Oyster farming in France is a traditional activity. Each year, 149 000 tons of oysters are fattened before being sold. More and more oyster farmers supplement the diet of oysters by microalgae to optimize the fattening process and to improve both the growth and flesh quality of oysters. In the present study, oysters were supplemented by two microalgae: Skeletonema costatum and Tahitian isochrysis clone. The ash, protein, carbohydrate (including glycogen), and lipid contents were analyzed. The growth of oysters was improved when they were fattened with microalgae, leading to an increase in the condition index. The chemical composition of oysters was influenced by the chemical composition of the microalgae, especially the level of glycogen, which was significantly increased for oysters supplemented by microalgae. The fatty acid profile of oysters fattened by microalgae was positively correlated with the fatty acid profiles of S. costatum and T. isochrysis. These results show the effectiveness of supplementation by microalgae on the growth and on the biochemical composition (glycogen and fatty acids especially) of oysters.     

Soil slaking sensitivity as influenced by soil properties in alluvial and residual humid tropical soils

Purpose

In the humid Caribbean region characterized by high-intensity tropical rainfall, soil aggregate breakdown and pore blocking due to slaking pressures are major land degradation mechanisms. In this research, we investigated the susceptibility of soils to slaking pressures under rapid wetting as influenced by soil properties and the depositional origin from which the soil is formed using water-stable aggregates (WSAr) and percolation stability (PSc) as indices of the strength of aggregate inter-particle cohesion.

Materials and methods

Wet sieving and percolation stability analyses were employed to investigate WSAr and pore blocking, respectively. The combined effect of soil properties of clay, organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) was used to determine the slaking sensitivity score (SSc) of 14 physiogeographically important soils in Trinidad, comprising of nine alluvial and five residual soils.

Results and discussion

Results showed that irrespective of alluvial or residual depositional nature of the parent material, samples had high SSc with an average WSAr of 37.8% and PSc of 6.0 mm/10 min. The linear relationships between SSc with WSAr (r²?=???0.12) and SSc with PSc (r²?=???0.012) of all the 14 soils although negative were weak. Clay content accounted for 94.0% of the variation in CEC in alluvial soils and had strong negative relationships with WSAr (r²?=???0.74) and PSc (r²?=???0.79) in residual soils. Additionally, OM with WSAr (r²?=?0.52) and PSc (r²?=?0.24), and CEC with WSAr (r²?=?0.46) and PSc (r²?=?0.39) showed significant positive linear relationships in residual soil.

Conclusions

The predominantly micaceous and kaolinitic clay mineralogy of these soils, coupled with the low OM contents, increases the proneness of the soils to slaking. This suggests that clay mineralogy is responsible for the high slaking sensitivity rather than clay content or just the depositional origin of the soils. As CEC increases, an accompanying increase in OM is required to increase inter-particle cohesion and to impart partial hydrophobicity, which in turn decreases mineralogically induced susceptibility of individual aggregates to slaking.

     

Spatial distribution of Aphanomyces euteiches inoculum in a naturally infested pea field

The main objective of the study was to describe the horizontal and vertical distribution of Aphanomyces root rot in a naturally infested pea field. Measurements of inoculum potential clearly indicated a horizontal distribution of inoculum among several foci in the field, these foci differing in size and disease intensity. A highly significant relationship was observed between disease severity on plants during the cropping season and soil inoculum potential. In terms of the vertical distribution of inoculum in the soil, detection was maximal at a depth of 10 to 40 cm, but inoculum was detected down to a depth of 60 cm. Generally, inoculum potential was lowest for the layers at depths of 0 to 10 and 50 to 60 cm. Inoculum distribution and the value of the methodologies used are discussed in terms of possible use for epidemiology and disease forecasting.