The effect of resveratrol on the developmental competence of porcine oocytes vitrified at germinal vesicle stage

We tested the effects of resveratrol both as a pre‐treatment and as a recovery treatment after warming during in vitro maturation (IVM) on the viability and developmental competence of porcine oocytes vitrified at the germinal vesicle stage. Pre‐treatment before vitrification of oocytes for 3 hr with 2 μM resveratrol did not affect survival, oocyte maturation and embryo developmental competence to the blastocyst stage after parthenogenetic activation. However, supplementation of the medium with resveratrol during subsequent IVM after vitrification and warming significantly improved the ability of surviving oocytes to develop to the blastocyst stage, and this effect was observed only on vitrified, but not on non‐vitrified oocytes. The intracellular levels of glutathione and hydrogen peroxide in oocytes were not affected by vitrification and resveratrol treatment. Also, there was no significant difference in the occurrence of apoptosis measured by annexin V binding between vitrified and non‐vitrified oocytes, regardless of the resveratrol treatment. In conclusion, resveratrol did not prevent the cellular damages in immature porcine oocytes during vitrification; however, when added to the IVM medium, it specifically improved the developmental competence of vitrified oocytes. Further research will be necessary to clarify the mechanisms of action of resveratrol on the recovery of vitrified oocytes from vitrification‐related damages.     

Synthesis and application of trifluoromethylpyridines as a key structural motif in active agrochemical and pharmaceutical ingredients

Herein, we provide a brief overview of the synthesis and applications of trifluoromethylpyridine (TFMP) and its derivatives in the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. Currently, the major use of TFMP derivatives is in the protection of crops from pests. Fluazifop-butyl was the first TFMP derivative introduced to the agrochemical market, and since then, more than 20 new TFMP-containing agrochemicals have acquired ISO common names. Several TFMP derivatives are also used in the pharmaceutical and veterinary industries; five pharmaceutical and two veterinary products containing the TFMP moiety have been granted market approval, and many candidates are currently undergoing clinical trials. The biological activities of TFMP derivatives are thought to be due to the combination of the unique physicochemical properties of the fluorine atom and the unique characteristics of the pyridine moiety. It is expected that many novel applications of TFMP will be discovered in the future.     

Assessment of phosphorus bioavailability in cultivated Andisols from a long-term fertilization field experiment using chemical extractions and soil enzyme activities

Various chemical extraction methods have been used to evaluate soil phosphorus (P) availability in different ways, and therefore inconsistent results are often obtained. This study examined the usefulness of the resource allocation model for extracellular enzymes for evaluating P availability in soils from a more biological perspective. Potential P availability was evaluated using the Truog and Bray-2 tests, the Hedley sequential extraction procedure, and enzyme activity assessments in cultivated Andisols from a 70-year-old fertilization experiment. Both the ratio of acid phosphatase to β-D-glucosidase activities and the ratio of alkaline phosphatase to β-D-glucosidase activities showed significant negative correlations with potentially available inorganic P, suggesting that microorganisms preferentially expended resources in the form of phosphatase production rather than β-D-glucosidase production to acquire P. Additionally, crop P content had a significant negative relationship to the ratio of alkaline phosphatase to β-D-glucosidase activities. These results suggest that the resource allocation model for extracellular enzymes is useful for evaluating P availability in Andisols.     

Effectiveness of medium pruning on the reduction of radioactive cesium concentration in new shoots of tea plants in Ibaraki Prefecture,Japan

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) plantations in the northern part of Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan, approximately 100 km southwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), were contaminated with radioactive cesium (Cs) released from the power station during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster in 2011. Radioactive Cs concentrations in new shoots were monitored over the 3 years since June 2011. The use of conventional skiffing management resulted in 64% lower radioactive Cs concentration in October 2011 compared with that in June 2011, and the concentration continued to decrease gradually thereafter. Medium pruning to approximately 40 cm from the ground decreased radioactive Cs concentrations in the first tea crop of 2012 and 2013 by 24–25% more than conventional skiffing management.     

Enhanced Growth and nodule occupancy of red kidney bean and soybean inoculated with soil aggregate-based inoculant

Volcanic ash soil, which is widely distributed in Japan, contains a large amount of well-structured soil aggregates. By using these aggregates as carrier materials, we prepared (brady)rhizobial inoculants for red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and soybean (Glycine max). Autoclaved soil aggregates were inoculated with Rhizobium tropici CIATS99R or Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110R, incubated for 15 or 21 d at 30°C, slowly air-dried at 20°C to prepare the aggregate-based inoculants, and stored at various temperatures. The populations of CIATS99R and USDA110R in the aggregate-based inoculants were maintained during several months of storage at 20°C. When the aggregate-based inoculants were mixed with soil, CIATS99R and USDA110R cells showed a remarkably improved survival in soils compared with those mixed with soil without carrier material. The effect of the aggregate-based inoculants on the growth of red kidney bean and soybean was examined in pot experiments. By placing a small amount of the inoculant just beneath the seeds at the time of sowing, plant growth was significantly enhanced compared with the use of traditional peat-based inoculant. In addition, nodule formation on the upper part of soybean roots and nodule occupancy by the inoculated strain were remarkably enhanced by the aggregate-based inoculant. It is suggested that soil aggregates might be suitable carrier materials for preparing cheap and effective (brady)rhizobial inoculants.     

Adequate range of boron nutrition is more restricted for root nodule development than for plant growth in young soybean plant

A pot experiment was conducted under growth chamber conditions to determine the lower and upper critical levels of boron (B) for plant growth, nodule development, and nodule acetylene reduction activity (ARA) in young soybean plants. Plants of a soybean cultivar, Tachinagaha, were grown in pots containing river sand to which a nutrient solution with different B levels was added and were inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum A1017. At 8, 12, and 16 d after sowing (DAS), among the plants supplied with the solution at 0, 1.0, and 2.0 mg B L^-1 , plants with 1.0 mg B L^-1 showed the highest values for dry shoot and fresh root weight, root length, total number of developing nodules and meristematic nodules (DMN), and ARA. At 20 DAS plants grown with 11 B levels (0-2.0 mg L^-1) were compared. The B critical deficiency levels for soybean dry shoot weight, fresh root weight, root length, DMN, number of complete nodules, and ARA were approximately 46, 35, 34, 57, 60, and 50 mg B kg^-1 dry matter, and the critical toxicity levels were approximately 114, 137, 134, 97, 104, and 89 mg B kg^-1 dry matter, respectively. The optimum B levels for the growth characters were approximately 34 to 137 mg B kg^-1 dry matter. The optimum range of B levels for nodule formation and function was more restricted than that for the growth characters. Based on the results of treatments with various B concentrations, 0.4 mg B L^-1 was found to be the concentration most beneficial for all the growth characters including nodule formation at the early stage (20 DAS) of development of soybean plants.     

Soil aggregate stability under different landscapes and vegetation types in a semiarid area in northeastern Syria

The influence of landscapes and vegetation types on soil aggregate stability was studied at 55 sites in rangeland and 18 sites in cropland in northeastern Syria. For the measurement of soil aggregate stability, the wet-sieving test was applied to air-dried and prewetted aggregates. As soil properties, pH, EC, organic carbon content, inorganic carbon content, sand content were determined. Slope gradients at all the sites and soil surface coverage at the sites in the rangeland were also determined. Due to the slaking process, the stability of air-dried aggregates with a mean value of 47.5 × 10^-2 kg kg^-1 was lower than that of prewetted ones with a mean value of 89.8 × 10^-2 kg kg^-1. The absence of a significant relationship between the soil aggregate stability and soil chemical properties in the cropland suggested the influence of tillage. Principal component analysis and stepwise multiple regression analysis for the sites in the rangeland indicated that the air-dried aggregate stability could be described by a coverage factor and slope factor (r=0.76). The contribution of the coverage factor suggested that the increase of the soil organic matter content through the addition of plant materials and protection of the soil surface from the raindrop impact could enhance the soil aggregate stability. The positive contribution of the slope factor implied that unstable aggregates on steeper slopes had already been translocated, while stable aggregates remained. Thus, for the preservation of the soil aggregate stability, the soil surface coverage should be improved especially on gentler slopes.     

Seasonal variations in nutrient and carbohydrate levels of tall fescue cultivars in Japan

Quality (color and density) of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) as a turfgrass is reduced during both the winter and summer in Japan. Seasonal variations in nutrient and carbohydrate levels of six cultivars of tall fescue were measured to determine if these changes are related to the reduction in the turf quality. There were significant differences among the cultivars in nutrient and carbohydrate levels. The nutrient and carbohydrate levels of tall fescue cultivars changed seasonally. Levels of calcium (Ca) and zinc (Zn) were below the sufficiency, but the concentrations of other nutrients were sufficient during the summer suggesting that the reduction in the quality of tall fescue cultivars during the summer in Japan may not be related to the lack of these nutrients in the plant tissues. The nitrogen (N), Ca, magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), Zn, iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) levels in the plant tissues were below the adequate range in the spring which could be attributed to high growth rate since no deficiency symptom was observed. With exception of Ca content, plants contained sufficient or more than sufficient nutrients in their tissues during the fall. Though concentrations of other nutrients were sufficient in the plant tissues in the winter, levels of N, Ca, Mg, P, molybdenum (Mo), Zn, and Cu were lower than plant's requirement which could be due to low temperature since availability of the nutrients reduces under low temperature. There were no deficiency symptoms of these nutrients, but lack of N in the plant tissue could be the cause of the reduction in the color of the tall fescue cultivare in winter. Levels of glucose, fructose, sucrose, fructan, and starch in the summer were higher or equal to those carbohydrate levels in the spring or fall suggesting that decline in tall fescue quality in Japan during the summer may not be related to carbohydrates shortages. Though starch levels were lower in the winter than other seasons, other carbohydrate levels were equal or higher than the levels in the spring and the total carbohydrate content was much higher in the winter than other seasons, suggesting that reduction in tall fescue quality in Japan during the winter may not be related to carbohydrates shortages.     

Comparison of field and laboratory microcosm methods on the mass loss ofQuercus serrata andPinus densiflora leaf litter

The decay rates of Japanese Konara Oak (Quercus serrata Murray) and Japanese Red Pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc.) leaf litter were monitored for one year. It aimed to compare the decomposition of leaf litter using microcosms set up in the field (FM) and in the greenhouse (GM), with the litterbag (LB) method as control. Results showed that incubation setting affected the decay rate (k), respiration rates and the changes in the concentrations of nitrogen (N). Thek value ofQuercus in FM was higher than LB, while thek value ofPinus was higher in the LB than in FM. The decay ratesk for both species, however, were significantly lower in GM than FM and LB, clearly suggesting that decay rate was inhibited in the greenhouse. Significant differences in microclimatic variables and soil biological activities (soil respiration) existed between greenhouse and field microcosms, hence, the decay rates were affected. The N concentrations for both litter types increased as decomposition proceeded. Decomposition studies using laboratory microcosm approach alone may lead to erroneous conclusions especially if no appropriate field studies are conducted along with it. Part of this paper was presented at the XXth International Union of Forestry Research Organization (IUFRO) World Congress, August 6–12, 1995, Tampere, Finland.